Trouling - I found your quote on the Pioneer and Marantz relative to the Denon somewhat interesting if not amusing. I just left my local Magnolia store (West Hills Ca) where I sat through a 1 hour + listening comparison of some of the latest receivers, including the the Denon 4311, and a Pioneer and Marantz (I also sampled a McIntosh, but that system is so far outside the parameters price-wise its not valid to make any type of comparison.) Personally, I find the "religious" debates of "this brand" vs "that brand" and the battle for audio supremacy pretty lame. I understand the impulse of wanting to promote ones choices and proselytize the corresponding gospel, but the bottom line is the only way to make a choice is to sit down and actually listen to whatever you are considering buying. Ironically re; your post, I just happened to listen to comparable models the Denon, Pioneer and the Morantz head-to-head on the same set of top line speakers today and I had the exact opposite opinion of your "local dealer." On a stand alone basis, all three sounded great (I am not an audiophile but I am fastidious none the less.) But relative to one another, all things being equal, the Denon had the more balanced and warmer sound. The Pioneer was nice, but not as "rich" sounding. The Marantz, again was nice, but the high notes sounded a bit harsh. Ian, my dealer guy (who btw, is an audiophile and one of the rare capable sales people) had the identical observations. His reasoning being the Denon had a better "amp" system (not sure if technically true, but that's what he said). I'm not a Denon guy (I own a Sony ES) but after today I am now a Denon "believer." No doubt, the 4311 is a top notch AVR. Relative to the other brands, I would would rate it 1st. But ultimately, you have to let your own ears decide the winner, not the sales people or the blogs. You listen to music with your ears, not your ego.