Have a picture of Acoustic Solutions SP100 Audio Amplifier?, please send it to us.
Picture courtesy of Matt Mould.
| Sound Quality | 5.3/10   |
|---|---|
| Features | 7/10 |
| Value for Money | 8.1/10 |
| Reviewer Rating | 7/10 |
| Overall Rating | 7.7/10 |
Full review by
mark lucas
expert review 
on 6th Feb 2008
User Rating : 6
Respect :
0
Good Points: Cheap cheerful, reasonable build quality, 6 channels, user friendly and basic
Bad Points: Only 2 speaker ports, not the most amazing sound quality.
General comments: Over the years I built up a small stock pile of separates which I'd gradually replaced with better brands. Rather than flog the existing decks on ebay - I thought it might be interesting to compile a second hi-fi out of these spares. My goal was to assemble something cheaply without looking at the second hand market. What I ended up with is something very acceptable sounding.
I was lucky in managing to obtain some last-of-line 2 way 8ohm 100 watt bookshelf speakers by Bush. These were at a rock bottom £9.99 and a brand I normally wouldnt touch with a bargepole. The irresistible sale price and build quality served though. Fortunately, they turned out actually better than their Argos equivalents (which I also own and use as rears on another system). They match the acoustic solutions amp perfectly without any hiss or distortion, possibly because they're a little beyond the amps drive.
Overall I wasnt impressed with the amps condition when removing it from the box. In particular, the volume knob was scuffed and the lcd display had tiny scratches, possibly from an abrasive cloth. There were also small scratches on the side. Argos are notorious for this and I perhaps should have taken it back. Decided otherwise as it was their last in stock- some liberally applied brasso metal polish buffed these defects out quickly.
The size of this amp is unnecessarily large (but as standard). Take note of the dimensions if you have limited space. Despite some contemporary styling, it looks like something from 1970. My wife jokes that all it needs are some wooden panels to
complete the look. The strange alloy finish isn't to its credit because when you try to clean it, bits of lint get stuck to the surface.
Functionality is quite impressive. It's handy to have so many digital controls as oppose to dial knobs which wear and crackle with age. The buttons feel stiff and click, a little cheap but acceptable. A backlit yellowish green lcd display also makes
it more interesting, if at all something which looks like it belongs in a car. Because everything's combined under one function button, adjustments are time consuming and more fiddly than usual.
The range of bass and treble is a little muddy and muffled but again acceptable. A sub woofer in my case isnt necessary as the speakers already have adequate woofer ducts at the rear- some good heavy bass. There is however, a distinct lack of something, I'm not quite sure what it is. The system has a good volume range , loud enough without distortion but it seems to be missing some kick mid-range or clarity. There's a considerable reduction in volume with my old Aiwa phono deck connected but I suspect this may be down to the quality of the unit and format. I also found with two seperate brands of dvd player connected, there's little difference in sound quality between the two on each channel which is unusual.
Finally the remote control supplied has a good range with variable angles but it's not something I'd use (because I have legs).
If you're looking to compile a budget system for six separates and you want something better than a standard portable boombox, this is an ok product. It's also much better than the vast majority of 'girly' micro systems out there. Combine this with a cheap tesco dvd player, you'll have a great quality system which will last years. If you're a hi-fi audiophile, avoid this like the plague - This amps a joke compared to my entry level sony. 'It does exactly what it says on the tin ', no more, no less.
mark lucas's review and ratings | 628 words
Review by
tonalplexus
on 18th May 2006
User Rating : 2
Respect :
0
I bought the Acoustic Solutions SP101 amp along with a pair of Eltax speakers to put together a budget system for my dad. With this requirement in mind, I was not expecting it to perform like a more expensive system. However, I did expect it to be a competent entry level amplifier; delivering a basic, clear signal.
After setting up, I was disappointed with this amp and frustrated with my purchase. As sba99jpd mentioned in his review, the SP101 cannot deal with the line level input from a CD p ...
tonalplexus's full review | 240 words | 1 comment added.
Review by
Mark Westley
on 3rd Apr 2006
User Rating : 9
Respect :
0
The Acoustic Solutions SP101 audio amplifier is a well made, excellent sounding easy to use amplifier, offering real value for money.
It delivers a healthy 35 watts RMS into 8 ohms, and should have little problem driving most speakers. I also own the SP111 DAB/FM tuner and the SP122 CD player which, together with the SP102 amp, produce performance that belies their very modest prices.
Mark Westley's full review | 78 words
Review by
Anoop007
on 14th Jul 2004
User Rating : 7
Respect :
0
I brought an Acoustic Solutions SP100 amp after hard research and was very happy with the output..the sound is great and fresh. The only problem is that i didn't think it can handle high watt speakers..or can it?
Can anyone let me know if this amp can handle high watt speakers such as 150 watt speakers input. Let me know asap
thanks
anoop
Anoop007's full review | 86 words | 2 comments added.
Review by
sba99jpd
on 12th Feb 2004
User Rating : 9
Respect :
+1
I bought this Acoustic Solutions SP100 amp for £80 when my previous, far more expensive amp died. After purchasing the Acoustic Solutions DAB radio, I was convinced to purchase this, as not only do they share the same classic but pared-down look, but I know the products to be very user friendly. The sound is great, on par with an amp more than twice as expensive.
One niggle would be that I had to reduce the volume of the signal entering the amp from my CD player, as this was distort ...
sba99jpd's full review | 193 words
Review by
Paul Davidson
on 4th Sep 2003
User Rating : 9
Respect :
+7
Bought some Acoustic Soulutions AV20 speakers from Argos and was well impressed, but the trouble I had to go through to get this Acoustic Solutions SP100 amplifier (I live in Carlisle and the nearest shop I could get them was Argos in Hexham).
I had not tried this amplifier out prior to buying it, but had heard lots of very good reports about Acoustic Research and what bargains their separates were. As I drove home I thought to myself, will I be disappointed. Read on to find out.
It really ...
Paul Davidson's full review | 258 words | 1 comment added.
Review by
matt.
on 14th May 2003
User Rating : 7
Respect :
+1
This intergrated amp is good value for money with great looks and ideal for a bedroom or study. It would also be perfect as a second amp for biwiring your speakers.
This amp certainly wouldn't look out of place next to a pricey competitor.
If you shop around you can get this amp for less than £100.00 which is pretty good for the spec and quality of this amp.
matt.'s full review | 100 words
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