Pyle Wireless Bluetooth Home Audio Amplifier - 100W 5 Channel Home Theater Power Stereo Receiver, Surround Sound w/ HDMI, AUX, FM Antenna, Subwoofer Speaker Input, 12V Adapter, Black - PFA540BT

So I have an older HDTV with limited audio out functionality, a set of bookshelf speakers and a center channel speaker, and 2 HDMI devices (Apple TV and a game console). I wanted to connect all of this together for a small 11ftx11ft room - used as a kids loft playroom. Preferably with a solution that was small, cheap, and not overly complicated.It turns out it’s surprisingly expensive to cobble together a system that does this, if you want true multi-channel audio. It would take an HDMI switcher (to switch between the 2 HDMI devices), an HDMI audio extractor (to pull the 5-channel audio from the HDMI signal), and a multi-channel receiver with SPDIF/Toslink inputs (since that’s what the HDMI audio extractors typically output). At a minimum, it would take a large dedicated A/V receiver, which I didn’t have space for. For a tiny room, reused speakers, and an older TV that will be used primarily by my kids to play games and watch Netflix, I was not enthusiastic to put out that kind of money.So I was very surprised when my internet searches led to this device - it basically contains all of those features in a form factor the size of a paperback book, for a fraction of the price. It has 2 HDMI inputs and 1 HDMI output. So no HDMI switcher required. It has true 5.1 channel output (including a separate sub output, which I haven’t tried). So I can avoid the audio extractor to Toslink device. It has a built-in “20W per channel” (more on that) amplifier, so I didn’t need a separate receiver/amp. It has some modest tone control features (treble and bass) and you can separately control the volume of the center, front, rear, and subwoofer channels.Will “audiophiles” be into this? Probably not. Pyle gets mediocre reviews at best for sound quality. I can’t even vouch for the durability. But it gets the job done.Design: it’s a compact unit, the size of a paperback. The design is clean, modern, and actually handsome for a Pyle device. The metal case, buttons, and volume knob feel high quality. The remote, however, is very flimsy and the buttons are imprecise (minus 1/2 star for that), but that’s a minor quibble.Sound: The instructions are sparse, but from what I can tell, the “surround” button does the opposite of what you would think. If you have a true 5.1 channel input and you want 5.1 channel output, you turn surround OFF to get “real” 5.1 channel sound. If you turn it on, it uses (according to the manual) “analogy” five channel signal. Does that mean “simulated” 5 channel? Who knows, but I know when I had my Apple TV in Dolby 5.1 output mode, turning “analogy” Surround on meant I couldn’t hear the center channel. I turned it off and the center channel audio returned. To me, the sound was clear, stereo separation was accurate. Bass was a little anemic, but that could be both a function of my small speakers and whatever chipset the amplifier uses.As far as the wattage rating, it uses a 12V x 3A power supply, for a total of 36W. So I’m not sure how they calculate 20W per channel x 5 channels, or 100W total. No, that’s not a lot of watts, but - again - consider the optimal use for this amp. A typical bookshelf speaker is rated at 89-93dB/1W at 1 meter sensitivity (you put 1 watt of power in, it will generate 89-93dB of sound measured 1 meter away). As a rule of thumb, for every doubling in W, you get a 3dB bump in volume. So, even if I got 3-4W per channel, that would be VERY loud in a small room. Much more than that and I’m certain this little amp would start to distort (remember the total power input is only 36W). I’m assuming this has some low cost Class-D amplifier chip.Others noted a lot of distortion via BT - I paired it to my phone and streamed songs via Spotify (with “Analogy” five channel ON) and it sounded fine! No distortion. It pairs almost immediately and very easily. There's an audible chime that tells you when the device successfully pairs.Others noted that the unit would forget the preferred channel volume/treble/bass settings when turned off. I did not find that to be the case when I used the “sleep” function. Perhaps when you unplug the unit entirely? Who knows.It does not come with an FM antenna, but does have an FM tuner.So, overall - I'm very pleased. Very good value for the price. There is no way I could have purchased the various components (a 2-input HDMI switcher, HDMI audio extractor and multichannel amplifier with Bluetooth, FM tuner, and Aux input, or a much bulkier AV receiver) for anything close to the price of this unit. This is also, easily, the most compact solution to contain all these features. Much smaller than a typical AV home theater receiver. Minus 1/2 star for the flimsy remote, the unclear instructions, and the likely exaggerated power ratings.

I chose this amplifier over all the others I looked at on Amazon as it “satisfied” me for what I was looking for in quality, features and price. Over all the function of each input works as expected including Bluetooth.With the connections it has I was able to connect my tv audio, DVD player, Apple TV, iPhone via Bluetooth and an HDMI switch. My older VHS player which has only RCA plugs is connected to my tv but I can play that via the auxiliary port making 5to1 surround sound.In the process of connecting my devices it seemed there was a problem with the volume since it was at full volume and couldn’t seem to correct or lower it. It turns out the very first thing you should do once it’s powered on is to lower the volume to number 1 to 5. The volume number on the display maximizes at 31? What happened to 50 or even 100? But in any event to prevent yourself from being blown out of the room once first turned on, turn the volume down. It apparently is set at full volume, #31 from the factory. And before you turn off the amp, turn the volume down. Depending on what input it is set at (Bluetooth or HD1) will depend on what level volume you get from it when you turn it on again. The volume level seems to be different across inputs. Bluetooth could be much higher than HD1. Once you’ve got your volume procedure understood there shouldn’t be any issues volume wise.The only real issue I have with some of these electronic devices is the remote. There are two types of signals used for remote controls. One where the remote must be pointed directly at the device, the other will work no matter what the remote is pointed at. This device uses the former which makes it mediocre at best. Why can’t these companies use the signal that makes it easy to use a remote? I haven’t decided if I’m going to keep it because of the remote. All that being said though I do give it a four star. It could be a five star if it wasn’t for the remote.