Sound Advice: Save money without sacrificing quality with this amplifier
Published in Entertainment News
Q. I have a pair of Polk Atrium 5 outdoor speakers that I'm going to be using on the large deck behind my house, where I have an outdoor kitchen and dining area where I frequently entertain. I will be using the speakers to play music saved on my phone and to stream satellite radio from the app. It's a big area so I will need some power to drive them. Is there an amplifier with Bluetooth that will work for me in the $300-$500 price range?
—T.B., Cranberry, Pennsylvania
A. You can certainly spend $300-$500, but there's something perfect for your application that is under $100. It is what I would do with my own money, without even taking cost into account. It's the best solution and it happens to be the least expensive.
Fosi Audio makes small, affordable amplifiers with advanced technology that deliver tremendous power. They are outliers in both the cost, which is extremely low, and the clean power they deliver, which is extremely high, especially noteworthy these days when amplifier output seems to go down every year as prices go up. Fosi Audio amplifiers have been lauded by prominent audio industry testing engineers, who have confirmed they deliver as promised, and by owners, who appreciate the power and good sound. The limitation is they don't have lots of inputs like a full-sized component and given the small size they might look out of place on an equipment rack. For your planned usage these are not drawbacks, but advantages.
The Fosi Audio BTA20 Pro stereo integrated amplifier has a Bluetooth receiver for connecting directly to your phone, tablet or computer. It can produce 300 watts/channel into 4 ohms without any audible noise or distortion. You must purchase a version with a power supply, and the BTA20 Pro with the 32V/5A power supply is $99.99. For even more robust power delivery under demanding conditions you can get the BTA20 Pro with a 48V/5A power supply for $119.99. Using the code TWENTYOFF at fosiaudio.com saves 20%, making the 32V version only $79.99 and the 48V version only $95.99. Given we are well under your budget and you have a large outdoor area to cover, I would spend the extra $16 and get the version with the 48V/5A power supply. I think anyone purchasing the amplifier for a smaller outdoor area, indoor use or a garage would be fine with the 32V version.
The BTA20 Pro performs very well in a home system. There is a single RCA input for connecting a disc player or a turntable with a phono preamplifier, so you just need to add speakers to create a system that plays records and content from a phone or tablet. Spending under $100 on the amplifier allows you to invest more money in the speakers and turntable, which makes a bigger impact on sound quality. At the time I write this the $769.99/pair Klipsch Reference Premiere 6.5-inch bookshelf speakers are on sale at Best Buy for $349/pair, a huge $420.99 savings and over 50% off. Combined with the Fosi Audio BTA20 Pro for $79.99 you get a tremendous system for $428.99. Add a 1 By One Belt Drive Turntable from Amazon for $119.99 and you have a complete system for under $550, at a total price over $200 less than the speakers alone should cost. I'd suggest spending more on a turntable if budget allows, but I am using the 1 By One turntable is an example to show what a nice and affordable component system you can build around the BTA20 Pro.
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