If the pride and joy of your home stereo system is your music collection, then you’ll want the best stereo amplifier in order to hear your music loud and clear through your speakers. Streaming music has gained popularity and more people are listening to music on their smartphones or tablets, so many stereo amplifiers can now connect a variety of devices — even wirelessly via Bluetooth. Not only that, but they’re small enough to fit easily on a shelf or end table.
Depending on your listening needs, there are a variety of options for a stereo amplifier. For example, if you have a record player, but also like to listen to music on your smartphone via Bluetooth, the Sony STRDH190 2-Channel Home Stereo Receiver with Phono Inputs & Bluetooth is a great option.
What to know before you buy a stereo amplifier
Home theater or audio
Before you buy a stereo amplifier, it’s important to consider what you’ll be using it for. Home theater amplifiers generally come in various surround sound configurations, sometimes with optional expansions for additional speaker channels. Some stereo amplifiers have a built-in receiver and some have a built-in phono input. Stereo amplifiers are meant for listening to music through two channels: left and right. If you want an amplifier for your surround sound home theater system, you need one with more channels.
Connections and signal flow
If you listen to music on a variety of formats, chances are you have many different devices you’ll want to connect to your stereo amplifier, such as a smartphone, CD player, turntable and more. Especially if your audio devices are older, check to see how they plug into the amplifier or if they’re Bluetooth capable.
Some stereo amplifiers have Bluetooth capabilities. Most stereo amplifiers have at least one set of left and right (stereo) inputs and outputs which are usually an RCA connection. They might also have an eighth of an inch headphone jack, an optical audio output, one-quarter inch or XLR if they’re for professional use, and sometimes a phono input for connecting a record player.
Stereo amplifiers will generally also have banana plug outputs or bare speaker wire outputs for connecting your speakers. Banana plugs use the same wire as bare speaker wire, they just have a plug covering them to make it easier to connect to the speakers without having to twist the bare wires together.
So, how do you hook it all up? When you plug in your audio device to the amplifier and then connect the amplifier to the speakers, the audio signal comes out of the audio device and into the amplifier, where it is boosted to proper listening volume and then sent out to the speakers where it can be heard.
Wattage, impedance and sensitivity
Amplifier specifications such as wattage, impedance and sensitivity will tell you how loud you can play your music and which speakers you can use with it.
Most home stereo wattage for speakers is between 15 and 30 watts. Wattage, which measures amplifier power, is not to be confused with decibels, which measure loudness. If you use an amplifier with a higher wattage than the speakers, it might blow out the amplifier or cause other damage to the stereo system. Make sure you check the speaker’s specifications and sensitivity rating in order to avoid this. The relationship between wattage and volume is not linear; if you double the amplifier wattage, you’ll end up with a three-decibel increase in volume. This is a noticeable difference, but not drastically so.
Impedance is measured in ohms — the unit of electrical resistance of the amplifier and speakers. The higher the impedance, the lower the volume. In general, you want the impedance of the amplifier to match that of the speakers. If the amplifier has a lower impedance, you can connect it to speakers with higher impedance, but not the other way around, as this might cause the audio not to be loud enough. If you turn the volume way up to compensate, it could damage the speakers or overload the amplifier.
Speaker sensitivity is a measurement of how well the speaker picks up sound from a certain distance away at a certain volume level, meaning you can see how much volume you’ll get from a certain amount of power. Speakers with higher sensitivity are considered more efficient and therefore more capable of being louder.
Stereo amplifier features
Turntable connection
Some stereo amplifiers have a phono input so you can plug in a turntable. If you have a turntable with no built-in preamp, you’ll have to get a preamp in order to use this feature with your stereo amplifier so that the audio signal is loud enough for proper listening volume.
Built-in receiver
In addition to stereo amplifiers, you might also hear about receivers, or stereo amplifiers with built-in receivers. Amplifiers raise the volume of your audio signal to proper listening level. Receivers are simply amplifiers with a radio built in so that you can listen to the radio directly from the amplifier without the need for additional equipment. So if you listen to the radio a lot, you might want a stereo amplifier with a receiver.
EQ
Some stereo amplifiers have a built-in equalizer, or EQ. The pitch of a sound, also known as its frequency, is measured in hertz. The human ear is able to hear from about 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz. For reference, if someone has a low voice, that means the frequency of their voice is lower, and it’s the same idea with high voices. The equalizer allows you to adjust frequencies separately, so if you want to reduce low rumble or a piercing high note, you can use EQ to do so.
Stereo amplifier cost
Stereo amplifiers range in cost from about $60 to upward of $400 depending on their specifications and if they’re meant for professional use.
Stereo amplifier FAQ
If my audio device has a direct line output for an aux cable, do I still need an amplifier?
A. The purpose of a direct output is to be able to plug right into speakers without using an amplifier. So in this case, you don’t necessarily need one unless the volume coming out of the speakers is not loud enough, in which case you’ll want an amplifier to boost it.
Can I hook up more than one pair of speakers to my stereo amplifier?
A. If your stereo amplifier has more than one pair of outputs, you can hook up more than one pair of speakers. This is a nice feature if you have your stereo system on a shelf and have one set of shelf speakers and then a bigger set of speakers mounted on the wall, for example.
Which stereo amplifier should I get?
Best of the best stereo amplifier
Sony STRDH190 2-Channel Home Stereo Receiver with Phono Inputs & Bluetooth: available at Amazon
Our take: This simple stereo receiver from tried and true audio giant Sony is a combination amplifier and receiver which can also handle record player audio and wireless audio.
What we like: You can connect two different pairs of speakers. It has a slim profile to fit easily into media cabinets.
What we dislike: It can only be paired to one Bluetooth device at a time. The built-in receiver does not have AM radio.
Best bang for your buck stereo amplifier
Pyle Wireless Bluetooth Power Amplifier System: available at Amazon
Our take: This versatile and affordable stereo amplifier has a built-in receiver, FM radio and can connect to a variety of audio devices and play many different audio formats including MP3.
What we like: It has multiple outputs for banana plug or RCA speaker cables, multiple inputs for pro audio cables and an SD card slot.
What we dislike: Some users find the blue display lights to be too bright and distracting. Some users experienced Bluetooth signal interruption when moving their audio device further than about eight feet away.
Honorable mention stereo amplifier
Onkyo TX-8220 2 Home Audio Channel Stereo Receiver with Bluetooth: available at Amazon
Our take: This stereo amplifier and receiver combo has four inputs and outputs for two sets of speakers.
What we like: It has a balance control knob for properly centering audio in your listening environment. It has a phono input, and the remote control is easy to use with an intuitive layout.
What we dislike: Some users feel the volume is not loud enough, and other users find that it tends to heat up quickly during use.
Adrian Wengenroth is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.
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