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View SlideshowAs a consumer there’s a lot out there for you to choose when it comes to home theater electronics.
Starting with source components do you buy a CD player, a Blu-ray player, a media server or all of the above?
When it comes to managing these sources and powering your speakers do you buy a single-box A/V receiver that incorporates everything anyone could possibly ever need or do you buy “separates,” which in audiophile speak means an amplifier and preamplifier/processor.
A good case can be made for either category. Receivers offer convenience and cost effectiveness, while separates provide higher levels of performance and an easier upgrade path for hardware and even firmware updates.
In terms of pure costs A/V receivers run from about $300 to $8,000 and separate components can run from about $1,000 to $50,000, excluding esoteric two-channel audiophile gear. So you can power a range of speakers from the exotic to the more budget-friendly.
Focusing specifically on amplifiers and without diving too deep into the audiophile/Vulcan vocabulary, those wanting their systems to live free and prosper should consider essential specifications like power ratings and frequency response, as well as other things like warranties.
A good rule of thumb when looking at the power ratings of an amplifier is to see what it produces when driving a 4-ohm load and 8-ohm load. An amplifier should produce a noticeably higher rating at 4 ohms than 8 ohms. Also look at other ratings such as continuous output. Cheaper amplifiers will often be quoted with a “peak” number that indicates what it produces for a quick second. Robust amplifiers are usually rated for continuous power or RMS (root mean square) and these ratings are used to indicate how much power an amp produces over a long period of time.
Other ratings such as distortion can also be helpful, but consider that in many cases users are not going to hear the differences between a hundredth or a thousandth percent of distortion.
Click here to view a slideshow of six great amps for various budgets.
Hi Bob,
Agreed 100%. An awesome local dealer is great to have. Unfortunately dedicated AV shops with properly setup showrooms and trained staff is a dying breed.
In Akron OH 15 years ago you had the choice of 5-7 shops in the area. Now I only know of one place in Canton.
Hi Mark I understand the idea in that there’s something more organic, more personal about that type of business model, but a good qualified dealer is hard to replace.
Like most other businesses however there are better dealers and some not so good.
Bob
BTW, I don’t own any Emotiva product. I am just aligned more with their business practice than the entrenched players.
It’s great if you have a dealer that allowed you that flexibility of demoing a unit. Unfortunately not all dealers are the same. I am sure that is why higher end brands have to be careful of whom they let rep their product.
With purchase direct outfits they get to control the consumer experience more consistently. Now they can control it good or they can control it bad. That is another conversation how ever. I am more an advocate of this particular business model and practice vs the product its self.
Hi Mark, there are many dealers that will let you try a product out at home as long as you are willing to give them your credit card number in case anything happens to that product.
Years ago when Bryston came out with the SP-1 pre/pro I tried it out at home before buying it.
The dealer was Ensemble A/V in Southern N.H. and I did this because it was a major investment for me.
I ended up buying it after saving up the cash necessary to make the purchase and I made the leap to Bryston after determining that it’s not worth it in the long run to go through product after product.
Since I’ve bought that product several years ago I’ve had firmware an hardware updates and I still find it to be one of best sounding products on the market.
Anyway Mark as a point of fairness I did contact Emotiva and I asked them to send me a press kit so I can cover them on electronichouse.com.
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Don’t give up on your local dealers yet.
Many dealers are reinvesting the best they can into their showrooms because it’s an area in which they can prove themselves over the big retailers that are fighting it out with price points.
It may take some time and research to find a good dealer, but once you find one it’s like finding a good mechanic. You’ll never take your car to someone else and you’ll never want to buy A/V gear from someone else.
As organic as a purchase and sale can be from a Web site and consumer, it also lacks the human element.
Visiting a dealer and trying out different products is part of the fun of buying an amp, projector or whatever and the Web will never replace that experience.