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 a one-box 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.

We pride ourselves on our thoroughness in reviewing every corner of the stereo amplifier market and are often one of the – if not the – first hi-fi publications to get our hands on review samples of recently announced amps too. That wide contextual knowledge of the market allows us to round up the best stereo amps you can buy, which you'll find below. These class leaders – five of them current What Hi-Fi? Award winners – offer a vast selection of features across a range of budgets, but they all have something in common: benchmark performance at their respective price points. 

There are options here to suit all budgets and requirements, to get your 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

Previous Arcam efforts have always looked tidy but this new range with the all-black finish and subtle yellow accents looks sleek and modern. But the best part of the Arcam amplifier makeover brought by its all-new Radia doesn't concern aesthetics...

The A15 has this powerful, precise and poised character regardless of the input chosen. Arcam was one of the pioneers of outboard digital-to-analogue converters back in the ’80s and that experience shines through in the performance of the A15’s digital section. It is crisp, insightful and engaging. we’re impressed by the scale of the sound and the way this still compact design deals with the music’s savage dynamics. There is no shortage of punch and power, but this is no muscle-bound thug. This Arcam is insightful, tracking the music’s multitude of instrumental strands with skill. 

We worried a bit for the A15 once we heard how good the entry-level A5 (below) sounded, but we needn’t have. This is a clear step better than its talented sibling, delivering a sound of greater clarity, scale and precision that justifies its extra price tag and represents a logical step up. 

Better yet, there's a moving-magnet phono stage built in, which is something its closest rival, the Cambridge Audio CXA81 – formerly found in this very spot – doesn't offer. The Cambridge does reply with a USB input, though.

Our recommendation: if the A15 falls into your budget make sure you give it a listen. Because we haven’t heard a better-sounding alternative for the money.

Read our full Arcam A15 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

Arcam’s once dominant presence in the affordable stereo component market definitely waned in recent years, leaving the likes of Cambridge Audio, Marantz and Rega to take bigger pieces of the pie. Cambridge Audio's CXA61 sat in this very spot on this list for many years, in fact. That it no longer does tells you a lot about how good Arcam's new A5 is. Like its next-level-up A15 sibling (further up this list), the A5 is a stonkingly good stereo amp for the money.

It may be the most affordable amplifier in the all-new Radia range, yet it perfectly encapsulates what the company is trying to do. To our eyes, this is a fresh and modern-looking product; and to our ears, it is just as attractive.

An amplifier at this level has a difficult balancing act to perform. It is as likely to be partnered with budget kit as it is more premium offerings, so it has to be forgiving enough not to emphasise the shortcomings of more limited partnering equipment, yet still have the insight and transparency to make the most of more capable signals. The A5 manages this balancing act superbly. It has a sweet nature that while full-bodied and smooth never errs far enough to rob the life from the music. Arcam was one of the pioneers of dedicated outboard units back in the 1980s, and that experience shines through in the A5’s DAC section, too, which feeds coaxial and optical inputs but does omit a USB connection.

Partner the Arcam with suitably capable sources and speakers, and it will invariably deliver musical and enjoyable results. It has been many years since we’ve heard such a convincing stereo amplifier from Arcam. If you are thinking of buying at this level, this one has to go at the top of your shortlist. 

Read our full Arcam A5 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