Amplifier recommendations for DIY Speaker projects

Firstly I apologise if this is in the wrong area but didn't seem to really fit in the Amp section.
I love designing and building various speaker projects, im by no means an expert but I really enjoy it. I'm probably on my 10th project now. Most of my projects use built in amps and DACs but this is getting expensive. Instead I want my future projects to use crossovers in my speakers and the ability to run them from a single amplifier rather than build an amp into each project.
What amplifiers would people recommend for this? I have the following requirements making it a little bit tricky:

  1. I want to use the amplifier everyday as I tend to listen to music all the time whilst working
  2. I usually use a stereo system but I want to be able to power multiple setups like Stereo, 2.1, 4 and 5.1. I doubt I'll ever need 7.1
  3. Ideally would like to be able to adjust bass treble and of course volume
  4. Connection points for speaker cables don't matter too much as I tend to build my own cables for my speakers. Some use Speakon, others banana plugs etc. So this isn't a major factor.
  5. I would like some power behind it. My latest project is around 400watts
  6. Ideally bluetooth connection however not a major issue as can use a wire between my laptop and amp if need be
  7. Quality is important but I'll be honest I rarely can tell the difference between very expensive and decent amps.
    Thanks so much
 
As @lineup says, you'll need 6 separate channels for a 5.1 setup.
As someone who has never owned anything but a stereo setup, I'll stick my neck out and guess that:
  • Stereo is two speakers: Left & Right
  • 2.1 is Stereo plus a subwoofer
  • 4 is 2 x 2, Left/Right x Front/Back
  • 5.1 is 2 x 2, plus a middle channel? plus sub
For the last three, are there separate inputs for the extra channels?

Regardless, it seems like you build a 5.1 amp, and you get all the rest by disconnecting whatever you don't need. Still, you'll need to drive all those channels. I don't spend a lot of time outside the Pass Labs forums, but I have yet to see anything other than a Mono or Stereo amplifier.

So, what could you do? Build 6 mono power amplifiers (one for each of the 5.1 channel setup), and one pre-amplifier that can drive the other six. There are many options for both type of amplifier, but no power amps that I have seen capable of providing 400W. I assumed, @willbrettdesign , that you meant 400W per channel. That's over 7A into 8ohms.

Kind regards,
Drew
 
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