Which digital receiver?  

Hi, I'm considering the following receivers, and all cost around the same price (US$880-940)
Denon AVR-3801
Yamaha RX-V1000
Sony STR-V555ES

I've also checked out HK, Marantz and Onkyo units, but they are too expensive over here compared the above 3. Pioneer Elite doesn't even exist over here. So now I'm debating which of the 3 to get.

I'm leaning towards the Denon because its the newest of the 3 and has the most features, including DTS ES 6.1 and 7.1 support, which I'm interested in. Its also the cheapest. However, it doesn't have THX certification/support. The Sony also has ES support, but no 7.1 support nor THX. Also, I'm biased towards Denon over Sony. As for the Yamaha, it has 6 channel output, but no THX/ES either.

I intend to add a 5 channel power amp, very probably an Anthem MCA-5, together with either a Paradigm or PSB speaker setup, and will be using it for 50/50 HT/music. Which receiver is best for me?

Anybody? I just auditioned a few components today(Paradigm Monitor 9s, JM Labs Cobalt 815, Anthem MCA-5, Rotel RB-985 mk2, Rotel RSP-976, McCormack) but the dealer didn't have any of the 3 receivers. However, I'm convinced that the preamp makes a huge difference. When I was listening to the Paradigm/Anthem/Rotel RSP system, as well as the JMLabs/Anthem/Rotel RSP system, the sound was very grainy, closed and generally just didn't sound very musical at all. I replaced the Rotel with the McCormack stereo preamp and the difference was astounding to say the least, so I'm worried that the 3 receivers I'm considering might not have the preamp quality to produce quality music.