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Q I am in the market to buy an AV receiver with Dolby Atmos for my basement home theater. I have short-listed the Yamaha RX-A3050, Denon AVR-X5200W, and Marantz SR7010, but it appears that with each of these receivers I will need to buy an additional amplifier to run a Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 configuration. Is this the case? Are there any receivers that support 7.1.4 right out of the box without requiring an external amp? —Bhaskar Vooradi / via e-mail

A The Yamaha, Denon, and Marantz receivers you mention all support a Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 configuration, but each one only has nine built-in amp channels. So, yes—with those receivers, you will need to add an external stereo amp to ramp your system up for 7.1.4. The only true 7.1.4-ready receivers I know of are Onkyo’s TX-NR3030 ($2,399), and Integra’s DTR-70.6 ($2,800), both of which provide 11 built-in amp channels While either of those receivers should fit the bill in providing an all-in-one solution for your Dolby Atmos needs, note that Onkyo and Integra have not announced a pending firmware update for DTS:X support in those units—something that is forthcoming with the other three models on your list. In addition, both the Marantz and Denon are Auro-3D upgradeable. So, if you want the new receiver you buy to support the full suite of next-gen surround sound technologies, you might want to consider the option of adding an external amp.