Best Home Theater Receivers

Mainstream audio-video receivers deliver value and performance

While budget home theater receivers can fill a need if your requirements are basic, as you move up in price you move into the category of more full-featured AV receivers. In addition to processing audio, almost all have the ability to process video signals as well as switch them. They also generally offer better sound quality, more power and more features than budget receivers.

Receivers in this category generally cost between $350 and $600, and competition between makers is fierce. Still, we've rarely seen a mainstream receiver garner as much critical acclaim as the 7.2-channel Onkyo TX-NR609 (*Est. $500). It receives editorial recommendations and perfect or nearly perfect scores from a raft of sites and publications, including TechRadar.com, What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision, Expert Reviews, TrustedReviews.com and others. User reviews are also overwhelmingly positive.

When it comes to features, the Onkyo TX-NR609 is packed. Networking is a big part of the picture, and you can connect to the web to stream Internet radio or content from a wide variety of providers including Pandora, Slacker, Napster, Rhapsody and more. The receiver is also DLNA compliant so that you can stream audio directly from your personal computer. Connecting to a network can be achieved via the Ethernet port on the rear of the machine or via a 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi connection with the addition of an optional Wi-Fi dongle (*Est. $40).

A USB port up front lets you connect your iPod, iPhone or USB external hard drive directly to the receiver. Onkyo also created an app for the iPod and iPhone that allows you to control the TX-NR609 with your Apple device. An optional iPod dock (*Est. $150) is also available. HD radio can be added with the purchase of a separate tuner module (*Est. $150).

All of the must-have listening formats are fully supported, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, and four distinct game modes (rock, sports, action and role playing) are provided. Dolby Pro Logic IIz and Audyssey DSX modes give you lots of ways to configure the Onkyo TX-NR609's seven main output channels. You can opt for a traditional seven-channel surround-sound setup with two rear-center speakers, or a more expansive five-channel surround-sound field with two added height or width speakers. You can also choose to bi-amplify (power the woofer and tweeter/mid-range drivers with their own amplifiers) front-channel speakers that support that technique, which is said to improve sound quality.

The Onkyo TX-NR609 also supports two subwoofers for rooms and setups that call for it; hence its 7.2-channel designation. Using multiple subwoofers can overcome bass dead spots and hot spots (areas with too little or too much bass) that naturally occur in some rooms because of their geometry and/or furniture placement.

The six HDMI inputs -- including one on the front panel -- handle all but the most expansive home theater setup. All are HDMI 1.4a-compliant and support all 3D video formats as well as audio return channel. In addition, an HDMI pass-through feature lets the receiver pass content on to the TV even when the Onkyo TX-NR609 is off. The built-in Marvell Qdeo processor allows you to upscale 1080p video to what Expert Reviews calls "ridiculously big 4K resolutions," more than four times higher than current consumer HDTVs.

The Onkyo TX-NR609 includes Audyssey 2EQ for automatic speaker setup. Though it is not as sophisticated as some other speaker setup systems, reviewers generally agree that Audyssey 2EQ gets the job done in most situations. The Onkyo TX-NR609 also includes Audyssey technologies for listening at low levels and for maintaining constant volume levels in content with lots of dynamic range -- such as movies with both high-octane action scenes and whispered dialogue.

The Onkyo TX-NR609 is THX Select2 Plus certified, which means that when paired with THX Select2 certified speakers, the 100 watt-per-channel amplifiers can deliver movie-theater volumes in medium-sized rooms (up to 2,000 cubic feet), and at viewing distances of between 10 and 12 feet. Since many find THX reference sound levels to be earsplitting, THX Loudness Plus is included to preserve audio quality when the TX-SR608 is played at lower volumes.

All the features in the world wouldn't add up to much if the Onkyo TX-NR609 did not deliver on the performance front. However, most reviewers happily report that the home theater receiver is among the best in its class in that regard. On the music front, the TX-NR609 can't quite keep up with audiophile-quality receivers costing much, much more, but still delivers impressive sound with most material. For example, HomeTheaterGears.com tests the receiver by listening to Eric Clapton's "Slowhand" on SACD and reports, "Lost details on the original could be heard with vivid clarity, exactly the way Clapton had intended it to be." Danny Phillips of TrustedReviews.com warns that the pickiest of audiophiles may find the receiver lacks finesse while playing music, but concedes that you won't find a better-sounding model in the mid-range price category.

When it comes to movies, things shine even brighter. While watching the Blu-ray of "Avatar" Danny Phillips says, "The deep muscular sound of the army's missiles blasting chunks out of the Pandoran forest will leave you (and your neighbours) breathless, backed up by crisp high frequencies, clear, direct speech reproduction and a sense of scale and surround imaging that brings you closer than ever to the real cinema experience." During the TX-NR609's perfect review at What Hi-Fi?, the editors note the receiver sounds less bombastic than its predecessor, but in a good way -- it handles rapid changes in volume and tone with aplomb, but "stops fractionally short of rattling the ornaments off your windowsill when the going gets explosive." Maybe it's that "leanness in sound" that causes CNET's Matthew Moskovciak to give the audio nod to Pioneer's VSX-1021-K over the Onkyo TX-NR609.

The Onkyo TX-NR509 (*Est. $400) -- the cheaper, 5.1-channel alternative to the TX-NR609 -- shaves some features off the list in its quest for a lower list price. Most notably, it loses THX certification, two HDMI ports, analog-to-digital upconversion and video upscaling. Since there are only five main speaker channels, there's no need for Dolby Pro Logic IIz or Audyssey DSX, so those are missing as well. Power output has been dialed back to 80 watts per channel.

If those are not deal killers, the Onkyo TX-NR509 still has lots of pluses -- not the least of which is all the network connectivity of its pricier brand-mate. Audio quality also draws praise. Though his appraisal is not based on a hands-on test, Robert Silva at About.com opines that the Onkyo TX-NR509 is the best receiver you can find for under $400. User feedback seems to back up that assessment.

A few other receivers draw their share of fans. The 7.1-channel Pioneer VSX-1021-K (*Est. $550) earns solid reviews at CNET and Maximum Tech magazine. Though it's no slouch in the features department, a few things are missing -- and a few things are added -- compared to the Onkyo TX-NR609. Let's deal with the downsides first. Like the Onkyo TX-NR609, the Pioneer VSX-1021-K needs an optional adapter if you want to connect wirelessly to your home network. However, at $150, Pioneer's Wi-Fi adapter costs around $100 more than the one offered by Onkyo. According to Michael Brown of MaximumTech.com, DLNA performance could be improved. Finding other servers was slow, and issues cropped up when browsing those machines for content. The Pioneer VSX-1021-K also lacks an output for a second subwoofer and is not THX certified.

Now for the good news: What could be a very big plus for some is that the Pioneer VSX-1021-K plays very nicely with Apple's iOS devices – the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Pioneer also provides several apps designed to better integrate those devices with receiver. Notably, the iControlAV2 app available in the Apple App Store lets you control the Pioneer VSX-1021-K via your home's wireless network using an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. Brown says the app works even better than the remote included with the receiver, although CNET's Matthew Moskovciak says it feels a little "gimmicky." The AirJam iOS app, which requires a Bluetooth adapter (*Est. $100), allows up to four separate iOS devices to share music and control playlists simultaneously on the receiver. Last but not least, the AVNavigator app simplifies the process of setting up the receiver and connecting AV components. You can also listen to music from your iOS device with the included iPod cable (no separate dock is required) or stream it either via Ethernet or wirelessly using Apple's proprietary AirPlay technology, which the VSX-1021-K fully supports.

A few of the VSX-1021-K's other highlights have nothing to do with Apple devices. The ability to listen to Internet radio stations is one example, and the VSX-1021-K can connect to thousands of web-based streaming radio stations from around the world. It does, however, lack the Onkyo TX-NR609's native support for streaming services like Rhapsody and Pandora, although Moskovciak clues readers in to the fact that they can access those features on their iOS device and transmit it to their receiver using AirPlay. Like the budget-priced Pioneer VSX-821-K, the VSX-1021-K can stream music wirelessly from a Bluetooth-enabled device, but you'll have to invest in the separate Bluetooth adapter.

Audio quality is excellent, according to reports. Of course, there's decoding for all other major listening formats, including Dolby Pro Logic IIz (for those who want the presence of front height channels as opposed to rear-center channel surrounds), THX Neural Surround and Dolby TrueHD. CNET tests the VSX-1021-K with music and movies and reports excellent performance in every instance except when playing Led Zeppelin's "How the West Was Won" DVD at very high volumes. "The VSX-1021-K sounded strained when played really loudly," Moskovciak says. At Maximum Tech, Michael Brown simply calls both the audio and the video "very good" without going into details. Video upscaling is handled by an Anchor Bay processor, and while professional critics never mention an issue with it, several Amazon.com users note occasional lagging effects and noise while watching video.

The VSX-1021-K includes Pioneer's more advanced MCACC speaker setup wizard, which adds speaker equalization and room adjustments to the settings. CNET's Matthew Moskovciak says that even so, MCACC is easier to use than the speaker setup programs in other receivers -- including the Audyssey systems used in Onkyo receivers like the TX-NR609 -- yet produced results that were close to perfect in their tests.

We also saw a few recommendations for the Denon AVR 1912 7.2-channel receiver (*Est. $550). It draws CNET's nod for the Editors' Choice award as the best AV receiver in 2011, and landed on About.com's list of top mid-range receivers.

The AVR 1912 contains almost everything you can ask for in a receiver in this price range: six 1.4a HDMI connections with full 3D support; standby pass-through and audio return channel; tons of audio codecs; powered second-zone speaker hookups; the ability to connect your iOS device via either USB, AirPlay or an iPod dock (*Est. $100); and a plethora of networking and streaming music options, including support for Pandora, Rhapsody and Napster. Also, the Denon AVR 1912 rates highest in CNET's audio testing, surpassing every other model reviewed. "The AVR-1912 delivered the first-class sound we expect, and almost always hear, from Denon receivers," reviewer Matthew Moskovciak says.

Reviewers report it's the little things that trip up the AVR 1912, however. Take the networking and Internet options, for example; the list of features is impressive, but the AVR 1912 includes no Wi-Fi capabilities whatsoever, and you can't add it via an adapter. This seems to bother users a lot more than it does the experts. The AVR 1912 also lacks any sort of Internet or HD radio option, omitting both a tuner and Sirius support. Another minor quibble mentioned by CNET is the receiver's menu screens; they're output in 480i standard definition, so if your HDTV doesn't include HD upconversion, the menus shake and flicker and look bad in general.