If you want a very high resolution and ultra revealing AVR, the Anthem MRX 1120 is likely the best. It is an 11 channel receiver, but you are also paying for the larger power supply. That will significantly improve your 7.1 speaker setup.
Otherwise, it becomes a personal preference game. The Anthem are great, but can have a tendency to sound a bit bright in some systems. Marantz high level receivers are good because of the discrete analog output section, but they are voiced warm with rolled off highs. Some people like Arcam, but you really need to listen to them first. Arcam is excellent and very refined, but presents a somewhat colored and smoothed sound.
