Amplifiers

Eight years after the arrival of the Sonos Amp, which supported four speakers for high-end streaming audio around your house, the brand's leveled things up with an 8-channel amplifier that pairs well with architectural speakers in larger homes.

You might already know JBL doesn't just do wireless speakers and earbuds; they're also a big name in live audio. The brand is now trying its hand somewhere in between with a novel product designed for the jam room: the BandBox Trio practice amp.

Desktop smart amps from the likes of Yamaha, Boss and Positive Grid are great for solo practice and group rehearsals. Chaos Audio is challenging the big boys with the Nimbus, a 70-W app-driven "music studio in a box" built on an open platform.

Lava Music caused a glitch in the Matrix a few years back with an oddball carbon-fiber acoustic guitar rocking built-in digital effects. Now the company is looking to reshape the amplification landscape with "the world's most advanced amp."

Every noodler needs to practice. But waiting for others in the house to go out for the day so you can crank up the amp can be frustrating. That's where the Positive Grid Spark Neo comes in, which puts a powerful smart amp on your head.

Though playing through a huge rig can be supremely satisfying, it's not really practical for jamming at home. Boss has birthed a new 10-W combo amp that packs tube-like Katana tones and effects into a battery-powered compact frame.

A little over 10 years ago, a Phoenix-based startup treated acoustic pickers to a bunch of effects directly through the sound hole courtesy of the smartphone-sized ToneWoodAmp. Now the much-improved second generation device has launched.

Fender's original Mustang Micro was an impressive little headphone amplifier for silent practice and recording – but the brand-new Plus version is a remarkable upgrade that puts a ludicrous range of tone options at your fingertips.

Following an international debut at the High End audio show in Munich last year, UK hi-fi brand Chord Electronics has now announced global availability of its "class-leading" 125-watt Ultima Integrated amplifier.

Positive Grid launched one of our favorite modeling practice amps back in 2019, in the shape of the Spark. The family got smaller members in 2022 and 2023, and now the company is going gigging with the Spark Live smart amp and PA system.

Though best known for its iconic electric guitars, Gibson also produced its own amplifiers until the late 1960s. A couple of years ago, company CEO Cesar Gueikian hinted at its return to tube amp manufacture, and now the first two combos have launched.

China's Fiio – which recently announced a mechanical keyboard with a built-in DAC – has launched a new flagship desktop media streamer and headphone amp/DAC combo that's dominated by a slick smartphone-like user interface.