What's Most Important For a Receiver?

[Fors*]

I am looking into getting a new receiver relatively soon(no suprise to some here, I'm sure. ) I would like to know your opinions as to what you consider to be the top 3 most important features or specs you look for when shopping for a new receiver (please exclude price points) and please provide them in order of importance. Any explanation you can add would be welcomed too. I value your opinions, so please join the fun!

[Newmason]

I too am very interested in the above post. In this day in age what are the basics we should be looking for? Obviously HDMI inputs (the more the better) and from my understanding allowing them to accept audio, not just video

[Psychonaut]

While not a master of the subject, I consider the audio DACS very important. Same as your speakers, you have to like the sound it produces...

[StimpsonJCat]

Pre-outs if you plan to use external Amp.
EQ software (Audyssey, MCACC, etc..)
# of HDMI inputs

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by StimpsonJCat

Pre-outs if you plan to use external Amp.
EQ software (Audyssey, MCACC, etc..)
# of HDMI inputs

Thanks Stimpson. Where would you place watts per channel on your list if you had to?

[rded]

1) Audio processing including DACs-AQ is the most important aspect for me. Audio should be neutral and uncolored.
2) Current and power- Notice how I put current before power. All speakers appreciate high-clean current in order for them to sound and perform at optimum
3) Video processing-the Receiver should be able to up-convert everything to 1080p while preserving actual intent of the program. Video content should be passed-through untouched via Hdmi.
4) State of the art features, ease of use and room/eq calibration.

[StimpsonJCat]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

Thanks Stimpson. Where would you place watts per channel on your list if you had to?

Depending on how hard your speakers are to drive I don't think it makes much difference if you get 90 Watts/ch or 100 Watts/ch, etc.. If you have some speakers that crave power I think you should consider seperates or and AVR/ external amp. My buddy has a 300 Watt/ch 7.1 amp from Outlaw and it sounds great with his old Pioneer Elite AVR. I can't wait to hear it with the Outlaw pre-amp (when it is finally released). But I think with most speaker setups and average listening levels you are fine with the Watts/ch of most current AVRs. If you want major power then just go with seperates.

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by StimpsonJCat

Depending on how hard your speakers are to drive I don't think it makes much difference if you get 90 Watts/ch or 100 Watts/ch, etc.. If you have some speakers that crave power I think you should consider seperates or and AVR/ external amp. My buddy has a 300 Watt/ch 7.1 amp from Outlaw and it sounds great with his old Pioneer Elite AVR. I can't wait to hear it with the Outlaw pre-amp (when it is finally released). But I think with most speaker setups and average listening levels you are fine with the Watts/ch of most current AVRs. If you want major power then just go with seperates.

Good point, thanks!

[richteer]

If I were shopping for a receiver, these are the things I'd look for (in order):

0. Availability of all CODECs and sufficient HDMI inputs

1. Sound quality

2. Preamp outputs and gold plated sockets

3. Room calibration

Although to be honest I would personally skip the receiver option and go for separates, so the above apply to the pre/pro.

[Grevlin]

A little off topic, but very related:

This has been bugging me- what set of gear would you need to bypass the receiver all together?

For a receiver, I would say in order:

1. Codecs (THX must have)
2. Power per channel
3. pre-outs (must have)
4. extras- controlled plugs, triggers, mic(s)

[Fors*]

Well, so far I see a trend that CODECs are the most important feature/spec so far. This is good and informative thanks! Please keep the responses coming guys.............

[Sammy]

I don't understand the current above power statement. Watts are measured in volt-amps and current is in amps so current is Watts divided by Volts. The voltage is a constant (120v) so the current is directly related to power. Is there something that I am missing here?

[rded]

Originally Posted by Grevlin

A little off topic, but very related:

This has been bugging me- what set of gear would you need to bypass the receiver all together?

I don't know if I understand your question, but I would guess you already know about separates? You know Gremal has the Integra dtc 9.8 as a pre which has an HT bypass and has his VAC integ amp do all the processing for 2 channel. I dunno if this answers your question...

[StimpsonJCat]

Originally Posted by Sammy

I don't understand the current above power statement. Watts are measured in volt-amps and current is in amps so current is Watts divided by Volts. The voltage is a constant (120v) so the current is directly related to power. Is there something that I am missing here?

Some speakers make greater current demands that only higher end amps can handle. The power ratings are misleading on many of the AVRs. A high-current amp will have more dynamic headroom and handle the more demanding speakers better than a low-current amp design.

I think this may be what he is talking about.

[Sammy]

Impediance is not quite the same as current. Now if I could only remember my electrical engineering class from 20+ years back!

[StimpsonJCat]

Originally Posted by Sammy

Impediance is not quite the same as current. Now if I could only remember my electrical engineering class from 20+ years back!

Power: P = VI
Ohm's Law: V=IR
so P = I^2R

Speakers will have an Ohm rating (ex: 8 Ohm) but you have to take into account the impedence can drop depending on the frequency. If the speaker is rated with a low impedence already (ex: 4 Ohm) then a robust power supply will be needed to deliver the current it demands.

[Rob J in WNY]

Forsberg21,

As you may know, I have recently upgraded to a Pioneer Elite SC-05, and I have been falling in love with all my music and movies all over again.

For any upgrade from an Onkyo 605 receiver, generous HDMI inputs are going to be a given, as is lossless decoding and 7.1-channel operation, so here's my top 3.

1. 7-channel pre-outs for flexiblity and future amplifier upgrading.

2. Manual, multi-band, discrete channel sound equalization.

3. Bare minimum 100 watts per channel, rated across 20-20KHz (subject to review). You are looking for the purest sound, with as much headroom, as possible, short of going with separates.

My #3 has been touched on here. Amplifer ratings are subjectivly offered by different manufacturers, and are sometimes skewed to keep within a certain tolerance, but glorified, yet truthful. For instance, power ratings through the 20-20KHz bandwidth are much more credible - not those simply taken from a 1KHz tone burst.

I would consider those three aspects most significant to me.

Other receiver aspects of importance would include HDMI audio/video pass-through when the receiver is off/in standby, so that my BD player can play through TV speakers only, if needed.

Receivers with built-in, comprehensive room-correction programs like MCACC and Audyssey can really be of help, especially if they include acoustics/phase/standing wave analyzing. I have noticed a more robust LFE from my listening position after using MCACC on my Pioneer Elite SC-05 (comparing post MCACC to before MCACC using the same receiver).

I also like a fully usable GUI (graphical user interface - receiver adjustments done on TV screen).

Network access to internet radio and your computer's media library is a nice feature, though not ultimately important. I access internet radio with both 2-channel and THX Neural Surround on my receiver, and it's rather nice. I have not yet set it up for accessing my computer's media files, but I'll do it soon.

Upconversion to 1080p of all source analog video source material (again, this is likely a "given" with an upgrade receiver). This way, your single HDMI cable from your receiver out to your TV will be all you need to utilize.

I like to play vinyl on occasion, so a dedicated phono input is high on my list (although there are good phono pre-amps out there for not a lot of money).

Yes, it's no surprise at all that you'd like a new receiver, given your forays into upgrading everything else. I hope you find what you are looking for because as you know, the choices are many!

[Rob J in WNY]

One more thing I forgot to mention.

The SIZE of your new receiver. An upgrade for you will likely mean a significantly larger chassis. Take note of the dimensions of any receiver candidates to make sure you can accomodate it.

Receivers like the Onkyo 806 and the Pioneer Elite SC-05 are unusually deep and fairly tall in stance (they do look awesome, though).

In my case, I had to relocate my Sony BDP-S350 as it would not fit underneath with my SC-05. It was something I didn't consider. Now, I just have to upgrade my TV stand!


My Sony BD player now sits off to the side, and that's okay for now, but not forever.

[CasualKiller]

1) sound quality

2) usable features, no point paying for fluff you have no intention of ever using

3) build quality of components, internal and external

Watts per channel means less to me as I've seen 25 WPC amps that can handle difficult low impedance loads better than amps with "fluffed up" numbers.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by StimpsonJCat

Pre-outs if you plan to use external Amp.
EQ software (Audyssey, MCACC, etc..)
# of HDMI inputs

I would add the number of HDMI outputs to your list. One of the main reasons I bought my Denon 4308ci receiver was because it had two HDMI outputs. In my case, I have a TV and a projector in the same room.

Another reason I liked the receiver was because it supported two side surrounds (A & B) on each side in addition to the normal rear surrounds. For someone who has a garage full of speakers, that was a blessing.

I now have two fronts w built-in 15" powered subwoofers, two centers, four side surrounds, two rear surrounds, and 4 subwoofers. I wish they would make a receiver that could support a few hundred speakers. I have more old speakers in my closets than clothes.