An important part of a home cinema system that is composed of separate components is the receiver, also called AV receiver. This part of your home cinema system receives all incoming signals and ensures that your speakers are provided with a signal and the image goes towards the TV. On this page you will find all tips and advice for buying and setting up a receiver. We also explain the most important functions and features.
The base
Before you dive into the world of the receiver or the amplifier, it is good to understand the basics. What exactly is an AV receiver, what does the device do, what can you connect to it and why is it not an amplifier? We explain the basics of the receiver in the articles below.
- Introduction receiver
- What is an AV receiver?
- What is an amplifier?
- What is the difference between an amplifier and a receiver?
- The connections of a receiver
Buy AV Receiver
Buying a new receiver is not easy as there are hundreds of different functions that you can take into account. In the articles below, we give a number of tips for buying an AV receiver.
- What should you pay attention to when buying an AV receiver?
- A 5.1 or 7.1 channel home cinema receiver: Which is the best choice?
- When is it time to upgrade your receiver?
- Are you going to buy an amplifier? Then read these tips and advice
- Which speakers suit my AV receiver best?
Tips and advice for advanced users
AV receivers are complex devices with numerous possibilities. For example, you can connect various sources to them, they are full of features, different speaker layouts are possible and you can choose from a large number of surround formats. That is why you will find an explanation of the most important features and functions below.
Terms and Specifications
Receivers come with numerous features, terms and specifications that may not all tell you equally. In the articles below, we highlight a number of these terms and various important specifications of receivers.
- What is the bi-amp feature on receivers?
- What is RMS Power?
- Overview: All streaming options on AV receivers at a glance
- All About Amplifier Classes: What Is Class A, AB, D and More?
- How much power does your receiver or amplifier need?
- What is the difference between THX Select 2 and THX Ultra 2?
- Audyssey MultEQ: What Is It and How Does It Work?
- What is Spotify Connect and how does it work?
- HDCP 2.2: what is it and how does it work?
- How does multi-zone and multi-room audio work on a home cinema receiver?
- Dirac: what is it and how does it work?
- Background: Dirac Live 2 – calibration software for home use
Audio formats
The purpose of a receiver is of course mainly to reproduce audio. This can be two-channel (stereo) audio in the form of music, or it can be multi-channel audio (surround sound) for movie playback. There are various audio formats that are supported by receivers, the most important of which we discuss in the articles below.
- Auro 3D: what is it and how does it work?
- Dolby Atmos: what is it and how does it work?
- DTS: X and DTS Neural: X: what is it and how does it work?
- DTS Headphone: X in your living room: What is it and how do you listen to it?
- DTS Virtual: X: what is it and how does it work?
- An overview of all surround formats and audio techniques
- What is Dolby Pro Logic, Pro Logic II and Pro Logic IIx surround sound?
- What is the difference between Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio?
- High-res (high resolution) audio: What is it and how do you play it?
Add Comment