Audiosource Amp 7 T Digital Amplifier

[likeitloud]

Well, after searching for a "Newer" amp with a budget of $250-$300, I got this Amp
on Saturday, after 10 days thanks to those bumbling clowns at UPS. Thankfully,
it arrived unscathed. I ran it through the Pre-Amp of my Pioneer AVR, and using
my trusty vintage Pioneer HPM 100's (Think supercharged JBL L100) Right off, it
sound alittle flat, kind of like a cold tube amp, no doubt from sitting around for 5 or
6 years. Without going into it to far, Audiosource/Carver had issues with the circuitry
and the EPA. As a few hours passed, using moderate (for me) power, the Amp
really settled in. Very good bass response, very "clear" and clean. I had read there
would be issues with the "Bottom" of the freq range, Trust me, there is'nt. It would give
the Hafler xl600(305wpc) I was house sitting a run for it's money. It has all the normal
stuff on the back panel, including a "Pass Thru" set of rca's, to sequence another Amp,
a handy feature I will certainly use. This amp uses the Tripath Digital chip, and the
amp seems to "React" to signal changes with no lapses. It never got hot, has a pair
of Carverlike VU meters, in fact if you stood 5 ft away you'd think it was a Carver
TFM series amplifier. At 200wpc (Grossly underrated, from what I've seen, so far),
and at under $250, it's something to contend with. Don't let the brand name run you
off.

[RuSsMaN]

Big fan of Audiosource for bang for buck amplification. I used to run three of the Amp One's for the whole house audio system. Thanks for the review and comments, I haven't had a chance to hear amp 7T yet.

Cheers,
Russ

[Feanor]

Well, after searching for a "Newer" amp with a budget of $250-$300, I got this Amp on Saturday, after 10 days thanks to those bumbling clowns at UPS. Thankfully, it arrived unscathed.
....
This amp uses the Tripath Digital chip, and the
amp seems to "React" to signal changes with no lapses. It never got hot, has a pair
of Carverlike VU meters, in fact if you stood 5 ft away you'd think it was a Carver
TFM series amplifier. At 200wpc (Grossly underrated, from what I've seen, so far),
and at under $250, it's something to contend with. Don't let the brand name run you
off.

A 200 wt/ch "Class T" amp <$300. That, folks, is REALLY interesting. (I paid $3000 for my former Bel Canto eVo 200 wt/ch T-based amp.)

Admittedly I'd never heard anything good about Audiosource amps heretofore, but this is actually kinda exciting. How bad can it sound? I can't recall off hand whether the T amp modules can be had with built in power supplies, but that is what's in the Audiosource, it's hard to imagine that they could screw it up.

[royphil345]

It's a true Tripath amp. It somehow never made it to market. Someone's selling them all on eBay for under $300.00. Was very tempted to pick one up, just in case I ever need it...

The rumor is, it causes some kind of interference that made it non FCC compliant. Who knows if that's the truth, even if it came straight from the manufacturer. I've read a post on a message board claming the phase is reversed. Who knows... Heck of a deal if there turns out to be no problems with it. Carver Pro Tripath is much pricier and has a cooling fan, undesirable for hi-fi use...

[likeitloud]

Well, it's had about 20hrs of play time so far, and it has really impressed me. I listen
to Rock/Metal mostly, and it's been a good match for my speakers. The Bass response
has really surprised me. I read about the rf interference issue, have had no problems,
although, I have a dish, not cable. Also, it does'nt get even warm to the touch, even
though the transformer is huge. All I can say, the more it's played, the better it's
sounding. For under $300, a steal. It would be a great surround amp, but it's staying
as my main speaker amp for awhile.