Thanks for this Amir!
We now have very useful performance comparisons of streaming amplifiers, in the Sonos Amp, Amazon Link Amp (I see your
owner review is up on Amazon), and this Powergate. This may be an important new product category, with emphasis on ease of use and good-enough performance that lets normal folks enjoy the benefits of high quality passive speakers.
For this target audience, features and ease of use are probably most important. The Klipsch Powergate is particularly interesting in that it comes with a remote control (so you are not forced to use your phone), and because you can stream anything from its analog or digital inputs to other Play-Fi compatible devices, including the currently
$33 Klipsch Gateway.
Most Play-Fi devices, included these Klipsch, and the Paradigm PW-Amp and PW-Link, can now be
used with Alexa Echo devices for voice control. Since the Amazon Link Amp also requires an Echo device for voice control, and does not allow streaming from direct analog digital sources or come with a remote, the Powergate has some streaming advantages.
I hope you will test the similar
Paradigm PW-Amp which is discounted to $225 direct (perhaps less if you make an offer to Paradigm on their eBay listing), placing it between the Powergate and the Link Amp in price. It seems to be similar in power, but has only a single analog input and no remote. It does have rather nice Room EQ built in.