Clean sound, powerful tight bass, clear -- much better than my old Denon receiver.

None so far.

I don't have a lot of experience with audiophile-grade components, so I don't have a lot to compare this to. However, I am an avid music listener and I go to a lot of live shows in addition to listening at home, so I think my ear is fairly discerning. I run my $100 JVC CD player directly into the Amp Two and it sounds great! The sound is very clean and clear, and the bass is tight and punchy. It sounds a lot better than the old Denon receiver that it replaced. Now I just need to get a good pre-amp so I can hook up more than just the CD player. It's slightly annoying to have to turn two volume knobs (L and R) to adjust the volume, but having a pre-amp would solve that minor annoyance. I only give it 4 stars overall, but that's just because I don't have enough experience with audiophile equipment to give it a 5.

Similar Products Used:

Denon receiver (~10yrs old)

Size

Quality, Reliability, Sound

I bought this amplifier mainly because of its bridging capability since I wanted to use it to drive the center speaker. I purchased two units, one for my main audio system and the second one for my home theater. In both units I noticed a lot of background hum, whether they were operated in mono or stereo mode. Originally I thought I was dealing with ground hum, so I connected the amps to a Panamax and even grounded the enclosures separately but the hum never went away. So, obviously the hum is caused by the ring transformers used in those units and can only be eliminated by replacing the transformers. The first amp failed after about a year when the output started dropping out intermittently. The amp would run for a while, then the output would drop out and usually come back again after a few minutes, just to drop out again a few minutes later. I had the amp serviced under warranty and AudioSource fixed the problem. However, the second amp failed with the same symptoms about two years after I purchased it. In this case it looked like the problem was a loose wire or poorly soldered connection, since slightly knocking on the case always remedied the problem. I did not get the second amp fixed because the warranty had expired and by that time I had already come to believe that these products were not worth bothering with due to their inferior quality. The Amp Two (like all AudioSource products) is housed in a very cheap enclosure and is equipped with equally cheap control pots. I had the amps hooked up to a Polk CS245 and an Atlantic Technology System 350 center speaker, respectively, and the sound was not very exciting in either case. The bass response was poor and the high frequencies relatively muddled. In the meantime I have replaced both amps with NAD 214's which made a difference like day and night. If you're looking for a mid-priced bridgeable power amp with good sound, don't waste your money on the Amp Two, rather get a NAD 214, a Hafler P1000, or a Hafler P1500. In fact I do not recommend buying any Audio Source product, since I also owned an Audio Source EQ eight equalizer. This product was a complete joke, it did not suffer from background hum like the Amp Two but it added background hiss instead. When listening to music through the EQ eight it sounded like a tape recorded with Dolby engaged and then played back without Dolby, which was particularly annoying when listening to classical music. The only way to get rid of this effect was to set all bands to the zero position which meant I could have listened without an EQ. Needless to say that I threw out the "equalizer". I eventually replaced it with an Onkyo EQ35 which is a superb unit. I don't want to dignify yet another dismal AudioSource product with a review, so let me just suggest that whenever you feel tempted to buy an AudioSource product you resist that urge, invest some more time into research and some more money in the component that you are looking for. After all you get what you pay for...

Similar Products Used:

Oknyo M-504, Onkyo M-501, NAD 214

Unbelievable sound quality and power for the price!

The meter lights are like headlights on a car. A bit much but easily disconnected.

I just came across a Parasound HCA-1000A THX amp on clearance for $375 and purchased it to replace my Audiosource Amp Two which I figured has been great, but could not be equal to something as highly praised as the $699 Parasound amp. I figured that the Parasound with its power rating alone would best the 80 watt Audiosource supplying power to my Harbeth HL-P3 monitors at about 83db sensitivity/4-6 ohm impedence. I was wrong!

The Parasound is a superb sounding and well-constructed Stereophile Class C amp but it did not best the $250 Audiosource. In one area, dynamic headroom, it was actually bested by the AMP Two. Pretty good showing! I wonder who really makes this thing?

Similar Products Used:

Parasound, NAD

* Amplifier's design and wonderful sound.
* Low cost.
* Ability to drive lower impedances.
* Beautiful dual power meters.

None!

This small amplifier is indeed a steal for about $250! It performs flawlessly, and sounds like an expensive amp. Even coupled to real good revealing speakers, it will not show any 'bad side' of itself, because frankly there isn't any! Listening to my favorite jazz, classical, and pop/rock musicians was a very musical experience, and I discerned no real colorations while listening to the female voice, nylon string guitar, or strings! Quite astonishingly, this small honey of an amplifier sings it's heart out, and has ample power. Congratulations to AudioSource for bringing us a very cost-effective solution to affordable amplification! I hope there are more quality amps being released by this great little company!

My audio system:

Cambridge Audio C500 preamplifier
AudioSource AMP Two amplifier
Harman/Kardon DVD-50 HDCD player
Audioquest Coral interconnect
Audioquest 'Type 6' speaker cables
JM lab 'Opal 607' speakers

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Cambridge, Creek

Bargain price; sonics; looks with nice power meters and slimline design. Ability to drive low impedance speakers. Quite 'musical' and warm sounding as well. Toroidal power supply.

None I can discern. Especially given it's very affordable price for a quality amp.

This is one GREAT amplifier for the money! Even at twice it's streetprice cost, the amp would be a good value.

Coupled to my very revealing planar Magnepan MMG's, the amp just shines! It is able to easily drive these 4 ohm speakers to a very good volume, and the amp does not impart any harshness whatsoever. In fact, it sounds warm and musical. Sometimes I just close my eyes and lose myself in the music, and simply can't believe I am listening to an inexpensive AudioSource product that sounds like a much more expensive high end component. If you want to spend next to nothing and get true high end sound, it is entirely possible to assemble a killer 2 channel music system by purchasing this stellar amplifier and other inexpensive 'best bang per buck' components (as exemplified below)!

My cheap, but sonically high-end system consists of:

AudioSource model AMP TWO stereo power amplifier
Parasound P/HP-850 preamplifier
Technics SL-PD8 CD changer
Magnepan MMG speakers
XLO ER-5 interconnects
Monster speaker cable

True, high end sound for under $1350!!!!!

Similar Products Used:

Rotel, Cambridge, Yamaha, Onkyo

Extraordinary price/performance value, sound, slimline looks, dual watt/db VU meters add a nice touch. Extra outputs for adding sub.

None, especially at this price.

I am not going to repeat all the positives that have been stated regarding this gem of an amp. Mine has performed flawlessly for over a year, and I use it daily for about 1-4 hours. I have had no problems whatsoever, and the amp sounds great! The amp is part of a fairly high end system that consists of a Denon 370 HDCD source and Parasound preamp equipment driving Silverline Audio SR-11 loudspeakers utilizing AudioQuest cabling. The sound is truly 'high end' and intoxicating! It is amazing that an under $300 80wpc amplifier can deliver such stunning sound quality! AudioSource, my imaginary hats off to you!!

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Creek

Amazing amazing amazing amp for the money

if i want to be critical ...yes there are some but easily forgiven at this price...oh yeah...it does get a bit hot...but nothing to worry about

okay...Music is for the ears...not for the eyes...not for the neighbours

It's funny how sometimes in this attempt to put a price to everything we discount the fact that many things in life are for free

...okay this amp is not free....but if you want a second amp for your study room or someplace where you wanna tuck it away..
i am serious...i am not just saying this...I have auditioned these amps with Monster Z2 Series Wires and Monster Z200i Reference interconnects with a Technics DVD-Audio A-10
I am not great at writing reviews so i am going to tell you what I heard
I compare this amp to
An Electrocompaniet AW100
An Accuphase (Honestly dont know the number ...it was friends...but it had Linear written on the front)
A Harman Kardon PA5800 (yes the same one that is thought of to be second to God on this forum...a piece of ^*&^&& if you ask me)
Marantz SR17

Okay there's obviously no suspense...the marantz killed all the others...when the music started my friend turned around because he swore he thought he heard a piano in the room (DVD Audio Title was the Test Disc supplied by Technics) ...So if you have 700 buckaroos....goto world-exchange.com and buy yourself a SR-17...if you have 200 keep reading
Okay lets go to the other extreme....the PA 5800...horrible...when the piano notes soung like DAA-IYANG
the PA 5800 went DENG...the music lost its fibre and counded colored
Oh yeah the speakers are customed made (woofer JM Labs Utopia 33Wx; PHL 1120 Midrange and a Raven r3.1 tweeter...all premium parts on crossover with pure copper and silver wires inside)
anyway...
**** NOW THE AUDIOSOURCE AMP TWO****
we turned it on....it had a distinct amount of realism (thanks to the DVD-Audio) but it really surprised me and my friend...we made no changes to the stock Audiosource except a heavy guage power chord running from Monster AV2000 Reference Powercenter....It sounded damn mighty...and astonishing for a 200 piece of equipment...now this is no krell, nikko or levinson....but a very good amp....not very loud...lacked the tube warmth....but is trully an amazing amp....I think all those diss this amp do it because they cannot tell people the spent only 200 on amp...I can because I can proudly say it is the best 200 I have ever spent
The electrocompaniet is another amazing amp ...it did amazingly well but sounded sliiiightly muddier on some songs compared to the marantz ...but costs more...it's 6000US$...and needs to get warm to hear the detailed imaging...DVD audio is a gift to all those who like acoustic, jazz and classical....
The accuphase was good....and sorry andre...it was not the best

Similar Products Used:

waiting for amp seven....Class A-A/B amp by audiosource

sound quality v.s. price point unequaled in this class. plays 2 pairs of 8 ohm speakers no problem. transparency, detail and depth. space between notes-lack of smearing. price, price, price.

at this price point, mere bickering but....slightly 'steely', not likely to be confused with a tube amp. i recommend a tube preamp or 'warm' sounding speakers unless you like bright sounding system. titanium tweeters may need to be 'tamed' down a bit. the higher the quality of 'upsteam' components and interconnects, the better this workhorse will sound.

in conjuction with either an ah tjoeb or similar 'warm' sounding cd player or musical fidelity x-pre or other tube preamp and modest interconnects and speaker wire, this thing will sing. matched to similarly voiced speakers and you have a system you can live with and still have cash leftover for whatever else you've been saving for. i've found good results with both paradigm mini-monitors and polk audio rt 35i's provided a sub is used. silk soft dome tweeters can help with perceived brightness. once again, the higher the quality components used in association with this little jewel, the better your results. she can hold her own against some of the big boys.

Similar Products Used:

yamaha, marantz, sony and jvc receivers.

This littlr amp will kick serious butt within its limitations. This is a must audition.

For the money(under300$), this little amp is a sweet deal, it ROCKS, it's SMOOTH and CLEAN, has great features like, dual output meters, dual level contros(no pre-amp needed, just plug your cd player in, or another line level source,(not phono), connect one or two pairs of speakers, and instant stereo!