There's something to be said about the simple separation of left and right channel audio output. It's all about the music; some audiophiles say it's all you need.

If that's what you're looking for and you're on a budget, these are the budget receivers we like best.

It’s hard to do much better than Sony’s STRDH190 stereo receiver. It lacks frills like Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity or voice assistant integration, but it does the basics and does them for a great price. It has plenty of ports, plus Bluetooth for streaming music wirelessly from a smartphone or computer.

The ultra-minimalist design makes it look more expensive than it is. The 100W per channel stereo sound is excellent. This isn't for the more technical A/V fans, but for the rest of us, this feels like a steal.