“I’m looking for a new amplifier.” We hear this sentence in our store almost every day. And almost always, we follow up with some questions of our own – because today, the word “amplifier” encompasses devices that have little to do with each other in everyday use.
The problem when buying an amplifier is therefore rarely the wrong model. It is the wrong category. If you go home with the wrong type of device, you pay for features you never use – or realize after two years that a crucial connection is missing.
This guide puts an end to that. We will walk through the selection step by step, starting with your needs:
- What types of devices are available and what the terms mean
- Stereo or surround – the first major fork in the road
- What sources you want to connect and what connections you need for them
- Whether one device is enough for everything or separate components are a better fit
- Which speakers to pair with it – and how much power you really need
In the end, you will know which class of device is right for you. An overwhelming market becomes a manageable selection – and then the really good question becomes interesting: Which one sounds best to you? To take with you, there is a checklist with eight questions.
Contents
- Why the class of device is more important than the model name
- Terms sorted: What is what, really?
- Step 1: Stereo or surround?
- Step 2: What should be connected?
- Step 3: Integrated or separate?
- Step 4: Which speakers should be used?
- And the sound? In the end, it comes down to your ears
- Typical mistakes when buying an amplifier
- Checklist: The right amplifier in eight questions
- Conclusion: What is right for whom
- FAQ
Why the class of device is more important than the model name
An example we encounter again and again: Someone brings us an AV receiver to which exactly two speakers have been connected for years. No center, no rears, no home theater – just stereo music. At the time of purchase, a device designed for a completely different purpose was chosen. It works, of course, but a considerable part of the purchase price is tied up in features that are never used.
That is why our advice right at the start is: Sort by category first, then by device. Sound, appearance, and price are important – but they will only help you within the right group.
Terms sorted: What is what, really?
The terms have become quite blurred in the market. Here is the order behind them:
Integrated amplifier – the classic device. It consists of two parts in one enclosure: the preamplifier (source selection, volume control) and the power amplifier (the actual amplification for the speakers). You connect your devices, select the source, adjust the volume – done.
View all integrated amplifiers
Separate preamplifier and power amplifier – the same function, but spread across two (or more) enclosures. More effort, more space required, more cables – but maximum freedom in how you put them together.
View all preamplifiers & power amplifiers
Receiver – traditionally an integrated amplifier with a built-in radio section. In the past, this meant UKW, today DAB+ and internet radio are also included. And because internet radio is ultimately streaming, strictly speaking, every streaming-capable amplifier is also a receiver. This is exactly where the terms blur.
Streaming amplifier – an integrated amplifier with built-in network streaming, usually with app control, often additionally with DAB+/UKW, Bluetooth, and digital inputs. You will also find devices in this category that include a CD drive or a phono preamplifier. For many today, this is the standard – you choose the speakers freely to go with it.
All-in-one devices – the highest level of integration: amplifier, streamer, radio, sometimes a CD drive, and the speakers are all housed together in one enclosure. One device, one power cable – you do not need separate boxes and speaker cables, as the speakers are already built in.
AV receiver – the multichannel world. Designed for surround sound with center, rear, and height speakers, video processing, and room calibration systems. A category of its own with its own rules.
One principle to keep in mind that will help you throughout the entire decision:
- The more separate components, the more flexible you will be in the end.
- The fewer components, the higher the ease of use – and the less cable clutter.
- Splitting things up usually makes it more expensive, not cheaper.
That is why moving a function out into its own device is worth it above all when you give that function a high priority. More on that later.
Step 1: Stereo or surround?
This is the first and most important fork in the road – and it determines which half of the product world you can mentally set aside.
Do you want real surround sound? That is, sound localization from the front, back, and above, movie sound in Dolby or DTS formats, more than two speakers plus a subwoofer? Then you need an AV receiver or an AV preamplifier with multichannel power amplifiers. This rules out all stereo amplifiers – and begins a separate decision chain about the number of channels, audio formats, HDMI standards, and room calibration systems.
We explain how to proceed step by step in our AV receiver buying guide. And which setup is right for your room, you can read in Home theater buying guide: Which setup is right for my room?
Do you primarily want to listen to music in stereo? Then it comes down to two speakers and possibly a subwoofer – and the rest of this guide is for you.
Two special cases that often cause confusion:
- Two pairs of speakers (for example, living room and kitchen, switchable via A/B) is not surround sound. It is still stereo – you just need an amplifier with two speaker outputs and sufficient power reserve.
- TV sound through the stereo system also does not automatically mean surround sound. Many people simply want the news, concerts, or series to sound better than through the TV speakers. A stereo amplifier with the right input is completely sufficient for this – more on that shortly.
Step 2: What should be connected?
Now comes the part that determines satisfaction or frustration in practice. Imagine walking through your living room – not just through what is there today, but also through what could be added in two years.
One important point upfront: Missing inputs can almost always be added externally. Missing outputs cannot. That is why it is worth looking at the back twice.
Turntable
A turntable produces a very quiet signal with special equalization and therefore needs a phono input. If your amplifier does not have one, that is no problem – you have three options:
- choose a turntable with a built-in phono preamplifier (then it connects to a normal line or Aux input),
- insert an external phono preamplifier in between,
- or specifically look for an amplifier with a suitable phono input.
Pay attention to the system type: Most amplifiers only offer MM (Moving Magnet). If you use or want to use an MC (Moving Coil) system, you need an amplifier or preamplifier that explicitly supports MC. And if vinyl is particularly important to you, the external solution is often the sonically superior one. Phono preamplifiers · Turntables
CD player
Here it depends on whether your player should be connected analog or digitally.
- Analog: RCA is the standard, some players also offer XLR. Both require the corresponding input on the amplifier.
- Digital: If your player has an optical, coaxial, or USB output and the amplifier has no digital input, you need an external D/A converter in between.
An external converter is worth it above all in two cases: if you expect a sonic improvement over the player's built-in converter – or if your device is a pure drive ("transport") without its own converter. CD players · D/A converters
Streaming and internet radio
If the device is to play Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, internet radio, or your own music library, you have two options: an amplifier with built-in streaming – or an external streamer.
The external streamer has an underestimated advantage: streaming platforms and apps are developing rapidly. A separate device can be replaced in a few years without having to retire the amplifier as well. Streamers · Streaming amplifiers · Make an existing system streaming-capable · Understand music streaming
Television
A very common request – and easy to solve if you know beforehand which path to take. TVs typically output sound through one of these ways:
- HDMI ARC / eARC – the most convenient way: The amplifier can be controlled with the TV remote control and often switches on automatically with it.
- Optical (Toslink) or coaxial digital – reliable and widely used, but without the convenience features of ARC.
- Analog – on older devices or via the headphone output; it works, but it is the least attractive solution.
- Bluetooth – possible, but rarely the first choice for a fixed system.
Important: If your amplifier is purely analog, you need a D/A converter in between for the digital path. Some streamers even come with an HDMI ARC input and handle this all at once. If TV sound is a regular topic for you, specifically look for an amplifier with HDMI ARC or at least an optical input. TVs · D/A converters
Subwoofer
If a subwoofer is to be added – today or later – you need a suitable connection path. There are three:
- Pre-Out (volume-controlled preamplifier output),
- Sub-Out (socket specifically designed for this),
- High-level input on the subwoofer, which goes parallel to the speaker terminals.
If the amplifier lacks the output and the subwoofer does not offer a high-level input, it becomes unnecessarily complicated. That is why: if a subwoofer is even just a vague future option, pay attention to it now. Subwoofers · Do I need a subwoofer?
Headphones
Many people listen regularly or even predominantly through headphones – and yet this point is often forgotten when buying an amplifier.
- Classic headphone jack (usually 6.35 mm jack, 3.5 mm adapters are inexpensive to get): Practical, if there is also a switch that mutes the speakers.
- Separate headphone amplifier: makes sense if the quality of the built-in jack is not enough for you, if you use demanding or high-impedance headphones – or if the amplifier has no jack at all. Important: To hear all the sources of your system through it, you need a Line-Out (not volume-controlled) on the amplifier, because you then adjust the volume on the headphone amplifier.
- Bluetooth headphones: Attention, there is a common confusion here. An amplifier that receives Bluetooth (so you can play from your phone) does not therefore transmit to Bluetooth headphones yet. These are two different functions. Anyone who wants both needs an amplifier that masters both – or an external transmitter/receiver dongle on the Line-Out or Line-In.
Over-Ear · Headphone Amplifier
Recording devices, tape deck, tape recorder
Real attention is worth it here, because this connection has been rationalized out of many modern devices. For recording and playback, you need a pair of outputs (Rec-Out or Line-Out) plus a free input. If the output is missing, you simply can no longer operate your cassette deck or tape recorder – and it cannot be retrofitted. Tape recorders
Pre-Out for later
A Pre-Out is a volume-controlled output to which you can connect an additional power amplifier. This is the expansion option for the event that the built-in power amplifier is no longer enough for you at some point – or if you want to go for bi-amping. It costs nothing extra today and is worth its weight in gold tomorrow. Power amplifier
Unsure which connections you really need? We are happy to advise you!
Step 3: Integrated or separate?
If you have gone through step 2, you have a list. Now comes the question: Is it all in one device – or do you distribute it?
The calculation behind the features
A developer has a certain budget for a device – for components, power supply, enclosure, development time. The more features that should be included, the smaller the share that falls to each individual one.
This has two consequences, and the second one is the more important:
- If a device comes with twenty features and you use three of them, you pay for the other seventeen with.
- And even more importantly: These three features that you really need are necessarily implemented with less effort in an all-rounder than in a device that only does this one thing. A separate D/A converter, a separate phono preamplifier, a separate streamer – with them, the entire development, the entire power supply, and the entire enclosure concept are optimized for exactly this one task. That is why separate components are often clearly superior in their respective discipline.
The price for this is honestly to be stated: Separate components are usually more expensive in total, they need more space, more cables and more attention when operating. Hi-Fi Racks
What speaks for the all-rounder
Conversely, the same applies: Anyone who stacks a CD player, tape deck, TV, streamer, Bluetooth adapter, and phono preamplifier individually ends up with six remote controls, a cable mess, and has to think about which input the source is on for every music request. This is the most common reason in everyday life why systems are less often switched on than their owners had intended.
A highly integrated device turns this around: one remote control, one app, a minimum of cables. You press "Internet radio" on your phone, and the device switches to the right input itself. For very many people, this is the solution that actually leads to more music listening – and that is the purpose of the exercise in the end. All in One Devices · Streaming Amplifier
The honest rule of thumb
Only move a function out into its own device if you give it a high priority. Anyone who loves vinyl gets a good external phono preamplifier. Anyone who almost exclusively streams invests in a good streamer or converter. Anyone who does a little bit of everything and above all wants to listen uncomplicatedly is better off with a well-equipped all-in-one concept.
And at the very top is the separate pre-/power amplifier combination: maximum freedom, maximum expandability – but also the greatest effort in terms of space, cables, and budget. It is the right choice if sound quality clearly stands above everything else. Preamplifier · Power amplifier
Step 4: Which speakers should be used?
Now you know which type of device suits you. The question remains, which is most often skipped when buying an amplifier – and pays its price later: Does the device suit your speakers? The amplifier is not a soloist, it is one half of a team. If both do not suit each other, even the most expensive device will not help.
Efficiency: How loud will the box get with how much power?
Efficiency (given in decibels, measured at a defined input power and distance) tells you how efficiently a speaker converts electrical power into sound. The difference is greater than you think: A highly efficient speaker reaches room volume with very little power. A low-efficiency speaker needs many times that for the same volume.
Therefore, the rule of thumb: Large, sophisticated, low-efficiency speakers and a low-power amplifier are a bad combination. Not because it wouldn't be loud enough – but because the amplifier quickly reaches its limit. And an amplifier that is constantly working at its limit sounds strained, loses control in the bass, and seems powerless, even though the knob is turned way up.
Impedance: Does every amplifier fit every speaker?
Impedance (in ohms, usually 4, 6, or 8) describes, in simple terms, how much resistance the speaker opposes the amplifier. Lower impedance means more current delivery – not every amplifier likes that permanently. Make sure that the amplifier explicitly supports the impedance of your speakers. With modern devices, this is usually unproblematic, but for very low-impedance or particularly demanding speakers, a closer look is worth it.
And the wattage?
The wattage stated on the box is the most overestimated value in all of Hi-Fi. Taken on its own, it says surprisingly little, because depending on the measurement method, it is achieved completely differently – and because it reveals nothing about the quality of this power.
What you can remember:
- Power is reserve, not volume. You don't need it to listen loudly permanently, but so that the amplifier does not lose its grip during impulses – drum beat, orchestral entry.
- Too much power damages speakers in practice less often than too little. An overloaded, distorting small amplifier causes more damage than a confident large one that is never moved above room volume.
- What matters is the interplay of room size, efficiency, impedance, and your listening volume – not a single number.
If you don't have the speakers yet, plan both together. Floorstanding speakers · Compact speakers · Finding the right speakers
[IMAGE SUGGESTION: 1) Schematic comparison "highly efficient vs. low-efficiency speaker" with the same volume, different power 2) Close-up of the type plate on the back of the speaker with marked information on impedance and load capacity 3) Room sketch small/medium/large with a note on increasing power requirements]
Are you unsure whether your dream amplifier really drives your existing speakers confidently? That is exactly the question that can be clarified in five minutes on the phone – and which prevents a wrong purchase in case of doubt. To the consultation →
And the sound? In the end, the ear decides
Everything so far was pre-selection. It is important because it protects you from a wrong purchase – but it does not answer the most beautiful question: Which of these suitable devices do you like best?
Because that is the truth that no data sheet shows: Two amplifiers with identical equipment, identical power rating, and similar price can sound significantly different. One seems brighter and more open, the other warmer and calmer. Neither of them is "right" – right is the one with which you like listening to music for hours.
Therefore, our clear recommendation: Listen to your favorites, if possible with your own speakers and your own music. Take a few pieces with you that you know inside and out. The difference is usually audible within a few minutes – and these minutes decide over the next ten years of listening pleasure.
Of course, you can do that best with us in Rellingen :)
Typical mistakes when buying an amplifier
The AV receiver for pure stereo music. The classic. Anyone who only operates two speakers and does not need multi-channel film sound pays for channels, video processing, and formats in an AV receiver that they never use – money that would have flowed entirely into sound quality in a stereo amplifier.
Only looking at the wattage. The number on the box says almost nothing without looking at efficiency, impedance, and room size. And in the end, sound counts.
Buying the amplifier and speakers independently. Both excellent on their own, unhappy together – this happens more often than you think.
Buying equipment that is never used. Twenty functions in the data sheet feel good when buying. In everyday life, the three that you really use count – and they would often have been better implemented in a simpler device.
Only thinking about today. The missing Pre-Out, Line-Out, or subwoofer output is only noticed two years later, when the system is supposed to grow – and then it cannot be retrofitted.
Deciding based on looks. Design can be a criterion – but please only after the category and the connections are right.
Not test-listening. The amplifier often stays on the shelf for a decade or more. Making this decision only based on the data sheet is an expensive shortcut.
Checklist: In eight questions to the right amplifier
To take with you to the specialist store – or to check off before ordering:
- Stereo or surround? More than two speakers plus a sub with real all-around localization → AV area. Otherwise stereo.
- Which sources do I have today? Turntable (MM or MC?), CD player (analog or digital?), streaming, TV, headphones.
- Which sources might be added? Subwoofer, streamer, power amp – better think about it now.
- Which outputs do I need? Pre-Out, Sub-Out, Line-Out/Rec-Out, headphone jack. Inputs can be retrofitted, outputs cannot.
- How important is operating comfort to me? An app and two cables – or rather targeted individual components with maximum quality?
- Which speakers am I operating? Impedance, efficiency, size – and does the power of the amplifier fit that?
- How big is my room and how loud do I listen? Large room and quiet speakers need more reserve.
- Have I test-listened? Ideally with your own speakers and your own music.
Conclusion: What fits whom
You mostly listen to stereo music, have few sources, and want maximum sound quality for the budget → a classic, well-equipped integrated amplifier. All money flows into what you really use. Integrated amplifier
You mainly stream, want app operation, and little technology in the living room → a streaming amplifier. Make sure that all your other sources also find a place. Streaming amplifier
You want a device for really everything – radio, CD, streaming, vinyl, TV – and value simple operation → an all-in-one device with built-in speakers. A compromise on the last sonic nuance, but a system that you like to turn on every day – and that does without any further component. All in One Devices
Sound is more important to you than anything else, you set targeted priorities, and you have space → individual components up to the separate pre-/power amp combination. More expensive and more elaborate, but at the maximum in every discipline. Pre-amplifier · Power amplifier
You want multi-channel film sound → AV receiver, and thus a separate consultation world. AV amplifier
We also shot a video about this
If you prefer the topic visually: We also went through the amplifier selection in front of the camera – with devices in hand and a look at the backs. Feel free to check it out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the wattage relevant?
Less than most think. It is hardly meaningful without context, because it is measured differently and reveals nothing about the quality of the power. What is relevant is whether the amplifier confidently drives your specific speakers in your room – for that, efficiency and impedance of the speakers count at least as much.
Can I simply continue to use my old AV receiver for stereo?
Yes, it will work. The question is rather whether it makes sense: In an AV receiver, a large part of the budget is in channels, video processing, and sound formats that you do not need with pure stereo use. A stereo amplifier of the same price class invests this money instead in the power supply and amplifier quality – the difference is usually clearly audible.
Does every amplifier fit every speaker?
No. Make sure that the amplifier supports the impedance of your speakers and offers enough power reserve for efficiency, room size, and your listening volume. Large, low-efficiency speakers on a low-power amplifier are the most common unhappy combination.
Is an all-in-one device enough, or should I rather buy individual components?
That depends on your priority. An all-in-one is more convenient, space-saving, and usually cheaper than the sum of comparable individual devices. Individual components are often clearly better in their respective discipline because the entire development went into this one task – but cost more, need space, and cables. Rule of thumb: Lag out what is particularly important to you.
How do I get the TV sound on my stereo system?
Most comfortably via HDMI ARC/eARC, because you then control the volume with the TV remote. Alternatively via an optical or coaxial digital output – then the amplifier needs a corresponding digital input or an external D/A converter in between. Purely analog connections also work, but are the last choice.
How do I make an old amplifier streaming-capable?
Via an external streamer at a free line or Aux input. That works with practically every analog amplifier and is one of the most rewarding upgrades ever. How exactly that works, we have described in detail here: Making an existing system streaming-capable
Are you not sure? Then talk to us
This consultation does not replace a conversation – it is only supposed to bring you as far as you can ask the right questions. If you are still wavering after reading which device class suits you or whether your dream amplifier harmonizes with your speakers: Call us or write to us. We will go through your situation together – honestly, without sales pressure, and with the experience of hundreds of such conversations.
And if you like: Come by and listen to your favorites in peace.
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Author: Fidelity
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