What, according to you, is a premium TV watching experience? Large television with an HD display and a huge surround sound? Sounds great when coupled with a comfortable couch and a snack, right. Well, if you want the best quality sound while watching the television and listen to high-quality music, then your television should be coupled with a receiver.
Most people invest in soundbars and wonder if their soundbars need receivers. To answer this in one word, No. You don’t need a receiver with a soundbar, as both of them nearly do the same function. Combining them both will not render you any tangible benefits.
What Is A Receiver And What Is Its Purpose?
Before learning if you would require a soundbar with your AV receiver, let get a glimpse of what these receivers and soundbars are. A receiver or an AV receiver is equipment that helps in directing the audio and the video from different sources to the appropriate places. And they are also responsible for fine-tuning the video and audio settings to get an exceptional TV viewing experience.
Let’s assume that you have speakers, woofers, cable box, blue ray player, etc., in your home, and you will be able to alter the inputs and the audio settings of all these gadgets easily with a press of a button from your receiver. By simply pressing the reset button, you can change the bass settings, adjust the volume, and even change the cable box to Xbox, etc.
A home receiver is also known as the AV receiver, and it serves as the connection hub through which all the audio, video, and streaming sources send signals between each other.
The receiver typically receives audio signals from different devices that you have set up in your home. It then processes these signals, refine them to help you with a clear and crisp output sound. Modern-day receivers help enhance the video signals and the audio signals, and you have to make sure that you buy a receiver model that is compatible with your home theatre components.
Setting Up A Surround Sound Setup With A Soundbar
Before understanding the steps in setting up a surround sound effect at home, let us know what a soundbar is. No, the soundbar is not mere speakers though they are used to project the audio of a device, but are an elegant component that includes every single piece of hardware to help you with high quality and enhanced sound. The soundbars have two or more speakers that are placed strategically to enhance the audio in your home.
The sound boxes come with woofers, either wired or wireless, and are generally positioned near the television for a surround sound effect. Soundbars became popular with the introduction of slim television when many essential components were removed to make the television slim. They have inbuilt speakers that are powered through an in-built amplifier.
They help deliver high-quality sound and come as an excellent replacement for the home theatre system in most homes. Connecting the soundbar components with the TV is simple. You only have to connect the components to the television and connect the television to the soundbar. You can also connect the components to the soundbar directly. You can, in turn, connect the speaker with a subwoofer for an exceptional surround sound system.
Similarities And Differences Between The Soundbar And The Receiver
Both the soundbars and the receivers are capable of producing high-quality sounds compared to the TV speakers. Both of them are capable of yielding a higher decibel sound than the television speakers.
Both of them are capable of routing and rerouting audio and video signals to the television and are capable of accepting multiple input devices. But the receiver can adjust the bass, equalizer, and other sound features better than the soundbar and can control other devices through a remote. The receiver doesn’t have any inbuilt speakers but can have an inbuilt AM/FM function.
So, Do I Need An AV Receiver With A Soundbar?
We have done enough discussions on the functions and the capabilities of the soundbar and a receiver. Most of them have nearly similar features and functions, and thus you don’t require connecting an AV receiver with a soundbar for an amplified sound effect. You can either have a soundbar or receiver to amplify the sounds of your television to many folds. And you don’t have to buy both for an amplified sound experience.
Soundbars have become popular in many households, as they are space-efficient and simple to set up. They can connect with the television directly, and thus you don’t need a receiver to mediate the connection. Also, the soundbars have built-in amplifiers to power their speakers and thus, they are easy to set up as well. And normally, people don’t connect a soundbar to the receiver.
If you are still not convinced and wish to connect your soundbar to your receiver, then you will find that the devices will act as a pass-through for each other. And the last device in the link will play the audio that is been sent through the connected device. There are ample chances for error in the audio if one of the devices attempt to play the audio file that is not supported by the other.
Summary
If you ask me if you can connect a soundbar with the AV receiver, I would say that yes, you can connect. But you should be prepared for unexpected complications and surprises along the way in the sound streaming. But if you ask me if you need an AV receiver with a soundbar, then the answer is a no. You don’t need them both for your amplified sound experience, as most of them practically do the same function