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. Click here to read some customer
reviews on the top rated home theater receivers.
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