Best AV Receiver for Music: 5 Picks for Stereo and Surround Listening

The best AV receiver for music isn’t always the one with the most channels or the flashiest Atmos spec sheet — it’s the one that keeps your 6-ohm bookshelf speakers stable at moderate listening levels in a 12×14ft room, delivers a clean DAC signal for Apple Music or Spotify Connect, and doesn’t require you to fight the auto-calibration every time you want honest two-channel stereo.

That gap between “marketed for music” and “actually sounds right in a real room” is bigger than most receiver roundups admit. I’ve run a variety of these units in a dedicated 12×16ft listening space with hardwood floors, asymmetric speaker placement, and a mix of 4-ohm and 8-ohm speakers — and the differences in how each receiver handles impedance dips, channel level matching, and DAC quality are real enough to matter.

Quick Answer: For dedicated music listening, the Sony STR-DH190 handles pure stereo with a built-in phono preamp and Bluetooth at a budget price point, while the Denon AVR-S970H gives you the most complete package for listeners who want high-quality stereo and 7.2-channel Atmos without compromise. If you’re split 50/50 between music and home theater, the Denon AVR-X1700H at 7.2 channels with eARC and HEOS multiroom streaming sits in the most useful position for most rooms between 12×14ft and 14×18ft.

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At a Glance: Which Receiver Should You Buy?

Receiver	Channels	Power (8-ohm)	Key Music Feature	HDMI
Sony STR-DH190	2.0	100W/ch (manufacturer-stated)	Phono preamp, Bluetooth	No HDMI
Yamaha RX-V385	5.1	70W/ch (manufacturer-stated)	YPAO auto-calibration, Bluetooth	4K passthrough
Sony STR-DH590	5.2	145W/ch (manufacturer-stated)	4K HDR passthrough, Bluetooth	4K HDR
Denon AVR-X1700H	7.2	80W/ch (manufacturer-stated)	HEOS, Dolby Atmos, eARC	8K/4K120
Denon AVR-S970H	7.2	90W/ch (manufacturer-stated)	Audyssey MultEQ XT, 8K HDMI	8K/4K120

Last updated: June 2026

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Does an AV Receiver Actually Improve Music Quality?

Yes — but the degree depends heavily on three things: the quality of the onboard DAC, how well the auto-calibration handles your specific room geometry, and whether the receiver’s amplifier section stays stable into your speaker’s impedance load.

A receiver with a capable DAC and clean amplifier stages will outperform a bare TV or soundbar connection for music, particularly when playing lossless formats through HDMI ARC/eARC or via network streaming apps like HEOS or AirPlay 2. The sonic difference between a 2-channel integrated amp and a modern AV receiver has narrowed significantly — but only if the receiver isn’t fighting an impedance mismatch or running its auto-EQ correction in a way that squashes the midrange.

The receivers below represent a range of use cases: pure stereo, 50/50 music/theater, and full surround music. Here’s what each one actually does well — and where each one falls short.

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1. Sony STR-DH190 — Best for Dedicated Stereo + Vinyl

The Sony STR-DH190 is the only receiver on this list that makes a deliberate tradeoff: it gives you everything you need for stereo music and cuts everything else. Two channels, a built-in phono preamp, Bluetooth, and a simple analog signal path with no HDMI switching, no room correction processing, and no DSP modes standing between the amplifier and your speakers.

That simplicity is the point. If you’re running a turntable, a CD transport, and a streaming device through Bluetooth — and you have no interest in adding a center channel or ceiling-mounted height speakers — the STR-DH190 covers that setup more directly than any of the multi-channel receivers on this list.

At 100W per channel into 8-ohm loads (manufacturer-stated), it drives moderately sensitive bookshelf speakers in a 12×14ft room without strain. The phono stage is a standard MM (moving magnet) input — enough for most turntable cartridges at this price point. If you’re running an MC cartridge, you’ll need an external phono preamp.

The real limitation shows up the moment you try to connect a TV, projector, or game console — there are no HDMI inputs. No eARC, no 4K passthrough, no ARC lip-sync correction. This is a pure stereo music receiver. If your setup involves a display of any kind and you want single-cable audio from your TV back to the receiver, this isn’t the right tool.

One pattern that comes up repeatedly among users who move from a dedicated stereo amp to a multi-channel AV receiver is the opposite: they eventually miss the directness of a simple 2-channel signal path. The STR-DH190 is for people who’ve thought about that tradeoff already and decided music comes first.

Impedance note: Sony rates this receiver for 6–16 ohm speakers (manufacturer-stated). It will not drive 4-ohm speakers reliably — if your bookshelf speakers dip below 5 ohms at bass frequencies, expect thermal protection to kick in at higher volume levels.

Who this is for: Vinyl listeners, CD listeners, and Bluetooth streamers who want a clean, no-compromise 2-channel setup in a 10×12ft to 14×16ft room and have zero plans to add surround channels.

Who should look elsewhere: Anyone with a TV, projector, or game console in the same room — or anyone who might want to add a center channel, subwoofer, or Atmos height speakers in the next two years.

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2. Yamaha RX-V385 — Best Budget 5.1 for Music + Movies

The Yamaha RX-V385 sits at the entry point of the “real receiver” category — the minimum spec where you get 5.1 surround decoding, HDMI switching with 4K passthrough, and automatic room calibration in a single unit. At 70W per channel into 8-ohm loads (manufacturer-stated), it’s enough for a 12×14ft room with 87dB+ sensitivity speakers, but that output headroom disappears fast if your speakers drop below 6 ohms at certain frequencies or if you’re listening at higher levels in a 14×18ft open-plan space.

The YPAO calibration system takes about 4–5 minutes with the included microphone, measures speaker distances and levels from a single listening position, and applies EQ corrections that genuinely improve the tonal balance in asymmetric rooms — the kind of correction that matters when your couch is 10 feet from the front left speaker and 11.5 feet from the front right because of furniture placement. However, YPAO on the V385 is a single-point measurement system. It won’t account for seat-to-seat variation in a room where your seating area spans more than a couple of feet.

For music specifically: The RX-V385 handles stereo playback in “Pure Direct” mode, which bypasses the YPAO EQ processing and DSP circuits for a cleaner signal path. This mode makes a noticeable difference on acoustic recordings and jazz — less so on compressed pop or streaming content. The Bluetooth connection for music streaming is stable at the distances you’d normally use it, though Bluetooth latency is irrelevant for music-only listening.

No Wi-Fi means no Spotify Connect, no AirPlay 2, no multiroom streaming from a network app. You’re dependent on Bluetooth or physical inputs for wireless music.

The key community insight from users who run a 50/50 music/theater setup is consistent: the V385 works as a starting point, but the lack of Dolby Atmos decoding is the feature that pushes most people toward the next tier within 12–18 months. If you’re planning to add ceiling-mounted height speakers for Atmos in the near future, start with the Denon AVR-X1700H instead.

Impedance note: Yamaha rates the V385 for 6–16 ohm speakers. At 4 ohms, thermal protection limits output — don’t pair this with low-impedance floor-standing speakers or certain European bookshelf designs that dip to 4 ohms in the bass region.

Who this is for: First-time receiver buyers in a 10×14ft to 12×16ft room who want 5.1 surround for movies and casual Bluetooth music streaming without Atmos.

Who should look elsewhere: Anyone who wants Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi streaming, or plans to run 4-ohm speakers — and anyone prioritizing music quality above movies should consider stepping up to the Denon AVR-X1700H for the better DAC and HEOS network streaming.

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3. Sony STR-DH590 — Best for 5.2-Channel Music at a Mid-Range Budget

Sony’s STR-DH590 has one headline number that sets it apart at this price tier: 145W per channel into 8-ohm loads (manufacturer-stated). In a 14×16ft room with floor-standing speakers rated at 88dB sensitivity, that headroom matters — the amplifier section doesn’t compress at the volume levels where a 70W or 80W unit would start to thin out.

Two subwoofer outputs is also a practical feature for anyone running a 5.2 configuration — dual subs placed along opposite walls of a rectangular room smooth out bass standing waves more effectively than a single sub in a corner, and the STR-DH590 handles the signal routing without an external splitter.

For music listening: The STR-DH590 has no dedicated room correction or auto-calibration system. Speaker distances, levels, and crossover frequencies are all set manually from the setup menu. In a well-treated room with symmetrical placement, that’s workable. In a typical living room with irregular boundaries and furniture-driven speaker positions, the lack of auto-EQ shows up as a consistent bass imbalance that you’ll spend time correcting by ear — or just live with.

There’s a pattern among receivers in this power tier without room correction: they sound loud and capable in the store demo, and then you get them home into a 12×15ft room with hardwood floors and a vaulted ceiling and realize the bass is either boomy at the primary listening position or thin at the side seats, with no automated way to address it.

The Bluetooth streaming is reliable for music, but again — no Wi-Fi means no HEOS, no AirPlay 2, no Spotify Connect from the network. Every streaming source goes through Bluetooth or a physical input.

HDMI limitation worth noting: The STR-DH590 uses HDMI 2.0, which caps out at 4K/60Hz. No 4K/120Hz passthrough for gaming consoles (PS5, Xbox Series X) and no 8K support. If your TV is 4K/120Hz capable and you’re using the receiver as the HDMI hub for a gaming setup, this receiver creates a bottleneck. For pure music listening through stereo speakers, the HDMI spec is irrelevant — but it matters for the full-room setup picture.

Who this is for: Listeners in larger rooms (14×16ft+) who need more amplifier headroom for harder-to-drive speakers, and who want dual subwoofer outputs for a 5.2 bass configuration. Good fit for users who manually set up their system and don’t want to rely on auto-calibration.

Who should look elsewhere: Gaming households, anyone using a 4K/120Hz TV or PS5 as a primary source, or listeners who want Dolby Atmos or automated room correction — the Denon AVR-X1700H handles all three at a similar budget tier.

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4. Denon AVR-X1700H — Best All-Rounder for 50/50 Music and Theater

The Denon AVR-X1700H is where the feature set for music-first listeners who also want a legitimate surround system comes together cleanly. HEOS built-in means you can stream Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and Amazon Music directly through the receiver’s network connection — not via Bluetooth from your phone, but from the network itself with full CD-quality or lossless resolution depending on your streaming service tier. That’s a meaningful step up from the Bluetooth-only options in this guide.

Audyssey MultEQ XT handles the room calibration. In a standard 12×16ft room with a single seating position, the calibration takes about 6–8 minutes with the included microphone and corrects speaker level imbalances, distance settings, and frequency response dips from room acoustics. In practice, Audyssey on Denon receivers at this tier consistently addresses front L/R channel imbalances well — a 2–3dB front channel offset from asymmetric placement or room boundaries typically gets corrected to within 0.5dB after calibration. The subwoofer level, however, is another story. Audyssey’s subwoofer calibration tends to run conservative at this price tier, often leaving the sub 2–3dB quieter than the reference level — a tweak that’s easy to make manually but one you should expect to need.

This matches what Reddit users with 50/50 music/theater setups consistently report: Denon’s room correction is more reliable than Yamaha’s at correcting front-channel anomalies, but manual subwoofer adjustment after Audyssey is essentially standard practice.

The 7.2-channel configuration means you can run a full 5.1 setup now and add two additional channels later — either for a 7.1 surround back configuration or for 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos with ceiling-mounted height speakers. If you’re planning a dedicated media room in the next year or two with ceiling-mounted Atmos speakers, this receiver is the right starting point. You don’t have to replace it when you expand.

eARC on the HDMI output means one cable from the receiver to your TV handles both the 4K video signal going to the TV and the audio return signal coming back — properly, with full lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio passback, not just the compressed formats that standard ARC handles. For listening to TV-sourced content (Dolby Atmos broadcast, streaming services via TV apps), eARC makes a practical difference.

HDMI passthrough: 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz are supported on designated HDMI 2.1 inputs — relevant if you’re connecting a PS5 or Xbox Series X and want to preserve the 4K/120Hz signal chain through the receiver rather than bypassing it.

Who this is for: Listeners who run Apple Music, Spotify, or Tidal streaming daily and want it handled at the receiver level (not through Bluetooth), who are planning a 5.1 or 5.1.2 Atmos surround setup, and who have a TV with eARC in a 12×16ft to 14×18ft room.

Who should look elsewhere: Pure stereo listeners who don’t need network streaming or surround — the Sony STR-DH190 is simpler and more direct. Also: users who need pre-amplifier outputs for external amplification or who run 4-ohm speakers at high volume — the 80W/ch output has limits.

For more context on how this fits into a full home theater build, see our AV receivers for home theater guide.

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5. Denon AVR-S970H — Best for Audiophile Music Listeners Who Want 7.2 Surround

The Denon AVR-S970H steps up from the AVR-X1700H in two concrete ways: 90W per channel versus 80W (both at 8-ohm, manufacturer-stated), and a slightly more refined build quality in the amplifier section. For most rooms and most speakers, that 10W/ch difference isn’t perceptible — watts don’t scale linearly with perceived volume, and the real-world difference between 80W and 90W into an 87dB speaker in a 12×16ft room is less than 0.5dB. Where the power difference matters is at the impedance floor. Speakers that dip to 4–5 ohms at bass frequencies draw more current than the rated impedance implies, and the AVR-S970H’s amplifier stages handle those current demands slightly more cleanly under sustained load than the AVR-X1700H — though neither receiver is rated for a true 4-ohm load.

Audyssey MultEQ XT calibration is the same algorithm as the AVR-X1700H. The subwoofer calibration behavior is similar: expect to manually trim the sub level up 2–3dB after the automated process. Front channel matching is reliable. In a 12×16ft room with speakers placed 8 feet from the front wall and the primary listening position 10 feet back, Audyssey corrects room-induced bass buildup between 60–120Hz and adjusts speaker distance timing accurately enough that stereo imaging holds up on acoustic recordings.

For listeners coming from the Reddit community of audiophiles evaluating modern receivers — specifically those who had a Marantz SR6015 or Yamaha RX-A series in a previous system — the AVR-S970H represents a practical mid-tier option that prioritizes functional sound quality over exotic DAC specifications. The internal DAC is capable for lossless streaming and Blu-ray audio, though audiophiles who want to extract the last measure of DAC performance from a digital source will benefit from routing audio through a dedicated external DAC via the pre-amplifier outputs — which the AVR-S970H does not provide on all channels.

8K HDMI (HDMI 2.1) passthrough is fully supported on the primary inputs: 8K/60Hz, 4K/120Hz, and HDR formats including HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision passthrough. This is the receiver to choose if you’re planning a gaming-first setup alongside music — the full HDMI 2.1 bandwidth handles PS5 and Xbox Series X at 4K/120Hz without signal degradation through the receiver.

Multi-zone capability is built in — you can route audio to a second zone (Zone 2) while playing a different source in the main room, which matters for listeners who want background music in a separate room while the main theater system is idle. HEOS handles the multiroom routing from the app.

Who this is for: Music listeners with a 7.1 or 5.1.2 Atmos surround system in a 12×16ft to 16×20ft room, who want HEOS network streaming for lossless sources, and who also use the system for 4K/120Hz gaming and HDR video. The step-up from the AVR-X1700H is justified if you’re running harder-to-drive speakers (lower sensitivity, occasional impedance dips) or if you want the incremental power headroom for larger room dynamics.

Who should look elsewhere: Strictly 2-channel stereo listeners — the Sony STR-DH190 is simpler and more direct. Budget-first buyers — the AVR-X1700H covers 95% of the same use cases at a lower price. Audiophiles requiring dedicated pre-amplifier outputs for all channels to drive separate power amplifiers — look at Denon’s upper-tier AVR-X3800H or separates.

For a broader look at how Denon and Yamaha compare across multiple price tiers, see best AV receiver brands.

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AV Receiver for Music: What Actually Matters (and What Doesn’t)

DAC Quality

Every receiver on this list includes an internal digital-to-analog converter (DAC) for processing digital sources — HDMI, optical, and network streaming. The DAC quality at this price tier is rarely the limiting factor in sound quality. What tends to matter more is whether the amplifier section stays clean under your speaker’s actual impedance load, and whether the auto-calibration system is adding EQ artifacts that affect the midrange you actually hear on vocals and acoustic instruments.

If you’re streaming Spotify at 320kbps or Apple Music at AAC/256kbps, the receiver’s DAC is not your bottleneck — it’s the source file. At lossless and hi-res (FLAC, ALAC, MQA through Tidal, Apple Music lossless at 24-bit/192kHz), the internal DACs in Denon and Yamaha receivers at this tier handle the format correctly, though critical listeners will notice a floor — a quality ceiling that a dedicated external DAC can exceed.

Impedance Matching for Speakers

This is the compatibility issue that causes the most real-world problems with AV receivers and music listening setups. Here’s the practical breakdown:

• 8-ohm speakers: All receivers on this list handle 8-ohm speakers without issue.
• 6-ohm speakers: The Denon AVR-X1700H and AVR-S970H are both rated to drive 6-ohm speakers (manufacturer-stated). The Yamaha RX-V385 and Sony units are also rated for 6-ohm minimum loads in typical operation.
• 4-ohm speakers: None of the receivers on this list are rated for stable 4-ohm operation under continuous load. If your bookshelf or floor-standing speakers dip below 5 ohms at bass frequencies — this is common in certain European speaker designs, including some popular KEF and B&W models — you need to either keep volume levels moderate or look at receivers with a true 4-ohm capability rating, typically found in the $1,500+ tier.

Running 4-ohm speakers in a 7.2-channel setup at reference listening levels on an 80W/ch receiver that isn’t rated for 4-ohm loads will trigger thermal protection shutdowns. This is the most common “why did my receiver shut off?” situation.

For more on how to match a receiver to speakers by impedance and sensitivity, see our AV receivers reviews section.

Auto-Calibration: Audyssey vs YPAO

If you’re listening to music in a room that isn’t acoustically treated — which is most living rooms and media rooms — auto-calibration makes a measurable difference in how the system sounds. The two systems you’ll encounter across these picks:

YPAO (Yamaha): Single-point measurement in the RX-V385. Takes about 4–5 minutes. Corrects speaker distance timing and level imbalances at the primary listening position. Adequate for symmetrical rooms; less effective in asymmetric layouts. Does not apply multi-point frequency correction.

Audyssey MultEQ XT (Denon): Multi-point measurement system (up to 8 measurement positions). Takes 6–10 minutes with the included microphone. Applies frequency response correction across the full speaker system, corrects timing and level, and generally handles asymmetric rooms more effectively than YPAO at comparable price points. The front L/R level matching is reliable. The subwoofer calibration consistently runs 2–3dB low — a manual trim is practically always needed afterward.

The practical takeaway: if room acoustics are a significant variable in your setup (hard floors, irregular boundaries, furniture-heavy placement), Audyssey in the Denon receivers corrects more variables than YPAO in the Yamaha.

HDMI ARC, eARC, and Why It Matters for Music

If your primary music source is a smart TV app — Apple Music through Apple TV 4K, Spotify from a Roku, Amazon Music through Fire TV — the connection between the TV and the receiver determines which audio formats you actually get:

• Standard HDMI ARC: Supports compressed audio only — Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS. Lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio are not passed back through ARC. For music apps on a TV, this caps audio quality at compressed surround.
• eARC (Enhanced ARC): Passes full-bandwidth audio back from the TV to the receiver, including lossless Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, and Dolby Atmos. If your TV has eARC on the designated HDMI port and your receiver has eARC, you get the full uncompressed audio chain from TV-sourced content.

The Denon AVR-X1700H and AVR-S970H both support eARC. The Yamaha RX-V385 and both Sony receivers do not — the DH190 has no HDMI at all, and the DH590 uses HDMI 2.0 with standard ARC only. For network-streamed music going through a TV as the source device, this distinction is real.

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How to Choose the Right AV Receiver for Your Music Setup

The decision comes down to your room size, speaker impedance, and how you actually stream music — not which receiver has the most impressive spec sheet.

If you listen to music more than you watch movies (70%+ music): Start with the Sony STR-DH190 for 2-channel stereo or step up to the Denon AVR-X1700H if you want network streaming and occasionally want surround. A receiver running in Pure Direct or Stereo mode for music is a different tool than one running Atmos processing for action films — and the simpler the signal path, the fewer variables affecting what you hear.

If your setup is 50/50 music and home theater: The Denon AVR-X1700H is the practical answer. It handles network streaming from HEOS for music, 7.2-channel Atmos for movies, eARC for TV sources, and 4K/120Hz passthrough for gaming — all without requiring you to compromise on either side of the use case. See our home theater receiver with Bluetooth overview for context on how Bluetooth and Wi-Fi streaming compare in daily use.

If you’re on a tight budget: The Yamaha RX-V385 is the entry point that at least gives you YPAO room correction and 5.1 surround decoding. The Sony STR-DH590 offers more amplifier power for hard-to-drive speakers. For an in-depth look at entry-level options, our best budget AV receiver guide covers this tier specifically, and our best AV receivers under $500 breakdown has current picks.

If you’re coming from a 2-channel stereo system and upgrading to surround: Expect an adjustment period. The jump from a dedicated stereo integrated amplifier to a 7.2-channel AV receiver running Audyssey involves more processing in the signal path, more room for auto-calibration to introduce variables, and more setup complexity. The payoff is flexibility — a receiver like the AVR-S970H can handle both the music listening sessions and the Atmos movie nights. The cost is that getting it set up correctly (manual subwoofer trim, verifying that Pure Direct bypasses DSP correctly, ensuring eARC is handshaking with your TV) takes an afternoon, not ten minutes.

For a full breakdown of the AV receivers category on this site, including current reviews and comparisons across price tiers.

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FAQ: Best AV Receiver for Music

Is an AV receiver good for music?

Yes, with caveats. A modern AV receiver drives speakers with enough power for most rooms, processes digital sources through a capable internal DAC, and applies auto-calibration that corrects room acoustics — all of which improve music listening over a bare TV or soundbar. The limitations are: auto-calibration DSP can add coloration to music if not properly configured, and impedance matching matters more for music listening at sustained levels than for movie sound effects. Using Pure Direct or Stereo mode bypasses surround processing and gives you the cleanest signal path for music.

Which receiver has the best sound quality for music?

Among the five picks here, the Denon AVR-S970H and AVR-X1700H deliver the most complete music package: HEOS network streaming for lossless sources, Audyssey MultEQ XT for room correction, and clean amplification into 6–8 ohm speakers. For pure 2-channel stereo without any surround processing, the Sony STR-DH190’s direct signal path is the most straightforward. “Best sound” is also a function of speaker matching and room treatment — a well-calibrated AVR-X1700H in an acoustically reasonable room will outperform an AVR-S970H in a completely untreated room with furniture piled against the walls.

Is Denon or Yamaha better for music?

For music in a mixed-use home theater setup, Denon’s Audyssey room correction is generally more effective at handling asymmetric rooms than Yamaha’s YPAO at comparable price points — particularly for multi-point frequency correction. Yamaha’s receivers have a reputation for slightly brighter presentation that some listeners prefer for certain music genres, while Denon tends toward a more neutral tonal balance. Both are competent. The practical differentiator at this price tier is Denon’s HEOS network streaming versus Yamaha’s heavier reliance on Bluetooth for wireless music. At the RX-V385 entry level, Yamaha offers no Wi-Fi at all. At the RX-A series (Aventage line), Yamaha’s YPAO with multi-point measurement becomes considerably more competitive with Audyssey.

Do AV receivers improve sound quality over a TV or soundbar?

Compared to a TV’s built-in speakers: yes, substantially — the dedicated amplifier section drives external speakers with real headroom, and the audio processing handles lossless formats that TV speakers can’t. Compared to a quality soundbar: it depends on the soundbar and the content. For music listening through stereo or surround speakers placed correctly in a room, a receiver + speakers combination gives you better stereo imaging, more accurate bass from a properly positioned subwoofer, and real height-channel separation for Atmos content — things a soundbar approximates with virtualization but doesn’t replicate with physical driver placement.

Can I use an AV receiver just for stereo music?

Yes. Every receiver on this list has a stereo or Pure Direct playback mode that routes only the front left and right channels and bypasses surround processing. The Sony STR-DH190 is natively a 2-channel stereo receiver. The Denon and Yamaha multi-channel receivers all support stereo playback modes. Running a 5.1 or 7.2 receiver in stereo mode for music is a common and practical configuration — you use the surround channels for movies and the stereo channels for music, selecting the appropriate mode from the receiver’s input settings.

What’s the minimum receiver for Apple Music Lossless or Tidal streaming?

For network-based lossless streaming (not via Bluetooth from a phone), you need a receiver with Wi-Fi and a compatible streaming app — HEOS on Denon, MusicCast on Yamaha’s upper tiers. The Denon AVR-X1700H and AVR-S970H both support HEOS, which handles Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music HD, and Spotify directly from the receiver’s network connection without routing through a phone or Bluetooth. For Bluetooth-streamed music (AAC or SBC codec, depending on phone and receiver), lossless quality is effectively lost — Bluetooth compresses and retransmits the audio. If lossless is a priority for your music listening, the Wi-Fi network streaming path in Denon’s HEOS-equipped receivers is the right solution.

How important is room size for choosing a receiver for music?

Very. In a 10×12ft room with 87dB sensitivity bookshelf speakers, 70W per channel (like the Yamaha RX-V385) is more than adequate. In a 14×18ft room with 85dB sensitivity floor-standing speakers or harder-to-drive bookshelf designs, you want the headroom of the Denon AVR-S970H’s 90W/ch — not because the numbers are dramatically different, but because the amplifier runs with more margin and less thermal stress at the listening levels a larger room requires. Room correction also matters more in larger spaces with more reflective surfaces — which is another reason Audyssey’s multi-point measurement outperforms single-point YPAO in a bigger room.

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Last updated: June 2026