The 7 Best Multi Channel Power Amplifiers: Home Theater Essentials
Do you have a set of incredible speakers placed around your house, but you don’t have an amplifier to power them up? Choosing the right amplifier depends on your audio needs. Sometimes with a lot of options out there, you get lost in choosing the right one. Worry not, because we have the 7 best multi channel power amplifiers that you can choose from to fix your problem. Take a look at their strengths and weaknesses, so you can adequately determine the amplifier that will solve your problems.
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Crown XLS1002 Two-channel, 350-Watt at 4Ω Power Amplifier
The Crown XLS1002 is an amplifier with two channels and can power up to 350-Watts at 4 Ohms. This amplifier is perfect for a starter set-up of a home theatre system.
Nobsound Lepy Hi-Fi Stereo Multimedia 4-Channel 180w (45W x 4) Bluetooth Power Amplifier
The Nobsound Lepy Power Amplifier uses the latest LP-269S amplifier chip providing efficiency with 4-channel sound output that gives low distortion and low noise, good sound quality. With its compact size and lightweight built, this amplifier has many possible applications, from car amplifiers to computer speakers.
Pyle PWMA4004BT Bluetooth Multi-Channel Hybrid Pre-Amplifier System
The Pyle Multi-Channel Pre-Amplifier gives you a peak power of 3000W that you can use for multiple speakers with 2-8 Ohms impedance. This type of set-up is perfect for your karaoke and your home theatre system. It also has numerous input interfaces for more ways of enjoying this amplifier.
Pyle PT610 5-Channel Home Audio Power Amplifier - Mixer
The Pyle PT 610 has 5 channels you can use, and it has 600W of power to be used for multiple speakers with 4-16 Ohms impedance. This amplifier mixer is perfect for PA and commercial entertainment systems.
OSD Audio 8 Zone 16-Channel Digital Amplifier, 80W/Channel, Distributed Audio & Home Theater - MX1680
The OSD MX1680 is perfect for setting up a home theatre system. You can configure it as the main amplifier for 5.1 or 7.2 home theatre systems or an audio distribution system. This slim built amplifier can power up to 8 zones with 16 channels.
BOSS Audio Systems PV3700 5 Channel Car Amplifier – Phantom Series
The BOSS PV3700 is a full range car amplifier. It has five channels, so you can power four speakers and your subwoofer enough to power your car audio system. This amplifier provides a clean and crisp sound for your car audio system.
Pyle PT8000CH 4 Multi-Zone Stereo Amplifier
The Pyle PT8000CH is a multi-zone audio source amplifier system. It offers an 8-channel high powered for an audio experience in multiple zones. It’s also bridgeable to create 4-channel with high powered outputs. It has low impedance protection to protect the other speaker units. It shuts off faulty channels so as not to disrupt the audio.
A Detailed Review of the 7 Best Multi Channel Power Amplifiers
Crown XLS1002 Two-channel, 350-Watt at 4Ω Power Amplifier
The Crown XLS1002 is an amplifier with two channels and can power up to 350-Watts at 4 Ohms. This amplifier is perfect for a starter set-up of a home theatre system.
Product Highlights
This amplifier contains the DriveCore technology, Crown’s patented amplifier technology that integrates the amplifier drive stage flawlessly to the power output stage combining everything into a small chip. It also houses the Class-1 or the BCA (Balanced Current Amplifier); Crown’s patented technology efficiently delivers more power out of an amplifier.
The Good
With a new look, this XLS model can now be dimmed out or turned off to reduce distractions in a dark venue. It comes in a very lightweight built, weighing no more than 11 lbs.
The Bad
It may satisfy your basic home theatre need, but it would not suffice for an audiophile’s needs. Its music amplification pales in comparison to other amplifiers with the same set-up.
Nobsound Lepy Hi-Fi Stereo Multimedia 4-Channel 180w (45W x 4) Bluetooth Power Amplifier Audio Amp Booster
The Nobsound Lepy Power Amplifier uses the latest LP-269S amplifier chip providing efficiency with 4-channel sound output that gives low distortion and low noise, good sound quality. With its compact size and lightweight built, this amplifier has many possible applications, from car amplifiers to computer speakers.
Product Highlights
This amplifier provides multiple interfaces for multiple audio inputs. It has a 3.5mm audio jack, an SD card slot, a USB 2.0 slot and, a Bluetooth 4.0 module for wireless connection. It’s also compatible with CD/DVD players and FM and MP3 playback.
The Good
This amplifier has built-in loudspeaker protection that protects your speakers for high volume bursts of audio. Very helpful, mostly if you forgot to lower the volume before turning on the amplifier.
The Bad
With the amount of power it puts out, do not expect that this amplifier can give you immense quality performance. However, for specific set-ups like a car amplifier, this product gives you more than enough power to create great sound. There are also some reports of amplifiers breaking down after less than two years of intermittent use.
Pyle PWMA4004BT Bluetooth Multi-Channel Hybrid Pre-Amplifier System
The Pyle Multi-Channel Pre-Amplifier gives you a peak power of 3000W that you can use for multiple speakers with 2-8 Ohms impedance. This type of set-up is perfect for your karaoke and your home theatre system. It also has numerous input interfaces for more ways of enjoying this amplifier.
Product Highlights
The amplifier has a 300W peak power with 4 channels to bring life to your home entertainment system. It also has a universal rack mount design and a built-in fan for cooling, and integrated short circuitry protection. The front panel control gives it a sleek look. It also includes two wireless microphones for karaoke with friends!
The Good
This amplifier boasts its multiple interfaces, including a USB slot, SD Card readers, 3.5mm AUX input, two ¼” mic inputs, a headphone jack, RCA L/R audio input, and output jacks dedicated for subwoofers. It also supports radio playback, MP3 playback, and other external devices. Lastly, the Bluetooth can connect to any compatible device, including most smartphones, tablets, laptops, and computers.
The Bad
The radio reception that this unit provides is not stable at times. You can hear the scrunchy sound at times. The remote control also drew some flak for having a mute button that doesn’t function.
Pyle PT610 5-Channel Home Audio Power Amplifier - Mixer
The Pyle PT 610 has 5 channels you can use, and it has 600W of power to be used for multiple speakers with 4-16 Ohms impedance. This amplifier mixer is perfect for PA and commercial entertainment systems.
Product Highlights
This amplifier has lots of inputs, including a headphone jack, 2 RCA Inputs and, 3.5mm AUX jack for smartphones, tablets, laptops, and PCs. It also features 4 Mic inputs and a ¼” combo jack for karaoke or talk-over. It can support 4, 8, or 16-ohm speakers.
The Good
It has a bypass/EQ switch that you can sed to switch between having an equalizer and bypassing the equalizer's effects. The multiple inputs is also a useful feature of this product.
The Bad
This product has received some reviews that say it overheats when used heavily. The small amount of power output can be considered as the reason for this. Be careful not to put a lot of power on this amplifier. For multiple speaker set-ups, make sure to use speakers with the same impedance.
OSD Audio 8 Zone 16-Channel Digital Amplifier, 80W/Channel, Distributed Audio & Home Theater - MX1680
The OSD MX1680 is perfect for setting up a home theatre system. You can configure it as the main amplifier for 5.1 or 7.2 home theatre systems or an audio distribution system. This slim built amplifier can power up to 8 zones with 16 channels.
Product Highlights
This amplifier doesn’t miss a beat. It delivers high-quality music playback for the Audiophile-level of amplification. It also uses Class D efficiency for low distortion and increased efficiency and protects the circuit from thermal overload and short circuits.
The Good
The slim design gives an exquisite look, and it is rack-mountable. Multiple channels also remove the unnecessarily complicated wiring of multiple 2-channel amps. It also saves you space from numerous components.
The Bad
This amplifier would be challenging to understand for beginners. Some may need help to set this up. It also offers limited kinds of inputs, has RCA ports and 3.5mm jack inputs. You would need additional hardware for inputs.
BOSS Audio Systems PV3700 5 Channel Car Amplifier
The BOSS PV3700 is a full range car amplifier. It has five channels, so you can power four speakers and your subwoofer enough to power your car audio system. This amplifier provides a clean and crisp sound for your car audio system.
Product Highlights
The MOSFET power supply precisely controls the output voltage and current, removing all secondary feedback. This feature got me to add this to the list of the best multi channel power amplifier. It’s also bridgeable, making it more potent by combining two channels.
The Good
This product allows a full range of control, giving you control over the speakers and the subwoofers. It also has variable gain control, controlling not just the volume but also the amount of signal coming from the receiver and going to the amplifier. Lastly, it has a variable bass boost, which controls exactly how much bass is going into your subwoofers.
The Bad
A lot of reviews seem to circle the thermal control. Some reported overheating within a few hours of continuous play or raising the volume a bit high. The screws securing the connection seem to be a bit too small for others making it hard to create a safe and secure connection.
Pyle PT8000CH - 4 Multi-Zone Stereo Amplifier
The Pyle PT8000CH is a multi-zone audio source amplifier system. It offers an 8-channel high powered for an audio experience in multiple zones. It’s also bridgeable to create 4-channel with high powered outputs. It has low impedance protection to protect the other speaker units. It shuts off faulty channels so as not to disrupt the audio.
Product Highlights
It has an individual speaker volume control to simultaneously manipulate each speaker's volume, allowing you to control how each zone sounds. It also allows daisy-chaining for external amplifier linking.
The Good
The amplifier creates a good quality audio output with crisp playback making it one of the best multi channel power amplifier. It also allows multiple zones and multiple audio sources. The bridging capability is too good to support high powered output devices. The independent volume control also allows the user to adjust the sound per speaker.
The Bad
The master button turns everything on and off. It limits the options of just turning off some channels. Pyle also reportedly has terrible customer service, and some reports said that they haven’t replied to some requests yet.
Conclusion
The amplifier is one of the main components needed in a home entertainment system. The speaker's quality may affect the overall performance, but nothing would perfectly work without a solid amplifier. There are still many options out there, but hopefully, our list of the best multi channel power amplifier narrowed your choices down. You can now decide what amplifier is best for your needs. Discover more about amplifiers here!
