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A speaker amplifier, or “amp” for short, is an electronic device that boosts an audio signal’s power to a level that can be heard through speakers or headphones. Some form of a speaker amp is necessary regardless of whether you’re playing music from a turntable, a laptop, or a CD player. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll need to invest in a standalone amp, as many amps these days are built into the speakers themselves.

In this guide, we’ll review the basics of speaker amplification and help you decide if you need an amp for your setup.

To explain the job of a speaker amp within the context of a home audio setup, let’s start with an example of what an audio signal can sound like 

If you play a vinyl record before connecting or turning on your speakers, you’ll notice a faint sound of music emanating from the turntable itself. Sometimes referred to as “needle talk," this sound is actually the vibration of your record player’s stylus as it runs along the record’s groove. Without amplification, this vibration can sound high-pitched and whisper-quiet. Before you can enjoy it as music, it must be converted into an electrical signal and made louder. Much louder.

A speaker amp is the device responsible for boosting — or 

 — this electrical signal so that it can be heard from your speakers as music. Think of an amp as the muscle of your audio setup, taking a weak signal from your audio device and pumping it up to a level that can drive your 

So, the speaker amplifier’s primary job is to increase the volume of your audio. But an amp has other responsibilities, too. It helps to regulate the level of power supplied to your speakers so they don’t get pushed beyond their limits and damaged. An amp can even shape your sound in various ways, from reducing distortion to adjusting the audio signal’s tone and frequency to suit your preferences (a process known as equalization, or EQ).

A speaker amplifier works by taking a weak electrical signal from your musical source — like a turntable or CD player — and increasing its 

. Amplitude is a measurement of a sound wave’s strength, with higher amplitude sound waves creating louder sounds and lower amplitude sound waves creating quieter sounds.

Once the audio signal is amplified, the amp sends it to the speakers. The powered signal then creates vibrations in the speaker cone, which generate sound waves that your ears hear as music.

Most amps come with controls that allow you to fine-tune the sound and adjust the gain, which refers to how much the audio signal is boosted before it’s sent to the speakers. More gain means more volume, but too much gain can distort the sound quality and result in a phenomenon called “clipping,” whereby the tops and bottoms of the sound wave are chopped off because the amp can’t handle the full breadth of the signal. Not only can this sound unpleasant, but it can also damage your speakers by pushing them beyond their maximum capacity.

Fortunately, most high-quality amplifiers have built-in protections to prevent any damage resulting from excessive gain. These amps may limit the amount of power sent to the speakers to avoid issues like overheating and tearing of the speaker cone.

One point to underline here is that, regardless of its type, an amp relies on electricity to work, so it will need to be either plugged into an electrical outlet or powered by a battery.

Amp placed next to a turntable on a shelf

 to listen to music or watch movies with your 

. But if you’re looking for the amp in your home audio setup and can’t find it, there may be a good reason.

While an amp is always a necessary component, it isn’t always a 

 component. Most Sonos speakers, for example, include a built-in amp so they’re ready to play right out of the box. These are called 

, or powered speakers, because they actively generate their own power and don’t require an external amp.

Speakers without built-in amplifiers are commonly referred to as passive speakers. These speaker types are often used in 

, where the speakers are discreetly installed into a room’s walls or ceiling. Passive speakers require power from an external amp, like our WiFi-enabled 

 will largely depend on your audio setup and your willingness to pair your speakers with an external amplifier. A 

 with in-ceiling or in-wall speakers will likely require a separate amp for power. But you can also achieve phenomenally realistic surround sound with, say, a pair of Sonos 

 speakers, each of which includes six class-D digital amplifiers to power your sound experience.

If you’re set on including architectural or outdoor speakers in your home audio system, you’ll need a high-quality amplifier that can deliver enough power for multiroom listening. That’s where 

 can help. With 125 watts per channel, it has more than enough power to produce high volumes with clear, undistorted sound. Whether your goal is a 

 or a smart home with seamless control, Amp is all the amp you’ll ever need.

What Is a Speaker Amplifier (And Do You Need One)?

They say actions speak louder than words, but that’s cold comfort when you’re straining to hear the dialogue on your favorite TV show. Smart, snappy, and (most of all) intelligible dialogue is the backbone of the best films and shows, but the wrong audio setup can make it hard to parse key conversations between characters.

There are a number of ways to tackle this issue, from tweaking your TV’s audio settings to investing in a proper home theater system. We’ve put together a guide with five steps toward improving and upgrading your TV’s sound, so that you’ll never have to settle for subtitles again.

1. Check the audio settings on your streaming service

If the dialogue in your streamed film or TV show sounds muffled, start by checking the audio settings on your streaming service. Though most streaming services can automatically detect and adjust to the audio capabilities of your device, this doesn’t always work as intended.

For example, many Netflix titles support streaming in 

. But you can’t stream surround sound audio through just any old device — you’ll need a system that supports it, too. Netflix isn’t always great at realizing this, and it may default to 5.1 surround sound even when it doesn’t detect an appropriate 5.1 system. This mismatch may result in subpar sound, so always be sure to check that the audio settings on your streaming service match your setup’s capabilities.

Downmixing is usually a fairly precise process, but it can sometimes result in dialogue that sounds a bit garbled or undermixed. As such, it’s best to make sure that your streaming service’s audio settings match your device’s capabilities. The built-in speakers on your laptop or TV may only support stereo output, so chances are you’ll have to upgrade to a 

 before you can enjoy high-quality streamed audio.

Tip: Look for speech-enhanced versions of your favorite titles

Even if there’s nothing technically wrong with your audio levels, you may want to give the dialogue a bit of extra boost. Maybe you’re watching an action movie with massive explosions and hushed dialogue, or maybe your ears are battling with heavy accents.

If so, we have good news: some services, like Amazon Prime, offer speech-enhanced versions of certain content titles. Check to see if there’s one for your favorite show before streaming.

If everything looks good with the audio settings on your streaming service, your next stop should be the settings menu on your TV. This is true even if you aren’t using your TV’s built-in speakers, as the audio output settings on your TV can also be responsible for gumming up the sounds emanating from your home theater setup.

When it comes to muddy and unintelligible dialogue, the lowest frequencies are often the biggest offenders. The same bass frequencies that add a deep, rich oomph to explosions and orchestral soundtracks can make it nearly impossible to decipher what someone is saying. That’s because most human speech actually falls in the midrange of frequencies, and these can be drowned out if the bass is overemphasized.

So, it may well be that the bass frequencies on your TV are set too high. But instead of fine-tuning the individual frequencies, you might want to first try out some different preset audio modes to see if one solves the issue. Many TVs come with audio modes that specifically emphasize the human voice. Look for a setting labeled “Speech” or “Dialogue”; if you can’t find one, try out other presets that increase the midrange frequencies in your TV’s audio.

Some TVs even offer a feature called dynamic range compression, which essentially levels out sound differences so that quiet sounds are louder and louder sounds are quieter. This can make dialogue louder and more intelligible without actually having to turn the volume up on your TV. Sure, a dramatic cymbal crash or explosion may not have the same chest-rumbling effect, but at least you’ll be able to follow along (and avoid complaints from your neighbors).

Family watching TV with white Beam, Sub Mini, and Era 100 pair

Your TV’s speakers can only take you so far. These built-in speakers tend to be quite small and capable of handling only a limited range of frequencies. If your goal is audio with the highest degree of clarity and detail, consider adding a soundbar.

Even from a position directly beneath your TV, a 

 can create multidimensional audio that immerses you in sound as if it’s coming from all directions. Some premium soundbars, like Sonos Arc, feature Dolby Atmos technology that fires sound in all directions, bringing more clarity to dialogue even if it’s merely a whisper.

Short of adding actual surround sound speakers to your 

, a soundbar is the best way to achieve cinematic sound at home. It’s also a great option if you’re limited on space and prefer a setup without the need for hard wiring, as many soundbars are designed to fit right in whether they’re placed atop furniture or mounted on the wall.

If you’re ready to permanently stomp out the problem of unintelligible audio — and add dramatic clarity to every other part of your audio experience — a multi-speaker setup is the logical next step. A soundbar serves as a perfect basis for this type of setup. From there, you can add a pair of rear speakers and a 

, as its name implies, describes an audio setup that immerses you in sound from multiple angles — left, right, front, back, and above. A surround sound system with Dolby Atmos expands this immersive experience even further, firing sounds skyward so that they reflect off the ceiling and come raining down from above. You can achieve a realistic, spatial audio experience with just a soundbar, but nothing beats a 

Man watching TV with a black Arc and Sonos Ace headphones

Of course, investing in an entire home theater system may not be in the cards. Or perhaps you live in a place with neighbors or roommates who won’t take kindly to a full surround sound system. If you’re watching alone, there’s no faster route to crisp, clear dialogue than a pair of good headphones.

This is true even if you do have an existing home theater setup. For example, with 

, you can swap the TV audio from your Sonos soundbar to your headphones for a private surround sound experience. So, if you’ve exhausted your patience with audio settings menus or simply can’t wait to dive into the latest episode of your favorite show, wirelessly connect your headphones and let the dialogue flow.

Isn’t it nice to know you’re not alone? Trouble understanding TV dialogue is a common complaint, and it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re hard of hearing. Every Sonos product is built to achieve stunningly clear audio, and dialogue is no exception. We turned to Oscar-winning sound engineers to help tune our 

, so that even the slightest whisper rings with clarity. And with added features like 

 available in the Sonos app, you’ll never reach for the subtitles button again.

Black Beam placed under a television; black Sub placed on the floor

How to Hear Dialogue Better When Watching TV Shows and Movies

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What Is a Speaker Amplifier (And Do You Need One)?

How to Hear Dialogue Better When Watching TV Shows and Movies

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