Amazon Basics 80 Watt Class D Amp Review

[JSmith]

my Klipsch rf82

Weren't these around $2000 new? They're not bad speakers... why hook them up to a cheap arse poor performing amp?

So what amp are you running them on atm?



JSmith

 

[PeteL]

You can get better amp for same money, but I don't think you can find such a flexible set of features for the same money. Useful features, not just me too stuff or marketing add ons to build a keywords database. It is actually a smart product, and adequate for many many use cases. I see nothing wrong with this, sometime we are stuck into our audiophile world, but generally speaking, in life, the situations where fidelity actually matters are few. We have to look around, especially the younger generation, that don't have money, but listen to music. where sometime a small gathering music listening session is listening to youtube playlist trough TV speakers. Where the first student appartment main system is a 3 inch Bluetooth speaker. For these people, that actually may be a bridge to hifi. Being able to hook up two pair of decent speakers in two different rooms, that's something already. You can actually use this to listen to music. Your Iphone in a cup to get a bit more bass, not so much.

 

[Deleted member 27694]

Weren't these around $2000 new? They're not bad speakers... why hook them up to a cheap arse poor performing amp?

So what amp are you running them on atm?



JSmith

i bought them 10 years or so ago and if i remember correctly it was more like $1200. yamaha as-300. But 95% of the time i listen to music i use my headphones because me an my neighbors are in disagreement about what loud and more important what good music is.

 

[Deleted member 27694]

Weren't these around $2000 new? They're not bad speakers... why hook them up to a cheap arse poor performing amp?

my question was not because im planning to buy this amp. I am just curious about how measurements translate into the real world. As i would assume that if you buy this specific amp and good quality common speakers for lets say $1000 most people (maybe even trained listeners?) wouldnt hear a difference if you swap the amp for something that measures better.

 

[restorer-john]

If you hook it up to these you may fail a blind test on which amp sound better
View attachment 116142

Wow, your new DIY speakers are looking a treat! Do you have a kit coming to market? What I like is the shipping carton becomes the enclosure- brilliant! Game changing, eco friendly and sustainable. All the bullet points in one product.

 

[PeteL]

Not helpful and soso funny...

Sorry for that,
The thing I see with blind test the "average person" don't do them. Yes those flaws are in audible territory for trained listener. We have sparce blind tests "experiments" reports. Likely with trained listeners, but It's difficult to find enough data to conclude that x% distortion is not heard by x% of the population. For this kind of data to be significant, you need large samples, and the truth is, it's not important enough for mankind. We will not know that, we know that audible acuity vary, that we know.

 

[Deleted member 27694]

Sorry for that,
The thing I see with blind test the "average person" don't do them. Yes those flaws are in audible territory for trained listener. We have sparce blind tests "experiments" reports. Likely with trained listeners, but It's difficult to find enough data to conclude that x% distortion is not heard by x% of the population. For this kind of data to be significant, you need large samples, and the truth is, it's not important enough for mankind. We will not know that, we know that audible acuity vary, that we know.

Thank you!

 

[restorer-john]

(I would not be over optimistic re McIntosh tube poweramp measurements.) Correction - 2100 is solid state

https://www.stereophile.com/content/mcintosh-mc275-power-amplifier-measurements

It is just physics, John.

Yes, the 2100 is actually beautiful vintage amp and a decent performer, fully bridgeable, decent PSU and autotransformers on the outputs. If you find one in the trash, grab it.

 

[JSmith]

in the trash

… or even in the rubbish, garbage or tip God forbid.

I am just curious about how measurements translate into the real world.

The biggest factors are the speakers and the room and I'm sure you've heard cheap stereos distorting... measurements are samples of moments in time, yet time is not like that from our human perspective, it's fluid. That said audio enthusiasts won't be looking for something basic like this to hook up to their pride and joy, yet may be fine for old Aunty Mavis and Uncle Buck.



JSmith

 

[Nango]

Did we ask them for a commentary??? I had absolute confidence in all their "basic" items, until now!!!

 

[KxDx]

Such a pitty considering the amp is loaded with quality of life features.

Auto turn on by detecting input signals AND trigger IN/OUT.

It would be insane value if it was 75-80 SINAD.

I'm gonna hug my Niles si275 when I get home.

 

[Helicopter]

This thing is simply not worth existance. The parts are better not assembled into one of these. I would definitely take a 1990s AVR with a couple broken buttons over this for a garage or shop. There are way better chip amps around this price too. There is no point. What's with the ugly virtue signaling bilingual case? Just use icons and cover all of humanity without ruining the aesthetic.

They should put a tube buffer in this and pretend that is causing the wierd measurements.

 

[JSmith]

This thing is simply not worth existance. The parts are better not assembled into one of these.

Well we definitely don't want it to breed that's for sure;





JSmith

 

[GGroch]

The measurements are bad, and in a home component stereo environment are probably audible.

BUT, I do not think it is necessarily a bad product. The feature set, like on/off trigger, auto source selection, screwdriver adjustable tone controls, auto off, mono/stereo seem aimed at the low end business or custom home market. Its performance is probably a good match for in-wall, in-ceiling background music / PA systems. It would be a better and probably more reliable choice than an old Ebay receiver for locations where sound quality does not matter so much and your client wants to throw it into a closet and not mess with it. Amir's conclusion does point to this lo-fi use as appropriate.

That said, the Amazon Product page says nothing about that. While I bet some are purchased for appropriate custom lo-fi installs, the Amazon listing provides no hint that for HiFi use, spending the same $80 on a tiny digital amp would provide better sound.

 

[FrantzM]

One of my (wet) dreams is to read a similar serious/comparison between such an amp and one of those audiophile megabucks (upward of $5,000) SET amplifiers Single Ended Triodes) You know, those that routinely present 3% of THD or more at 20 watts... as a feature ...

 

[Mashcky]

You don't need to wonder. Go check out the specs of the 2100.

Meets spec too. I got mine repaired at Audioclassics a few years ago and they returned my 2100 with a basic test sheet (1w at 20hz, 100w at 20hz, 1w at 1khz, etc.). Costs a little more than $70 to repair one of those though. Nevermind the cost to buy one used...

If you find one in the trash, grab it.

if you find $1000 in the trash, make sure to pick that up too

 

[hotdogsandwich]

Almost bought one of these on a whim after seeing a youtuber praising it, but figured I’d wait until ASR reviewed. Glad I waited.

 

[Vini darko]

Lastest Amazon version only has English text. Also Dayton audio sell a version of this with Bluetooth. There's probably others too.
It's a cookie cutter amp from a china factory that anyone can slap a badge on I think. Kinda like most Korean car audio amps.

 

[pma]

You know, those that routinely present 3% of THD or more at 20 watts... as a feature ...

..... that nobody hears in a DBT on a music sample, speaking about nonlinear distortion only. You and the other debaters have had a good chance to post your ABX result

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-world-tube-preamplifier-about-2-7-thd.18392/

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...tortion-test-about-5-on-a-music-sample.18217/

 

[dorirod]

Uggh, all the more reason to swear off anything labelled Amazon Basics.

https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/comments/lx4l6c