Question for the Audiophiles

[Haven]

I'm thinking of getting a 7.1 surround receiver for home. Not for the 7.1 surround but rather for the HDMI pass through/audio extraction features if offers as well as a few other niceties (up scaling, android/iphone integration etc).

My Question is this. Can I use such an amplifier in a 2.0 (2 speaker stereo) setup or does it have to be with a 7.1 speaker setup?

Any help appreciated as I've never owned anything other than a stereo amp previously.

 

[BiG D]

Almost certainly. My 7.1 amp happily detects what's connected and tailors output to what's available. I'd be quite surprised if there was an amp that required 7.1 speakers.

 

[Haven]

Thanks BIG D.

 

[Panda with issues...]

These will almost always run 2 channel as Big D stated. Denon and Marantz make very good ones, and they're my pick for home theatre systems.