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7 Best Home Theater Receivers Under $300 (Reviewed)

Ayaan Khan

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AV receivers are the foundation of any home theatre system. If it is faulty then the whole theatre system will be faulty. 

That’s why I pay so much attention to selecting a good AV receiver for my system.

I will consider that AV receiver to be the best under 300 if it provides a maximum of 4 HDMI input ports, is not discontinued by the manufacturer, and supports at least a 5.1 surround sound system.

Our Top Tested & Reviewed Products At A Glance

AV Receiver	Video Quality	Audio Format	Condition	Editor's Ratings	Today's Best Deal
YAMAHA RX-V385	4K Ultra HD	5.1 Surround Sound	New	5/4.9 4.5/5	Check Price On Amazon
Denon AVR-S540BT	4K Ultra HD	5.2 Surround Sound	Used	5/4.8 4.5/5	Check Price On Amazon
Sony STRDH770	4K Ultra HD	7.2 Surround Sound	Used	5/4.5 4.5/5	Check Price On Amazon

Note: The price of used products fluctuates mostly.

I kept these three criteria because finding the best quality under 300 is very difficult.

After that, I clarified these points with you of choosing a receiver in this price range then let’s deep dive into the reviews.

All Products At A Glance – Review Of Each Product Is Below This Table

1. YAMAHA RX-V385 – Best 5.1 Receiver 

YAMAHA RX-V385 5.1-Channel 4K Ultra HD AV Receiver with Bluetooth

Detail Review Of YAMAHA RX-V385

This is the best receiver to introduce you to the 5.1 surround system. Because it sounds the best with Dolby TrueHD and can deliver 4K Dolby Vision video with 4K/60 Hertz passthrough.

It comes with YPAO technology. It is a technology developed by Yamaha. 

I just plugged in a mic to the receiver that comes with it and that mic automatically adjusted the sound of all the speakers according to the environment of my client’s theatre room. The syncing of all the speakers was completed fast and without any lagging.

I was able to connect my mobile with the Bluetooth of this receiver. 

The connectivity was fast and without lagging. 

There is a functionality provided by the receiver with which you can adjust the syncing.  But I never used it because the Bluetooth connectivity was Swift and seamless already. It was a hundred percent better than Bluetooth transmitters. These transmitters always possess these lagging issues.

Apart from Bluetooth the best thing that I liked about this receiver is that I can stream high-quality music directly from my USB device and for convenience, I was able to see my albums artists on the TV screen for easy navigation.

When I connected all the speakers of the 5.1 system to this AV receiver and played the Rainbow 4 movie.

I felt like I was in between the scenes when the machine gun was firing. This receiver gives a realistic touch to the shooting sounds.

It was good in showing the 4K frames on the screen but if you faced any issue with the 4K image distortion or flashing then I will recommend always using HDMI 2.1 for 4K experience.

I was able to change the speaker volume individually and it was even more convenient for me by naming each HDMI input.

The On-screen guide was very convenient for the setup of the receiver.

With the best affordable speakers, you need the best affordable speakers for home theater to go with it. I have reviewed the best ones in this guide.

2. Denon AVR-S540BT – Best For 5.2

Denon AVR-S540BT 5.2 channel Receiver – 4K Ultra HD Audio Video, Bluetooth, USB port, Compatible with HEOS Link for Wireless Music Streaming (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

Detail Review Of Denon AVR-S540BT

This is the best receiver for a 5.2 surround sound system that provides Dolby TrueHD audio and Dolby vision video with a 4K/60Hz  passthrough. 

It consists of 6 HDMI ports. One is output and the other 5 are inputs. Among the 5 inputs, there are three 4K HDMI ports and 2 HD.

This one is superior in Sound and video then YAMAHA RX-V385, but you can find this receiver only used under 300, that’s why I give it second position.

The setup looks difficult at the glance but when I connected my client’s TV to this AV receiver.  The setup guide shown on the TV screen was pretty easy to follow and I was able to connect the whole surround sound system within an hour.

It too comes with the mic calibration technology that optimizes the sound of each speaker according to the environment of the theatre room.

It also provides music streaming features from any streaming services like Pandora, Spotify, Napster, etc.

I played FM radio on this receiver. The radio was capable of streaming hundreds of channels both from AM and FM.

Another thing that I liked about this receiver is that it can be controlled by its mobile app.

3. Sony STRDH770 – Best 7.2 Receiver

Sony 7.2 Channel Home Theater 4K AV Receiver (STRDH770)

Detail Review Of Sony STRDH770

This is the best 7.2 surround sound receiver with Dolby TrueHD sound and 4K HDR quality video. 

It consists of four HDMI inputs that are 4K capable and one ARC HDMI output. 

It also provides Bluetooth connectivity to connect mobile phones and stream favorite music from Pandora and many more apps.

There is also a USB connectivity port at the front of the receiver to connect USB devices.

 It is HD cinema sound enabled. I can feel a waterfall-like it is falling in my theatre room.

It has a technology through which it can fire surround sound from front speakers. But I won’t recommend this to experience surround sound. Because you must have a complete 7.2  speaker system physically present there to experience its magic. 

But if you are good to go with the two front speakers then this is a nice feature to use.

The setup is easy and I was able to set up the whole theatre system with this receiver within an hour.

The onscreen setup guide was easy and it prompted me to use the microphone to calibrate each speaker sound automatically. 

The 4K video quality is amazing and it allows games to be played on 4K too.

The ARC HDMI output port is very smart. When I turn on the input source it also turns on the receiver and TV.

It is better than the above two receivers but a lot of units come with some annoying faults.

4. Yamaha RX-V373 – Best Entry Level For 4K

Yamaha RX-V373 5.1-Channel AV Receiver – (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

Detail Review Yamaha RX-V373

This is a 5.1 surround sound system with Dolby TrueHD audio and a 4K video.

It provides 4 HDMI inputs and they all are 4K  and 3D capable.

This receiver too comes with the YPAO technology. It comes with a mic that will calibrate the sound of each speaker according to the environment of your room.

This receiver also has Eco mode. In echo mode, it will consume less power and hence it does justice with electric bills.

Another feature that I like is that there are scene buttons in front of this receiver.  Those buttons are reprogrammable for favorite inputs. And when I press the BluRay input button for 3 seconds it will turn on the receiver as well as the Blu-Ray player.

Another feature that is beneficial for night owls like me Is dynamic range control. It will keep the explosion, dialogues, and music all balanced.

Don’t need to up the volume to hear dialogues and then down the volume to not disturb others from the explosion sounds.  Due to this feature, I don’t need to up and down the volume and the volume is well adjusted so others cannot be disturbed by the explosion and I also hear the dialogues clearly.

For the best quality of dialogues, you must have the best center speaker for your home theater. Click on the blue words to know more about it. I have analyzed the best ones only.

The remote is good and pretty equipped with many options. So I don’t need to go back and forth from my bed to the receiver during the movie to change something.  Because the remote has many options.

The receiver heats up quickly and that’s why it should be placed in a well-ventilated area and there should be nothing on top of it.

5. Sony STRDH820 – Best For Second Zone Music Streaming

Sony STRDH820 7.2 Channel 3D AV Receiver (Black) (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

Detail review of Sony STRDH820

This is the second-best for 7.2 channels and also provides a second zone feature.  

But if you use the second zone feature then you can not use 7.2 channels simultaneously.  When the second zone is active then you will be restricted to use 5.2 only.  So remember this point while using it.

It provides 4 HDMI inputs and three-component inputs for HD videos.  While all 4 HDMI inputs are 3D compatible.  You can play games and watch movies in 3D.

This AVR too comes with auto-calibration Technology.  I connected the mic and placed it near my sitting area and the calibration was done within a minute. 

When I set it up the sound was amazing. When I closed my eyes I was feeling like I am in the middle of the Gladiators Arena and the fight is happening in my theatre room.

I heard many more voices in the Gladiator movie that I have never heard before while watching it on my non 4K TV back in the days when Gladiator was newly released on DVD.

It comes with the special Bravia sync Technology. Due to this technology, the receiver will turn on when the Bravia TV is turned on.

6. Sony STRDH520 – Best For 7.1

Sony STRDH520 7.1 Channel 3D AV Receiver (Black) (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

Detail Review Of Sony STRDH520

This AVR provides 7.1 channel support.  You can get Dolby Atmos quality from this receiver by installing 5.1 on the ground and two additional speakers in the ceiling.  This will complete the Dolby Atmos setup and the audio will be showered over you from the ceiling.

Apart from that, it can give Dolby true HD audio quality for the surround sound.

It has six input options out of which 4 are HDMI and 2 are components.

All 4 HDMI inputs are 3D enabled.  And the 3D experience is really good but you will need 3D glasses separately as it doesn’t come with it.

The TV or a projector can be connected with this receiver through an ARC output HDMI port.

The best thing that I like about this HDMI connectivity is that when I turn on the TV the AVR turns on automatically.

I connected the blu-ray player and when I inserted the disc the receiver & TV turned on and selected the right inputs automatically. Walllaaah!!!!!

In the box, you get a remote control with batteries, a user manual, and 2 years warranty.

I was able to set this receiver within an hour.

7. Yamaha RX-V367BL – Best For High Bit Rate HD Video

Detail Review Of Yamaha RX-V367BL

It is a 5.1 channel receiver with 32 bit HD video and Dolby Digital audio.

It provides 4 HDMI inputs, also coaxial and optical. All HDMI inputs are 3D capable. 

My client is a veteran and he had this in his theatre room.  He wanted to replace his speaker system.

I replaced the speaker system with a new one.  The sound was pretty good with accuracy and crispness. 

All of the speakers sounded great and the subwoofer bass was booming with this AV receiver.

The 32-bit color depth really showed itself and the video quality was sharp.

White, black, and grey colors were present. The difference was visible between the black and grey.

The 3D video experience was good with the Dolby Digital surround sound.

There is an audio jack at the front of the receiver to plug in the headphone if you want to not disturb your family. 

FAQs

The answers are highly influenced by the price range.

Helpful Resources For The FAQs To Read More

1. Read more about it from the home theater enthusiasts’ discussion on AV Forums. (Resource for the second answer)
2. This is my opinion, read here more on Reddit. (Resource for the fourth answer)
3. This is my opinion, read here more on Piston Heads. (Resource for the sixth answer)