The difference between all the bells and whistles on all the different receivers is staggering, but they all use many of the same connections. As long as you take your time and connect one component at a time, you should find that setting up your receiver, though tedious, is pretty simple.

Ventilation
Whether you place your receiver in a rack or an entertainment center you need to make sure it has the proper ventilation. You'll need at least 3-4 inches of space above the unit so air is allowed to pass freely through. If you have it in an entertainment center with a closed back panel, you may want to make ventilation holes where the receiver is located. It also helps if air is allowed to come in from the side as well, but with many entertainment centers that isn't possible. The best setup is on an open rack, which allows for the most ventilation all around the unit.

Providing the right amount of ventilation allows the receiver the properly cool down. This increases the life of the receiver as it's not put under the pressure of operating in excessive heat.

In an enclosed entertainment center you'll need be cautious of the receiver making the air too hot for other components placed nearby. Having improper ventilation can affect the performance not only of the receiver, but of all your components.

The Connections
You'll find multiple inputs and outputs on the back of your receiver capable of handling many components. It's easy to keep it all straight as long as you take it one connection at a time.

Your components will either have audio/video outputs, or just audio outputs. You simply take one component, connect the outputs to the receiver then move on to the next one. If you're connecting a recording device such as a MiniDisc or tape deck you'll need to loop back from the receiver so the recording device can record from anything that's connected to your receiver. (For about the different types of connections go to the Connections article.)

You may come across a component, such as a DVD player, that has connections your receiver lacks. With audio connections, if your receiver doesn't have the connector, then your system can't use that type of connection. This is often the case with digital audio connections, and you may want to consider upgrading to a receiver that is capable of digital audio.

With video connections your options are more open. Routing both audio and video through the receiver has great advantages. Mainly that you only have to press one button to have both the audio and video switch to the right unit.

Using The Best Connection
If your receiver doesn't accept a video connection you want to use and your TV does, you can have the audio go to the receiver, and the video go directly to the TV. The only downside is that you'll need change the input on the receiver and on the TV when switching between sources. The advantage of using the best video connection is well worth this hassle, and far outweighs using a lesser connection. Simplicity has its place, but you bought your home theater to perform its best.

The Monitor Out
All A/V receivers have a "monitor out" RCA connection, and receivers that handle S-Video and Component Video connections have a matching "monitor out" as well. For your receiver to take on the role as the "master switcher" of all your A/V components, you will need to use a "monitor out" connection to connect your receiver to the TV .

The only downside is that if you use multiple types of video connections (example: RCA connections for a VCR, and S-Video connections for DVD), you'll need to connect each connection type's monitor output to a separate input on your TV. The reason for this is that most receivers don't offer the conversion of different types of video connections to one single "monitor out".

The downside is that you'll have to switch inputs on your TV and receiver instead of just switching the receivers input. This can add to the confusion of your home theater setup by having to make sure the receiver and TV both are on the right input.

The quality offered by better video connections is worth the hassle, but better receivers are on their way. Many manufacturer's receivers now offer upconversion of all the video inputs so they can all be sent through one "monitor out".

One connection to the TV is all you need with these new receivers. Thus, returning the A/V receiver to the "master switcher" role it's supposed be. While A/V receivers should have always offered this feature, it's nice to see that the world of A/V receivers is finally evolving.

System Setup
After you get it all connected the fun begins. Now you get to setup your receiver to use everything you have connected to it. This varies greatly from receiver-to-receiver, with many brands offering an on-screen video interface or GUI (Graphical User Interface).

The main items you'll setup are the speakers and the digital inputs. You tell the receiver what size your speakers are, how far they are from your listening position and if you have a powered subwoofer. To setup a digital input you tell the receiver what function to assign the input to. For example, if your MiniDisc uses the Optical digital input and your DVD player used the Coaxial digital input, you need to tell the receiver which component uses which input.

Since there are so many different interfaces used by many manufacturers, this article cannot go into full detail for every one. The best advice is to read the manual for your receiver/processor to find out how to setup your system correctly.

More affordable receivers will not offer an on-screen menu, and instead have you setup the receiver using the remote and the receiver's display.

Speaker Setup and Tone Controls
Before calibrating your speakers you should set your bass and treble controls to zero. You DO NOT want these controls maxed out. When listening at high sound levels you run a good risk of pushing your receiver's amps beyond their limit, causing amplifier distortion or "clipping". All distortion is bad, but amplifier is one of the worst kind. The amp's signal is uncontrolled when it's clipping, which can lead to speaker damage.

The best rule of thumb is to never set your tone controls above half to allow the receiver some headroom to play loud passages. This usually means having the treble or bass knob pointed at the 3 o'clock position. When setting tone controls to zero your system may sound dull at first, but after you get used to it you'll realize the sound is actually smoother and more accurate than the bright and grating sound most people listen too. After a short while, you'll wonder how you ever listened to your system without the tone controls set to zero.

Many receivers have you set what size your main speakers are so it knows how much bass to load the main speakers with. Usually this will consist of a large or small setting. "Large" tells the receiver your speakers are capable of handling a significant amount of bass, and "small" tells it your speakers cannot handle a lot of bass. If your speakers can handle bass, you may want to try the large setting (even if you have a sub) as this setting can produce a fuller sound.

The receiver / processor is what you'll use to calibrate your speakers. Read the article on Speaker Calibration to find out more.

Subwoofer... Music Versus Movies
It has long been an issue that what is a good subwoofer setting for movies is often too much bass for music listening. Many receivers offer the capability to remember speaker settings for every input. If you own a high-end receiver, chances are it has this option. This means that for DVDs you can have the sub kicked up a bit, and for CDs you can set the sub to a more musically accurate lower level.

If your receiver doesn't have this option there still is something you can do. You can turn the sub up or down by it's own volume to adjust for what you want to listen to, or you can rely on the "bass enhancer" button many receivers have. Simply calibrate the sub for movies with the "bass enhancer" on, and when you listen to music turn it off.