I'm wondering what a guitar amp has that a home stereo does not.

I'm not planning on playing through it, but I play two JBL theater monitor speakers bi-amped with 150 watts top and 150 watts bottom.

I can vibrate the hubcaps off my neighbors car, but good sense says that if you played an electric guitar through it and cranked it up, something would blow.

So my question is what is different about a guitar amp?

I plug the guitare iin a presonus m-10 (which is usb powered) and out the back of the presonus....directly in my bose sound system and voilà.
now if i want to use effects, then i start Amplitube 3, choose what type of amp to emulate and what type of pedal to emulate...
there you go and i've played at a pretty good volume

This is me, circa 1978, playing with a curly cord into my Dad's stereo.

http://www.gad.net/GAD/Guitar/Guild-S60/_B0Z0597_800.jpg

This is me, circa 1978, playing with a curly cord into my Dad's stereo.

http://www.gad.net/GAD/Guitar/Guild-S60/_B0Z0597_800.jpg

Nice Guild.

You will kill your speakers if you plug a guitar directly into it. I know, did it, got a whoopin from the old man. Stereo speakers are not made to handle guitar raw.

Now, if you plug into a POD or some type of other amp modeling device, it will send a signal that your stereo can handle almost as well as a cd or radio. Any device that has a line out should be ok to play through your stereo. Just start off at a whisper and slowly bring things up. If you hear the speakers start to distort in an awful way, turn it way down and/or stop.

Stereos are full frequency sound reproduction systems that will sound like lifeless crap if you plug a guitar straight in, almost like plugging straight in to a PA. Guitars amps and speakers are voiced nasally to enhance the sound of the guitar, and are more specific to it's midrange. This is why they sound bad with a vocal mic and acoustic instruments.

nothing like frying a set of tweeters on home stereo speakers . ...mmh smells like burned garlic and SOS pads in the kitchen sink

My Dad's stereo had huge speakers with circuit breakers in them. Saved my bacon many times.