On January 30, 2015 at 20:02, Ernie Gilman said...
Since I first started selling audio in 1970, the thing that made a receiver a receiver instead of an item with some other name was that it had an FM tuner. Ok, it had an AM tuner, too, probably pretty lousy... so mainly, in practice, it was the FM tuner that made it a receiver.
Why do we have receivers today? My customers are spread throughout the Los Angeles area,* and it has been at least five years since any client has been interested in listening to the radio. Isn't it time the manufacturers knock some money off the product and create components that skip the FM and AM bands while continuing to offer us network audio services?
Or did I miss that while I was napping?
Edit: I'm speaking of surround receivers, not stereo.
*there are so many stations spread throughout the area that if you set up an FM modulator in your car to listen to an outboard device, there is no single frequency that will work for more than about twenty miles of travel.
I have started looking into integrated amps and separates because I want to find something better than receivers when video isn't a concern. The cost of a receiver-grade tuner isn't high, but the controlability has to add to the cost and if people aren't using the tuner, there's no reason to have one. I'd be interested in a 5/7/9 channel integrated amp or separates at a reasonable price, rather than starting at $3K. Even for stereo, I'm looking for 2.1 ch with a lot of inputs, including digital coax and optical, as well as a better than average phono section that has a MC stage.
