AV receivers

The Bottom Line: The Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K delivers an excellent feature set and outstanding sound quality for its price, making it our top midrange AV receiver pick so far.

Specs: AV receiver, Surround Sound, DTS 96/24, DTS Neo:6, DTS Express, DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, DTS-ES decoder, Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS-HD High Resolution, 9 bands, MP3, WAV, WMA, Universal remote control, Gloss black, 16.5 in x 13.7 in x 6.2 in, 19.2 lbs

The Bottom Line: The Onkyo HT-RC160 has nearly all the same functionality as the similar TX-SR607, for about $100 less, making it one of the best AV receiver values of the year.

Specs: AV receiver, Surround Sound, 5 - 100000 Hz, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Pro Logic IIz, Universal remote control (Infrared), 17.1 in x 13 in x 6.9 in, 23.8 lbs

The Bottom Line: The Denon AVR-790 is a fully featured midrange AV receiver with standout upconverted video quality, although it's held back by some subpar design issues and average sound quality.

Specs: AV receiver, Surround Sound, DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, DTS-HD decoder, Dolby Pro Logic IIz, Universal remote control (Infrared)

The Bottom Line: The Denon AVR-1910 is a fully featured midrange AV receiver with standout upconverted video quality, although it's held back by some subpar design issues and average sound quality.

Specs: AV receiver, Surround Sound, DTS 96/24, DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES Matrix 6.1, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-ES Discrete 6.1, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Pro Logic IIz, DTS-HD High Resolution, Universal remote control (Infrared), Black, 17.1 in x 14.8 in x 6.7 in, 23.6 lbs

The Bottom Line: The Sony STR-DN1000 offers solid sound and basic AV receiver features at a bargain price, but it's not nearly as good as last year's STR-DG920.

Specs: AV receiver, Surround Sound, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD decoder, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution, Universal remote control (Infrared), Gloss piano black

The Bottom Line: The Yamaha RX-V565BL works well as part of the Yamaha YHT-791BL home theater system, but it doesn't fare as well when compared to other standalone AV receivers.

Specs: AV receiver, Surround Sound, 630 Watt, 20 - 20000 Hz, DTS 96/24, DTS Neo:6, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-ES decoder, Dolby Digital EX, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Universal remote control (Infrared), Black, 17.1 in x 14.4 in x 6 in, 18.7 lbs

The Bottom Line: The Yamaha HTR-6250BL works well as part of the Yamaha YHT-791 home theater system, but it doesn't fare as well when compared with other standalone AV receivers.

Specs: AV receiver, Surround Sound, 630 Watt, 20 - 20000 Hz, DTS 96/24, DTS Neo:6, DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, DTS-ES decoder, Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Universal remote control (Infrared), Black, 17.1 in x 14.4 in x 6 in, 18.7 lbs

The Bottom Line: Sony's STR-DH700 is an inexpensive 7.1 AV receiver, but its lackluster sound and dearth of features make it tough to recommend.

Specs: AV receiver, Surround Sound, DTS 96/24, DTS Neo:6, DTS decoder, Dolby Digital, DTS-ES decoder, Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES Matrix 6.1, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS-ES Discrete 6.1, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Universal remote control (Infrared), 16.9 in x 12.7 in x 6.2 in, 17.6 lbs

The Bottom Line: If you can overlook its poor analog video conversion, the Onkyo TX-SR607 offers up a ton of HDMI connectivity and excellent sound quality for a midrange AV receiver.

Specs: AV receiver, Surround Sound, DTS Neo:6, DTS Express, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-ES Matrix 6.1, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-ES Discrete 6.1, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Pro Logic IIz, Dolby Digital Surround EX, Universal remote control (Infrared), Black, 17.1 in x 13 in x 6.9 in, 23.8 lbs

The Bottom Line: If you can overlook its poor analog video conversion, the Onkyo TX-SR607 offers up a ton of HDMI connectivity and excellent sound quality for a midrange AV receiver.

Specs: AV receiver, Surround Sound, DTS Neo:6, DTS Express, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-ES Matrix 6.1, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-ES Discrete 6.1, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Pro Logic IIz, Dolby Digital Surround EX, Universal remote control (Infrared), Silver, 17.1 in x 13 in x 6.9 in, 23.8 lbs