LATEST ADDITIONS

Q I want to upgrade my receiver but have been out of the loop for a few years. My budget is $1,000. What I am looking for is to get surround sound in my TV room and also power a pair of outdoor speakers. Is there a receiver that will let me play music outside and adjust everything while simultaneously getting surround sound in my TV room? Or do I need a two-receiver setup for that? --Mike Mulhall

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
HDMI, lossless surround decoding
UHD-capable video passthrough
Minus
High-end pricing
No HDCP 2.2 DRM for UHD

THE VERDICT
If you close your eyes, the Arcam Solo Bar and Solo Sub sound more like a decent component system than a soundbar.

Soundbars take three forms. The main distinction among them is what serves as the heart of your system. With a passive soundbar, the A/V receiver—with all its features, joys, and woes—is the clearinghouse, and all signal sources go through it. With a less expensive active soundbar, the TV often replaces the receiver, and all signals go through the TV into the bar. But the Arcam Solo Bar is the type of active soundbar that replaces both the receiver and the TV as the heart of your system.