products at stores like Best Buy?

and they make entry level stuff that ain't so great.

I don't use the 8 fake sound modes my Denon has never mind the 30 the competing Yamaha would have come with.

Sony is sonically unremarkable. Denon sounds richer and warmer than Yamaha, but NAD ($700 upwards) will prove to be the most sonically rewarding for most systems out there in their price range.
Also, their EARS system walks all over DPLII etc.

If you want to compare the big boys, the Yamaha RX-Z9 makes the 5803 look and sound like a toy.

Even Yamaha's AV receivers have impressive 2 channel specs, look at the THD and damping factors. Denon doens't even list all their specs.
Jeebus, even my RXV2400 has better specs (though slightly less power) than the 5803 and for $3000 less. No matter, I drive the mains through a 20 YEAR OLD Yamaha M-80 @ 250wpc.

If you want to talk surround modes, read the reviews and you'll see that Yamaha is always praised for their true-to-life DSP, partly due to the fact that they actually sample various venues to use in their recreation.

It rocks with stereo sources to really fill up a room.

I'd put it up against anything.

nor did I say that Yamaha sounds like ****, In fact I sold Yamaha audio for a couple of years, its not bad, but not on the level of Denon, Onkyo, or Harmon Kardon and the like

I used to have a NAD... freekin' display would die about every 2 months... but sound was really nice and warm.

There's always a bad apple.

I love mine and does what I need and then some for now.

It's good stuff.