And the point of all that is......?
The OP asked a straightforward question but your reply went off at a tangent. The LM386, like many many other products, was designed to fill a niche and it does that very well. Your disparaging remarks about it could mislead and discourage less experienced people. The same points could have been made in a different tone. That was my point.
BTW, I can get the LM386 for the equivalent of 20-25 US cents in my country. They're available from China for 6 cents each, with free shipping. I've actually tried those too and they're OK.