What 7.2 receivers are affordable and best for those who DON'T want all those bells and whistles?

[EdisonsChildren]

Have upgraded to Jamo S809 7.2 speaker system from a 5.1 small integrated denon based system which was an inclusive package with receiver and bluray and tiny speakers.

Have begun looking at all of the choices out there for Atmos height elevation A/V receivers to make the most of a Samsung Q7 series 4k UHD TV.

However we sincerely don't trust all the Alexa/Google networking devices. Don't want them in my house. Don't want anything that's listening in and taking notes on what we do when we do it. So all of these new app based things we don't need. Don't need HEOS don't need musicast or any of these other functions.

Just want a terrific 7.2 receiver that is well under the $1000 that will make the subs sound deep and smooth and give us a true Atmos experience.

If you are unfamiliar with the Jamo S800 series, they are related to Klipsch and are 8 ohm / 120 rated speakers

So again to sum up.

Don't want to pay for all these bells and whistles that we have no interest in utilizing. Just want an 8 ohm system that will power these speakers. Don't need wireless, don't need a 2nd zone, don't need all these apps and certainly don't want to pay extra for any of the above which will never get utilized. Just an excellent 7.2 that full incorporates and integrates the height elevation with enough drive and guts to get the most out of these speakers that has 4k UHD pass-through or high enough quality 4k upscaling to make it worth having "upscaling".

Can anyone help us sort through this sea of "over featured" AV Receivers to find something both affordable ($350-599) and excellent with Atmos height/elevation without paying for all the things we won't ever use?
(Example of the Jamo speaker system being utilized below.)

 

[Darbo]

If you need atmos and 4k hdr then you're gonna have to bite the bullet and pick an amp because they pretty much all come with some peripheral functions you'll never use, I've had my str dn860 for 5 years and only recently noticed that it has Spotify...
With regards to to Google/alexa and what have you, they need to be activated and signed into, if you don't touch them they can't hear you.
I would recommend the Sony str dn1080 because it's old enough not to have voice control but recent enough to do 4k hdr, it also does atmos but check the owners thread first, I read that it has a bug regarding atmos but I can't remember what it is.
Maybe check the lower end of the market, the big names have some starter amps that might cater to your needs (though might be lacking in the power department).

 

[Deleted member 24354]

You may also want to ditch your TV and it’s remote as both have inbuilt mics. The TV ones afaik are always on and always listening. Just sayin’