Home > Consumer Reviews > AudioSource Amp 5.3 250-Watt Powered Amplifier

I bought two of these to power my Bose 901 Series VI speakers. The pre-amp is also an Audiosource item. Although these amps are rated the same as the Kenwood system they replace, the sound is cleaner and much louder than before. They are, however, absent of a few features many have come to expect from audio products of late, including headphone jacks (each amp has one 1/4" mono headphone jack) remote control, and surround sound.

In my situation, these amps are perfect. I wanted another amplifier/pre-amp setup, but I didn't want to get rid of my speakers, which require a processor loop. I didn't need a tuner, and I have plenty of room for amplifiers and speakers. As a result of buying this set-up, I now have what must surely be the most powerful and best-sounding iPod dock in the world. If you are willing to stand up to adjust the sound or turn the equipment on or off, you'll likely be pleased with a couple of Audiosource amplifiers.

I purchased two of these amps to power my pair of MTX speakers. The result is amazing. My power is double what my receiver was putting out and the distortion is even less. In other words, extremely crisp, clear, loud sound. The sleek design of the amp makes it even better, with no big knobs or bright flashing lights. The seting up was very easy as well with clear labels for all the inputs and outputs. For anyone who wants to boost the power of their system and not worry about all the technical aspects, this type of amp is for you.

I puchased the AudioSource AMP 5.3A to drive my center channel speaker, an Energy C-C100. I connected the AudioSource Amp 5.3A to the center channel pre-output on my Yamaha RX-V663 (being used as a pre/pro). I already have an Adcom GFA 545II stereo power amp connected to the V663's Left/Right Front channel pre-outputs driving my Energy Towers. It arrived new and in perfect condition from Dependable Source dealer through Amazon.

Setting up the AudioSource monoblock was an easy task. I used the unbalanced line input. The low cut filter (HPF) was in the Out (off) position. My pre/pro does bass management thus a HPF isn't needed. The volume control on the monoblock amp was set to match the output of the other power amps at some reference volume level, in this case 0.0 db on the V663. The AudioSource 5.3A monoblock volume control had to be set at 3 O'clock, or about 75% max.

There was no hum, hiss, or any audible distortion coming from the center channel speaker driven by the AudioSource 5.3A when the V663 level was at -80 db (effectively muted). Using a quiet track on a BD (blu-ray disc) and setting the volume level to 0.0 db on the V663, there was still no hiss, hum, or distortion. In fact the only thing I could hear coming from the 5.3A was a low noise emanating from the cooling fan on the back of the unit. The fan came on after about one to hours of use. The fan noise is pretty low and doesn't draw attention to itself from where I sat which was about 3 meters distant. It sure isn't anything to grip about (unless you're a fanatic, no pun intended).

I played my favorite blu-ray movies especially those that had quiet dialogue scenes like in the recent BD release of Valkyrie. The low dialogue was clear, full bodied, and distinct. I didn't have to adjust the volume in order to understand it. I watched Master and Commander. On this BD the center channel has very loud sound effects in some scenes while there is also dialogue at the same time. Again the dialogue was perfectly resolved. Believe me, although I didn't measure the power output, it puts out every bit as much clean power, and I mean just as clean as the higher end Adcom power amp. It keeps up with the Adcom at every listening level.

The bad is that when the power switch is set to auto, the amp won't turn on until the signal level is extremely high (about -15.0 db on my V663 volume control). This can be very annoying when a move starts off quietly, thus you never hear the center speaker until the movie soundtrack gets louder. Consequently, I don't use the auto turn on feature. It's useless. However, my Adcom power amp only has a manual on/off switch. So if have to turn it on, it's no big deal having to turn on the AudioSource manually.

PROs:

A perfect center channel amp for those wanting to get louder, better, cleaner, and more detailed sound than can ever be obtained from the mass market receivers having 5 to 8 channels like the entry level models from Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer, and Denon. I have the Yamaha, and it was really worth the upgrade. It's small but powerful. Driving my center to even levels as high as +105 db never activated the clipping LED light not even for an instant.

It gets fairly warm after several hours of use but never very hot, not even after 8 hours of watching movies.

Build quality is excellent. After peaking inside the case, I was really impressed with hefty power supply and the quality of the components.

CONs:

When the power switch is in the Auto mode, it will not turn on until the input level gets very high. It seems that the sensitivity is set too high for home audio use. For professional audio applications in large auditoriums, it would probably work fine. If you have a home HT system and expect it to turn on automatically, this monoblock isn't for you.

There is some barely audible cooling fan noise. It isn't annoying or distracting like you would commonly hear coming from most PC unit fans. However, just be forewarned, this amp's cooling fan isn't dead silent for those of you having extremely sensitive ears to such.

I rated this Amp as 5 star because of it's performance. It has a few CONs but those aren't really big issues for me. I highly recommend this monoblock as an upgrade for the puny, insufficient power amps found in most mass marketed HT receivers. Believe me, you need it if you have one of those receivers.

Have a keyboard I use for live performances. Needed a power amp to drive my traveling speaker systems. The AudioSource 5.3 Amplifier filled the bill exactly. The 250-Watt capability drives my speakers adequately in a "club room" type setting. It is reasonably priced and has operated without and problems since its purchase. My only criticism is that the listings of AudioSource amplifiers in Amazon do not make it immediately clear whether a unit is one-channel (MONO) or two-channel (STEREO).

Excellent value power amp! I am using it to power a JBL 18" sub-woofer (the old B-460 from the 1980s). And, boy, does it pack a punch! Highly recommended for it's return on investment.