You heard right about the Denon, they're junk. I cannot think of one piece of Pioneer gear that I could justify spending $500 on, let alone $1200!! I've never owned Marantz receivers so I can't comment on them. If you want one that will last a lifetime wihout trouble and still sound as good as any other receiver sounds, save up a couple more frogskins and get a Yamaha RX-V2095. Another good choice is the Nakamichi AV-10. Good luck!!
Best A/V Receiver up to $1200.00
What's the best and most reliable and powerful A/V receiver available up to the $1200.00 price range? I'm looking at the Marantz sr-8000, Denon AVR-3300, and the Pioneer Elite VSX-26TX. I've heard alot of reliability issues with the Denon and sound quality with the Pioneer. I'm leaning toward the Marantz. My only reservation is the lack of "bell's and whistles" 7.1 and speaker switching. I've also heard the Marantz amp is far superior to the other's. Thank's Danny