Nope, that's not it.  Believe me I was in denial about it for a long time.  It's not the other sources or cables.  It's the AVR's themselves.  I'm a creature of habit, when I find something that works, I don't stray away to check out the new kid on the block.  Stability is my bread and butter.  
 
Onkyo was the only AVR we used. Period end of story. I can walk you through the menu by memory. The point is, this isn't a new AVR that I'm struggling to figure out how it works.  These were my go to receivers.  

In 100% of the cases, we've replaced the units with numerous Denon models. 100% of the time the issue was resolved.  Unfortunately, I don't know Denon Meus like the back of my hand, so here I am, an old dog learning new tricks.  

I only beat this point home, so that nobody on the forum looses as much money as I have on defective AVRs.