Get more AV receiver for your money

Matthew Moskovciak, April 1, 2009

It won't be long until manufacturers start rolling out their 2009 AV receivers lineups, but that doesn't necessarily mean you should ignore the 2008 models still on retailers' shelves. Most of these models are discounted from the original list prices, and already include the most important "future-proofing" features, such as HDMI connectivity and onboard Dolby TrueHD decoding. These 2008 midrange receivers offer the most important features of the step-up models, while still keeping the price under $700.

The Sony STR-DG920 came out on top in our roundup, thanks to its four HDMI inputs and graphical user interface. Its video processing was a step-above the competition and it was even able to convert 1080i component video signals to 1080p HDMI signals. The Onkyo TX-SR606 also features four HDMI inputs, but its video processing was a step-behind.

The Pioneer VSX-1018AH and Denon AVR-1909 both have three HDMI inputs. The Pioneer edged out the Denon, thanks to its iPod-friendly USB input, the capability to connect six simultaneous HD devices and solid sound quality. The Denon is well-featured, too, but its terrible remote and general ease-of-use problem held it back from scoring better.

The Yamaha RX-V663 ended up toward the bottom of our roundup, mostly due to its paltry HDMI connectivity and below-average video-upconversion performance. We were impressed with its sound quality, so if you're a Yamaha fan, the best idea may be to wait and see if the company's 2009 receivers offer more features.

The only receiver we flat-out wouldn't recommend is the Panasonic SA-BX500. It works perfectly well, but it's expensive, woefully underfeatured, and its autosetup feature isn't terribly accurate.