Dennis Burger tested the mid- and higher-priced AV receivers for this guide. He has been reviewing AV equipment for two decades, most recently for SoundStage. In recent years he has devoted an inordinate amount of time to learning about and testing room-correction systems of all varieties.

Adrienne Maxwell helped test budget receivers. She is the supervising editor of Wirecutter’s AV coverage and has worked as a writer and editor in the consumer electronics industry for over 20 years. She also reviews projectors and AV accessories for Wirecutter.

• For this guide, we’ve tested dozens of AV receivers in various home environments.
• Dennis attended room-correction training sessions at CEDIA Expo, a trade show for the custom-installation industry.
• In accordance with Wirecutter standards, we return or donate all products we’ve tested once our assessment of them is complete. We never hang on to “freebies” once testing is done, though we do hold on to our official picks (when possible) for future comparison testing.
• Like all Wirecutter journalists, we review and test products with complete editorial independence. We’re never made aware of any business implications of our editorial recommendations. Read more about our editorial standards.

Until recently, if you were looking to enjoy immersive audio (like Dolby Atmos) in your favorite movies, TV shows, and games, a good AV receiver offered the simplest, most affordable way to get close to the movie-theater experience at home. However, today’s best flagship soundbars have pulled even with AV receivers and speaker systems in the same price range, becoming a better, simpler option for many people.

That said, if you already have a surround-sound speaker system, or if your current AV receiver is outdated in its support for 4K or 8K video, HDR, and the latest in gaming technology, buying a new one makes sense. Some people may find that their room is simply too large, or too acoustically compromised, for a soundbar to get the job done.

An AV receiver combines source switching, audio (and sometimes video) processing, speaker amplification, and volume control in one box. Think of it as the traffic cop of your audio-video system, routing video from your sources to your display and sending audio to your speakers. After you plug your source components — your media streamer, gaming console, cable or satellite receiver, or disc player — into the AV receiver’s inputs and then connect its outputs to your display and speakers, it will direct all of the AV signals to the right places and in the right formats.

AV receivers run the price gamut from a couple hundred dollars to well into four-figure territory. Our focus here is on receivers that strike a good balance of performance, features, and value, so all of our picks are priced around $1,700 or below.

The serious audio or home theater enthusiast may choose to spend more money for more power (which may be important if your speakers have low sensitivity and are difficult to drive), more amplified channels, more setup and customization options, and better build quality. But above about $1,700, you’d find diminishing performance returns on your investment. At that point, you may want to move into the realm of separate AV preamplifiers and multichannel amplifiers.

We didn’t set a lot of minimum-spec requirements to limit which models we would consider, but there are certain key specs that you should keep in mind when you begin your receiver search, to determine whether you need a budget, midpriced, or higher-end model:

How many channels of speaker amplification do you need?

A basic home theater setup is referred to as having 5.1 channels of audio. The “5” in this case indicates the number of amplified channels: two front left and right speakers, one center speaker for dialogue and on-screen sound effects, and two surround-sound speakers located behind or to the side of the main listening position.

The “.1” stands for the subwoofer, which usually has its own amplifier built in so your receiver doesn’t need to provide it with power. Many mid- and higher-priced receivers are labeled as “.2” instead of “.1,” which means they have two subwoofer outputs that you may or may not be able to set up and adjust independently. Our upgrade pick has four independent subwoofer outputs, so Denon markets it as a 9.4-channel receiver.

Most receivers priced around $500 or less are 5.1-channel designs. Moving up to a 7.1-channel receiver gives you the option to add an extra pair of surround speakers, to power a second audio zone, or to build a basic Dolby Atmos and DTS:X system with two “height” speakers — provided that the receiver has Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding (most newer 7.1-channel models do). Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks include overhead effects to make the audio experience even more immersive. The more height speakers you add, the more convincing the effect, but that requires more amp channels, which necessitates a more expensive AV receiver.

With Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, the channel counting gets a little more complicated. You might, for example, see designations like “5.1.2” or “5.2.4.” The first numeral refers to the number of conventional ear-level speakers that need to be amplified, the second refers to the number of subwoofer outputs, and the third refers to the number of height channels. Since the subwoofer is typically self-powered, to figure out how many amplified channels a receiver has, you simply add the first and third numerals: A 5.1.2-channel receiver, for example, has seven amplified channels and might also be referred to as a 7.1-channel receiver.

How many sources do you plan to connect?

Your receiver needs to be able to connect all the HDMI source devices you have, which could include, for example, a media streaming device, a cable or satellite box, a disc player, and a gaming console. Five HDMI ports is probably the right number for most people, as it gives you inputs for every source you’re likely to use in your home theater, with the option to add one or two more.

You should also consider how many non-HDMI-equipped sources you want to connect and confirm that the receiver has enough digital or analog inputs to accept them. If you have a turntable that lacks a phono preamp, you may want a receiver with a phono input.

Which HDMI 2.1 features do you need?

HDMI 2.1 is the latest version of the digital connection that all modern video-based components use. Version 2.1 adds support for 8K resolution by way of an increase in the maximum bandwidth from 18 gigabits per second to a theoretical high of 48 Gbps.

Other noteworthy enhancements include automatic low-latency mode (which allows devices to automatically detect and switch to the best mode for gaming), eARC (which allows for higher-quality lossless audio over the HDMI Audio Return Channel instead of only compressed formats), variable refresh rate, and quick media switching.

An AV receiver’s specs can list various features of the HDMI 2.1 standard even if the receiver supports only one or two of them, which certainly creates confusion for shoppers. Be sure to read the fine print to pick a receiver that supports the HDMI 2.1 features you need.

What type of streaming-audio support do you want?

Even music fans with extensive physical music collections likely stream some of their music from the internet, so a receiver needs a way of supporting streaming audio apps such as Amazon Music and Spotify.

With a budget receiver, you’re likely to get only Bluetooth support. As you move up in price, you can expect a receiver to be able to connect to a home network (check for a wired or wireless network connection, if you have a preference) and to have built-in support for services like Spotify (so you don’t have to cast the audio from your phone), as well as built-in streaming protocols such as Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast.

If you already own Wi-Fi speakers that use a certain platform (such as AirPlay), you may want to look for a receiver that features the same streaming technology so that all the devices work well together.

What level of room correction are you willing to pay for?

Room-correction systems make the most significant impact on how a receiver sounds to most listeners. People rarely have perfect listening rooms, and speakers (especially subwoofers) often end up in spots where they are unobtrusive instead of where they sound the best.

Room correction helps to improve the overall sound quality by using microphones and built-in software to estimate how your room and speaker placement are distorting the sound and to attempt to compensate for those distortions.

Lots of receivers offer basic room correction, but at the more affordable end of the spectrum, the processing can do more harm than good, dulling the sound without really fixing the most egregious problems with bass frequencies. But when you invest in a more advanced room-correction technology such as Audyssey MultEQ XT32 or Dirac Live (both of which are available on AV receivers of various brands), you get the ability to customize the type of corrections and account for multiple subwoofers, and these systems do a better job of tuning the sound without making it seem overly processed.

In the price ranges we covered with our testing, we were unable to tell most receivers apart when their room correction was not enabled. We found that the type of room correction employed had the largest impact on sound quality, providing big benefits for some receivers and only smaller improvements for others.

The better room-correction systems are those that prompt you to place the calibration microphone at numerous locations at and around the main listening area. This process gives the system a more complete snapshot of your room’s acoustics. The best room-correction systems also allow you to place limits on what the system is and isn’t allowed to “correct.”

One important distinction between Audyssey and Dirac is how they approach different tiers or feature sets. With Audyssey, the power of the room-correction system largely correlates with the price range of the receiver. Cheaper receivers have the basic Audyssey MultEQ, which doesn’t deliver the best results. Midpriced models move up to MultEQ XT, while flagship offerings typically rely on MultEQ XT32, which provides more advanced processing and more customization options.

Dirac, on the other hand, takes a more modular approach. If you buy a receiver with Dirac capabilities, you might find that it comes in a limited form that offers room correction only up to 500 Hz, which may be all that you need. In fact, it may be the best solution for your acoustical problems. If you find that you need full-range room correction, you can typically pay about $100 to unlock those capabilities. A more consequential upgrade comes in the form of Dirac Live Bass Control, which we discuss in more depth in our review of the Onkyo TX-RZ30; depending on your room, your speaker system, and the number of subs in your system, its benefits could be significant.

In each round of testing, we start by installing and calibrating each of the receivers individually, as if performing a standalone review, taking extensive notes on the setup process and our initial listening impressions along the way.

With each receiver, we spend at least a day on testing with and without room correction and enjoying a variety of content, including movies, TV shows, music, and YouTube videos, as well as some action-oriented video games, at volume levels ranging from casual to extreme.

The second phase of our testing involves setting the receivers up two at a time in the same room, relying on a scaled-down 3.1-channel speaker system, to directly compare the sound. Admittedly, eliminating the surround speakers during our head-to-head testing may give a slightly unfair advantage to receivers with weaker power supplies that might struggle to drive multiple speakers simultaneously, but it makes direct comparisons more manageable and allows us to focus more on pure sound quality, as well as on the quantifiable and repeatable benefits of one room-correction system over another.

When necessary, we also do one-to-one comparisons with full 5.2- or even 5.4-channel setups, although the insights we’ve gleaned from such tests haven’t been as illuminating as we’ve hoped.

The Denon AVR-X1800H is a great all-purpose 7.1-channel receiver that includes all the latest features and some nice installation flexibility but is still priced well below $1,000. Even if you have only a 5.1-channel speaker system right now, it’s nice to have the two extra amp channels to add more speakers or a second audio zone down the road.

This receiver sounds very good, thanks to its Audyssey MultEQ XT room correction. During our listening tests, we were unable to tell most of the receivers apart with their room correction disabled. The quality of the room correction had the biggest impact on the sound, and MultEQ XT was a clear winner over alternatives from Onkyo, Pioneer, and Yamaha in receivers at or near this model’s price — especially when we used the optional $20 MultEQ Editor mobile app (iOS, Android) to tweak the room correction.

After we ran the Audyssey room correction, the AVR-X1800H’s bass was much better controlled than that of its competitors, and the upper frequencies weren’t flatted or deadened as they were with Onkyo’s AccuEQ or Pioneer’s MCACC room-tuning software.

It has enough inputs for all of your source devices. Three of the AVR-X1800H’s six HDMI inputs support the most important features of the HDMI 2.1 spec, including 4K 120 Hz passthrough, quick media switching, quick frame transport, variable refresh rate, and automatic low-latency mode. This makes it a great choice for gamers who want their system to have full compatibility with all the latest advanced gaming features found on the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 game consoles.

The AVR-X1800H adds left- and right-channel preamp outputs in case you want to connect a more powerful amp for your main speakers, and it provides an amplified 5-volt/1.5-amp USB-A port on the back to power an HDMI streaming stick.

You’ll also find a phono input to connect a turntable, three digital-audio inputs, LAN and Wi-Fi network options, AM/FM tuners, and more.

The AVR-X1800H is much easier to install and operate than similarly priced competitors. This is due largely to its well-thought-out rear panel and its excellent setup wizard. The speaker connections on the back are, as on most Denon receivers these days, arranged side by side rather than stacked on top of one another, which makes physical setup less frustrating, especially if you’re using bare-wire speaker connections.

The on-screen interface effectively walks you through the process of connecting speakers, adding source devices, renaming source devices, configuring your home network, and so forth, in a way that’s comprehensive without being insulting. And exiting the wizard and configuring things at your own pace, in the order you prefer, is also a snap. That’s handy, because you’ll find quite a bit to configure with the AVR-X1800H.

Both the on-screen and front-panel interfaces are clear and helpful, and the remote’s intuitive button layout lets you easily switch sources and change sound modes. This receiver supports all the major Dolby and DTS audio formats, including Dolby Surround and DTS Neural:X, which mimic the effect of height speakers even if all your speakers are at ear level.

It’s loaded with all the music-streaming platforms and services you’re likely to subscribe to. The built-in Heos multiroom streaming platform integrates a number of music-streaming services into one app, including Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pandora, SiriusXM, Spotify, Tidal, and TuneIn.

True, a few key music services — namely Apple Music, Qobuz, and YouTube Music — are missing, but the receiver also supports Bluetooth and AirPlay 2, allowing you to easily stream those services from your phone.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It lacks analog video connections. One main difference between the AVR-X1800H and the previous model, the AVR-X1700H, is the removal of composite-video connections. This model is less ideal if you still need to connect older analog sources such as a VCR or a DVD player. (You’d have to connect them directly to your TV instead.)

You have to pay an extra $20 for the MultEQ Editor app. The optional app adds a number of worthwhile benefits to the Audyssey room correction, including the ability to limit the frequencies that the room correction addresses.

We wish Denon did a better job of alerting owners, during setup, to the fact that the app exists. If you want to use the app, you need to have it running before you begin the room-correction measurement process. If you run Audyssey during the initial setup process and decide afterward that you want to upgrade to use the app, you have to reconnect the mic and place it at all eight measurement positions and listen to the test tones again.

The receiver needs good ventilation. Because the AVR-X1800H relies on less-efficient Class AB amplifier technology (which is typical of AV receivers), it can run quite warm during extended use, especially at higher listening levels, so make sure to give it plenty of room to breathe.

If you want to assemble a basic 5.1-channel surround-sound system, and you don’t have much (or any) experience setting one up, we recommend the Denon AVR-S570BT. It’s also an affordable choice for anyone who already has a 5.1 system in place but needs to upgrade to a system that supports 4K, HDR, or features of the new HDMI 2.1 spec designed for modern gaming consoles.

It’s easier to set up and use than other budget receivers we tested. Although the AVR-S570BT doesn’t have the more advanced Audyssey calibration system found in our pricier Denon picks, it does have a similarly intuitive setup wizard that walks you through the installation process and clearly explains each step. Other budget models we tested assumed more user knowledge in their setup language and were simply less intuitive to configure.

The AVR-S570BT’s clean back panel has the same side-by-side speaker connections as our other Denon picks, which makes connecting bare speaker wire easier. The front panel has a large display and an equally clean layout.

The remote is larger than competing designs, so it has more room to space out the buttons in an intuitive way. Plus, its glow-in-the-dark functionality helps you find frequently used controls. Denon also offers a Bluetooth-based control app for mobile devices.

It has the essential features for building a modern 5.1-channel system. This AV receiver supports high-quality Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks (but not the overhead speakers of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X). Its power rating is about 10 watts less than that of our top pick, but we had no issues using it to drive a 5.1 speaker system — with 4-ohm tower speakers in the front left and right positions — to very loud listening levels.

The AVR-S570BT offers four HDMI 2.1–compliant inputs that support 8K video at 60 Hz and 4K video at 120 Hz, along with auto low-latency mode, variable refresh rate, and quick frame transport, but not quick media switching. It has one HDMI output with eARC support.

You also get three digital audio inputs and a pair of analog audio inputs, but no phono input. The receiver has Bluetooth for streaming audio, as well as AM and FM tuners and a front-panel 5-volt/1-amp USB port that can power an HDMI streaming stick or play hi-res audio files.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

This receiver lacks Wi-Fi support and integrated music-streaming options. As with most budget AV receivers, you have to use Bluetooth to stream music, so you must keep your phone or other source device close to the receiver. Or you can add an inexpensive Wi-Fi streaming device.

We recommend the Denon AVR-X3800H for anyone who wants to add extra speakers to create more immersive, cinematic sound or who wants even better room correction (and thus better sound quality) than our top pick offers but still values a simple, straightforward setup process. This receiver takes everything we like about the AVR-X1800H in terms of performance, features, and user-friendliness and improves upon all of those aspects — as it should, since it costs roughly $1,000 more.

The AVR-X3800H offers nine channels of speaker amplification. That allows you to set up a surround-sound system with five ear-level speakers and four height speakers. Alternatively, you could reserve two of those channels for a separate stereo audio zone in another room.

If you’re willing to add an outboard stereo amp, the AVR-X3800H has preamp outputs that allow you to expand the total speaker count to 11.

You also get four independent subwoofer outputs that you can configure in different ways. In Standard mode, all of your subwoofers are monophonic and receive the same low-frequency information, even if they’re configured differently in level, delay, and the like. In Directional mode, each subwoofer receives low-frequency sounds from the main speaker nearest to it, along with the .1 (or LFE) channel from the surround soundtrack being decoded.

In our testing, Standard mode delivered better performance with more consistent bass response from seat to seat, which is the main reason you would want so many subwoofers to begin with. Contrary to conventional wisdom, adding more subs isn’t about being able to crank up the bass to the point of rattling your fillings as well as your rafters; it’s about evenly distributing the low frequencies around the room so that any one subwoofer has to exert less effort and everyone in the audience has a similar experience with regard to bass.

If you watch movies alone or aren’t especially concerned about the listening experience of anyone else in the room, having four subs is probably overkill. But if you watch movies with large groups of people, this is a pretty meaningful feature that we don’t see on cheaper AV receivers.

The onboard room correction is great, and you can upgrade to Dirac Live. AVR-X3800H owners can purchase Dirac Live, a more advanced form of room correction, separately. The upgrade costs between $260 and $600, depending on which version you choose.

Honestly, though, unless you know a good bit about room acoustics and are willing to spend $600 on the full bundle with Bass Control, we’re not convinced that this upgrade will give you substantially better results than what you can get from the Audyssey MultEQ XT32 room correction that comes standard in the AVR-X3800H.

In our testing, MultEQ XT32 proved to be a significant upgrade over the MultEQ XT room correction in our top pick, producing even more controlled bass, less seat-to-seat variation in the sound, and decidedly improved dialogue clarity. With a lot of work, we were able to get better sonic results from the Onkyo TX-RZ30 with Dirac Live Bass Control, but that receiver has its downsides, which we discuss below.

In our voice-intelligibility stress test — the Mines of Moria sequences from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring on UHD Blu-ray — MultEQ XT32 provided a big leap in clarity over less-advanced forms of Audyssey. If you’re a room-correction aficionado, a glance at the charts below explains why: You can see how much smoother the midrange (100 Hz to 1,000 Hz) response was when we applied the MultEQ XT32 room correction, in comparison with the midtier MultEQ XT room correction in the AVR-X1800H. That’s the range where most vocals reside.

It has more power than our more affordable picks. How much of that extra power you actually need depends on the size of your room and the efficiency of your speakers (that is, how loudly they play when powered by a 2.83-volt input), but with our test system in a 15-by-12-foot room with 8-foot ceilings, we were able to play the AVR-X3800H louder than we could comfortably listen to.

All six of the AVR-X3800H’s HDMI inputs support 8K video at 60 Hz, as well as 4K at up to 120 Hz, along with HDMI 2.1 features such as auto low-latency mode, variable refresh rate, quick media switching, and auto lip sync (when the receiver is connected to displays that support that feature), so it’s a great choice for gaming. It also has the same assortment of music-streaming features as the AVR-X1800H.

For such a feature-packed AV receiver, the AVR-X3800H was surprisingly easy for us to install and configure, again thanks to Denon’s excellent setup wizard. But we did run into a few hiccups during the setup process. For instance, when going through the guided setup, we reached a screen that asked us to choose a time zone, but a list of time zones wasn’t available. We saw no option to skip this screen, so we had to exit the wizard altogether and start over from scratch.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

We couldn’t upgrade the receiver’s firmware without jumping through some hoops. At 99% into the upgrade process, an error would flash on the front-panel display asking us to check the network, unplug the receiver, and then reconnect the power. Through online research, we learned that, to get around this hitch, you have to unplug the HDMI cable running between the receiver and display, turn the AVR-X3800H off and on, and allow the firmware to update before reconnecting the HDMI cable.

One final thing to consider is that, like the AVR-X1800H, the AVR-X3800H runs quite warm, so it’s a good idea to install this receiver in a spot with adequate ventilation and to avoid stacking anything on top of it or crowding it from either side.

We recommend the Onkyo TX-RZ30 for anyone who is seriously considering buying the Denon AVR-X3800H and purchasing the full Dirac Live room-correction upgrade, which adds $600 to that model’s price. The lower-priced TX-RZ30 has Dirac Live built in. Even when you upgrade it to add the $300 Dirac Live Bass Control module (which we recommend that you do), it usually costs $800 less than a fully upgraded AVR-X3800H — and it can deliver better sound, if you know what you’re doing with Dirac Live.

It has specs similar to those of our upgrade pick, with a few key differences. The TX-RZ30 is limited to 9.2 channels of processing, so you can’t expand the speaker count to 11 by adding external amps, as you can with the AVR-X3800H. It also has only two independent subwoofer outputs, compared with the AVR-X3800H’s four.

This receiver has slightly less power per channel than the AVR-X3800H, at least on paper: 100 watts per channel versus 105 watts per channel. Then again, the TX-RZ30 boasts a more robust power supply, which in theory means you would be able to push it harder without driving it into clipping. In practice, though, we couldn’t hear any meaningful differences in how loudly the two models could play.

The TX-RZ30 has one less optical and one less coaxial digital input but provides one extra stereo RCA input. The number of HDMI inputs is the same at six, but this model adds an old-school component-video input. All of the TX-RZ30’s HDMI inputs support 8K video at 60 Hz, as well as 4K at up to 120 Hz, along with HDMI 2.1a features such as auto low-latency mode, variable refresh rate, quick frame transport, source-based tone mapping, and display stream compression. But quick media switching is not supported, so you might get frustrated by black-screen delays when switching from one source to another.

The TX-RZ30 carries THX certification, supports Dolby Atmos and IMAX Enhanced immersive audio, and has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi streaming, with AirPlay 2 and Chromecast built in. It carries the “Works with Sonos” designation, so if you use Sonos, you can control it through the Sonos app via the Sonos Port.

Dirac Live Bass Control is a game-changer, if you’re willing to put in the work. In our comparison testing, once we tuned the TX-RZ30 using Dirac Live Bass Control, this receiver erased the performance advantage that the AVR-X3800H had from its two extra subwoofer outputs.

Without Bass Control, both Dirac Live and Audyssey measure the performance of each speaker in your room, apply filters to remove problems caused by the room and speaker interactions, and then hand the signal off to the receiver for it to perform bass management (or to divide the sound between the speakers and subwoofers).

Dirac Live Bass Control, on the other hand, calculates bass management as part of the room-correction process and can use the strengths of one speaker to overcome the weaknesses of another. This proved to be a major benefit with the RSL CG3 speakers we used in testing.

We love this speaker system but often end up fighting with it, because its smaller bookshelf speakers don’t deliver deep-enough bass to really blend well with RSL’s Speedwoofer 10S sub. Dirac Live Bass Control fixed that problem handily, making the entire speaker system sound more cohesive from top to bottom than we were ever able to make it sound using Audyssey MultEQ XT32. What’s more, the bass was more impactful and better controlled, and we were even able to eliminate a slight rattle in a nearby mirrored closet door without affecting the strength and depth of the bass at all. The Denon AVR-X3800H’s Audyssey system came close to these results but couldn’t quite deliver the practically perfect bass performance and speaker blending we got with Dirac Live Bass Control (admittedly, only after a lot of fussing, cussing, trial, and error).

Onkyo has addressed complaints about hardware reliability. Although the Onkyo brand has long had its adherents, in recent years the company has taken a beating for HDMI-quality issues, as well as power-supply problems that affected its amps, especially when used with lower-impedance speakers. All of our testing with the TX-RZ30 indicated that these issues are a thing of the past.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Every aspect of the TX-RZ30’s setup is more difficult than the AVR-X3800H’s process. Dennis has installed and calibrated roughly 150 to 175 receivers in the past 30 years, yet he still found the TX-RZ30’s setup to be unnecessarily complicated and frustrating, beyond just the complexity of Dirac Live.

The setup wizard is mostly useless, and the Onkyo Controller app that is suggested as part of the setup process was a bigger source of confusion than clarity. At no point during the process did the receiver point us toward the standalone Dirac Live software for PC or Mac, which you should use for the best results. Instead, when the Onkyo Controller app couldn’t successfully launch Dirac, it suggested that we use the receiver’s infinitely inferior AccuEQ room-correction system instead.

If you’ve owned multiple AV receivers in the past, these concerns may not be dealbreakers, since you’re likely to skip the setup wizard and configure everything manually. Just keep in mind that the TX-RZ30 is not beginner-friendly.

If you want Dolby Atmos and DTS:X in a budget receiver: Onkyo’s TX-SR3100 is one of the few sub-$500 receivers to include immersive-audio decoding. It’s only a five-channel receiver, so you can’t create a full 5.1 surround-sound setup plus height speakers. But if you’d rather have two height speakers instead of two surround speakers, this model will let you set up a 2.1.2 or 3.1.2 system.

In other respects, the TX-SR3100 is a solid performer that’s very similar in features to our budget Denon pick, and it has a little more power. But we found that Denon model to be much easier to set up and more pleasant to use on a daily basis. Onkyo’s user interface is less descriptive and helpful, the back panel isn’t as intuitively laid out, and the smaller remote control crams a lot of black buttons onto a black chassis — and doesn’t have the Denon remote’s glow-in-the-dark buttons. But if you’re already familiar with receiver setup and terminology, this model is a fine choice.

Denon offers other X-Series receivers at prices below, between, and above those of our picks. In selecting which specific models to recommend, we looked for the best mix of features, performance, and price, keeping in mind the needs of most people. But you may have specific requirements that make one of the company’s other models — such as the AVR-X2800H or AVR-X4800H — a better pick for you.

We’ve previously tested various Denon S-Series receivers, but we think the improved MultEQ XT room correction in the X-Series is worth the small increase in price.

Denon’s sibling company Marantz also has its own line of AV receivers, and we’re constantly getting questions from readers asking whether they should buy a Denon or Marantz receiver. Marantz’s receivers — especially its Cinema Series — are a bit more luxury-oriented and as such don’t represent as good a value for most people.

The Cinema 60, for example, is comparable in many respects to the Denon AVR-X1800H on paper — at least in channel count, room-correction capabilities, HDMI inputs, and the like — yet it sells for the same price as the AVR-X3800H. The Cinema 50, on the other hand, is a really close match for the AVR-X3800H but costs $800 more.

Yamaha hasn’t updated its affordable receiver lines in several years. Our previous top pick, the Yamaha RX-V6A, remains current but is long in the tooth, and we were not thrilled with how Yamaha handled the HDMI 2.1 issues that plagued all of the first-generation 8K-compatible receivers. The company now offers free HDMI-board replacements for anyone with an afflicted receiver — including the RX-A2A, RX-V4A, RX-V6A, and TSR-700 — but it took a long time to do so, and it was not as transparent or communicative about the delays as we would’ve liked.

The entry-level, Bluetooth-only Yamaha RX-V385 doesn’t support 8K and isn’t as easy to set up or use as our budget pick.

We also tested the Onkyo TX-NR5100 and the Pioneer VSX-935, and both had some concerning issues. For one thing, both models proved far too complicated to install and configure, especially compared with similar offerings from Denon. Also, Onkyo’s AccuEQ and Pioneer’s MCACC room-correction systems did more harm than good to the sound. So we dismissed these models and other pricier ones that use the same setup wizards and room correction.

In the budget realm, we tested Pioneer’s VSX-535 only to discover that it doesn’t support DTS decoding at all, so that’s a hard pass. You have to move up to the 7.2-channel VSX-835 to get DTS support. The VSX-835 is one of the most affordable 7.2-channel receivers out there, but it’s also Bluetooth-only and uses the same MCACC room correction that we didn’t like in the VSX-935, so we chose not to test it.

Sony’s STR-AZ3000ES is a fascinating receiver that demonstrates the company’s commitment to improving its offerings, especially its room correction. We found the Digital Cinema Auto Calibration IX and 360 Spatial Sound Mapping quite good, especially considering that this model offers a feature that no other AV receiver in this price range does, namely the ability to perceptually relocate speakers if they’re poorly placed in the room. On the other hand, if you’re willing to spend $1,700 on an AV receiver, chances are good that you’re going to place your speakers in reasonably suitable locations, which slightly undermines the value of this capability. What’s more, we found some of the STR-AZ3000ES’s operation quirks to be frustrating for a receiver this pricey. AirPlay connectivity was spotty and unpredictable, and we occasionally experienced total sound dropouts that would require rebooting the receiver. If you have your heart set on the STR-AZ3000ES, it’s a fine receiver, and you might not mind those frustrations, especially if you like Sony’s sleek industrial design. But our premium picks offer more bang for the buck with fewer day-to-day operational quirks.

In JBL’s Modern Audio (MA) Series, the entry-level MA310 is the direct competitor to the Denon AVR-S570BT as a five-channel receiver with Bluetooth. However, none of the MA310’s four HDMI inputs support HDMI 2.1, so we dismissed it. You have to spend about $200 more on the five-channel MA510 to get HDMI 2.1, which also adds Wi-Fi streaming. We also dismissed the MA9100HP as a competitor to our nine-channel upgrade pick because it costs a few hundred dollars more and only has basic room correction built in. You have to pay even more to add Dirac Live. If design is a priority for you, the MA Series receivers have a clean, minimalist look and use Class D amplification that allows for a smaller, lighter form. Several models are offered in a black or white finish.

This article was edited by Adrienne Maxwell and Grant Clauser.