Nothing beats the sound of a superb audio/video receiver. When finished proper, they will deliver energy, depth, dynamics, and spaciousness to motion pictures, sports activities, TV exhibits, and music. And whether or not you’re searching for a stereo receiver or built-in amplifier to drive your favourite turntable or digital music streaming providers, or going full-bore AV receiver for that Dolby Atmos encompass sound residence theater expertise, all of the bells and whistles that get crammed right into a single field of awesomeness must be examined for sound, setup, performance, and ease of use, amongst different traits.
That is, usually talking, how we check an AV receiver.
We sometimes are despatched our receivers on mortgage immediately from the producers or their official companies. We put them via the gauntlet after which ship them again. Our purpose with receiver opinions is to offer you an insider’s take a look at what proudly owning one among these wünder-boxes might be like and what sort of sound high quality you’ll be able to anticipate from it.
Extra on the method
Out of the field
Whereas unboxing a receiver doesn’t contain a lot in the best way of fanfare and confetti (except you depend these rattling packing peanuts), there’s nonetheless one thing about it that will get our blood pumping each time. Possibly it’s that “new-receiver odor.” Regardless, there’s loads to be gleaned upon cracking open the field, and it’s right here that we collect some impressions on construct high quality as we get a glimpse on the receiver’s chassis and expertise its weight as we pull it free from its styrofoam cocoon. If we glance intently, we are able to normally take a gander on the unit’s energy provide, usually a foreshadowing of how nicely the receiver will sound when put underneath heavy stress.
Whereas we’re at it, we’ll catalog all of the receiver’s equipment and cross-check the listing in opposition to what the producer claims must be within the field. You’d be shocked at what number of overview items present up lacking remotes, energy cables, and different objects. We additionally be certain there isn’t any apparent harm incurred throughout delivery.
The setup
When organising receivers, we contemplate the time it takes and the way simple or sophisticated the method is from the standpoint of a normal person. We all know that these much less skilled than ourselves could also be performing the setup, and we contemplate it particularly essential that issues go easily. We search for well-laid-out setup guides, manuals, on-line assets, and even apps to prepared the ground. Intuitive graphic person interfaces (GUI) on the receivers are thought-about, too, which normally include a collection of menu screens that customers need to navigate out and in of.
Relying on the complexity of the system, setup can contain manually inputting speaker distances, crossover factors, and adjusting channel ranges. If the receiver comes with room correction or different software program we check that as nicely, evaluating it to the handbook setup, and taking a look at ease of setup, use, and the way nicely it really works.
The audition
Now we pay attention. We begin our checks with 2-channel stereo music. This enables the receiver to indicate us the most effective it has to supply when it comes to amplification. Whereas many producers declare that their amps ship equal energy to all channels, we’ve seen a number of the place that was not the case in any respect. With a multi-channel AV receiver, the stereo and direct modes be certain that as a lot energy is being delivered to the entrance left and proper audio system as doable.
Throughout this stereo listening session, we hearken to music tracks that we all know in and out, from side to side, and from a number of sources and codecs — from Spotify to hi-res streaming sources like Tidal, Amazon Music, and Apple Music to Bluetooth-connected telephones, community streamers, CDs and extra. We take copious notes on how the receiver performs at each average and excessive volumes.
Whereas in 2-channel testing mode, we’ll additionally swap forwards and backwards between a digital enter (corresponding to HDMI, optical) and an analog enter. The concept right here is to rank the receiver’s built-in DAC (digital-to-analog converter) in opposition to a reference DAC with which we’re very acquainted.
After our 2-channel testing, we transfer on to multi-channel music, primarily offered on SACD, DVD-Audio discs, and extra just lately with spatial audio and Dolby Atmos music tracks through providers corresponding to Apple Music and Amazon Music. This places the receiver underneath a lot larger pressure because it should feed a number of audio system with sound concurrently and for extended durations of time. We’re in a position to greatest scrutinize the receiver’s functionality to breed sound precisely via a number of channels with music as a result of it’s a lot simpler to critique the best way the receiver helps the copy of a musical instrument than it’s to investigate how nicely it made an explosion or thundering helicopter sound.
Lastly, we’ll transfer on to motion pictures and different visible media from a spread of sources from main streaming providers like Netflix, Apple TV+, Max, and Disney+, in addition to from Blu-ray DVDs. Right here, we hearken to how nicely the receiver steers results amongst channels to create a seamless 360-degree sound discipline. We’ll additionally pay attention for any breakup or distortion throughout extremely explosive scenes as we push the receiver to extraordinarily excessive volumes. We additionally use this time to take a look at the receiver’s video processing by evaluating its processed video output to the output coming immediately from our supply.
Options
Testing a receiver’s numerous options is probably the most exhausting a part of the method. We take a look at every part from connectivity and enter/output choices (i.e.: what number of audio channels, HDMI, digital, analog, wi-fi, connections there are) and the way nicely they combine into numerous forms of residence leisure merchandise and setups corresponding to TVs, audio system, subwoofers, streaming gadgets, turntables, community streamers, and no matter else we are able to throw at it.
We check every function for ease of entry and to confirm that they perform nicely. Then we’ll have interaction and consider any built-in audio enhancers that should enhance the sound of low-bitrate media. Lastly, we take notes on how simple it’s to entry these options and the way clearly designed the menu is for every of them.
The remainder of the options examined are normally proprietary in nature and, frankly, too quite a few and random to listing right here. Suffice it to say that we do spend time with as lots of them as we are able to. Something notable might be reported.
Writing the overview
For us, merely organizing our analysis notes into one thing that resembles a story is just not ok. We goal to offer somewhat back-story on the producer, describe our expertise with the receiver, and put its audio efficiency and person expertise right into a context that’s comprehensible, even for these not as technically inclined. We hope that by studying our receiver opinions, you’ll stroll away with a really feel for whether or not that individual mannequin is one thing it’s best to trouble to audition your self or take away out of your shortlist as a result of, in the end, a private audition is totally important.
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