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Scythe Kama Bay Amplifier

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Manufacturer: Scythe
Author: Frederik S
Date: Oct 28th 2008

Value and Conclusion

  • The Scythe Kama Bay Amp can be had for around €50.
  • Fair price / performance ratio
  • Solves a niche problem at a low cost
  • Relatively sturdy design
  • Can be mounted in a PC 5.25" drive bay
  • Packs a decent punch compared to its size
  • Two different colored face plates (although only one solid black volume knob)
  • Energy efficient compared to a class A/B amplifier
  • Has a sufficient amount of power to drive small speakers
  • Sound quality not the best (but alright for the price)
  • Lacks the refinement you find in more expensive amplifiers
  • Somewhat compromised build quality
  • Limited area of use
  • Having only three feet makes it less stable for desktop use
8.0 This little Scythe amplifier is made to power small speakers such as the Kama Bay Speakers, but it can also be used to power bigger desktop or bookshelf style speakers. For a product that only costs € 50 it does an alright job, but the sound quality leaves you wanting more quite quickly after installation. You have to really need what the Kama Bay Amplifier does to appreciate it and that is powering small speakers at a small price.
Do not expect this amp to sound as good as the more expensive desktop amplifiers on the market. The bundle is great and the amp can fit in a 5.25" drive bay which is a somewhat cool feature, but it does raise some issues regarding interference from other components and the fact that you have to run speaker cables from inside your computer to your desktop, which clutters up the insides of your PC even more.
In order to facilitate mounting in a 5.25" drive bay you have to route a mini jack to RCA cable from the outside of your PC. It would have been a far better solution just to have an integrated DAC that can be hooked up to a USB header-out on the motherboard, and then have the speaker terminals on the front in order to minimize the cable mess.

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