If you’re aiming to replicate a true movie-theater experience at home, a good AV receiver is essential. Soundbars are an improvement over built-in TV speakers, but an AV receiver provides much more control over setting up, using, and upgrading your home theater system.
For most people, the Denon AVR-X1700H has everything required to enjoy a premium movie, gaming, TV, or music experience. All that’s needed is to add some speakers.
Our choice
The AVR-X1700H is a great-sounding, easy-to-use, 7.1-channel receiver that has all the needed features to satisfy movie fans, music lovers, and gamers alike.
The Denon AVR-X1700H is our top pick because it’s a great-sounding receiver that guides you through the setup process and offers excellent value. It comes with seven amplifier channels capable of powering a surround-sound speaker system or a Dolby Atmos or DTS:X home theater setup with two overhead speakers.
It includes six HDMI inputs, three of which are HDMI 2.1 compatible and support advanced gaming features found on the Microsoft Xbox Series X and Sony PlayStation 5 consoles. Additionally, it allows wireless music streaming via Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2, and the Heos wireless streaming platform.
Moreover, it offers effective room correction, enabling fine-tuning of the speaker system’s performance to suit the room. Our tests consistently show that the effectiveness of the room-correction system is the differentiating factor in sound quality within this price range.
Our only minor gripes with the AVR-X1700H are that the remote control’s infrared signal can be unreliable and the receiver can become warm when pushing the speaker system to high volumes.
Upgrade choice
With better room correction, more amplified channels, and a range of advanced features, the Denon AVR-X3800H is an excellent choice for home cinema enthusiasts seeking an upscale option–albeit at a higher price.
For those willing to spend more for superior sound quality, more amp channels, and advanced customization capabilities, we recommend the Denon AVR-X3800H. This receiver delivers better sound than the under-$1,000 models we tested, mainly due to its advanced Audyssey MultEQ XT32 room correction.
The 9.4-channel AVR-X3800H includes two additional amp channels for powering more speakers and can process sound for up to four subwoofers independently. All six of its HDMI inputs are HDMI 2.1 compatible and support 8K video and advanced gaming features. Furthermore, it offers superior multiroom audio and video support compared to the AVR-X1700H.
However, all its features and performance advantages come at a much higher price.
Budget choice
Simple to set up and use but lacking in features, the Denon AVR-S570BT is a solid choice if you just want to put together a good 5.1-channel speaker system.
If you want to set up a simple 5.1-channel surround-sound system—or already have a 5.1-channel system and need a receiver that supports 4K, 8K, or high dynamic range video—the Denon AVR-S570BT is a good option under $500.
It’s easy to set up and use, and performs quite well for the price, even though it can power only five speakers and lacks the Audyssey room correction found on the more expensive Denon models. It offers four HDMI inputs, all with HDMI 2.1 compatibility, making it suitable for gamers. However, it can only stream music via Bluetooth, not Wi-Fi–based platforms like AirPlay 2.
