YOU'RE SURROUNDED!(Denon AVR-4800, Arcam AVR-100, B&K AVR-307, and Marantz SR-5000 stereo receivers)(Brief Article)(Evaluation)

You and your current stereo are making beautiful music together. So why should you seek a new relationship? Because when it comes to home entertainment, six channels are better than two!

During the past several years, home theater has become the hottest thing in high fidelity. By adding center, rear and bass-effects speakers to the traditional stereo pair, home theater surrounds listeners in a 360-degree soundfield, much like the experience in a fine commercial cinema.

Home theater has been with us for decades (beginning with the screening rooms of Hollywood's elite), but it took cutting-edge technologies to give the concept widespread appeal. While early analog surround formats -- Dolby "Pro-Logic," for example -- used stereo soundtracks to simulate the additional channels, today's surround-sound formats, namely Dolby Digital and DTS, use sophisticated digital algorithms to provide six discrete audio channels. In addition to the left- and right-front channels needed for stereo, "Digital 5.1 Channel Surround" employs a center (or "dialogue") channel to ensure that voices seem to emanate from the television screen, and two rear (or "surround") channels to envelop the listener in ambience or off-screen action. Finally, a low-frequency effects channel (the ".1" in "5.1") sends bottom-octave signals such as explosions and earthquakes to a dedicated bass speaker known as a subwoofer.

Aside from its obvious appeal to movie mavens, home theater empowers opera-lovers to explore the wealth of great performances already available on DVD. What's more, many television programs and sporting events are currently broadcast in Dolby Digital. Incorporating sophisticated digital processors and five amplifier channels, today's best surround receivers make it easy to enjoy cinema-quality sound in your home. Even if you're not ready to add extra speakers to your listening room, upgrading your existing stereo receiver to one of these top-rated models is an essential first step toward bringing the theater home.

Denon AVR-4800 (MSRP: $1,999.00)

One of the most sophisticated audio/video components available, Denon's newest receiver combines outstanding versatility with state-of-the-art sound quality. The AVR-4800, boasting 125 high-current watts per channel, is one of the few components to obtain THX-Ultra certification. (THX is not a surround-sound format like Dolby Digital or DTS; rather, THX is a comprehensive set of standards designed to elevate theater performance.) Like the Arcam, this Denon provides separate analog stereo pathways for matchless musical realism, while its 32-bit, high-speed DSP (Digital Signal Processing) chips provide such authentic theater presentation that you can almost smell the popcorn! Component video, S-video and composite video switching, 8 digital and 11 analog audio inputs (including phono) and multi-room capability support the most elaborate systems. Add ...