Billy Bommer

Mixcraft Pro Studio has the largest loop library of all the music production programs we tested. Its huge, diverse loop library; user-friendly interface; and deep editing toolbox make this a great program for producing music if you have limited experience playing musical instruments.

PreSonus’ Studio One music production software is one of the newest programs we reviewed.

Cubase Elements 9.5 is more than just entry-level music production software – it’s also a comprehensive Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).

Ableton Live Intro is the entry-level version of the Ableton Live Suite. The Intro version of this music production software has the same user interface but a more limited selection of instruments and sample loop packs than the Suite and Standard versions.

Logic Pro X may seem like expensive music production software, but it’s editing and production tools are comparable to those in programs that cost three times as much.

QuickScore Elite Level II is notation software with some unique audio and MIDI editing tools. Its interface is arranged in a familiar window system that contains all the editing and note input tool palettes.

MagicScore Maestro 8 doesn't have the most visually appealing interface, and it isn't as intuitively laid out as the best programs we reviewed. Still, it's an excellent choice for music notation software.

Editor’s Note: This product has been removed from our side-by-side comparison because it has been discontinued.

Editor’s Note: This product has been removed from our side-by-side comparison because it has been discontinued.

Onkyo has been in the audio component market for over 70 years, so it’s a pretty good bet that its products are well designed and produce high-quality audio.

The Harman Kardon AVR 1710S is a thoroughly modern, though not future-proof, AV receiver. It comes in a sleek and slim chassis and can power up to seven speakers and two subwoofers.

The NAD T 748 v2 is a home theater receiver with good power output and the most popular audio decoders for surround sound. However, it has few features beyond that.

The Yamaha RX-V483 is the most affordable AV receiver we reviewed, and you get a lot of power for the price.

The Marantz NR1508 is a 5.2-channel AV receiver with a power output of 50 watts per channel when paired with 8-ohm speakers, which is underpowered compared to similarly priced models.

The Sony STR-DN1080 is a 7.2-channel home theater receiver with excellent power handling and exceptional connectivity.

The Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A670 is a powerful AV receiver designed to be the hub of your home theater. It has one of the best power outputs in this price range and can easily power any size home theater speakers.

The Pioneer VSX-LX102 AV receiver earns our Top Ten Reviews Bronze Award.

The Fluance DB12 home subwoofer has a stylish cabinet design and full feature set, but we were underwhelmed by it during our listening tests.

The Yamaha NS-SW300 sounded great in every phase of our testing. This 10-inch home subwoofer has the lowest low-frequency rating in our test group, which helps it compete with larger, more powerful 12-inch woofers.

The Velodyne Impact 10 has the smallest cabinet of any home subwoofer we tested, so it’s easy to find an inconspicuous place to put it where it still sounds good, even in a small entertainment r

The Pioneer SW-10 has a unique cabinet design that uses a front-firing port to project low-end content from a down-firing speaker. In fact, this is the only subwoofer we tested with a down-firing speaker.

The JBL Arena Sub 100P is a 10-inch powered subwoofer with a compact and good-looking cabinet design.

The Klipsch Reference 110SW subwoofer was only slightly outperformed by the best models we tested. The 10-inch copper spun woofer did well in both our movie and music listening tests, and it looks great too.

The Polk Audio DSW 660 is a powerful and well-designed home subwoofer. Its unique features, including optional wireless connectivity and remote volume control, make it easy to change the settings to best suit your entertainment room.

Editor’s Note: This product has been removed from our side-by-side comparison because it has been discontinued.