4 of the 11 AV receivers whose manufacturer publishes a US list price fall in this band. Every figure below is the manufacturer’s own, linked to the page it came from.
Last verified: 2026-08-09
What “mid-range” means here
A price band has to be drawn somewhere, so we draw it on manufacturer list price and say where. This page is $1,500 up to $3,000. List price is not street price. These models discount, some of them heavily, and a model at the top of one band is often bought for less than one at the bottom of the next. We do not publish retailer prices, because a price we cannot keep current is worse than no price at all. Use the band to narrow the field, then check what it actually costs today.
We hold 16 AV receivers in the database. 11 of them have a list price published by the manufacturer; the other 5 do not, and are named at the foot of this page rather than guessed into a band.
The 4 in this band
Denon AVR-X3800H
- List price
- $1,799
- Amplified channels
- 9
- Power
- 105 W (8 ohm, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08% THD, 2ch driven)
- Main-zone pre-outs
- 11 channels (full)
- 4-ohm rating
- not published
- Tallest layout
- 7.2.4 (requires 2 channels of external amplification)
What the published figures favour
- Every main-zone channel can be handed to an external amplifier, so the amplifier section inside it is never the ceiling.
- 9 amplified channels, enough for 7.2.4 (requires 2 channels of external amplification) without adding a power amplifier.
- 4 subwoofer outputs, which is what independent multi-subwoofer correction needs.
What to check before buying
- No 4-ohm rating published. 8 and 6 ohm ratings only. No 4-ohm rating published.
- Power is published with two channels driven only, so the figure overstates what it delivers with a full surround bed running.
What reviewers report 2 published reviews read
Both reviewers rate this highly and both name the same ceiling, from opposite directions. One reaches it by comparison — rivals have more drive — and the other by load, saying the onboard amplification runs short of the most demanding systems. Neither treats it as a reason not to buy; both treat it as the thing to check against your own speakers before you do.
Consistently praised
- The feature set at the price is what both reviews lead on. Nine channels of amplification with processing for more, and connectivity described by one reviewer as future-proofed and by the other as unheard of at this price. Both point out it can act as a processor and hand the amplification to something external.
- Both describe the sound as refined, and both use that word. One adds warm; the other reports the refinement holding across all its test material. Where they agree is the character: this is a receiver that smooths rather than sharpens.
- Room correction is a choice here rather than a fixed fitting, and both reviews treat that as a genuine feature rather than a bullet point.
Consistently criticised
- Both reviewers put the same limit on it, arriving from different directions. One says rivals of similar price have more sonic drive; the other says there is not enough onboard amplifier power for the most demanding systems. Read together that is two independent sources on one point: this receiver’s amplifier section, not its processing, is what you will run out of first. It is also the reason the pre-out capability in the praise column matters — the way past this limit is an external power amplifier, not a different setting.
Reviewers point to it suiting
A system where the processing has to outlast the speakers, and where an external power amplifier is an acceptable later purchase rather than an admission of failure.
Reviewers suggest looking elsewhere if
You want the receiver to be the last amplifier you buy while driving demanding speakers, or you want a receiver that pushes rather than smooths.
Sources: What Hi-Fi? · AVForums. These are other reviewers’ findings, not ours — we have not heard this speaker.
Marantz CINEMA 60
- List price
- $1,800
- Amplified channels
- 7
- Power
- 100 W (8 ohm, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08% THD, 2ch driven)
- Main-zone pre-outs
- 7 channels (full)
- 4-ohm rating
- not published
- Tallest layout
- 5.2.2
What the published figures favour
- Every main-zone channel can be handed to an external amplifier, so the amplifier section inside it is never the ceiling.
- 2 subwoofer outputs, which is what independent multi-subwoofer correction needs.
What to check before buying
- No 4-ohm rating published. 8 and 6 ohm ratings only.
- Power is published with two channels driven only, so the figure overstates what it delivers with a full surround bed running.
Denon AVR-X4800H
- List price
- $2,799
- Amplified channels
- 9
- Power
- 125 W (8 ohm, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.05% THD, 2ch driven)
- Main-zone pre-outs
- 11 channels (full)
- 4-ohm rating
- not published
- Tallest layout
- 7.1.4 (requires 2 channels of external amplification)
What the published figures favour
- Every main-zone channel can be handed to an external amplifier, so the amplifier section inside it is never the ceiling.
- 9 amplified channels, enough for 7.1.4 (requires 2 channels of external amplification) without adding a power amplifier.
- 4 subwoofer outputs, which is what independent multi-subwoofer correction needs.
What to check before buying
- No 4-ohm rating published. 8 and 6 ohm ratings only.
- Power is published with two channels driven only, so the figure overstates what it delivers with a full surround bed running.
What reviewers report 2 published reviews read
The two reviews agree completely about films and flatly contradict each other about music. That disagreement is the most useful thing either of them says, so it is recorded here as a disagreement rather than resolved into a verdict we are not in a position to reach.
Consistently praised
- Films are where both reviewers put it, and they describe the same strengths in different words. One reports clean, dynamic performance and a thrilling sound with blockbuster material; the other reports impressive effects steering for the class, fine multi-channel cohesion and a loaded sound stage. Steering and cohesion are what a surround bed is for, and neither reviewer qualifies the praise.
- Both also arrive at value, from different starting points. One concludes it looks expensive but is not; the other recommends it specifically to someone upgrading from the budget end or fitting out a small to midsize room.
Consistently criticised
- <b>The two sources disagree about two-channel music, and we are not going to pick a side.</b> One writes that music sources could be warmer and smoother, and that purists may find stereo material too harsh. The other says it sounds thrilling with music as readily as with films. Both listened; they reached different conclusions. If most of your listening is stereo, this is the one specification-based shortlisting cannot settle for you, and the honest advice is to hear it on your own material before committing.
Reviewers point to it suiting
A film-first room, where the receiver spends most of its life decoding a surround bed rather than playing two-channel music.
Reviewers suggest looking elsewhere if
Stereo music is the main use. The published reviews split on exactly that point, and no figure in our database resolves it.
Sources: Tom’s Guide · AVForums. These are other reviewers’ findings, not ours — we have not heard this speaker.
Marantz CINEMA 50
- List price
- $2,800
- Amplified channels
- 9
- Power
- 110 W (8 ohm, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08% THD, 2ch driven)
- Main-zone pre-outs
- 11 channels (full)
- 4-ohm rating
- not published
- Tallest layout
- 7.2.4 (requires 2 channels of external amplification)
What the published figures favour
- Every main-zone channel can be handed to an external amplifier, so the amplifier section inside it is never the ceiling.
- 9 amplified channels, enough for 7.2.4 (requires 2 channels of external amplification) without adding a power amplifier.
- 4 subwoofer outputs, which is what independent multi-subwoofer correction needs.
What to check before buying
- No 4-ohm rating published. 8 and 6 ohm ratings only.
- Power is published with two channels driven only, so the figure overstates what it delivers with a full surround bed running.
At a glance
| Model | List price | Amplified channels | Main-zone pre-outs | 4-ohm rating | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denon AVR-X3800H | $1,799 | 9 | 11 ch | not published | source |
| Marantz CINEMA 60 | $1,800 | 7 | 7 ch | not published | source |
| Denon AVR-X4800H | $2,799 | 9 | 11 ch | not published | source |
| Marantz CINEMA 50 | $2,800 | 9 | 11 ch | not published | source |
What this page could not include
These AV receivers are in our database, but their manufacturers do not publish a US list price, so there is no honest way to say which band they belong in:
- Yamaha RX-V6A — no list price on the manufacturer’s US page
- Yamaha RX-A4A — no list price on the manufacturer’s US page
- Yamaha RX-A6A — no list price on the manufacturer’s US page
- Onkyo TX-NR6100 — no list price on the manufacturer’s US page
- Arcam AVR11 — no list price on the manufacturer’s US page
We will not take a price from a retailer listing to fill that gap. Retailer prices move, and a band built on one would be wrong within the month.
Related
- AV receivers Under $1,500 — the same category, lower band
- AV receivers Over $3,000 — the same category, higher band
- AV receivers ranked by main-zone pre-out channels — the whole category by upgrade path
- The gear database — every figure used here, with its source
- How we work — the method, and where it breaks