Home cinema amplifiers are a personal favourite category of mine. Despite being one of the most awkward products to set up and test in our home cinema room, the cinematic sound payoff is, more often than not, a total joy to experience.
It's been far too long since we've had an AVR to test in our home cinema room, which is a shame considering we've had a handful of impressive surround sound speaker packages from the likes of KEF and Fyne Audio.
In fact, 2025 was a pretty disappointing year for new AVRs, as new reveals were slim to none. Sony, Denon, JBL, Arcam and Yamaha were all suspiciously quiet, whereas Marantz did show off a high-end pre-amp and power amp duo, but that's about it.
Thankfully, 2026 immediately seems to be off to a better start, and we have an inkling that it could be the start of a much bigger year for the product category.
This confidence has been inspired by the announcement of Arcam's absolutely stunning-looking Radia AV range, which includes no less than three new AVRs and a processor/power amp combo. If these AVRs sound as good as they look, we're in for a total treat.
Arcam seems to be targeting the upper-mid-range AVR market with its new AVA15 (£2599 / €2999 / $3000), whereas its two more premium models – the AVA25 (£4499 / €4999 / $5000) and AVA35 (£5999 / €6999 / $7000) – look to covering the upper price range and, most importantly, challenge the Award-winning Marantz Cinema 30.
With a plethora of HDMI 2.1 sockets, a 6.5-inch glass-bonded full colour display, and between 12 and 16 channels of amplification depending on the model you choose, this new AVR range already has me on the edge of my seat.
While it's great to see Arcam take the first step in launching new AVRs in 2026, what I'm really hoping for is that this new range of AVRs will be a sign of things to come from other manufacturers for later this year.
I've already mentioned that many AV amplifier brands have been suspiciously quiet for over a year. Denon unveiled its last AVR, the exceptional AVC-X6800H, back in 2023, whereas Yamaha has remained tight-lipped regarding new AVRs since its last launch in 2021.
The less said about Sony, the better; I'm still waiting for another model to accompany the repeat Award-winning TA-AN1000 after it hit the market back in 2023.
While I won't get my hopes up for Sony currently, as it has bigger fish to fry with its new home entertainment partner, TCL, I do hope that Denon, Yamaha and JBL are priming new models as we speak.
We're overdue for new ranges from all of those mentioned above, and I think that my patience will be rewarded later this year. An AVR renaissance is on the cards for 2026; I just hope that it comes to fruition.
MORE:
Arcam’s Radia AV line of home cinema amps promises serious movie magic
Read our full Marantz Cinema 30 review
And check out our picks for the best AV receivers
