Pyle PCA3 Stereo Power Amplifier, Black, One Size

Recently I wall mounted an 40" Insignia (Best Buy) brand TV in my bedroom and I wanted more volume and better quality sound than an average sized TV can provide. I put the TV up using a home made wood bracket with a bottom shelf to hold a DVD player, an Amazon Fire TV media streaming box and a Pyle-Home amplifier. It's really a great set up, it looks and sounds wonderful. Pyle has probably exaggerated the wattage of this amplifier (along with the rest of the audio industry). I would guess that it actually puts out about 15 watts RMS (a conservative rating method) but because of the logarithmic way that the amplitude of sound is measured 15 RMS watts will drive a speaker to HALF of the volume that you could get from an amplifier rated at 150 watts RMS. The point is unless you want to go deaf or already are deaf this amplifier will give you loud high quality audio for your videos and games. I am using a connecting cord with a 3.5mm mini phono plug on one end and two RCA plugs on the other end to send the sound from the earphone jack of the TV to the amplifier. I could have used the line out jacks on the TV but by using the earphone jack I can control the volume of the amplifier with the TV remote. I saw some user comments about inadequate volume from this amplifier which was attributed to thin speaker wire. Normally I would agree that you should use 18 or even 16 gauge wire in a speaker installation but with a small amplifier like this you can get by with thinner wire. For speakers I salvaged some 20 year old ones from a small Aiwa stereo that measure about 8 x 12 inches. These speakers had wires that are about 22 or 24 gauge running out of a hole in the back of the enclosures. Rather than taking these speakers apart to attach thicker wire I used the existing wires. The amplitude is 100% satisfactory. What is really more important with a small low power amplifier like this is that the volume of the sound going INTO the amplifier is adequate. Fortunately my TV has plenty of power coming out of the headphone jack. As far as the quality and appearance of the Pyle amplifier is concerned I love it! It is compact, housed in a sturdy metal cabinet, has soft pads on the bottom to protect whatever is underneath, it's fused to protect it from overloads, has high quality spring loaded hardware to easily attach the speaker wires, beautiful blue flashing LED lights on the front to indicate power output for each channel and best of all two knobs to adjust the bass and treble. This two knob system is infinitely better than the 4 and 5 way toggle "idiot buttons" that are typically found on even expensive receivers and amplifiers. (Are you listening Panasonic, Sony, Yamaha, Samsung et al?) With just two knobs you can adjust the sound exactly the way YOU like it.

I bought this amp as a sub-woofer amp and it does the job! My new Pioneer 919 blahbitty blah receiver has a PRE OUT SUBWOOFER (RCA style) output, and I happened to have a new-in-the-box 12" woofer from Radio Shack that I picked up years ago on clearance for 10 bucks. Add in a $40 sheet of plywood and my build time, and I've got a low cost, high quality sub-woofer. The Pioneer receiver does just about everything except run out and start my car (and I'm wondering if it'll do that!), so it's too dad-gum complicated. In contrast, this amp could hardly be simpler. It has two RCA style inputs (Left and Right), two speaker-wire outputs (Left and Right), Treble gain, Bass gain, Volume, and an On/Off switch. I saw on other reviews that people used the amp to power an old pair of speakers while playing their iPods. I felt that if the sub-woofer thing didn't work out, I could still do that as Plan 'B'. Fortunately, Plan 'A' is working. I have a nice Belkin 25 foot cable with RCA ends coming from the Pre Out Subwoofer out of the receiver and going into one of the channel inputs (Left) on this amp. Then I have a monster cable, bare-end wires coming out of the corresponding (Left) channel output going directly to the Radio Shack 12" woofer. No crossover or filtering! I'm not sure, but I'm guessing the receiver filters out the high freqs and passes only the lower freqs, 800 hz and below. Anyway, it sounds good, does what I want it to do, and even has nice blue LED indicators that light up when the bass pounds out the beat of a song, or explosions from a game. It's about the size of a thick paperback book, and if I needed too, I could easily unplug everything and take the amp out to my garage for duty playing my iPod.

I purchase a 42" HD LCD TV, close to two months ago. The quality and volume of sound coming from the unit was insufficient for my taste. I decided to add external speakers to it. In reviewing the owner's instructions manual, it stated that speakers can NOT be installed directly to it but must go through an amplifier. Also, being that I wanted the speakers where I sat meant stringing wire to them or getting a wireless speaker system. I went with the wireless. After ordering this amplifier and a wireless speaker system, receiving both in just a few days, I then set them up. Except for the extremely bright, constantly flashing LEDs on the front of the unit (others had the same complaint on reviews I read {putting 2 strips of black electrical tape fixes the problem}), the entire set-up WORKED great for just over 3 weeks. I had the amplifier set to 1/3 volume and the speakers to even less, with the quality of sound being an improvement over what the TV alone produced. I started to get distortion and then the audio from the speakers just ceased. In troubleshooting, I determined this unit had failed since audio signal still existed coming from the TV and the speaker system functioned properly when I tested with a different signal source. I began preparing to repack the unit for return shipment but after reading the requirements of PYLE PRO on returning the failed item for repair or replacement, I decided not to. It was MY COST to send the unit back and then MY COST AGAIN, paying an additional $20 for THEIR return shipment back to me. I decided it was not worth the expense, since for a few dollars more, I could get an entirely new unit. I've decided to look for an amplifier made by another Manufacturer. I originally recommended this unit but because of its immediate failure, I have serious doubts on its quality and it hurts me to say that I NO LONGER recommend this unit. I do recommend the "Royal Machines 29297W WES 600 Wireless Stereo Speaker System" that I purchased though, a great addition for under $80.

I bought this amp to use in an Airplay network from my main iTunes server. The amp does not have a remote control, but, no matter. I have set the volume to a medium range. I choose this segment of the Airplay network with my iPhone (Remote app) and set the volume with my iPhone. So this amp is set to a level that is as loud as I'd ever want to hear (about the 12 o'clock position of the manual knob) and then the actual volume is controlled with the iPhone. The amp is connected to a pair of Mirage bookshelf speakers that I've had for years. They are in our living room and the whole setup works just great. The amp resides on the floor under a bookcase, i.e. out of sight. The wiring was built into the house when we built the house. So from a visual standpoint, the speakers just play. It's a sweet setup. This is NOT my primary system. That system is another story... But this amp drives these speakers in this venue as well as needed. It is just the right amp for the application. It's always on -- with a very low current drain -- and the system is there anytime I want to hear anything in my (20,000 track) collection while relaxing in the living room. In that context, I'm totally satisfied :)

I have a couple of older Sony speakers I picked up from flea market, and, knowing nothing about home theater, etc., I just assumed I could get some speaker wire-to-RCA converters and it would be fine - turns out you need something like this, which I should have known, since I'm a musician, haha! Anyway this works fine - I'm an audiophile to a point but not an expert, so I couldn't tell you if it matches up with the specs, but I've used other Pyle products throughout life and I've never experienced a single issue. These speakers that I have are mediocre so I can bust it out in my office real nice, but I would say your experience with higher quality speakers would almost surely be way better hooked up to this thing. I ran it for about 30 minutes straight on the highest volume I could use with these speakers and I can tell that if you hooked up higher quality speakers to this, you could crank it up real nice. After 30 minutes it was mildly warm, but that's 100% expected if you ask me - you're dealing with a lot of power here. I've seen some reviews saying that the tabs fall off - they are simple spring mechanisms, and in my experience, yes, I could see why people are saying that, because a lot of them are nice and tight in other products, but these are very sensitive and loose. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, it's just unusual. Be gentle when opening the tabs, and you'll do just fine. In fact, those reviews helped me watch out for that very thing. I've not purchased anything like this before, so I'm sure there are better options (certainly the newer models probably do better), but this works great for what I needed. Also, the bluetooth, SD, and USB work just fine, but you can only control them with the remote so do not lose that. I believe you could hook this up to other audio components like an EQ bank or something if you wanted, but again I'm just powering a little record player thing I got for the holidays one time, and I wanted to be able to play some records. Finally, it feels very well made. The exterior is metal, and the knobs are very responsive. The LED lights make me feel cool because they respond to the music. Oh, and this thing is definitely for stereo, not surround sound, by the way. Bottom line, if you're a hardcore audiophile, this thing wasn't made for that. You have to spend a lot of money if you want extreme quality and perfect performance. If you're just a regular Joe and want to make some loud stereo music happen and you have halfway decent speakers, this is for you.

I bought this amp from Amazon about one and a half years ago, and it still works well. I had a couple of very large and expensive JVC speakers (converted to 4 ohm) that I inherited, with no way to use them. They were the bare-wire type of connection, and I needed a way to connect them to an MP3 player. This amp, when used with the right RCA plug adapter, made a useful transition to the larger speakers, producing excellent sound, rich with bass and treble, both of which can be adjusted, though I've never had that need. With the MP3 player turned up to full volume, I can achieve comfortable listening with the amp at a quarter volume. Usually, I set both the player and the amp to half volume to save battery life. Some people have complained in their reviews about the bright blue LED lights, which generally serve no purpose. When used in my condo, I could not turn up the volume loud enough to make even the lowest level of lights come on. At least, I couldn't do it without making the neighbors mad. At work, I've managed to turn it up to one or two levels of lights at a loud but hopefully not injurious level. Hence, someone who's into easy listening will probably never see them. Blue LEDs are several times brighter than their red counterparts, and though they were recently invented and thought to be the next great fad, manufacturers are quickly learning not to use them so much any more due to complaints about their intensity. The only issues I've had with this device are minor. I have been in the habit of transporting it frequently, which resulted in the loss of one of the rubber feet. I had to buy replacements. The other problem was the smell it produced when it became warm through use. When it was sitting on a shelf by itself this was not a problem. When I had it on the desk in front of me the smell of hot electronics was unpleasant.

I've now had my PYLE amp for about six months. I use it for boosting my audio from my tower PC to some Bose 301 speakers and it really drives those speakers very nicely! When we have guests over (when it's nice out - not cold like it's getting now) I'll run my speaker wire outside and bring out the Bose speakers and fire up PANDORA ONE on my PC (no ads - full digital stereo and it's only $3.99/mo!) I can crank up this little amp for 5-6 hours at a time with FULL BLUES on the indicators and it only gets so hot - but plays so cool! It'll pump out great music that can be heard nice and clear all over our backyard (we live in the country - so it's not like I'm being a jerk to neighbors!) And for indoors, I have the Bose speakers on each side of my desk and it simply blows away those little cheap computer speakers you see with the 12v. adapters, etc. I use it every day and it just works perfectly! Tough little bugger too! I dropped it once about 4' to the floor...that was several months ago. No issue. Solid state and solidly built and an incredible value without anything else you don't need! (although I wish it had a balance control) It's exactly what I was wanting. This amp has WAY exceeded my expectations! Now I'm wondering if I shouldn't have gotten one with a little more 'juice!' I still may - and run that to our TV for some affordable cranking on our movies!

Pre-Intro - I come from a family with Ruark Crusaders and Arcam recievers (the best of the best for under $10,000), so when it comes to sound, I'm not the average consumer. I might be harsh, but I demand quality sound. -----BACKGROUND----- I got a nice pair of Boston Acoustics bookshelf speakers for my room, and have been going through the process of finding a nice, small amplifier for them. I started out with a Fisher model that had a problem with low volumes, so I ditched that. Then, at a garage sale, I found a superb Yamaha for about $20 bucks. Took it home, set it up, very nice. Would have cost hundreds list price. A few knobs were damaged cosmetically, but functioned perfectly. It sounded great. But it was massive - about 1.5' deep, 2.5' wide, and 8" thick. It was simply too big for the space I was using it in. Also, it lit up like a fire - between the radio indicator, power light-bar, and whatever else, it couldn't be left on in a room with someone sleeping it because it was so bright. I decided to hop on Amazon and found... ----- Pyle Home PCA1 Mini 2 x 15-Watt Stereo Power Amplifier ----- I really loved this one; it was small, cheap, offered good sound, and didn't have any obnoxious lights. I adored it for a week, using EQ settings on my phone to adjust bass, etc. Then I tried some louder songs and started to notice the distortion at loud volumes. I assumed this was because of the minuscule power output (seeing as my setup never had problems with the Yamaha), so I returned it to amazon. (they're very good about returns. Looking for the higher powered 40w Pyle stereo I'd seen, I came across this one for not too much more money, and decided to buy it. ----- Pyle - Mini 2x75W Stereo Power Amplifier - PCA3 ----- I noticed immediately that it was significantly larger than the 15w model, and could not fit it on top of my speaker. This was my initial disappointment. Then, I hooked it up, and appreciated the actual input on the back (the 15w model has a male RCA cable to plug in directly to the source, instead of using your own cable and hooking them up to each other. I prefer the latter.). I turned it on, and decided to play U2's Beautiful Day ( All That You Can't Leave Behind ). The bass was lacking (with my phone's EQ off), so I turned the knob on the front about 20 degrees to the right for bass, and it sounded a little better, but too bassy. I still can't find a good treb/bass setting, so every time I hook up my phone I'll have to enable EQ (it disables it when headphones arent connected). A rather loud part of the song welcomed these terribly bright blue LED lights on the front of the amplifier, and I at once said "no.". Since Beautiful Day is a pop-ish song, I decided to play Pink Floyd's On the Turning Away ( A Momentary Lapse of Reason ) with it's climbing, smooth, resonating, bassy beginning and crisp overall sound. It sounded acceptable, far better than any $50 ipod speaker dock, but no cigar. I know that sometimes a lack of output power can lead to lacking performance (learned that with the Fisher), so I turned up the volume on both my phone and the Pyle to about 60%. This is where the horrid distortion began, most notable in vocals. Putting my ear close to the speaker, I concluded that the distortion was coming out of the Tweeter (the part of the speaker that is used for the med-high pitched sounds (ex. guitar, cymbals of drums, female voices)). This was definitely a no-no, seeing as its the exact reason I opted for a more powerful amp. -----GOOD----- +small +better than the 15w +reasonably priced +good looking when the horrid blue lights are off -----BAD----- -bigger than the 15w -still not good enough -I wouldn't pay more than $20 for it, since it is so disappointing -BLUE LIGHTS - These lights are as obnoxious as Justin Bieber's fans. No, really, I'm serious. Just don't buy it. I simply can't recommend any more Pyle products after putting $100 into 2 of their products only to return both. Unless you listen in complete silence, have speakers laying around, don't care about sound quality, don't mind blinding (and even worse: unpredictable) LED lights shining in your eyes, AND have an amazon.com gift card, DO NOT BUY THIS. -----EDIT 10-17-11----- I have harshly discredited both this and its 15w counterpart, and still don't recommend it, but I will be bumping both these amps up by 1 star. Here's why. It seems that the bluetooth audio receiver ( Logitech Wireless Speaker Adapter for Bluetooth Audio Devices (980-000540) ) I have been using was part of the problem. I just purchased a set of 2.0 speakers ( Hercules XPS 2.0 30 Multimedia Speakers ), and was having some (but not as much) distortion in my listening. I decided to try it out wired directly to my phone instead of wireless through bluetooth. As soon as the distortion vanished, I couldn't help but scream. I then proceeded to try the bookshelf speakers + Pyle amp again, and it was distorted as ever (due to the THD (total harmonic distortion) of 1% (this is very high, usually 0.1% is acceptable). I tried using it without the bluetooth adapter, and there was much improvement, but still more distortion with my $200 speakers than with the $50 hercules pair I'd just purchased. I'll still be returning the Pyle amp, but I'm crediting it one more star.

Have only had it for a few days but so far so good. Super easy to set up and works well. Can’t beat the price point for the quality you get with this.

Muy ad-hoc para una casa

Excellent product

Excelente producto, lo compre para utilizar mis bocinas pyle recien compradas y son el complemento correcto. Excelente para escuchar radio y musica. Inesperadamente trae tambien bluetooth integrado ademas de reproduccion por USB y SD.

sounds great!Easy to install