Tech review: Micromega MyAmp

My own home still has a big old-school amplifier, receiver, CD player, turntable and giant speaker ensemble. I’m a music snob and, normally, I don’t give the time of day to component systems, which are only as good as the very first part that breaks. Nowadays, what gets pushed upon a gullible public are Class D chip amps, Although they’re designed in a complex manner, they need to sit in a clean-room clean, cool open space, which is a wee bit unrealistic for most apartment-dwelling folks. There are theoretical benefits, if you can make the space, however. A few well designed Class D amplifiers offer some benefits like reduced power waste and heat dissipation from their compact circuitry, which means they can be small in size and weight and offer up a really high power conversion efficiency.  A perfect audio toy, I’ve always said; if you live in a loft or artist’s studio where air circulates well, otherwise they’re completely impractical.

For the rest of us plebs, I’ve been saying since the late eighties, keep fixing up your old components or buying expensive new ones. Now, however, there’s a compromise product. Yes. Micromega MyAmp, a happy audio in-betweener from France. It may look a bit too precious and cute, but, with a shell mostly made out of metal, it’s solid throughout and catches the eye. Upon examination and checking out the specs Micromega’s MyAmp is not cheap garbage built with Class D chips. And indeed, although I’ve never been much impressed with French design and engineering before, Micromega’s chief engineer Didier ‘Didi’ Hamdi went Class A-B and, for a very reasonable US$649, they have produced a winner.

Only 5.5×6.5×2.9 inches (140x165x75mm), it comes in plain black or white, and it’s available in black or white finishes. While everything I’ve bought lately, even from German companies, is at least assembled in China, Micromega is all French. No cheap wall wart with it, either. There’s a very impressive internal power supply, meaning MyAmp plugs directly into your AC wall outlet.

I had assumed there’d be minimal space for jacks. Surprisingly, there are three pairs of line-level, analog RCA inputs, optical and coaxial digital inputs, USB input, an aptX Bluetooth port, an RCA subwoofer output, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and speaker wire connectors. The MyAmp also allows you to pair up to eight Bluetooth devices.

Most impressive of all is that this baby has got small-space oomph! 60 watts per 4-ohm speakers. Power rated at 30 watts per channel for 8-ohm speakers, MyAmp doubles its power output into low impedance speakers. I don’t know any brand of AV receiver that comes in the vicinity of close for that price. The remote looks fragile—I always recommend tripling up on duct-tape for the edges in case you have an accident—but it works well and carries an efficient volume ramp up or down when pressed.

Mated with a high-resolution speakers—don’t be cheap!—I recommend it as a serious modern component. For the price it’s crisp and clear. A perfect gift for someone you love, perhaps?

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