Amplifiers

The amplifier is the muscle of your home theater system. The faceplate of a good amplifier should be like looking at the grille of a 60's muscle car. The amplifier is a lean and powerful circuit with no effects or frills. The job of the amplifier is no less than to provide as much pure unobstructed power as possible.

Federal Trade Commission regulations require amplifiers' power output be measured in continuous watts per channel through 8 ohms. Continuous or RMS (root mean square) is the average maximum power the amplifier is capable of providing.

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With today's solid-state technology, Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) or S/N (sound-to-noise) ratio is a non-issue. So, comparing these specifications for amplifiers is a waste of time. You don't need to get hung up on the specs, unless you plan on using speakers below 8 ohms, which has been the standard impedance for speakers for at least a decade.

Power and a solid build are the two considerations for your amplifier. Some things to keep in mind:

50 to 100 Watts per channel is more than enough power for a home theater.
A 100-watt amp will only produce marginally more decibels than a 50W amplifier, because doubling the power output produces only a 3 dB increase in volume.
The difference between 60W, 100W and 120W amplifiers is splitting hairs, since a mere 3 decibels stand between the 60 and 120.
Better manufacturers routinely exceed their power rating with high-current circuitry and power supplies, while cheap ones barely squeak by.

Like most things, you get what you pay for, but in the case of amplifiers today you can get a lot more for less than ever before.

Learn more about amplifier shopping tips.