![]() ![]() We reviewed MyTuner Radio and the MyTuner Radio app to see what exactly the platform has to offer and whether it’s worth using. One of the biggest disappointments is that, even at the $1,500-and-above level, Onkyo and Pioneer receivers felt cheaply constructed when we perused them at retail (primarily Best Buy and Cohens) to decide what to bring in for in-depth hands-on testing, prompting concerns about their durability.Are you sick and tired of manually searching for your favourite radio station? Or only being able to access one radio station at a time? MyTuner Radio might just have the answer. The more expensive offerings from both brands offer Dirac room correction, which we really like, but those receivers fall short in other regards when compared with competitive models from Denon. Onkyo’s AccuEQ and Pioneer’s MCACC room correction systems also did more harm to the sound than good. For one thing, both models proved far too complicated to install and configure, especially compared with similar offerings from Denon. ![]() Both the Onkyo TX-NR5100 and the Pioneer VSX-935 had some concerning issues, though. We also tested midpriced receivers from sibling brands Onkyo and Pioneer, with the intention of requesting some of their higher-end offerings if the less-expensive models proved promising. The AVR-X4800H, meanwhile, generally sells for $600 more the AVR-X3800H, but the only meaningful differences are 25 watts of extra rated power per channel (although the power supply is rated for only 50 watts of additional power overall) and an additional HDMI input. Take, for example, the AVR-X2800H: It costs $500 more than the AVR-X1700H yet doesn’t offer much by way of upgrades except for a little more power, a somewhat more robust power supply, and a second HDMI output. But you may have specific needs that make one of the company’s other models a better pick for you. In selecting which specific models to recommend, we looked for the best mix of features, performance, and price, keeping in mind the needs of most people. The company also offers a number of AV receivers at prices below, between, and above those of our picks. That’s because our hands-on testing has shown that the brand’s lineup consistently offers the best bang for the buck in performance and features, and that it does a better job of simplifying the potentially complicated process of setting up a home theater system. You probably noticed that all of our current picks come from Denon. If you run Audyssey through the receiver’s interface and decide afterward that you want to upgrade to use the app, you have to reconnect the mic and place it at all eight measurement positions and listen to the test tones again. But going this route doesn’t give you access to a number of worthwhile benefits of the MultEQ Editor app, including the ability to limit the frequencies that the room correction addresses. At the end, it takes you through the process of connecting a microphone to the face of the receiver and stepping through a number of measurements using the remote and the on-screen interface. When you fire the receiver up for the first time, you see a setup wizard that explains how to connect speakers, source devices, and the like. There’s a lot to unpack in that sentence, so let’s walk through it step by step. ![]() Our only minor qualms with the AVR-X1700H are that the remote control’s infrared signal can be finicky and the receiver can run a bit warm when you’re pushing your speaker system to high volumes.Īlso, we wish Denon did a better job of alerting buyers to the fact that the Audyssey room-correction system can incorporate the optional $20 MultEQ Editor mobile app, but that if you want to use it, you need to have the app running before you begin the room-correction measurement process. Our tests consistently show that, in this price range, the effectiveness of the room-correction system is the differentiating factor in sound quality between AV receivers. It also offers good room correction, which allows you to fine-tune your speaker system’s performance to suit your room. You can stream music to it wirelessly via Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay 2, as well as the Heos wireless streaming platform (a competitor to the Sonos platform). It has six HDMI inputs, three of which are HDMI 2.1 compatible and support the advanced gaming features found on the Microsoft Xbox Series X and Sony PlayStation 5 consoles. It features seven amplifier channels that can power a surround-sound speaker system or a Dolby Atmos or DTS:X home theater setup with two overhead speakers. The Denon AVR-X1700H is our top choice because it’s a great-sounding receiver that holds your hand through the setup process and delivers excellent value. ![]()
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