According to the most basic definition, the main differences between an AV Receiver and an AV Processor are cost and power amplification.
But rather than asking what the differences are, isn’t it more relevant to try to explain which one is the most suitable for you?
In most cases, deciding between an AV processor and an AV receiver depends on factors like budget and what you desire from your home theater in terms of performance. Let’s review these factors in more detail.
Even though some very High-End AV Receivers are now on the market, it is very likely that an AV Receiver will end up being your choice if you are on a budget. Indeed, in most cases, an AV Receiver is significantly cheaper than a more specialized AV Processor. Furthermore, it is designed as part of a more modest system overall and does the job of multiple boxes.
Therefore, if you don’t have any intention to upgrade your system to newer technologies or higher performance in the foreseeable future, an AV Receiver might well meet your needs and satisfy you fully.
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As discussed, an AV Processor is a high-performer compared to an AV Receiver. It might perform fewer tasks but does them better than its AV Receiver counterpart.
Here is the area where, on average, an AV Processor will perform better:
On the other hand, here is where an AV Receiver usually wins:
With an AV Receiver, you often trade budget and features against performance and upgradeability.
Like in High-End 2-channel systems, most users will prefer to use separate and specialized components to maximize the performance of their system. In the context of home theater, matching the amplifiers to your speakers and room characteristics is absolutely essential if you want to achieve the highest performance.
With an AV Receiver, your choice of power amplification is limited, and often too low for large rooms, power hungry speakers, and/or subwoofers. Although one could argue that the preamplifier and power amplifier sections within an AV Receiver are optimized for another, it is also something you can achieve with a careful selection of preamplifier and power amplifiers.
Although one could argue that the preamplifier and power amplifier sections within an AV Receiver are optimized for another, it is also something you can achieve with a careful selection of preamplifier and power amplifiers.
As an example, we design our Amplitude power amplifiers to achieve optimal gain matching with our range of Altitude processors. Anyone who has experienced the combination of an Altitude processor and an Amplitude power amplifier will confirm the benefit in terms of noise.
This factor is often overlooked: AV Receivers are rarely upgradable.
Home theater technologies tend to evolve fairly quickly and AV Receivers are rarely upgraded. They tend to be replaced. Over the years, this fact can easily become an unanticipated, hidden cost.
There are several situations that might lead you to change your AV Receiver:
These are just some common situations where you may need to upgrade the AV Processing part of your system. There are others.
With an AV Receiver, you usually have no choice other than buying a new one.
With some AV Processors, you could either wait for a software update to gain access to a new feature, or a hardware upgrade to move to the next generation of HDMI.
Note that not all AV Processors benefit from the same upgradeability. We were quite proud last year to announce a software update that actually increased the number of outputs by four channels, free of charge… something never seen before in our industry.
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