Nobsound NS-10G Mini Bluetooth 4.0 Digital Amplifier 100W

[rnatalli]

In the past, I used an Onkyo stereo receiver to drive my older Snell 8” in-ceiling speakers located in my bedroom, but that was obviously a larger piece of equipment and I wanted to find an alternative. My first thought was to look at Sonos as they offer something that can drive external speakers, but $499 is a bit steep for what you get. I came across a inexpensive stereo class D amplifier which was bluetooth enabled, the Nobsound NS-10G. It was only $33 on Amazon so I figured what the heck, I’ll give it a shot.

First Impressions
This is where I was surprised as the unit has a nice metal finish and gold binding posts that takes banana plugs; it also has some heft behind despite being so small and inexpensive. I honestly was expecting a cheap piece of plastic for the price and was pleasantly surprised.

Setup
Setup was fairly straightforward; simply plug it in, push a few buttons on the front and connect to it via you phone’s bluetooth.

Sound
The sound isn’t bad for the price and it was able to drive my Snells to pretty decent levels without straining. The unit also has a button which allows you to cycle through some present EQ settings.

Range
The unit has a range of about 20-30ft before the stream starts to have trouble; this is pretty standard for bluetooth devices. I use it while in the same room so doesn’t present an issue for me.

Summary
Not a bad alternative to the overpriced Sonos offerings as streaming from my phone served the same purpose.

 

[KEW]

Thought I would add some observations/experiences on this category of mini-amps with separate "power brick" power supplies.
Have you seen any reviews with actual test data on these miniature amplifiers?
As small as they are, and without vents for cooling, they certainly defy normal conventions!
None of the ones I looked at provided FTC/RMS power specifications, but reviews made it clear that they were capable of powering typical speakers reasonably well.
Also, NoAudiophile.com is recommending the $65 SMSL SA-50 as the amplifier in his recommended systems that use passive speakers. Although he provides no review of the amp, he has mentioned using it some of his reviews, and he does provide good testing/analysis of the speakers he reviews, so I take his recommendation a bit more serious than "just another YouTube review".

Looking for a flexible alternative to a soundbar, and wanting remote control, sub output, as well as optical, analog, and BT inputs, I settled on an SMSL AD-18 for $145.

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-AD18-Amplifier-Bluetooth-Subwoofer/dp/B071JN7GXN/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1523292189&sr=1-1&keywords=smsl+ad-18
I have not yet attempted to compare the amp to others while listening critically, but nothing has impressed me as "off" when listening to Energy RC-10's on it.

I should note that for anyone looking for the function/capabilities (without any concern of size/WAF), I believe if you are spending over $100 (as I was), your best option is to pony up $150 for refurbbed AVR from Accessories4Less like this one which has a legitimate 90 WPC rating and add a $15 BT receiver:
https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/intdtr203/integra-dtr-20.3-5.2-ch-x-90-watts-thx-networking-a/v-receiver/1.html

Of course, the Nobsound at $33 (which includes BT) is insanely cheap and it is hard to believe it functions without any egregious compromises, so it'll be interesting to see if this technology continues to gain a foothold in the market and becomes a serious contender!

Edit: link to Nobsound amp reviewed above:

https://www.amazon.com/Nobsound-NS-10G-Bluetooth-Digital-Amplifier/dp/B01MS739KX/ref=sr_1_13?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1523292929&sr=1-13&keywords=nobsound+amplifier