When you are looking at home theater receivers, you will immediately notice many different options. The sheer number of receivers to choose from can make selecting one a bit overwhelming. First, you should understand that there is no such thing as a “complete” home theater system. Some of the basic components are not included. For example, you will need a television. While a home theater has video capabilities, unless you buy a package deal, you will have to purchase your monitor or television separately. Additionally, most of these systems do not include a dvd or Blu-ray player. With that being said, some high end products do include these items.
Most home theater receivers include a digital tuner and speakers, such as Onkyo HT-RC180 Home Theater Receiver. The digital tuner allows you to listen to the radio. If you already have speakers and want just the receiver, make sure that your existing speakers are compatible with the system you buy. Learn about the different channels and what they are used for. If you have a five channel receiver, but have six speakers in the system, you will not get the desired effect. By the same token, if you use a five speaker system, but purchase a six or seven channel receiver, you won’t be able to hear many of the sounds that would normally come out of the extra speakers.
You should also understand that Dolby Digital can support 5.1 channels for audio playback. You will also find home theater receivers that feature TXH such as Onkyo HT-RC180. This technology will further enhance the sounds coming from the speakers. You might want to consider a little surround sound 101 in order to understand these technologies so you can choose the right system for your home. In the past, there was only the mono speaker system. With these systems, all the sound was channeled to one speaker. Obviously, this had some flaws. As technology began to grow, stereo speaker systems were developed. This allowed for a better sound balance. In reality, stereo was the first step toward the development of true surround sound. With a stereo system, if you wanted to enjoy the full stereo sound, you need a receiver that had tracking and could break up the layers of sound.
Dolby Digital was one of the first product systems that can decode all the different sound waves, and channel them into the right speakers for optimum clarity. For an example, when you hear a train going by in a movie, digital decoding makes it possible to hear the sounds coming from one speaker. As the train approaches, the sounds adjust from one speaker to another, making the train seem louder on the approach, pass by you, and disappear in the distance on the other side. This also makes up for the ambient sounds, ocean waves, wind blowing through the trees, and rain, just to name a few.
For the highest quality sound amplification, the bare minimum for a home theater system would be one that features Dolby Surround Sound or Digital with a 5.1 channel standard, like that of HT-RC180. While there are newer 6 and 7 channel home theater systems, the technology used in movies hasn’t reached this point. These days, many movies incorporate THX, so make sure you choose a receiver that has this capability. Any of the home theater receivers you are considering should have ample plugs in the back, allowing you to hook up your multimedia and external audio/video equipment. Additionally, the receiver should include clear instructions and be easy to use.