Review and Measurements of Klipsch PowerGate DAC & Amp

[HuskerDu]

OK I set up the priority in Task Manger to Real Time and it's much better now.

...If you do try that Ethernet connector, please post yea/nay if you have a chance? I too am using Chromecast Audio, and mine is hooked up to Ethernet. (Even Qobuz, which gave me fits over WiFi, now has zero interruptions over the wired connection.)

The only other thought I didn't see in your thread with @BillG is the 5ghz WiFi band, which of course does not have to compete with the kitchen microwave... though I'm sorry to say I don't remember whether the Powergate has that band...

Lastly, I should prolly add that I have gigabit Ethernet to the house, which is prolly cheating a little, and still I had to pay attention to how many hops between my first and last boxes to get those big audio files to stream without breaks, without Roon, and without a dedicated machine to act as music server. (Roon was a helpful diagnostic tool in that effort because apparently it can "see" the speed of each hop.) I'm happy with the Powergate as a great bargain, but unfortunately I've just read the Benchmark review and I now have a new toy for my OCD twitch list!

 

[estuardo4]

...If you do try that Ethernet connector, please post yea/nay if you have a chance? I too am using Chromecast Audio, and mine is hooked up to Ethernet. (Even Qobuz, which gave me fits over WiFi, now has zero interruptions over the wired connection.)

The only other thought I didn't see in your thread with @BillG is the 5ghz WiFi band, which of course does not have to compete with the kitchen microwave... though I'm sorry to say I don't remember whether the Powergate has that band...

Lastly, I should prolly add that I have gigabit Ethernet to the house, which is prolly cheating a little, and still I had to pay attention to how many hops between my first and last boxes to get those big audio files to stream without breaks, without Roon, and without a dedicated machine to act as music server. (Roon was a helpful diagnostic tool in that effort because apparently it can "see" the speed of each hop.) I'm happy with the Powergate as a great bargain, but unfortunately I've just read the Benchmark review and I now have a new toy for my OCD twitch list!

Just imagine, you can buy 20 Powergates for the price of one Benchmark...

 

[BillG]

The only other thought I didn't see in your thread with @BillG is the 5ghz WiFi band, which of course does not have to compete with the kitchen microwave... though I'm sorry to say I don't remember whether the Powergate has that band...

It supports 5Ghz, as I'm using it on that segment of my own WiFi LAN here at home. I've actually alloted that segment exclusively for my own usage, and everyone else can battle it out on the 2.4Ghz channels, leaving my devices alone...

 

[Blake Klondike]

Ah. A fellow laserdisc demonstrator and true HiFi salesman

Aziz, light!

Same era:
The Abyss- submarine crash/explosion (launch the buoy)
Die Hard 2- Old man in the church knock on the door and shooting
Aliens- plasma cutting the ship's docking door and it falling down in front of you
Cliffhanger- opening scene, helicopter and death plunge.
And the favourite:
Top Gun- the launch off the carrier

Ah, the good old days. Thank goodness they are gone.

The first surround-sound DVD demo I ever heard was the Ride Of The Valkyries scene from Apocalypse Now. I remember being knocked out by the way the ejected machine gun shells were positioned in the stereo field. Big improvement over VHS on a Zenith CRT tv!

 

[HuskerDu]

Just imagine, you can buy 20 Powergates for the price of one Benchmark...

... but! ...

 

[Toma]

No problemo...

I ended up connecting the "In" and "Out" Ethernet ports to use the device as a pass through hub to my router. I couldn't set it up only as a wired device. My router can see it when I am logged in to it, but the Play-Fi software doesn't recognize it. So, now the Powegate is hardwired to the internet, but its operation is still done by the Play-Fi software through WiFi. It's stable so far, we will see in the future.

 

[invaderzim]

Just imagine, you can buy 20 Powergates for the price of one Benchmark...

Or, one benchmark and never have to look at another amplifier again.

 

[GGroch]

I ended up connecting the "In" and "Out" Ethernet ports to use the device as a pass through hub to my router...

That is strange. The normal hookup would be Ethernet from your router to the Powergate Ethernet "In". You should not need anything on the Powergate out jack unless you are short of Ethernet connections.

I just tried mine that way and it worked instantly. That is, I did not have to reboot or reset. When I go to "About" in the Play-Fi Android App, it shows that the Powergate switched from my wireless to the wired connection. The IP address did not change. That is how some discussions on the Play-Fi site say it should work, and is also how my Paradigm PW/Amp works.

BTW - Another post by a Play-Fi rep says that for all Play-Fi devices that lack an Ethernet port (like the cheap Klipsch Gate adapter or my Pioneer F4 speakers) , you can connect a USB to Ethernet adapter to the USB service port on the back of all Play-Fi stuff. (they say that adapters that work on the Wii will work). I have not tried this as my wireless works fine.

Also - Some Play-Fi Devices now work with Airplay2. I think only Arcam & Macintosh models support this. Hopefully Klipsch will firmware update. I did try casting TV sound from the Powergate's optical input to my Pioneer F4 speaker, and it works with no noticeable lag. But using the Powergate app is certainly not simple.

 

[Toma]

That is strange. The normal hookup would be Ethernet from your router to the Powergate Ethernet "In". You should not need anything on the Powergate out jack unless you are short of Ethernet connections.

I just tried mine that way and it worked instantly. That is, I did not have to reboot or reset. When I go to "About" in the Play-Fi Android App, it shows that the Powergate switched from my wireless to the wired connection. The IP address did not change. That is how some discussions on the Play-Fi site say it should work, and is also how my Paradigm PW/Amp works.

BTW - Another post by a Play-Fi rep says that for all Play-Fi devices that lack an Ethernet port (like the cheap Klipsch Gate adapter or my Pioneer F4 speakers) , you can connect a USB to Ethernet adapter to the USB service port on the back of all Play-Fi stuff. (they say that adapters that work on the Wii will work). I have not tried this as my wireless works fine.

Also - Some Play-Fi Devices now work with Airplay2. I think only Arcam & Macintosh models support this. Hopefully Klipsch will firmware update. I did try casting TV sound from the Powergate's optical input to my Pioneer F4 speaker, and it works with no noticeable lag. But using the Powergate app is certainly not simple.

Thanks for the post!
It encouraged me to try a few more times and now it's working for me.
I needed to disconnect mine from the power source and restarted with the Ethernet cable connected directly to the router. That way it's actually better since I found out according to my router lights that the Powegate has 10/100 mbps ports instead of the 1Gb ports on the router.

 

[HuskerDu]

So, now the Powegate is hardwired to the internet, but its operation is still done by the Play-Fi software through WiFi. It's stable so far, we will see in the future.

Thanks very much for your update! Mmmmaybe Play-Fi will still stream music over Ethernet, even if control is by WiFi. What a collection of bandaides. I always had a lot of respect for Klipsch, but this Powergate experience suggests the glory days are at least a founder-exit behind them. (O the times, they are all changing...)

 

[HuskerDu]

Thanks for the post!
It encouraged me to try a few more times and now it's working for me.
I needed to disconnect mine from the power source and restarted with the Ethernet cable connected directly to the router. That way it's actually better since I found out according to my router lights that the Powegate has 10/100 mbps ports instead of the 1Gb ports on the router.

Ah! That worked out after all. (I'll have to remember to read the whole thread before posting. Sorry y'all.)

 

[Toma]

Thanks very much for your update! Mmmmaybe Play-Fi will still stream music over Ethernet, even if control is by WiFi. What a collection of bandaides. I always had a lot of respect for Klipsch, but this Powergate experience suggests the glory days are at least a founder-exit behind them. (O the times, they are all changing...)

Yes, it's been a pain to set up the wired access. I thought everything was working fine. Like the previous poster pointed, it showed as a wired connection after a lot of tinkering and worked perfectly until I decided to rearrange the wires behind the router. After turning the router off and on no connection again. I'll play tomorrow again and see what is happening.

 

[HuskerDu]

...until I decided to rearrange the wires behind the router. After turning the router off and on no connection again. I'll play tomorrow again and see what is happening.

Ouch! Hopefully you were successful finding a Chromecast Audio (I thought your first post or two mentioned that...) and it will arrive soon, allowing you to bypass everything in the Klipsch except the amp.

 

[estuardo4]

Thanks very much for your update! Mmmmaybe Play-Fi will still stream music over Ethernet, even if control is by WiFi. What a collection of bandaides. I always had a lot of respect for Klipsch, but this Powergate experience suggests the glory days are at least a founder-exit behind them. (O the times, they are all changing...)

Thanks very much for your update! Mmmmaybe Play-Fi will still stream music over Ethernet, even if control is by WiFi. What a collection of bandaides. I always had a lot of respect for Klipsch, but this Powergate experience suggests the glory days are at least a founder-exit behind them. (O the times, they are all changing...)

I'm using the powergate just as a power amplifier. I have an external DAC and I have Audirvana installed on my PC to stream music from Tidal and from my NAS. The Powergate are doing a wonderful work. I don't feel the need to try to use the other features. It has replaced my power humgry B&K amp and I don't notice a difference in quality of sound.

As a power amp, and as demostrated by Amir, the Powergate is a tremendous value, but just as an amp (and as a phono preamp, a feature I also don't use).

 

[Toma]

I'm using the powergate just as a power amplifier. I have an external DAC and I have Audirvana installed on my PC to stream music from Tidal and from my NAS. The Powergate are doing a wonderful work. I don't feel the need to try to use the other features. It has replaced my power humgry B&K amp and I don't notice a difference in quality of sound.

As a power amp, and as demostrated by Amir, the Powergate is a tremendous value, but just as an amp (and as a phono preamp, a feature I also don't use).

I'm still waiting on my Chromcas Audio to arrive. It would be nice though if everything is working well. It shouldn't be so buggy since this device was released 3 years ago and by now one would expect that everything was pollished and smooth.

 

[BillG]

I'm still waiting on my Chromcas Audio to arrive. It would be nice though if everything is working well. It shouldn't be so buggy since this device was released 3 years ago and by now one would expect that everything was pollished and smooth.

Yeah, Play-Fi seems to be the device's Achilles' heel for a number of people. While I had no problems with it during my brief testing of the subsystem via WiFi, I can understand the dislike: If the application's User Interface/Experience was up to contemporary standards I suspect that a lot of the complaints about it would disappear...

By the way, Chromecast Audio works just fine with it. So I'm sure you'll enjoy it instead of flaky Play-Fi.

 

[estuardo4]

My advice to the people interested on the Powergate is that they think of it just as a integrated amp and forget about their other features (mainly DAC and Playfi capability). If you need streaming capabilities, buy a Chromecast.

The Powergate measures better as an amp than similar budget A/B amps or Chinese Class D amps. It is a best buy on their category.

 

[GGroch]

Estuardo4, I do not agree.

I agree it is a nice amp. If the auto shut off does not bother you (I like the feature) then it does make a good integrated. But, I use the DAC (Optical in from my TV) and Play-fi all the time and like those features. Plus....remote control for everything.

It all depends on your needs. I listen to Spotify for 90% of my streaming...and since I use the Spotify app there is no difference in my experience with the Powergate VS the chromecast...except that with the Powergate I have a wireless remote and a knob to adjust volume/mute, not on the CCA.

I am actually using only the preamp output of the Powergate at the moment...plugged into an NAD 2600a power amp. That gives me all the extra functions/inputs my non-remote vintage preamp does not have. It sounds very clean. There is nothing wrong I have heard with the USB input for normal files but I do not use that in my current configuration. If I had a turntable I would use that, and it receives Bluetooth as well.

So, yes, I agree its worth it for just the poweramp. But its pretty nice for my purposes not using the speaker amp part at all.

 

[estuardo4]

Estuardo4, I do not agree.

I agree it is a nice amp. If the auto shut off does not bother you (I like the feature) then it does make a good integrated. But, I use the DAC (Optical in from my TV) and Play-fi all the time and like those features. Plus....remote control for everything.

It all depends on your needs. I listen to Spotify for 90% of my streaming...and since I use the Spotify app there is no difference in my experience with the Powergate VS the chromecast...except that with the Powergate I have a wireless remote and a knob to adjust volume/mute, not on the CCA.

I am actually using only the preamp output of the Powergate at the moment...plugged into an NAD 2600a power amp. That gives me all the extra functions/inputs my non-remote vintage preamp does not have. It sounds very clean. There is nothing wrong I have heard with the USB input for normal files but I do not use that in my current configuration. If I had a turntable I would use that too.

So, yes, I agree its worth it for just the poweramp. But its pretty nice for my purposes not using the speaker amp part at all.

I wouldn't imaging myself using the Powergate as an integrated amp. But I trust that it is useful for you. I'll try to connect it to my retired power amp one of this days.

A $150 noise-free pre amp! You gave food for thought to everybody looking for a pre amp bargain too.

 

[Toma]

Yeah, Play-Fi seems to be the device's Achilles' heel for a number of people. While I had no problems with it during my brief testing of the subsystem via WiFi, I can understand the dislike: If the application's User Interface/Experience was up to contemporary standards I suspect that a lot of the complaints about it would disappear...

By the way, Chromecast Audio works just fine with it. So I'm sure you'll enjoy it instead of flaky Play-Fi.

It looks like I fixed my connectivity issues, WiFi and wired with my Powergate. I purchased a new one.

I almost gave up after a few frustrating days of difficulty connecting and resetting the device.

The new one right out of the box was found easily by my Android phone app and all firmware and software updates were completed. Hooking the Ethernet cable to my router was also seamless and it was recognized as a wired device under my router and the app. In my previous posts you could see that I had hard time connecting the unit. Playing my stored music,from my phone and my laptop is also very smooth so far and I hope it would remain that way.

If everything is working as well as now I would keep the CCA as a back up since I am very satisfy with what I get from the system at this point.

I compared the serial numbers of the two gates and actually the second one that I got is with an older serial number, not by much, than the first one. So I think that the built date is not of any importance and the broken ones could be just random units.

What I learned from my experience is that the Play-Fi software and firmware may not be the problem any more, since they fixed apparently some old issues. The problems I had were hardware related with the built quality of the Powergate.

Having a working unit at this price point as many already mentioned, is a very pleasant experience for your pocket and your ears. I hope we would be able to enjoy our devices for as long as we would like. I know that I would.

Thanks to everyone who helped me with your experience and knowledge.