Home Theater Receivers Reviews

The reviews below are assigned ratings by ConsumerSearch. These ratings are based on credibility in testing, evaluating and identifying the best Home Theater Receivers. See our ratings criteria

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Home Theater Receivers Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Home Theater Receivers Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. CNet.com	Editors' top AV receivers John P. Falcone and editors of CNet.com July 24, 2007		CNet.com reviews and rates home theater receivers ranging from budget to luxury. The individual reviews don't approach the depth or length of those at audiophile and videophile magazines and websites, but they cover the basics, and editors here review more models than at other sites. A numerical rating system makes it easy to see at a glance where receivers stack up to the competition. Editors' Choice winners include the Onkyo TX-SR605, which is a mid-priced receiver with great audio and video features. The JVC RX-D702 is another mid-priced choice and offers wireless USB audio streaming from a PC. The Denon AVR-2807 is more upscale but offers superb sound and versatile HDMI functions. The Denon AVR-4306 is very expensive, but it has the best combination of sound and features overall.

Home Theater Receivers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Home Theater Receivers Ratings Comments on Reviews

2. Sound & Vision Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Receiver Reviews Editors of Sound & Vision Magazine As of Sept. 2007		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. The magazine also does a better job than most of covering budget receivers. Among recent reviews, the Sony STR-DG910 cuts a few corners, but delivers great features and "generally fine performance" at a very attractive price. The Yamaha RX-V661 is a little more expensive, but delivers "fine" sound and an unusually broad complement of DSP (digital signal processing) surround modes. The Sony STR-DA5200ES is one of the more "video-intensive" receivers.
3. Home Theater Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Buyer's Guide: AV Receivers Editors of Home Theater Magazine As of Sept. 2007		Home Theater Magazine reviews lots of home theater receivers. Many of the reports are lengthy and detailed, but others are short or part of a review of several related components, such as surround sound speakers. In most cases, home theater receivers get objective ratings in areas such as performance, features and value, as well as an overall rating. Most top-rated receivers are pricey, but a few are a little more affordable. The Outlaw Model 1070 delivers "reference quality sound at a miraculous price," but it’s only sold directly on the Internet, so you can’t test it out before buying. The Onkyo TX-SR674 is also a strong audio performer, but not as good as the Model 1070. The JVC RX-D702B cranks out lots of power. The Harman Kardon AVR 340 7.1-channel offers "sophistication, value and convenience."

Home Theater Receivers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Home Theater Receivers Ratings Comments on Reviews

4. Audioholics.com	Featured A/V Receiver Reviews Editors of Audioholics.com As of Sept. 2007		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 site does name Products of the Year, however, and while that article is now a little old, the still current Yamaha RX-V659 is honored as a "well engineered and well executed product" that lacks HDMI capabilities but delivers great sound.
5. Ultimate AV Magazine	Buyer's Guide: AV Receivers Editors of Ultimate AV As of Sept. 2007		When it comes to home theater receivers, Ultimate AV lives up to its name by concentrating on choices that would only be at home in the highest of high-end home theater systems. The JVC RX-D702B is the only sub-$1,000 receiver that's recommended here. Links from this list lead to full reviews that are long and richly detailed. One downside is that objective ratings are not provided.
6. Consumer Reports >> Details/Subscribe	Receivers Editors of Consumer Reports Nov. 2006		Consumer Reports rates 17 multi-channel receivers (and one stereo-only model). Scores are given for overall ease of use, the remote's ease of use and amplifier performance, but little additional information is provided except for the handful of recommended receivers. This update is now quite old. Though several of the recommended models remain current or available from some retailers, the report does not take into account newer home theater receivers that might now be better choices.
7. Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity	Audio/Video Processor (AVP), Surround Sound Processor (SSP), and Receiver Reviews Editors of Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity As of Sept. 2007		Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity reviews lots of home theater receivers in single page 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 also tedious if you don't already know what you are looking for, since there are tons of old reviews mixed in.
8. The Perfect Vision >> Details/Subscribe	Audio/Video Receivers Editors of the Perfect Vision As of Sept. 2007		While the home theater receiver reviews at The Perfect Vision are fairly well done, many lack the detail of other audiophile and videophile publications. A nice touch is that objective ratings are given in a number of performance areas. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to compare them. In addition, the site can be tedious to use. Aside from a single introductory paragraph, reviews must be downloaded as pdf files to be read. The most recent Editors' Choice article does make specific recommendations, but it is now substantially out of date.
9. Big Picture Big Sound.com	Receiver Reviews Editors of Big Picture Big Sound As of Sept. 2007		There are only two home theater receiver reviews here, but both are detailed and fairly well done. While objective ratings are provided, the paucity of reviews does not give those much context, and both receivers -- the Onkyo TX-SR674 and Outlaw Audio Model 1070 -- are rated equally well. However, the write-ups themselves do a good job describing strengths and weaknesses, and they’re especially informative in discussing set-up and use.

Home Theater Receivers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Home Theater Receivers Ratings Comments on Reviews

10. About.com: Home Theater	Top Home Theater Receivers - Priced at 399.00 or Less Robert Silva Not Dated		Robert Silva recommends six low-cost home theater receivers in this listing. Unfortunately, only half appear to have been actually tested by the author, and recommendations for the rest seem to be based on specifications. Among the reviewed receivers, the Onkyo TX-SR304 lacks the "bells and whistles" of more expensive home theater receivers, but it does deliver the basics along with solid performance. Unfortunately, the other tested receivers are now discontinued. Even so, this site is worth a visit if you are looking for low-priced receivers, since so few reviewers bother to even cover models that sell for less than $400.
11. About.com: Home Theater	Top 10 Home Theater Receivers 400.00 - 1,299.00 Robert Silva Not Dated		This listing at About.com suffers from the same issues as the one mentioned above, except that even fewer receivers get full reviews. The report on the Pioneer Elite VSX-82TXS is thorough and insightful, with positives and negatives clearly spelled out, and detailed information is provided about the testing. In contrast, the review of the Onkyo TX-SR605 seems to concentrate exclusively on features, with information about testing conspicuously absent. (Note that ConsumerSearch.com is owned by About.com.)
12. AudioVideo Revolution	Denon 2807 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver Yoshi Carroll Sept. 2006		Yoshi Carroll's review of the Denon 2807 eschews bench tests and instead gives an in-depth description of how the home theater receiver looks, works and sounds. Everything from ease of set-up (excellent) to the remote control (not very good) is explored, and the 2807's sonic capabilities are challenged with a host of movies and music. In the end, Carroll is impressed enough to consider "sending Denon a check and keeping the unit."
13. AVSForum.com	Amps, Receivers, and Processors Contributors to AVSForum.com As of Sept. 2007		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.
14. CircuitCity.com	Receivers and Amplifiers Contributors to CircuitCity.com As of Sept. 2007		While the user reviews at Circuit City.com don't match the depth and helpfulness of professionally written reviews, they typically better reflect how a home theater receiver will perform over the long haul in your home. CircuitCity.com's chief advantage is that many receivers here get lots of reviews -- more than most other user review sites -- so it’s easier to pick out meaningful trends and issues, if any.
15. Amazon.com	Home Theater Receivers Contributors to Amazon.com As of Sept. 2007		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.

Home Theater Receivers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Home Theater Receivers Ratings Comments on Reviews

16. Epinions	Receivers Contributors to Epinions As of Sept. 2007		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.
17. Consumer Guide.com	Home Theater Receivers Reviews and Prices Editors of ConsumerGuide.com As of Sept. 2007		Home-theater receiver shoppers won't find much guidance here. The reviews themselves are short and based more on specs than on testing -- though some more recent reviews are a little better in that regard. Most of the home theater receivers listed are now discontinued.