First Look: AV Receivers

Price: $1,099
Channels/Power: 7x110W
Decoding: DD, DD EX, ProLogic IIx, Dolby Headphone, DTS, DTS-ES Discrete/Matrix/Neo:6/DTS 24/96
Ins and Outs: Two coax and five toslink digital audio, one 7.1-channel analog audio, Denon LINK, two HDMI (spec 1.1), three component video, RS-232, one ethernet, two 12V triggers
Highlights: THX Select2, Audyssey MultEQ with auto setup and microphone, transcoding of incoming video to HDMI, XM Satellite Radio Ready, 24/96 A-D and 24/192 D-A conversion, A/V Sync Delay, multi-source/multi-zone, backlit remote

Denon's AVR-2807 packs a remarkable feature set into its just-over-a-thousand-bucks price tag. This THX Ultra2-certified AVR starts with seven channels rated at 110W each, and takes off from there with Audyssey MultEQ auto setup and calibration, HDMI 1.1 switching that's compatible with 1080p video and hi-res multichannel PCM from HD DVD and Blu-ray, is XM satellite ready and includes a connection for an iPod dock, and much more. This is one of the new breed of convergence ready AVRs and the price is certainly right. Available now.