Review and Measurements of Klipsch PowerGate DAC & Amp

[adam2434]

sorry for the delay. here's the bottom, after streaming audio for about 3 hours, 74 degrees ambient.

Thanks for checking.

125F is hot to the touch and above the pain threshold temp!

Placing the unit on an AC Infinity fan keeps the bottom cool, if interested.

Why Klipsch didn't put vents on the top of the case...who knows, but they should have.

 

[nuxv]

Thanks for checking.

125F is hot to the touch and above the pain threshold temp!

Placing the unit on an AC Infinity fan keeps the bottom cool, if interested.

Why Klipsch didn't put vents on the top of the case...who knows, but they should have.

no argument from me....i have no knowledge about injection molding, but one would think it wouldn't be that expensive to add vents over the hotspot.

 

[scotto541]

I just got my PowerGate yesterday. I'm likely going to return it because it shuts off after every 15 minutes of no sound. I use it on my desktop and this 'feature' is too cumbersome. I'll miss important notification a few times a day because the PowerGate went to sleep. Is there a way to adjust or disable his setting?

 

[BillG]

I just got my PowerGate yesterday. I'm likely going to return it because it shuts off after every 15 minutes of no sound. I use it on my desktop and this 'feature' is too cumbersome. I'll miss important notification a few times a day because the PowerGate went to sleep. Is there a way to adjust or disable his setting?

There's no way to disable Network Standby mode on it. However, as a workaround, one could always have some audio playing in background, at a low volume, to prevent this...

 

[BillG]

Thanks for checking.

125F is hot to the touch and above the pain threshold temp!

Why Klipsch didn't put vents on the top of the case...who knows, but they should have.

It's reading that on the bottom of the unit, which isn't normally exposed anyway, and the bottom metal plate acts as a heatsink. By the way, it's vented at the sides.

If you think 125F is hot, I'd suggest grabbing a hold of a Class A amp after it's been running 30 minutes - I doubt that you'd ever do it again...

 

[adam2434]

I just got my PowerGate yesterday. I'm likely going to return it because it shuts off after every 15 minutes of no sound. I use it on my desktop and this 'feature' is too cumbersome. I'll miss important notification a few times a day because the PowerGate went to sleep. Is there a way to adjust or disable his setting?

I believe the firmware update fixes this. There is a Klipsch Utility app that you need, and there is (or at least was) an instruction video on YouTube.

I had to borrow my wife's iPhone to do this, as the Klipsch Utility app did not work properly on my Android.

 

[adam2434]

It's reading that on the bottom of the unit, which isn't normally exposed anyway, and the bottom metal plate acts as a heatsink. By the way, it's vented at the sides.

If you think 125F is hot, I'd suggest grabbing a hold of a Class A amp after it's been running 30 minutes - I doubt that you'd ever do it again...

Right, my only point is that the bottom gets hot, which it does.

Hopefully, Klipsch engineered the unit to tolerate the heat from a longevity standpoint, but I'll just keep using a $12 fan for some insurance.

 

[BillG]

I believe the firmware update fixes this. There is a Klipsch Utility app that you need, and there is (or at least was) an instruction video on YouTube.

I had to borrow my wife's iPhone to do this, as the Klipsch Utility app did not work properly on my Android.

The firmware update does not fix what he's referring to, which the amp going into standby mode after 15 minutes of inactivity, as it's a power saving feature which can't be disabled...

 

[scotto541]

That's too bad. It's not workable for me the way i want to use it.
Now I need to find a USB DAC & desktop Amp combo for under $200 total. I never could find a well recommended desktop amp for around $100 (to pair with a Tone Board or D30).
Also, thanks for taking the time to chime in an help out, it really is appreciated and helpful.

 

[estuardo4]

That's too bad. It's not workable for me the way i want to use it.
Now I need to find a USB DAC & desktop Amp combo for under $200 total. I never could find a well recommended desktop amp for around $100 (to pair with a Tone Board or D30).
Also, thanks for taking the time to chime in an help out, it really is appreciated and helpful.

I don't blame you. This 15 minutes shut down is really annoying.

The problem will be trying to find an amp with these functionality and power for $150. I haven't found any.

 

[adam2434]

The firmware update does not fix what he's referring to, which the amp going into standby mode after 15 minutes of inactivity, as it's a power saving feature which can't be disabled...

My bad - you're right. I was thinking of another complaint.

 

[nuxv]

I don't blame you. This 15 minutes shut down is really annoying.

The problem will be trying to find an amp with these functionality and power for $150. I haven't found any.

make that $170. roberts has upped their price on amazon, and sound distributors is currently not offering the unit.

 

[scotto541]

For me personally all I need is a USB DAC and an integrated amplifier. But all the combo units that fill the bill seem to have serious shortcoming in one section or another (SMSL AD18 for instance). Topping D30 and an integrated desktop amp then, but so far I haven't seen an solid, measurement backed recommendations for $100 amp. For now I'll likely have to go get a Tone Board or D30 and go back to putting a vintage receiver I have on my desktop for now and (which is super inconvenient long term for my workflow).

 

[SEKLEM]

For me personally all I need is a USB DAC and an integrated amplifier. But all the combo units that fill the bill seem to have serious shortcoming in one section or another (SMSL AD18 for instance). Topping D30 and an integrated desktop amp then, but so far I haven't seen an solid, measurement backed recommendations for $100 amp. For now I'll likely have to go get a Tone Board or D30 and go back to putting a vintage receiver I have on my desktop for now and (which is super inconvenient long term for my workflow).

I’m currently using a Topping DX3 Pro paired with the topping PA3. The PA3 came with a pretty large external switching power supply (32v 5.5amp) and drives my nearfield to satisfyingly loud levels without noticeable fault. The amp does produce a small level of hiss through the speakers, but they’re pretty inefficient at 85dB 1w/1m, so it’s barely noticeable. If they where Klipsch speakers the hiss might be disruptive.

When I briefly had the Klipsch there was less audible hiss. I didn’t like the display, and lack of controls. My unit also made a noise I could hear coming from inside the chassis, which was loud enough to be annoying. That said, even with the notes above about heat, there are far fewer reports of failure with the Powergate than most recent Topping products. The main complaints outside of this forum are about Play-Fi not being really “launch ready” more or less.

 

[BillG]

For me personally all I need is a USB DAC and an integrated amplifier. But all the combo units that fill the bill seem to have serious shortcoming in one section or another (SMSL AD18 for instance). Topping D30 and an integrated desktop amp then, but so far I haven't seen an solid, measurement backed recommendations for $100 amp. For now I'll likely have to go get a Tone Board or D30 and go back to putting a vintage receiver I have on my desktop for now and (which is super inconvenient long term for my workflow).

This might suit your needs:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...you-like-to-see-next.2343/page-64#post-178567

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/I-A...-150W-2-CM6631A-24Bit-192KHz/32594479261.html

 

[scotto541]

I should have said I also want a subwoofer output.
But those suggestions are great, I may try one out and find a less convent way to get 2.1
If anyone has another well regarded suggestion please let me know.

 

[estuardo4]

I should have said I also want a subwoofer output.
But those suggestions are great, I may try one out and find a less convent way to get 2.1
If anyone has another well regarded suggestion please let me know.

The Paradigm PW-Amp has sub-out and it's $229 at eBay (if they have another batch out for sell)

 

[invaderzim]

They haven't put any more on ebay but they are selling them on their site still:
https://www.paradigm.com/en/wireless/pw-amp

They probably got tired of giving paypal and ebay about $40 each time they sold one.

 

[scotto541]

The PW-Amp doesn't have a USB DAC so for now it's out of my price range.

 

[estuardo4]

The PW-Amp doesn't have a USB DAC so for now it's out of my price range.

But you won't have a better amp with sub out at this price. Just remember that this amp is a $500 usd amp. You won't find a better deal, as no other amp includes the ARC DSP