10 Best AV Receivers 2026 in the United States

The Denon AVR-X3800H is a powerful 9.4-channel AV receiver with an impressive 105W per channel output. This makes it suitable for users looking for a robust home theater experience. It supports a wide array of audio formats including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X Pro, IMAX Enhanced, and Auro 3D, providing immersive 3D audio that can elevate your viewing experience. Additionally, it features Dolby Surround and DTS Neural:X for enhancing legacy content, ensuring all your media benefits from its capabilities.

One of its standout features is its 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz pass-through, making it ready for the latest high-definition video standards and ensuring compatibility with new 8K TVs. The receiver boasts extensive connectivity options with 9 HDMI 2.1 ports, built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and HEOS multi-room streaming, offering flexibility in how you connect your devices and stream content. The inclusion of advanced video formats like HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision, and Dynamic HDR further enhances the visual experience.

Room calibration is made easy with the Audyssey Room Correction Suite, which fine-tunes the audio to suit your room’s acoustics. On the downside, the Denon AVR-X3800H is relatively heavy at 27.6 pounds, which could be cumbersome for some users. Its complexity and advanced features might also pose a learning curve for users not familiar with high-end AV receivers. However, the on-screen HD GUI setup assistant helps ease the initial setup process. This receiver is ideal for those who want a future-proof, high-performance AV receiver with extensive connectivity and superior audio-visual capabilities.

The Denon AVR-X2800H 7.2 Ch Receiver is a feature-packed AV receiver designed to enhance your home theater experience with its strong performance in both audio and video processing. One of its standout features is the 95W per channel power output, which should offer robust and immersive sound, especially in a 7.2 channel setup. This receiver is also geared for the future with 8K/60Hz pass-through, ensuring it can handle the latest high-resolution video content, along with support for various advanced video formats like HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. This makes it particularly suitable for users with 8K TVs who want to get the most out of their screen's capabilities.

Connectivity options are abundant with this model, including 8 HDMI ports (6 in, 2 out), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and even a phono input for turntable users. The built-in HEOS technology allows for wireless music streaming and multi-room audio functionality, which is a great bonus for those who want to enjoy music throughout their home. In terms of audio formats, it supports Dolby Atmos, DTS Neural:X, and DTS:X, providing a rich and immersive surround sound experience. Additionally, the Audyssey Room Correction Suite helps calibrate and tune the receiver to your specific room layout, enhancing sound quality.

The complexity of its many features might be overwhelming for those who are not tech-savvy, and setting it up properly may require some patience. Users looking for a simpler, more straightforward system might find this receiver a bit too advanced. Despite this, its comprehensive feature set and future-proofing capabilities make it a solid choice for home theater enthusiasts who want high performance and flexibility.

The Sony STRAZ7000ES Premium ES 13.2 CH 8K A/V Receiver stands out with its 13.2 channel configuration, offering an impressive power output of 150W per channel, which is ideal for creating a powerful and immersive home theater experience. Its support for 8K and 4K/120 HDMI connectivity with HDMI 2.1 ensures compatibility with modern high-resolution video formats, making it future-proof for upcoming advancements in video technology.

The receiver supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio formats, providing a rich, object-based sound decoding that enhances the surround sound experience significantly. Additionally, with Digital Cinema Auto Calibration IX and 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, it offers advanced room calibration features that tailor audio output to your specific room setup for optimal sound quality. Connectivity options are robust, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, and Apple AirPlay, allowing seamless streaming from multiple sources.

Its network and streaming capabilities are further enhanced by integration with Google Assistant and compatibility with SONOS systems. This makes it versatile for both entertainment and smart home integration. However, it is quite hefty at 55.8 pounds and may require a sturdy setup. Also, its complexity might be overwhelming for users who prefer simpler AV receivers. Given the advanced features and high-quality audio-visual processing, it is best suited for audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts who seek top-tier performance and flexibility. Customer reviews averaging 4.0 out of 5 stars reflect that it might not be the best choice for casual users looking for a straightforward setup.