Best AV receivers under $1000 in 2020

The top chart of the best AV receivers under $1000

There are so many AV receivers in the world so it is no surprise that you can just be lost in the world of master sound and have no idea what features you actually need. Let’s agree, nobody wants just to waste money, and there is no point in buying something pricey if you don’t use most of its functions, right? Therefore, I hope that this article will help you to choose a decent receiver, and you will find the best AV receiver under 1000 after reading this.

Don't think that if some receivers don’t cost more than $1000, they are necessarily bad and that the upgraded version of the receiver is always better. Despite not that high price, the best AV receiver for you will be most likely under $1000 as you will definitely use the most features; such features like Dolby Digital Plus support and the ability to remotely control the AV receiver, for example, won’t get out of date for a long time. Moreover, with the receiver, it is important to understand your needs first and go for something long-lasting rather than new. So, here is a list made of best AV receivers based on receiver reviews and proven by time.

Our pick

Denon AVRX4400H

The best receiver under $1000

Dynamic Audio Amplification delivers instantaneous high-current power to full-scale speakers for thrilling energy and lifelike transient response across a wide 5 Hz–100 kHz spectrum.

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Read the full review.

Denon AVRX4400H – the best AV receiver under 1000

The Denon AVR-X4400H is armed with eight HDMI inputs, and also has a good selection of other inputs. Among them, there are options for component and composite video, for digital and analog audio and also for a phone. Such a combination makes it the best av receiver under 1000.

Wireless inputs include AirPlay, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The feature that I liked most is the built-in support for the HEOS system, which allows Denon to integrate into the system as a separate zone.

Despite such an abundance of inputs and the possibility of their use, the AV receiver will not be able to operate at full power unless it is configured correctly. Fortunately, the X4400H setup wizard is intuitively simple and has a lot of graphical images and clear descriptions of all its options.

When the time to install Audyssey has come, I used the Audyssey MultEQ already installed on my smartphone. This application provides much more control and helps in adjusting and fine-tuning of Audyssey filters. Of course, this procedure requires much more patience. This is especially strongly felt on small screens and without a stylus. But the result is worth all the effort spent on it. Also, I used the free Denon app which was very easy to use. The Alexa voice control fine-tuning is also possible.

Due to the fact that the Denon is equipped with analog inputs for zones 2 and 3, it is possible to easily connect the additional zones, even if the receiver's internal amplifiers are used for the main zone.

The updated HEOS system has become a fully functional multi-room system that I regularly use since the AVR-X4400H gives me the opportunity to use it at full capacity.

A slight disappointment was the fact that the Denon AV receiver does not have a DLNA certificate which is found in many similar products from the same price category. Although you can always use the HEOS interface with DLNA servers without any problems.

After I installed this AV receiver, I tested it for sound in movies and with music. I was most impressed by the multichannel movie soundtracks. Even when all 7 channels were used with complex soundtracks and at the same time with the volume close to the maximum, the sound is clear without any signs of clipping or overload.

As a result, Denon AVR-X4400H allows me to watch and listen to everything that I want with ease. Initially, I considered the option AVR-X3400H but I am happy that I chose the X4400H option. It is much more effective as a large set of useful features. The performance of this model is at a high level, but with all this, the simplicity of its use makes Denon AVR-X4400H receiver really the best in the price segment under $1000.

Onkyo TX-NR686

This AV receiver will not leave a single corner in your room without a sound. It has a well-balanced frequency range. Thanks to this, with fine-tuning you can perfectly avoid brightness or hard edges in the sound.

Also, Onkyo TX-NR686 is equipped with a variety of parts in order to attract your attention. Among them are seven HDMI inputs with 4K/60 Hz subwoofer. Also, there is a support of HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, BT.2020, and HDCP 2.2. Plus one additional front HDMI input for more convenient use.

Timing is also very good, especially at low frequencies, where this model is more than ready to show its true power. The capabilities of multichannel amplifiers, along with synchronization, are especially prominent when playing music, and this model makes me really happy when used in such way.

Onkyo has created a good dual-use receiver. When you are watching a movie, the receiver is beyond praise. The sound is powerful, dynamic. In general, the presentation of this receiver sound is very light and pleasant. For absolutely comfortable listening, it lacks a truly wide bass range. Such absence prevents complete luring into what you are seeing.

In comparison with the leaders in this price category, Onkyo TX-NR686 is significantly lagging behind in terms of dynamic dispersion and additional sound details. If you are going to use this AV receiver, then do not forget to harmonize the system. You cannot add something that it does not support, but you can double its sound power absolutely safe.

I used this amplifier with Dali Zensor 1 5.1. As for me, exactly this model will reveal the greatest potential of the TX-NR686 model.

Despite all of the above, if you are looking for a really good receiver for your home theater, you cannot go wrong by choosing this product from Onkyo. Even with stereo music playback in Pure Direct mode, there are no such components that the receiver cannot reproduce with the proper quality. If to talk about multimedia, then you will not have to seek compromise with more expensive entry-level models. The Onkyo TX-NR686 seven power amplifiers will convince you with their powerful and dynamic sound.

Denon AVRX3400H

We can talk about technology level forever, but the sound is still a key feature of any AV receiver no matter what. In this review, I will tell you about the Denon AVR-X3400H, equipped with Focal acoustics of the Chorus series with mode 5.2.1.

One of the basic configurations is 7.1, but a more modern 5.2.1 version with 3D sound is also available. The USB and HDMI for quick connection is quite a modern approach.

In the movie mode, the Denon AVR-X3400H was pleased me with the comfortable mid and high-frequencies sound quality at the most aggressive soundtracks and without even any noticeable damage to the tonal balance and resolution.

When listening to music, the Denon AVR-X3400H offers a large number of sound modes and can even work in two zones at once. All modes are available to control directly from the HEOS application. Due to another AV receiver under 1000 reviews, you can also use Audyssey MultEQ for additional tuning but I did not test that.

The bass is well controlled, and although on some dance tracks the bass was a little more echoing than necessary, in my case, it happened due to room size.

The applicability of the AV receiver as a universal device is always a matter of compromise. Someone prefers to divide the cinema and stereo systems, and someone specifically chooses the more expensive AV receiver to use it for stereo as well. In the case of Denon AVR-X3400H, the second strategy seems quite reasonable. This receiver can easily be used to listen to music.

Denon AVR-X3400H AV receiver is very versatile. By combining such an AV receiver with a highly developed HEOS ecosystem, you can easily and quickly resolve the issue of sounding large houses and apartments. The main thing is to have enough power of Wi-Fi routers, and then you can literally fill all the rooms with music without any exceptions.

Onkyo TX-RZ920

The first thing with which this ponderous 9.2 channel AV receiver pleases is an excellent power of 135 W per channel and high-quality sound reproduction in 5.2.4 mode. Another feature is support for ultra-modern surround sound decoders – Dolby Atmos and DTS: X. In addition, the device effectively works with other systems, such as Dolby True HD, Prologic IIz, and DTS-HD. This smart receiver is able to calibrate the sound in accordance with the user's preferences and the characteristics of the room where the speaker is installed.

First of all, Onkyo TX-RZ920 was created as a center for a large home theater. It can also be used for small audio listening systems. This all becomes possible thanks to a huge number of inputs. The RZ920 receiver offers 8 HDMI at once and in addition few digital audio outputs. There is also a USB port, line inputs, as well as a built-in background preamp for a growing number of vinyl fans.

For fans of streaming music, Onkyo TX-RZ920 offers a wide range of streaming features. This is achieved through integration with DTS Play-Fi, Apple Airplay, and Google Chromecast. All this is supported by Wi-Fi 2,4 and 5 GHz connectivity. Such an abundance of options for streaming audio and dual-band wireless connections means that you can easily connect the TX-RZ920 to a home network and use this device to listen to almost all music streaming services. Regardless of the digital audio source, an excellent built-in audio digital-to-analog AKM converters are used to guarantee excellent sound quality.

Such a universal solution for home audio and video sound is a business card of the latest products manufactured by Onkyo. This AV receiver is powerful enough to sound clear and loud so that the walls literally shake. It is presented in the form of a solid large block that looks great and sounds just brilliant. I arranged it outdoors so ventilation is not a problem for me. On the other hand, this receiver is not heated at all – rather, it is just warm. The menu screen is perfect for making quick settings. When installing this product, I used 4K pass-through works. Onkyo TX-RZ920 works fine with all the applications I need. For me, this receiver is perfect, and I never regretted of buying it.

Marantz SR5012

A great mid-range home cinema receiver. Marantz SR5012 has enough channels to power the left, right and center channels. There are also two side and rear surrounds and two subwoofers. Power of 100 watts per channel should be loud enough for most rooms. What I liked the most is that it works great with Alexa. My house is very automated and so I can ask Alexa to turn on the TV in the living room along with Marantz and all the other necessary equipment. It is possible to control the volume and inputs with voice commands.

The amplifier can be used as a pre-amplifier. Thus, if you need more power this can be done very simply.

When the SR5012 is working, the sound is simply great and I could not find any other receiver that works same well, in this price category of course.

I like the Marantz SR5012 and I like the sound that can only be played through class A and B amplifiers. This device will be quite hot even at low volume and become very hot at high volume levels. Still, this is not a design flaw. It's all about the way the power is supplied to AV receivers of class A-B. A side effect of this flaw is a much higher temperature. Most receivers in the category up to $1000 have class D amplifiers which are much cooler. But they do not sound as good as this Marantz product.

Marantz SR6012

This receiver has everything you need to ensure that this model remains competitive for at least two years. This estimate is of course very approximate, but such judging about the functionality of this AV receiver is quite realistic.

Marantz SR6012 has both digital and Internet radio and can recognize all known audio formats including FLAC and Apple lossless. All this is done without loss of quality and the built-in Dolby and DTS decoders can please you with remote control from a smartphone.

This is a 9.2 channel network AV Receiver with 11.2 channel processing capability. In addition, there is built-in HEOS wireless multi-room audio technology with the free HEOS app. AVR supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, eight HDMI inputs. Front panel USB input, ECO mode, Dolby Vision and HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) pass-through capability. The eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) support. The Dolby Atmos and DTS:X capability are included too. I have used Audyssey MultEQ XT32 setup and room calibration.

For those people who are worried about energy consumption, I can safely say that this model is really very good for them. After all, the output power per channel is not so high – only 110 W and the total output power of 900 W will not be a terrible sentence for your electricity bills. The biggest advantage of this particular AVR is its excellent configuration of sound effects. You can enjoy both Dolby Digital surround sound and Dolby Atmos too. I recommend Marantz SR6012 to fans of 3D films who do not want to spend too much money on cinema tickets.

Denon AVRX4300H

Denon traditionally produces strong amplifiers. AVRX4300H is not an exception. This product can handle a huge set of music formats. MP3 is very easily perceived by this receiver as well as it can also process high-expansion audio files such as ALAC, FLAC, WAV, and 2.8 / 5.6-MHz DSD. In terms of online broadcasting, Denon AVRX4300H supports Internet Radio, Spotify Connect, Pandora, Amazon Music, Napster, iHeart Radio, Soundcloud, Tidal and Deezer.

Another pleasant moment is that Denon has always paid high attention to simplifying the configuration of its products. AVRX4300H despite the wide range of functions is one of the easiest amplifiers for tuning and further work. As soon as you turn it on, it will guide you through the entire configuration step-by-step. Denon AVRX4300H uses the Audyssey x32 calibration system. As soon as you reach this point, the receiver prompts you to place the microphone in one of 8 places in the listening area. The cardboard microphone stand also included in the kit.

The overall calibration process took about 15 minutes. In general, the Denon AVRX4300H is a great receiver, and thanks to 9 amplification channels you have a lot of speaker layout options. The support of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HEOS, Dolby Atmos, DTS: X and 4K makes this product simply unsurpassed in terms of functionality. Great sound quality will allow this receiver to remain relevant for many years.

Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A1080

AVENTAGE RX-A1080 can deliver a quite good sound thanks to the latest ESS, symmetrical amplifier configuration and a rigid chassis. In addition, this Yamaha 7.2-channel network AVR supports 4K Ultra HD resolution, with seven input and two HDMI output connectors fully compatible with the HDCP2.2 standard.

The combination of DTS: X and the Yamaha AV receiver filled my room with a high sound even on high volumes. Of course, this AV receiver supports Bluetooth technology, so it can operate remotely from smartphones and similar devices.

As I mentioned above Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A1080 supports the latest HDMI standards. During the test, due to the through the transmission of the high-resolution 4K video signal with a frequency of 60 FPS, there was no slightest deterioration in image quality.

This AV receiver is equipped with a wide range of pre-programmed sound reproduction modes. Most of them using unique Yamaha digital signal processing technology. However, I cannot say that they are better or worse than any other modes in other non-Yamaha AVR under $1000.

Also, there is a special free AV Controller application used to adjust the digital signal processing parameters according to specified settings for each type of music or movies.

Onkyo TX-RZ820

The main advantage of this Onkyo model is a unique frequency response - 5 Hz-100 kHz. Together with 130 W output per channel, built-in decoders of Dolby and DTS family I find this AV receiver the best home theater receiver at this price with which you can enjoy Virtual Cinema DSP effects. Apart from the great sound, you will be pleased with some extra features that it supports - ARC, Bi-amplifying, auto-power off and Smartphone remote control. Now you can even go to bed while watching the film – there is a sleep timer that will automatically turn off the receiver so it won’t consume a lot of power when you are already asleep and can’t turn it off.

Onkyo TX-RZ830

The Onkyo TX-RZ830 is an upgraded version of the Onkyo TX-RZ820. The biggest difference is that the manufacturer has implemented Sonos synchronization in the newer model so the receiver can now be a part of Sonos Home Sound System. If you have no clue what it is, then you may notice that they also added AccuEQ Advance that is great for speaker calibration precision settings. Overall, I would say that changes are great; however, would you use them a lot to pay more for them? Just think about it once more.

Marantz SR-6011

If you are the kind of person who pays only for the sound and doesn’t care about something like a sleep timer and three-zone compatibility, this is the best AV receiver under 1000 for you. Even it may seem not very modern in terms of features, it does everything you need from an affordable AV receiver: it has 3D pass-through and HDMI pass-through up to 4K, has all DTS and Dolby family decoders (apart from Dolby Digital Plus) and also can please you with the ability to connect other devices via WiFi and Bluetooth (doubt you will miss IEEE that it lacks).

Yamaha RX-A870BL

Everybody wants great sound, yet nobody wants to get huge electricity bills after buying a receiver. However, with this Yamaha model, you won’t face this issue at all – it consumes only 0.2 W in standby mode! This model also supports all audio formats possible (including Apple lossless) and has a full set of built-in decoders (all existing Dolby and DTS technologies are there). I also would like to bring your attention to the fact that even a standby mode power consumption is pretty low, while at work it has an output power per channel up to 160 W – sounds like a great deal, isn’t it? In combination with a total harmonic distortion of 0.06 % and 106 dB signal-to-noise ratio, this model provides great sound with up to 4K upscaling via HDMI. The only thing you may miss is the absence of 3D pass-through – though does it matter that much?

Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A880

The new Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A880 was upgraded just a little bit comparing to the old one. The biggest change is an implemented Reflected Sound Control with Multipoint technology. This technology helps you to analyze the room’s acoustics so you can tune the system, especially for your room. To add, DSP Effect Normalization adjusts the room acoustics according to the reflected sounds of each Cinema DSP program. One negative thing though – in this model, there are only seven HDMI inputs compared to those eight that the RX-A870 had. Do you need to connect to a lot of equipment? If yes, you'd better choose the previous model rather then go for the upgraded one.

Yamaha RX-V685BL

Sometimes people just want to have a clear sound of their favorite tracks to be heard well around the house, and the earphones don’t seem so good anymore. For these people, this AV receiver will be the best choice. It supports all known audio formats, and you will be able to connect your devices via WiFi or Bluetooth and control your music remotely using an app. It also has low standby power consumption – only 0.1 W that makes it an ideal choice for someone who uses receiver not so often. It has only five HDMI inputs and 90 W output per channel, so even though it has Virtual CINEMA sound effects, I would use it for radio purposes only in the first place.

Onkyo TX-NR747

The small size of the Onkyo TX-NR747 doesn’t mean that it has only a few features. All needed is there: the 24 bit / 192 kHz audio D/A converter, x.v.Color, three-zone capability and all audio formats recognition apart from AIFF (doubt this one matters much). Talking about built-in decoders, this receiver doesn’t have DTS:X, DTS Neural:X, and Dolby Surround. I advise that if you are a fan of DTS family, you will need to choose something else, but if you love Dolby, this one can be a good choice, especially given the fact that Dolby Digital Plus is implemented. This AV receiver can also please you with the high output power per channel (130 W), eight AV and HDMI inputs (so you can be sure there is lots of space to connect everything) and two subwoofer and HDMI outputs. You can also connect devices via WiFi and Bluetooth that will be convenient if you use wireless speakers and move those around.

Yamaha R-N602

Another model that won’t suit cinema lovers with only one correction – it will most likely not suit rock music fans also. Let’s agree, 80 W output power per channel won’t scale up the sound volume a lot, and there are only two channels available to you. So, why is it on this list then? Apart from some drawbacks, this receiver has the lowest total harmonic distortion I know – only 0.04%! The signal-to-noise ratio of 100 dB will also please every music lover, and 0.1 W standby power consumption will stop you from worrying whether you turn it off or not. To sum up, if the volume scaling is not that important for you, you will find this receiver a perfect choice to listen to music on a new level.