Customer Reviews

Pyle Home PCA1 30-Watt Stereo Mini Power Amplifier

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this amplifier to replace the stereo/amplifier combo unit in an old mini system, which was starting to give up on me. For the size and price, I wasn't expecting very much, but I figured I do most of my listening at fairly low levels and a mere 15 watts wouldn't be a big handicap. I figured it was worth a try for the price.

Wow, were my doubts misplaced. When you pick this tiny amplifier up, any questions about its quality immediately disappear. Despite its unimpressive size, it weighs a hefty two or three pounds. Made of solid metal, it's got fairly high-quality connectors on the back (no fancy 5-way binding posts, though) and everything has a very smooth, solid, substantial feel.

The low power rating isn't an issue either, especially if you're comparing to typical department-store stereo equipment, because the ratings on those systems are usually complete fabrications. In fact, if you've got a typical set of 8-ohm bookshelf speakers, this amp should be able to run them dangerously loud before you start to notice any distortion. The frequency response also seems good; it's definitely better than the response for the speakers I have it hooked up to right now, so I can't really comment on the limits.

I'm not sure how well this would work for larger speakers or those with more than two or three drivers, and I'm not sure how well it handles 4-ohm speakers. However, even for moderately large 8-ohm bookshelf units, I can't see a single flaw.

I got the recent idea to run a bookshelf speaker from my computer to my bathroom. After some quick research, it seemed the only problem with doing so was that computer sound cards don't have enough push to power a speaker, and any sound cards that did would require an upgrade on my power supply. What I needed was a stereo amp between the computer and speaker -- and ideally, one that was compact and inconspicuous as possible.

Enter the Pyle Pro Mini Amplifier. Perhaps I'm not a savvy enough web searcher (unlikely, I think) but this was the only amp I was able to find of its kind. A compact, simple, and single-purpose amp designed to just drive sound without any frills. And at that task, it completely satisfies. I've tested it on a 60W Bose bookshelf speaker and found that at the 10 o'clock position, the volume was more than sufficient to fill a bedroom. At the 12 o'clock (halfway) position, it was already too loud. I haven't turned it past that point for more than a second as it would definitely draw complaints. I'm convinced I could easily run this setup for a house party. Granted I only have a one-bedroom apartment, but you get the point. The sound is clean, full-range, and LOUD.

As for the product design, the footprint is smaller than a CD case, so it's easy to find room for. Running it for about half an hour and it doesn't give off any noticeable heat. The only (very minor) complaint I can think of for it would be the input wiring. It seems a bit strange to have an RCA *cable* with male connectors as the input; I've only ever known stereo components to have female RCA inputs. But all it means is finding a different kind of adapter wire. Otherwise, the amp serves its purpose beautifully. I have a particular love of efficient technology -- i.e. products that fulfill a specific need without frills and in a compact size -- and this is a perfect example of one.

I received this and the Audiosource Amp-100, also available on Amazon. While the Pyle will fill a small room with sound, at higher levels the distortion is noticeable. Driving two Energy C-50 speakers this still easily beats any sub-$200 powered speakers, or Ipod-dock type systems.

However, if you have room for the Amp-100 at twice the price, the sound is much better, it can drive bigger speakers, and it looks sleek. The Audiosource Amp-100 is worth it if you have the cash and the space. It is much higher quality and can drive two sets of speakers. Also, it has a balance knob and auto-on/off.

In the specs for the PCA1 you will see that at upper levels, distortion is up to 10%. You can hear it at higher volumes, but only if you are looking. I still give four stars for the value and size of the unit. It is perfect to put some real speakers on your PC or MP3 player where space is at a premium. Otherwise, skip this and save up for the Amp-100. Just read the Amp-100 review here for tips on how to use it.

I use this amplifier along with a couple of bookshelf speakers so as not to have to listen to the lousy sound from the TV speakers. It works wonderfully. Only thing is that I have to get out of my easy chair to turn the volume up or down. Would be nice if they came out with a simple amp like this with a simple remote volume control and power switch. We sure do get lazy these days!

I have used a Sonic T-Amp (Sonic Portable Class-T Audio Amplifier - Silver (5065.0)) for my AV system for a long time. I love the T-Amp, so when I decided to get an amplifier for my computer audio output I figured I would get another. But when I saw the Pyle PCA1 with similar specs advertised at less than half the cost of the T-Amp, I took a chance with the Pyle. I tried it in my AV system in place of the T-Amp and I couldn't tell the difference. The T-Amp is a great amp for the money, but the Pyle is an equally great amp for a lot less money.

By the way, if you want to use the Pyle as an output amp for your computer, order this too:Hosa GRM-193 Two RCA Females to Stereo 3.5mm Male Y Adapter

I have just bought a second Pyle Home PCA1 Mini Stereo Power Amplifier to power 4 outside speakers from my Bose home theater system. Simple connections and the sound is great.
The other unit is used to drive speakers at camp and is attached to the a PC. We needed a female to female gender bender connector hook up the male RC cables to the headphone jack on the PC.

In both cases the sound is surprisingly clear at the volume I listen.

The amp is cool to the touch when there is no input thus I usually just leave in on. Great value, good sound and a simple set up.

I prefer this amp to the Lepai LP-2020A+ 20W amplifier from parts express because the build quality is better and it doesn't hum or make static sound when adjusting the controls, even though it puts out less power than the Lepai.

I brought both onto my test bench where I fed them sine wave signals and looked at the output with an oscilloscope while they were driving a conventional advent speaker. They clip in very different ways; the lepai shows a nice smooth sine wave until you get within 10-20% of clipping, whereas the Lepai starts to distort the waveform at around 50% of clipping level. This may be the advantage of the tripath chip on the Lepai. With a 1kHz tone I got clipped waveforms at around 15Vpp output on the Pyle, but 21Vpp from the Lepai. So the Lepai has about twice the clean power of the Pyle, and about 30% more distorted clipped power.

But the build quality of the Lepai amplifier is just not quite good enough for me. It comes with a switching wall-wart transformer that does not have any indication that it was designed for audio. There were some comments on the partsexpress reviews about how partsexpress replaced the transformers because the old ones were problematic, so that explains why the box that I received the Lepai in was ripped and clearly not fresh. The Pyle arrived in a nice sealed box.

The Lepai circuit board has a lot more small surface mount components which may be part of the quality problem reported on the partsexpress board. The Pyle on the other hand comes with a real old fashioned copper transformer inside the box, making it much heavier than the Lepai. The Pyle circuit board is older technology, single sided through-hole versus the double sided Lepai. The Pyle has much fewer but larger components, which makes me trust them a bit more.

Personally I like the streamlined no frills nature of the Pyle without extra LEDs or tone controls, even though it doesn't put out quite as much power. The deciding factor for me was that the Pyle doesn't exhibit any hum, whereas the Lepai would hum audibly about 60Hz whenever I touched the case or any controls, and turning the controls would cause a scratching noise with the Lepai.

I used this amp to connect my Zune to a set of in ceiling speakers and it works fantastic. It has more than enough power to drive some mid level 12" drivers to normal listening levels. It handles input from my Zunes headphone jack just fine at all volume levels. It generates little heat, so I leave it powered on and have it tucked away in a cabinet out of sight.

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I have a very specific application for the PYLEPRO PCA1. Perhaps my application will shed some light on your need for a simple amplifier.

I have a multi-room sound system set-up with AirTunes (a PC running iTunes, an Apple TV and 2 Airports Express) and I use two of these amplifiers for my Airports.
They're exactly what I need:
- compact (they're heavy for the size but easily fit in the corner of any closet)
- emit very little heat (allows me to leave them on 24/7
- powerful enough without sound distortion (never got past the 4/10, volume wise. Plenty enough)
- super affordable (allows for a very reasonably priced multi-room sound system)

One small tricky thing to know: the 2 RCA jacks coming out of the PCA mini are males which means you'll probably have to buy female/female RCA adapters to plug in your cable ($5 at Radioshack).