This little guy is awesome at what it does: providing amplification for passive monitors. With a pair of RCA ins and clips for universal input, if you want versatility for your setup on the cheap this is the thing to get.
Design
It's a metal box with flanges on the side for mounting to surfaces. If you're like me and you don't mount these things, then the flanges will be slightly bothersome. I fixed this by putting rubber bands over them so the amp does not slide around.
The box is solidly built. Made of solid metal. Black casing, silver face. The volume pot is accentuated by a blue LED. There are two additional controls for treble and bass as well as a switch to completely bypass the equalizer. I doubt most of you will want to use this equalizer anyway.
The volume pot is extremely well made. No grinding feeling at all! Buttery smooth to turn, so much so that it moves with the slightest touch. Good for those precise volume adjustments.
The power supply is also well regulated. However, the circuitry isn't good enough to prevent the pop when you turn the amp on and off. The amp also gets quite warm while it's on.
Sound
The Lepai is a great thing for its price. They do give plenty of output for sure. I think these could even power 16Ω monitors if one ever wished to do so.
The sound quality is okay. Here the $20 price tag somewhat shows. The bass and treble are boosted with ample clarity, but the mids seem to be muddy. It loses a little bit of detail in the amplification process, but retains enough for detailed listening and monitoring. It's by no means the best, but certainly not the worst.
The sound signature is best described as clinical and neutral. Very good for something this cheap!
Others
This is designed to power passive monitors and passive monitors only. Do not attempt to hook up your high-impedance headphones to this; not only will you have to cut off the connector, but also risk blowing up that headphone. Also do not try to plug active monitors in; those will seriously overheat. They're active for a reason.
Verdict
Great for the value! You will not find anything remotely close to this amp's sound quality at this price range. But if you do have the budget to afford something better, that might be a better route to go.
Design
It's a metal box with flanges on the side for mounting to surfaces. If you're like me and you don't mount these things, then the flanges will be slightly bothersome. I fixed this by putting rubber bands over them so the amp does not slide around.
The box is solidly built. Made of solid metal. Black casing, silver face. The volume pot is accentuated by a blue LED. There are two additional controls for treble and bass as well as a switch to completely bypass the equalizer. I doubt most of you will want to use this equalizer anyway.
The volume pot is extremely well made. No grinding feeling at all! Buttery smooth to turn, so much so that it moves with the slightest touch. Good for those precise volume adjustments.
The power supply is also well regulated. However, the circuitry isn't good enough to prevent the pop when you turn the amp on and off. The amp also gets quite warm while it's on.
Sound
The Lepai is a great thing for its price. They do give plenty of output for sure. I think these could even power 16Ω monitors if one ever wished to do so.
The sound quality is okay. Here the $20 price tag somewhat shows. The bass and treble are boosted with ample clarity, but the mids seem to be muddy. It loses a little bit of detail in the amplification process, but retains enough for detailed listening and monitoring. It's by no means the best, but certainly not the worst.
The sound signature is best described as clinical and neutral. Very good for something this cheap!
Others
This is designed to power passive monitors and passive monitors only. Do not attempt to hook up your high-impedance headphones to this; not only will you have to cut off the connector, but also risk blowing up that headphone. Also do not try to plug active monitors in; those will seriously overheat. They're active for a reason.
Verdict
Great for the value! You will not find anything remotely close to this amp's sound quality at this price range. But if you do have the budget to afford something better, that might be a better route to go.
