What is the difference between av amplifier and av receiver?

Question

What is the difference between av amplifier and av receiver?

Answer 1

An outboard amplifier is just that. nothing more.  Most times an outboard amp has to be hooked up to a Preamp which handles the tuner, switching and processing of audio signals.  The amp drives the speakers with power that the Preamp has already processed.

Most times you get better audio processing and sound quality with a preamp and amplifier.  You can get different power amps to ensure that your speakers get enough power and headroom.

A reciever has everything built in one chasis.  The video switching, audio processing and amplifier all in one box.  Granted the power amp in receivers are never as powerful as an outboard amp, there are some receivers that have enough power to handle most what you toss at it.

Outboard amps come as one channel (Mono) two channel (stereo amp) three channel (those are rarer to find) Five channel and seven channel Multi amps.

With receivers you are going to get either a stereo reciever, 5.1 channel (standard) 6.1 channel (getting rarer to find) and a 7.1 channel.  Denon 5808 is a ten channel amp and yamaha makes a 9.1 and 11.1 reciever rated at 170 watts per channel.

Most recievers can get by with good sound in an average room with 100 watts per channel.  but look at the specs and check for THD (Total harmonic Distortion) less than 1% is inaudible and good and check the power per frequency spcs on each channel.  Some rate their recievers at 1Khz so it appears that their amps are more powerful than they are.  You want to find a rated power spec along all frequency bands 20Hz-20Khz).

Also check the power outputs running just two channels (which will have a higher number than that given by the manufacturer and with five channels driven and seven channels driven.

A good reciever that is rated at 100 watts per channel will have a rating of 100 watts per channel, five channels driven with a frequency response of 20Hz-20Khz with 0.05 THD.  This a decent amp.  A reciever that states 100 watts two channels driven at 1Khz with 1%THD is a poor amp and should be avoided.

Answer 2

amp is the European/UK term for a receiver I think.

Answer 3

An amplifier does not have a preamp or a tuner built into it, nor does it have switching facilities. A receiver has a preamp, switching capabilities, and a tuner for AM and FM built in.

Answer 4

An A/V receiver has a built-in radio tuner.

An A/V amplifier doesn't.