(Image taken from google.com search)
For many people, the best upgrade to better sound is an all-in-one solution that covers everything for a decent price, and still sound good. Such all-in-one solutions are the receivers that you can in a lot of homes with a pretty decent sound system (at least in my opinion). I’ve actually gotten myself a receiver for my gaming system, because I don’t have the space for it, and it was a good deal, with a few extras thrown in as well. Sometimes when you don’t have the space for it as well, you’d want something like a receiver as a solution to better sound for such applications. Also didn’t want to spend too much for a gaming system (I need the dollars for other purposes such as school hahaha).
Either way, after spending some time with a receiver and my experience with gaming with it, on games such as Uncharted 4 (a game with a good story), I’ve felt like it was something that was worth spending for. Rather than separates an components, which could take awhile, and is costly especially if you didn’t match them well, this was the simplest way to guarantee rather decent sound if not. It’s safe to say that the effort did pay off, and my gaming experience is changed forever.
It’s like the whole experience is a movie you can say. The sounds coming from around you in a game like Uncharted 4 makes you truly immerse in the gameplay and story. Every action sequence in the game makes my heart pound in excitement as I feel every explosion, every object breaking, buildings crumbling (yea you get to escape a collapsing building in one part of the game) and maybe even every creak of wood as you pass a fragile bridge make a century ago from the timeline in the game. It really makes my day whenever I game. Also, for games like NBA 2K, you can hear the crowds, the dribbles, the virtually rendered players talk among each other, the squeak of the shoes and every rim rattle when you go for the dunk which makes the game much more fun.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, as an audiophile and a gamer, to everyone out there, is that sound makes a difference in the experience of a game, movie, or music that you play. Even if the budget can get you a really good receiver. Go for it. I’ve read in an article recently which my dad shared with me, that audiophiles (in the UK) are obsessed with theirs, so the point of rewiring, or changing their doors to get the sound produced perfectly, or just enough to their tastes. If you want to go read it, the link is here. But one of the ideas got out of the article, and you’ll know what I mean if you read it as well, is that audiophiles are obsessed, and you’re not one if you aren’t as obsessed as they are. But there are other things to consider when you are to set a system up, like a budget or space, and not everyone can be as crazy as them. It makes it seem like having receivers doesn’t really make you an audiophile. It doesn’t always mean that either, but who’s to say it does too? I’ve had my hand on a few receivers now, and I think they sound great. You don’t need to match anything and you have almost everything you need to get overall way better sound than from your TV or anything else for that matter.
Maybe it doesn’t sound as perfect as separates that you have, or someone else has, because not all receivers are created equal, But I feel that, in my own standpoint, that receivers have their merits as well. I wouldn’t count them out of anything because a lot of people passionate about sound production, but aren’t that obsessive do use these as a simple solution, maybe because they move often, they don’t have the space, or they can’t really afford anything else with their budget. Really, you’ll still find reviews of receivers in the Sound & Vision magazine right? Quite often they do reviews of receivers, because a lot of people want to know about which are the best receivers. Even if reading Sound & Vision doesn’t make them an audiophile, I think at least some are, and reviewers give it their all to review what is given. There is demand for them, and they are one of the simplest upgrades for sound production for anyone interested. Even if they are do consider themselves an audiophile.
My reason personal reason itself is that I want better sound for another room, my game room in this case, and as much as I consider myself an audiophile, it’s the simplest and most space saving way to improve sound quality from the system, without sucking my dad’s wallet dry (hahaha).
In any case, that’s my rant on receivers and what I think/feel about them. Still quite lonely being audiophile, and if the article I linked above has any truth to it, it’s that we audiophile tend to stay at home more, to listen to out systems than go outside and just shout it out to the world that we are audiophiles, because no other quite understands what our obsessions/hobbies (no offence if any seem present) are.
HIFI Sound Enthusiast 