9 Best UPS: Uninterruptible Power Supply Buyer’s Guide, Comprehensive support for existing standards, Fully modern with voice control and streaming, Support for all important surround formats, Running a full Atmos speaker configuration can tax the receiver's power capabilities, Remote is more complicated than the space shuttle, You'll need an installer to get the most out of this receiever, Limited options for connecting components, 11.2 configuration can tax receiever's power capabilities. It also streams Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, and a dozen other services via the receiver’s built-in Wi-Fi. But if you don’t mind that, you can also take advantage of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, AirPlay and a slew of streaming services like Chromecast, Spotify, Pandors, and many others. In other words, don't worry about missing out on these new formats if you don't install an extra wireless speaker or two. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. There are plenty of standards for wireless streaming services, but the most universal are Apple AirPlay and Google Chromecast (and sometimes Spotify Connect) built in. Ask yourself these questions: How many channels do you need? The Denon models lack wireless streaming via Chromecast but up the ante to AirPlay 2. CNET editors pick the products and services we write about. If you’re looking for a reciever for a new home or a major renovation, you’ll find that the AVR-X8500H is an installer’s dream. Find more Marantz AV Receiver SR8012 information and reviews here. Don't pay full price, though -- it regularly goes on sale for between $400 and $500. This is often a much less critical question, but if you plan to drive a lot of speakers at relatively high volume, you'll want more power. This 7.2-channel receiver has a respectable 110 watts of power per channel. Standards do change all the time, but the bare minimum right now is support for HDR and Dolby Vision (at least HDMI version 2.0 or better). Here's a roundup of the best home theater receivers you can buy today, along with an overview of what the jargon means and how to shop for one. That’s a breath of fresh air if you’re used to noodling around with virtually indecipherable remote controls. What’s missing here is all the connectivity you’d get with many other receivers — you’re mostly limited to HDMI inputs. Want to find the best AV receiver for the money? As you can see from this article, you can spend anywhere from below $500 to over $3000 on home theater receiver. If you need a lot of power, this Marantz might be the single best option on the market right now: each channel delivers an identical 205 watts — that’s right, 205 watts. Where to start? Generally, 100 watts per channel or more is a good starting place for a modern home theater. For most people, though, it's worth paying more for extra HDMI inputs and outputs and Dolby Atmos capability, available in all of the models above. 7 Best Home Theater Receivers: Buyer’s Guide, Copyright © 2020 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. While there’s still no Bluetooth, the MRX 720 adds … It lets you connect your components to your television or projector. Similar to other receivers in this price range, you get Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and AirPlay 2 for streaming, as well as connected services like Spotify and Pandora for internet streaming. (There’s another HDMI input in front, which is handy for quickly plugging in a laptop or some other temporary source). Visually, there’s no doubt this is a Denon, thanks to the signature front panel (volume and source dials flanking the flip-down panel which hides other controls, and the large display). 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