If capitalism has shown us anything, it’s that money is power. Skew that into a home cinema context and that correlation isn’t necessarily as straightforward – you don’t need to spend much to get a fair bit of muscle, as the entry-level 5.1-channel Pioneer VSX-531 proves.

Delivering a claimed 130W per channel (into 6 ohms) for a rather thrifty (in AV amplifier terms) £250/$375, it’s a decent bedrock from which to begin your inevitable life-spanning march towards surround sound.