Tascam PA- R200 AV Surround Receiver review

Studio-friendly surround sound solution

  • £700
  • $1299
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There are fans for every channel of amplification so it's guaranteed to stay cool squeezed in alongside your gear

MusicRadar Verdict

Highly recommended if you're in the market for a music-making surround solution.

Pros

  • +

    Great spec. High quality build and sounds. Patchbay-friendly.

Cons

  • -

    Not cheap, but it is well-priced for pro-quality gear.

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When planning a studio it can be all too easy to forget about the 'little' things. Such as the ability to listen to 5.1 sources when required and perhaps produce your own.

The solution is of course to get a 5.1 amp from your local A/V retailer and incorporate it into your 19-inch rackmount, stereo-based studio. All without it getting in the way or, worse, overheating.

"The PA-R200 packs every spec you can think of into a pro-quality metal case that's 19-inch wide with rack ears"

Alternatively you can buy one of the new Tascam AV amps specifically made for studio use. Its PA-R200 packs every spec you can think of (including up to 7.2 output - the '7' being the number of speakers and the '2' being an incredible two subwoofer channels) into a pro-quality metal-all-the-way case that's 19-inch wide with rack ears.

In short it fits in alongside your patchbay or outboard with zero modifications and there's fans for every channel of amplification so it's guaranteed to stay cool squeezed in alongside your gear.

For audio there's industry standard support for the top end Dolby and DTS uncompressed master tracks (now a fixture on the latest Blu-rays) and for video there's an incredible eight HDMI inputs and 4K up-scaling thanks to the latest Marvell Qdeo upscaler built in. Ideal for when you finally spring for that 4K screen.

In our tests it packed a mighty 100W per channel wallop and DTS Master from Hans Zimmer's The Dark Knight Rises soundtrack never sounded so full and complete.

Daniel Griffiths
Daniel Griffiths

Daniel Griffiths is a veteran journalist who has worked on some of the biggest entertainment, tech and home brands in the world. He's interviewed countless big names, and covered countless new releases in the fields of music, videogames, movies, tech, gadgets, home improvement, self build, interiors and garden design. He’s the ex-Editor of Future Music and ex-Group Editor-in-Chief of Electronic Musician, Guitarist, Guitar World, Computer Music and more. He renovates property and writes for MusicRadar.com.