The advice you've received so far - while well-intentioned I'm sure, is NOT right. The salesmen who recommended Yamaha over the other two were quite correct. If you value reliability, this one's a no-brainer! Go read the thread below with the subject title of "Losses at Denon and Marantz" for more info on the subject.

This is a classic case of people having good luck with a certain brand and translating that into thinking that that brand will ALWAYS be as good as the one they bought years ago ... which is not always the case. The prime example of this is SONY, RCA and Zenith - three stalwarts in the TV biz, who now rely on their past reputation to sell their products today. You couldn't sell ME a TV set from any one of the three at any price today! Caveat emptor and all that jazz ...