The Final 2....Decision Time

I'd definitely get the Denon 790/1910. The better Audyssey Suite is worth it considering the Denon is at least equal to or better in most other categories. Being able to EQ the subwoofer seperates the Denon from both of these other avr's.

Denon>Onkyo>Pioneer

These are only personal opinions. Ultimately it's up to you to decide. I think Denon is over priced for what you get.

Well, the problem is that there's never a "BEST" receiver in any price range. Different people prefer the sound of different receivers. The reason I selected Pioneer in that poll may sound real stupid to some. But, I had a Pioneer Hi-Fi many years ago, and the sound of that system was much better as compared to the two Sony's I've owned. I do own a Denon turntable which in my opinion sounds fantastic.

While comparing, I've noticed, many people mention the Onkyo becoming quite warm. If you'll be placing the receiver in an enclosed space, you might want to take that into consideration.

I would suggest to look at the Pioneer Elite vsx-21/23txh receivers. These are not much more than the 1019. Be warned that Onkyo uses crap amps/DACs in their lower end models, like the 607/707. They don't have the same sound quality of the 807 and higher. I had the 607 and was never satisfied with the sound with my Paradigm Monitor 9 speakers. The Pioneer vsx-21 would be your better choice in that price bracket.

Do not put other components on top of receiver and you will be fine. Place receiver on top shelf in enclosure. Also you never did say what type of speakers you will be using. Don't go cheap on the receiver if you have nice big tower speakers. There is a difference in quality in receivers in each price bracket.

Denon's manual is horrible. You would do much better if you referred to BatPig's guide on setting the Denon up.

I agree that Denon's are overpriced this year.

I just went through the entire process of choosing a new AVR this year and 3 weeks ago bought the Onkyo HT-RC 180. For $775 Canadian it was by far the best AVR to be found in my city of 1,000,000 people.

Check it out. I think you'll like it

Some strange reason I believe the Denon's are better than the Onkyo's. I believe the reason Denon holds a firm grip on their price is that they stand by their product and you get what you pay for. Onkyo lowers their price just to sell more receivers, but the product is probably crap or made with budget components.
Also "test Freaks" rates the Denon 2310 as the TOP receiver. They said its the "Sweet spot" of Denons 2009 line.
And Pioneer 1019 I believe is over hyped, but excellent for the under $500 receivers. The elite line is better. Just my 2 cents!
I would go with the Denon.

The problem with Denon is that none of their AVRs, from the 3310 down, can power 4 ohm speakers. Secrets of Hi Fi proved that in their review of the 3310. Thus they are NOT good value for money and are about 20% overpriced.

Go here and look up their review of the Denon 3310. Be sure to read the comments section at the end, as well.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/

Onkyo offers THX certified AVRs for substantially less than anything comparable from Denon.

I heard Best Buy was pricing the 1019 about $10 more than even the MSRP. What price did you see for the 1019? If you don't mind waiting a little while, you could back-order the 1019 at J&R for $449. They send out shipment as soon as they receive fresh stock. It was the best deal I could find on the 1019 from an authorized online reseller.

It has been out of stock everywhere since a month almost. The last I had seen it in stock was on amazon marketplace. Another user had a similar problem finding one in stock and he called Pioneer directly. He was told that Pioneer themselves, have it in stock, and they do send out shipments to resellers. If you don't mind the shipping and tax, you could order directly from Pioneer.

If you don't mind waiting, J&R has the best deal I could find among the authorized online resellers for Pioneer Home products. They have the 1019 for $449. They show "Out of stock" on their product page, but they do send out shipment as soon as they receive fresh stock. You could give them a call and ask them regarding an expected delivery date.