10 Best AV Receivers 2025 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 YAMAHA RX-V385 is a 5.1-channel AV receiver that offers a robust surround sound experience. One of its strengths is the Bluetooth connectivity, allowing for wireless streaming from various devices such as tablets, iPhones, and Android phones. The power output is substantial, with 100W per channel when driven at 1kHz with 1 channel, and 70W per channel when driven at a broader frequency range. This means it can deliver adequate sound levels for most home environments.

The receiver supports various high-definition audio formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio, providing a rich and immersive sound experience. Its video processing capabilities are also impressive, with 4K/60 Ultra HD support, HDR10, Dolby Vision, and more, ensuring excellent picture quality for your media. The YPAO automatic room calibration technology is a standout feature, simplifying the setup process by optimizing the audio settings based on your room's acoustics.

The HDMI connectivity is ample with 4 inputs and 1 output, accommodating multiple devices such as gaming consoles and Blu-ray players. However, one potential drawback is that it only supports a 5.1 channel configuration, which may be limiting for users looking for a more extensive surround sound setup. Additionally, the power output might not be sufficient for very large rooms or those seeking extremely high volume levels.