What Would You Like to See In Future Mid Class Receivers?

[agarwalro]

True HD support and room correction...

True HD support...
This is important to future proof the receiver switching capabilities. Since all video o/p devices will have this connection. For the same reason I would like to see S-Video and Composite video connections removed. I will be happy to have a receiver that can switch component and HDMI signals.

Room correction...
Since we all are not audio setup experts it would make life much easier to have something like this. Connect all you speakers, attach the microphone, run the calibration feature and walla... your setup is calibrated accuratly across the complete audio frequency spectrum.

 

[whyme]

One feature I think thats missing is "Upgrade-ability" especially in the upper end models. Receivers should be as modular as possible to allow upgrading as new features come out instead off having to replace the whole unit. Could only do wonders for the manufacturer that offers this.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

A quiet cooling fan with auto on/off, as well as manual control.

 

[jp9]

I would like a "governor" feature which would not allow the volume to be set above a fixed amount, maybe -8 dB or so. This would protect my speakers from someone hitting 'mute' then cranking the volume all the way up trying to get volume, then un-muting.

 

[terror_beast]

There are a number of things I'm going to look for in my next receiver. Things that I think are vital in order to get me to buy:

First and foremost, my next receiver absolutely MUST decode Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD. I also want a standard digital connection for DVD-Audio, SACD and 7.1 MLP.

I would like for HDMI to fulfill its potential and provide the all-in-one digital connection. I want ALL my audio to come over HDMI. Get that damn 1.3 spec finalized and into production already! Better yet, sit down for a moment, figure out all the audio formats and all the video bugs and just make a 2.0 spec that gets things right!

I want all my video over HDMI as well. If I happen to still have a component, S-Video or Composite source, I want it converted and converted well to HDMI for output. I don't consider de-interlacing or scaling to be vital. My display or better yet an outboard scaler/de-interlacer can handle that part of things. But I want the receiver to be a hub where I can plug in ALL my audio and video devices and have the video all come out on the HDMI output.

I don't care about automatic equalization (unless it gets magically better). Truth is though, I haven't heard what Denon's multi-mic equalization on the 5805 can do, so maybe I DO want it and just don't know it.

But to be honest, I'll always measure manually anyway. What I DO want is greater manual control for equalization. I want FULL frequency spectrum - hell, go beyond that and give me 1 Hz - 100k Hz. And I want a damn near unlimited number of parametric bands to work with...none of this 7 band or less crap that we have right now.

If digital amps get way better...great! Use them! Smaller, cooler receivers will always be welcome. But as long as pre-outs are standard, I don't really care because I can always buy a seperate amp.

You know what I'd REALLY like though? How about the big receiver manufacturers start offering all the features, inputs and decoding that receivers have in dedicated pre/pro's!

This is something I haven't been able to figure out for ages. Just try and find a dedicated pre/pro that has all the features, inputs and decoding formats that the high end receivers have. You can't! At least I can't. Yet those dedicated pre/pro's sound so much better for not having to power 7 channels using the same power section.

Yamaha! Denon! Marantz! Harman Kardon! Onkyo! ANYONE! Please...give me a dedicated pre/pro that has all the latest features and inputs and decoding formats! I know it can be done because you make new receivers every year with all this new stuff!

Finally, I DON'T want XM radio; I don't need more than two zones (in fact I really only need one); I don't want to connect my iPod...but all that is just me.

Here's what would totally cook my bacon - give me something that I can upgrade and customize. Onkyo has done a bit of this, but only on their Flagship receiver. I want to be able to order the features and inputs that I want and that I'm going to use. And when new input type or new sound format comes out, I want to be able to order a new board that I can place into the unit or swap out an old one.

All this stuff keeps changing and standards last all of a year before they are obsolete. I spend more than most people would on home theater, but I have limits...I'm certainly not anything close to wealthy! Give me something that I can upgrade over time - and make it a damn dedicated pre/pro! Good amps last so I'd rather have them seperate!

k...I'm done (for now )

t

 

[mike c]

I would like a "governor" feature which would not allow the volume to be set above a fixed amount, maybe -8 dB or so. This would protect my speakers from someone hitting 'mute' then cranking the volume all the way up trying to get volume, then un-muting.

my tv has this protection: when you hit mute, and then increase the volume ... it automatically goes out of mute. maybe they can incorporate this

 

[Tomorrow]

Three things I can think of that would greatly enhance midlevel receivers...
1. Accurate, usable, automatic room correction to 20Hz.
2. Accurate, usable, automatic room correction to 20Hz.
3. Accurate, usable, automatic room correction to 20Hz.

 

[MBauer]

Just a few things

1. Multiple HDMI inputs
2. Systems are upgradeable via firmware downloads and addition of components (Receivers need expansion busses with lots of bandwidth)
3. Better manuals or auto setup (It is overly complex to set up a moderately sophisticated receiver like my Denon 3805 but for many persons, impossible) so they need to add some human factors engineering to this part of setup.
4. Digital inputs or multi-channel players


They can drop a lot of DSP functions to save money and chassis space

 

[oscarav098]

Better and simpler integration

with other components and manufacturers as well as improved information sharing (metadata) from dvd players, cd text, radia call letters/rds info, etc, to receivers so they can pass this information to keypads/receivers/displays/etc. to a zecond/third zone.

A standard connection better than hdmi that allows long or short cable runs without the need of a repeater or a balun (analog) and not only provides multichannel hi res audio and hi-def video over one cable but standarized control and data as well.

DVD, CDP, sat boxes, catv boxes w/o d/a conversion so the receiver processor takes care of the any dsp or conversion. This could make things cheaper and more flexible for whole house a/v distribution.
I have a lot more but I have to get back to work.

This should actually be applied to the whole industry.

 

[Bobber]

#1 HDMI 1.3 supported before I buy again.
#2 Room Correction to 20 Hz or lower.
#3 3 HDMI in and 2 out would be nice.
#4 5.1 suported by by amping with 7.1 (0 interest in 7.1)
Do not care about I pod or XM radio (lower quality feeds do not interest me)
#5 HD Radio as in Yamys 4600 (Ibiquity.com) an upgrade to over the air.
#6 Now for a wish item that I would like, ethernet or USB connection.
Upscaling is nice but not as important to me.
Dump the S Video already... in higher end units whats the point? Just my 2 cents.

 

[j_garcia]

Actually, I'd like to see more receivers incorporate some simple memory functions. I prefer sound quality over tons of "features" (I don't need a billion DSPs that I won't use 99.999% of the time), but I would like to just have the ability to have slightly different configurations for various listening conditions, like maybe have one setting for movies during the day, another for late at night where the sub is off and all speakers are set to large, and another for music so I can turn the bass down slightly - without programming a macro or going a few levels into a setup menu. I love my receiver, but if it would just remember any tweaks I had made while listening to a given source, the next time I select that source, I would probably be satisfied (I know there are some receivers on the market that do this already). Actually, my ancient Sony receiver had something like this built into it's OSD setup - I could save my own parameters and just select the one I wanted and apply it whenever I liked, and with this, I could set a macro that would select a source and the correct parameters for that source.

I like the idea of a completely modular chassis as well, but I know that is not something that will be likely to happen in a mid-level receiver.

 

[algernon]

While I don't have an iPod or satellite radio, I don't feel that we need to start adding all sorts of propriatary connections for these products. These products already have mechanisms to connect. Also, it starts format wars. For example, were I to get satellite radio, it would be Sirius. Therefore the XM radio built into the new Yamaha receivers would be useless to me. Plus I'd want a unit I could bring between the house and car, and I don't think the 2600 would serve that purpose well.

 

[AVJedi]

Video upconversion would be nice, HDMI switching, etc.
Easier/better auto room set-up would be nice for non Audioholics
THX certification would be nice w/o having to pay a ton more, I like THX, and what they stand for, plus some of their modes do bring out a lot more subtle surround sounds in the motion picture; but, only the Select/Select2 certified products are reasonable to buy for mid-range receivers. Maybe that's why they're mid-range?

 

[donkey]

Future A/V Recievers Reply

One thing that was left out, was the option for smaller recievers. I mean you now have Plazma screen TVS that take next to zero space up and even the soom good LCD or DLP screens don't take much space either. But when it comes to amps there still the same size they've always been and now there almost twice as deep as new TVS.

so high powered quality compacted recievers would be nice.

 

[krabapple]

I'd like to see built-in wireless (WiFi) support for receiving music (and video? who knows) wirelessly from a computer/server located elsewhere. Currently you have to buy an outboard box llike a Roku Soundbridge for this, then connect it physically to the AVR.

Ideally the AVR would have built-in decoding of various file formats such as FLAC (lossless) and MP3 (lossy) as well as .wav of course. And too for compressed files it should have a readable display of what's playing (that you can turn OFF if you like), based on file tagging.


Alternately, I'd like an AVR with limited computer-like function and embedded software, such that you could hook an external drive full of music to it via USB or firewire (you can buy >300Gb hard drives now that are about the size of a paperback book) , and have the *AVR* software generate playlists and act as a music server, with an interface you can port to video, or operate in simplified fashion using the front panel display. Then you don't even *need* a separate computer or wifi.

This of course converges on the current offerings of standalone music servers, but these tend to be OUTRAGEOUSLY overpriced given their storage space and features.

 

[Xsound]

I would almost be willing to bet that if you did this survey again in 12 months, request for i-pod connectivity would be higher, and probably significantly higher. Will be interesting to watch.

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