Home theater systems are a great way to entertain yourself at your home. If you want to make a high-quality system, you will need an AV receiver. Buying a cheap one, under $500, nowadays should be good enough. The receivers are the base of your home theater system. They will power up your music and video. You will be able to enjoy your favorite music and videos from a variety of sources. The best AV receiver under $500 comes Bluetooth support for maximum convenience at home.

Why do I need the best AV receiver under $500?

If you are not an audiophile or you don’t need it for professional purposes — you don’t want to spend more than half a grand for the receiver alone. Having the best AV receiver $500 will not only be good enough to power all of your musical dreams — it will give you a new level of experience. Something that we all enjoy after a long day at work is sitting at home with the movie and family. The surround sound makes you feel as if you’re right there! There are some things you need to consider though…

What do I need to consider before buying the best AV receiver under $500?

You should have probably noticed that the task of finding the best AV receiver under $500 is a bit too overwhelming. There are many brands, offering a huge variety of different technologies. Most of those features are usually the same thing but just with a different name. You could easily get confused if you’re not well informed with home audio systems. To top it up — most of the characteristics are often useless at the end of the day. There are a few key factors that bring in the most value and you should focus mainly on them.

You should be focusing on a device with a lot of HDMI inputs and outputs. Nowadays, a lot of readily available machinery is using HDMI as a means to transmit multimedia signals. Having as many of those ports as possible should be your highest priority. Then you should consider wireless connectivity. Does your best AV receiver under $500 need Bluetooth, AirPlay or WiFi? Some come with built-in Bluetooth, others come with AirPlay and WiFi. Others come with all three combined. Having wireless means of transmitting multimedia is very important at least in my opinion.

Where can I find the best AV receiver under $500?

As I mentioned earlier, finding them might be hard given the huge diversity. To help you with your search I’ve decided to put my top five picks for the best AV receiver under $500. Over the course of the past few months I’ve been looking for the right audio system and now that I have found it, I want you to find yours as well.

 


 

# Image Brand Price
1 Best AV receiver under $500 Yamaha $400
2 Best AV receiver under $500 Onkyo $340
3 Best AV receiver under $500 Pioneer $330
4 Best AV receiver under $500 Denon $450
5 Best AV receiver under $500 Sony $250

 


Best AV receiver under $500

1. Yamaha RX-V683BL

As usual, the top candidate for best AV receiver under $500 is the RX-V683BL. The device is manufactured by Yamaha and it outputs 7.2-channel audio.

The RX-V683BL features 6 HDMI input ports and 1 output. The output supports HDCP 2.2 and HDR10. It comes with a maximum effective power output of 150 W per channel at 1 kHz. The impedance is 8 Ohms and the total harmonic distortion sits at 10%. Both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are integrated to further improve the quality of the audio output. The device features WiFi, AirPlay and Bluetooth connectivity for full mobility at your home. 192 kHz / 24-bit playback is possible from AIFF file (Apple’s lossless format) while 96 kHz / 24-bit playback is standard for the other lossless formats.

Best AV receiver under $500


Best AV receiver under $500

2. Onkyo TX-NR575

Manufactured by Onkyo, the TX-NR575 comes with a price tag of about $340 at the time of testing. It supports up to 7.2-channel audio output.

The TX-NR575 comes with 6 HDMI inputs and 1 output. The power output is 170 W per channel at 1 kHz. The impedance is 6 Ohms and the total harmonic distortion (THD) is at 10%. It comes with another 2-channel output with the power of 80 W per channel. It is with an impedance of 8 Ohms and a THD of 0.08%. The device supports Dynamic Audio Amplification. You will be able to enjoy 5.2 Dolby Atmos, DTS:X or tradition 7.2-channel audio experience at your home. The device features a premium audio-to-analog converted (Asahi Kasei AK4458) with a sample rate of 384 kHz and a 32-bit depth.

Best AV receiver under $500


Best AV receiver under $500

3. Pioneer VSX-1131

The VSX-1131 is manufactured by Pioneer, a long-known leader in the audio electronics industry. The device is capable of producing up to 7.2-channel premium audio.

The VSX-1131 comes with 6 HDMI inputs and 2 outputs. Just like the TX-NR575, this device comes with an audio sample rate of 384 kHz and a 32-bit depth. The power output is up to 170 W per channel at 1 kHz. The impedance is 6 Ohms and the total harmonic distortion levels are at 1%. Thanks to this low THD and premium sample rate, the audio quality is amazing no matter what you listen to. The device supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. You will also get MCACC (Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibrations System), an exclusive feature to some Pioneer models. It will give you the power to calibrate your speakers to perfectly match your room and thus give you the best audio experience possible.

Best AV receiver under $500


Best AV receiver under $500

4. Denon AVRS930H

The AVRS930H is manufactured by Denon, a worldwide leading developer of audio and DJ equipment. The device is capable of outputting up to 7.2-channel audio.

The AVRS930H comes with 7 premium HDMI inputs and two outputs. The device supports a maximum of 185 W per channel at 1 kHz. Impedance comes at 8 Ohms and the THD is less than 1%. The device comes with built-in HEOS wireless music transmission technology. It allows you to stream any kind of audio through their HEOS streaming app. The app supports a huge variety of different sources and offers you a great diversity of multimedia to enjoy. The device features Dolby Atmos and DTS:X for maximum quality of your experience.

Best AV receiver under $500


Best AV receiver under $500

5. Sony STRDH590

Manufactured by the developers of the PlayStation, the STRDH590 comes a price tag of $ at the time of testing. It is capable of outputting up to 5.2 multi-channel audio.

The STRDH590 supplies each channel with 145 W at 1 kHz. The impedance is 6 Ohms and the total harmonic distortion is less than 0.9%. Four HDMI inputs and 1 output can be found on the back of the device. It should be more than enough for all of your other devices at home. The device comes with an FM radio feature and supports up to 30 saves radio stations. It also comes with a built-in Bluetooth technology. This feature lets you stream from anywhere in your home! Thanks to Bluetooth Standby technology — the STRDH590 can be turned on via Bluetooth. You will no longer have to reach the room and grab the remote! You can simply play your favorite music from your device on the entrance door. Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD, and S-Force Pro are all integrated for a better audio experience.

Best AV receiver under $500