Right now, home theater systems are all the rage. And, what's not to like about them. You get the same quality sound, or you should, as you do in a movie theater, but without having to drive there, or deal with all those folks checking their email during the exciting part. Home theater systems are not inexpensive, however. And, before you purchase one, you should at least know a little bit about what you're buying. In this article, we're going to talk about the most important part of your home theater system, the receiver.
You know, a lot of folks think the most important part of a home theater system is the speakers. Well, that and the TV. Since TV's are so good, now, a lot of folks focus on speakers, which only partially makes sense. The speakers are only as good as the core of the home theater system, the receiver.
You could have the best Bose speakers on the market and if your home theater receiver is junk, it's just not going to sound that great. So, let's talk about receivers some.
One of the most important things to look for in a quality receiver is the number of speaker outputs. Most of your more affordable units will have outputs for left and right front speakers, as well as a front center channel and subwoofer outputs.
The other thing that's a sign of a really great receiver is HDMI inputs and outputs. Right now, HDMI is the best method of sending audio and video signals through wired connections. This is extremely important if you're interested in hi-def TV and also excellent sound quality. You need multiple HDMI connections, because this allows you greater flexibility in your components.
If you're looking to buy a more expensive unit, then what you're basically getting is advanced audio encoding/processing as well as preamplified outputs. What this does is let you run a passive signal to amplifies, which in turn power your speakers with a minimum of distortion.
Right now, you can get a home theater system anywhere from slightly over $1000 to only a few hundred dollars, that is without the TV. You can basically adjust what you buy to suit your needs and what you're interested in. If you're an audiophile, you can spend more on speakers and the receiver. If you're just into the picture, get a bigger HD TV. Either way, home theater systems are no longer prohibitively expensive. Another thing you might want to think about are wireless surround sound speakers. These you usually put in the back. The wireless quality keeps everything from being such a mess in your home. You can learn more about wireless surround sound speakers, here. Also, you can find out about home theater, here.
