# receiver vs old school amplifier



## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

First up I'm a bit of a dinosaur where it comes to new fangled audio video/home theatre setups :4-dontkno 
Presently I have an old Sharp CRT TV , Sony DVD/VHS player. This is linked to my Audio setup by RCA plugs from TV to Sansui amplifier - plugged into Auxillary jack - with two Wharfdale speakers. I have a Sansui turntable and a Pioneer 6 stacker CD player. This gives me reasonable quality stereo sound from my TV atm. Unfortunately my old Sansui amp is on its last legs and needs replacing.
I'm wanting to upgrade my whole setup, but not spend too much - don't really watch lots of telly these days. I will probably buy a new LCD TV soon but really need to replace amp first - I do play a lot of music.
Question one:
what is the main differences between receivers and amps?
Question two:
do I need a receiver if the new telly I buy has a HD digital receiver inbuilt or can I just replace amp and do the same as now (connect via aux jack on amp)?


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## bruiser (Jul 30, 2005)

A basic receiver will not amplify radio signals but has a tuner, and an amp has no tuner, so the two are needed in order to process the radio signals properly. Today it seems the word receiver means both a receiver without an amp, or a unit that has a built in amp.


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## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

Bruiser has it almost right. Your Sansui probably is an integrated amplifier. Meaning it houses both a pre-amp (sometimes known as a control amp) and a power amp. But does not have a tuner for radio. A true pre/power would use a separate chassis for the control amp and the power amp. Again - no radio. A receiver combines all three of these in one chassis. 

Today's Audio/Video receivers are very good. Not only do they handle many audio sources but they will (generally) "Up-convert" video to near HD quality (1080i) resolution and output that to your new LCD TV. 

One word of caution: most modern receivers DO NOT contain a phono pre-amp stage. So you will not be able to listen to your vinyl collection. Therefore, make sure you look very closely at the specs for a phono input that matches your turntable (cartridge style actually) probably moving magnet (as opposed to moving coil). You can buy external phono pre-amps but you'll have to pay a little bit for one.

If you have no desire to listen to radio there are AV integrated amps available but tend to be costly.

Your new TV doesn't care what you use for audio. You'll hook it up exactly like you're doing now. That said, if you're getting a digital HD signal (from SAT or cable) then it will a 5.1 surround signal so you'll want a processor that can decode that signal. (BTW: 5.1 stands for 5 outputs for speakers - Front L/R, Center, & Surround L/R - and one low frequency information.) All modern AV equipment can decode those signals AND all of them can take the stereo from the TV and simulate a 5.1 system.

The choice in the low end is pretty much towards receivers. You can get a decent performing one for under $300 US. If you care to spend more you can get a very nice one in the $500 - $800 range. Straight pre-amp/amp combos or integrated amps will start in the $1000 range. They'll offer better build quality and more future proofing (I'm using a fine older power amp driven from the "pre-out" jacks of my mid-level receiver) but you're the only one who can say if they sound any better to you.

I would advise you against any of the many streamline systems widely available. Typically they do not sound very good or have the flexibility to handle your array of sources. A few "Home Theater in a Box" systems might do the trick - look for Denon or Yamaha or Onkyo that use an AV receiver as the center piece of the system. These will include the receiver as well as 5 speakers and a bass unit.

Once you're starting to look around post back with some ideas and we'll give our opinions.


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## viking0311 (Mar 8, 2008)

Bravo to yustr

my only input is that if most of what you do is music, stick to stereo. At all costs avoid HTiB(Home Theater in a Box), Denon, Yamaha and onkyo are great brands, but even the great brands are leaning to garbage when it comes to HTiB, if you want a complete setup in one box, look to the top of the line from these brands, or look to Bose lifestyle 28/38/48. Bose doesn't make the absolute best sounding set up, but they do sound pretty darn good, and they make up for any short comings in ease of use.

But all that may be for nothing. Music is your priority, if you like your speakers find something that has enough power to get you the sound you want. And don't be fooled by the very misleading wattage numbers all these new units sport, if you want to know if it is worth anything, pick it up. The heavier the power supply the better the unit. It was true 30 years ago, it is still true today. Top line receivers top 120 lbs, or somewhere around 55 kilos if you are on the other side of the ocean  Your best bet is to find a local stereo shop and make friends with the sales people and buy from someone you like, find someone who has the same taste as you do. You might pay a little more at a stereo shop than at your local not so friendly warehouse style retailer, but you also wont find someone that actually knows anything about stereos at one of those warehouses either. Pay a little extra, buy from someone you like, and you will get more value for your money.


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## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

Thanks to all for the feedback  I now feel equipped enough to go looking  It can be overawing looking if you don't really know what you are looking at! I had done some early looking and the Onkyo and Yamaha units were the ones that took my fancy then - some with i-pod capabilities and then some with turntable capabilities too - they start to get much more expensive unfortunately  Guess the old rule of: you get what you pay for comes into play here!


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## ebackhus (Apr 21, 2005)

I have an Onkyo 7.1 channel system and I love it. The only thing that'd make it better would be HDMI ports. But for the price and the features it can't be beat.

Onkyo HT-S780.


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## craigwatanabe (Jan 28, 2008)

When judging good audio specs one of the key features in any good audio amplifier is the THD % specification. THD stands for Total Harmonic Distortion. Basically with no audio input, crank the amp's volume control (attenuator for those audio purists) to full volume and listen.

A really high end amplifier will be absolutely quiet. A typical department brand amplifier (like Sony, Pioneer, Sansui, etc) will have a slight hiss. A downright bargain basement brand like Broksonic (yes there really is a brand with that name) will sound like a snake with a hissy fit.

So what makes for high end THD specs? How about 0.001% THD. Sony's produce anywhere from 0.8% to 1% Same for Sansui, Technics, Pioneer etc. Anyone remember the South West Technical Products (SWTP) Tigersauras 001 mono block amp? 

Back OT a receiver is an amplifier, pre-amplifier and tuner in one package. An integrated amplifier is like a receiver but no tuner, and a straight amp requires a pre-amp for volume, tone and input selection.

If you're buying a new HD tv set with an HD tuner built in, more than likely that tv set will have digital audio outputs in the form of coax or optical. If you're replacing your amplifier, get one with digital audio inputs to get the full surround sound to match that HD picture quality.

One problem when watching HD programming and listening on a 2-channel stereo. Because there is no center channel on a 2-channel setup, if you're watching programming like the Discovery Channel HD, you'll hear the background music loud and clear but the narrator will sound as if his levels are being drowned behind the music.

The reason for that is because in HD, the narrator's voice goes over the center channel with some ambient level on the front left and right speakers. When watching HD programming with a 2-channel sound system, you hear the weaker ambient sound of the narrator coupled with the louder music that was designed to be heard on the front left/right speakers.


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## acctim (Jun 5, 2008)

Just a quick thought as i do not no if you have picked your amp yet for music have you looked at the cambridge audio range of amps?from what i have read they are very good at music


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