Kenwood AR-304

The Kenwood AR-304 is a basic, entry-level stereo receiver. Most of my sound comes from my computer, and I was dissatisfied with the sound quality available from so-called "multimedia" speakers. As a college student, whatever I went for needed to be cheap. This receiver has the features I wanted: good dynamic range, high fidelity (for an amplifier anywhere near this price), digital radio tuner, and expansion capability (driver for a second pair or speakers, subwoofer pre-amp output, sufficient input channels). There are a number of things it won't do, such as digital I/O and surround sound, but for many people these are not needed. With the AR-304, you can get medium-end sound for a low-end price. I use it with a pair of Sony U3033 bookshelf speakers with good results. For a dorm room, this (and a powered subwoofer I've borrowed but not yet purchased) is all the power I need.