Home Theater Receivers are the Heart of Your Home Theater System

Here's What You Need to Know About Your A/V Receiver

What’s the most important component in your home theater system? Is it a huge plasma flat screen HDTV? A top-of-the-line 7.1 surround-sound speaker set? Not really... The one component you can’t live without is your a/v receiver. It is what makes it all come together.

A home theater receiver, or mixer, has several basic parts: inputs, a pre-amplifier, power amplifiers and outputs. Almost all a/v receivers have a built-in radio tuner. Newer tuners receive HD and XM-satellite radio signals in addition to AM and FM. Some a/v receivers have other components, such as DVD players built into them too.

Inputs

Your home theater receiver is the central piece of your entertainment system. You can route all of your a/v components through it. When you are buying a home theater receiver, make sure you have inputs for everything you need. Some possibilities include: DVD player, VCR, game systems, computer, MP3, CD player, tape player, cable or satellite, external antenna, or turntable.

Pre-amplifier

The pre-amplifier receives the sound signals and separates them into various channels. Then it sends each channel to the amplifiers.

Amplifiers

There is an amplifier for each speaker, so your a/v receiver will be rated for the number of speakers (plus subwoofer) it will send sound to. If it is a 5.1 receiver, there will be channels for five speakers and a subwoofer. The amplifiers send sound and power to the speakers.

Outputs

The main outputs in a home theater receiver are the speaker outputs, but there is usually also an output for video too. The video output connects to your television set or other video monitor. Some a/v receivers have S-video and HDMI outputs for connecting to the television. These carry both audio and video in one cable. HDMI is capable of carrying HD signals.

Most audio-visual equipment today uses digital signal processing, rather than analog. There are two types of digital audio processing: Dolby and DTS. Some videophiles insist that DTS processing gives better sound because it uses less compression. Most DVDs and HDTV broadcasts are in Dolby, though. A good receiver should be able to decode both Dolby and DTS signals.

When you are buying an a/v receiver, check to see how much power it sends to the speakers. You want to see a power rating given in watts/channel, not total watts. 100 watts/channel is sufficient for most home theater systems.

When you are checking out receivers, watch and listen to sound and video from different inputs. Ask to see the picture with cable TV and DVD inputs. Listen to the sound from both, and from the radio and a CD. Make sure you get good quality video and sound from different input sources.

While you’re at it, check out the all-important remote. Make sure it is clearly marked, easy to use, and that it controls as many components as possible. One easy-to-use universal remote can make a big difference in your home theater experience.

Your home theater receiver is the core component of your system. A good receiver, with all the inputs and outputs you need, makes home theater look and sound great, and makes it easy to set up and to control.

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