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

Denon AVR-S970H vs Sony STR-AN1000

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-S970H and Sony STR-AN1000 score essentially the same (4.3 vs 4.3). Pick the one whose trade-offs match your priorities — the strengths and watch-outs below are where they actually differ.

Ranked #5 in Best AV Receivers Under $1000

Denon AVR-S970H

4.3

$849as of Jun 7

The AVR-S970H is the budget Denon that keeps the essentials: 8K gaming-ready HDMI, Audyssey calibration and HEOS streaming for roughly $300 less than the X-series. Customers rate it 5/5 on Sweetwater and aggregate reviews land around 92/100, with the value pitch summed up as bringing "all the most important features at a price $300 lower than its X-series counterpart." Power is the lowest here, but for normal rooms it more than suffices.

Strengths

— Brings most of Denon's home-theater essentials at a noticeably lower price
— Three 8K HDMI inputs with VRR, QFT and ALLM for genuinely lag-free console gaming
— Audyssey room correction included out of the box for easy, effective calibration

Watch-outs

— 90W per channel is the lowest power of this group
— Audyssey is the lighter MultEQ tier, not MultEQ XT
— Build and styling are plainer than the step-up X-series

$849 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Ranked #4 in Best AV Receivers Under $1000

Sony STR-AN1000

4.3

$948as of Jun 7

The STR-AN1000 is the spatial-audio specialist: its 360 Spatial Sound Mapping conjures height and width from a standard speaker set, and reviewers loved the result. What Hi-Fi gave it a full five stars, StereoNET called it "muscular and dynamic," and Tom's Guide praised its "smooth sonic steerage of objects." The trade-offs are bloated bass without parametric EQ and a slightly thinner connectivity set, which keep it just behind the all-rounders.

Strengths

— 360 Spatial Sound Mapping creates convincing height and width without ceiling speakers
— Crisp, precise, punchy sound that reviewers say balances detail and drama
— Sounds bigger and more authoritative than its modest power spec implies

Watch-outs

— Bass can sound bloated and there is no parametric EQ to tame it
— Only two of the HDMI inputs are 8K-capable
— Connectivity and input count trail some rivals at the price

$948 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

How they stack up

Denon AVR-S970H

Delivers the same Denon ergonomics, HEOS streaming and 8K gaming support as the pricier Denon AVR-X2800H for noticeably less, but steps down to the lighter Audyssey MultEQ tier and 90W per channel — the lowest power here. It lacks the THX modes of the Onkyo TX-NR6100 and the 360 Spatial Sound Mapping of the Sony STR-AN1000, making it the budget Denon rather than the performance pick.

Sony STR-AN1000

Sony's 360 Spatial Sound Mapping is a feature none of the rivals here offer, conjuring height and width without ceiling speakers in a way the Denon AVR-X2800H, Onkyo TX-NR6100 and Yamaha RX-V6A all rely on physical layouts to achieve. The trade-off is bass control: with no parametric EQ it trails the Audyssey MultEQ XT calibration of the Denon AVR-X2800H, and it offers fewer eight-K HDMI inputs than the Yamaha RX-V6A.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Denon AVR-S970H	Sony STR-AN1000
Channels	7.2	7.2
Power	90W per channel (8 ohm, 20Hz-20kHz)	100W per channel (6 ohm, 1kHz, 1ch driven)
HDMI	6 in / 2 out (3 inputs 8K-capable)	6 in / 2 out (2 inputs 8K-capable)
Video	8K/60Hz, 4K/120Hz, VRR, QFT, ALLM, Dolby Vision, HDR10+	8K/60Hz, 4K/120Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR10
Audio Formats	Dolby Atmos, DTS:X	Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, 360 Spatial Sound Mapping
Room Correction	Audyssey MultEQ	D.C.A.C. IX auto calibration
Streaming	HEOS, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Alexa	Chromecast, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Sonos, Bluetooth
eARC	Yes	—
Expansion	—	Wireless SA-RS5 rears, SA-SW subwoofers

← See the full ranking of best av receivers under $1000