Home Cinema Amplifier and Switching

The Home Cinema amplifier, AV receiver or Surround processor, is usually the core component in a Home Cinema system. pretty much everything connects to it as it selects between the different sources, gives you control over the volume and playback sound formats, and drives the Home Cinema loudspeakers, and display devices.

Anthem MRX-720 front

It is usual to have at least half a dozen inputs into a home cinema, and the home cinema amplifier needs to be able to seamlessly switch between them as well as accurately decode the audio formats played.

Like a HiFi system, there are solutions that vary from the all-in-one player/preamp/poweramp box to separate preamp and poweramp combinations. depending on the quality requirements and budget available.

AV Receiver

One of the traditionally favourite Home Cinema Amplifier units is the AV Receiver. This is the home cinema equivalent of the HiFi integrated Amplifier, in that as well as performing input switching and volume control, it includes a power amplifier stage. They are called a receiver, as usually there is a, FM or DAB radio receiver built in too (though goodness know why, as we hardly ever use them!).

Anthem MRX-710 Home Cinema Amplifier

When you look at the back of an AV receiver, it can at first appear a little daunting due to the large number of connections, however some like the Anthem MRX-710(right) split them up into different zones according to their function: HDMI Input, Analogue video input, Analogue audio input, HDMI output, Analogue video output, Analogue audio output, and speaker output.

There are a few other connections that assist in integration of the home cinema amplifier, including a trigger output (which we frequently use for controlling an electric projection screen),  Infra red and RS232 control inputs, an Ethernet port, plus of course mains power.

The Major Home Cinema AV Receiver manufacturers we sell are:

 

For many of these Home Cinema Amplifiers it is possible to upgrade the sound by adding separate power amplifiers on some or all of the speaker channels. This often occurs when we integrate a traditional stereo HiFi system with a surround system. In this case the Stereo HiFi drives the front main left and right channel speakers, and when set to the AV input operates in unity gain mode, so only the AV Receiver controls the volume.

This offers a number of advantages:

  • Higher quality emphasis can be applied to the stereo channels for music
  • The reduction in loading on the home cinema amplifier improves quality in the other channels
  • Upgrades can be performed incrementally
  • The stereo performance is not compromised by the video processing
  • The video performance is less compromised by the Power Amplifier

Home Cinema Amplifier: Separates

Separating out the high power requirements for the audio output stages from the input switching and volume control, has long been established as best practice in the HiFi world, and this is no different in Home Cinema amplifiers. This is even more important in a larger auditorium, where the volume used in replaying movies is often far larger than that used when listening to music (though I don’t know why!), which means that the audio power amplifiers are working harder.

Anthem A5 Home cinema amplifier

Power amplifiers are often in a single large multi-channel box as in the Anthem A5 amplifer (right). Though of course the best sound is achieved by having a separate monoblock amplifier for each speaker channel, or better still for each drive unit in each speaker.

Pulse Home cinema amplifier installation

 

 

 

Come and talk to us about your home cinema aspirations, we have a wealth of experience in designing effective enjoyable systems that are easy to use.