The front panel of a classic AV receiver, usually, looks stylish and simple
 

Perhaps the main advice for the right choice is to adhere to the principle of healthy minimalism. Let's start with the simplest. Look at the back panel of the AV receiver and ask yourself how many free slots will remain after you connect everything you are going to connect to the device. Naturally, in this sense, you can buy a receiver "for growth" – for example, there are two outputs for connecting a subwoofer, and you have only one. If in the future it is planned to purchase another subwoofer (equip another room for a home theater, supplement the system with remote controls, add another AV receiver or amplifier to it, etc.) - in this case, an additional output or input of the system should be provided. Alas, most often all these additional options remain unclaimed. Why then pay for them? The same can be said about a lot of built-in additional functions. Sometimes what is offered as part of the AV receiver already "knows", for example, your TV - all these circumstances should not be overlooked.

Home cinema theater: video – first of all

Well, now – in order. The literal translation of the term AV receiver is "audio-video receiver". To this day, either traditionally, or to justify this name, the AV receiver includes an FM radio… The video system of the device is engaged in the fact that, having received a signal from any source, it distributes it to several outputs. Here it is worth asking yourself questions about how many video signal sources are at your disposal? How many outputs are needed in your case? What type? That is, how many devices displaying video will be connected to the device? Two or more outputs are required, for example, if, in addition to a flat TV panel, there is also a projector in the room. According to experience, in most modern applications, less than two HDMI outputs are sufficient – most often, the main and backup.

As for the video inputs, in addition to the same HDMI, it's nice to have at least one analogue (RCA, aka "tulip", or SCART – "comb"). The analogue input is useful, for example, if you want to watch old videotapes – if your VCR is still able to scroll them, because the grease dries out over time…

As practice shows, often most of the ports are on the back wall 
remain unclaimed by the user
 

For the same purposes, the upscaling function is in demand, although different companies have different brand names for this process. It boils down to high–quality recalculation and approximation of low-resolution video for output to a modern, say, FullHD panel - the image in this case looks much more comfortable. Anyway, the consciousness that this opportunity exists warms the hearts of many buyers and the upscaling function becomes almost mandatory.

It is worth remembering that the number of options for transmitting a multimedia signal is growing, the same HDMI already has several generations and at least three sizes of connectors. If you own, for example, a device with an MHL connector, then sooner or later such a connector may be needed in your AV receiver, not to mention many other switching options.

AV receiver – it sounds

To work with sound, the AV receiver includes a system for decoding signals received both via HDMI connectors and audio digital and analogue inputs. Many standards and algorithms for decoding multichannel signals are used here – DTS, Dolby, etc. And the more of them in the system, the better, because it makes sense to strive for maximum compatibility with any new options.

However, the main function of the device is still the amplification of these signals and their output to the load – that is, to acoustic systems, speakers. Here it is worth remembering how many speakers you have available (or in the future) and what is the maximum power provided for each of them. According to all the canons of building a home theater, the optimal minimum is a set of four identical (exactly the same!) satellites, one, most often horizontal, column of the central channel and a subwoofer responsible for reproducing low frequencies — for such a system you will need a 5.1-channel receiver.

The power of the corresponding channel of the AV receiver must in no case exceed the maximum power allowed for the acoustics connected to it. Otherwise, even if the AV receiver is turned on at medium volume (according to the position of the regulator or volume scale), a peak signal can damage one of the speakers. The fact is that the dynamic range of audio tracks of modern blockbusters is large. If now we barely hear the whisper of the main character, then the next moment the sound of a well-aimed shot of the hero will be able to disable, for example, the gentle tweeter of one of the satellites…

On the other hand, the power of the AV receiver is a deceptive thing. When the manufacturer proudly writes figures like 150 Watts in a channel, it should be remembered that with the power consumption of the entire device at three hundred watts, the specified maximum power in a long-term mode (say, longer than a few seconds) will be able to produce at most two channels of sound amplification, and there are much more of them in the system. In order to give the maximum "out of all guns", usually, it is not enough power of the power supply unit – one of the most expensive components of our AV receiver. And in this case, the sound picture of the general interplanetary battle will be, to put it mildly, not so impressive...

The more your receiver supports standards and algorithms
decoding multi–channel signals - the better
 

Individual brands-manufacturers of AV receivers have recently begun to take this disadvantage into account. Such an AV receiver costs much more and, significantly, weighs much more - but at the same time, immersion in sound will be really complete. Neighbors – do not feel sorry for!

Not just movies

Separately, it is worth highlighting the moment when a set of satellite speakers consists of two full-size floor speakers and two smaller ones. Such "inequality" often betrays the owner's preferences: in addition to movies, he also likes to listen to classical stereo, just music. For this purpose, it is worth finding an AV receiver with "dedicated", that is, more powerful front channels. Such a device is able to redistribute power and, thus, reproduce the stereo signal more efficiently. But such features are not often found, and mainly in the top products of the receiver lines.

In addition, in this case, it is necessary to take into account which sources to play music from – for each of them, a separate audio input is required on the back panel of our receiver. In particular, if there is a vinyl disc player in the home audio arsenal, then it makes sense to find an AV receiver equipped with a pre-amplifier-corrector for record players (a mandatory attribute of models with Phono input).

A more uncompromising, and therefore more expensive way out of the situation is to supplement the AV receiver with a stereo amplifier, in which, as in a specialized device, all the listed components and functions may be presented at a higher level. In this case, the floor-mounted front speakers are connected to an amplifier, which works independently when playing stereo music, and when used as a component of a home theater, receives an audio signal from an AV receiver to one of its inputs.

Your AV receiver will have to be configured

A little bit about additional functions. A modern AV receiver is able to offer such a number of them that only by trying the work of each one, you can forget that we were going, in fact, to watch a movie… And if we start analyzing everything that is offered in this area, we will lose hope that at least someone will read this text to the end. Nevertheless, let's talk about at least some of them.

A remote microphone for automatic system tuning, offered in many top models, is a useful thing, although, theoretically, it is used only once in the life of an AV receiver. If the room where you are going to be accommodated has a complex shape, the listeners, they are also spectators, are arranged in some non-standard way, then this function helps to set up the system, especially if the owner is not prepared for such activities. Otherwise, after spending half an hour of time, you can try to make the tuning by ear – the result is usually quite satisfactory.

In difficult cases, it is worth contacting specialists, since the built-in auto-calibration system can sometimes also be wrong, and a one-time visit of a specialist with a measuring microphone is financially more effective than buying this microphone for its ten-minute operation. In this case, it is worth consulting with the master in advance about the choice of the model, it may be necessary to adjust the time delays. By the way, having no experience and knowledge, it will be a little rash to take on this case on your own…

In addition, do not forget that often the audio tracks of different films are recorded in their own way. Therefore, the presence of timbre adjustments, an equalizer function and a set of sound correction presets in the AV receiver is a useful thing, although they should not be abused.

Modern models have a number of useful additional functions,
how to play content from USB media or the built-in Wi-Fi module
 

Content sources are good and different

Among the interesting and popular functions of modern AV receivers is the ability to play audio and video from USB media. If you are the owner of a multi–terabyte drive with audio-video materials and movies converted and recorded at different times and in different formats, you should strongly ask what file formats and memory devices the purchased device supports. Oddly enough, in this sense, famous brands often lag behind – this happens as part of the fight against video piracy.

Another source of content is the World Wide Web itself. These are video banks, streaming sources, Internet radio stations and much more. Using the Internet access function can be fascinating, but it is often necessary for the owner to know, for example, what "flashing" and "DNS configuration options" are. On the other hand, the presence of a Wi-Fi adapter in many cases greatly simplifies the connection of the device with a home computer network – again, it is worth deciding for yourself whether this option is necessary.

The built–in Bluetooth allows you to remotely play music from your favorite gadget - another interesting feature.

Many AV receivers have the ability to work as a docking station for Apple gadgets. This is a very prestigious feature, but if you do not have such a gadget and, for example, you are completely satisfied with Android, then it is better to save on it. The same applies to the wireless protocol of interaction with i-gadgets, AirPlay.

Are you ready? Choose!

After understanding what the AV receiver functionality should be right in your particular case, you can choose the appropriate model. It is clear that it is not easy to find an exact match with the desired perfect. Here we can offer a systematic approach. Pay attention to the top models of different brands. Usually, lower samples from the same lines become cheaper precisely by removing part of the functions of the system and its components. At the same time, the parameters of the built-in amplifiers often remain unchanged, only the number of amplifiers themselves decreases. The same applies to other functional features. That's how, taking a tour from the complex to the simple through the current model range, it will be easier to find exactly what you need.

In conclusion, it is worth saying that a person who purchases such a complex device as an AV receiver is already technically advanced in the profile area by definition and is certainly able to choose the device independently - especially since you have read this manual to the end. And, perhaps, you should not limit yourself so much – a lot of new, perhaps even unknown, features of the device, in the future, will surely make our lives richer and more interesting!