5 Things to Look for When Buying an AV Receiver

So you visited your friend’s house and saw their large and beautiful HD/Plasma TV. That TV wasn’t the only thing you saw. The huge speakers along with it made their living room almost like a movie theatre. You decided to get this setup as well. It cost a few paychecks but now you have a beautiful TV along with good speakers. But Something doesn’t feel right. The experience is not what you expected. This is because you don’t have a quality receiver.

An AV (Audio/Video) Receiver helps you get the best experience out of your home entertainment system. The AV Receiver acts as a connection hub for a variety of audio and video devices. The AV Receiver also handles many other tasks such as Powering the speakers, managing and switching between different audio and video components and tuning radio stations. It can decode surround signals as well.

There are many types of AV Receivers available both at online and offline stores. The Question is Which one will be perfect for you? We can help you with that.

Consider and look for these things when buying an AV Receiver

1. How much power do you need?

You should always check the power required before buying an AV Receiver. A high-wattage receiver will provide you with a better sound quality whereas a low-wattage receiver will give bad quality sound even when kept at high volume.

How much power you need is dependent on the size of the room you have. The number of speakers you have is also to be considered when buying an AV receiver.

If you provide too little power, there will be distortion in sound, but, if you provide too much power, then there’s a chance of your speakers blowing up.

2. What type of and how many Inputs and Outputs do you need?

It is important to know how many inputs and outputs you require before buying an AV Receiver. More the number of inputs and outputs, the more devices you can use with your AV Receiver. You can receive sound (audio) signals input from your Television via an Input and then send it to your speakers via an Output.

It is wiser to buy an AV Receiver with more input and output, in case, you would like to add a new device to your system. At least you need to have a receiver with 5 channels to experience surround songs. A 7 channel receiver is recommended for the best experience.

While buying an AV Receiver, look at its backside. You can see different audio/video inputs and output ports for different types of devices like gaming consoles, DVD players, media and CD players and many others as well.

Depending on what type of device you have or may buy in future, choose the AV Receiver which has that type of port. Remember most devices can be connected with an HDMI cable for audio and video purposes.

3. Which streaming service do you want?

AV Receivers are great to use with other different types of music components, including online streaming. Nowadays, AV Receivers also comes with online wireless music services included. If you want to listen to music from online streaming sites such as Spotify, Pandora and TIDAL, choose an AV Receiver which supports this feature.

Many newer AV Receiver models come with AirPlay support. iOS users can use AirPlay to stream music wirelessly from their iPhones, iPods or iPads directly to the receiver. It is worth the money if most of your audio music files are stored on your iOS devices.

If you prefer your music the old way like in CD or Cassette tapes, then save some money by avoiding receivers with online streaming service support.

4. Make sure that you have enough space

When buying an AV Receiver, you also have to keep in mind whether you have enough space for it or not. You may get excited and end up buying a big cool looking receiver and later realise you don’t have enough space to keep it in your room.

You don’t just a need a rectangle box to keep the AV Receiver. An AV Receiver with 5-11 Amps inside needs to radiate the heat inside it. Just like other electronics, too much heat is bad for the receiver and it may get damaged very soon. If the space is too tight then make sure to have some sort of ventilation like small fans.

Also, AV Receivers heavy these days. So, be safe and consider the receiver’s weight before keeping it on a glass table. It might break the table.

5. Wired or wireless: Which one to choose?

In Today’s World, every piece of technology is becoming wireless. Wireless receivers are also available as well as wired receivers. Wired receivers are not completely useless that depends on users.

People who live in flats or somewhere else where they cannot add extra wiring, they should prefer Wireless over Wired Receivers. Those who can do the wiring can choose any one of both. You should opt for wireless if you want to add music to another room.

With the wireless receivers, you also get the streaming support as well. All wireless receivers offer their users with an easy to use free app to use your phone or tablet as a remote. With the help of this app, you can control all the devices connected, switch the sources, adjust the volume, tweak settings and stream music from online services easily with just a few taps.

If you don’t fancy these things and just want to listen to music old way and have no problem with the wiring, then you are better with a wired receiver. You will also save some bucks.

You can also look for other features and supports such as:

• Voice Control: You can opt for a receiver with voice control. Some AV receivers can be paired up with Google Home or Amazon Alexa.

• Built-in Bluetooth: With the help of Bluetooth, you can play music from a Bluetooth-equipped device like a phone or computer.

• • Automatic Speaker Calibration: Get an AV receiver with automatic speaker calibration for a better experience.

• DTS:X & HDR: Look for an AV Receiver which supports both DTS:X & HDR for a better surround sound experience.

Look out for these features when buying an AV Receiver depending on what you need.

All the best!