The Best Mid-Range Home Theater Receivers of 2024

What to Look For in a Home Theater Receiver

The home theater receiver, also called an AV receiver or surround sound receiver, is the heart of a home theater system. It provides most, if not all, the inputs and outputs that you connect everything, including your TV, into. A home theater receiver provides an easy and cost-effective way of centralizing your home theater system.

A home theater receiver combines the functions of three components.

• A tuner for AM/FM, and, in some cases, built-in, or the ability to add, access to HD Radio, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, and internet radio and music streaming services.
• A Preamp that controls the selected audio/video source ( Blu-ray Disc Player, DVD player, VCR, CD player, iPod, etc.) processes the incoming stereo/surround sound signals and distributes audio to the channels and subwoofer output. Video from designated components is routed to a TV.
• A built-in Multi-channel amplifier (5, 6, 7, 9, or 11 channels) that sends the surround sound signals and power to the speakers. Also, one or two preamp outputs for connecting a powered subwoofer are provided.

Overview of Home Theater Receiver Features

First, there are the core features:

• Power Output
• Surround Sound Formats
• Connectivity

In addition to core features, depending on the brand/model, you may have one or more of the following advanced options available to you:

• Automatic Speaker Setup
• Multi-Zone Audio
• Wireless Multi-Room/Whole House Audio
• iPod/iPhone Connectivity/Control and Bluetooth
• Networking and Internet Audio/Video Streaming
• Hi-Res Audio
• Video switching and processing
• Additional Control Options

Power Output

The power output capabilities of home theater receivers vary depending on the price you are willing to pay and on what size room and the power requirements of your loudspeakers should be considered regarding which brand/model home theater receiver you might purchase. However, being confronted by sales hype and reading specifications can be confusing and misleading.

Surround Sound Formats

The main feature attraction of home theater receivers for most consumers is the ability to provide a surround sound listening experience.

These days, even the most basic home theater receivers offer several options, including not just standard Dolby Digital and DTS Digital Surround decoding but more advanced Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding (which are the primary formats used on Blu-ray Discs), as well as (depending on the manufacturer) additional surround processing formats.

Also, as you move into mid-range and higher home theater receiver models, surround sound formats such as Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, or even Auro3D audio may be included or offered as options. However, DTS:X and Auro3D Audio often require a firmware update.

In addition, be aware that including the various surround sound formats also dictates how many channels a home theater receiver may be equipped with—which can range from a minimum of 5 to as many as 11.

Automatic Speaker Setup

Although only sometimes included in the more inexpensive home theater receivers, almost all mid-range and high-end home theater receivers provide a built-in automatic speaker setup system utilizing a built-in test tone generator and special plug-in microphone.

Using these tools, a home theater can balance the speaker levels by speaker size, distance, and room acoustics. Depending on the brand, these programs have different names, such as AccuEQ (Onkyo), Anthem Room Correction (Anthem AV), Audyssey (Denon/Marantz), MCACC (Pioneer), and YPAO (Yamaha).

Connectivity

All home theater receivers provide speaker connections, output for connection of one or more subwoofers, and several audio connection options, including analog stereo, digital coaxial, and digital optical, and video connection options that may consist of composite and component video. However, composite/component options are becoming less available to receivers of each successive model year due to the increasing use of HDMI.

HDMI

In addition to the connection options discussed above, HDMI connectivity is provided on all home theater receivers. HDMI can pass both audio and video signals through a single cable. However, depending on how HDMI is incorporated, access to HDMI's capabilities may be limited.

Many lower-priced receivers incorporate pass-through HDMI switching. This allows the connection of HDMI cables to the receiver and provides an HDMI output connection for a TV. However, the receiver can't access the video or audio portions of the HDMI signal for further processing.

Some receivers access the HDMI signals' audio and video portions for further processing.

Also, if you plan to use a 3D TV and 3D Blu-ray Disc player with your home theater receiver, remember that your receiver should be equipped with HDMI ver 1.4a connections. If you have a home theater that does not have that ability, there is a workaround that may work for you.

It must also be noted that HDMI 1.4 and 1.4a connections can also pass 4K resolution video signals (30fps), provided the receiver manufacturer has activated the feature.

However, since 2015, home theater receivers have implemented HDMI connectivity that adheres to the HDMI 1.4/4a standards and HDMI 2.0/2.0a and HDCP 2.2 standards. This is to accommodate 4K signals at 60fps, as well as the ability to accept copy-protected 4K signals from streaming sources, the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc format, and sources that include HDR-encoded video content.

Another HDMI connection option that is available on some home theater receivers is HDMI-MHL. This updated HDMI connection can do everything that a "normal" HDMI connection can but has the added capability to accommodate the connection of MHL-enabled smartphones and tablets. This enables the receiver to access content stored on or streamed to portable devices for viewing or listening through your home theater system. If your home theater receiver has an MHL-HDMI input, it will be clearly labeled.

Multi-Zone Audio

Multi-Zone is a function where the receiver can send a second source signal to speakers or a separate audio system in another location. This is different from connecting additional speakers and placing them in another room.

The Multi-Zone function allows a home theater receiver to control the same or a separate source from the one being listened to in the main room, in another location. For example, the user can be watching a Blu-ray Disc or DVD in the main room while someone else can listen to a CD in another simultaneously. The same receiver controls both the Blu-ray or DVD or CD player.

Wireless Multi-Room/Whole House Audio

In addition to traditional wired multi-zone options, some home theater receivers can wirelessly stream audio to compatible wireless speakers connected via a home network. However, each brand has a closed system requiring specific brand-compatible products.

Some examples include Yamaha's MusicCast, FireConnect from Onkyo/Integra/Pioneer, Denon's HEOS, and DTS Play-Fi (Anthem)

Connectivity, Control, and Bluetooth

Another addition found on most home theater receivers is Bluetooth. This lets users stream audio files directly from a compatible Bluetooth-enabled portable device.

Also, many home theater receivers incorporate built-in Apple Airplay capability, eliminating the need to connect an iPhone to the receiver; you can sit back and send your iTunes to your home theater receiver wirelessly.

Networking and Internet Audio/Video Streaming

Networking is a feature that more home theater receivers are incorporating, especially in the mid-to-high price point. Networking is executed via an Ethernet connection or Wi-Fi.

This can allow several capabilities that you should check for. Not all networking receivers have the same capabilities. Some features commonly included are streaming audio (and sometimes video) from a PC or the internet, internet radio, and firmware updating directly from the internet. To get a specific receiver's networking and streaming features, check the user manual, feature sheet, or a review beforehand.

Hi-Res Audio

Another option for home theater receivers is accessing and playing two-channel hi-res audio files.

The iPod, iPhone, and other portable listening devices make access to music much more convenient. Still, they have taken us backward regarding what we settle for as a good music listening experience—the quality is degraded from that of the traditional CD.

Hi-Res audio applies to any music file with a higher bitrate than the physical CD (16-bit linear PCM at a 44.1-khz sampling rate).

In other words, anything below "CD quality," such as MP3 and other highly-compressed formats, is considered "low res" audio, and anything above "CD quality" is considered "hi-res" audio.

Some hi-res file formats are ALAC, FLAC, AIFF, WAV, and DSD (DSF and DFF).

Video Switching and Processing

In addition to audio, another essential feature of home theater receivers is the incorporation of video switching and processing. When buying a receiver for your home theater system, will you connect all your video sources to the TV directly, or would you like to use the receiver as your central video hub for switching or video processing?

If you plan to use your receiver for video, there are two options: some receivers merely pass-through all video signals untouched to your TV or video projector, and some provide extra layers of video processing that you can use. You are not required to pass video through your home theater receiver.

Video Conversion

In addition to using a home theater receiver as a central location for connecting audio and video components, many receivers also feature video processing, just as they offer audio processing.

For those receivers, a basic video processing feature is the ability of many receivers to convert Composite video inputs to Component video outputs or composite or component video connections to HDMI outputs. This conversion may improve the signals slightly but simplifies connections to HDTVs in that only one type of video connection is needed from the receiver to the TV instead of two or three.

Deinterlacing

When considering a receiver, a second level of video processing to check for is deinterlacing. This is a process whereby video signals from the composite or S-video inputs are converted from interlaced scan to progressive scan (480i to 480p) and then output via component or HDMI outputs to the TV. This improves the quality of the image, making it smoother and more acceptable for display on an HDTV. Not all receivers can perform this function well.

Video Upscaling

In addition to deinterlacing, another level of video processing is common in mid-range and high-end home theater receivers upscaling. Upscaling is a function that mathematically matches an incoming video signal to a specific screen resolution, such as 720p, 1080i, or 1080p. After the deinterlacing process, a growing number of cases, up to 4K.

However, remember that this process does not convert standard definition to high definition or 4K but improves the image to look better on an HDTV or 4K Ultra HD TV.

Remote Control via Mobile Phone App

One feature taking off for home theater receivers is the ability to be controlled by Android or iPhone via a free downloadable app. Some apps are more comprehensive than others, but if you lose or misplace the remote that comes with your home theater receiver, having a control app on your phone may be a convenient alternative.