Receiver May Be the Weakest Link in Home Theater

Watching a Blu-ray movie on a Blu-ray player delivers five times the picture quality of ordinary DVDs, but are you getting the best audio as well? Today’s Blu-ray discs contain superior sound data, but you have to have the right receiver to hear it. If your receiver is older than one year, it probably does not have the ability to decode the new, higher quality audio formats: Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio deliver sound equivalent to the original master recording made in the studio. This means it is uncompressed, producing sound from native bitstreams. Much more sound data is captured and decoded by the receiver, resulting in a noticeable improvement. You'll hear this referred to as lossless surround.

Careful listeners will notice the ambient sounds in the surround channels like dripping water and creeping footsteps, gun casings rolling from one side of the room to another. The improved audio will take you closer to experiencing a film as if you had stepped into the scene, just as the director intended.

Think of your home entertainment system as a chain. Your viewing experience can only be as good as the weakest link. When it comes to audio, the best speakers, a new Blu-ray movie and a top-of-the-line Blu-ray player cannot compensate for an outdated receiver. The receiver must have specialized decoder chips to unlock Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master. Check your receiver. You’ll find these formats listed in the on-screen menu. If your receiver does not have these features, should you replace it? Maybe, but the answer depends on the types of movies you like.

If you're a Woody Allen fan, there is no reason to upgrade. In dialogue-oriented movies like "My Dinner with Andre", all of the talking comes in the center channel leaving the others idle. TrueHD and Master Audio will do nothing for you! On the other hand, if you like action adventure or even nature films, the nuanced sound delivered across the surround channels will enrich your experience. Opt for a new receiver.

If you're new to home theater, I have found an excellent entry-level solution. The Yamaha YHT-591 Home Theater in a Box for $650. It includes five slim speakers, a subwoofer and just the type of receiver we've been discussing. Unlike other systems at this price point, the speaker enclosures are made of solid, vinyl-clad fiberboard to minimize any cabinet resonance, a problem with similarly priced plastic clad components. It is simple to set up and you may mount the speakers directly to the wall or place them on a low cabinet since they're a little short to stand on the floor.

And if all you need is a receiver replacement, Yamaha offers this receiver, the HTR-6240 A/V receiver, for $380. Make sure your speakers are compatible. Yamaha recommends a minimum impedance of no less than 6 ohms and power handling of up to 105 watts. Frankly, I'd go with the all-in-one solution and avoid any compatibility issues, but advanced users or my tech friends who read the fine print get the green light for the stand-alone replacement.

Note to classic movie buffs: We’ll get Easy Rider for on October 13th and the 70th anniversary edition of Gone with the Wind, the top box-office grossing film of all time on November 17th. Both on Blu-ray.