The best thing to do when shopping for a home theater amplifier is to listen to the sound it produces. However, this is not always possible. In general, you have to take into account a number of factors, when choosing such a device. You have to be able to assess its features in line with your person preferences and needs.
The first factor to consider, when shopping for such a device, is its sound field. You have to ensure that the amplifier will be able to “fill” the room with sound. Experts recommend 5.1 system models for traditional living rooms or ones with standard measurements designed for home theatres. If you have a larger room, you might want to opt for a 7.1 system model.
It is perfectly natural for you to want your home theater amplifier to be as powerful as possible. In order to make this dream come true, you should look for a device that has over 80 watts average power per channel (W/Ch). In general, expert say that this is a good power for an average home theater set in a traditional living room.
When considering the watt average power per channel, you should be careful not to confuse it with the peak power that the device can produce. Peak power refers to the power derived from the device’s voltage, during a loud high point. In general, this is haytheatre.com not an officially recognized measure for the power of amplifiers, as it depends a lot on the type of signal produced by the home theatre. For this reason, it is best not to rely on this measure, when buying a product.
The THD, on the other hand, is an extremely important measure to take into account, when shopping for an amplifier. THD stands for total harmonic distortion. It is basically a measure showing the level of quality of the sound the device produces. The lower the THD is the better.
Experts recommend that you should look for a model that has total harmonic distortion lower than 1%. At the same time, there is not a great difference between a device with 0.07% THD and one with 0.01% THD. For this reason, you do not have to spend extra dollars on a model that has the lowest possible total harmonic distortion.
Another measure to show the sound quality is the signal-to-noise ratio. It is express in dB. In general, the higher the number is the better. Just keep in mind that as the wattage goes up the signal-to-noise ratio falls. Hence, you have to find the ideal balance between sound power and sound quality.
Finally, when shopping for a home theater amplifier, you need to make sure that it is compatible with the home theater system you have at home. It is essential for the device to be capable of decoding the most common audio formats, so that you can enjoy watching TV as well as DVDs. Provided that you find a number of products with this and the above-describe features, you can readily opt for the most affordable priced model of all.
Special Notes!
Best Home Theater System.