Some of this guide is based on the work of Wirecutter senior staff writer Chris Heinonen, who has spent hundreds of hours over the past few years testing AV receivers for previous versions of this guide.
For those who want to get closest to the movie-theater experience at home, who have multiple sources to connect, and who want more flexibility in speaker selection and setup, an AV receiver is the way to go.
An AV receiver is the core of most home theater systems. It combines source switching, audio and sometimes video processing, speaker amplification, and volume control in one box. Plug your source components—your media streamer, gaming console, cable or satellite receiver, and disc player—into its inputs, then connect its outputs to your display and speakers, and an AV receiver will direct all of the AV signals to the right places and in the right formats.
Many receivers include built-in music streaming services such as Pandora, Sirius XM, Spotify Connect, and Tidal, along with the ability to connect directly to internet radio stations and local DLNA media servers. And for those who prefer a more traditional approach, some receivers allow you to distribute audio sources and sometimes video, too to a second zone via wired connections. All of our current recommendations support 4K HDR displays and sources. Many new AV receivers also support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, newer sound formats designed to add an overhead element to the typical ear-level surround sound available for decades.
To enjoy Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound to its fullest, you need to add height speakers or buy special Atmos-enabled speakers you can read more about that topic in our guide to the best surround-sound speaker system , and you need an AV receiver that can decode these formats and provide power to more speakers. AV receivers run the price gamut from a couple hundred dollars to well into four-figure territory.
The serious audio or home theater enthusiast may choose to spend more money to get more power which may be important if your speakers are difficult to drive , more amplified channels, more setup and customization options, and better build quality.
But there are certain key specs that you should consider when you begin your receiver search:. A basic home theater configuration requires a 5. Moving up to a 7. The more height speakers you add, the more convincing the effect—but that requires more amp channels, which leads to a more expensive AV receiver.
Since the subwoofer is typically self-powered, to figure out how many amplified channels a receiver has, or how many you need, you simply add the first and third numeral.
So, a 5. Your receiver needs to be able to connect all the HDMI source devices you have, which could include a cable box or DVR, a Blu-ray player, a gaming console, and a media streamer.
You should also consider how many non-HDMI-equipped sources you want to connect and make sure the receiver has enough digital or analog inputs to accept them. If you have a turntable that lacks a phono preamp, you may want a receiver with a phono input.
HDMI 2. The connector remains the same, but version 2. Other noteworthy enhancements include automatic low-latency mode which allows devices to automatically detect and switch to the best mode for gaming , eARC which allows for higher-quality lossless audio over the HDMI Audio Return Channel instead of only compressed formats , variable refresh rate, and quick media switching.
But only a few of the newest receivers support the higher bandwidth necessary for 4K Hz gaming and 8K video. Make sure to read the fine print or our discussions below to pick a receiver that supports the HDMI 2. Even folks with extensive physical music collections likely stream much of their music from the internet, so a receiver needs some way of supporting streaming audio apps like Pandora and Spotify.
Employing an app for control seems to make perfect sense, the only snag comes if your streaming audio sources are also app controlled and need to be juggled outside of the HEOS app. The receiver can even virtually relocate the physical position of your speakers, to create a better sonic balance. Build quality is commensurate with its price tag. This is no heavyweight, and the fascia looks overly fussy, but the hairline finish is a premium touch.
Connectivity is good. There are also two analogue AV inputs, plus a pair of stereo phonos and two digital audio inputs. Usability is average. The receiver relies heavily on its UI, which is pretty but sometimes a little frustrating. Performance is excellent for the price. Movies benefit from seamless panning and pronounced dynamics.
Power output is quoted at 7 x W into 6 ohms. The biggest surprise is the effectiveness of the phantom rears, which really do help fill out the rear surround stage. Overall, this is an innovative, exciting AV Dolby Atmos receiver. Consider it a brilliant value home cinema offering. There's very little we can hold against the Denon AVR-XH, one of the world's first 8K receivers and winner of a number of accolades this year.
It's what we consider the best overall AV receiver in in terms of what it offers for the money. Of course, if you want to go remote-free there is voice support for Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri-enabled devices, making it truly egalitarian.
Sure, there are more expensive amps out there with a few superfluous bells and whistles, but the AVR-XH gives you W-per-channel amplification with all the essentials you need to keep your speakers sounding great.
It's a rock-solid AVR and while it's expensive, it absolutely delivers exceptional clarity, soundstage and presence to your favorite films and music, and is pretty much the pinnacle of what you can expect from a cutting-edge AVR. The design is understated, with a nice matte cabinet finish and big central volume knob. It tips the scales at a reassuringly heavy 16kg. Audio options include six analogue inputs, and six digital audio inputs. The really significant difference here, compared to previous Arcam home theater boxes, is the provision of Dirac Live room calibration.
Arguably the most sophisticated auto calibration technology available, it does a extraordinary job fine tuning the receiver to the listening room. Dirac tuning is not carried out by the receiver with a microphone, but via a laptop.
Sounds complicated? But most of all, it's worth remembering that AV receivers, much more than other home audio devices, are all pretty similar.
Speakers and headphones can look and sound very different, but AV receivers mostly look and sound the same. Personally, I think AV receivers could get a lot better , but they're still your best option if you want high-quality sound. Not in my opinion. It's a classic case of diminishing returns: 5.
Not to mention the fact that there just isn't that much content with true, discrete 7. Though Dolby Atmos uses at least 7 channels -- whether in 5. One of the benefits of getting a 7. Most 7. It's a neat idea, but it's much more limited than it sounds.
Most AV receivers can't send any incoming digital sources HDMI and digital audio inputs to the second zone, which is going to include most devices connected to the receiver. You'll also need to run wires from your primary room to the secondary room, which isn't always easy. And finally, remember that you probably won't be able to control the second source with a remote when you're in another room, although AV receivers with smartphone control get around this somewhat.
So even if you think you want second-zone functionality, make sure you're aware of all the limitations. In many cases, it's easier to get a small, separate system or Bluetooth speaker for the second room.
And if you want a true multiroom audio system, check out our roundup of the best Wi-Fi systems that will integrate with most AV receivers. Comparing the wattage specs on AV receivers won't tell you much. Power ratings aren't standardized , so there's no guarantee that one company's watt-per-channel receiver will sound louder than another company's watt-per-channel receiver. More importantly, for typical home theater speakers and rooms, modern AV receivers offer plenty of power.
CNET's listening room is medium-sized, but we never run into AV receivers that don't have the capability to get much louder than the average person would choose. Automatic speaker calibration sounds like a great idea, letting you use an included microphone to adjust speaker levels and apply EQ to accommodate your listening room. In practice, it doesn't always work that well. In fact, in our recent roundup of AV receiver reviews, automatic speaker calibration was consistently off-balance, almost always setting the subwoofer volume level incorrectly.
If you really care about sound, you're better off learning how to manually set your speaker levels. DTS:X is a new surround sound format designed to make home theater audio more immersive, not unlike Dolby Atmos. Remember the old Mac vs. PC war? Same thing. The good news: most new AV receivers can play both formats. HDR on a TV generates higher contrast within the existing pixels, expanding contrast and color so the end result is more accurate and has more depth.
How is HDR relevant to receivers? Like we said above: think of channels as speakers. And though most music formats only require 2 channels left and right , the sky's the limit for true home theater surround sound. In a nutshell: The more channels you have, the more more speakers you can add — and the more speakers you add, the better and more immersive the sound.
A good old stereo system is now referred to as 2. The "2" refers to the two front speakers, and the subwoofer is the ". Add another subwoofer to the setup, and you have a "5. To recap: a 9. Plus two subwoofers, which are typically in the back, but can go anywhere. You'll need a receiver with 9 channels or more to power a system like this.
How much audible difference is there between the two? Still, that said, a few words on power from one of our own, a World Wide Stereo industry expert, Bob Cole:.
That is, the loud parts can be a LOT louder! It's important to get a receiver with power reserves, or the loud parts will distort.
That not only sounds bad, but it can hurt your speakers. I like to see about Watts per channel or more for most rooms and speakers. Even better, some receivers have preamp output jacks on the rear, so you can later add a power amplifier to boost the power. It future-proofs your power. What to look for if you want wireless multi-room audio. In the old days, like way back in the year , if you wanted music in another room, you drilled lots of holes in walls and floors so you could run wires to speakers.
And if you got fancy, you also ran wires to a keypad on the wall so you could control everything. Today, you can do the same thing, minus the drilling and the wires by going wireless. And there are two ways to do this. Keep an eye out for these callouts while shopping. In essence, you could have a 7-room house playing a different song in each room at the same time, with no wires anywhere. We should note: there are still wall keypads out there, but many are now wireless, too.
Though some receivers come with a wireless system already built-in, you can add wireless capability to almost any sound system. Yamaha , Bose , and Sonos all make tiny boxes that connect to the receiver just like a CD player, and allow you to stream almost any music, wirelessly, through your sound system. Many of the newest home theater receivers are easily controlled through an app on your iPhone, tablet, or computer.
At your fingertips: full operational control from any room in the house. Grandma could take over, no problem. Receivers are often bigger than you think. An AV receiver with amps inside needs to dissipate heat, so I recommend leaving 6 inches inches above it for ventilation. The cooler a piece of electronics stays, the longer it lasts. AV receivers are typically deeper than stereo receivers, so I usually recommend allowing 20 inches for depth. If space is tight, there are fan kits that can keep the air circulating to prevent your receiver from overheating.
Or the mayhem and destruction in a typical monster movie might spill out at home. The most common questions we hear from customers.
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