Anyone use a Lepay 2020 or 2024 amp?

chris_super1

chris_super1

chris_super1

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Thinking about one of these along with some bookshelf speakers i have. For 20 odd quid I am thinking i will get much better sound than from some Logitechs or similar.

Anyone have them?
 
Yeah, should provide better sound than Logitech speakers. Of course preference trumps 'better' and if the listener prefers the bass from a 2.1 set of speakers, then 'better' doesn't mean anything really. If the Logitech's are 2.1, then there won't be as much bass, but undoubtedly the quality of the sound will be better if the bookshelf speakers are pretty decent.

I'm just trying to cover myself here a little, rather than just saying yes, it will be better, end of. I once recommended bookshelf speakers and an amp to replace some guy's 2.1 Logitech speakers, and he ended up preferring the 2.1 speakers because, as you might have guessed, more bass was really what he was interested in.

Lepai, Lepy or whatever they are called now, are pretty decent low budget Tripath amps. Certainly a cheap and great way of making use of some passive bookshelf speakers that would otherwise just be left to gather dust.

I use a Topping on my desk, but they're around at £50-£60. There's SMSL as well; the SA36 is slightly cheaper than Topping's offerings, but still twice as much as the Lepai/Lepy. Both are better than the Lepy/Lepai, but since they are 2-3x as much, that's not really surprising. I suppose it depends on what speakers you have as to whether a Topping or SMSL is going to provide better sound. If they are from a cheap no name micro system, then the Lepy/Lepai wil be good enough. If they are a decent pair of Mission, Tannoy, Wharfedale or similar speakers, then worth spending the extra on in my opinion.
 
Cheers.

Initially I will be using it to power some spare Mordaunt Short speakers i have. But, as i say this is a budget project so want to go the Topping route.

I think i will give the Lepai/Lepay...Whatever..A try.

Any ideas on the differences between the 2020 and 2024. I have read all sorts of conflicting stuff. Might just go with the cheaper of the two (2024)
 
2020 is better apparently and I think has more power. So 20wpc into 4 Ohm for the 2020 and 15wpc for the 2024. Specs of the Lepy 2024 do say 20wpc though, but this is the problem with these specs that are given; unless they say how those specs were measured, they don't mean a great deal.

Which model of speaker do you have?

Tripath amps are better with more sensitive and 8 Ohm speakers. My TP21 does better with my Roth speakers which are 88dB and 8 Ohm compared to the my Wharfedale's, which are 86dB and 6 Ohm.
 
Lepai TA2020+ is a great budget that I've had running numerous speakers for the last 6 years. I have a total of 5 of them now, and they are flawless. They've powered floorstanders, Diamond 9.0s, 9.1s, some older Technics and even briefly powered my MA BX2s. Power ratings aren't that high, but as long as you don't mind not having crazy volume they will still perform and sound admirably.

Truthfully, I didnt notice a huge difference between them and the TP21 when using the Diamonds either - though that difference may be more profound with speakers that are harder to drive.

The MS302s have an impedance of 4Ohms and require a power range of 15-75w - the TA2020+ can put out roughly 20w per channel at 4 Ohms so they'll work perfectly fine.
 
The MS302 are 86dB, which is the same as the Wharfedale's. Higher would be better, but the sound is good though, so it's not as if having a 86dB speaker suddenly means using a Tripath amp is a waste of time. Understandably though, using 88dB speakers sounded a little more effortless for the amp. 90dB + would be even better, but I think they're not as common as those below 90. I did see somewhere else that some guy was planning to try some really insensitive 82dB speakers with a T amp, but he never replied what the result was. :p

Specs say a nominal impedance of 4-8 Ohm. Impedance more than likely varies depending on the frequency, so for Mordaunt Short to label them a speaker that is 4-8 Ohm is more accurate really than saying a speaker is a fixed 4, 6 or 8. Makes sense given that impedance of headphone can differ depending on the frequency.

Anyway; nice speakers and really should be no trouble powering them with whatever amp.

Power supply may make a difference, depending on what the Lepy/Lepai comes with. Some that are slightly more expensive, like the 2024A on the jungle site for £26, looks like that has a better 5A PSU. I have seen some cheaper ones in the past for £15 or so, that come with a weedy 2A PSU.

Whether you'd notice any difference between a Lepy/Lepai and a Topping/SMSL is hard to say. Some people may, some may not; as with any other audio gear.

Here's a link to a tech website where the Lepai 2020A is pitted against a Topping TP30 using some audio analysing equipment.
 
Thanks chaps. Going to order one today.

Marksman. You mention one being on the jungle site for £26 with a 5a power supply. Do you have the link for that?

The two options i have in my wish list are..

2020A at £31
2024A Plus £26.51

Both seem to come with 3A power. Would to get something direct or fulfilled by the jungle people for quick delivery and warranty.

Which of those would you go with?

Marsman said:
Power supply may make a difference, depending on what the Lepy/Lepai comes with. Some that are slightly more expensive, like the 2024A on the jungle site for £26, looks like that has a better 5A PSU. I have seen some cheaper ones in the past for £15 or so, that come with a weedy 2A PSU.
Click to expand...
 
£31 for a 2020A? Not sure where you've seen that.

I'd probably get this one for £19, which is fulfilled by the jungle people. 3A is better than 2A PSU, but an extra £12 is a bit much for one of these in my opinion, unless it comes with a better 5A PSU; which it doesn't. You'd be better off spending the extra £12 on a 5A PSU separately, if needed.

Anyway, the 2024A one for £26 is the one I was referring to. I was wrong though. I thought it has a better PSU included, but looking through some comments though, when someone asked what amp the PSU was, two people said that they got 2A PSUs.

So, best not to assume something comes with a 5A PSU unless stated. :p

Just had a look on the famous auction site, just to see if I can spot one with a 5A PSU and I saw someone selling the same 2020A that's on the jungle site for £19, they had for £41! Can buy a SMSL SA36 for that. [insert facepalm gif]
 
Brilliant thanks. Do the know why i hadn't seen that one. Ordered.

That saving makes up for the fact that the Logitech mouse i was going to buy went up by £10 in the last hour!
 
Marsman. Just to say thanks again for your help and advice.

It arrived today and just quickly wired it up with the morduant short speakers. Sounds great and better than i was expecting. Its plenty powerful enough as well. So much better than the spare PC speakers i have been using the last few days.

Marsman said:
£31 for a 2020A? Not sure where you've seen that.

I'd probably get this one for £19, which is fulfilled by the jungle people. 3A is better than 2A PSU, but an extra £12 is a bit much for one of these in my opinion, unless it comes with a better 5A PSU; which it doesn't. You'd be better off spending the extra £12 on a 5A PSU separately, if needed.

Anyway, the 2024A one for £26 is the one I was referring to. I was wrong though. I thought it has a better PSU included, but looking through some comments though, when someone asked what amp the PSU was, two people said that they got 2A PSUs.

So, best not to assume something comes with a 5A PSU unless stated. :p

Just had a look on the famous auction site, just to see if I can spot one with a 5A PSU and I saw someone selling the same 2020A that's on the jungle site for £19, they had for £41! Can buy a SMSL SA36 for that. [insert facepalm gif]
Click to expand...
 
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