RadioShack® Mini Audio Amplifier

Comments about RadioShack Mini Audio Amplifier:

I've had mine for so long that it's got the "Archer" brand on it! I use it to play a "click" track (metronome track) from my keyboard sequencer, feeding it into an earphone. I have many music sequences -- brass, strings, timpani, etc. -- which I play along with on a pipe organ and the click track keeps everything together.

Comments about RadioShack Mini Audio Amplifier:

Radio Shack does itself a disservice by calling this a "Mini Audio Amplifier" on the website rather than a "Mini Amplifier / Speaker" as the product's instruction sheet says; it is impossible to find by searching for "speaker".

Nevertheless, this small classic of many years is just as good as ever.

I love my Garmin nuvi GPS but the audio output is just too low for my hearing. In my car, I have a small 12V amplifier and an external speaker which boosts the output enough to be hearable even with the windows open.

I use the RS Mini Amplifier / Speaker with my Garmin unit when traveling; because it is self-powered (by an internal 9V battery), it does not require another car "cigarette lighter" power plug.

It is inexpensive, compact, rugged, and has its own power switch / volume control. HIghly recommended!

Comments about RadioShack Mini Audio Amplifier:

I'm a TV news photographer. We use this almost everyday to boost audio level from a cell phone for IFB during live shots. The cell audio with a Telex IFB is simply too low, especially in a noisy environment. We cable from the cell to the amp, and plug an earpiece into the amp and get great audio level. The reporter can adjust the level as we're setting up. I added a switch so the speaker can be turned on or off without unplugging the earpiece. Saved our butts more times than I can count. I have a 2nd one in the live truck, as a back-up, but it's never been out of the box. Also added a belt clip from an old handheld scanner that works fine, so long as you're gentle with it. Would love to see a smaller model of this amp without the speaker. The battery will usually last me about a week if the reporter remembers to cut it off after their liveshot.

Comments about RadioShack Mini Audio Amplifier:

I've got a pair of these that I've used in our business for 22 years straight! They work as a preamp for a sound system input. They also work great for troubleshooting an audio system. They can drive speakers with a 25V or 70V transformer too! They are useful for Science Fair projects to boost the audio from your crystal radio headphone to a level that everybody can hear. 9 Volt battery last a reasonable amount of time - not forever, but good enough for me. This is one item every ham should have in their tool box to test microphones, etc. This is truly one item that Radio Shack has done perfect, and I hope that they will continue to sell it another 25 years! A+ rating from this engineer.

Comments about RadioShack Mini Audio Amplifier:

This amplifier works well and is easy to use. It isn't exactly hi-fi, but It is handy for quickly checking audio signals and for classroom demonstrations. There are however two minor improvements I'd like RadioShack to make to this product:

1) The input is a 1/8" mono jack. They should use a stereo jack and amplify the mix the two channels. Pretty much nothing uses mono 1/8" for audio these days, and so you always have to use an adapter with this product

2) It is easy to forget to turn it off and that just drains the battery. This amplifier should automatically power-off if nothing is plugged into the input jack.

Comments about RadioShack Mini Audio Amplifier:

I am a transmitter engineer for a large public broadcast station in PA and we house the NOAA transmitter in our facility. This morning our unit was down due to low audio from a dedicated phone line. So untill the phone company got there to repair the line I inserted this little amp in the phone line and it gave me the 30db of amplification i needed for the transmitter to come up and go online (audio to low or gone causes the transmitter to automatically shutdown).
This little amp is used from time to time and always helps me out. I love it.

Comments about RadioShack Mini Audio Amplifier:

I purchased it to set a 400-day clock 'beat'. It is perfect. The price was right. However, I doubt that many with use it with this application!I found this through a clock supply house-after checking with the local Radio Shack. [...]

Comments about RadioShack Mini Audio Amplifier:

I was going to use this as a computer speaker and i found out that it had WAY too mutch gain. Kids this is not for music not a hifi speaker. It is user friendly, good for crystal sets, and i hope that may be able to modify the circuitry to reduce gain. It is a ok speaker.

Comments about RadioShack Mini Audio Amplifier:

I've been using this amp for years. It was top knotch in my years as a commercial fire alarm technician. I used it to connect to 25 and 70 volt speaker systems, per floor, using the speakers as microphones that feed into the amp, and find out where the break was in the speaker line.

I'm currently using it to fine tune my crystal radio set, and it makes for a nice way to share the sound of a crystal radio with others in the room, as opposed to just using headphones.

Comments about RadioShack Mini Audio Amplifier:

Great to fill in sound to the back of the room. This amp will really support the speaker and make everyone hear better. Works well with computer laptops for mono use. For the price: best deal in the house!