The home theater receiver is considered the heart of the home theater system, making things so real it feels as if were actually there. Kind of a central command base, the receiver is a crucial part that does many jobs - powering our speakers, tuning the AM and FM radio stations, switches back and forth between the audio and video sources, and provides the decoding for movie enjoyment, along with TV and music in surround sound. With less than adequate of a receiver, it simply will not be able to get the job done adequately. If you are in the market for receivers, you should consider your options wisely.

There are many various options when it comes to theater systems but the two most important ones are the home theater receiver or stereo receiver. Surround sound of the home theater system as compared to a musical receiver depends a lot on how many speakers needed or wanted. The stereo receiver is for those who do not have a lot of room and don't watch a lot of movies. There are two new formats of spectacular multi-channel music coming out, SACD and DVD-Audio, with high-resolution music in 5.1 surround sound that require the receiver and a multi-channel speaker system.

How do you select the right receiver for your needs depends on a lot of things - such as the power of the receiver needs to be adequate enough for the speakers and the room size. The sensitivity of the speakers shows how much power the receiver needs to be; the more sensitivity requires more power. And generally, the larger the listening room, the more power the receiver needs to have. Obviously, the most important element in the purchase of a receiver for your new home theater system is the quality of it. While price does matter for many people, the receiver needs to work well and last a long time in order for it to be a good investment. You can find reviews of the various brands of receivers that are offered to you right here on the web. Compare your receivers to find the best possible solution for you through these reviews. You can often find out which is the best solution by listening to what others have had to say before purchasing one.

If the stereo receiver has been chosen instead of the home theater, it needs to be recognized that it only has two channels of amplification. The home theater system offers anywhere from five to seven channels. This is closely connected to the surround decoding formats offered. Any model of today's home theater receivers can do the job; most models offer decoding for soundtracks found on DVDs. They also can decode selected satellite and digital cable TV programs. All receivers offer a minimum of five channels of amplification that is necessary to reproduce the 5.1 surround sound, which has been the standard surround sound since the late 1990s.