(Nov 19, 2009)
Matthew Moskovciak
If you opted for separate speakers and components, your AV receiver will serve as the hub of your entire home-theater system. Today, even entry-level receivers come with a host of features and perform surprisingly well. But sorting through all of your options can be a daunting task, so we've tried to help out by selecting our favorites, all of which deliver a good balance of features, performance, ease of use, and value in their respective classes.
Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K
The Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K delivers an excellent feature set and outstanding sound quality for its price, making it our top midrange AV receiver pick so far.
Price: $499.00 - $549.99 (check prices)
Review date: Oct 15, 2009
Excellent
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Onkyo TX-SR607
If you can overlook its poor analog video conversion, the Onkyo TX-SR607 offers up a ton of HDMI connectivity and excellent sound quality for a midrange AV receiver.
Price: $399.00 - $649.98 (check prices)
Review date: Apr 30, 2009
Very good
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Onkyo HT-RC160
The Onkyo HT-RC160 has nearly all the same functionality as the similar TX-SR607, for about $100 less, making it one of the best AV receiver values of the year.
Price: $299.97 - $369.77 (check prices)
Review date: Sep 30, 2009
Very good
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Denon AVR-1910
The Denon AVR-1910 is a fully featured midrange AV receiver with standout upconverted video quality, although it's held back by some subpar design issues and average sound quality.
Price: $499.00 - $549.99 (check prices)
Review date: Sep 22, 2009
Very good
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Sony STR-DN1000
The Sony STR-DN1000 offers solid sound and basic AV receiver features at a bargain price, but it's not nearly as good as last year's STR-DG920.
Price: $327.77 - $499.99 (check prices)
Review date: Sep 18, 2009
Very good
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Yamaha RX-V665BL
Yamaha's RX-V665BL includes more features than its predecessor, but it doesn't sound as good, has poor video upconversion quality, and doesn't let you assign digital-audio inputs.
Price: $359.95 - $499.99 (check prices)
Review date: Apr 24, 2009
Good
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Yamaha HTR-6250BL
The Yamaha HTR-6250BL works well as part of the Yamaha YHT-791 home theater system, but it doesn't fare as well when compared with other standalone AV receivers.
Price: $429.95 (check prices)
Review date: Jun 30, 2009
Good
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