Russound P75

Power for speakers and automatic source switching

Today’s networked audio players, music streaming services, and remote control apps for smartphones and tablets have radically changed the way we experience music at home. You still need good clean power to drive your speakers, but you probably don’t need a traditional receiver with a lot of buttons to push. Maybe all you really need is a smartly automated amp like the Russound P75.

Connect one music component as your primary source, and it will activate the amplifier when it sends out an audio signal. The amplifier returns to standby mode when the audio signal ceases. Your secondary audio source takes over automatically when there’s no signal coming from the primary source. There’s no need to manually switch inputs.

Say you have a network audio player, such as a Sonos Connect, connected to the primary input. Any time you fire up the Connect, your P75 turns itself on and feeds the music to your speakers. Because the P75 has two sets of speaker outputs, you could be listening in the den, the kitchen or wherever you chose to install your speakers. Because you control the Sonos Connect with a wireless controller or smartphone app, it doesn’t matter where you put it. The Connect and the P75 could be out of sight in a utility closet or cabinet.

You might connect an old-school music source like a CD player to the secondary input, and enjoy it whenever you’re not using your Sonos Connect. When a CD stops playing, the P75 will automatically switch to standby mode.