If you are going to go strictly with two channel your money would be much better spent buying an integrated amp used in the $1500- $1750 range and spending $250 on a used tuner. The $250 you would spend on a used tuner would give you every bit as good as the tuner section in a receiver. The quality of integrated amp you can buy in the $1500- $1750 range will out perform the amp section of the receivers you mentioned.
Best Mainstream Receiver for 2 Channel Audio
I'm looking to pick up a receiver to serve double duty for home theater and 2 channel audio. I'm still unsure how much quality I'd lose from a dedicated stereo preamp/amp or integrated but I'm currently looking at the mainstream brands - Sony, Denon, Marantz, Onkyo, Pioneer, etc. Which make and model do folks here most highly recommend for 2 channel audio quality? Price range would be $1500-$2000.