You are aware that no-one, least of all me, is claiming these 2020/2021/2024 switchers are 'revelatory', I hope?
It's simply the case that it is very difficult to find amps which 'open up' at low volumes, short of exotic class-A's and SET's.
All I want is an 'always on' 2.0 (perhaps 2.1) multimedia system that will be rewarding when I want to enjoy reasonably transparent, insightful reproduction of music. So far, both the Lepai and Indeed do it for me.
I can always use my Creek/HD580's if I want serious volume, but for some reason, as I'm getting older I'm less and less inclined to head-banging through cans (this from someone weaned on Led Zeppelin through 15" bass drivers, nearly deafened at age 14 by the Groundhogs, and still with a love of the heaviest of heavy rock).
Groundhogs;
I started going to gigs age c. 13-14, beginning at "The Winning Post" on the Chertsey Road in Twickenham, which was within a 30-minute walk of home.
I saw Thin Lizzy, Camel, Asylum (who?) and The Groundhogs, amongst others, before the venue closed c. 1976.
One of the first was The Groundhogs. I naively blagged a position close to the stage.
I endured about 10 minutes of pain before retreating.
The next morning I got up to go to school, and (this is no joke, I remember it vividly) when I was peeing, the sound of it hitting the bowl seemed rather 'distant'.
Then I flushed, and the sound of the rushing water set my ears ringing.
I'm convinced the Groudhogs are responsible for an odd 'notch' in the response of my hearing which I found many years later.
I started going to gigs age c. 13-14, beginning at "The Winning Post" on the Chertsey Road in Twickenham, which was within a 30-minute walk of home.
I saw Thin Lizzy, Camel, Asylum (who?) and The Groundhogs, amongst others, before the venue closed c. 1976.
One of the first was The Groundhogs. I naively blagged a position close to the stage.
I endured about 10 minutes of pain before retreating.
The next morning I got up to go to school, and (this is no joke, I remember it vividly) when I was peeing, the sound of it hitting the bowl seemed rather 'distant'.
Then I flushed, and the sound of the rushing water set my ears ringing.
I'm convinced the Groudhogs are responsible for an odd 'notch' in the response of my hearing which I found many years later.
I don't want to sound like your faithful sidekick or yesman, but I have to say "yes". I have been into hifi for over 20 years and ever since I discovered T-amps, my entire concept and impression about high-end audio has changed. I am still keeping my "big gears" though but only to be used as showpieces to my house guests. Nowadays, the background music comes mainly from the Lepai.
I, too, have aged and my hearing isn't as good as before. I seldom attend live concert but I know my ears aren't as "tolerant" as they used to be. Loud music, low sub-bass and high shrill irritates me. So, I must say T-amps are godsend for seniors like myself. By the way, my 78 year-old dad loves his Lepai too.
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Gents - you might like this read:
lepai tripath amplifier
@aleksunder
John Lee Hooker - Serves Me Right To Suffer - YouTube
I`m going upstairs - John Lee Hooker - YouTube
" john lee hooker with the groundhogs " live ' the beat room ' - 1965. - YouTube
cheers!
lepai tripath amplifier
@aleksunder
John Lee Hooker - Serves Me Right To Suffer - YouTube
I`m going upstairs - John Lee Hooker - YouTube
" john lee hooker with the groundhogs " live ' the beat room ' - 1965. - YouTube
cheers!
Whatever happened to the little faggot with the earing and the makup?
He is mentioned on my LP, Brothers in Arms/money for nothing but removed from money for nothing on a best of Dire Straits cd.
Neither am I a fan of Dire Straits nor I follow their news. It just happened that I am familiar with the songs in Brothers in Arms album and the showroom had it for testing.
Thanks for that! Hadn't seen that article before.
And for the John Lee Hooker links.
A lot of perceptive people here - JLH is another who somehow got 'archived' into my long-term memory, which needed jogging.
I don't want to sound like your faithful sidekick or yesman, but I have to say "yes". I have been into hifi for over 20 years and ever since I discovered T-amps, my entire concept and impression about high-end audio has changed. I am still keeping my "big gears" though but only to be used as showpieces to my house guests. Nowadays, the background music comes mainly from the Lepai.
I, too, have aged and my hearing isn't as good as before. I seldom attend live concert but I know my ears aren't as "tolerant" as they used to be. Loud music, low sub-bass and high shrill irritates me. So, I must say T-amps are godsend for seniors like myself. By the way, my 78 year-old dad loves his Lepai too.
OK, I'm confused about the NSMT mod writeup. There's a link to a "kit" but NSMT's website only seems to sell modded amps. The prices for the modded Lepais are certainly reasonable - perhaps too reasonable. That little cabinet alone must surely represent a minimum of half the difference between the cost of a stock Lepai and the modded version.
Does anyone know what these mods actually consist of?
The Lepai is my absolute least favorite Tripath / small class D amp of the many I've tried, like, WAY down there at the bottom, to the point where I won't even loan one to someone hearing a T-amp for the first time. A lot of the problems seem to lie in the "preamp," which I would think would require fairly significant modification to rectify the MANY problems it causes. (I have three of the Lepais, all purchased ca. 2011; they all suffer from the same problems that none of my other 2024/2020-based amps have - specifically, TOTALLY excessive background noise and far-too-early distortion, especially with the tone circuit engaged. Not crazy about the centering of the tone controls either.)
I was disappointed that more information on the mods wasn't provided, but decided they are most likely covered here anyway.
A large number of diy'ers here have just bypassed the entire preamp/tone circuitry.
I have to confess I haven't read right though this thread, or really got my head around the 'topology' of the Lepai.
I have heard that who-ever designed it dis-regarded much of the 'reference' layout for Tripaths.
What actually constitutes the input ('preamp') the source 'sees'? Is it an opamp?
I hasten to add that I'm a complete dilettante when it comes to electronics, but I understand the principles.
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Just going from memory, so I could well be wrong, but I think it is a 10k ohm (?) series resistor and the 20k ohm (?) volume potentiometer.
That would be fairly primitive?
ETA >> now I think about it;
the first thing I did with my Lepai, having read a 'strip-down review', was lift the lid (nixing the warranty! On no!) and check the heat-sink - it had a dot of thermal-paste about 0.5 cm across which I cleaned off, then re-applied fresh stuff.
(You can carefully bend the TA2020 away from the heatsink, which is soldered to the board via 2 through-holes - at least, it is on my recent example.)
Anyway, I'm pretty sure the pot on mine is 10K. I'll have another look and confirm or otherwise at some point.
ETA 2 >> you have to pick off the hot glue which secures the two steel clips which clamp the TA2020 to the heatsink before you can remove them. I guess they apply this in case the amp is used in an environment where it's vibrated ("car, bike, boat").
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Let's clarify;
The heatsink is attached to the board via 2 legs which are soldered like through-hole components (but more solidly).
The TA2020 chip is also through-hole soldered, and is then clamped to the heatsink with 2 u-shaped steel clips.
It's worth checking that the TA2020 is actually intimate with the heatsink, via a proper layer of goo.
The heatsink is attached to the board via 2 legs which are soldered like through-hole components (but more solidly).
The TA2020 chip is also through-hole soldered, and is then clamped to the heatsink with 2 u-shaped steel clips.
It's worth checking that the TA2020 is actually intimate with the heatsink, via a proper layer of goo.
For significant improvement to the Lepai, a friend of mine, armed with the right tool, managed to desolder the stock surface-mounted JRC 4558D opamp and replaced with a LM4562 with very good results.
Personally, I don't think changing the heatsink or reapplying the heatsink compound makes any difference. After all, the Tripath TA2020 runs cooler than most Class AB chipsets (some Class AB amps doesn't even utilized a heatsink!). I won't go the extra mile if the tweak doesn't improve sound quality.
As for the NSMT-modded Lepai, nice wood case and binding posts. However for US$90, I don't think is worth it. Many of the DIYers in this forum can do a better job for much lower price.
Personally, I don't think changing the heatsink or reapplying the heatsink compound makes any difference. After all, the Tripath TA2020 runs cooler than most Class AB chipsets (some Class AB amps doesn't even utilized a heatsink!). I won't go the extra mile if the tweak doesn't improve sound quality.
As for the NSMT-modded Lepai, nice wood case and binding posts. However for US$90, I don't think is worth it. Many of the DIYers in this forum can do a better job for much lower price.
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Well.... to be fair the "$99.00 upgrade" includes better power supply.
or you can just get this one: Universal Laptop Power Supply w/USB 4.2~24 VDC 70 Watts 120-500
or this one and possibly change the plug:
12 VDC 5A Switching Power Supply with 2.5 x 5.5mm Plug 120-056
more "A" to the amp - better it sounds...less distortion at higher volume...
or you can just get this one: Universal Laptop Power Supply w/USB 4.2~24 VDC 70 Watts 120-500
or this one and possibly change the plug:
12 VDC 5A Switching Power Supply with 2.5 x 5.5mm Plug 120-056
more "A" to the amp - better it sounds...less distortion at higher volume...
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