this is a follow up to the review below, the amp3 has 2 input line level controls, one for each channel. by turning them down and turning the preamp levels up I was able to increase the sensitivity of the amp3 which turns on quicker and stays on longer.

I recently bought this amp after reading the reviews at this site. I was really curious to hear what this amp sounded like. I bought it for $225 delivered to my home that I found on audioreview's marketplace. I hooked it up to my Magnepan SMGc speakers and was very surprised to hear wonderful smooth music. The treble was clear and with no fatigue factor. The midrange was very smooth and the bass which was noticeable the most was tight and full. This amp sounds a little bit more laid back than my Bryston 2B amp. The Bryston sounds a more detailed, but not by much. This amp is a good buy and would recommend it. Right now it will stay in my system driving the Magnepan speakers and Acurus preamp, it sounds that good. For the price/performance 5 stars.

Price, Music Quality, Cool Running, Integration with existing HT receiver, Excellent 2 channel sound

auto sensing circuit could be more sensitive

I bought this Amp3 to play with my Sony STR-V333ES HT receiver....Like most receivers, I found that mine did hometheater well, but compromised on its musicality. The highs were typically hard and shrill, and the bass, while strong was not as clear as it should be....It sounded great on bomb explosions in movies, but less than good on music bass...And, from some of the reviews I'm reading, even top of the line receivers over $2000 also suffer in their music sound quality...It seems like its almost a given that, unless you want to invest in 2 complete discrete systems, your going to have to purchase a 2 channel amp to deal with your music needs, if you care alot about music. That's where this Amp3 comes in....Driven by the receiver's preouts for front R&L, this baby gives you back the music your receiver took away....You know how the lower keys on a piano should sound...with weight and smoothness; not hard and banging...This amp gives it to you...And whereas the violins and hi piano notes are typically hard edged and shrill from a HT receiver, they become warm and smooth with the amp...The mids are deep and full...Before, with music, the sound was pretty identifiable as coming from the rt and left speakers...I have my speakers about 7 ft apart, and Im sitting about 7 ft from them, triangulated...With the amp, all of a sudden the area in between the speakers gets filled in with a full deep stage...I had no idea the amp could do that, but it does.

So, I spent $600 for the receiver which lists for $800. And I spent $350 for the amp which lists for $550. So, for $950, the system is a dynamite HT system, AND, a dynamite music system...I havent heard any receivers at any pricepoint which could give me that, except for perhaps the discontinued flagship 777ES from Sony, which happens to be identical architecturally to their high priced and highly rated separates.

There are probably stereo amps which may sound better, but I didnt audition any of them. Certainly for the price, and anything near it, youd be hardpressed to do much better for sheer sound quality. If you have a HT receiver and you want better music, check this baby out....You can audition it for 30 days from JandR, so what's to lose? That's what I figured, and I'm keeping it!

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Auditioned many...sounds as good as the others at twice the price

Overall sound, level controls, bridgeable, bargain price

binding posts, had a hum which was cured by by-passing the third leg on the plug

I was upgrading my system and wanted a little more power to drive my new speakers, Paradigm studio 100v2. I bought an Amp 3 and was very happy with its performance. For the price I paid, $300, it is a true bargain. I decided I would go for even more power and bought a second Amp 3 and bridged them. Wow, for $600 I have power that rivals amps in the $2500 and up range. The bass is very tight, highs and mids smooth and tuneful. This amp is one of the true bargains in audio and deserves a serious listen for those with champagne taste on a beer budget.
My two channel system:
Two Audiosource Amp3s
NAD C160 pre-amp
AMC CD8b CD player
Denon TU-1500 tuner
Paradigm studio 100v2
MIT terminator 2 bi-wire speaker cables
Kimber Kable PBJ interconnects

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Adcom GFA 555, Audiosource amp 1

Giant Killer, Input Controls(can be used without a preamp), Dynamic, Relatively neutral.

The Binding Posts and RCAs may be a little flimsy in comparison to more expensive amps(given the price, they're fine).

I've made several upgrades and changes to my system in the last two years but have kept my Amp Three. Most recently, I removed my rotel preamp and ran my Marantz cd48/Link DAC directly into the amp. The sound gained more speed, bass authority, and was tighter across the board with the preamp removed. The input controls on the amp can be used as volume controls, but unlike a real volume control, they limit or expand dynamic range too. I might get the Creek OH-12 Passive Preamp to eliminate the d-range concern.

All I can say is the amp sounds like nothing, which is quite a compliment, given the limitations of cheaper amplifiers (and the fact I've changed several components). The rhythm and dynamics maintain a high level of musical integrity. There's also no excessive upper midrange glare introduced, in comparison to cheap Adcom or Rotel amps. The bass goes down low too, with only a tiny touch of midbass warmth added to the signal. (I had some classic Advent loudspeakers that have flat response down to 30hz or so, and they rattled my small room pretty well with the Audiosource) The soundstage actually maintains a decent sense of depth and expansiveness as well, with or without a preamp.

All in all, this is a highly musical and enjoyable amp. If you're considering buying a mid-level stereo receiver, entry level integrated amp, or an under $1,000 power amp, I would try the Amp Two or Three. I've even recommended them to my non-audiophile friends since they're so damn cheap!

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Other under $1,000 amps - Rotel, Adcom, Hafler.

I came across and listened lots of products in the past 20 years.. From Scott, Marantz, Mc Intosh. Adcom, NAD etc.....I recently sold my ADCOM 555 and sceptically acquired an AMP 3. FIrst off they are not easy to come by.Yes they were sold at Circuit City etc...So I plugged the unit after glancing at the massive toroidal trans, and what appeared to be nice circuits. I retained my Adcom Preamp Tuner that most of the store owners qualified as cheap J.....
Well let me tell you that I memorized the ADCOM sound on some specific passages, notes and harmonics. Getting rid of the ADCOM was not easy and heartbreaking, however I couldn't stand the harshness of some high frequency on some voices and music transients. I immediately plugged the Amp3 and unloaded all my cd, vinyls and Jazz FM. ON one FM station, I felt like the anouncer was in the room! The presence, staging and depth of this AMP is short of amazing. Bass levels were deeper and tight, voices were limpid and true to life. I you can listen to this amp, do it. I was ready to spend much more but know I can invest my savings!

Lots of power for the money. Handles impedence of two ohms. Hefty toroidal power supply.

No twelve volt trigger. If listening at very low levels, the audio sensing input trigger shuts the amp down.

Sounds just as good as very expensive power amps. Surprised to find the more expensive toroidal power supply inside. I have a B&K preamp, which when switched to headphone, shuts down the twelve volt trigger to the power amp, which shuts the power down (a very nice muting system), but since this amp doesn't have a twelve inch trigger, the sound is still active. as is the power amp.

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Five channel Harman Kardon power amp.

very solid build,simple control,connections and design, great looks

vu meters would have been nice, could use a cooling fan....gets quite hot if ya drive it hard for a while.

YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY GET A BETTER AMP FOR THE MONEY! i replaced my soundcraftsmen pcr-800 wih the amp3 as i was having clipping problems with the 800. i was quite skeptical of the amp3 due to it's low price.....boy was i wrong!!! i have tried several different speakers with this amp and it powers all of them very well. sounds great running a pair of bookshelf monitors or crankin out rock-n-roll from a pair of 4 ohm (2-15's) mtx dj speakers. i can reccomend this amp for anyone who wants a great sounding amp....PERIOD! if ya want to impress your friends with names pay more money but to impress them with sound buy the amp3 and a very good quality pair of speakers.

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sansui, yamaha, onkyo, sony, soundcraftsmen

Reasonable cost.

Read reviews at this site and also at www.hometheater.com and was impressed. Own a Yamaha 2092 receiver and was looking for an outboard amp. Must say that the soundstage is much improved over the 2092 and hear more detail. It appears to be a heck of a deal. I can not compare it to other higher end amp's but I can not justify spending 2 - 5 times its cost of $299 for a higher end amp. It suits me just fine and with my Polk RT12 front speakers, it sounds like Micheal Hedges is in the room with me and that I am actually at Micheal Tilson Thomas performance of Romeo and Juliet in San Francisco.

justr picked this baby to power my side speakers in a 7.1 setup, first thing I was impressed about the detatchable power cord, gold plating, auto/on circut that will mute the speakers so no pops, pluged it in and hummmmmmmmmm, put a cheater plug to elim the ground and silence. The auto-on takes some volume to activate and cuts out to soon. I tried the amp3 and side speakers Polk RT12's as full range pleanty of bass and melow crisp highs. This amp will do nicly.