Top Picks

AV Receivers

Onkyo TX-NR838 A/V Receiver
(September) Onkyo offered strong features in its 2014 AVR line, embracing Atmos across several models, and notably, combining HDMI 2.0 connectivity with HDCP 2.2 copyright management in its new models—the latter critical for future-proofing for tomorrow’s Ultra HDTV content. $1,199, onkyousa.com

Pioneer VSX-1124
(November) We tested three highly recommendable—and high-value—AVRs in 2014 including the Sony STR-DN1050 (September, $600), the Denon AVR-S900W (October, $650), and this Pioneer, which sang ever so slightly sweeter for audio editor Mark Fleisch- mann. $600, pioneerelectronics.com