Player Receiver

Player Receiver
Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson a real playmaker
-- Eagles Pro Bowl receiver DeSean Jackson took the handoff from teammate Donovan McNabb and fired a bomb downfield during a practice session with the NFC squad this week.
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The home theater receiver or AV receiver, as some would term it, is the central unit of your home theater system. Without it, all your other components would probably not be able to deliver. The receiver receives input so you won't have to purchase components such as the Preamp, Tuner and multi-channel amplifier, separately to give output.

The receiver typically does what the Preamp, Tuner and multi-channel amplifier do and certainly not by compromising quality. You will still be looking at the same quality if you had purchased all three components individually, but one thing's for sure, you definitely save quite a bit with buying just a receiver to do the job.

For those who are mindful of their budget and expenditure, a receiver would certainly serve them well. On the other hand, for those who have the capacity to and wish to splurge thousands on their home theater system, are certainly free to buy each component separately.

So what should you be looking out for in a home theater receiver?

Between a wireless receiver and a regular one, there are differences and you are sure to see the pros and cons with each one. Hence, you will need to find out as much as you can about them before you head out to the nearest electronics store, shopping for a receiver.

Also, when it comes to wattage, do not allow yourself to be fooled by the numbers on the side of the receiver box. Though watts are important, it is always true that a receiver with a higher wattage indicates more power and better sound quality. You will then have to consider other factors such as the distortion factor, which means the louder the decibels, the less clearly you can hear what's being played.

A receiver is built to work together with the other components in your home theater system and you will be certain to want good and clear sound from the receiver you are about to spend hardearned money on. Therefore, be sure to consider the signal to noise ratio, instead of just the wattage. The signal to noise ratio allows you to compare the signal to the background noise.

You will also want to pay attention to a receiver's ability to decode the latest audio codecs like Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio which are the best sounding audio codecs now. Before you spend any money on a home theater receiver, do your homework. Check product reviews and make sure that you're getting the best your money can buy. Make sure you take the time to check out how the receiver handles before you buy.

Kenneth Atkinson is a sound engineer by training and is an avid home theater enthusiast. He uses primarily Denon gear in his own home theater setup. You can read his current reviews of Denon AV receivers is his home theater review site.

Player Receiver

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Tagged with: Channel Amplifier • Player Receiver • Speaker Wire