Things to know before Buying a New Receiver!
Jul 25 '02 (Updated Jan 27 '03)
The Bottom Line Buy the best receiver that your pocketbook can afford, it is the control center of a home theater system.
If you are in the market for a new receiver or just want to learn some of the terminology then read on. People ask me what is Dolby, what is DTS and so on, I will try to explain the way I understand these terms and more.
The Receiver!
The receiver has changed from stereo of one sound in the left speaker and a different sound in the right speaker. With this the music is split up with some instruments and vocals on the left side and the rest on the right side.
Then came the surround sound that gave you two more speakers and a decoder built-in to separate the sound so that it sounds like it is all around you.
Then came the DVD movies that brings you the theater sound to your home TV set. Now we have a true and real surround sound. Now they take a movie and split the sound into 5 to 7 different speakers to make you feel like you are in the movie.
Dolby Pro Logic
Dolby Pro Logic is 4-channel playback of Dolby Surround-Encoded stereo sources. This gives you the sound effect of different sounds out of four different speakers. Most VHS tapes have Dolby Pro logic.
Dolby Pro Logic II
Dolby Pro Logic II is an advancement over Dolby Pro Logic with processing into a 5.1-channel sound. This process transforms a surround or stereo sound into a 5.1-channel sound. Now you have sound with five separate speakers and one subwoofer.
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital also known as Dolby 5.1 is the most popular form for your surround sound and home theater systems. This is sound like the moviemakers made it for the theaters.
This also consists of five separate speakers and one subwoofer. Normal placement of the speakers is three up front and two in the back. The extra speaker in the front is called the center speaker. In most of the movies you will hear the voices only coming through the center speakers and the left and right front speakers are for the sounds and music. The two rear speakers are usually not as loud as the two front speakers, they are used for sound effect.
Now what you get is watching a movie and you will hear a bullet graze past your ears, you will see a jet coming toward you and it feels like it is flying over you. On the Movie "Days of Thunder" you will actually hear the cars going around you as the are driving around the track.
The subwoofer can be placed anywhere and it will work great. I have mine behind the couch and being so close it will actually rattle the couch and give you a feeling like you are there in the movie.
Dolby Digital EX
Dolby Digital EX is the same as Dolby Digital with a sixth speaker added. This is a 6.1 setup and uses three speakers up front and three in the back plus a subwoofer.
DTS
DTS is a little better than Dolby Digital in sound quality but it hasn’t taken off like they hoped. It is also a 5.1 digital audio system.
DTS-ES
DTS-EX is DTS with an extra speaker giving you a 6.1 digital speaker system. This is considered to be the best of all but time will tell if it will take off.
DTS Neo
This is a format that comes with most receivers that have DTS-EX, it can translate home theater or stereo sound into a 6.1-channel sound.
THX Surround EX
THX Surround EX is decoding of Dolby Digital & Dolby Digital EX for even a more realistic sound in a 6.1 speaker system. It can also be used with DTS, DTS-EX, Dolby Pro Logic and Dolby Pro Logic II.
THX Select and THX Ultra
Was developed by the engineers at Lucasfilm for better audio & video reproduction in cinemas and home theaters.
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Other Receiver Terminology
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Audio Inputs and Outputs
They are two RCA jacks on a receiver for input and output on audio components.
A/V Inputs and Outputs
Consist of three RCA jacks, two for the audio signals (Stereo) and one for the video signal.
Component Video Inputs & Outputs
Considered the best for video has three jacks, one for the brightness (luminance) and two for the color (chrominance) of the video signal.
Digital Inputs and Outputs
There are two types of digital inputs and outputs, optical and coaxial. Optical takes a fiber optic cable and coaxial takes a special coaxial cable made for digital signals.
With these connections you won’t have to run 5 to 6 RCA cables from your receiver to your DVD Player, Satellite Dish or what ever takes these connections.
On-Screen Display
This gives you the ability to adjust you receiver from a TV set.
Phono Input
Is for a turntable connection to the receiver.
Power Amplifier
Is low-voltage signals supplied by a preamplifier and increases it to drive the speakers.
Preamplifier
The preamplifier boosts signals to the voltage level required for the input of a power amplifier.
Preamplifier Inputs and Outputs
Preamplifier in short is also known as preamp. These are RCA jacks used to connect a power amplifier or subwoofer
Tuner
The tuner is for tuning your AM/FM stations in with.
S-Video Inputs
Made for a special S-Video cable for a video input. This provides an excellent picture on your TV set. It is a 4-pin connector.
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How many watts should the receiver have?
First you have to ask yourself, how loud do I listen to the audio and how big is the room that it is going in?
If you are into building a home theater system with a large screen TV I recommend a receiver with at least 100 watts per channel. A small room or small home theater system will do just fine with fewer watts.
Speakers!
All you need with a 5.1 or 6.1 receiver is two speakers to use it as a stereo. If you want the full 5.1 or 6.1 sound I recommend satellite speaker with more watts than the receiver has and a powered subwoofer. You will need five to six speakers plus one subwoofer for the 5.1 or 6.1 sound.
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I hope this is helpful to someone on choosing a receiver or learning some of the terminology. I know there is probably more to add and I will add more to this review later on. All definitions are in my words and I tried to simplify them for easy understanding.
Thank you for reading my review!
Here are some of my receiver reviews!
Onkyo TX DS787 Surround Sound AV receiver
Sony XM Satellite Radio Receiver Home Package
Polk DS7200 Home Theater System
Harman/Kardon AVR 520 Surround Sound AV Receiver
The Harman Kardon AVR 325 Receiver
Kenwood VR 4080 Surround Sound AV receiver
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