Recently Reviewed AV Receivers

The Marantz SR8012 11.2CH AV receiver decodes EVERY immersive surround format, supports the latest in 4K UHD resolution, streams music till your heart's content and is one of the first products on the market to support IMAX Enhanced features. But what makes us even more excited about this receiver is the meaty amp section that's pays homage to the AV super receiver of yesteryear. Check out our editorial and YouTube reviews with full bench test results to see if this is the best AV receiver you can get for $3k.

This week at CEDIA, San Diego, Denon released the industry’s first IMAX Enhanced-Ready 4K AV Receivers with HDMI 2.1 support. The AVR-X6500H and AVR-X4500H are some of the most innovative and powerful receivers we’ve seen on the market today. What is IMAX Enhanced and should you run out and get a new AV receiver that is IMAX Enhanced compatible? Read on to find out...

The new AVR-X3500H from Denon is a 7.2-channel receiver offering all the usual bells and whistles, plus a couple of brand-new ones from the upcoming HDMI 2.1 standard. With eARC and Auto Low Latency Mode on board, the AVR-X3500H offers some compelling reasons to upgrade. What do these new features bring to the table? Read on to find out.

The RX-S602 Slimline AV receiver stands just 4.5 inches tall, and includes Yamaha’s MusicCast Surround technology. New for 2018, MusicCast Surround allows the user to send the rear-channel signals to Yamaha’s MusicCast 20 or MusicCast 50 wireless speakers, eliminating the need to run speaker cables across the room. Does this compact 5.1-channel receiver offer enough to lure style-conscious buyers away from Marantz and Denon? Read on to find out.

The $549 NR1509 and $749 NR1609 from Marantz pack new features into their slim and elegant chassis. Now with Alexa compatibility and support for multi-room music via Denon’s Heos and Apple’s Airplay 2 protocols, the latest slimline receivers do it all. If you have a small space, a limited budget, and high expectations, these new receivers from Marantz might be just what you’ve been waiting for.

With Onkyo’s purchase of Pioneer in 2015 it was just a matter of time before Pioneer introduced their foray into the midpriced / hi-end AV receiver arena with their Elite VSX-LX303. The 9.2 channel AV receiver is priced at $799 and, like Onkyo’s TX-NR787 supports and upmixes to DTS:X and Dolby Atmos soundtracks via 5.2.4-ch or 7.2.2-ch speaker layouts. See how this model compares to its Onkyo brethren.

The SR7012 is among the first crop of Marantz receivers to offer Amazon Alexa voice control and AirPlay 2 support (via firmware update). Along with robust HDR support and the latest HDMI 2.0 specifications, the SR7012 is at home in both smart homes and those wanting cutting edge tech. Add eleven channels of processing; nine on-board, assignable amplification modules; HEOS multi-room streaming; hi-res audio playback; and support for every major consumer 3D audio format on the market today and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better value-laden package.

With CEDIA just around the corner we're seeing an influx of new AV receivers from all the major manufacturers. Yamaha decided to update their entire AVENTAGE RX-A lineup of receivers with their new and improved AVENTAGE RX-A 80 series. With the top three receivers adding artificial intelligence for surround and dialogue optimization and all six adding wireless surround options, Yamaha is looking to stand out and be noticed. Read on to see if their mission is accomplished.

When Onkyo sent me information on their 9.2 CH TX-NR787 AV receiver I honestly thought it was a mistake. Maybe Onkyo has something to prove or they're just trying to corner the market? Whatever the cause, it’s good for the consumer. Check out why everyone is looking at the Onkyo TX-NR787 receiver which offers 100 watts x 9 channels of processing, streaming options galore, and noteworthy updates to their AccuEQ room correction system for under $700!

We recently previewed the Onkyo TX-SR383 and since Onkyo bought Pioneer's Home Theater Entertainment section a few years ago, it was only a matter of time until receivers with similar feature sets and performance came out from Pioneer. The Pioneer VSX-LX103 is a $499, 7.2 channel receiver with all the video bells and whistles that we liked about the Onkyo TX-SR383 but with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X processing. Sadly, parent company Onkyo appears to be rubbing off on Pioneer by artificially and erroneously inflating the power ratings by stating 170 watts/ch despite it actually only be 80 watts/ch. Read on for more details.

The TX-SR383 AV receiver from Onkyo provides a choice of native 7.2-channel soundtrack reproduction, or a 5.2-channel surround-sound layout with powered audio distribution to a pair of stereo speakers in Zone 2 . Rated at 155 W/Ch it seems like an amazing deal for just $400! Read on to find out why the devil is in the details and you may not be getting all those watts you think you are.

Integra recently launched their two newest flagship products, the DRX-R1.1 and DRC-R1.1 11.2 Channel Network AV Receiver and Preamp/Processor. The two new products are the first in their lineup to incorporate 4K HDBaseT circuitry which allows for the transmission of 4K/60fps/ 4:4:4/UHD/HDR-10/Dolby Vision content up to 100 meters away over Cat 5/6/7 wiring! With Dolby Atmos and DTS:X ready to go out of the box for a 7.2.4 setup and a slew of upper echelon options these two new products are vying for contention for the most up to date available.

The world's first 13.2CH Immersive Surround Receiver is what Denon is calling their new AVR-X8500H. This 51lbs monster is the king of all AV receivers at CES 2018 as we don't know of any other product that supports ALL 3 immersive surround formats, 3 pairs of height channels, with a HDMI 2.1 upgradability path. While it's asking price may seem a bit spendy, it's really not when you consider the arsenal of processing power this baby has and how flexible it will be for even the most upscale home theater installations.

Audio company NAD released a beast of an AV receiver recently at CEDIA in San Diego, California. The NAD T 777 V3 features a robust, honestly rated 7-channel amplifier and is packed with the latest audio and video technologies, including Dolby Atmos and 4K UltraHD video pass-through. Their new AV receiver hosts a wide array of connections for excellent flexibility and MDC slots allow for further feature expansion and future upgrades. All this combined with their wireless streaming and whole home audio option called BluOs makes for a monster of a receiver. At $2,500 it isn't the cheapest receiver out there, but is it worth the money? Read on to find out.