AV Receivers

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Ed Selley  |  Jun 17, 2011  |  0 comments
Chill-axing with a party animal Yamaha's top-of-the-range 3D-capable receiver has a musical heart. Steve May throws up some devil horns

The RX-V3067 is a deceptively polite flag-bearer for Yamaha’s latest generation of AVRs. It sits at the top of the brand’s 3D-capable range, but it’s an unassuming hero and certainly doesn’t cast the same shadow as its Z11 and Z7 forebears.

Ed Selley  |  May 28, 2011  |  0 comments
Denon bites Apple’s Airplay Music streaming to the AVR-4311 opens up all sorts of possibilities for getting audio entertainment flowing around the house

Denon’s AVR-4311 is the first serious AV receiver to feature Apple’s AirPlay media streaming technology. The latter was part of Apple’s iOS 4.2 launch last November and is essentially a new version of AirTunes for Apple’s AirPort Express wireless network system. The difference this time is that AirPlay has a much wider remit, with the capability of wireless media streaming to and from any current iOS4.2 device or to any AirPlay-enabled third party electronics. If that sounds a little familiar, this is just what DLNA promised and has thus far only half-heartedly delivered.

Ed Selley  |  Mar 07, 2011  |  0 comments
Return of the War Machine Onkyo has updated its flagship AV receiver for the 3D generation. Steve May looks for refinement amid the metal mayhem

When Europe’s biggest AVR brand unveils a new flagship, it’s time to take your head out of the popcorn bucket and pay attention. Not only has it outsold pretty much every other brand in the UK (and Germany) since 2009, but the Japanese marque has also consistently been first to market new AV receiver technology.

Ed Selley  |  Feb 16, 2011  |  0 comments
Muscular appeal Denon's upgrade to its esteemed 2310 model is a great performer, but its lack of networking won’t impress today’s AVR buyer, says Richard Stevenson

Coming to the ring in its all- black livery is Denon’s latest middleweight contender, the AVR-2311. The latest in a long line of Denon champions, this model is more an evolution of the heavy-hitting 2310 than a revolution in its own right. That said, the predecessor had a lot going for it, including a fast-paced and exciting sound, plus a feature list that had much of the competition whimpering in their respective corners.

Ed Selley  |  Feb 14, 2011  |  0 comments
An amp for life? Jim Hill finally finds a future-proofed AV receiver with the right number of HDMI inputs to suit high-end cinema and music needs

I’m weary of annually having to upgrade my AV receiver each time the HDMI standard changes, and gaining one more HDMI input with each new model. Why don’t the manufacturers understand that all AV sources use HDMI and, at this end of the market, accept we’re likely to need more than four?

Ed Selley  |  Dec 29, 2010  |  0 comments
Sonic compromise Samsung's not usually an audio big hitter. Danny Philips wonders if the Koreans are spreading their AV dominion a little thinly with this budget amp

Samsung isn’t known for its AV receivers, but that hasn’t stopped the Korean behemoth having a stab with this affordable 5.1-channel effort. It doesn’t have the reputation to rival audio luminaries like Onkyo, Yamaha and Denon, but the HW-C500 may attract owners of other Samsung kit who like their system’s collars and cuffs to match.

Ed Selley  |  Dec 29, 2010  |  0 comments
Setting the scene Yamaha's latest lower mid-range AV receiver is sensibly-featured and delivers the goods from movies, says Martin Pipe, but lacks grunt

The 7.1-capable RX-V567 from Yamaha – a company that has played a pivotal role in popularising home cinema – is not the most affordable model in its line-up, but at £400 still looks like a bit of a bargain. The problem is, almost every other AV brand is aggressively targeting this end of the market, so does it do enough to stand out?

Ed Selley  |  Nov 30, 2010  |  0 comments
Marantz reloaded With the SR7005 Marantz has shaken off its reputation for staid amp performance and is now a home cinema supremo, as Richard Stevenson discovers

I confess that I have never really been excited by Marantz’s AV receivers. They were never ahead of the features game and always aired too much on the side of sonic caution for my liking. Safe, reliable, solid and about as exciting as endurance snail racing. When the SR7005 arrived I brewed a really fresh cup of Horlicks, put my slippers on and settled down for an evening of light entertainment.

Richard Stevenson  |  Nov 27, 2018  |  0 comments
Denon’s AVC-X8500H has taken the AV amplifier concept and turned it up to 11. Well, more than that actually. With a claimed 1,950W spread through its 13 independent channels, plus every key AV feature currently available, this is the undisputed champion of AV specification trumps. But do you need so many channels of power on tap?

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