5 ms·

It’s been 25 years since I was last into surround sound. What feels amazing and also slightly weird is that some of these surround sound receivers haven’t chan

It’s been 25 years since I was last into surround sound. What feels amazing and also slightly weird is that some of these surround sound receivers haven’t changed at all in aesthetic since the 90s. I know there are probably technical reasons for it, but it seems odd that while we have waved goodbye to CRTs, VHS, and 10BaseT, the shape of these Denon receivers looks largely unchanged. They still have the parade of Dolby etc logos across the top, and it looks like the main display is still a light blue plasma dot matrix?

88 5y ago
I think the shape (or size, at least) is dictated somewhat by the sheer amount of I/O that receivers provide. If you look at the rear of some receivers they are jam packed with speaker terminals, analogue and digital inputs and outputs, HDMI ports, USB, etc.
- darkwater 5y ago
  That's true, but yet the LCD screen is like... strange at least nowadays. I mean, they are Internet-connected, Spotify-streaming AV receivers, with bugs, firmware upgrades etc but they still use those old fashioned displays.
  - bregma 5y ago
    If only they used Nixie tubes instead. I would pay extra for that.
- bluescrn 5y ago
  There’s also still a fairly standard size for hi-fi separates, and most AV receivers stick to that same footprint. The bulk of the receiver isn’t really an issue to those who still prefer to use large-ish hi-fi speakers, rather than following the trend of small mono speakers fed lossy audio over Bluetooth or wifi. Personally, I’ve never liked the ‘tiny speakers plus big boomy sub’ sound ever since it became a trend in computer speakers, and most sound bars just continue that idea. Also, why is there never the option to turn up the center channel contribution when downmixing surround formats to stereo? Many sound bars are plagued by excessively quiet dialog when playing back certain content. A big bulky AV receiver is likely to give you a lot more control.
  - tudorw 5y ago
    Is my NAD AV receiver the only device smart enough to know I want the LED power indicator off when I watch a movie, either that or someone wired it wrong?
    - srmarm 5y ago
      Amen, the obsession with putting LEDs on everything is infuriating - especially standby LEDs. This is compounded with the newer super bright LEDs. I've got a Asus chromebook that lights up a dark room every couple of seconds when it's charging. It's served as a great beater laptop for the past 5 years yet that LED has never once been of use to me but pissed me off dozens of times as I've had to get out of bed to cover it when in a hotel room somewhere.
      - chiph 5y ago
        Color it with a Sharpie to reduce the brightness, or cover it with a piece of electrical/duct tape. I have applied auto window-tint film over too-bright LCD clock-radio displays so they don't light up the bedroom.
        ike77 5y ago
        The issue is that you think about it exclusively when sharipe-less, tape-less, angry and weak.
      - bluescrn 5y ago
        It's nice when you get a device with an option to turn the power/standby LED off (Have seen this on Sonos devices and Ubiquiti wifi access points. Would be good to see it in more places)
    - vel0city 5y ago
      Onkyo receivers don't have a power LED, they have a standby one that is off when the device is in use. They also usually have a dimming feature on the display and I have seen some units have a "pure audio" mode that turns off the display unless you are actively changing things.
Synaesthesia 5y ago
There have been advancements in sound technology, computational audio, better designed speakers, Class-D amplifiers which are cheap, efficient and sound really good. It switches millions of times a second, cool design! It can power your speakers with a tiny DIY amp that uses a lot less power these days. But yes the hi-fi aeshetic remains mostly the same.
globular-toast 5y ago
Good. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
- akho 5y ago
  But it is somewhat broke. If receivers were smaller and prettier, soundbars would not be a thing, and we’d all be better off.
  - globular-toast 5y ago
    I'm pretty sure soundbars are popular because of the speakers and cables etc. For many people, running cables between playback devices, receivers and speakers is way too confusing. Nobody who is comfortable with separates is going to switch to a soundbar because they don't find the received "modern" enough or something.
    - akho 5y ago
      I think it’s space (the receiver is bulky and difficult to place), and looks — it’s common for one member of a household to be enthusiastic about sound and messing with wires, and for another to be enthusiastic about interior design. I hope people are not as helpless with technology as you think. Also, you can pay someone to deal with wires.
machinehermiter 5y ago
I think the problem is head related transfer functions are too specific to people's head size. One time in my life I have heard amazing HRTF encoded audio with this dog running from what sounded like 100 feet away and then coming up and sniffing my ear. It was freaky. That was the only time the transfer function fit for me. Every other time it just didn't work and just sounded like the sound panning around the standard stereo field. If HRTF was one size fits all we would be long done with all this but I don't know that there is a better option that can be done for a reasonable price for what you get.
- TheOtherHobbes 5y ago
  You can try the Dolby Atmos demo file - on the Dolby Atmos intro page - to get an idea of how good/bad the encoding is. On my (studio) headphones it was more spatial than stereo, but certainly not a jaw-drop moment.

88 5y ago

I think the shape (or size, at least) is dictated somewhat by the sheer amount of I/O that receivers provide. If you look at the rear of some receivers they are jam packed with speaker terminals, analogue and digital inputs and outputs, HDMI ports, USB, etc.

darkwater 5y ago
That's true, but yet the LCD screen is like... strange at least nowadays. I mean, they are Internet-connected, Spotify-streaming AV receivers, with bugs, firmware upgrades etc but they still use those old fashioned displays.
- bregma 5y ago
  If only they used Nixie tubes instead. I would pay extra for that.
bluescrn 5y ago
There’s also still a fairly standard size for hi-fi separates, and most AV receivers stick to that same footprint. The bulk of the receiver isn’t really an issue to those who still prefer to use large-ish hi-fi speakers, rather than following the trend of small mono speakers fed lossy audio over Bluetooth or wifi. Personally, I’ve never liked the ‘tiny speakers plus big boomy sub’ sound ever since it became a trend in computer speakers, and most sound bars just continue that idea. Also, why is there never the option to turn up the center channel contribution when downmixing surround formats to stereo? Many sound bars are plagued by excessively quiet dialog when playing back certain content. A big bulky AV receiver is likely to give you a lot more control.
- tudorw 5y ago
  Is my NAD AV receiver the only device smart enough to know I want the LED power indicator off when I watch a movie, either that or someone wired it wrong?
  - srmarm 5y ago
    Amen, the obsession with putting LEDs on everything is infuriating - especially standby LEDs. This is compounded with the newer super bright LEDs. I've got a Asus chromebook that lights up a dark room every couple of seconds when it's charging. It's served as a great beater laptop for the past 5 years yet that LED has never once been of use to me but pissed me off dozens of times as I've had to get out of bed to cover it when in a hotel room somewhere.
    - chiph 5y ago
      Color it with a Sharpie to reduce the brightness, or cover it with a piece of electrical/duct tape. I have applied auto window-tint film over too-bright LCD clock-radio displays so they don't light up the bedroom.
      - ike77 5y ago
        The issue is that you think about it exclusively when sharipe-less, tape-less, angry and weak.
    - bluescrn 5y ago
      It's nice when you get a device with an option to turn the power/standby LED off (Have seen this on Sonos devices and Ubiquiti wifi access points. Would be good to see it in more places)
  - vel0city 5y ago
    Onkyo receivers don't have a power LED, they have a standby one that is off when the device is in use. They also usually have a dimming feature on the display and I have seen some units have a "pure audio" mode that turns off the display unless you are actively changing things.

Synaesthesia 5y ago

There have been advancements in sound technology, computational audio, better designed speakers, Class-D amplifiers which are cheap, efficient and sound really good. It switches millions of times a second, cool design! It can power your speakers with a tiny DIY amp that uses a lot less power these days. But yes the hi-fi aeshetic remains mostly the same.

globular-toast 5y ago

Good. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

akho 5y ago
But it is somewhat broke. If receivers were smaller and prettier, soundbars would not be a thing, and we’d all be better off.
- globular-toast 5y ago
  I'm pretty sure soundbars are popular because of the speakers and cables etc. For many people, running cables between playback devices, receivers and speakers is way too confusing. Nobody who is comfortable with separates is going to switch to a soundbar because they don't find the received "modern" enough or something.
  - akho 5y ago
    I think it’s space (the receiver is bulky and difficult to place), and looks — it’s common for one member of a household to be enthusiastic about sound and messing with wires, and for another to be enthusiastic about interior design. I hope people are not as helpless with technology as you think. Also, you can pay someone to deal with wires.

machinehermiter 5y ago

I think the problem is head related transfer functions are too specific to people's head size. One time in my life I have heard amazing HRTF encoded audio with this dog running from what sounded like 100 feet away and then coming up and sniffing my ear. It was freaky. That was the only time the transfer function fit for me. Every other time it just didn't work and just sounded like the sound panning around the standard stereo field. If HRTF was one size fits all we would be long done with all this but I don't know that there is a better option that can be done for a reasonable price for what you get.

TheOtherHobbes 5y ago
You can try the Dolby Atmos demo file - on the Dolby Atmos intro page - to get an idea of how good/bad the encoding is. On my (studio) headphones it was more spatial than stereo, but certainly not a jaw-drop moment.