The modern A/V (or "home theater") receiver plays a central role in many home entertainment systems, serving up surround sound, distributing music and video signals, and consolidating system operation into one (not necessarily simple) remote control. While separate components may offer enhanced performance, flexibility, and upgradeability, today's A/V receivers make no apologies as the Swiss Army knives of home entertainment gear.

With a plethora of choices, how to begin? The best approach is to discuss your requirements with an A/V specialist. But if you're on your own, here are some basic considerations:

System Architecture

Decide early on which speaker configuration (5.1, 6.1, 7.1) is right for your space and budget. The more channels, the more speakers, and ultimately the more goose bumps.

Livability

A/V receivers, by nature, are not simple devices. There's always a learning curve. Ask to see the owner's manual -if the company can't explain it, there's no hope. Higher-end models tend also to be the most complex. So your expectations for performance must be tempered by your need for simplicity.

The Gazintas and the Gazoutas

Make sure your receiver has more than enough inputs and outputs for your source components. If you have a turntable (yes, they still make 'em), look for a dedicated phono input. Also, make sure your receiver has both Digital Optical and Coaxial audio inputs. With surround schemes such as Dolby Digital and DTS, these connections are necessary to stream the digital audio into the receiver. Better units allow you to custom assign various surround-sound settings to the individual source inputs. For multichannel surround audio formats like DVD-A and SACD, your receiver needs a six-channel audio input.

Upgradeability

The best A/V receivers provide a way to upgrade their operating software, usually via a laptop computer hooked to the receiver's RS-232 port. This access port also allows A/V specialists to program elegant one-touch interfaces to operate your entire system.

The Power Game

You need enough power to fill your room with decent sound, but don't get carried away with power specifications. Other aspects-such as distortion levels and current flow-can have a greater effect on sound quality. The main thing to consider, especially with surround-sound receivers, is that the power output be "clean" and distributed evenly across all channels. A receiver with 50 watts for each channel is better than one with 100 watts for the front channels but only 25 watts for the rears (other factors being equal). Check the specs carefully. Most receivers are tested with only one channel driven. Better units show what all channels (or at least the three front channels) can deliver at the same time.

Surround-Sound Processing

With the advent of DVD, Dolby Digital, and DTS surround-sound, AV receivers have become the epicenter of the home theater listening experience. At a minimum, your AV receiver should be able to process both Dolby Pro-Logic and Dolby Digital surround signals. In addition, some DVD and laserdisc material is encoded with DTS as well, but everything that is released in DTS is also released in Dolby Digital. Getting a receiver that has both decoders is ideal, but if you're on a tight budget, forgo the DTS. However, if cost is no object, the new 6.1 receivers decode not only Dolby Digital and DTS, but their enhanced versions-THX Surround EX and DTS-ES.

Finally, make sure your loudspeakers are up to the task. Will they handle the power output? Are they the correct impedance? Are they all matched or is each one a different brand, size, type? Also, upgrading to Dolby Digital or DTS surround requires the addition of a subwoofer to your setup.

You do have a subwoofer, don't you?

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