Author Archives: Bilal Hamdan

Tips On Buying Home Theater Receivers

Because there are so many types of home theater receivers, choosing the right one can be a bit overwhelming. The first thing you should understand is that there is no such thing as a “compete” home theater system. Some of the most basic components of a home theater are no included. For instance, you will need a television, and this is not included. Unless you find a package deal, you will have to purchase your television or monitor separately. Most systems do not include a Blu-ray or DVD player, but some of the higher end systems do.

One of the main things that you have to take into consideration when buying home theater receivers is that they come with speakers, and have a built in digital tuner to listen to the radio, such as the Onkyo HT-RC180 Home Theater Receiver. If you have speakers, and just need the receiver itself, make sure that the speakers are compatible for the system you are buying. Know the different channels, what they are for, and how they are used. If have a six speaker system but are only using a five channel receiver, you’re not going to get the full effect that you want. In the same token, if you have a five speaker system, but buy a six or seven channel receiver, you won’t even hear a lot of sounds that are supposed to come out of these extra speakers.

When looking at different products it is important to understand Dolby Digital, which can support 5.1 channels for audio play back. A good example would be the Onkyo HT-RC180. There is also THX which helps to enhance sounds even further. In order to understand which systems is right for you, a little surround sound 101 is in order. Back in the day, there was the mono speaker system, where all the sounds that you hear were channeled into just one speaker. There were the obvious flaws with this, so as the technology grew, stereo speaker systems were developed. This allowed a better balance of sound, and stereo was really the first baby steps towards true surround sound. However, in order to enjoy the full sounds of stereo, you had to have a receiver that could break up the sound layers, and have tracking.

Dolby Digital was among the first systems that could effectively decode each of the different sound waves and channel them into the appropriate speaker, providing optimal clarity. For instance, when you are watching a movie and hear a train going by, digital decoding makes it possible to hear the sound of the train coming from a single speaker. As the train grows closer, the sound will adjust from one speaker to another, making the sound seem louder as the train approaches and as it passes by, the sound disappears into the distance on the other side. This technology also makes up for ambient sounds, rain, wind, and ocean waves, 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.

Ismail Abraham helps with a Onkyo HT-RC180 Home Theater Receiver Review Site that educates consumers about different types of Onkyo HT-RC180 and much more.