microFidelity Audio Amplifier, Model 200 Black

I'm not "Mr. Audiophile". Nor would I give myself such a pretentious & pompous "title". I will say however for my 30+ years in playing/toying with audio electronics including installing amps in vehicles etc.. this thing is AMAZING! For what it does it's Very shocking for it's size. I have had several A & D class amps in the past, as well as currently, 6 t-class amps. This little gem blows them ALL out of the water FOR IT'S SIZE. The price is in the same range as most mid/higher quality t-amps with approx. twice the power (in many cases) & at half if not more an half the size of competing t-amps. (Believe me, after you use this thing, there's NO competition) It's seriously only as large as a regular deck of Bicycle playing cards. No distortion (unless it's already in the music), just surprising rich clean stereo sound close to the claimed "40 watts RMS" in stereo mode. (in my opinion, I would give it more like 30RMS). When bridged the signal is mono and said to be "80 watts RMS" (so says the stats & packaging) I would give it more like 60ish RMS at best not the claimed 80 RMS BUT still, it is good solid power to drive a single speaker, so the claim of 80RMS bridged RMS isn't to overly exaggerated.(In my opinion) I tested it out in a few different applications for sound quality but have chosen to use it bridged with a FMOD 70 Hz Low Pass inline crossover for an old 10" sub that used to be in my car that I am now using as a home theater sub. In doing this, it has saved me at the very least $200 if I were to buy a home theater sub of similar quality, not to mention; not many people can say they have a SVC Rockford Fosgate Punch 10' sub for their home theater...of which this thing is grossly UNDER powering but DOES give it enough juice to do the job it does.I WILL be buying another one of these for another project I will be working on in the near future. Worth every penny for what it does hands down.PLEASE NOTE: have unit power cord plugged into amp BEFORE you plug it into the wall or it will spark. There is NO on off switch. The unit does run warm to the touch but not hot & in my experience this thus far hasn't hampered it's ability to preform at all. IF bridged & used with a speaker that can not handle the power, the amp WILL clip (turn off) to prevent speaker damage.

Pluses: Although I generally don't like the sound of class D amps, this sounds smoother and more natural than other class D amps I've tried. Powerful enough for normal in-home use with speakers of average efficiency (I use KEF Q150). Incredibly small and lightweight (like a deck of cards). Good customer service.Minuses: First one I had needed to be replaced because of a problem with an eratic volume control. Customer service was pleasant and sent me another one that works as intended. So small and lightweight that the connected wires can drag it from it's intended position. Wall-wart type power supply. Small volume control is awkward to use but not needed if your source has its own volume control. It has no power switch. Even though it is class D, it stays slightly warm when no audio is being played. I tried connecting it to a switched wall outlet, but I hear a loud pop in my speakers when I switch it off, which concerns me about possibly causing tweeter damage, so its probably best to leave this amp on 24/7.Overall: Great sound for the money (about $70 US) and particularly useful where space is a concern.

Was really excited to purchase this little amp and use it in a nice 2.0 system. At first, had my iPhone plugged into it (playing music) and the amp's output going to two Monitor Audio Silver RX-1 speakers. It sounded alright, but a little flat and uninspired. Then, put my old Behringer FBQ800 equalizer into the mix and it sounded significantly better, much more lively and dynamic. For comparison, then swapped out the microFidelity Amphony Model 200 amp for my trusty old Dayton Audio DTA-100a. With the latter amp, the same system (with the equalizer) sounded significantly more alive, clear, pristine, with much deeper and impactful bass, and simply far superior in every way to the microFidelity amp. Wasn't too happy as the microFidelity reviews made it sound like the best amp of all time. So, relegated this little amp (with the equalizer) to my office system.After several weeks of light use, the microFidelity amp started making a crackling noise at random intervals -- sometimes frequently and sometimes infrequently. Since I expect the things I buy to actually work, returned it for a replacement. The replacement took forever and a day (roughly a month, but I never counted the days), but it eventually made its way to me. Was so disappointed about the delay, the clicking, and the lackluster sound quality that I never even powered up the replacement amp. Just a couple weeks later, saw the perfect opportunity to give it to my sister.My sister had been using the speakers built into her HDTV for years, and finally decided to upgrade the audio to something better. She had some old Infinity 2.1 stereo speakers (built in July 1992, as stamped on the inside of the subwoofer module) that were our dad's before he passed away, and these speakers had been in her closet unused for several years (she had previously used them for many years in her old home, but her old amp broke). So, I wired everything up for her, with the microFidelity amp providing the power. At max volume on the amp and max volume on the HDTV (using the TV's headphone jack as the output), the microFidelity amp puts out a very moderate level of volume. There is absolutely no way that she could ever come close to getting a noise complaint from a neighbor, but I have no way to measure the decibel output level.Regardless, this amp is simply not impressive with its max volume, although the speakers and amp are collectively producing very clear audio. Am guessing that this amp is outputting no more than 5 watts RMS (stereo). I know that the manufacturer claims 40 watts RMS (stereo) -- and perhaps it's capable of 40 watts RMS in a laboratory when being fed max voltage/amperage from an ideal power supply using conditioned power -- but I simply do not believe that it performs this well with the provided power supply and in real-world conditions.Also, the volume knob (i.e. potentiometer) feels unusually fragile and low-grade. Am afraid to turn it for fear of it breaking. The manufacturer really needs to install a better quality part. I'm certainly not the first reviewer to note this.So, in my experience, this is a very ho-hum and wildly overrated amp. It's not bad, but also not good and could never be mistaken for great.Having said this, I do love it's small and compact size. It really is the size of a deck of cards.