Long story, but I did not have enough money for life and speakers - and had to cancel everything. I didn't receive any of the things before I cancelled except for the cables, so luckily, no hefty shipping charges.

I do plan to buy again when things are running more smoothly around here.

Looking for bargains, I found this audiosource integrated amplifier on amazon.com . 150x2 into 8 ohms, with a preamp, for $330. 'Audiosource' is a name that sounds like something I'd get from the back of a truck. I've never heard of them, and that is a deal that looks too good to be true - especially since the audiosource webpage does not list an 'amp four'.

Do they make good amps, or do they fit in the pile with Bose? I can't find anything on their products. And if they work well, then they're a damn good bargain over the other amp companies I've been looking at. Also, is that an integrated amp? It gets listed as a power amp, yet it has level controls, which confuses me.

Thanks.

An integrated amp is a device that incorporates a power amp and a preamp. In other words, it's a receiver without a tuner.

I have heard of Audiosource before, but I can't remember what I've heard!

I have an Audiosource Amp 2 that works fine. It makes things louder and doesn't introduce any noise of its own. I like the feature set. It's got "Music Sense", so will turn itself on when it receives a signal. You can use it without a preamp if you want, as the Amp 2 has both CD and Line level inputs, making it pretty flexible.

Oh, um.. I should've been clearer. I know what an integrated amp is(preamp+power amp), I just wanted to know if this was a power amp(meaning it has no preamp) or if it was an integrated amp(meaning it has a preamp).

Thanks for the response. Comparing prices.. this is definately on the top of my list. The only other choices in this price range is an 80 watt digital receiver and a 50 watt NAD amp, so this competes very nicely.

Looks like it's a power amp to me!

Thanks.

If it's a power amp, then why do they put level meters there to confuse you?

If it's a power amp, then I'll put a quality external soundcard on my list of things to check into. A good source and preamp for around $150, plus the conveinence of having all of my CDs in a lossless format accessable from my desktop. Seems like a good deal.

The level meters simply measure the current that's passing through the amp. The louder the music, the higher the meters will swing.

Oh, not the meters, I worded it wrong. My apologies. I meant to ask why there were two level knobs for volume on the side if it was a power amp with no preamp in it.

a lot of amp companies include level knobs to help you trim and match the output levels. It's especially helpful if you're using more than one external amp.

Hi thasp

Audiosource is a good company, makes decent, fairly priced products. Their amps are very good, great for the price.