These tiny/cheap amps with Bluetooth - Are they any good?
Discussion
I listen to music pretty much all day while working in my home office, and currently have an old Sonos One as my only speaker.
All my music is streamed off my iPhone (Apple Music) via Airplay.
To my ears, the Sonos sounds decent, but I fancy some bookshelf speakers and an amp, as even just hearing my music in stereo would probably be an advantage.
I haven t looked at hifi products in years, and was quite surprised to see shops such as Richer Sounds selling a number of really cheap palm-sized amps.
The brand is Fosi Audio and their amps were from about £80, which to me is suspiciously cheap.
The product I m now looking at, after a bit of reading, is the Fosi BT20A Max, which is more expensive at £230, but still seems a good price. Reason I m looking at this one is that it supports Bluetooth 6 (as does my phone) so I thought if I was buying one, why not get the one with the latest Bluetooth spec (better audio quality).
Are these tiny amps actually ok or would I just be buying junk?
Additionally, can anyone recommend any keenly priced (up to about £300 a pair) bookshelf speakers?
All my music is streamed off my iPhone (Apple Music) via Airplay.
To my ears, the Sonos sounds decent, but I fancy some bookshelf speakers and an amp, as even just hearing my music in stereo would probably be an advantage.
I haven t looked at hifi products in years, and was quite surprised to see shops such as Richer Sounds selling a number of really cheap palm-sized amps.
The brand is Fosi Audio and their amps were from about £80, which to me is suspiciously cheap.
The product I m now looking at, after a bit of reading, is the Fosi BT20A Max, which is more expensive at £230, but still seems a good price. Reason I m looking at this one is that it supports Bluetooth 6 (as does my phone) so I thought if I was buying one, why not get the one with the latest Bluetooth spec (better audio quality).
Are these tiny amps actually ok or would I just be buying junk?
Additionally, can anyone recommend any keenly priced (up to about £300 a pair) bookshelf speakers?
For the last few years, I've been regularly exercising on a turbo trainer in the garage. Not interested in fake roads, I just pedal away and track watts and heart rate.
But I wouldn't be able to do it without music!
I've been using this for the last four years. Just streaming spotify from my phone.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0932B6VX6?ref=ppx_pop... It's cheap.
I was quite happy for some time just feeding it into a pair of rubbish speakers from a mini hifi system. However, since upgrading the main system, I've replaced the rubbish speakers with a pair of Mission MS10 bookshelf speakers. The difference is amazing, the little amp sounds so good now. The better speakers have transformed the quality.
Yes, a little amp can be good. You might not need to spend as much as you think on the amp, but decent speakers are a must.
But I wouldn't be able to do it without music!
I've been using this for the last four years. Just streaming spotify from my phone.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0932B6VX6?ref=ppx_pop... It's cheap.
I was quite happy for some time just feeding it into a pair of rubbish speakers from a mini hifi system. However, since upgrading the main system, I've replaced the rubbish speakers with a pair of Mission MS10 bookshelf speakers. The difference is amazing, the little amp sounds so good now. The better speakers have transformed the quality.
Yes, a little amp can be good. You might not need to spend as much as you think on the amp, but decent speakers are a must.
Paul Drawmer said:
For the last few years, I've been regularly exercising on a turbo trainer in the garage. Not interested in fake roads, I just pedal away and track watts and heart rate.
But I wouldn't be able to do it without music!
I've been using this for the last four years. Just streaming spotify from my phone.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0932B6VX6?ref=ppx_pop... It's cheap.
I was quite happy for some time just feeding it into a pair of rubbish speakers from a mini hifi system. However, since upgrading the main system, I've replaced the rubbish speakers with a pair of Mission MS10 bookshelf speakers. The difference is amazing, the little amp sounds so good now. The better speakers have transformed the quality.
Yes, a little amp can be good. You might not need to spend as much as you think on the amp, but decent speakers are a must.
Thanks, that sort of thing is what I mean. There seems to be loads of these really cheap little amps now, that people are using to drive all kinds of decent speakers…. And I was just surprised about how these things could be any good given the price.But I wouldn't be able to do it without music!
I've been using this for the last four years. Just streaming spotify from my phone.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0932B6VX6?ref=ppx_pop... It's cheap.
I was quite happy for some time just feeding it into a pair of rubbish speakers from a mini hifi system. However, since upgrading the main system, I've replaced the rubbish speakers with a pair of Mission MS10 bookshelf speakers. The difference is amazing, the little amp sounds so good now. The better speakers have transformed the quality.
Yes, a little amp can be good. You might not need to spend as much as you think on the amp, but decent speakers are a must.
I’m looking at something like this:
£92:
https://www.richersounds.com/fosi-audio-bt20a-pro-...
£159:
https://www.richersounds.com/fosi-audio-mc351-blac...
£229:
https://amzn.eu/d/0jaNPMZy
If all I’m doing is driving a pair of bookshelf speakers via a Bluetooth connection, I’m not sure I need anything more than the £92 or £159 unit?
Would I really notice any difference with the more expensive unit being Bluetooth 6.0 (technically a lossless connection)?
£92:
https://www.richersounds.com/fosi-audio-bt20a-pro-...
£159:
https://www.richersounds.com/fosi-audio-mc351-blac...
£229:
https://amzn.eu/d/0jaNPMZy
If all I’m doing is driving a pair of bookshelf speakers via a Bluetooth connection, I’m not sure I need anything more than the £92 or £159 unit?
Would I really notice any difference with the more expensive unit being Bluetooth 6.0 (technically a lossless connection)?
There are ebay bluetooth amplifiers under £10 which don't sound bad, given reasonable speakers and reasonable volume levels for listening.
The nobsound amps for about £25 are amazing. We tried one with a pair of Gale monitors we had on the shelf and it was fine if you don't need too much power. When you start cranking up the volume to compete with the noise of tools or something, then these things find their limits and also I think, demand very good power supplies.
I think it pays to be aware that many 'good' speakers make a lot of demands on the amplifier, with the crossovers having impedance dips and the drivers wanting damping from the amp and all that stuff. The class D amps in these bluetooth devices may interact worse with some speakers than a conventional amp. Or possibly better!
The nobsound amps for about £25 are amazing. We tried one with a pair of Gale monitors we had on the shelf and it was fine if you don't need too much power. When you start cranking up the volume to compete with the noise of tools or something, then these things find their limits and also I think, demand very good power supplies.
I think it pays to be aware that many 'good' speakers make a lot of demands on the amplifier, with the crossovers having impedance dips and the drivers wanting damping from the amp and all that stuff. The class D amps in these bluetooth devices may interact worse with some speakers than a conventional amp. Or possibly better!
OutInTheShed said:
There are ebay bluetooth amplifiers under £10 which don't sound bad, given reasonable speakers and reasonable volume levels for listening.
The nobsound amps for about £25 are amazing. We tried one with a pair of Gale monitors we had on the shelf and it was fine if you don't need too much power. When you start cranking up the volume to compete with the noise of tools or something, then these things find their limits and also I think, demand very good power supplies.
I think it pays to be aware that many 'good' speakers make a lot of demands on the amplifier, with the crossovers having impedance dips and the drivers wanting damping from the amp and all that stuff. The class D amps in these bluetooth devices may interact worse with some speakers than a conventional amp. Or possibly better!
Thanks for that, useful to know.The nobsound amps for about £25 are amazing. We tried one with a pair of Gale monitors we had on the shelf and it was fine if you don't need too much power. When you start cranking up the volume to compete with the noise of tools or something, then these things find their limits and also I think, demand very good power supplies.
I think it pays to be aware that many 'good' speakers make a lot of demands on the amplifier, with the crossovers having impedance dips and the drivers wanting damping from the amp and all that stuff. The class D amps in these bluetooth devices may interact worse with some speakers than a conventional amp. Or possibly better!
I have heard of Nobsound which I was also looking at. They seems great value if you can get past the amusing name
I don't need anything loud at all, I only ever listen in a quiet office at low-ish volumes.
Renegade Master said:
All my music is streamed off my iPhone (Apple Music) via Airplay.
To my ears, the Sonos sounds decent, but I fancy some bookshelf speakers and an amp, as even just hearing my music in stereo would probably be an advantage.
I don't want to deter you from spending money but the easy solution would be to get another Sonos One and pair it up, instant stereo and will sound much better than a single.To my ears, the Sonos sounds decent, but I fancy some bookshelf speakers and an amp, as even just hearing my music in stereo would probably be an advantage.
cb31 said:
Renegade Master said:
All my music is streamed off my iPhone (Apple Music) via Airplay.
To my ears, the Sonos sounds decent, but I fancy some bookshelf speakers and an amp, as even just hearing my music in stereo would probably be an advantage.
I don't want to deter you from spending money but the easy solution would be to get another Sonos One and pair it up, instant stereo and will sound much better than a single.To my ears, the Sonos sounds decent, but I fancy some bookshelf speakers and an amp, as even just hearing my music in stereo would probably be an advantage.
The Sonos will be more than loud enough and robust enough for garage use. No separate speakers or wires to mess with.Either way I'll have to buy something new, so might as well be something a bit nicer for my office.
Just need to decide on the amp and some half-decent bookshelf speakers.
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