Receiver Shopping


The good news about shopping for home theater receivers today is that they've never been better for so little. Advances in solid-state technologies mean great savings for the consumer for high-quality gear.

For as low as $300 you can buy one of an assortment of competing home theater receivers, all of which will decode the two main surround formats, Dolby Digital and DTS, and will put out around 75 watts of power to five discreet channels (more than enough for a home theater).
Even the lowest-budget amplifiers are so good that specifications like THD (total harmonic distortion) and S/N (sound to noise) ratio aren't a consideration anymore, since nobody makes amplifiers with THD within the range of human hearing.

When considering a receiver for your home theater it helps to divide the receiver into three separate parts. Examine each aspect of the receiver to ensure it will meet your needs into the future.

  • Preamplifier needs to switch between your input devices by remote.
  • Decoder should decode the surround formats you're likely to use.
  • Amplifier should have the power required of your speakers.

    Home theater receivers have made strides in the last decade. The time when budget workhorse receivers only decoded Dolby Pro Logic and gave muddied and unimpressive sound quality is long gone.

    Don't expect much difference in sonic qualities between brands in the $200-$300 range. At this price, look for features and inputs you need.

    Differences in quality between brands start becoming apparent around the $500-$700 and above. Receivers in these higher-price categories are more feature-rich, use higher-quality parts and can usually decode extended surround modes and provide sound to different rooms at once from different sources.