[Electronics-Talk] new receiver

Mon Jul 3 16:18:35 UTC 2017

Hi Steve,

Yes, I was hoping to use them. I hate to say, but I bought them for Dean and
they were the top of the line, small and mighty. Thisis the first time I
have had to replace a TV and the receiver.

I appreciate all the help.

Susie Stanzel

-----Original Message-----
From: Electronics-Talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Steve Jacobson via Electronics-Talk
Sent: Monday, July 03, 2017 10:35 AM
To: 'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'
Cc: Steve Jacobson
Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] new receiver

Gerald,

Your point is well taken.  I thought it was clear from the context that I
meant that rejecting a surround sound receiver that one found to be adequate
in other ways didn't make sense.  I've seen surround sound receivers that
were not accessible in terms of setup but were accessible in use.  Many are
not at all accessible, though, as you correctly pointed out.  A basic
premise of any shopping is to determine to what degree one can operate the
equipment.  From what I have read, some of what you say about surround sound
receivers may apply to a lesser degree to sound bars as well.  I was not
meaning to imply that accessibility was not an issue with surround sound
receivers.  Thanks for making that clear.

Susie, if your speakers are small and not real new, I probably would not
worry about specifically tailoring your choice to use them.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

-----Original Message-----
From: Gerald Levy [mailto:bwaylimited at verizon.net]
Sent: Monday, July 03, 2017 10:16 AM
To: steve.jacobson at visi.com; Discussion of accessible home electronics and
appliances <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] new receiver

Sorry, I have to disagree with this advice.  Almost every multi-channel 
surround sound home theater receiver uses onscreen menus instead of discrete

buttons on the remote or front panel to adjust most features and functions, 
which makes them totally inaccessible to blind consumers.  On some units, 
even the volume and tone controls are adjusted from the onscreen menus. 
There are no receivers on the market with built-in voice guidance systems, 
which means that sighted help will almost certainly be needed to operate one

of these models.  However, some companies, notably Onkyo and Yamaha still 
make low-end two channel stereo receivers that still have discrete buttons 
and knobs to control the main functions that would be more blind friendly. 
As a general rule of thumb, the cheaper a receiver is, the more accessible 
it is likely to be.

Gerald

-----Original Message----- 
From: Steve Jacobson via Electronics-Talk
Sent: Monday, July 03, 2017 10:59 AM
To: 'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'
Cc: Steve Jacobson
Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] new receiver

Susie,

Everybody is throwing out suggestions without learning what might be
important to you.  You can narrow down your options by making some decisions
in your own mind before you start.  Here are some thoughts.

If you already have good speakers that you like very well and connecting
them to a new stereo is not a problem, then you might be wasting your time
with a sound bar.  A sound bar is a sort of combination of receiver and
speakers in one long and relatively skinny box that traditionally is placed
under a large screen TV.  They were originally created because large screen
TV's often had very poor sound.  The Sound Bars have both the left and right
speakers built in and some have circuits that make it seem as though the
speakers are further apart.  They can sound pretty good, and whether you
would be happy with a low or medium priced sound bar depends upon your
preferences.  Be realistic about old speakers, though.  They don't last
forever, and restricting your choices to use speakers you have had for
twenty years, even if you like them, may not make sense.

You also need to decide if listening to over-the-air radio is still
important to you.  Many sound bars do not have built-in radio receivers and
some other solutions do not, either.  Some actual receivers do have radios
but the radio is getting used so seldom that sales people may not know much
about it.  There is quite an emphasis on connecting to your WI-FI network
and accessing broadcasts through the internet.

If you don't have favorite speakers, sound bars might be an alternative, but
so might what we used to call boomboxes.  There are still some pretty good
single units around.

You need to think about whether you want surround sound as well.  If you
like watching movies and want the sound to be all around you, which
generally requires five speakers or more, that will change your choices.

Some receivers that support surround sound can be configured for stereo.
Given the state of electronics nowadays, building in surround sound
capability is not real expensive, so if you only want stereo sound, don't
reject all surround sound receivers if they meet the rest of your needs.

You will also need to decide if you want to control your receiver through a
smart phone.  As has been mentioned, some receivers that might not otherwise
be very accessible are accessible using a smart phone.  This won't help you,
though, if you either don't have or hate your smart phone.  <smile>

Some newer TV's have most of what one wants in a receiver built in.  If
playing DVD's and getting good sound when watching TV is important,
concentrating on better sound from your TV might be a path to follow.  The
chances of getting built-in radio reception on that path is small, though,
although you could likely get pretty good results by connecting a radio.  It
would be worth understanding well what your new TV's capabilities are.

Besides going to an electronic store to see what they have, searching on
Google or Amazon for stereo receiver might be a way to get an idea if there
is something that fits your needs.  If the above thoughts raises specific
questions, please ask.  The landscape has changed a lot for listening during
the past ten years or so.  You can get what you want, but there is no
avoiding an education process, I'm afraid.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

> At 12:45 PM 7/2/2017, you wrote:
>> Hi Listers,
>>
>>
>>
>> Now that I am getting a new TV, I think I should have a stereo
>> receiver I
>> can actually operate. Now that you have told me about the Samsung
>> accessible
>> TV, please give me some ideas on an accessible receiver. I want to
>> play my
>> DVD player, CD player, possibly my old VCR and of course a radio. Any
>> suggestions will be appreciated.
>>
>>
>>
>> Susie Stanzel
>
>
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-- 
Christopher (CJ)
chaltain at Gmail

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