Q: I read your recent column about receivers and amplifiers. I have a Sony Blu-ray equipped BDV-E500 Home Theater System. I don't have a receiver or amp, that is unless one is built into the Blu-ray system. Am I missing something? What is a receiver?
A: Your system has an A/V receiver with an integrated Blu-ray player. Any component with amplification, a volume control and a tuner can be called a receiver, and yours has all three.
There are different types of receivers available. I will start with a simple stereo receiver and go from there.
A stereo receiver combines three separate audio components on a single chassis with a shared power supply: an amplifier, a preamplifier and tuner. In the early days of audio, enthusiasts would purchase separate amplifiers, preamplifiers and tuners and connect them together.
Here is how they work, from the speakers backward:
The speakers are connected to the amplifier, which powers the speakers.
The amplifier is connected to a preamplifier. It switches between listening sources, changes volume and left-right balance and may incorporate bass and treble controls along with other ways to modify the signal. It then sends the signal to the amplifier. Obviously, it gets its name "preamplifier" because it comes before the amplifier.
A tuner receives and selects radio signals. It is considered a source, like a CD player or a turntable, because it provides a signal to be reproduced by the speakers.