One man's meat is another's poison... You either love or hate this amp - the loud "pop", the clipping and distortion when pushed hard, all these can be remedied with a bit of tweaking and power supply upgrade.
Frankly, The Lepai TA-2020+ is a godsend to many especially those who just want to enjoy music and don't want to spend too much. Beside the Exposure and Luxman amps, I have the Lepai in my PRIMARY and SECONDARY systems now, driving a pair of Wharfedale Diamonds and 3-way Onkyo floorstanders.
The Lepai is sonically accurate too. A friend of mine actual uses it, together with a pair of 8" Hemp Acoustic full-range speakers, to do recording in his home studio. He is so impressed by the Lepai that he ordered another 4 sets specially flown in from China.
Frankly, The Lepai TA-2020+ is a godsend to many especially those who just want to enjoy music and don't want to spend too much. Beside the Exposure and Luxman amps, I have the Lepai in my PRIMARY and SECONDARY systems now, driving a pair of Wharfedale Diamonds and 3-way Onkyo floorstanders.
The Lepai is sonically accurate too. A friend of mine actual uses it, together with a pair of 8" Hemp Acoustic full-range speakers, to do recording in his home studio. He is so impressed by the Lepai that he ordered another 4 sets specially flown in from China.
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BS!!!
The Lepai LP2020 is 100% completely UNLISTENABLE!!! After 5 minutes of listening to one, i had a bad headache, wanned to tear my ears off and threw the damn thing out.
I will never again buy anything with the "Lepai" brand name on it!!
In my opinion the lepai crap should be priced in the 1-5 dollar range to reflect build quality and garbage component used, NOT 20+ dollars!!
The Lepai LP2020 is 100% completely UNLISTENABLE!!! After 5 minutes of listening to one, i had a bad headache, wanned to tear my ears off and threw the damn thing out.
I will never again buy anything with the "Lepai" brand name on it!!
In my opinion the lepai crap should be priced in the 1-5 dollar range to reflect build quality and garbage component used, NOT 20+ dollars!!
For your information, the Lepai TA-2020+ costs about US$8 each (with sea shipping) if ordered direct from China. You guys are paying a lot more buying from Amazon and Parts Express.
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By the way, folks here who want to get rid of their "junk" or "crap" Lepai amps please PM me. I shall donate them to the schools for underprivileged children and orphanages in my area. MUST BE IN SAFE WORKING CONDITION. Cosmetic not an issue. Please exclude the AC power adapter unless it is a UK-type BS1363A socket. Please ship either by SEA or SURFACE parcel mail ONLY. Just let me know the postage.
Do keep in mind that many people in this part of the world earn less than US$1 a day. Your donation will be well-appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Do keep in mind that many people in this part of the world earn less than US$1 a day. Your donation will be well-appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
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For me, getting and modding a Lepai TA2020A+ where two fold. First, as previously stated (possibly in the mod thread), it was the first amp I have modded and didn't want to fry something any more expensive. I had never lifted SMD components before nor used desoldering braid, and I simply enjoy the modding process. Second was that it is only intended to be used in the shop as background tunes from a laptop. Hell, the music is already compressed as a MP3 or WMA file so it's not going to sound very good no matter what amp I use.
My main system (2.1) is powered by Hafler, NAD and a Kenwood Basic M2A.
My main system (2.1) is powered by Hafler, NAD and a Kenwood Basic M2A.
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I have decided to get an Indeed TA2021.
New Indeed Class T Amp Tripath TA2021 25WX2 Amplifier Improved 20000 MFD Cap | eBay
Anyone have some experience with this? I think that this is SMSL Remark. I only decided on this because it ships from hongkong and it's easier to get to me.
New Indeed Class T Amp Tripath TA2021 25WX2 Amplifier Improved 20000 MFD Cap | eBay
Anyone have some experience with this? I think that this is SMSL Remark. I only decided on this because it ships from hongkong and it's easier to get to me.
To those of you who aren't aware, Lepai is actually a manufacturing company that purchase huge quantity of closeout electronic components from big firms that gone bust (such as in the fate of Tripath) at very, very low prices. The company also takes in rejected goods from well-known electronic manufacturers (such as Omron, Nichicon and Matsushita, where they usually follow very tight tolerances). In short, it is a rag-and-bone company.
The company assembles these components and makes it into something useful but at a low cost. That is why the Lepai is cheap in China. But when their goods are exported to North America and Europe, prices increase by 5 to 10 times.
The company assembles these components and makes it into something useful but at a low cost. That is why the Lepai is cheap in China. But when their goods are exported to North America and Europe, prices increase by 5 to 10 times.
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I totally agree with you. Modding amp should be a joy, not a chore. Regardless whether the outcome is good or less than ideal, the satisfaction comes from the process and knowing that you have done justice to something humble.
Frankly, Lepai never claim their LP-2020A+ amp is better than other T-amps. Somehow many people have high expectations that it will sound great. They will be disappointed of course. Built-wise, for affordability and economic reasons, it is crude. However, if we can just forgive these "flaws" and simply enjoy this humble amp, we will be happier.
A friend of mine has the SMSL/Topping/Indeed TA2021 (these brands come from the same factory in Shenzhen, Guangzhou). It is a very good amp. Definitely more refine-sounding than Lepai especially in the highs and midrange. My only dislike is the output volume is lower than Lepai. The volume dial at 12 o'clock is equivalent to 10 o'clock on the Lepai.
Component-wise, definitely better. Its built is much more solid. A good choice indeed.
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I will like to thank fellow forum member "redjr" for his kindness and help.
Redjr,
I can assure your Lepai amp will be put to good use. It will be utilized in a village school as teaching aid for music lessons. The Lepai LP-2020A+ can be powered by a 12 volts automotive battery, which makes it ideal for rural areas without electricity.
Redjr,
I can assure your Lepai amp will be put to good use. It will be utilized in a village school as teaching aid for music lessons. The Lepai LP-2020A+ can be powered by a 12 volts automotive battery, which makes it ideal for rural areas without electricity.
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Glad to be of help. Sounds like you're doing some good work there. I'll put it in the mail this weekend.I will like to thank fellow forum member "redjr" for his kindness and help.
Redjr,
I can assure your Lepai amp will be put to good use. It will be utilized in a village school as teaching aid for music lessons. The Lepai LP-2020A+ can be powered by a 12 volts automotive battery, which makes it ideal for rural areas without electricity.
Rick
Thanks Rick. 🙂
Not me... It is my wife. She does all the hard work, teaching music at village schools. I am just helping her. 😉
By the way, send by surface mail is good enough.
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@KopiOkaya - I have ready so many other threads about TA2020 TA2021, I would like to have your own opinion on the 2 chips characteristics.
Hi! How to disable protection in LP2020A+? It turns sound off when volume is too loud, and I must switch off power to disable protection. I tried desolder R6 (10k), but no success.
What would you like to know about them?
I don't own a TA2021 amp, and therefore, I don't have the chance to compare both amps side-by-side. However, my first impression of the SMSL TA2021 after listening to it at my friend's place is this amp has a much softer volume. Also, it is not as dynamic-sounding compared to a stock, unmodified Lepai when playing rock and pop music. The midrange presence is better but not warmer sounding though (and definitely far from being tube-like). The highs are definitely more refine and less grainy.
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Good info. Thank you. I wouldn't really have second thoughts at this price point usually however it does take over a month for anything shipped from hongkong to me so if I end up not liking it, I will have to wait another month to get a different model Tripath.
I don't think it'll be bad at all though. I guess it's just virgin enthusiast jitters. LoL 😀
I don't think it'll be bad at all though. I guess it's just virgin enthusiast jitters. LoL 😀
No problem... 😉
By the way, how much is the Indeed TA-2021 on Ebay? It shouldn't cost more than USD$50. The SMSL version is selling for RMB225 or about US$36 if bought directly from China.
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In a couple of days since I started posting, it rose from about $49 to $55.98 at the time I ordered it a few hours ago.
At US$56, I find it still reasonable. Freight is not cheap nowadays. By the way, RMB has gone up against USD in the last few days, that's the reason behind the cost increase.
Here's another TA-2012 amp for a few bucks less. Ebay links don't seem to work anymore, unless my firewall at work is stripping them off somehow when I post. Search for, Muse TA-2021. It's ~$40USD.
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MUSE/SMSL/Topping/Indeed amps are all manufactured under one roof. Same manufacturer, same components, same equipment and tools, same aluminium casing, same factory workers, same QC, different brand name. 😉
For Topping, I recommend this dual-input amp highly...
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Price: about US$120
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