

Two more connections worth talking about: we’d recommend using the wired ethernet connection if you can, as it’s more stable and reliable than wi-fi.Īnd the USB port in front? It’ll play media files off a USB stick, but we find it useful for charging our smartphones (if the amp allows it). The Blu-ray input, for example, might offer the shortest signal path to the processor and so delivers the best performance. This means the manufacturer has taken care to optimise these inputs for those particular sources. You’ll also notice that each HDMI input has a source assigned to it: Blu-ray, DVD, CD, Game, CBL/SAT, media player and so on. In some cases, only a couple of HDMI inputs will be HDCP2.2 certified – make sure you plug your 4K Blu-ray player into these. If you’ll be playing 4K HDR content, look out for the “HDCP2.2” label above the HDMI inputs. The speaker terminals on Denon amps are helpfully colour-coded

What about everything else? Features such as wi-fi, Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, Tidal, DSD playback, FM/DAB tuners, hi-res music streaming and multi-room are all up to personal preference (although most amplifiers, bar the most budget ones, come loaded with most of these features anyway), so cast an eye over the amp’s specs sheet to make sure it has everything you want. Best speaker systems 2021: budget to premium, 5.1 and Dolby Atmos.Similarly, if you have your sights on a £2000 amp, your speaker package should be in the £4000-£5000 region – essentially, double the amplifier’s worth (and add a bit more). How much should you spend in a given system? As a rough guide, if you have a £1000-£1500 speaker package at home, you should aim for a £500 AV receiver. Move up to the sweet spot of around £600 and you get every single cutting-edge AV feature – wi-fi, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, 4K HDR passthrough, multiple HDMI inputs, all music streaming features – thrown in.Ī grand and more: everything above, but more power, bigger scale of sound, more speaker terminals, more fine-tuned audio calibrations and more features. You can only buy what your budget dictates, after all, and that does simplify matters somewhat.Īs a general rule of thumb: if the amp is around £350 and below, you’ll get basic 5.1, a handful of HDMI inputs, and no internet.
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