5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know AV Receivers Could Do

A surround sound system is nothing without an amplifier to drive the speakers. One type of specialized amplifier commonly used for home theater setups is an AV receiver, an all-in-one device that combines power and routing of audio-video signals. Think of it this way: instead of plugging all of your AV components into your new smart TV, you plug them into a receiver. You will then run a dedicated HDMI cable from your receiver’s output to one of your TV’s HDMI inputs. This takes the load off your precious Mini LED or OLED set, at least when it comes to signal processing and scaling.

As for your speakers, the amplifier section of your AV receiver will have speaker terminals that you connect the speaker wire to. Each set of terminals provides a certain amount of power to a particular channel (e.g. front left, rear right), and this is essentially the long and short operation of an AV receiver. But as you might have guessed, many home theater hubs are capable of so much more, and we’re not just talking about settings that will fine-tune the amount of bass your system puts out.

For the true home theater enthusiasts in our readership, we did some research to find out which AV receiver features aren’t getting enough attention. To that end, we’ve put together this list of five things you probably didn’t know AV receivers could do. Not all AV technology is equal, so some of the things we discuss in our summary may not apply to certain receiver models. That said, we’ve done our best to stick to the lesser-known features shared by several manufacturers.

Many AV receivers are billed as 7.1 or higher systems, which often means the receiver can power a second listening area. This is also called zone 2. Using our 7.1 example, this would mean that you would be able to wire a complete 5.1 speaker system into the main zone (whether it’s a living room or home theater space), while reusing the remaining two channels as a stereo pair for another room. Once configured, a receiver with Zone 2 capabilities can route audio to both zones simultaneously.

The lion’s share of mid-range AV receivers will lock you into the same audio source for both rooms, but many high-end models let you set up a dedicated source (e.g. Blu-ray player, gaming console, streaming device) for your second zone. Some of the more premium receivers even offer Zone 3 and Zone 4 options, like the $7,200 Denon AVR-A1H. This particular model is limited to three zones, and each zone has a dedicated output on the receiver.

Two- and three-zone configurations are ideal for whole-home audio setups, and AVRs like the AVR-A1H also include line-level outputs for connecting separate amplifiers to your receiver. This allows you to outsource power duties for Zone 2 and beyond, so your main theater zone can drive a Dolby Atmos 9.1.6 or 7.1.4 setup, without harming your multi-room audio dreams.

If you watch a lot of movies and TV shows late at night, a pair of wireless headphones or earbuds can be a godsend for you and yours. Although the majority of AV receivers support Bluetooth, most systems can only receive Bluetooth audio from a host device like a phone or laptop. Fortunately, there are also AV receivers that receive and transmit Bluetooth signals, which usually means you’ll be able to connect a pair of Bluetooth headphones.

It’s also not always an obvious feature. The $1,800 Marantz Cinema 60 is capable of transmitting Bluetooth, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find mention of this technology on Crutchfield and similar sites. To confirm, we had to dig up a digital version of the Cinema 60’s user manual, which buried the instructions “Listen to audio on Bluetooth headphones” under the “Playback” drop-down list. There are also some receivers that will allow you to simultaneously stream audio to your main area and wireless headphones (including the Marantz Cinema 60).

Private listening is a feature you’ll find on many streaming devices and smart TVs, and it makes just as much sense to include this feature on AV receivers. Plus, it will save you from having to invest in a separate Bluetooth audio transmitter that may or may not be compatible with your home theater setup.

Wireless music streaming has become so good that most of us probably can’t remember the last time we used an auxiliary or USB cable to connect a phone or tablet for playback. Bluetooth has really taken over and continues to be a fast and reliable way to stream music and podcasts – but what you may not know is that many AV receivers offer music streaming over the Internet. Instead of sending audio from a host device, your receiver becomes the host device and uses Wi-Fi or Ethernet to connect to platforms like Spotify, Tidal, and Amazon Music.

Depending on the model of your AVR, you may be able to control Internet radio functions with the included remote, but many systems can also be controlled via a companion app. This doesn’t require any media from your phone; you simply use software to tell your receiver to connect to an audio streaming server. Technically, once your receiver starts playing songs, you can close the app and turn off your phone, and the songs should continue playing. Many systems will also allow you to use ecosystem tools (e.g. HEOS, MusicCast, etc.) to wirelessly group rooms and configure audio sources.

Keeping your AVR connected to the Internet ensures that you will also receive software updates as they become available. As an added bonus, many receivers will even let you use streaming technologies like Apple AirPlay and Google Cast to transmit audio over your home network.

If this is the first time you’ve heard of bi-amplification, it’s one of the best ways to maximize the audio potential of your Dolby and DTS-compatible surround sound, and just as beneficial for dedicated hi-fi listening. This is because bi-amping uses separate amp channels to deliver power and audio signals to your speakers’ low- and high-frequency drivers. The result is often fuller, more detailed performance from the speakers you bi-amp.

However, not all AVRs have bi-amping capabilities, so you’ll need to make sure that a.) the receiver you want to purchase has a bi-amping feature (which means you’ll be investing in a 7.1 channel or higher system), and b.) that at least two of the AVR’s unused channels are assignable. You’ll also need to make sure that the speakers you want to bi-amp have two individual sets of binding posts. Generally speaking, bi-amplified speakers are often mid-range and high-end products, so don’t expect to see affordable prices.

Oh, and heed these words: bi-wiring is not the same thing as bi-amping. The first is so called when you run two sets of speaker wires to separate the binding posts on the same speaker. This can make slight improvements to your home theater or hi-fi den, but you’re still only providing a single power source to all the speakers. And while you don’t need to buy special speaker wire to bi-amp your speakers, companies like Audioquest make cables specifically designed for bi-amping.

Last but not least, there is a tailor-made AVR function for enhanced stereo playback. Hi-Fi enthusiasts who appreciate warmth and sonic precision should invest in a receiver with a “Direct” or “Straight” audio preset. When enabled, Direct typically disables a number of digital processing features built into your AVR, all with the end goal of getting your stereo setup to sound as natural as possible. Settings like tone controls and dynamic EQ presets are often disabled, and your AVR’s front screen will likely be grayed out or completely blank.

Direct mode aims to suppress electrical noise and other signal interference as much as possible, which can be particularly useful for listening to music. Instead of relying on room acoustics software and other digital optimizations, Direct mode delivers the cleanest, most direct source signal to your speakers. This bodes particularly well for vinyl record enthusiasts and CD enthusiasts who want to get the most performance out of a hi-fi 2.0 setup.

When it comes to home theater sound, Direct can actually hurt your surround sound performance. Room correction software is intended to give you the best sound based on the unique acoustics of your theater space, and enabling Direct eliminates any auto-calibrated speaker adjustments you’ve made to your system.