A retrospective
Home theater amplifier support for pure music playback
Today's home theater amplifiers can be connected to the Internet, with exclusive App control, built-in DAC line, HDMI interface and enough bandwidth, so it supports streaming music playback, supports high-bitrate music and other music playback methods It is also a logical thing, different brands of home theater amplifiers because of the differences in market positioning, the support capabilities for music playback are different, but these functions belong to compatibility functions in home theater amplifiers, not their main force.
Top-of-the-line brands such as Storm Audio and Trinnov Audio are positioned as private home theaters, which are designed more in reference to commercial cinemas or film post-production studios. Therefore, it is a professional route in design, and will focus on professional functions such as surround sound decoding, room/speaker correction, etc., streaming music playback supports ROON music management software, ROON itself can manage local music, and ROON itself also comes with TIDAL, Quboz, KKBOX, Internet Radio, these streaming music services, and can also ensure that there are sufficient music resources.
New models from brands such as DENON, Marantz, Onkyo, Integra, and Pioneer are much richer in this regard, as they are positioned more for home audio-visual entertainment. Not only can it support Soptify, TIDAL online streaming service, Roon music management software, but you can also use Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay function to transfer music to home theater amplifier playback, and even have your own streaming music app, such as DENON, Marantz can support HEOS streaming music app. You can control multiple DENON or Marantz products with a single app.
In addition, it can also transmit multi-channel DSD pure audio through the HDMI interface, as well as decode multi-channel DSD pure audio, and can play multi-channel pure music Blu-ray discs with Blu-ray players, these Blu-ray discs will have built-in Dolby Atmos, or AURO-3D 3D immersive sound, or even both sound effects.
Those HIFI-type home theater amplifiers
If you pay attention to our previous magazine content, you will find that DENON has a stereo home theater amplifier, model DRA-900H. In addition, Marantz's product list also includes a stereo home theater amplifier with the model number STEREO 70s. In everyone's cognition, the two-channel amplifier is the HIFI amplifier. So what is the difference between the DENON DRA-900H and the Marantz STEREO 70s and the HIFI amplifiers you know, and what are the similarities with multi-channel surround sound home theater amplifiers?
First of all, the DENON DRA-900H and Marantz STEREO 70s both have HDMI ports, which support 8K/60p, 4K/120p, and can also support automatic low latency (ALLM), variable refresh rate (VRR), fast frame transfer (QFT) and fast media switching (QMS) functions, corresponding to the image specifications of the new generation of game consoles (Sony PlayStation 5, Microsoft XBOX Series X). In addition, one of the ports in the HDMI section offers HDMI ARC. In terms of audio output, the DENON DRA-900H and Marantz STEREO 70s both offer subwoofer output, which can be expanded into a 2.2 configuration to enhance the bass.
In terms of digital audio, DENON DRA-900H and Marantz STEREO 70s can support HEOS streaming music playback function, and can also support Bluetooth, Apple Airplay 2, and support high-definition digital music file decoding, it can be said that they are completely based on the two-channel power amplifier plus HDMI audio and video processing function, so it can be called HIFI type home theater amplifier.
Compared to those multi-channel home theater amplifiers, stereo home theater amplifiers are at the entry level. They are given to those who pursue simplicity and simplicity, and this kind of consumers mainly obtain film sources through online streaming channels, the vast majority of such film sources are stereo sound tracks, with such stereo home theater amplifiers can obtain high-quality sound effects through simple configuration, and also listen to pure music as HIFI amplifiers, and the HDMI part can correspond to the video specifications of a new generation of game consoles, so they are also compatible with video games.
Multi-channel power amplifiers
The multi-channel power amplifier is used with a surround decoder/preamp. As the name suggests, it is a chassis with multiple power amplifier circuits installed in it. How many power amplifiers do these multi-channel power amplifiers have? Common ones are 8-channel, 16-channel, 3-channel, 4-channel, 7-channel and so on. In most cases, surround decoders/preamps and multi-channel power amplifiers are sold as a package, such as: Marantz AV 10/AMP 10, the former is a surround decoder/preamp, the latter is a 16-channel power amplifier with an output power of 200W (8 ohms) per channel, Trinnov Audio has Amplitude 16, Amplitude 8 and Amplitude 8m for 16 channels, 8 channels and 8 channels, which can perfectly match the Altitude 32 and Altitude 16 surround decoders/preamps. StormAudio has the PA16 MK3, a 16-channel and the PA8 Ultra MK3, which is an 8-channel pair, and the PA8 Ultra MK3, which also perfectly matches Storm Audio's surround sound processor/preamp.
However, there are also audio manufacturers that do not produce surround sound processors/decoders, but will launch multi-channel power amplifiers, which are usually the original HIFI speakers, because it is easy for these manufacturers to make a multi-channel power amplifier. For example, the music fax M6x 250.4/2, M6x 250.5, M6x 250.7, and M6x 250.11 are 4-channel/2-channel variable, 5-channel, 7-channel, and 11-channel, respectively. For example, if the consumer's home configuration is 7.1.4, then you can choose M6x 250.7 + M6x 250.4/2, and 5.1.4 configuration can choose M6x 250.4/2 + M6x 250.5. In addition, ATI also has a variety of multi-channel power amplifiers. The use of an external power amplifier is not only for surround decoders/preamps, but is often more necessary for integrated home theater amplifiers.
The amplification circuit of the multi-channel power amplifier is nothing more than a Class AB power amplifier, as well as a Class D power amplifier. In terms of size, weight and output power, the Class D amplifier is the best solution, and the small amplifier module can produce 200W (8 ohms) or even 300W (8 ohms) of output power, with strong thrust. If the same output power is required, the volume and weight of the power amplifier will increase rapidly, which is not conducive to transportation and installation, and the heat generation will also increase. Usually, manufacturers who use Class AB amplifiers to design multi-channel home theater amplifiers are themselves designers of HIFI amplifiers, and their designers tend to prefer to use Class AB amplifiers.
Summary:
In this feature, we introduce several important features of today's home theater amplifiers in terms of video, surround sound decoding, bass management, speaker/room optimization, and support for pure audio. The purpose of these features is to provide consumers with immersive audio and video effects. However, in addition to the performance of the product itself, the debugging method is another very important part, and the debugging of the home theater amplifier is easy to learn and difficult to master, not easy to do well, and will introduce you to the special content about the debugging of the home theater amplifier in the future, so stay tuned.
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