Depending on your goals and aspirations for your system, you could consider something like the Denon 4500, too, still available new.
In terms of performance, you can always deep dive into reviews on ASR and the like... but more than anything else, familiarize yourself with what they offer. If there are things/features you want, search them out. Look at the usability and ergonomics of the receivers (granted with Denon you won't find much differences from one to the next at the newer 3x00 and 4x00 level).
Perhaps something like this may help:
Compare A/V Receivers, TVs, Espresso Machines. Sort and filter the results.
www.zkelectronics.com