Ask S&V

Q I own an AV receiver but don’t ever listen to broadcast radio. In the future, I’d like to just buy a multichannel integrated amp with no AM/FM tuner, but if those exist they are few and far between. Do people still really use the radio on their systems? —Dave Black, via email

A You’re right — multichannel integrated amplifiers with no AM/FM tuner are few and far between. The only one I know of is the Rotel RAP-1580 Surround Amplified Processor Sound & Vision reviewed in 2017.

While a receiver technically has to include a tuner to be called a receiver, we’ve noted that some new AV receivers omit HD Radio tuning from the feature list — a possible indication of flagging consumer interest in broadcast radio. Either way, internet radio streaming continues to grow in popularity and is supported by many new receivers. That’s the only way I now listen to radio at home.