$175 · Mint Onkyo TX 8020 Receiver

If you're looking to get the best possible audio performance on a budget—and something you can use to power audio from your TV, Blu-ray player, turntable, and CD player—then the TX-8020 is for you. Passing over the extras you don't need in favor of purely musical analog power, it remains versatile enough to serve at the heart of your home entertainment system. Onkyo's WRAT delivers 50W/Ch of power, with discrete output stage circuitry and a high current, low-impedance drive to effortlessly handle the most demanding loads. highlights: 50 watts x 2 (stereo) into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.08%, THD 4-ohm capability allows use with a wide range of speakers, compatible with Onkyo's DS-A5 AirPlay dock for iPod, iPhone, and iPad. High-current, low-impedance amplifier design, oversized power transformer 6 audio inputs (including phono), RCA output for audio dubbing 40 AM/FM presets with station naming, rotary bass, treble, and balance controls, full-size (1/4") headphone jack front-panel A/B switching for two pairs of main speakers. 2 sets of banana-plug compatible binding post speaker connectors mono preamp output for connecting a powered subwoofer sleep timer 17-1/8"W x 5-7/8"H x 13-1/16"D weight: 16.1 lbs.