This Affordable Amp Might Be the Next Big Thing in Budget Hi-Fi

In recent years, integrated amplifiers and streaming amplifiers have become some of the hottest hi-fi components — they’re an easy way to “breathe new life” into an old pair of passive speakers.

WiiM is the obvious player in the budget space. The WiiM Amp ($299) and WiiM Amp Pro ($379) are excellent amplifiers that can both drive bookshelf speakers and stream music (over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) to them. Sonos and Bluesound are two higher-end players in the same category, too.

However, a new, affordable streaming amplifier is entering the space. And it promises to bring a fun — albeit niche — twist to the category that true hi-fi tinkers might really enjoy.

LastObject SoundUp

LastObject

A battery-powered streaming amp?

Launched on Kickstarter, LastObject’s SoundUp is a miniature amplifier with Bluetooth streaming capabilities. What sets it apart, however, is that it has a built-in battery and thus doesn’t need to be connected to power to drive the speaker.

This means that not only can the SoundUp drive a passive loudspeaker … it can also make it portable. As far as my knowledge, it’s the first battery-powered streaming amplifier of its kind.

LastObject

The SoundUp is designed to breathe new life into the old pair of loudspeakers sitting in your garage or in storage. Or at least, that’s LastObject’s sales pitch.

On the brand’s Kickstarter page, it states: “There are thousands of amazing passive speakers out there — often sitting unused because they need a wall-powered amp. Many of these were high-end in their day, built with real wood, quality drivers, and tuned acoustics that cheap modern Bluetooth boxes can’t match.”

And that’s where the SoundUp comes in.

LastObject

One for mono, two for stereo

But before you get too excited, there’s a significant catch with the SoundUp — a single unit only outputs mono. This means that if you get one SoundUp amplifier, it can only drive one passive loudspeaker.

This obviously isn’t great for hi-fi enthusiasts who believe stereo sound is the end-all, be-all. However, the good news is that you can use two StandUp amplifiers and drive both passive speakers in a stereo setup.

Obviously, this doubles the price, too.

According to the brand, the SoundUp has a pretty hefty 100 watts of Class D amplification and promises to be able to drive most bookshelf-sized loudspeakers. It supports speakers with an impedance of 3 to 8 ohms.

As far as runtime, the SoundUp’s built-in battery promises up to 40 hours of playtime. If you don’t want to worry about battery life, the amp can also operate when plugged into a power source.

If you don’t want to stream audio to the amp over Bluetooth, there’s a 3.5mm auxiliary input for connecting wired sources, too.

LastObject

Live on Kickstarter now

The SoundUp is currently a Kickstarter campaign, but it has been proven to be wildly popular. At the time of writing, it has greatly exceeded its funding goal of $5,863 — it’s now sitting at more than $57,000.

As far as price, the StandUp can be purchased in mono or stereo configurations. The Early Bird price for mono and stereo is $159 and $269, respectively, which is quite affordable.

If you were one of the earliest backers, the brand is providing an estimated delivery time for “March 2026.”

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