BookmarkWhat's Hot in Home Stereo Receivers
As with all other technology, stereo receivers have evolved dramatically over the years. Although the basic job of the receiver - as implied by the name - is simply to receive radio transmissions (AM/FM), today's receivers serve many other major functions, such as a tuner, preamplifier, signal processor, and amplifier.
Old stereo receivers are still an easy and enjoyable way to simply listen to the radio, whether it be music or talk shows. A simple, two-channel stereo receiver is all you need.
The future is now
An increasingly popular option is the Audio/Video control receiver or a combination amplifier/receiver. Even now, this type of stereo receiver is more readily available than the basic two-channel stereo receiver.
The hottest of the hot
In no particular order, these stereo receivers are some of the best-selling items on the market today because of their combination of low cost and high quality.
Yamaha RX-596 Stereo Receiver - There's nothing terribly fancy about this model. It doesn't have surround sound, but it makes a great receiver for one of the smaller rooms in your house such as a bedroom. Some of its features include 4 A/V inputs, CD direct input, turntable input, loudness control, and remote.
Denon DRA-685 Stereo Receiver - This is a powerful, clean sounding home stereo receiver, great for blasting music for a house party.
Onkyo TX-8511 Stereo Receiver - Also a very powerful stereo receiver, the Onkyo TX-8511 features multi-room preamp outputs, 4 audio and 2 A/V inputs, and Video 1 to Video 2 dubbing capability. This stereo receiver has a heavy duty construction and comes with remote control.
Harman Kardon HK3380 Stereo Receiver - If you're looking for a good stereo receiver for music reproduction, look no further. It has a dedicated sub-woofer pre-out, A/B speaker switching, 30 presets, turntable input, 5 audio inputs, and 4 video inputs, and a front panel for A/V inputs. The price tag is also an attractive feature.
NAD C740 Stereo Receiver - Although not as powerful as other stereo receivers, the sound quality is up there with the best of them. It features Impedance Sensing Circuitry which optimizes the power output, making it one of the best two-channel receivers for the money.
Realistic STA Stereo Receiver 2100d - Okay, so this isn't a hot new model of stereo receiver, but if you're lucky enough to get your hands on this rare, quality vintage model, hang on to it.
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