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Are you puzzled about whether you need an audio component receiver or not? Need some advice on its basic functions and an instruction list for choosing the best one? Then you are in the right place. In the following article we inform you of the main functions AV Receivers have, their advantages and the reasons for installing an AV receiver in your house.
It’s not surprising that in our fast-paced world, technological innovations have made our lives more comfortable. However, not all of us are able to understand the sometimes complicated makeup of these new technologies. AV Receivers are one of the many inventions that we are going to talk about. Sometimes people find it difficult to comprehend the need of using an AV Receiver.
First of all, AV receivers will guarantee good quality sound. Secondly, they are very simple to add to your TV in case it doesn’t have enough inputs compared to the number of your video components. Ultimately, a single AV Receiver will replace a number of other devices that you’ll need to purchase to get the same results.
Let’s get into more details about AV Receivers and their benefits. So what is an AV Receiver? In short, an AV Receiver is the electronic hub of your home theater controlling and directing the experience. In order to be able to choose a high-quality AV Receiver, you need to understand its functions and efficiency. The main reason for an AV Receiver is to receive audio and video signals from a number of sources and transmit them to loudspeakers and a display. The display device can be a projector or a television.
ChannelsCommonly, AV Receivers have 5 channels of amplification, providing power to the left, right, center, left surround and right surround speakers. Those are referred to as 5.1 receivers. However, the 7.1 receivers have recently become more popular and widespread. They add two more channels: left rear surround and right rear surround.
Note: The “.1” is the LFE – low-frequency effects/bass channel. Its signal is sent to an amplified subwoofer unit.
Amplifier powerAudio amplifier power is identified in watts. Taking into consideration the logarithmic nature of human hearing, in order to sound twice as loud, the audio power or, the SPL (sound pressure level), needs to be raised by ten times. So, the logarithmic choice for the measurement of SPL – in decibels (dBs). A rise of, say, 10dBs causes a perceived doubling of loudness. We should mention that we can’t compare the perceived loudness of amplifiers depending only on their power in watts, because there are a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration. These include: country, manufacturer, model, distortion, headroom, as wells as speaker efficiency.
DecodersDepending on the number of audio information channels, AV Receivers can provide one or more decoders. Since the introduction of DVD’s, the standard surround sound processing format is considered to be Dolby Digital, which has inputs and amplifiers for the additional channels. Before this, the common format was Dolby Pro Logic that provided only four channels. A less common decoder is DTS (Dedicated to Sound), designed mainly for receivers with 6 amplifiers (6.1). Dolby has also another innovation: Dolby Pro Logic II which has the function of playback for stereo sources. However, AV Receivers are being provided with newer receivers, as high standard players are being introduced.
DSP effectsWhen using an AV Receiver, you might fall into various default and audio effects. This is when Digital Signal Processors (DSP) come in to use. Some AV Receivers offer equalizers and can balance adjustments to complex DSP audio field simulations like “Hall”, “Opera”, and more, giving the effect of surround sound and echo.
AV inputs/outputsHere is the list of standard connectors on AV Receivers: Analog audio (RCA connector, or occasionally XLR connector) – RCA input and output connectors are common; XLR connectors are uncommon and mainly used for cassette tape decks.
Digital audio (S/PDIF, TOSLINK or RCA terminated coaxial cable) – normal devices for these connectors are CD, DVD players or satellite receivers, enabling the transmission of PCM, Dolby Digital and DTS audio.
Composite video (RCA connector) – standard on all receivers, it can switch between various video devices (VHS players, cable boxes and game consoles).
S-Video – better quality with the usage of DIN jack.
SCART – provides video and audio in one connection, uses RGB signaling, mainly used in Europe.
Component video – high quality signaling offers a good compromise between resolution and color definition.
HDMI – Relatively new technology providing for the transmission of audio and video.
USB – needs specific computer circuitry for video formats.
Video conversion and upscalingSome AV receivers provide conversion from one video format to another. This process is known as “upconversion” or “transcoding”. There are also receivers that have the ability of de-interlacing the video signals, i.e. changing common analog television signals into a non-interlaced form.
Radio on AVRsThere are radio or AM/FM tuners provided by some receivers, but this is an optional feature.
AV Receivers are also called digital audio-video receivers or digital media renderers. They are classified as audio frequency electronic amplifiers. They mainly have the ability of increasing the power of signals. This isn’t the only important function of AV Receivers. With the development of new technology, AV Receivers offer even more features regularly and they are no less significant than the amplifying function. AV Receivers can handle a number of functions which include the following:
In order to purchase the specific AV Receiver you need, pay attention to some important things. Here are a few tips for buying quality Av Receivers:
Now that you have gotten acquainted with the main functions of AV Receivers and learned about the advantages they offer, you will be able to choose the perfect AV Receiver for you!
The total Reviews Bee rating sums up the overall picture of every product. Reviews Bee works tirelessly to ensure that we are providing the best product recommendations to you and your family. In rating the various audio component receivers available, we strive to give you the best information possible. Our algorithm includes information from both expert and consumer resources. There is no need to spend hours on researches, because Reviews Bee instantly gives all researches and analysis for you and creates a Top list to save your time and money.
Reviews Bee collects consumer review information from popular retail websites including Amazon, eBay, BBB, Yelp, Consumerrepports, etc. In addition, Reviews Bee utilizes reputable market niche websites, to include in the product ranking decision. Using the feedback of actual customers in coordination with expert evaluations enables us to provide each product with a score that takes into account all trustworthy information available on that item.
We came up with the popularity score for every audio component receiver provider while analyzing 28 expert sites that are trustworthy. Based on our detailed evaluation, each audio component receiver is assigned an expert popularity score based upon how many times each product is positively mentioned by experts in the industry.
By analyzing all the expert review sites our algorithm summed up the average ranking for every audio component receiver in their rankings and that is how we came up with the final score for each audio component receiver brand.
We managed to gather more than 4562 reviews from 13 reliable sources and our algorithm calculated the average score for each brand.
In order to understand how satisfied those consumers were, we analyzed the total number of reviews. We collected all the reviews and the number of stars people gave for each product. Based on these findings we came up with the average customer rating. This is how we managed to bring out the audio component receivers reviews through which you know how the consumer can rate the audio component receiver.
In order to make our results authentic, we don’t limit ourselves to just the positive rankings factors but we also take complaints from all over the web into consideration and figure out how many customers were complaining about the product.
Through this, we show both sides of the product whether it’s positive or negative in nature. This then makes it a negative factor in our algorithm. This as a result makes the best audio component receivers reviews. That is why audio component receivers reviews not only have positive comments mentioned but also the negatives as well.
