Audioengine adds compact desktop amplifier
21 Oct 2010
Audioengine N22
Available soon in the UK is the Audioengine N22 desktop amplifier, an ultra-simple compact amplifier designed for desktop use. It delivers 22W per channel, and is set to sell for £169 through outlets such as Ecodigital.
The amplifier is just 18cm tall, 7cm wide and 14cm deep, and weighs 1.6kg. There's just one control, for volume, 3.5mm and RCA phono stereo inputs are provided, along with a USB power output, subwoofer out and speaker terminals, and the unit also has a built-in headphone amplifier.
It uses Class A/B amplification, and comes complete with all cables required for connection, plus a 110-240V 50/60Hz auto-switching power supply for worldwide use.
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Comments
Nice comments Warpdrive. Lets hope we see a review soon in the magazine...
Why is a DAC necessary? I looked at some other alternatives and this one hit the sweet spot for me:
- It consumes very little power when there is no audio input signal.
- Audioengine designed this to work as a second zone amp or in conjunction with their AW1, which is a wireless DAC
- It is a class A/B amp instead of digital amp. A lot of those digital amps sound harsh to me
- it's smaller than a traditional power amp
- Audioengine stated they could have added a DAC but it would have cost more money, but most people who are buying these already may have a good DAC or don't need it. I have my own DAC so it would have been a waste for me.
Good product, good sound and it was the right price for me
No USB input, no DAC? Surely a mistake.
John