At $600, the Denon DHT-1513BA has a lot going for it. While it is a bare-bones receiver, it has discrete amplification (75watts x 5), 3D pass-through, GUI over HDMI, and multiple HDMI inputs.

This in-a-box system has more street cred than most. It includes a mainstream A/V receiver that's sold separately for $250 as the Denon AVR-1513. And it adds speakers from a brand that's been making good ones for a long time: Boston Acoustics, Denon's...