Make no mistake about it, the audio/video receiver (AVR) has been, and will remain, a critical ingredient in the home entertainment technology ecosystem. But, over the past few years, due to the pandemic, chip shortages, and supply chain delays, products in this category have been either difficult to find or lacking the latest features and capabilities.
That is changing already this year as both mainstream and custom/high-end centric AVR brands have begun introducing new models that keep the category viable in the face of the ever-changing pace of technology. AVR manufacturers are catching up to the latest technologies and growing popularity of 8K video, HDMI 2.1 connectivity, immersive audio, and gaming.
Some people may believe that AVRs are no longer needed in a world dominated by soundbars. Although soundbars have become a leading product in the home audio market, there are many places where they are not the best (or at least only) choice for enhancing audio coming out of the TV. For example, in my own home I am using a soundbar with wireless surround speakers and subwoofer in a room where
