| Unless you're buying an all-in-one home theater
in a box (HTIB), you'll need to have a decent receiver to power
your system. Most A/V receivers these days are 7.1 channel receivers
(seven channels plus a subwoofer), although many people (like
me) won't need the extra two channels and are content with 5.1
surround sound.
Some receivers allow you to assign the extra two channels to
a second zone. This allows you to watch a DVD in one room while
someone in another room is listening to FM or satellite radio.
(Or even iPod tunes if the receiver supports it!)
I have Pioneer receivers powering all three of my home theater
surround sound systems, including a Pioneer Elite receiver for
my new system. I have been very happy with the performance of
all of these receivers.
Here's why I like Pioneer home theater receivers:
- Ease of use: Some units are just too complicated
to learn, I haven't had a problem figuring out the various features
available in Pioneer receivers.
- Dialogue enhance mode: Both of my standard
Pioneer receivers have this feature, and it's really great.
With the press of a button, it increases the presence of the
center channel speaker (where most dialogue is generated) which
helps the dialogue stand out over the sound effects, background
music, etc.
- Digital Signal Processing (DSP) modes: Although
some home theater 'purists' hate these, I happen to like them.
They apply different acoustic effects such as 'stadium', 'concert
hall', etc. to the soundtrack to allow you to tailor your surround
sound experience. On my Pioneer VSX-815 receiver I especially
like the Virtual 7.1 mode which creates the illusion of two
back surround channels on a 5.1 system.
- Auto Calibration: Pioneer calls this MCACC,
other brands have different names. Both my 815 and my Pioneer
Elite VSX-92TXH receivers have it, and it is a definite MUST
HAVE in any decent receiver. You simply hook up the supplied
microphone and place it in your primary seating position. The
calibration sets speaker size, distances, and EQ levels. The
Pioneer VSX-815 calibrates each speaker with a 7-band equalizer.
Elite receiver has an advanced MCACC system that give you flexibility
to calibrate to multiple seating positions (among other things).
The levels can also be tweaked and saved as custom settings.
Home theater receiver shopping tips:
- After determining your price range, find a store that sells
the brands that you're considering. See if you can listen to
each receiver through the same set of speakers (preferably ones
within your price range).
- Make sure the receiver has enough inputs for all of your
components, plus room for future growth. HDMI switching allows
you to connect all your components to the receiver, and run
just a single HDMI cable to your display. This is especially
helpful if your TV has only one HDMI input. It's great- if you
can get it within your price range.
- Unless you're an expert or enjoy manually setting up everything,
try to get a receiver with auto-calibration.
- Listen to each receiver's DSP modes. If nothing else, it
will help you determine whether or not they're important to
you.
- Find reliable online and/or print resources for reviews.
The people that do it for a living can spend more time testing/comparing
than you'd be willing to do. Do not think of the reviewer as
the definitive answer (remember it's still just one person's
opinion), but factor the reviews into your final determination.
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