Is there such a thing as a receiver that just outputs audio?

[Aisengard]

I don't need anything special. I just need a receiver capable of outputting 5.1 audio. I don't need any video handling. I've been looking around the web for something that just does audio, thinking it would be fairly inexpensive, but haven't found anything.

Does such a thing exist, or does it have to be integrated with video as well?

 

[ivan2]

you are looking for a 5.1 preamp that does switching.

hmm scratch that, then u still need to run the amps and that will get expensive... touch luck lol

 

[vi edit]

What are you trying to achieve?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

What are you trying to do with this?
What are you hooking up to it (as inputs and outputs)

 

[BoberFett]

Products you would think are more simple and therefore cheaper are often more expensive just because of the power of product volume. Most people want a fully integrated A/V receiver so that's what companies make. Your product is a niche, and you'll probably find it cheaper to just not use the video output. Though with the move to HDMI and video and audio of the same cable, I'm not sure how you'll accomplish what you're after anyway.

 

[sivart]

Maybe check craigslist for a receiver that is about 3-4 years old. There were a lot of decent Pioneer's, Onkyo's and Denon's in that time frame that didn't handle HDMI.

This would be a good choice as you may catch people upgrading their receiver and should keep the price down. Just be aware that you will need to use analog audio inputs (5.1/7.1) from a BD drive that can output analog audio (7.1) to hear the newest "HD" codecs.

I have seen most receivers since the early 1990's that have had at least composite video inputs on them.

 

[vshah]

almost any that does 5.1 will have some form of video built in, since surround sound formats were almost entirely used for movies.

there are some sweet dvd-a discs out there though...