Best stereo amplifiers 2023: the best integrated amps you can buy

A stereo amplifier is the beating heart of any hi-fi separates system; the necessary middleman between a source (such as a CD player or turntable) and pair of passive loudspeakers. Without one, you simply don't get a sound. And which one you pick will have a huge impact on the sonic quality and character of your whole system.

If you've chosen to go down the simpler, most convenient and space-saving option of an integrated amplifier as opposed to a pre/power pairing (where preamp and power amp duties are housed in separate boxes), you've come to the right place.

Below, we have rounded up the market's best stereo amps, which offer a vast selection of features across a range of prices but all have something in common: class-leading performance at their respective price points. There are options here to suit all budgets and requirements, to get your music system singing whether it comprises a modestly priced turntable and entry-level speakers or, indeed, higher-end kit.

The quick list

The best stereo amplifier overall

With just some minor cosmetic tweaks, the CXA81 looks a lot like its predecessor, the CXA80, but all the improvements are where it counts: on the inside. 

Cambridge Audio's engineers have upgraded the signal path, as well as the capacitors in both the preamp and power amp sections. Also on board is a new DAC and an improved USB input that supports hi-res audio. 

What does this all mean? It means there's a world of difference when it comes to performance. It's as punchy as anything, with a bold, powerful sound. Yet detail is never sacrificed, and it's lean and agile enough to handle anything you can throw at it. 

Add in the addition of aptX Bluetooth for wireless playback, and you've got the best stereo amplifier around at this price and a very worthy What Hi-Fi? Award winner. It sets a new standard for hi-fi amplifiers in this price bracket – one we can't see being surpassed any time soon.

Read our full Cambridge Audio CXA81 review

The best entry-level stereo amplifier

The Marantz PM6007 takes the winning formula of the Marantz PM6006 UK Edition, a former What Hi-Fi? Award winner, and manages to squeeze even more performance out of it. The result: another What Hi-Fi? Award winner.

Let's get the negatives out of the way first, though. There's no USB input or Bluetooth connectivity, which some users might demand. That aside, the PM6007 is pretty much faultless.

It boasts trademark Marantz styling and is a solidly built, nicely finished integrated amplifier with traditional hi-fi appeal.

Improvements include a new DAC and new filters, which can be switched between when you're using the amp's digital inputs, plus new components in the power amp and phono stages. The latter also gets upgraded circuitry.

And the results speak for themselves. The sound is smooth, full-bodied and balanced, with a pleasing spaciousness. Another quality hi-fi amplifier from Marantz that should please most people and systems, but if you're looking for an even cheaper option you should check out the Rega io and Cambridge Audio AXA35.

Read our full Marantz PM6007 review

The best budget stereo amplifier

The CXA61 is the lower-specced stablemate to the CXA81 at the top of this list, and successor to the CXA60, a winner of multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards, so it's in good company. 

Thankfully, it doesn't let the side down: it has the same digital inputs and Bluetooth capabilities as the CXA81, but only outputs at 60W per channel instead of 80W, giving you less power. But for most listening scenarios, that won't be a deal breaker. 

What's more important is the sound quality. And we're happy to report it's a real step on from the CXA60, being more transparent and fun, but always staying composed even when the music gets frantic. It's a presentation style that works well across a wide range of musical genres and speakers, and should please all but the most demanding of listeners. If that's you, you'll have to spend a little more to satisfy your audio taste buds. For a little less cash, Audiolab's 6000A is also worth a look.

Read our full Cambridge Audio CXA61 review

The best mid-range stereo amplifier

This is the third-generation instalment of a model first introduced in 2008. The XS 3 adds a moving magnet phono stage and better responsiveness, and that's about it. If that sounds negative, it shouldn't – the XS 3 is a killer stereo amp, having earned a well-deserved five stars and multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards for its trouble. 

Why? Attention. To. Detail. Open it up and you'll see what we mean – there's immaculately assembled audio circuitry, with fantastic care shown in reducing the degrading effect of outside interference and unwanted interactions between components.

And it shows. The sound is much crisper and more agile than its forebears, thanks in no small part to this exacting eye for detail (it even goes as far as the shape of the connecting wiring and the exact number and placement of tie clips holding it in place). It might not be enough of a difference to justify upgrading from its predecessor, but it still makes for an awesome amp nonetheless.

So not a massive change, as we say. But if it ain't broke...

Read our full Naim Nait XS 3 review

The best premium stereo amplifier

The Rega Aethos delivers a fantastic combination of insight, dynamics and rhythmic precision to produce a class-leading sound. It's not the most highly-specced stereo amp we've seen, though. There are no digital inputs (something Rega is now starting to add in its new releases), nor is there a phono stage for a turntable, which is surprising at this level. You do get five line-level inputs and a 6.3mm headphone socket, though.

If you can live with that, the Rega will reward you with a captivating sound that majors in clarity and dynamic fluidity. Its sense of timing is second to none at this price, which is part of the reason it is a current What Hi-Fi? Awards winner.

If your budget can stretch a bit further but you don't have high-end money, the Naim Supernait 3, Rotel Michi X3 and Cambridge Audio Edge A are all worth considering.

Read our full Rega Aethos review

The best high-end stereo amplifier

The Lavardin ITx is one of the most uncluttered and self-effacing amplifiers we’ve ever heard. Its presentation isn’t warm or rich in the manner of some valve designs, but it is incredibly sweet sounding, in all the best ways. This is also a fast and fluid performance, one that’s immensely precise without sounding clinical in any way. 

This is not a product that encourages analysis of the hi-fi system or the recording being played. It is more than transparent enough to perform that role but prefers to put the spotlight firmly on the music. That’s the way we like it. Does the ITx live up to our fond memory of the original from the late 90s? Yes, it absolutely does. 

Just be aware that this is nothing other than an integrated amplifier for purists. The ITx’s connectivity is limited but adequate for most stereo setups. There are four single-ended line-level inputs, a lone tape output and a pair of modest-looking speaker terminals. So if you play records or use headphones, make sure to budget for extra boxes to do the job.

If you've got more to spend, the Luxman L-509X is also excellent, while the Copland CSA 100 is a slightly more affordable option. 

Read our full Lavardin ITx review

The best stereo amplifier for purists

The successor to our multiple-Award winning Rega Elex-R, one of our favourite amplifiers of the last decade, is thankfully far from a disappointing sequel.

Revealing and faithful, it’s capable in ways far beyond our expectations at this mid-tier price point. The elegant, confident way it delivers music is something that’s very rare at this level. The addition of digital inputs (at last!) and a headphone port is a great step in the right direction too, giving customers more flexibility in how they listen to this terrific amp.

If you take the time to partner it carefully (we’d avoid any bright or forward-sounding kit as a rule; pairing it with speakers with more richness to the tone – like the KEF LS50 Meta or Wharfedale Linton – will give the sound more body and weight), this stereo amplifier will work wonders.

Got a bigger budget? Rega's Elicit MK5 is a similar proposition that'll set you back a bit more.

Read our full Rega Elex Mk4 review

The best desktop stereo amplifier

Chord Electronics has proven to have quite some talent in finding new market niches. And the diminutive Anni desktop integrated amplifier is a perfect example of that.

Make no mistake, this really is a proper Chord amplifier in miniature, using as it does the Ultima dual feed-forward circuitry seen in the latest generation of the brand’s high-end power amplification. However, this little box is only the size of the Chord Qutest digital-to-analogue converter – for the uninitiated, think smaller than a pair of coasters laid end-on – and it’s intended to be an ideal partner for that DAC and the company’s Huei phono stage. The important thing to note is that it’s designed for desktop use with either headphones or suitable speakers.

This is one of the most capable headphone amplifiers we’ve heard. It sounds clean, clear and articulate yet captures the manic energy of Nick Cave & The Bad Seed's Babe, I’m On Fire superbly.

Use it as a desktop amplifier as intended and it shines. Sure, there are operational quirks – something that’s proving to be a Chord trait – but when the Anni sounds this good we can forgive a lot. For a much cheaper but similarly sized alternative, consider the NAD D 3020 V2.

Read the full Chord Anni review

How to choose the best stereo amplifier for you

Stereo amplifiers aren't as simple and stripped back as they used to be; the days of equipping them with just analogue inputs and outputs and a pair of speaker terminals are now no longer the norm.

With laptops, phones and music streaming services becoming ever-more popular music sources, the integrated amplifier has indeed moved with the times. Many now contain built-in digital-to-analogue converters (DACs) that feed digital inputs for connecting laptops, hard drives and digital-savvy hi-fi sources. The vinyl revival has seen many integrate phono stages for turntables, too. Some have Bluetooth, and others boast wi-fi/Ethernet complete with network streaming to make them fully-fledged, just-add-speakers systems, otherwise known as 'streaming amplifiers' (and for the best of those, you'll want to head on over to our best hi-fi systems page). So what you require will depend on your needs and the connectivity of any existing equipment you have.

You should also consider your amp's partnership with your speakers. The speaker/amp relationship not only comes down to an amp’s power output but also the speaker's impedance characteristics and sensitivity. There are tonal characteristics to take into consideration too to ensure the best sonic synergy. So if you need clarification on system matching, you should head over to our thorough how to choose and set up a stereo amplifier advice page.

How we test stereo amplifiers

We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in London and Reading, where our team of experienced, in-house reviewers test every bit of hi-fi and AV kit that passes through our door. Every stereo amplifier we test takes up residency in one of our two reference hi-fi rooms for the duration of its review.

What Hi-Fi? is all about comparative testing, so we listen to every stereo amplifier we test against the current leader – often a What Hi-Fi? Award winner – in its class to gauge how it compares to the competition. We keep Award-winning products in our stockrooms so we can always pit new products against ones we know and love. We do our best to review as many new models in as many markets as possible, too, ensuring our contextual knowledge is the best it can be. And we encounter even more during our What Hi-Fi? Awards judging in autumn, where we listen to every amplifier manufacturers submit.

We are always impartial in our testing and ensure we hear every stereo amplifier at its optimum. So we'll use different partnering products – those in our high-end reference system as well as more price-comparable ones – and ensure we listen through an amp's multiple connections to test both its analogue and (if applicable) digital output stages. We also try plenty of different types of music and naturally give them plenty of listening time (and time to run in) too.

All review verdicts are agreed upon by the team as a whole rather than an individual reviewer to eliminate any personal preference and to make sure we're being as thorough as possible. There's no input from PR companies or our sales team when it comes to the verdict, with What Hi-Fi? proud of having delivered honest, unbiased reviews for decades.

You can read more about how we test and review products on What Hi-Fi? here.

MORE:

• How to choose and set up your amplifier
• How to build the perfect hi-fi system
• The best stereo amplifiers of the 21st century