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In this report

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Home Theater Receivers: Ratings of Sources
Total of 19 Sources

For an explanation of how we rank reviews, see our ratings criteria page.

1. Home Theater Magazine
As of Nov. 2008
Buyer's Guide: AV Receivers
by Editors of Home Theater Magazine
4 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Most of the reports at Home Theater Magazine are lengthy and detailed, and include the results of formal bench testing in addition to hands-on evaluations. This list of top A/V receivers includes lots of… high-end options, and a large number of discontinued ones as well, but also includes a couple of current and affordable recommendations. A listing of recently reviewed receivers includes one affordable option that is identified as a "Top Pick," but does not yet appear in the Buyer's Guide

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2. Sound & Vision Magazine
As of Nov. 2008
Latest Receiver Reviews
by Editors of Sound & Vision Magazine
4 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Sound & Vision Magazine's reviews lack objective ratings, but they do a good job of describing a home theater receiver's strengths and weaknesses with testing results and discussion. Like some other… reviewers, the focus has shifted to more expensive models, and coverage of receivers has been a little sparse of late, but one moderately priced option stands out sufficiently to earn the magazine's Certified and Recommended tag and another is identified as a good value.

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3. Ultimate AV Magazine
As of Nov. 2008
A/V Receivers
by Editors of Ultimate AV Magazine
4 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment While Ultimate AV concentrates on high-end gear, a few more modestly priced receivers also get attention on occasion. That's a good thing, because the reports here are among the more detailed available and include the results of extensive testing. Ratings are not provided, but conclusions leave little doubt about which receivers the editors feel are the best performers.
4. CNet.com
As of Nov. 2008
AV receivers
by Editors of CNet.com
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment CNet, formerly one of our top destinations for home theater receiver reviews, has only covered two models in 2008. The write-ups are complete, though they don't go into nearly as much detail as some other reviewers. Detailed ratings are provided, but don't provide much context given the dearth of recent reviews.
5. Audioholics.com
As of Nov. 2008
Featured A/V Receiver Reviews
by Editors of Audioholics.com
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

The editors of Audioholics.com subject home theater receivers to a battery of bench and listening tests with detailed single-product reviews. Objective ratings are assigned in a host of performance and… usability areas, and both overall performance and value ratings are provided. We'd like Audioholics.com better if it provided an easy way to compare ratings or stated more explicitly which receivers they consider to be best overall. The emphasis here is on high-end choices, but some moderate and even budget receivers are covered.

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6. Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity
As of Nov. 2008
Reviews
by Editors of Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity reviews home theater receivers in single-product reports that sometimes go on for pages. Unfortunately, while the reviews are thorough and critical, no objective… ratings are provided, and no list of best or recommended receivers is maintained. Navigation is tedious, since current receiver reviews are mixed in with reviews of other home theater products. The emphasis is on receivers that cost $2,000 and up, though a few less expensive models are covered.

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7. What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision
As of Nov. 2008
Surround Sound Amplifiers and Receivers
by Editors of What Hi-Fi
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Britain's What Hi-Fi reviews home theater receivers in brief but competent reports. Not all receivers are available in the U.S., and even those that do differ in some details, though performance should be identical. None of the site's current Best Buys are available here, but several other well-rated receivers are.
8. TechRadar.com
As of Nov. 2008
Receivers
by Editors of TechRadar.com
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment This is another British site with a fair selection of home theater receivers that are also available in U.S. versions. Reviews here are a little variable in quality. Some are brief and somewhat superficial, while others are long and well detailed.
9. About.com
Not Dated
Top Home Theater Receivers - Priced at 399.00 or Less
by Robert Silva
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Robert Silva recommends seven low-cost home theater receivers in this listing. Unfortunately, only one appears to have been actually tested by the author, and recommendations for the rest seem to be based on specifications. Note that ConsumerSearch and About.com share a parent company but are not editorially affiliated.
10. About.com
Not Dated
Top 12 Home Theater Receivers 400.00 - 1,299.00
by Robert Silva
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

This listing at About.com contains some discontinued home theater receivers, but several current models get competent and complete reports. The best of these are well documented, and include complete… documentation about the test setup used, right down to the connecting cables -- something all too many other reviewers fail to do. However, some other reviews focus more on features than performance, and others are covered by no more than a descriptive paragraph. Note that ConsumerSearch and About.com share a parent company but are not editorially affiliated.

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11. AVSForum.com
As of Nov. 2008
Amps, Receivers, and Processors
by Contributors to AVSForum.com
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

The Amps, Receivers and Processors forum at AVSForum.com is a great resource for learning the ins and outs of a particular home theater receiver or to get user opinions about which receivers are best. One… of the forum's main functions is user-to-user help, so you'll also see lots of threads and posts about problems and solutions. Opinions here can get heated, and some of the threads are thousands of posts long.

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12. Electronic House Magazine
Oct. 20, 2008
8 Great A/V Receivers for Under $1K
by Arlen Schweiger
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Electronic House surveyed the contributors to AVSForum.com to gather their opinions of which are the best budget and mid-range home theater receivers. More than 30 models were named by AVSForum.com members,… but the magazine filters those down to the eight that were recommended most often. Information on how many "votes" each receiver receives is not provided, but the author notes that Onkyo models dominated the choices and names one model as the most popular overall.

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13. Amazon.com
As of Nov. 2008
Home Theater Receivers
by Contributors to Amazon.com
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Amazon.com also lets customers report on their post-sale experiences with home theater receivers. Although receivers at CircuitCity.com get more reviews, the reports that appear here are often more detailed. One negative is that the site includes many discontinued models, so navigation can be a bit more difficult.
14. BestBuy.com
As of Nov. 2008
Receivers
by Contributors to BestBuy.com
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Best Buy is another source for owner-written home theater receiver reviews. It has some advantages over both Amazon.com and CircuitCity.com -- including a bottom-line answer on whether or not each reviewer would recommend a receiver to a friend. The chief drawback is that there tend to be fewer reviews than at the other sites.
15. My 411 Family
As of Nov. 2008
Receiver Reviews
by Editors of My 411 Family
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment The reviews here are not among the most detailed we've found, and we have no way of judging the expertise of the authors since they are unidentified. Most write-ups indicate some hands-on testing is being done. Ratings are provided, but are useless since nearly all receivers score uniformly high. Some reports are borrowed from other sources.
16. ConsumerGuide.com
As of Nov. 2008
Home Theater Receivers Reviews and Prices
by Editors of ConsumerGuide.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment While ConsumerGuide still falls short compared to many other professional reviewers, its efforts have certainly improved. Reports continue to be a bit more superficial than we like, but at least some criticisms are made where appropriate, and there's clear evidence of some hands-on evaluations.
17. Playback Magazine
Aug. 2008
Higher & Higher
by Chris Martens and Steve Guttenberg
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment As the title hints, this article focuses on more expensive home theater receivers, with all costing more than $1,000. Reporting is complete, includes ratings and we like that the magazine clearly explains what it looks for when evaluating a receiver. Playback also has an article focusing on less expensive choices, but it is now largely out of date.
18. ConsumerReports.org
Apr. 2008
Receivers
by Editors of Consumer Reports
1 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Consumer Reports appears to have abandoned the testing of home theater receivers, replacing it instead with a report on how to choose a receiver. The advice is sound, though not terribly sophisticated. On the positive side, the article is free even to non-subscribers.
19. Epinions.com
As of Nov.2008
Receivers
by Contributors to Epinions.com
1 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment The consumer-written reviews at Epinions are usually -- though not always -- more detailed than those at retailer sites like Amazon.com or CircuitCity.com. However, the site sees fewer visitors, and most receivers have far fewer reviews. Like Amazon.com, the many discontinued home theater receivers continue to be listed.

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This is our assessment of the review’s relevance, clarity of testing and thoroughness.

Read more about our Ratings Criteria by clicking the link at the top of the page.
 
 
 
  

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