Home Theater Amplifiers: Their role in the home theater ecosystem
When some people start building a home theater system, they may initially overlook lesser-known components that are vital to creating a great home theater environment. Some of these components include items such as a home theater amplifier and a surround sound preamplifier, which are both necessities if you plan on getting the best surround sound quality as you can. If you aren’t familiar with these custom home theater components, don’t worry; below you’ll find descriptions for both as well as how you can make sure to find the home theater preamplifier and amplifier that’s right for your entertainment system.
The first thing that you need to understand is exactly why the surround sound preamplifier and the home theater amplifier are separated into two different components. By keeping these two pieces separate, you can actually get much better sound quality and more flexibility in regards to the fine-tuning of your surround sound audio experience. This is because your preamplifier is designed to do a different job than your amplifier, and when you have the two pieces working together then you’re going to have more control over volume, clarity of the sound quality you receive from your home audio system, and a better system for customizing every aspect of your overall surround sound layout.
Here is some more specific information on both of these custom home theater components, to help you get a better understanding of what each does and how they work in unison.
Surround Sound Preamplifier
Originally, the home theater preamplifier was simply a component contained in the audio-visual receiver that serves as the core of a home theater system. To allow for better control over the home audio experience, however, many manufacturers have begun offering preamplifiers as a separate component that can be more directly controlled. This doesn’t mean that it’s been completely removed from the A/V receiver and its functions, though… a number of preamplifier models such as the NAD T175 from NAD still feature decoding technology as well as control functions which allow for greater customization of the audio experience.
So how does a preamplifier work? Much as the name implies, the surround sound preamplifier’s job is to act as an initial amplifier for audio signals that come in to the A/V receiver. This allows the home theater amplifier (also known as the power amplifier) to have much less work to do in order to get the audio level up to the point that you want it at. By using a preamplifier in your custom home theater system, you will also gain an additional control point for making small adjustments to the quality of your audio so that you can make everything sound exactly like you want it to.
Home Theater Amplifier
Much like the surround sound preamplifier, the home theater amplifier was originally just a component of the A/V receiver. As the use of custom home theater components began to rise in popularity, though, the amplifier was one of the first pieces to be separated from the receiver. A separate amplifier allows for a much greater level of control when it comes to the volume and clarity of your audio, and when combined with a preamplifier will allow you to customize your audio experience to the layout of the room or rooms that your surround sound system covers.
As was already mentioned, the home theater amplifier is sometimes also referred to as the power amplifier because it is independently powered (as opposed to having to share its power with the other components of the A/V receiver.) When audio information is sent to the amplifier from an A/V receiver or other decoder, it is sent as separate audio channels which are then independently amplified. The specific levels of amplification can be altered at the amplifier itself, allowing you to “shape” the end result to accentuate the specific qualities of your audio that you prefer and that work best with the acoustics of your home layout. Audio components manufacturers such as PSB strive to include as many options for audio customization as possible, ranging from basic graphics equalizers and volume controls to virtual audio effects, bass boosting technology, and the ability to emulate a wider range of sounds from individual speakers to better control the way that your home theater system plays audio.
Consider components like an amplifier or surround sound preamplifier if your home theater room is very large or included a complicated layout. These added components will give you better sound within the entire room. A home theater custom installer can give you specific information about your amplifier needs if you are unclear about whether these items are right for your theater.
~Ben Anton, 2008
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