I have the Sherwood R972 and love it. Trinnov has been amazing room correction for my room. It would be an interesting choice for the OP. I’d be willing to ship it to the OP. If you like it, you can buy it from me. It is older tech so it doesn’t switch 4k or have Atmos or new tech like that but it does have Trinnov room correcriin and strong, good sounding amps.
That's remarkably generous and trusting of you. Having started down this 4k up-grade trail, I think it makes sense to stick with contemporary technology. Even then it's hard enough to get things to work together. Thank you anyway.
I'm leaning in favour of the Anthem MRX720, although there are several things that are bugging me. The first is the lack of DSD decoding. I can probably live with this, but I'd be quite pissed if Anthem offers it on the replacement model (the magical world of the Internet has failed to enlighten me about the anticipated new models). The second thing is the absence of multi-channel analogue inputs. I realise that this is the way the world, but it means that your AVR eventually becomes worthless. At least an AVR with multi-channel inputs can retain some value (perhaps quite significant value) as a multi-channel amplifier once its audio and video processing have become obsolete. These inputs also provide a lifeline for those of us with vintage SACD players.
I suppose my "perfect" receiver would have a handful of HDMI 2 ports (perhaps 2.1) and one with full audio return, a few USB, SPDIF, and TOSLINK inputs, multi-channel analogue inputs (6 channels), a few stereo analogue inputs, some kind of network connection, seven channels of absolutely top quality sound, a usable smartphone/tablet app for when the remote control fails, a proper volume control knob on the front, a set-up menu that's easy to use, room correction that works and is easy to use, a paper manual that's comprehensible, easy access to my FLAC files, a level of video and audio processing (including SACD) that's appropriate for my living room and a 4k UHD TV (if I had a dedicated home theatre, I'd buy more sophisticated gear), no composite, S-video, or component video inputs, no Zone 2, no pre-outs, and no streaming services. Oh, and a ten-year, no-quibble warranty. Surely that's not asking too much?