Head-to-head · Best AV Receivers Under $1000

Denon AVR-S970H vs Denon AVR-X2800H

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

The short answer

Denon AVR-X2800H comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.4 vs 4.7). The gap is mostly about the default 5.1 / 7.2 home theater purchase under $1000 — read the strengths below before deciding.

Ranked #5 in Best AV Receivers Under $1000

Denon AVR-S970H

4.4

$649

The AVR-S970H is the budget Denon pick. Same brand engineering and HEOS streaming as the X2800H, with cuts at the right places: fewer 8K HDMI ports, less power, entry-tier Audyssey. Best for users who want Denon reliability under $700.

Strengths

— Cheapest 7.2-ch AVR with Dolby Atmos in this lineup
— Denon HDMI 2.1 with 8K/60 on 1 input — covers a single 8K source
— Audyssey MultEQ (entry tier) room correction included

Watch-outs

— Only 1 HDMI port supports 8K/60 — the X2800H has 3
— 75W per channel — lowest power in this round-up
— Audyssey MultEQ entry tier — less calibration depth than X2800H's MultEQ XT

$649 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best AV Receivers Under $1000

Denon AVR-X2800H

4.7

$999

The AVR-X2800H is the all-around best-overall under $1000. 7.2 channels, 8K, 95W per channel, Audyssey MultEQ XT, and HEOS streaming hit every checkbox a home theater needs. The X2800H is the price-floor where Denon's serious AVR engineering kicks in.

Strengths

— 7.2-channel 8K AVR with 95W per channel — class-leading power for the price
— Audyssey MultEQ XT room correction with 8 calibration positions
— Built-in HEOS multi-room streaming + AirPlay 2 + Spotify Connect

Watch-outs

— Audyssey is good but trails the Onkyo TX-NR6100's Dirac Live (paid upgrade)
— Heavy and large — needs serious AV shelf space
— Some users report fan noise at high volumes

$999 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

How they stack up

Denon AVR-S970H

Cheapest Denon in lineup. Fewer 8K HDMI inputs than the AVR-X2800H. Less power than every other pick. HEOS streaming on par with X2800H.

Denon AVR-X2800H

Most power per channel of the picks. Audyssey vs the Onkyo TX-NR6100's Dirac Live and the Yamaha RX-V6A's YPAO. More features than the Sony STR-AN1000. Built-in HEOS streaming vs the Denon AVR-S970H's lighter feature set.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Denon AVR-S970H	Denon AVR-X2800H
Channels	7.2	7.2
Power	75W per channel	95W per channel
HDMI 8K	1 input	—
Room Correction	Audyssey MultEQ	Audyssey MultEQ XT
Streaming	HEOS	HEOS, AirPlay 2
HDMI	—	8K/60, 4K/120 (3 inputs)

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