My Very Low Budget Nearfield Desktop Rig (Lepai amp and Dayton Audio speakers) - Page 7

Words from the wise. If Red Rose can import the amps manufactured by Dussun ( China company) then rebadged them and sell for $5000.00 with Mark Levinson signature design, and these hi-maintenance audiophiles would die to buy them just to have the highly regard Mark Levinson name behind the Dussun amp. That will tell you the mentality of people who consider the Lepai 2020+ is junk and garbage.

 

The Audio Research 100.2 is a class D switching amp and the 150.2 is the Tripath amp and people were willing to pay 2K for it because the Audio Research name on the nice face plate.The 1K Atoll ( French company) A900 CD player which was highly regarded by the folks at Stereophile was nothing but a rebadge of the  $75.00 Technics CD player but I do not believe they would praise the $75.00 Technics CD player.

 

That's the irony of the hi-end audio. Placebo effect works and works very well .

Welcome Aboard!

 

Lepai Hype Train.. CHOO CHOOOO!

 

 

 

 

 

Pd:  i am not using my Daytons B652 anymore,  i am using some speakers from a Sony Stereo i had (wasnt using it cause it sounded boxy and cheap) sounds MUCH better than the Daytons (same size of speakers, and also they are 2 ways), fuller sound, more bass and clarity.

 

 

IMO if you guys got some speakers from a system that you are not using, try them out first with the Lepai, you can save some cash and get yourself a Fiio for better SQ.

Edited by rickdohc - 2/19/13 at 4:50am

All aboard ! The Lepai 2020+ hype train is here to stay. Still love my Lepai 2020+ for near field listening. My finger is also ready to hit the buy now button a couple times on the Crown XLS 1500. Another toy for another system. Audio junkie is always an audio junkie. But that's another thread. This is the Lepai 2020+ thread and PE is running out of stock .That's a good news for the demand and supply of a good product that costs merely nothing.

More good news for Lepai 2020+ owner. Each one of you have a gem on your hand but since the price is ridiculous low, we tend to treat it as junk, or garbage.

 

I received a Fiio A1 class D switching amp from Fiio. The A1 is nothing but beautiful to look at. Hi-end build quality with binding posts instead of the spring clips for speaker terminal. The brush aluminum case is nothing but first class. it has 14wpc class D amp running cool as a cucumber.

 

 I have to give a thump up for the deep sound stage of the A1. The front wall seems to be pushed back a couple feet. The seperation of instrument is excellent but there is something that the Fiio A1 does not have is the fast attack and the clear clean punching mid-bass. 

 

I was very disappointed at the with the Fiio A1 when listening to Dire Straits " Brothers in Arms" and also some tracks of Joe Sample and Alex bugnon, I could not find the tight, punchy mid bass and the warm, open vocal that are the strength suit of the Lepai 2020+ . The Fiio A1 posses something  characters of the typical class D amp which are a bit harsh on the top end and soft on the mid bass.

 

I wish those Lepai designer would come out with some Lepai special edition and give us a decent case, speaker binding posts and volume control pot. The higher cost will justify by the Lepai 2020+ SQ.

And how about a power adapter that doesn't have the name of a phone company on it? I gave away my Lepai, so I can't check it, but what's the name on the power adapter?

Seriously, though. You are right. If they spend $5 cost on those parts, they could charge $35 for it

 

 

Pics please!

Will do, my friend but I am going to dress these Lepai up with a retro wooden case first. I think a rosewood grain would look good or perharps a light cherry finish..
Edited by ACDOAN - 3/1/13 at 8:14pm

Joining the Lepai 2020 hye train, was about to order something much more expensive to drive some small bookshelf speakers instead of my normal pc speakers. Happy I found the thread, looks much more cool besides the 27inch with two bookshelf speakers also. Just have to wait for a nearby store to get the speakers in store also, as I bet they are better than my vintage speakers.

Edited by GJB1124 - 3/21/13 at 7:49pm

GB1124, the Magni/Modi would be fine for headphone use, but it sounds like you'd have to end end up switching the Modi's output cable between the Lepai amp and the Magni tho... If you're fine with that then cool, otherwise you could get a headphone amp with pre-amp outputs to connect the Lepai to. The Asgard 2 is one such amp but it's 150% more expensive, not really worth it for just the 595. The $100 Fiio E09k's another hp amp with pre-outs but it's relatively high output impedance would alter the 595's sound. Maybe someone else has a better suggestion...

Could always get a speaker amp with pre-outs to connect the Magni to as well, doubt you'll find anything anywhere near the Lepai's price and size tho. I wish Topping added pre-outs to one of their $75-100 t-amps. They've added all sorts of other borderline useful/useless options like headphone output (not great), DAC, multiple inputs, etc.

The lowly TP20 isn't a bad step up from the Lepai if you can get past the 3x increase in price, it's much better looking and you get some build improvements like regular binding posts. A TP23 or whatever (there's already a TP21/22/30/etc) with pre-outs would be sweet.
Edited by Impulse - 3/24/13 at 2:15pm

That's kinda what the Topping TP series is about (see comment on my previous post)... There's all sorts of other cheap t-amps out there too, most just don't have wide distribution in the US tho (unlike Topping which is all over Amazon/Parts Express) so you end up playing roulette on Ebay.

Lepai doesn't have any sorts of dibs on the Tripath TA2020 chip... Their LP-2020A+ is just sorta the cheapest, easily available, decently built amp out there using it. Like I said tho, there's plenty of options for a small premium (or just slightly more if you don't mind dealing with obscure models).
Edited by Impulse - 3/24/13 at 2:25pm

Hmm i didn't read all the pages but i kindda disagree on increasing the price of these Lepai 2020s for the one main reason :

 

Kids/students who have not much $$ now do not have to work with the assumption that they have to be cornered into buying awfully sounding PC speakers because better sound is way too $$ for them? I have seen several young people and even old birds who get into these amps and go on into either upgrading/modyfing the amp, DIY their own speakers or become serial used speaker hunters to mate those with this amp so ya i like them prices just as they are

Edited by trog - 3/25/13 at 2:41am

Don't think anybody said anything about increasing the price, just that there are better built units for a slight increase for those willing to pay it... I'd still rather have a $50 or $75 t-amp on my desk than anything significantly larger, but I do appreciate having binding posts instead of spring clips, and a classy enclosure, etc. I recommend the Lepai unit A LOT on PC forums tho, I wholeheartedly agree that a cheap t-amp + some passive speakers is a better alternative than the vast majority of made-for-PC speakers.