To get the best out of your bookshelf speakers, you need to invest in a receiver that can properly drive them. You can buy a two-channel stereo receiver or you can buy an AV receiver, the latter of which is what you want if you’re connecting it to your TV and building a home theater system. If you’re only looking for an audio experience, however, a stereo receiver is the simpler, cheaper and arguably the all-around better option.
A stereo receiver is great for people who just want to listen to music, either streaming from your smartphone or from a CD player or turntable. As far as which receiver to buy, it should, of course, depend on how you plan on listening to music. But it should also come secondary to your speakers. A good rule of thumb, as far as the entry-level price bracket is concerned, is that the receiver shouldn’t cost more than your bookshelf speakers. That’s why we set a price cap at $500. Below, we’ve listed our favorite entry-level receivers under $500 to pair with your bookshelf speakers.
Onkyo TX-8220 Stereo Receiver
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Best All-Around
You can’t beat the Onkyo TX-8220’s combination of great sound and affordability. It has an RCA output so you can add a powered subwoofer. And, thanks to its A/B speaker connections, you can connect a second pair of bookshelf speakers, say if you want to have them play in a separate room in your house.
This Yamaha R-S202 is one of our favorite entry-level receivers. Its combination of price, looks, ease of use and stellar performance make it a no-brainer for anybody with bookshelf speakers looking to listen to great stereo audio. It can easily connect to your existing CD player or turntable. It streams Bluetooth and has a built-in FM/AM tuner, too. On the downside, the Yamaha R-S202 isn’t the newest stereo receiver, having been around since 2016, and doesn't support Bluetooth AptX for high-res streaming.
The British hi-fi maker Cambridge Audio makes some of our favorite audio products and it’s actually rare for them to something at such an entry-level price point. The AXR85 is an excellent stereo receiver that’s pretty powerful and has a beautiful brushed aluminum front pane. It has a mono RCA output in case you want to add a powered subwoofer, and its front-panel A/B switching allows you to connect two pairs of bookshelf speakers and switch between them. With built-in Bluetooth, it’s also easy to stream audio straight from your smartphone.
Denon’s all-in-one hi-fi receiver has a little bit of everything. Yes, it’s a solid stereo reciever, but it built-in CD player and FM tuner. It also has built-in Wi-Fi, which allows it to connect to your home’s network and then easily stream music from Spotify or Tidal directly from the CEOL RCD-N10. It also has built-in Bluetooth and supports Apple AirPlay 2, so you can stream from your smartphone just as easily, too.
This is one of our picks for the best reading chairs you can buy thanks to its exceptional mid-century design and comfort. It's a chair you can sink into.
The Nike Blazer is a sneaker icon. Pare it back and make it a low top and it has instantly become the best shoe you can wear this spring and summer. It will go with anything and is durable for daily wear.
These Bose headphones are some of Gear Patrol's favorite noise-cancelling headphones of the past year, owing to excellent design and top-notch sound quality. Don't like this color? The black and white colorways are both on sale for $330.
Otterbox's Venture cooler features integrated injection-molding and high-grade cooling technologies, anti-slip rubber feet and interior separators for wet and dry goods. Don't sleep on this, cookouts are coming.
A set of Adirondack chairs is a timeless pairing for any backyard, patio or balcony. These are made from faux wood, giving them exceptional durability and weather-resistance.
If you want a mask with more protection and versatility than a simple cloth mask, check out this one from Outdoor Research. It has adjustable straps to keep your fit dialed and comes with three replaceable filters that block out 95 percent of particles.
These runners from New Balance look great and crush on light trails. Made from New Balance's Fresh Foam, they are supremely comfortable and durable enough to take a beating.
This is an outrageous deal on an excellent Bluetooth speaker. It features eight hours of battery life, has integrated Siri and Google Now and looks good in any room, to boot.
Here you go, the perfect boot for spring. Todd Snyder always brings it when it comes to collaborations and this is no exception; this silhouette comes straight from the Sebago archives.
These water- and sweat-proof earbuds are our pick for the best workout earbuds. They have 6-hour battery life and are MIL-STD 810G certified, which means they have passed repeated shock, vibrations, drop, and crush tests as well as extended exposure to tropical humidity, hurricane-force water and desert sandstorm conditions.
Patagonia's Black Hole Duffel is one of the best packs around, so whenever it is on sale, we jump at the chance to snag one, even if it is purple. The 40L iteration is a versatile size ready for a weekend getaway or an extended trip.
For three years running, we’ve awarded the top slot to Mountain Hardwear’s Super/DS StretchDown jacket, and right now, at arguably the best time to buy a jacket, it’s on sale for 40 percent off. If you don't like the orange, there are other colors on sale at a lesser discount, as well.
Aether makes some of the best technical wear in the biz. This waterproof jacket is packed with features, including a removable hood, numerous pockets, fully-taped seams and a powder skirt.
Flint and Tinder's bestselling jacket almost never goes on sale — usually only once a year, if you're lucky. Immensely warm and tough-as-nails, this is a heritage piece that you'll have forever. Now is the time to pick up this weather-resistant jacket for the cheapest price you'll ever see it.
Filson has been making some of the best gear to come out of the Pacific Northwest, and probably the whole country, for years. This tote is tough-as-hell and water-resistant — perfect for weekend trips to the farmers' market.
This is a perfect layer for spring. Just about everything NYC-based Todd Snyder makes is quality and damn good looking, but this definitely takes it up a notch. If you want to use it as a liner underneath a topcoat, it is an excellent choice, but it also pairs exceptionally well with a sweater or t-shirt.
Originally a tennis shoe in the 80s, the Killshot 2 has become one of Nike's most coveted kicks. After years of only being available through J.Crew, they are now available in multiple colorways directly from Nike. They sell out almost every time they go on sale, so act fast to get yourself a pair.
Spring is coming and we're thinking hard about our next trips out into the wilderness. When it comes to backpacking gear, a good sleeping pad is one of the more important pieces you can have in your pack, so it is best to opt for quality. This insulated pad keeps you warm and cozy when the ground gets cold.
Apple's premium AirPods have been hovering around $200 for a while now, which is a great deal. Competition is now fierce in this headphone category, but the quick pairing and native integration with Apple devices still makes the AirPods Pro tough to beat.
The Eco-Drive from Citizen is powered by light, so you never need a battery. This diver is highlighted by a date display at 4 o'clock, a luminous dial, and a dual-tone bezel.
When looking back on life and thinking hard about every travel mug and thermos you've seen, odds are high that most of them are made by Stanley. This classic brand has made some of the best insulated mugs for years, so picking one up is a no-brainer.
Staub's enameled cast iron is versatile, distributes heat evenly, and works with any heat source, including induction. This is one of our favorite pieces of cookware.
Huckberry and Timex threw it back to the 70s and 80s with this collaboration. Starting with a blank slate, the brands led with the iconic cola colorway, added a military-inspired dial and finished it off with a woven stainless steel bracelet and aluminum timing bezel.
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