Complete newbie to A/V receivers..where to start?

[dnaman]

Hi All,

First time posting here and the forum looks like a great place for information and help. However, im a practical newbie to the world of home theatre, specifically A/V receivers.

In our new place, we're getting a surround system pre-builtin in the main room, and also in-wall speakers in the hallways/kitchen. I've been told to get an A/V receiver that can do 'multiple zones', i assume to control the sound of the two rooms.

What's a good site or good source of information on 'A/V receiver 101'? My plan is to pickup an A/V receiver in the next couple months, preferably in the $500 range but i really have no clue as to what i should be looking for.

Thanks in advance!

[57]

Start with the following FAQ on AVR features:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=76082

And the following useful post:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=57741

[hugh]

dnaman, a multiple zone receiver would be required to discretely control sound in multiple rooms or areas.

Without having a real good understanding of "how many Zones" you are planning and the size of those zones and want you plan on doing in each zone, its impossible to give a decent recommendation.

Most major maunfacturers offer such capabilities in their mid to high end receivers. My advice is to visit your local retailer or visit the major A/V manufacturers (Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer, Denon etc) and see which models meet your criteria.

[dnaman]

@57 - thanks for that, i'll get started on those posts...

@hugh - i assume i'll have minimum 2, but possibly 4 zones (tv room, hallway, kitchen, and also outdoor speakers). Typically on A/V receivers, how many zones can they handle? If anything i'd consider getting one with 2 zones (tv room, everything else..)

[lex_rx]

Where do the speaker wires go, all in one place in the basement? How are you controlling the volume in each room? Did you run control wires in the zone to the basement?

http://www.htd.com/s.nl/ctype.KB/it....=44&category=9

[dnaman]

Hi Lex,

Thanks for that. All our wires/cables will be running to a central location in our family room (not the basement). So that's where i'll put our receiver. Cables going into it will be speakers from family room (zone 1), speakers from hallway and kitchen (zone 2), TV, possibly a computer (media server) and a satellite box (for TV)

I'm hoping the receiver we get (whatver it is), will be able to support all those inputs/outputs.

[scampbell]

i assume i'll have minimum 2, but possibly 4 zones (tv room, hallway, kitchen, and also outdoor speakers). Typically on A/V receivers, how many zones can they handle? If anything i'd consider getting one with 2 zones (tv room, everything else..)

An important consideration is whether you want all of the zones to be independent (playing different sources at the same time) and whether they will need video as well as audio.

It is pretty common for A/V receivers to support 2 independent zones (sometimes 3) but they are often limited to analog stereo audio (and only from analog sources) and composite or component video. This isn't necessarily as big a problem as it might seem as many sources allow you to hook up both analog and digital connections at the same time.

Zone 2 and/or 3 outputs are often unpowered, meaning you will need another amp/receiver (which can be an old analog stereo amp) to actually power the speakers in the zone. However, if you buy a 7.1+ system and only hook up 5.1 speakers in the main area, you can often use the extra connections to power speakers in zone 2.

If you don't mind having the same thing playing in different areas (such as hallway and kitchen), you could just split one of the zones into two different amps.

A place to start would be check the major retailers (and manufacturer websites) to see what they are selling in your price range and compare available features.