The Shadow Amplifiers are machines stored with immense dark energy that were created by the Sorcerer in Spyro: Shadow Legacy. Their purpose is to absorb magical energy and trap people in the Shadow Realm.
These evil magical semi-pyramidal devices acts as sort of super-conductive antenna capable of concentrating and pulling in preternatural turbulence only to absorb dark energy which they also strengthen and resonate towards a new level.
These bewitched mechanical contraptions were responsible for the Calamity, an accursed magical event that happened upon everyone in the world.
Two Amplifiers were guarded by the Sorcerer's Shadow Minions, the Fire Minion and the Ice Minion, but both were defeated by Spyro and the machines were destroyed.
The Sorcerer had created a more powerful Shadow Amplifier that was strong enough to trap the inhabitants of the world in the Shadow Realm forever, but Spyro succeeded in destroying the diabolical machine and disrupted the Sorcerer's plan.