Help! Receiver or preamp? Im overwhelmed...

Would a Marantz SR5014 or SR7012 be a good choice? Or would the audio not be as satisfying as Rotel? What older Anthem unit would be a good choice? I like music to be very dynamic and hard-hitting...

Marantz NR1510 UHD AV Receiver...What about this? Since I have an XPA 5 Amp?
 

@mahler123 How would you describe Anthem, vs Marantz and Denon, or Rotel for that matter? 

@Fatdaddy I guess because AV processors seem to be over the budget and receivers that have internal amps seem to have a lot going on for a reasonable price. You would think units without amplification would be less than those with...go figure.

@ auxinput, Wow. Thank you for that detailed explanation. And darn it, right when I was thinking of sucking it up and getting the new Anthem MRX 540 at $1600...

Thank you SO very much gentleman! I should also mention I will be keeping the Rotel (Not that it matters). As for the budget, I'm guessing up to $1000 would snag me an excellent unit in the used market? I do not play vinyl so that will not be a concern.

As far as video I'm guessing I want to be able to upgrade to a minimum of 4k handling ability, correct? And honestly, to play music we use either a Playstation 3 and 4 for discs and use it to access the internet for music sites and use the optic connection to the receiver. We even use an old Toshiba HD-XA2 for upconverting old movie content and some audio through it as well as it has a Burr Brown Dac. Use Playstation 3 and 4 for online music, movies, games etc. 

So yes, this boat has oars and we are probably missing out on a lot! For heaven's sake, I'm still using my speakers with one set of cables instead of Bi-wiring. So I need to learn about that too...Shew, work, and family have made me quite illiterate in the HT game, but I'm keeping faith there is potential!    

I’m thinking pre-amp/processor as well Russ. No worries brother. I’m in desperate need of advice as I’m 200 miles from any pro audio places. Much appreciated!

@Winnardt, This is a valid point, especially understanding the corporate world. I don't doubt the audio world would be immune either. Actually, as subjective as audio is, it's probably ripe for the corporate picking. Just as an example, I called Marantz to ask a question today, and after receiving the callback, the individual from pre-sales team whom should be armed to the teeth with the knowledge to sell the products had less knowledge and understanding than I... whos been out of the hobby for 10 years, If that tells you anything.