Both Denon and Yamaha sound great. Yamahas suposedly sound brighter than Denons. If your Paradigms run a little bright, its worth considering the Denon. Most brick and mortar stores have return periods. Certainly trying them both at home with your setup is the most reliable way to determine whether you like them or not.
One theory is that all well made class B or class AB receivers have very similar sounding amp sections. If you buy into that theory, you should be taking a closer look at features. My Yamaha RX-V2700 remote, for example is somewhat annoying, but I bought the AVR based on overall features. If ease of use had been a primary concern I might have made a different decision.
I had demo's both the Pioneer Elite (same price class) and the RX-V2700 and I thought the Pioneer might have sounded better. But this was at the showroom with so many variables. It was not a large enough difference to dissuade me from the 2700.
One theory is that all well made class B or class AB receivers have very similar sounding amp sections. If you buy into that theory, you should be taking a closer look at features. My Yamaha RX-V2700 remote, for example is somewhat annoying, but I bought the AVR based on overall features. If ease of use had been a primary concern I might have made a different decision.
I had demo's both the Pioneer Elite (same price class) and the RX-V2700 and I thought the Pioneer might have sounded better. But this was at the showroom with so many variables. It was not a large enough difference to dissuade me from the 2700.