Not everyone has a ton of money to sink into an amplifier. Apparently, you don’t have to have a huge budget to get something very nice—something like the Emotiva UPA-500 5-channel power amp.

Launched back in July, the UPA-500 can crank 80 watts per channel into the typical 8-ohm speaker. It also has a heavy-duty power supply, an over-sized toroidal transformer, a flat frequency response and low distortion.

The reviewers at Audioholics took a closer peek at the component and said, “If you’re looking for a step up in sound quality and power on the cheap, I can’t think of a better option on the market.” That certainly sounds like a ringing endorsement!

The website goes into more detail about the product, with listening tests, measurements and analysis, and more. Here is a slightly larger excerpt from their findings:

“The Emotiva UPA-500 is NOT a perfect amplifier. It doesn’t turn milk chocolate to dark. It won’t part the Red Sea, nor will it reverse climate change. It will, however, redefine the quality one comes to expect from a budget amplifier. The UPA-500 delivers clean, low noise, meaty amplification that will surely bring new life to a whimpering department store A/V receiver.”

Check out the entire review on Audioholics—or go to the website’s forum to share your thoughts.