The one box everything plugs into
A receiver is a switch, a decoder and an amplifier in one chassis, and the specification that misleads most is the power figure. Read the conditions: a maker stating "100 W into 8 ohms, 20 Hz–20 kHz, two channels driven, 0.08 % THD" has measured something, while "1 000 W" with no conditions is a sum of peaks across every channel. The second thing to check is the HDMI board, because it dates the machine faster than the amplifier does — 4K at 120 Hz, VRR and ALLM matter for a console, and 8K passthrough mostly does not. Third is room correction, which is the feature that changes the sound of a real living room more than any other, and whose versions differ far more than the marketing names suggest. We compare channel count, stated power with its measurement conditions, HDMI version and features, room correction system, and streaming and multiroom support.
5.1 channels · Bluetooth 5.3 · optical and coaxial in · USB · FM · 2 microphone inputs · echo · RCA
A 5.1 amplifier with two microphone inputs and echo — which places it between a home cinema receiver and a karaoke amplifier, and the page says which parts serve which.
Best for: A room that wants five speakers driven cheaply from an optical output, and where karaoke is a real use rather than a joke.
≈ $150 / 110 €
7.2 channels · Dolby Atmos · DAB tuner · HDMI
A 7.2 receiver from the house that states power with its conditions — the specification style that makes a receiver comparable to anything else that does the same.
Best for: A first proper surround system, with enough channels to add height speakers later without replacing the receiver.
≈ 585 €
5.2 channels · 8K HDMI · Bluetooth · DAB tuner
A 5.2 receiver with an 8K-capable HDMI board — the board is what dates a receiver, and this one is specified for a resolution beyond what most systems will use.
Best for: A first 5.1 system where the budget matters and the HDMI board should not be the reason to replace it in three years.
≈ 396 €
7.2 channels · Dolby Atmos Height Virtualizer · gaming features · voice control · network receiver
A 7.2 network receiver with a height virtualiser — processing that produces height without ceiling speakers, and which the maker names rather than implies.
Best for: A room where ceiling speakers are impossible and a console is part of the system.
≈ 589 €
