I currently run an Anthem MRX720 as processor. Sound is excellent. Anthem Genesis (room correction) does a pretty good job. That said, I don't use it for music - seems to take some dynamics away on the high end. I've never used Audyessy so can't compare, although posts by others in various formats generally rank Dirac 1st, Anthem 2nd, Audyessy 3rd.

You should check the threads on AVS regarding the new units. Some users are having various issues, mainly with the new Genesis for the x40/AVM70/90 units. The new Genesis is actually just a beta. It is my understanding that Anthem has instructed their dealers to tell customers not to run the beta. However, some are with mixed results (seems ok for some, not for others).

That said, I think Anthem will get it sorted in a reasonable time frame. If I were to upgrade (don't think I will anytime soon as the 720 works fine for my needs and nothing in the new models that is a must have for me), I'd wait a month or two to Anthem to work through the issues. Too old and not as patient to be a beta tester anymore :-).

The Denon unit you mentioned seems well liked from what I've read. My impression is users who've compared the Denon and Marantz tend to prefer the Denon over Marantz (although same company).