They became very fashionable more than a decade ago, when everyone wanted to have a Home Cinema at home. Today, AV receivers remain one of the best investments you can make to transform the home audiovisual experience. They have been modernized with smart features and allow you to create a clean and well-organized setup. Today we will tell you everything you need to know before launching into the purchase of an AV receiver.
What is an AV Receiver?
An AV receiver is a all in one device that allows you to manage all multimedia of your audiovisual equipment in an easy way. Mainly, the receiver is responsible for bringing together all our audio and video devices. He will be in charge of sending that image and sound to some speakers, to a television or even to a projector.
The strong point of the receiver is the sound management. The AV receiver takes the digital audio signal, transforms it into an analog signal, amplifies it if necessary, and then sends it to our speakers. The receiver, as its name suggests, receives an audio and video signal. It processes it, and then sends it to the different peripherals. If we are watching a series or a movie, this process will be done at the same time that the receiver sends the image to the television, so we will have an outstanding listening experience. However, the receiver can work without the television, and we can use it to listen to music, for example.
Advantages of having an AV Receiver
There is a before and after when it comes to putting a receiver at home. These are the main features that you will find in most of the equipment on the market:
Amplification
Televisions are getting thinner all the time. At the same time that year after year, we have had screens with higher image quality, the sound has been getting worse, since there is hardly any physical space to place good speakers.
Anyone who wants to enjoy a complete audiovisual experience at home will not settle for the mediocre speakers built into the television - no matter how premium the product is. In fact, the sound bars They are becoming more and more popular products, as they allow us to recover a large part of the sound quality that we have been losing.
However, more advanced users prefer to make their own custom speaker system. And in this field, the AV receiver is the ideal device to make amplifier.
Cable management
Take a look behind your TV. Lots of wires? Well, with an AV receiver, you will also be able to solve this problem at a stroke. The receiver will be the device to which we will connect all the devices and peripherals that we will use with our television. Whether analog or digital. What will join our receiver to the television will only be a HDMI cable.
With this, you will have killed several birds with one stone. First, you get rid of that dangerous mess of cables that we all have behind our TV. On the other hand, you will not have to change the HDMI source every time you want to change the device, but you will do it through the receiver. And on the other, you'll have everything in one place, and managing new connections won't be as cumbersome as removing the TV and connecting the devices from there.
All in one
This advantage is very much in line with what we have talked about in the previous point. With the receiver you will be able control everything with a single command, and that's perfect when you have several different devices.
Digital and smart features
Many people think that AV receivers are just amplifiers, but they are sorely wrong. Depending on the model, many receivers also allow you to use technologies such as AirPlay. This means that we will be able to send content directly from our mobile phone to our speakers through the receiver.
What should I look at before buying one?
If you are thinking of buying one of these teams, there are a number of factors you should consider to find the device that best suits your needs. They are the following:
Multi-channel audio management
You will need a more complex receiver the larger your speaker network is. The most common receivers have systems 5.1 or 7.1, which are more than enough for most users.
Here you are free to do a little research. The most interesting equipment can be configured to give sound Dolby Atmos 5.1.2, as well as they have support for DTS: X Virtual. It is a matter of planning which team we are going to create and which receiver best suits the design we have in mind.
On the other hand, we have the audio zones. And it is that, the receiver can manage the sound of several rooms simultaneously, as long as we make a correct configuration and we have the appropriate peripherals to separate both installations.
Amplifier type and power
Audio can be amplified in two different ways: by transistors or via tubes. Tubes do a better job than transistors, but they require much more maintenance, which has caused most of the equipment you'll see on the market to be transistorized.
According to the powerDon't be fooled by the numbers. In audio, manufacturers always refer to this concept linked to the electric resistance, which is measured in Ohms. If the manufacturer does not give you data on the impedanceLook for it online so you don't get a bad surprise once you get home.
Output resolution
Receivers are not cheap equipment, so it is usually interesting to buy a model with a view to staying with us for a long time. If you have a TV with 4K resolution, it's not a bad idea to get a receiver that 8K support. If in a few years we change our television, we will not have to spend twice as much buying a new set of these.
Currently, the most modern equipment is compatible with 8K resolution at 60 FPS y 4K 120FPS. This, together with several HDMI 2.1 input sources - important to have more than one - is key when it comes to getting a new computer.
Wireless and smart features and connectivity
Don't just stay with HDMI connectivity. There are other functionalities that it is also interesting to have on the computer, such as EARC or wireless options like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or compatibility with Air Play 2.
Don't just think that the receiver is a simple amplifier. Some have smart features, such as playing music directly from Spotify.
receiver format
There are receivers that are designed to be very flat and can be placed on any piece of furniture, and others that are much wider. Everything will depend on space you have available at home and the leading role you want the team to have.