Last updated on August 4th, 2022 at 03:12 pm
Nothing feels like coming home and watching your favourite show in your home theater. Home theater receivers give you a cinema-like experience. The receiver has many inputs and outputs so that you can connect it to your television, DVD player, speakers, video game console etc. There are many affordable home theater receivers on the market. You can choose the best home theater receiver under $500 from the list with great features like Wi-Fi-compatibility and Bluetooth.
Home Theater Receiver Buying Guide
This buying guide will help you narrow down your choice. It is very important to know what you are purchasing and why. You need to consider some key features before buying the best budget receiver.
Surround Sound Formats
The receiver boosts the audio system of the home theater. There is a wide range of surround sound formats from basic to advance. The range includes Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos, Auro 3D, DTS:X, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. You can listen to these formats before making a final choice.
Connectivity and Streaming
The connectivity of your receiver has great importance as it handles media from various sources. Inputs and outputs are extremely important.
The receiver must have basic features like USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HDMI, Ethernet, smartphone jack, headphone jack and a phone jack. You will be using the receiver for listening music to watching Netflix so the inputs and outputs are important.
Multi-Room Capability
You can have a receiver with multi-room capability if you like to enjoy music in more than one room. For a wireless home audio system, you should consider wireless multi-room music features when buying a receiver for your home theater.
Channels of Power
The quality of surround sound is dependent on the number of channels on your receiver. The 5 channel receiver provides the basic surround sound. The advanced receivers having 5, 6, 7 or 11 channels will support great surround sound formats. Some of the channels with the available sound formats are listed below.
5.1 Channels
- Dolby Pro Logic II
- Dolby Digital
- DTS
5.1.2 Channels and Above
- Dolby Atmos
6.1 Channels
- DTS Neo:6
- THX Surround EX
- DTS-ES
7.1 Channels
- DTS-HD Master Audio
- Dolby Pro Logic IIx
- Dolby Digital Plus
- Dolby TrueHD
- DTS-HD
9.1 Channels
- Dolby Pro Logic llz
- Dolby Digital EX
Apps
The apps help to control the receiver and content. You can adjust the settings like volume, EQ or change the sources. For a multi-room speaker system, these apps will allow you to control the music in different rooms. You need to read the specifications of the receivers if you want apps because all the receivers do not come with apps.
Top Home Theater Receivers
Based on the home theater receivers reviews, the top home theater receivers are listed below. You need to carefully go through it to choose the best suitable for you.
1.Denon AVR-S750H 7.2 Receiver
This receiver has 7.2 channels and supports Dolby Atmos audio technology. The sound of this stereo receiver is so crisp and real making it the best stereo receiver under $500. Using the multi-room wireless speakers you can extend the reach of the sound to any room. It is compatible with Amazon Alexa so you can sit and enjoy in the home theater without having to pick up the remote to adjust anything. Through simple instructions you can optimize your surround sound. The calibration system optimizes all the speakers in your home theater so you would not experience any sudden sound blasts or muffled dialogues. It is the best surround sound receiver under $500.
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Specifications
- Channels: 7.2
- Power: 165W
- Dolby Atmos: 5.2.2
- HDMI ports: 6 input/1 output
- Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and DTS Virtual:X , Dolby Atmos height virtualization technology
- Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice control system
- Weight: 22.15 lbs.
- Dimensions: 13.30 x 17.10 x 6.00 inches
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2.Onkyo TX-NR595 Home Theater Receiver
Onkyo receivers are popular and they come with latest features in a budget. This 7.2 channel AV receiver handles 4k/60p videos. It has HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG, BT.2020 and HDCP 2.2. It has HDMI 6 inputs/2 outputs which is much in this price range. You should choose the receiver according to the number of connections you require. Connecting it with reasonable speakers you can get good sound quality. The Dynamic Audio Amplification Technology provides blast-free dynamic control of the speakers. It is the best receiver for money.
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Specifications
- Channels: 7.2
- HDMI Input/Output: 6/2
- Power: 80W
- Dolby Atmos: 5.2.2
- Speaker Impedance: 4-16 ohms
- Dimensions: 17.1 x 14.9 x 6.8 inches
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3.Pioneer VSX-LX104 Home Theater Receiver
This cheap home theater receiver has 7.2 channels and 80W power. You can connect it with sonos and play your favorite music on the app. It is compatible with 5.2.2-ch configuration of Dolby Atmos. There are 2 subwoofer pre-outs and if you have a large room, you can use the second one too. If you are installing two height speakers then you will have a choice of two upmixing modes: Dolby Surround or DTS Neutral:X. They will generate a Dolby pseudo atmos effect from a standard stereo or 5.1 surround sound mix.
If you are not installing height speakers then you can use DTS Virtual:X or the latest Dolby Height Virtualization Technology modes.
If you use Sonos connect then you can have multi room sound system. It also has HDR10, Dolby Vision and HLG. The HDMI port has 6 rear inputs and 2 outputs.
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Specifications
- Power: 80W
- Channels: 7.2
- Dolby Atmos: 5.2.2
- HDMI In/Out: 6/2
- Speaker Impedance: 4-16 ohms
- Weight: 20.7 lbs.
- Dimentions: 56 x 17.13 x 6.81 inches
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4.Yamaha RX-V485 Home Theater Receiver
This receiver supports 5.1 surround sound system only. It does not support Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. It has 80W power that can work well if you do not have a large room. You can connect it via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, airplay 2 and spotify connect. The built-in music enhancer for Bluetooth provides great quality sound. The HDMI port has 4 inputs and 1 output. It also supports 4K Ultra HD video, HDR 10, Dobly vision and HLG. The MusiCast multi-room wireless system allows adding wireless speakers in nine rooms. It is the best 5.1 receiver under $500.
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Specifications
- Channels: 5.1
- Power: 80W
- Dobly Atmos: None
- HDMI In/Out: 4/1
- Weight: 17.2 lbs.
- Speaker Impedance: 6-8 ohms
- Dimensions: 12.4 x 17.13 x 6.34 inches
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5.Sony STR-DH790 Home Theater Receiver
The best atmos receiver under $500 provides cinematic sound at the comfort of your home. HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision are supported. The Auto Calibration system corrects the sound level in your room. You just need to put the microphone on your theater seat and it will correct the sound. To ensure the best sound in the home theater, the Auto Phase Matching System makes sure that speakers in all the rooms are in phase with each other. The HDMI port has 4 inputs and one output to connect your devices.
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Specifications
- Channels: 7.2
- Power: 145W
- Dolby Atmos: 5.2.2
- HDMI In/Out: 4/1
- Weight: 16.4 lbs.
- Speaker Impedance: 6-16 ohms
- Dimensions: 17 x 11.75 x 5.25 inches
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6.Sony STRDH550 AV Receiver
This best AV receiver under $300 comes with 5.2 channels providing powerful sound performance. Using the USB connector, it supports high resolution file playback up to 192k/24-bit WAV/FLAC. The four HDMI inputs allow you to connect your play station system, Blu-ray disc player or any HDMI capable devices. The front mounted USB input provides easy connectivity and charging of devices. The Digital Cinema Auto Calibration helps you to optimize your theater settings for your room.
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Specifications
- Channels: 5.2
- Power: 725W
- HDMI Video In/Out: 4/1
- Composite Video Input: 2
- Composite Monitor Out: 1
- Opt Audio Input: 2
- Audio Input: 1
- Analogue Audio Input: 4
- Headphone Output
- USB: 1 Front: iPhone/WM
- MHL: 1 Rear input
- Weight: 19.25 lbs.
- Dimensions: 19.5 x 15.69 x 9.25 inches
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7.Nyrius 5.8GHz Home Theater Receiver
This 4 channel wireless small home theater receiver allows you to stream audio and video from any device to the TV. It is not compatible with HDMI. The remote extender helps to change channels, adjust the sound and control the device from the other room. It has a powerful 5.8GHz long range signal and transmits video up to 225 ft.
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Specifications
- Channels: 4
- IR frequency: 38/56 kHz Switching
- Signal range: 225 ft.
- Transmission frequency: 5.8 GHz
- Output Impedance: 2 k Ohms
- Weight: 0.44 lbs.
- Dimensions: 4.33 X 3.94 X 1.5 Inches
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8.Denon AVRS930H Home Theater Receiver
This inexpensive AV receiver has 7.2 channels and supports Dolby and DTS surround sound. The HOES technology connects with the components wirelessly and allows you to control the settings through the HOES app. It works with Alexa device but it is sold separately. The HDMI port has 8 inputs and 2 outputs for connectivity.
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Specifications
- Channels: 7.2
- Power: 185W
- Dolby Atmos: 5.1
- HDMI In/Out: 8/2
- Weight: 20.73 lbs.
- Dimensions: 13.35 x 17.09 x 6.57 inches
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9.Tripp Lite Home Theater Receiver
This best cheap receiver is used with B126-002 and B126-004 transmitter units to extend the HDMI signal using Cat5e/6 cable. It will extend the signal up to 150 feet (1080p/60Hz). If your direct TV receiver is in the living room and you want to watch TV in the bedroom then you just need to connect Tripp lite to the directTV receiver.
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Specifications
- Channels: 7.1
- Voltage: 5V
- Weight: 0.99 lbs.
- Dimensions: 7.25 x 6.50 x 2.20 inches
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10.Onkyo TX-NR757 Home Theater Receiver
This receiver has an easy setup and the multi-room wireless system will allow you to enjoy your favourite show with amazing surround sound. This 7.2 channel receiver has 18W output power per channel. THX Select2 plus, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are supported. The amazing features are Advanced AccuEQ automatic speaker calibration, Wi-Fi, Pandora support, Bluetooth, TuneIn, Spotify, DSD files, TIDAL and Apple AirPlay .
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Specifications
- Channels: 7.2
- Power: 180W
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HDMI, Airplay
- Weight: 23 lbs.
- Dimensions: 22.50 x 18.50 x 11.25 inches
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Conclusion
There are various home theater receiver models on the market. Some of the best affordable home theater receivers are listed for you to make your hunt easier. The list is made after analyzing the budget AV receiver reviews. Before finalizing you should know what features you exactly require. These receivers under $500 are the best for you if you are setting up your home theater for the first time. Pick according to your requirements and enjoy the home theater experience.
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FAQs
What is the best surround sound receiver for the money?
Onkyo TX-NR 595 is the best surround sound receiver under $500.
Which AV receiver is best for home theater?
Denon has an amazing AV receiver range and is known for producing quality audio units. Denon AVR-S750H is best for home theater.
Which receiver has the best sound quality?
Denon AVR-S750H is the best audio receiver under $500.
Which is the best amplifier for home theater?
Denon AVR-S750H is the best budget home theater amplifier on the list.
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