Good starter amp recommendation

Good research . You are to be commended !  
As the AKC judge said "Okay I want them in that order"
You nailed it. VA & OD may be a dead heat. Who has the 
better service record and longer warranty??

Thanks for advice, all. Will cross out Anthem and multi-channel amps, and will either try out Van Alstine, Odyssey or, if lucky, any of the other amps suggested (B&K, Adcom).

Definitely a challenge to audition with internet direct or used, so trying out and seeing if it works seems like a good idea, nothing beats listening at home anyway. If anything, can use them for a secondary office setup too.

Another amp to research would be a McCormack DNA 1. Don’t see one on this site but these guys sale on here a lot so hopefully safe to pass this on.

https://tmraudio.com/components/power-amplifiers/mccormack-power-drive-dna-1-stereo-power-amplifier-...

I wouldn’t knock out all multichannel amps without hearing a few first. Unless you are good with going only 2ch.  The center really does add a lot if you are into movies, but there is something to be said about the simplicity of 2ch.

I have a McIntosh MC7106. It’s a pretty old 6 channel amp which can be bridged into 3 more powerful channels.  Man this thing is impressive and powerful.  I just bridged two of the channels to drive my Martin Logan 11As for fun and was really impressed with the clarity.  Sure it’s not in the same as a $10K amp but that’s not what you are going for.  I can say though it is crisper sounding than my $8.5K MC452 amp with my ML speakers (which is good for movies).  These can be found in your budget especially on Craigslist, but just make sure to the history of the unit.

May I also recommend looking at integrated amplifiers if you are thinking 2ch.  The preamp is really important and mid-to-low end receivers aren’t in the same league as some dedicated 2ch preamps for music.  Integrated amps have best of both worlds.  Toss in home-theater bypass and you can add your Denon in to the mix without issue.