Best AV receivers 2024: Top amps tested by home theater experts
Best AV receivers: Quick list
The best AV receivers will help you achieve the ultimate home theater experience. When partnered to a multi-channel speaker package, a dedicated AV receiver can get up to 9 discrete channels of sound and achieve the most tangible and immersive effect from the latest surround sound formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS: X.
Although we’ve not covered all of these AV receivers as standalone reviews, they’ve all been tested by our home theater expert in a domestic situation with a big-screen TV like one of the best 75-inch TVs just as you would experience them in your own home. Each has been given a multi-channel workout with high-octane movies via the best streaming services or a 4K Blu-ray player, as well as being assessed for their music performance.
All of the models listed here make an effective home entertainment hub. Read on to find the best AV receiver for your setup and budget.
The quick list
Already know what type of AV receiver you’re looking for? Here’s a quick list of our winners, so you can save time and jump right into the reviews. Still not sure? Just scroll on to see all our full list of recommendations.
Best overall
The Denon AVR-X4800H is the best 9-channel AV receiver around. It has ranks top for its elite construction, audio format support and calibration system. It has a rich, layered sound with movies, and also sounds great with music.
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Best value
Perfect for smaller rooms, the Denon AVR-X2700H defies expectations and has no problem with big soundtracks, plus it’s nuanced enough to portray ambience too.
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Best 4K/8K support
The TX-NR7100 has strong connectivity and supports ultra hi-res, or fast frame rate sources. It’s perfect for gamers, and can be configured for up to 7.1.2 or 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos speakers. It has IMAX Enhanced certification and THX post processing, too.
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Best format support
This is one of the most future proof home theater amps around with feature highlights extending to 8K and 4K @120Hz support, 6 HDMI inputs, and Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Sony 360 Reality Audio capable. It sounds tremendous with music too.
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Best for spatial audio
This 7.2ch AV receiver supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, native 360 Reality Audio and boasts 360 Spatial Sound Mapping to achieve a psycho acoustic effect for the most immersive performance. You need to take care at set-up, but get it right and it’s spectacular.
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Best for small spaces
A more compact model than the majority of AV receivers here, this slim Marantz can run 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos and delivers 50W across all 7 channels. It has six HDMI inputs, supports 4K and 8K screens, and comes with HEOS multiroom and AirPlay 2.
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Best for home cinema audiophiles
This 9 channel AV receiver has sublime audio performance, with effortless control of the soundstage and sonic placement that is always precise. It can be configured for 7.1.2 and supports Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization and Virtual DTS: X, plus IMAX Enhanced certification.
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The best AV receivers you can buy right now
Best AV receiver overall
A sonic tour de force, the X4800H is a home theatre amplifier with long-term appeal. The provision of a full board of 8K /4K 120Hz HDMI inputs, and coverage of all the significant home cinema sound formats, ensures that this Denon amp will partner any display or source you might acquire for a long time to come.
The sound profile is best described as visceral. The soundstage is crisp and detailed, but there is a sense of power and precision as well; directional panning is totally convincing. While Denon rates on-board power at 9x 125W (into 8 Ohms) / 200W (into 6 Ohms), it sounds rather more muscular than that. This is a blockbuster amplifier designed for blockbusters but is also darn good with music, sounding light and agile with two-channel stereo and seamlessly immersive with 3D audio mixes.
Best value AV receiver
Denon’s AVR-X2700H provides an affordable jumping on point for the brand’s 2021 X-series AV receivers. The price tag hints at budget components, but in a smaller viewing room (rather than a cavernous theater), it defies expectations.
In our listening tests it gave a punchy delivery and has no problem with action-orientated soundtracks, plus it’s nuanced enough to portray subtle ambiance too. Power output is rated at 150W for multichannel, which is generous and it’ll support a 5.1.2 channel configuration or conventional 7.1 surround (depending on how you’ve set up your loudspeakers). There’s also 8K support, albeit via a single HDMI 2.1 input.
Best AV receiver for ultra-hi-res image support
The TX-NR7100 is perfectly suited to movie and gaming fans alike. It has strong connectivity for hooking up ultra hi-res, or fast frame rate sources — all 6 HDMI inputs offer 8K and 4K 120Hz playback support. It boasts 100W per channel amplification and can be configured for up to 7.1.2 or 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos loudspeakers. There’s also DTS:X compatibility, plus IMAX Enhanced certification and THX post processing.
Installation is aided by a step-by-step onscreen guide. It’s similar to what we’ve seen on the Denon AVR-X4800H and Marantz Cinema 50 AV receivers, albeit without the polish. There are two options when it comes to Room EQ: Onkyo’s own AccuEQ system, and Dirac Live room correction. Bothe deliver excellent results but Dirac Live was our reviewer’s preference.
THX is a feature that has fallen from favour when it comes to home theater, but it still has value when it comes to upmixing. It brought a huge improvement in staging and storytelling to sci-fi based TV dramas as the THX processing adds scale and extra ambience to onscreen drama.
The AVR also handles complex sound sequences well with satisfying placement of objects and pans from stage left to right. It can sound ominous and heavy with deep rumbles rolling across the soundfield with thunderous LFE (Low Frequency Effects) you can almost feel. Stereo music is less effective and there are better AV receivers with audiophile sensibilities, but when it comes to value, features and overall performance for home theaters, the TX-NR1000 can deliver.
Best AV receiver for format support
The Marantz Cinema 50 is one of the most future proof home theater amps we’ve seen. The connectivity on offer is truly impressive with 8K and 4K @120Hz support, 6 HDMI inputs plus three outputs, and an impressive auto calibration system. Format support is extensive with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Auro 3D capable, as well as Sony’s 360 Reality Audio. It’s also IMAX Enhanced certified, which could come into its own when Disney+ starts streaming IMAX audio mixes.
If you’re looking for an AV amp that can deliver massive dynamics, with whip crack fast transients and a fearsome bass extension, the Cinema 50 doesn’t disappoint. It’s a tremendously exciting listen and steers gunfire shootouts beautifully, with effortless panning, and even at high volume there’s no hint of strain.
It does music well too. Marantz’s lauded HDAM amplification circuitry is warm and melodious. In 2-channel mode, we’d say the Cinema 50 is comparable to a high quality mid range stereo amp, and with strong format support is as future proof as they come right now.
Best AV receiver with spatial audio support
The STR-AN1000 is a 7.2ch AV receiver, which is not only Dolby Atmos and DTS:X enabled but it supports native 360 Reality Audio, and also boasts 360 Spatial Sound Mapping. The latter is particularly interesting, and effectively provides virtual speakers to fill in the gaps. It applies psycho acoustic processing to subjectively move actual speakers into more immersive virtual positions. It can be applied to stereo sources to create a surprisingly convincing multichannel effect, and overlaid on native immersive audio formats like Dolby Atmos, to virtually enhance the soundstage.
Sony quotes a power output of 2x 120W (into 6 Ohms), or roughly 85W per channel. It’s not a volume monster, but will suffice in a typically living room or studio apartment. It’s an exciting listen, with smooth sonic steerage of objects and real sense of drama. It sounds bigger than its power specification implies, and handles blockbusters with authority. Just take care with the set up.
Best AV receiver for small spaces
Marantz hasn’t changed the look of its half-height lifestyle NR AVR range for the best part of a decade, but we’re good with that because beneath the hood, there’s been constant evolution. The sonic signature is largely unchanged and it has a warm sound, rather than clinically precise. It’s perhaps a fraction less musical than some of its siblings further up the chain, but it’s undeniably fun to listen to.
You can run a 5.1.2 Atmos setup with a uniform 50W delivered across all 7 channels. There are six HDMI inputs, one labelled 8K, which supports 4K/120fps and 8K 60Hz. There’s only one HDMI output though, but the feature niceties include HEOS multiroom and AirPlay 2. If you don’t have a full multiroom speaker setup you can also use Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization and DTS:X Virtual to roughly emulate a 3D listening experience.
Best AV receiver for audiophiles
There’s something enduringly elegant about Marantz’s AV component design. The curved fascia with small porthole display speaks of legacy and old-school musicality. But don’t let that fool you, this AV receiver is also a movie beast on the cutting edge. We found its audio performance to be sublime, with effortless control of the soundstage. Never feeling under pressure, sonic placement is always precise.
A 9 channel model, it can be configured for 7.1.2. There’s also Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization and Virtual DTS: X, plus IMAX Enhanced certification, which means it’ll automatically change bass management handling for deeper bass when it recognises flagged content. The receiver has a single 8K-capable HDMI 2.1 input, while smart support covers Alexa and Google Assistant, as well as AirPlay 2.
Best high-end AV receiver
Arcam is often cited as the connoisseur’s choice when it comes to home theatre. In addition to the usual list of immersive codecs, this high performing receiver comes with both Auro-3D compatibility and IMAX Enhanced certification. And, while the AVR30 is a 7-channel receiver, there’s processing headroom for 16 channels if you’re prepared to stack up extra amplification.
Calibration is best in class, thanks to Dirac Live, which does a first class job of optimising the AVR’s output to suit your listening room. Less exceptional is the lack of 2.1 compatibility; Arcam is offering a complete board swap, but this is a prohibitively expensive fix. Still, what the AVR30 lacks in mod cons, it makes up for in performance, proving capable of instantaneous highs, and solid plunging lows. Wireless support covers Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, with Google Chromecast and AirPlay 2 talents too.
How to choose the best AV receiver for you
Buying something as complex and multi-talented as an AV receiver can be overwhelming to a casual consumer, so if you’re serious about transforming your sound output into something more theater-like, start educating yourself on the necessities by familiarizing yourself with the things to consider.
Configuration
Something to know right out of the gate is that most seven-channel AV receivers support a speaker configuration of 5.1.2, which is the standard 5.1 surround layout with two additional height/up-firing speakers. Models that feature nine channels of amplification can be used for either 5.1 with four Dolby height speakers (5.1.4) or 7.1 surround with two height channels (7.1.2). Speaker models such as those in the new Klipsch Reference series could make a great partnership for a home cinema setup, and has several upward-firing height speakers to meet Dolby Amos requirements.
Connectivity
Finding the best AV receiver isn’t just about HDMI inputs. Sure we like plenty of inputs, but the number of outputs are important too, particularly if you plan on running both a flatscreen and a projector in the same room.
If you’re considering an AV receiver as a connectivity hub for a music system as well as movies, then be sure to check out our guide to the best turntables for any budget. Many of the receivers available today come with a built-in moving-magnet phono stage to enable vinyl playback from any of the record decks we’ve tested.
Resolution and frame rate support
Do you need 8K or High Frame Rate HDMIs? If your AV receiver is unlikely to have a games console connected then the answer is no. In which case there’s some great deals to be had on AVRs with regular HDMI 2.0 inputs.
Surround sound
Dolby Atmos compatibility is a given (and by default that means you’ll get DTS:X too), but how many channels do you need? Given the option, 9 channels always trump 7, because it opens up more speaker options such as 5.1.4 or 7.1.2, for example.
Don’t have a full Dolby Atmos home theatre loudspeaker set up? Look for a model that offers height virtualisation technology, so you can enjoy an immersive audio experience even when you don’t have a full set of physical speakers.
Power output
Power isn’t just about roof-raising volume, and even if you’re not lucky enough to have a dedicated movie room, a model with big amplification makes sense. A high power output means an AVR can deliver dynamic transients, and pressure load a space without clipping or strain.
8K AV receivers HMDI 2.1 bug explained
While 8K, or more likely 4K at 120fps from a next-gen games console, is a compelling reason to upgrade your dusty old AV receiver, there’s an elephant-sized HDMI bug in the room we need to address.
The first generation receivers with 8K HDMI 2.1 input/s you can buy right now are known to suffer a compatibility issue that means some new 8K/4K source devices that offer a 4K/120fps or 8K video resolution output (we’re looking at you Xbox Series X) do not always pass the video signal through to the display.
This has left the likes of Denon, Marantz and Yamaha scrambling to find a solution. Consequently, Denon is supplying buyers of affected Denon and Marantz AV receivers an HDMI adapter box free of charge. The SPK618 sits between your console and AV receiver, and corrects the HDMI data allowing it to pass. Inelegant perhaps, but effective.
An alternate workaround for owners of affected AVRs is to connect their console directly to their 4K/120fps capable TV, and then route audio back to the AVR using the eARC HDMI connection.
Alternatively, gamers can just output from their console at 4K/60fps resolution (effectively the default premium display option anyway) and all will be fine and dandy.
Then again, you could hang fire and wait for new models. Yamaha says its new RX-A8A, RX-A6A and RX-A4A receivers use a next generation HDMI board which isn’t so afflicted.
How we test AV receivers
When testing models for inclusion in our best AV receivers page, we play a range of media — including movies, music and games — in order to evaluate overall sound quality performance. We also test any companion software that may come with an AV receiver, and factor in how easy it is to set up and use each receiver with a reference speaker system.
Other features we consider include the different kinds of connectivity options, all of which determine how well it will work with your home entertainment setup. We also take into account power output, the number of supported audio channels and subwoofer outputs, and available processing software for decoding movie soundtracks as well as their ability to handle music sources — all factors that greatly affect how each speaker will sound in your living room.
Once we complete our testing, we rate each AV receiver based on our five-point system (1 = worst, 5 = best). If a product hits nearly every mark, it’s awarded an Editor’s Choice badge.
Contributions from Steve May
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