I'll put in my plug for the Marantz. I'm not familiar with latter day Onkyo but heard their stuff in the early 90s and wasn't too impressed with it.
I bought a Denon and a Marantz sr-8000 in the late 90s. No question the Marantz was better than the Denon in every way. Sound, ergonomics, functionality. You don't notice all these things until you own and use them both. I still have the Marantz. It's not hooked up right now but it was solid as a rock for 10 years. Every time the TV came on it came on and nary a problem. The reason I compare these is maybe you have some experience with Denon and can use that as a point of reference.
One thing that people always talk about is the HDMI level in the recievers. Can you not connect directly to your TV? I have a DVD and the cable box and connect directy. Makes things a lot simpler on hookup.
I bought a Denon and a Marantz sr-8000 in the late 90s. No question the Marantz was better than the Denon in every way. Sound, ergonomics, functionality. You don't notice all these things until you own and use them both. I still have the Marantz. It's not hooked up right now but it was solid as a rock for 10 years. Every time the TV came on it came on and nary a problem. The reason I compare these is maybe you have some experience with Denon and can use that as a point of reference.
One thing that people always talk about is the HDMI level in the recievers. Can you not connect directly to your TV? I have a DVD and the cable box and connect directy. Makes things a lot simpler on hookup.