Stereo Receiver for Dummies
Feb 20 '02
The Bottom Line A Stereo Receiver consists of three stereo components packaged in one unit or chassis.
This is not really for dummies. I just thought I would do a take off on the title of popular self-help books. I will attempt to explain what a stereo receiver is to someone who is not familiar with the term.
The stereo receiver can be thought of as being three audio components assembled in one unit. Generally, stereo receivers are less expensive than purchasing the individual units, but in recent years, with the price of receivers going up and components coming down, this is not necessarily true anymore. Most people who own a stereo system, own a stereo receiver.
The three units that make up a stereo receiver are a tuner, a preamplifier and a stereo amplifier.
Tuner - the tuner is the part of the receiver that is used to tune in radio stations. This generally includes AM and FM reception.
Amplifier - the amplifier the is portion of the receiver that makes the speakers that you hook up to the receiver work. The amplifier amplifies or increases the audio signal that it receives from the preamplifier and sends that to the speakers.
Preamplifier - the preamplifier is the control center of the receiver. All your other stereo components such as tape decks, turntables or CD players are connected to the preamplifier portion of the stereo receiver. With the preamplifier, you select which source you want to listen to as well as control the volume and balance of the two speakers. Generally, there are also tone controls which are divided into bass and treble controls. Some units may also include a mid control which is for middle range tones. There are a few receivers that incorporate a graphic equalizer. The difference between this and typical tone controls is instead of having just 2 or 3 controls, you now have 5 or more controls. I would just like to interject that with State of the Art audio products, you will not find any tone controls. Besides these basic controls, you may also find other buttons or switches on the preamplifier that may control things such as filters, tape monitors, loudness, stereo or mono.
One very general rule about receivers, and I do want to stress the word "general". The heavier the receiver is, the better the power supply. This "generally" means the better it is. Another tip for shopping is when you are comparing stereo receivers, make sure that all the tone controls and loudness switches are off. This eliminates a few variables in your comparison because it is highly unlikely that the two units calibrate their tone controls the same. Also try to have the volumes of the two units identical when you are comparing.
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