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5 Amp-and-Speaker Pairings to Help You Build a Better Hi-Fi System

A stellar hi-fi system is more than the sum of its parts.

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By Tucker Bowe

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Two components make up the foundation of any hi-fi system: the speakers and the amplifier needed to properly drive them. If you want to create a vinyl hi-fi system, you’ll also need a turntable and a phono preamplifier … but neither is anything without a speaker (or speakers) and a power amplifier.

Power amplifiers don’t always go by that name. Imbued with extra features, they’re sometimes called receivers (amplifiers with a built-in radio) or integrated amplifiers (amplifiers with a built-in preamp and, sometimes, a phono stage and wireless streaming capabilities). But their primary job is the same: take a weak audio signal and boost it so it’s powerful enough to drive a speaker.

Pairing an amp to a speaker is the cornerstone of hi-fi nerdery, with all sorts of logic to govern your choices. But it’s also possible to get objectively wrong. An amp needs to be powerful enough to drive the speakers it is paired with and match up the impedance (measured in ohms) so that the speaker-and-amp combination will work and sound best — and it all gets a little bit complicated.

So to get you started, here are five pairs of passive bookshelf speakers, each paired along with an amplifier that’s capable of driving them to their full potential.

The Entry-Level Setup

You can build an excellent analog stereo system for around $500. Below, we’ve paired Klipsch’s budget-friendly bookshelf speakers with Onkyo’s integrated amplifier. This system lacks streaming capabilities but has several inputs for connecting your analog audio players (including a turntable).

The R-51M are the most affordable speakers in Klipsch’s high-quality Reference line. Each speaker features a 5.25-inch driver along with Klipsch’s signature Tractrix horn tweeter and, together, the pair are able to deliver rich, room-filling sound with deep bass.

In addition to being some of the best-sounding and bang-for-your-buck bookshelf speakers you can buy, it’s really their cool, retro flair that make the Klipsch R-51M unforgettable.

The Onkyo A-9110 is a two-channel integrated amp that’s able to deliver 100 watts of total power (50 watts per channel), and it pairs nicely with the Klipsch R-51M without the need of worrying about blowing them out (the Klipsch R-51M can handle up to 85-watts of power).

Additionally, the Onkyo A-9110 has loads of connectivity options — four analog RCA inputs, a phono input with an MM phono equalizer, an analog RCA line-level output and a subwoofer pre-out — in case you want to build out your system down the road.

The Affordable Upgrade

This analog-only stereo system is a nice step up. It pairs components from two of our favorite British hi-fi makers, Q Acoustics and Cambridge Audio, resulting in a dynamic and wide sound. It’s the perfect combo for partnering with a turntable (without a built-in phono preamp).

The Q Acoustics 3020i is one of our favorite entry-level pairs of bookshelf speakers. The U.K.-based audio company released the 3020i in 2018, and they are essentially an all-around better version of the previous 3020.

They’re slightly taller and have a 25-percent deeper chamber, which gives the 3020i significantly more powerful bass despite being smaller speakers. Now a few years old, you can often snag a pair of 3020i bookshelf speakers for less than $300.

The AXA35 is one of the best affordable amplifiers you can buy. It’s a two-channel integrated amplifier with an integrated phono preamplifier, which gives you the flexibility to add a turntable to your setup down the road.

It can also power 35 watts per channel, which is plenty enough to power a good entry-level pair of bookshelf speakers like the Q Acoustics 3020i. The downside is that the AXA35 doesn’t support Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, so you’ll need another component if you want a streaming system.

The New-Age Streamer

Sometimes you just want the ease of streaming. For that, you want a wireless streaming amplifier like the Yamaha WXA-50. It has a wealth of wireless streaming capabilities — both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth — as well an analog inputs for hooking up old-school sources.

The Q150 are the smallest and most affordable speakers in KEF’s Q series. Each speaker features a unique Uni-Q driver — which consists of a centered tweeter-and-woofer combo, instead of two separately mounted drivers, resulting in a more direct and accurate sound — that’s similar to ones found in KEF’s more expensive lines.

The Q150 also has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms, making them fairly easy to drive for most amplifiers. If you’re looking for a more refined sound than most “entry-level” passive bookshelf speakers but don’t want to take out a loan, these are all-around great speakers.

Yamaha’s WXA-50 is a beautiful two-channel stereo amplifier that can deliver up to 70 watts per channel, which is more than enough to power KEF’s Q150. The big advantage of the WXA-50 is that it’s a wireless streaming amplifier with loads of connectivity options. It works with the MusicCast app and can be integrated into any MusicCast multi-room speaker system.

Additionally, the WXA-50 also has built-in Bluetooth so that you can stream music directly to the system directly from your smartphone or computer.

The Hi-Fi Enthusiast

Budget not as much of a concern? Go big with Bowers & Wilkins’s beautiful bookshelf speakers and Rega’s powerful old-school streaming amplifier.

The B&W 606 S3 are definitely high-end, but they’re also some of the best-sounding and most dynamic bookshelf speakers you’ll likely find. They feature B&W’s Continuum cone driver technology, which has been a signature feature of the company’s higher-end speakers for years.

Both speakers have a rear-firing port that helps the speakers deliver surprisingly punchy bass. If you’re a true music lover and you have a bigger room to set up your system (these get loud), the B&W 606 S3 are fantastic compact speakers.

UK hi-fi manufacturer Rega is well known for making highly musical amps. The Brio, for example, is a fantastic integrated amp that’s capable of driving some of the more powerful and sensitive speakers.

The Brio lacks streaming support, so it might not be the perfect fit for those building and new-age digital/analog systems. But it does have an excellent built-in phono stage that pairs superbly with Rega’s high-end turntables.

The Sonos-Streaming Powerhouse

The Sonos Amp lets you effectively turn any passive bookshelf speakers into Sonos speakers — so you can add them to an existing multi-room sound system with other Sonos speakers. We’re paired with Polk Audio’s high-end bookshelf speakers.

With Polk Audio’s Legend Series, you’re entering true audiophile territory. The L100 speakers have a finely tuned 1-inch pinnacle tweeter and a proprietary 5.25-inch Turbine Cone midrange/bass driver, the combination of which results in an ultra-detailed sound.

The frequency range is incredibly wide, too. You’re getting lows in the 50Hz range and highs up near 50 kHz. These speakers, if you can afford them, are incredible.

The Sonos Amp is a beast. It’s capable of driving 125-watts per channel, which should be more than enough to drive the Legend L100 (Polk recommends driving the L100s with 70 watts per channel, although they can handle up to 160 watts of peak power).

The Amp is a great amp if you already have several Sonos speakers, because it allows you to integrate your non-Sonos speakers into your existing Sonos multi-room system — so you can play music on all your speakers at once.

Additionally, the Amp has an HDMI ARC port, which allows you to connect your passive bookshelf speakers to your TV, just like Sonos’s Arc or Beam soundbars.

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