Pyle Bluetooth Home Theater Receiver Hi Fi Stereo System - 7.2 Channel Surround Sound Amplifier Entertainment System with ARC Support, MP3/USB/DAC/FM Radio, PMPO: 1200MAX - PT885BT

This receiver delivers excellent performance at an affordable price. The design is solid and the interface basic and not overly complicated. I personally like the simplicity of the front panel, it does everything I need without being difficult for me to use. With 7.2 channel configuration, this is true surround sound for immersive audio when watching my favorite movies. It is plenty powerful to power my speakers and provide big sound. I’m using for a home theater with the HDMI inputs but it can work with other inputs as well like USB and bluetooth if I just want to play tunes. It also has auxiliary and RCA inputs, amongst others, so lot of options. Setup is pretty straightforward. Though not super high end, the performance is terrific and the price point made a great sound setup accessible to me.

WARNING! This product does NOT have support for Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos, or DTS. HDMI inputs ONLY allow for PCM or LPCM audio encoding, and are stereo only inputs. After troubleshooting this product with extensive audio testing using multiple devices including a PS5, two PCs, a Fire Stick 4K, and ARC, I've concluded that the HDMI inputs only allow for stereo input, and that input can only accept PCM or LPCM audio encoding. Trying to enable Dolby Digital or DTS results in an electrical grinding-like noise. The only way to get true 7.1 surround is via the 7.1 RCA inputs, which limits the use for this receiver to devices that have analogue outputs (so pretty much PCs with high-end motherboards or sound cards). The means in which I've concluded this was by looking at the sound settings on both PCs that I own. When I connected my PCs to my TV through HDMI (which is a 7.1 capable device), the PC sound settings recognized it was 7.1 capable and allowed me to configure it as such. However, when connecting directly to this receiver through HDMI, the ONLY option available was stereo. I specifically bought this receiver because it was one of TWO receivers that still have 7.1 RCA analogue input, and both are by Pyle. So, in that regard, this receiver has what I wanted, but I'm disappointed that I can't use other devices and get 7.1 surround from them. Unless you're okay with using this receiver for PCs with 7.1 analogue out to actually get surround, and are okay with all 8 speakers playing the same thing when using HDMI, you're better off saving your money and getting a better receiver. This one does the job as far as giving the idea of what surround sound can offer, but you get what you pay for.

Unit was defective out of the box. The left side of the cd/dvd input was bad and the ARC port did not work at all. all I got was noise.

This Home Theater Receiver is powerful and has transformed our tv viewing room into a movie theatre - the experience at home has become much more enjoyable getting the same movie theatre quality but in the comfort of my home. It’s quite powerful - it has 400 watts and is super easy to connect to Bluetooth. We use it for our watching movies but also we do karaoke on it when we have guests over. It has a ton of different functions like echo and delay effects which makes it a lot of fun. There are multiple input options. The user-friendly design allows me to easily switch between my devices.

Amazing sound

This receiver from Pyle is a good way to integrate a basic home theater system. Hooking up to a television is easy, thanks to the audio return channel (ARC). This picks up both audio and video, so there are a lot fewer wires that have to be threaded through the wall. Also, I really like the Bluetooth on this unit - this can be paired to a computer to have access to an endless supply. This unit also has a DAC input if you're serious about hooking up a PC. The speaker connections are straightforward. I like having the option to use plugs or binding terminals. Plus, this device was able to pick up my aging active sub. The sounds quality is good, and seems well suited to home theater in a small to medium-sized room. Distinguishing voices and calibrating the center channel work well. It struggles with music at higher volumes, though. And, there's a bit of a hum when nothing is being played. Also, although it has "loudness" and treble/bass buttons, this is a poor substitute for an equalizer. The remote is rather weak, too - spongy buttons and laggy. But, this receiver does coordinate with my other devices, so it can tie into the TV's controls.

Great buy

This amp has a great set of features, including ARC so you can get surround sound signals via HDMI from your smart TV, and does work. It sounds reasonably good when playing music as far as I can tell. It's not going to deafen anyone with loudness, but you know that when buying this at this power rating. However, it does have a flaw. When it's on and has no signal, it emits a notable standby sound through the speakers (at least front main and surround speakers). I tested it on all inputs and at different volumes. It's a constant buzz that annoys me when I e.g. pause the music for a while but don't want to turn off the amp. I recorded it in the attached video so you can hear it. I also whipped out some frequency plots from audacity so you can see the specific frequency components. I thought we were at a sophistication level in audio electronics to not have audible standby buzz these days, but I guess not.