K3118

I recently found some hidden gems at Goodwill - a pair of bookshelf speakers in need of a worthy amplifier. After scouring the market for an affordable option, I stumbled upon these gems. Not only were they the most budget-friendly amplifiers around, but they also boasted the credibility of a name brand op-amp, Texas Instruments! To be honest, I didn't set my expectations too high, but oh boy, was I in for a pleasant surprise! This amplifier exceeded all my assumptions and then some. At this price point, it keeps things simple without unnecessary frills, but let me tell you, when I compared it to my $600 Yamaha Amplifier in "Pure Direct" mode (which essentially means no Yamaha DSP magic), this little powerhouse held its ground remarkably well. The music reproduction is phenomenal, matching the performance of its much pricier counterpart. The clarity, depth, and overall sound quality left me in awe. I can't stress this enough - for the price, this amplifier delivers an astounding performance. If you're on the hunt for an affordable yet impressive amplifier, look no further. This is the real deal, providing exceptional value for your money. Don't miss out on the musical magic this amplifier has to offer! Highly recommended!

For what it costs, this is a total no-brainer if you're looking to power a single stereo channel with moderate power (wattage). Sound is very passable - and the tone controls help here. Great input section (both RCA and 1/8" jacks), and the blue light isn't obnoxious. For $20, this is simply an incredible value. I installed it as a sub-zone amplifier for a whole-house controller, allowing me to use fixed volume for the line out on the controller to pass signal to this amp and use a set of speakers for which we didn't have a dedicated controller channel. It works perfectly and drives the speakers (located outside) very nicely at about 30% on the volume pot. Such an elegant solution all around.

For a simple amp that will drive some speakers at a really good price, this is terrific. Sound is not as nuanced or as enjoyable as the Tripath TA2020-020, but it's really a good performer, and amazing at this price. This is a fantastic upgrade for your built-in tv speakers, or a good starter system. It's great for the garage or dorm room if you don't have money to toss around, but have some speakers to use. If you can find one at a better price, though, get one with the Tripath.

Some time ago I bought an AK-380 amplifier and a 12V 5A power supply for it. And now I've bought a Kinter K3118 and the AK-380 has met it's nemesis. On the same power supply as the AK-380 the Kinter is supplying bass where there wasn't bass before. The 10 or 12 inch bass drivers in my 40+ year old ProLab speakers are now doing some real work. As well as the improved bass there is more music and the music appears more open than before. The Kinter is staying cold. The AK-380 required a big old aluminium CPU cooler on top of it to bring temperatures down once the volume started to be wound up and being played for multi hour sessions. Is it perfect? No. The power supply plug can easily drop out it if you move the Kinter. This is a known problem. I've used a rubber band to help fix it in place but it needs a better modification. For the speaker connections I use banana plugs with pins and they are more awkward - almost impossible - to insert into the Kinter compared to the AK-380. The volume knob could use a dash of colour on it to indicate where it's position is. And the bass and treble controls could do with marking as well. There is also a small speaker pop when you turn the Kinter off. Again this is a known problem. Minor niggles but definitely recommended.

What do you get? Mine was fully functional, without unexpected performance issues. Both channels evenly balanced and clear. Used for near field monitoring output volume satisfactory with included power supply. For larger spaces an upgrade would be better. Sound is clear and not harsh or brittle as some cheap class D can be. The housing is metal though thin, knobs are cheap and unattractive. The tone/direct switch functions well but feels cheap and I believe is something that will eventually fail. The tone controls seem well voiced. The direct setting may seem rolled off in the bass. However it is far more detailed with better sound staging in this mode. I would suggest a separate eq be used. With tone control the sound is not bad and may be more pleasing for people. Mine is for mobile music production, I appreciate the clarity of direct. The speaker spring clips are good, and easily accommodated 16awg wire. I can’t speak to the longevity of this amp with the entry level toy-like controls. But the price balances that out.

I needed to connect my wall and ceiling speakers to my new bedroom TV which, unlike my old one, did not have speaker jacks. This amp allowed using either the optical or headphones and I opted for the headphones so that the TV volume still controlled the external speakers. I set the volume on the amp where I needed it and haven't touched it since. The speakers sound excellent. The amp is on 24/7 in a 24x35x18 cubby behind the TV and it is never warm to the touch. I get the occasional random pop through the speakers when the TV is off but there are plenty of unrelated possible sources that I have not yet had time to investigate. I knew this speaker connectivity problem was coming one day and this unit was a super cool and easy solution.

This little (and it is very small and lightweight) amplifier produces remarkably good sound, and lots of it. Since it uses a Class D output stage, it's highly efficient. In fact, according to the manufacturer, it makes 20 watts per channel RMS audio power. Since its power supply only provides 36 watts of power for it to run on, two channels of 20 watts each, or 40 watts of output is remarkable for a device that only consumes 36 watts of electricity. That's 133 percent efficiency! This claim aside, the amplifier works well, sounds great, and I highly recommend it if its power rating is appropriate for your use!

I mainly purchased this mini audio amp to replace the one I currently have because of buzzing noise it was making for the living room TV. It sounds better without that annoying buzz and does the job well. That's why my living room TV sounds better when I hooked it up to the RCA audio output behind the TV.