Audioholics published its list of the best Dolby Atmos AV receivers for 2026 on 16 October. It is split into four price tiers: getting started, the home theater enthusiast, high end and flagship. Each tier has a top pick and one to three receivers to consider as well. That makes 12 receivers in all.
We hold 58 home theater receivers, and nine of the 12 picks are among them. So instead of retelling the list, I lined the nine up against each other and against the rest of the 58. This is the list with our numbers next to it: what each one costs today, how many channels it actually powers, and what it leaves out.
Onkyo TX-RZ30 and Denon AVR-A1H, the cheapest and the dearest of the Audioholics 2026 Atmos receiver picks we hold, drawn to the same scale
Quick facts
- 12 picks, 9 on Speaker Decision. The three we do not hold are the Onkyo TX-RZ31 and TX-RZ71, which are not on sale yet, and the $21,500 StormAudio ISR Fusion 20.
- Prices run from $1,099 to $7,199, from the Onkyo TX-RZ30 to the Denon AVR-A1H.
- Two Onkyo prices were out of date on our pages. Onkyo now lists the TX-RZ30 at $1,099.99 and the TX-RZ70 at $2,299.99. We had $1,250 and $2,900. Both are corrected.
- Readers were already on the middle pick. The Denon AVR-X3900H against the AVR-X4800H is the most opened receiver comparison on this site.
- Dirac Live is included on 3 of the 9 and a paid upgrade on 4. The Anthem and the Sony use their own room correction instead.
The nine we hold, by price
Here is the whole list in one place, cheapest first. The channel count is the number of channels the receiver can power on its own. Every one of them can process more channels than that, if you add a power amp.
- Onkyo TX-RZ30: $1,099, 9 channels, 100 watts, Dirac Live included. Top pick, getting started.
- Denon AVR-X3900H: $1,849, 9 channels, 105 watts, Dirac as a paid upgrade. Top pick, enthusiast.
- Onkyo TX-RZ70: $2,299, 11 channels, 140 watts, Dirac Live included. Also consider, enthusiast.
- Anthem MRX 1140 8K: $4,200, 11 channels, ARC Genesis. Also consider, high end.
- Sony STR-AZ7000ES: $4,398, 13 channels, 140 watts. Also consider, high end.
- Marantz Cinema 30: $4,800, 11 channels, 140 watts, Dirac as a paid upgrade. Top pick, high end.
- Denon AVR-A10H: $5,199, 13 channels, 150 watts, Dirac as a paid upgrade. Also consider, flagship.
- Arcam AVA35: $7,000, 9 channels, 145 watts, Dirac Live included. Also consider, flagship.
- Denon AVR-A1H: $7,199, 15 channels, 150 watts, Dirac as a paid upgrade. Top pick, flagship.
Sony STR-AZ7000ES, 4,398 dollars, 13 amplifier channels, an Audioholics high-end alternative
The watts are the maker’s own figure into 8 ohms with two channels driven. Audioholics quotes some of its own bench numbers in the article, which are not the same thing, so I have kept to the published spec.
Getting started: the Onkyo TX-RZ30 at $1,099
The TX-RZ30 is the cheapest receiver in our database that powers nine channels. Of the 58 receivers we hold, 14 have nine amplifier channels, and the next cheapest after the Onkyo is its own bigger brother, the TX-RZ50, at $1,700. Nine channels means a 5.1.4 system with no extra amplifier, and that is the layout Audioholics recommends as the point where Atmos starts to work.
It also comes with Dirac Live in the box, where Denon and Marantz charge for it. And it has full preamp outputs, so you can add a power amp later.
Onkyo TX-RZ30, 1,099 dollars, the cheapest receiver we hold with nine amplifier channels and Dirac Live included
The price surprised me. Our page said $1,250. Onkyo’s own US store lists it at $1,099.99 today, with no sale price showing, so that is now what our page says too. Audioholics saw it for $799 at one dealer. That is a sale, not the list price.
Two things it does not have. It has two subwoofer outputs, not four. And it cannot run Dirac Live Active Room Treatment, the newest part of the Dirac suite. Audioholics points out that the TX-RZ31 is meant to fix the second one, but Onkyo has not given a price or a date, so there is nothing to compare yet.
Readers have mostly not found the TX-RZ30. It sits in the bottom quarter of our 58 receivers by review pages opened. When it is compared, it is most often against the Denon AVR-X4800H, which costs $1,700 more.
| FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON | |  |  |
| Model | Onkyo TX-RZ30 | Denon AVR-X4800H |
| Type | Home Theater Receiver | Home Theater Receiver |
| Amplifier Class | AB | AB |
| Power into 8 ohms | 100 watts | 125 watts |
| Minimum Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
| Analog Inputs | 6 | 5 |
| Phono Input | | |
| Optical Digital Inputs | 1 | 2 |
| Coaxial Digital Inputs | 1 | 2 |
| USB Input | Yes | Yes |
| HDMI Input | 6 | 7 |
| Preamp Outputs | 9.2-channel | 11.4-channel |
| Subwoofer Output | Dual | Quad |
| Room Correction System | AccuEQ, with Dirac Live included | Audyssey MultEQ XT32, with Dirac Live as a paid upgrade |
| Height | 177.8mm | 166.6mm |
| Width | 436.6mm | 436.6mm |
| Depth | 401.6mm | 407.9mm |
| Weight | 11.52kg | 13.20kg |
| MSRP | 1100 USD | 2799 USD |
| Check Current Price | Amazon, B&H Photo | Amazon, B&H Photo |
The enthusiast pick: Denon AVR-X3900H, and the comparison readers make most
The AVR-X3900H costs $1,849. It has nine amplifier channels, 105 watts each, and it processes 11.4 channels, so you can add two more speakers with a stereo amp. It has four independent subwoofer outputs. Of the 58 receivers we hold, 10 have four subwoofer outputs, and the X3900H is the cheapest of them by almost $1,000.
Denon AVR-X3900H, 1,849 dollars, 9 amplifier channels, 11.4 processing and four subwoofer outputs, the Audioholics enthusiast pick
This is the receiver our readers were already looking at. It is the fourth most opened receiver review on the site since August. And AVR-X3900H vs AVR-X4800H is the most opened receiver comparison of all, out of 132 different pairs.
That makes sense once you put them side by side. The AVR-X4800H costs $2,799, which is $950 more. Both have nine amplifier channels. Both process 11.4. Both have four subwoofer outputs and 11.4 preamp outputs. Both use Audyssey MultEQ XT32 with Dirac Live as a paid upgrade. What the extra $950 buys is 125 watts instead of 105, a seventh HDMI input, and about 0.7 kg more receiver.
| FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON | |  | |
| Model | Denon AVR-X3900H | Denon AVR-X4800H |
| Type | Home Theater Receiver | Home Theater Receiver |
| Amplifier Class | AB | AB |
| Power into 8 ohms | 105 watts | 125 watts |
| Minimum Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
| Analog Inputs | 5 | 5 |
| Phono Input | | |
| Optical Digital Inputs | 2 | 2 |
| Coaxial Digital Inputs | 2 | 2 |
| USB Input | Yes | Yes |
| HDMI Input | 6 | 7 |
| Preamp Outputs | 11.4-channel | 11.4-channel |
| Subwoofer Output | Quad | Quad |
| Room Correction System | Audyssey MultEQ XT32, with Dirac Live as a paid upgrade | Audyssey MultEQ XT32, with Dirac Live as a paid upgrade |
| Height | 166.6mm | 166.6mm |
| Width | 441.5mm | 436.6mm |
| Depth | 414.3mm | 407.9mm |
| Weight | 12.52kg | 13.20kg |
| MSRP | 1849 USD | 2799 USD |
| Check Current Price | Amazon, B&H Photo | Amazon, B&H Photo |
If you need the extra HDMI input or you have hard-to-drive speakers in a big room, the X4800H is the one. For most rooms, Audioholics is right to pick the X3900H.
One gap of ours to admit. Denon still sells the older AVR-X3800H at $1,399, right next to the X3900H. We do not hold it yet, so I cannot put it in the comparison above. It is on the list to add.
Also consider: the Onkyo TX-RZ70, now $600 cheaper
The TX-RZ70 is the cheapest receiver we hold that powers 11 channels: a 7.2.4 system with no extra amplifier. Seven of our 58 receivers have 11 channels, and the others start at $2,798. It also has Dirac Live included, 140 watts per channel, and ESS DAC chips.
Onkyo TX-RZ70, now 2,299 dollars, the cheapest receiver we hold with 11 amplifier channels
Its price was wrong on our page too. We had $2,900. Onkyo lists it at $2,299.99, the same figure Audioholics uses, so it is now $500 cheaper than the X4800H while powering two more channels.
Readers compare it most with the Marantz Cinema 50, at $2,800. That is a fair fight: the Marantz has four subwoofer outputs and nine channels, the Onkyo has two subwoofer outputs and eleven channels, and the Onkyo includes Dirac while the Marantz charges for it.
| FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON | |  |  |
| Model | Onkyo TX-RZ70 | Marantz Cinema 50 |
| Type | Home Theater Receiver | Home Theater Receiver |
| Amplifier Class | AB | AB |
| Power into 8 ohms | 140 watts | 110 watts |
| Minimum Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
| Analog Inputs | 4 | 5 |
| Phono Input | | |
| Optical Digital Inputs | 2 | 2 |
| Coaxial Digital Inputs | 2 | 2 |
| USB Input | Yes | Yes |
| HDMI Input | 7 | 6 |
| Preamp Outputs | 11.2-channel | 11.4-channel |
| Subwoofer Output | Dual | Quad |
| Room Correction System | AccuEQ, with Dirac Live included | Audyssey MultEQ XT32, with Dirac Live as a paid upgrade |
| Height | 201.7mm | 165.1mm |
| Width | 436.6mm | 441.5mm |
| Depth | 505.0mm | 398.5mm |
| Weight | 22.00kg | 13.52kg |
| MSRP | 2300 USD | 2800 USD |
| Check Current Price | Amazon, B&H Photo | Amazon, B&H Photo |
High end: three very different receivers between $4,200 and $4,800
The top pick here is the Marantz Cinema 30 at $4,800: 11 channels of Class A/B at 140 watts, 13.4 processing, and four subwoofer outputs. Like every Denon and Marantz on the list, it comes with Audyssey and charges for Dirac.
Marantz Cinema 30, 4,800 dollars, 11 Class A/B channels and four subwoofer outputs, the Audioholics high-end pick
The Anthem MRX 1140 8K is $600 less and also powers 11 channels. But only five of them are Class A/B at 140 watts. The other six are Class D at 60 watts, which Audioholics points out plainly. It uses Anthem’s own ARC Genesis room correction, so there is nothing extra to buy. It has two subwoofer outputs.
The Sony STR-AZ7000ES sits between them at $4,398, and it is the only receiver at this price that powers 13 channels. Audioholics includes it mainly for two tricks for very big TVs: one that makes a centre speaker below the screen sound as if it is higher up, and one that lets you use two centre speakers, one above and one below.
| FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON | |  |  |  |
| Model | Marantz Cinema 30 | Anthem MRX 1140 8K | Sony ES STR-AZ7000ES |
| Type | Home Theater Receiver | Home Theater Receiver | Home Theater Receiver |
| Amplifier Class | AB | AB+D | AB |
| Power into 8 ohms | 140 watts | 140 watts | 140 watts |
| Minimum Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
| Analog Inputs | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Phono Input | | | |
| Optical Digital Inputs | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Coaxial Digital Inputs | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| USB Input | Yes | No | Yes |
| HDMI Input | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Preamp Outputs | 13.4-channel | 15.2-channel | 13.2-channel |
| Subwoofer Output | Quad | Dual | Dual |
| Room Correction System | Audyssey MultEQ XT32, with Dirac Live as a paid upgrade | ARC Genesis | D.C.A.C. IX |
| Height | 189.0mm | 165.1mm | 193.8mm |
| Width | 441.5mm | 433.3mm | 430.3mm |
| Depth | 471.4mm | 404.9mm | 473.2mm |
| Weight | 19.41kg | 15.24kg | 21.77kg |
| MSRP | 4800 USD | 4200 USD | 4398 USD |
| Check Current Price | Amazon, B&H Photo | Amazon, B&H Photo | Amazon, B&H Photo |
Here is the odd part. Two of these three are among the six least compared receivers on the site. The Anthem is 54th of 58 by comparisons opened, and the Sony is 53rd. People shopping at $4,000 to $5,000 for a receiver are not, for the most part, shopping here yet.
Anthem MRX 1140 8K, 4,200 dollars, five Class A/B channels and six Class D channels with ARC Genesis room correction
Flagship: 15 channels, 13 channels, or nine better ones
The Denon AVR-A1H at $7,199 is the only receiver we hold with 15 amplifier channels. It weighs 32 kg. It can run a 9.4.6 system on its own. Its sibling, the AVR-A10H, is $2,000 less with 13 channels and is otherwise very close.
The Arcam AVA35 at $7,000 goes the other way: only nine amplifier channels, but Class G, 145 watts into 8 ohms with two channels driven, and 110 watts with seven driven, from Arcam’s own spec sheet. Audioholics quotes 100 watts, which is lower than what Arcam publishes. It is the only one of the three with Dirac Live included. It has no fixed subwoofer outputs; you assign some of its 16 preamp outputs to subwoofers, which leaves fewer for speakers.
Arcam AVA35, 7,000 dollars, nine Class G channels with Dirac Live included
| FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON | |  |  |  |
| Model | Denon AVR-A1H | Denon AVR-A10H | ARCAM AVA35 |
| Type | Home Theater Receiver | Home Theater Receiver | Home Theater Receiver |
| Amplifier Class | AB | AB | G |
| Power into 8 ohms | 150 watts | 150 watts | 145 watts |
| Minimum Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
| Analog Inputs | 5 | 6 | 3 |
| Phono Input | | | |
| Optical Digital Inputs | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Coaxial Digital Inputs | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| USB Input | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HDMI Input | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Preamp Outputs | 17.4-channel | 15.4-channel | No |
| Subwoofer Output | Quad | Quad | 1-5 (assignable) |
| Room Correction System | Audyssey MultEQ XT32, with Dirac Live as a paid upgrade | Audyssey MultEQ XT32, with Dirac Live as a paid upgrade | Dirac Live |
| Height | 195.3mm | 195.3mm | 171.5mm |
| Width | 435.1mm | 435.1mm | 433.3mm |
| Depth | 503.2mm | 503.2mm | 477.8mm |
| Weight | 31.98kg | 23.59kg | 22.70kg |
| MSRP | 7199 USD | 5199 USD | 7000 USD |
| Check Current Price | Amazon, B&H Photo | Amazon, B&H Photo | Amazon, B&H Photo |
The AVA35 is the flagship our readers look at. It is the third most opened receiver review on the site. And the receiver they compare it with most is the one it replaced, the Arcam AVR31. I wrote about that change of class when the Radia receivers came out. The A1H, meanwhile, is compared most with the McIntosh MHT300, at $9,500.
What the list does not tell you
Every pick here is a good receiver. But some of the costs are hidden, and they change the order.
Dirac costs extra on four of the nine. Both Denon flagships, the X3900H and the Marantz Cinema 30 come with Audyssey, and Dirac is a paid upgrade. Audioholics puts the full Dirac package at $799. Add that, and the Cinema 30 is a $5,599 receiver and the X3900H is a $2,648 one, which is within $151 of the X4800H before its own Dirac licence. Only the two Onkyos and the Arcam include Dirac.
Two subwoofer outputs is a real limit on four of the nine. The two Onkyos, the Anthem and the Sony have two. If you plan on four subwoofers, the cheapest pick that does it is the X3900H.
The channel count on the box is not the channel count you get. The Anthem powers 11 channels, but six of them at 60 watts. The Arcam processes 16 but powers nine. Read the amplifier channels, not the headline.
Our data had three gaps of its own. Besides the two Onkyo prices, three Denon pages, the AVR-A1H, AVR-A10H and AVR-X4800H, did not say that Dirac Live can be added. Denon’s own pages say it can. All three are corrected.
Rear of the Denon AVR-X4800H, 2,799 dollars, with its 11.4 preamp outputs and four independent subwoofer outputs
The three we do not hold
The Onkyo TX-RZ31 and TX-RZ71 were shown at CES 2026 and have no price or ship date yet. Audioholics expects the RZ31 at $1,200 or more and the RZ71 at around $3,000. Both are named for Dirac Live Active Room Treatment support. I will add them once Onkyo publishes the specs.
The StormAudio ISR Fusion 20 is $21,500. We hold no StormAudio products, and at that price Audioholics itself says most people should look at separates instead.
Where to start
If you know your budget, the home theater receiver page has all 58, with filters for channels, room correction and subwoofer outputs. If you want to compare any two picks that are not in the tables above, the compare box on any receiver page will do it.
Which tier are you shopping in, and is Dirac in the box worth more to you than four subwoofer outputs?