The best AV receiver for music is one that has enough power to drive your speakers without distortion, and the right amount of inputs for your needs. This buying guide will help you choose the perfect model for your home theater system!
Denon AVC-X3700H
The Denon AVC-X3700H is our pick for the best AV receiver on the market. This is because it’s got some of the best audio specs you’ll find in an AV receiver, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround sound decoding. It also includes a phono input so you can connect your turntable to it if desired.
This is an incredible 9.2 channel 8K AV Amplifier that delivers 180W of power per channel to fully support Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, DTS Virtual:X and IMAX Enhanced soundtracks with the latest HDMI specifications like 4k/120Hz pass-through for amazing clarity in both audio and video. You can enjoy immersive listening from various sources including VRR formats such as HDR10+.
Yamaha RX-A2050
The Yamaha RX-A2050 is one of the most versatile receivers on the market with not only a custom-built amplifier, but also high bandwidth digital inputs for maximum clarity and resolution. It includes Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Auro-matics processing for an immersive listening experience from any source including your favorite games.
It also has Yamaha’s Intelligent Acoustic Calibration system that uses sound field control to deliver optimized sound according to what you are watching or playing. This unit is THX Select Certified so it delivers reference level video quality as well as true audiophile fidelity in surround mode.
Denon AVR-X5500H
The Denon AVR-X5500H is a popular receiver because of its great usability features as well as excellent sound quality that runs rings around other receivers at similar prices (especially with regard to bass). The only thing we skip over on this model are extra video inputs which may or may not be important depending on how many devices you’re connecting–although six HDMI ports should cover most people!
Pioneer Elite VSX-LX302
The Pioneer Elite VSX-LX302’s huge advantage over many other models is its ability to decode all three main types of audio codec – Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos and DTS-X.
Yamaha RXV485
The Yamaha RXV485 is a great receiver that offers up excellent sound quality and some of the best features around (although it’s not THX certified). It also has an incredible feature called Front Presence which significantly boosts the power of your high frequencies to make sure you get all those ear-catching details in movies like Star Wars or Black Panther. If you’re looking for a really good AV Receiver on a budget this could be the one!
Denon AVR-X1600W
If you want something simple then Denon may have what you need with its affordable yet effective AVR-X1600W model. This won’t come with some of the bells and whistles such as Dolby Atmos and DTS-X but it does have a great sound quality, Bluetooth connectivity to stream all your favourite music from the mobile devices in your home, and a sleek design that’s perfect for any living room.
AV Receiver Buying Guide
Here are the key things to keep in mind when choosing an AV reveiver:
* What’s the power? In general, the higher the watts, the better.
* Can I add a subwoofer? Buying an AV Receiver with a built-in woofer will save you $200 as well as space on your shelves and floor.
* Does it come with Dolby Atmos or DTS-X surround sound decoding technology? If not then consider upgrading to one that does if you’re looking for something more upmarket and immersive experience in movies.
* Do they have HDMI ports so I can connect all my devices into one place like apple TV, PlayStation, DVD player etc.? A good number of models offer this which is great if you want to simplify things when setting up your new system at home.
* Do they have a dedicated phono input for my turntable? A separate preamp is needed to connect your vinyl player but if you’re not planning on using it, then look out for an AV Receiver that does at least one of the following:
– Has a built in phono stage
– Has D/A converters which allow the signal from your records and CD’s to be converted to digital form before being processed by the other components.
* Are there any specific features I’m looking for like Bluetooth connectivity or maybe Dolby Atmos decoding technology etc.? If so, make sure that whichever model you choose has these features as standard otherwise don’t bother considering them because no upgrade will provide them later down the line.
AV Receiver FAQ
Here are some common questions people have about AV Receivers:
Are Yamaha receivers better than Denon?
Some people think that Yamaha AV Receivers are better than Denon, and vice versa. The are both high quality and popular in the HiFi space.
How do I connect my turntable to an AV receiver?
To get sound from a turntable to your TV or other audio equipment you will need either:
– An RCA cable (usually red for the right channel, white for the left), which plugs into both outputs on the back of your stereo system; alternatively it can go straight into any input on your amp with a phono stage if there is one installed – don’t worry about ground loops!
or
– An optical digital connection using an Optical Audio Cable. This transmits music signal as light beams through fibre optic cables and has less noise interference than standard cables.
Does AV Receiver improve audio quality?
An AV receiver doesn’t have any special audio quality properties but it does improve the sound by letting you use all the speakers in your system.
What is the difference between a stereo receiver and an AV receiver?
A stereo receiver can power two channels of speakers, but an AV receiver can provide up to 11.
What are the benefits of a pre-amp?
Some people use a separate amplifier for their low-impedance headphones, and connect this up via a standard jack input on the back panel. This is also known as ‘biamping’. With some receivers you get another set of speaker outputs that feed directly into these amplifiers instead of your main speakers; this is called “pre-amplification”.
The difference between multi-zone amp and biamped/multi (or tri) amped system: A multi zone amplifier or multiplexer will allow different sources to play in more than one room without any interference from each other.
What is a AVR music receiver?
AVR stands for audio/video receiver. These appliances combine all the components needed for a surround sound system.
Do I need to have separate amps?
No, an AVR will contain its own amplifier stage in order to power speakers as well as any other connected devices such as Blu-ray players or games consoles.
How does Dolby Atmos work?
Dolby ATMOS is a patented object based format that creates height virtualization through speaker channels and audio objects within specially encoded content ̶ it makes use of multiple layers of speakers overhead with both “direct sequence” encoding (DS) and additional coding called “hybrid fusion” which fills in more details from traditional formats like Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio into ATMOS compatible signals.
