VSX-820-K

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AV receivers are the core of a home theater system, processing incoming audio/video signals from sources such as Blu-ray players, CD players, and satellite boxes and then distributing them to your TV and surround sound speakers. But with so many models drastically ranging in price and features, choosing the best one for your home theater room can be a difficult task. In addition to price, there are many important criteria to consider such as sound quality, video processing performance, number of HDMI inputs and outputs, and features. Here’s a look at some of the best AV receivers on the marketplace in three distinct segments.

Best all-around AV Receivers

The best AV receivers overall provide the perfect blend of price and performance while providing the features most consumers want. The best all-around is the Pioneer VSX-1020-K, which offers excellent audio and video performance for the price. It’s also packed with 6 3D-capable HDMI 1.4 inputs, ensuring this receiver is “future-proof.” The VSX-1020-K has terrific iPod/iPhone integration, allowing users to playback music from their devices while viewing album art on their TV using the included cable. Pioneer has also released an iPhone app that allows you to control the receiver using your iPhone.

Another top choice is the Onkyo TX-SR608, which sells for around $499 online. Just like the Pioneer, this receiver is 3D ready with 6 HDMI 1.4 inputs. It also offers excellent audio performance, as indicated by its THX Select2 Plus certification, an award usually only reserved for higher-priced models. Video performance, which is handled by the Faroudja DCDi video chipset, is strong as well; this receiver can upconvert all incoming sources, including analog, to 1080p over the HDMI output.

Best AV Receivers under $500

With the top home theater receiver manufacturers such as Onkyo, Denon and Pioneer continuously raising the bar on performance and features, consumers don’t have to spend a fortune for a high quality AV receiver. Since it can be found just under the $500 mark, Onkyo’s TX-SR608 is the best all-around pick in this price range for the reasons listed above.

If audio/video performance is your most important criteria, the Denon AVR-1910CI is an ideal choice that’s delivers a good mix of performance, features and price. It sounds superb for the price and is equipped with an Anchor Bay video chipset, which does a solid job handling upconversion. The AVR-1910 also features great Audyssey technologies including the MultEQ calibration system, which automatically adjusts speaker settings and levels for your listening environment, Dynamic Volume, which reduces the annoying volume fluctuations during commercials, and Dynamic EQ, which improves audio performance at lower listening levels.

Best High-End AV Receivers

Designed specifically for audio- and video-philes that want the best performance and the most features, high-end AV receivers cost quite a bit more than mid-range offerings but deliver big in those areas. Though you can spend a fortune for a flagship offering such as Denon’s $7500 AVP-A1HDC receiver, the company’s AVR-4810CI offers superb performance and a terrific feature set at a price that’s much easier to stomach. This 9.3 140-watt-per-channel receiver is an excellent choice for those that wish to power a multi-room audio system, providing enough channels and zones to run a 5.1 surround system in your main home theater room and 2.1 speaker setups in two other rooms. You can also power a 7.1 or 9.1 surround sound system in the main room, using the Audyssey DSX processing to create a more immersive experience.

Other highlights of this $2,999 receiver include 6 HDMI 1.3a inputs, built-in Wi-Fi for streaming internet radio stations or music from a networked PC, and Audyssey’s excellent MultEQ XT calibration system to help you get the best possible sound quality.

If you have attended the CES show in Las Vegas, chances are you have seen the new Sony In-dash receiver. The Sony XAV-60 has everything you need to transform your car to an audio/video entertainment center.

The Sony XAV-60 is a double din receiver equipped with a 6.1 inch touch screen display for maximum picture quality and control. With this headunit, you will be able to take all your digital music to your car thanks to the USB 1-wire capably. The USB 1 wire lets you control and charge your digital music players which is something that not so many receivers offer. The XAV-60 is capable of playing DVDs, CDs, MP3, and more.

When it comes to sound quality, the Sony XAV-60 is capable of producing 52 watts of peak power and 17 watts of RMS power which can power your car speakers with ease. This unit also comes with a built-in 7-band EQ which lets your control and adjust the sound to get the maximum listening experience. If you are like most enthusiasts who like to customize their car’s sound system, you will find the pre-amp outputs to be very handy to get clean and powerful sound when hooking us an external amplifier.

The Sony XAV-60 can be easily expanded to provide more features such as iPod control and satellite radio. By purchasing the iPod adapter (RC200IPV), you will be able to access your iPod A/V files. To do this, all what you to do is to hook the iPod to the unit using the adapter cable. The Sony XAV-60 can be integrated with satellite and HD radio for more listing options. If you own a big car or a truck and want to add a rear-view camera, you can do so by purchasing the Sony XA-800C which makes backing up your car an easy task.

Replacing your factory head unit could be a great idea if you are thinking to add more features and functionality to your vehicle. The new XAV-60 is Sony’s 2010 masterpiece introduced to improve and expand your car’s capabilities by providing better sound quality and other advanced features factory units won’t be able to offer. This unit comes with a 1 year warranty and is CEA-2006 compliant. Despite all these great features, the price tag on this stylish unit is between 500 – 400 dollars which is considered to be very affordable by the average consumer.

Pioneer produced one of the best product lines in car audio industry with their Premier Series amplifiers. As early as 2005, Pioneer has made great advancements with the Premier Series in amplifier technology, characterized by their great power handling and efficiency. By the end of 2007, the Premier PRS Series could easily be considered a world-class amplifier, featuring sleek and compact design along with Pioneer’s unique new pure-sound-generating technology.

Overview of 2007 PRS Series

The latest (2007 and newer) PRS Series Amplifiers feature a variety of solutions for your car audio needs. They have available for you monoblock amps, 2-channel amps, and 4-channel amps, giving you no less than 1200 watts max on each one. In addition, their exterior design is far more attractive than the average amplifier on the market. For me, this is another great plus to the PRS series amplifiers because you can’t help but think that it would look good in my car, rather than trying to find a way to hide it.

The PRS digital amplifiers showcase Pioneer’s new ICE Power technology. With it, it would be virtually impossible for you to hear any sort of distortion, allowing it to produce a much more pure sound than any other amplifiers out there. That’s not all! You’ll find that the amplifier will also produce an accurate bass with incredibly clear mid-range and high-range sounds. You won’t even have to worry about the amplifier sucking up power from your car because these amplifiers are amazingly efficient, which would reduce heat produced from the amp as well and allowing it to channel more power into your sound system.

The New 2008 PRS-A900

If you think all of that sounds good, wait until you hear about the new January-released PRS-A900! Audiophiles world wide have anticipated the release of this new PRS Series 4-channel amp and they have great reasons to.

It’s the first of its kind and you can be sure than many more will come. It features everything from the previous year: digital amplification, great exterior design, extremely low distortion, and incredible efficiency. But Pioneer didn’t just replicate their 2007 models but also added some new features.

Unlike any other amps, the PRS-A900 showcases a completely separate left and right channel power supply, a filter-less design, and construction design that protects against external disturbance. The result of these features is a far improved sonic purity production from the amplifier!

Perhaps one of the coolest unique features of the Pioneer PRS-A900 is the H-Shaped internal structure design. It absorbs vibrations created from driving your vehicle. How? Well imagine for a minute a wooden seesaw with two people, one on each side. Now if one person jumps on his side, the other side will rise up or at least that other person will feel the impact. Now imagine that the same seesaw is constructed out of flexible plexiglass (assuming it doesn’t shatter on impact); if the one side jumps , the flexibility of the plexiglass will absorb the majority of the force, and the other side would be less likely to be catapulted as high as the wooden seesaw. The H-Shaped internal construction works on this concept! The result is a greatly reduced interference within the sound quality that the amplifier produces

The independently powered left and right channels further improves sound isolation, preventing any sort of additional interference and allowing for more efficiency from the two-channel or four-channel outputs. Think of it as two garden hoses for two different plants you are watering-one hose for two plants would cause you to lose water and time.

If you’re not on the Pioneer bandwagon, I suggest you do so now because advancements in technology like the few that I mentioned above sets Pioneer’s PRS Series amplifiers far above other competitions gunning for the mobile audio industry!

Recently my old AV receiver broke down on me and I had to replace it. I find it very overwhelming with all the different brand of receivers out there and also frustrated with each of them claiming that their product is the best. It may seems unimportant to some people but having the right receiver is very important to me, so I was very happy when I got the one that is perfect. The one I got is the Denon 3808CI receiver and let me tell you why I am so impressed with it.

I have a good set up for my home theater system because the Denon 3808CI instructions are so clear and easy to understand. After the set up I was very impressed with the clear sounds and the receiver picked up my favorite radio station easily. I have to say that I was very tempted to simply invest in a totally new home theatre system. But why didn’t I do that? It is because I could not justify buying a completely new system when I could replace only the receiver.

So, What is so special about this Denon AV receiver? Well, to start with, the set up was made a lot easier for me as it has auto setup feature, which is a plus. Secondly it provides excellent sound comparable to the real expensive receivers at a very reasonable price. There is really not much negatives I can say about this receiver. Check out its specifications:

GUI (graphical user interface)

4 HDMI inputs and 1 HDMI output

upconverts analog type signals to 1080p, whether they are HDMI or the improved HDMI

upconversion for video with outstanding standard type definition

automatic calibration of speakers

Dolby TrueHD

web interface

decoding with DTS-HD Master

XM-Satellite Radio Capability

updates for firmware (can be done through internet)

installer type logins that are completely remote and easy to customize

To wrap up my Denon 3808CI review, I have to conclude that after researching so many receivers on the market I think this is the one I find the most functional and easy to use, besides it is really easy to set up too. The connectivity is very good, and best of all, the sound quality is excellent. If you ask me if I can say anything that is I do not like about this thing, I must say that the GUI (graphical user interface) takes some getting use to.