How we choose

This page explains where every number on this site comes from, how products get onto a recommendation list, and what we do and do not do. If something here does not match what you find on a page, that is a bug and we want to hear about it.

What we do not do

We do not test products in a lab, and we do not claim to. We do not have a listening room with every receiver in it, and a site that says otherwise while reviewing forty products a month is not being straight with you. We also do not accept payment for placement, do not let a brand review copy before it publishes, and do not rank by commission rate.

What we do instead is arithmetic you can check, and synthesis of measurements taken by people who do own the lab.

The calculators are standards, not opinions

Every calculator implements a published standard rather than a rule of thumb. Screen size and seating distance come from the SMPTE 30 degree and THX 36 degree viewing angle recommendations. Speaker angles come from Dolby and ITU-R BS.775 layout guidance. Room mode frequencies come from the standard axial, tangential, and oblique mode equations. Wire gauge comes from conductor resistance against speaker impedance, with a loss target you can change.

The math lives in plain functions with unit tests, separate from the interface, so a result cannot drift because someone adjusted a layout. Every calculator page has a "how we got these numbers" section that names the standard it used. If you disagree with a target, change the input and watch the answer move.

How a product gets recommended

Products earn a slot in this order, and the order matters:

1. The job comes first. We decide what role needs filling, such as a sealed subwoofer for a small room or a receiver that can grow to 7.1.4, before looking at any specific model.
2. Published measurements over marketing copy. We lean on outlets that publish real data, including Audioholics, AVForums, and manufacturer engineering documentation, rather than on spec-sheet superlatives. Peak wattage and contrast ratio claims get ignored.
3. Every entry carries its sources. Each product in the catalog stores the pages its specs and assessment came from.
4. Availability is checked by hand. Before a product goes live we open its retail listing and confirm it is the exact model, sold new, and in stock. Products that fail get replaced, not quietly left up. All 58 products currently in the catalog have passed that check.
5. Watch-outs are mandatory. Every recommendation names at least one thing that is wrong with the product or one buyer it is wrong for. A pick with no downside is a pick nobody checked.

Prices

Prices shown are typical street prices at the time of the last review, currently September 2026, and every price on the site carries that date. They are a planning figure, not a quote. Retailers change prices constantly, so the retailer's own page is always the authority. We re-check prices periodically and update the date when we do.

How we make money

When you buy through a link here we may earn a commission from the retailer, at no extra cost to you. That is the entire business model, and it is why the standards above exist: the moment a recommendation stops being the honest answer, the site stops being worth reading. Full detail is in the affiliate disclosure.

Corrections

If a number is wrong, a product is discontinued, or a recommendation has aged badly, tell us with the page and the problem. Corrections get made on the page itself rather than buried in a note.