Lepai LP-168HA Mini Amp Tested and Reviewed

Lepai LP-168HA "Super Bass" 2.1 Mini Power Amplifier

The Chinese mini amp invasion continues! This time we will show off the Lepai LP-168HA, a 2.1 channel mini amp. It is called a 2.1 amp, because it offers 2 stereo channels as well as a single "bass" channel. Sounds very promising at the rated 40x2, plus 68x1 power output. Now, as we've seen before, the manufacturer's ratings for these amps means nothing...Actual RMS output means everything!

The Lepai LP-168HA offers 3 inputs, all in parallel (non switchable). On the front, there is a 3.5mm stereo input jack, while the back offers left and right RCA input jacks as well as a USB port. The USB port will play back MP3 files on a compatible thumb drive, MP3 player, cell phone, etc. This feature wasn't tested other than for charging and it failed on 2 out of 3 devices tested. The 1st generation iPod Nano was the only device accepting a charge from the LP-168HA...neither the iPhone 3G nor the iPhone 4 would receive charge from the USB port.

Lepai LP-168HA's Rear Connections

The LP-168HA also offers a separate volume (and TINY knob) for the bass channel as well as the stereo channels. Unlike most amps offering a bass channel, there is no "master" volume controlling all outputs. You must adjust the bass channel and stereo channels independently. What a horrible design! Furthermore, the bass channel reaches full power at just a slight turn of the bass volume adjustment. There is no input gain control for the channels, just the volume knobs.

Speaking of input gain, there is a VERY important note here...I was unable to drive the front channels to clipping with an iPod Nano 1st gen or iPhone 4. It appears the LP-168HA wants an input of around 2-3V to reach max volume, and most portable devices don't have enough juice! I had to use my Yamaha home theater receiver with approx. 3V pre-outs to drive the LP-168HA to it's maximum volume. I didn't mention this in the video review, but feel it is a BIG deal.

Another area of interest is the crossover for the bass channel. I just verified my tests in the video using a 2nd example of this LP-168HA and both exhibit the same issue. The bass channel's crossover is cutting out some of the highs, but not fully until 2kHz or higher. I tested using a 1kHz test tone and was still able to hear it quite clear, even setting the crossover at 50Hz! Needless to say, you'll want to add a passive choke to keep your "subwoofer" from getting frequencies too high. Speaking of this, I'm not sure which "subwoofer" you'd use with this amp, but it better be a small and efficient one!

Lepai LP-168HA Controls

Watch as I verify RMS power output using the Velleman HPS50 and SMD DD-1 Distortion Detector. How close can we get to the manufacturers claim of 40x2 and 68x1? Well, you're gonna have to watch and see....

If you haven't seen the intro article to the "Chinese Mini Amp Invasion" check it out now. Also, I've made a video playlist of all the mini amps I've tested, see it HERE.

Make sure to Subscribe to my YouTube Channel to stay updated of my latest videos. You can also follow me on Twitter @oldschoolstereo.

See the Lepai LP-168HA in HD on YouTube

or embedded below:

700 Watt Mini Amp? Lepai LP-V3 Tested and Reviewed

Lepai LP-V3 Mini Amp

The Chinese Mini Amp Invasion continues!! Next up is the Lepai LP-V3. This mini amp touts use of a BOSE power IC. In fact, the non-grammar corrected text "This Amplifier is use BOSE Power IC" is silk-screened on the amp. You'll also see "700 W Max Music Power" labeled on the amp. The LP-V3 uses the exact same enclosure as the LP-2020A+, I reviewed earlier.

See a size comparison w/ the LP-2020A+ below:

Lepai LP-2020A+ and LP-V3 Mini Amplifiers

In addition to touting a BOSE IC, the LP-V3 promises an RMS Power Output of 25 Watts. No clarification if this 25 Watts is per channel or total watts...

The next two pictures below show both ends of the amp...one for the controls, the other for the connections. Here again, the LP-V3 is a clone to the LP-2020A+:

Lepai LP-V3 Controls; Power, Tone/Direct, Bass, Treble & Volume

Lepai LP-V3 Connections; RCA, 1/8" inputs, Spring-Loaded Speaker Terminals and 12v5A DC  Power Input

Well, enough about the connections and controls, how does the LP-V3 sound? Well, in a nutshell, weak. I was expecting much more dynamic and punchy sound as delivered by the LP-2020A+. The LP-V3 appeared to run out of steam quickly and obviously didn't put out anywhere near the power of the 2020A+. In fact, the LP-V3, reminded me greatly of the tiny and unimpressive Kinter MA-150 I tested earlier. Very disappointing, especially considering the supposed "Real" RMS output of 25 watts. I was beginning to seriously doubt the validity of this claim. Fortunately, I have an easy way to determine the actual RMS output of this amp...

Results? Not impressive and not even close to the 700 Watt, or the 25 Watt RMS ratings. Using a 12V 35Ah Sealed Lead-Acid battery showing 13.0V of charge, I was able to obtain:

Output Test Results:

• 4.43V RMS of Unloaded Output at the speaker terminals
• 2.0 Watts RMS / channel at 8 ohms
• 3.6 Watts RMS / channel at 4 ohms
• 5.1 Watts RMS / channel at 2 ohms
• 11.9 Watts MAX / channel at 2 ohms

(tests above were conducted using a 1kHz 0dB Sine Wave Test Tone from the SMD DD-1 test disk and output was verified by the DD-1, which detects distortion at 1%. The resistive loads of 8, 4 and 2 were conducted with BOTH channels loaded)

Stay tuned for more tests of these mini amps and see which one (if any) you should buy. Check out my video review of the Lepai LP-V3 below. Make sure to Subscribe to my YouTube Channel to stay updated of my latest videos. You can also follow me on Twitter @oldschoolstereo.


See the video on YouTube in 720p HD or embedded below:

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500 Watts in Your Pocket? Kinter MA-150 Mini Amp

Kinter MA-150 vs. CD: Size Comparison

The promise of 500 Watts in a palm-sized amplifier is appealing to many people. The Kinter MA-150 is another contender in my Chinese Mini Amp Invasion shootout and is the smallest amp in the bunch. Although technology such as "Boosted Rail" has enabled Rockford Fosgate to make the PBR300x1 just slightly larger, it "only" promises 300 Watts of power at 1 ohm. Not to mention, the PBR300x1 costs around 10x as much as the Kinter MA-150...

I picked up the Kinter MA-150 from an eBay seller for around $15 US shipped from China. Now, logic will tell us we shouldn't expect much from an amp only costing a few dollars, right? Yes, this is a rational thought. "You get what you pay for" comes to mind. So, what does the $15 get you? Continue reading...

The Kinter MA-150 has a slightly different design than the other amps in this shootout as it requires molex-style plugs for the speakers and power. The other amps in this comparison have spring-loaded speaker terminals and a 5.5mm x 2.1mm center positive power plug.

Kinter MA-150 Speaker Output and Power Inputs

The opposite side of the MA-150 has a USB port for charging external devices, RCA L/R jacks, Volume knob and crossover switch. See picture below:

Kinter MA-150's USB, RCA, X-over and Volume adjustments

For more details on the technical specifications, please see the Chinese Mini Amp Invasion article for a spreadsheet comparing each amplifier in the shootout.

The Kinter MA-150 is heavily marketed on eBay as a motorcycle or scooter amplifier. Obviously, the main reason is the small size, low power consumption and "rated" high-power output. Now, logic and science will tell us, based on the MA-150's 12v 0.5A power requirement, you can use the equation Watts = Volts x Amps to get 12 x 0.5 = 6. Taking into account 100% efficiency, the amp should put out 6 watts, based on the power going in. Well, unfortunately, the amp is NOT 100% efficient, so even the 6 watts may be a stretch.

Power ratings vs. actual output aside, I decided to run the sound quality test first. I tested several tracks, including one of my favorite "Chelsea's Day" by Sam Cardon. It was readily appearant to me the MA-150 didn't have the power, clarity or dynamics of the Lepai LP-2020A+ . My reference speakers, the Athena Point 5 MKII bookshelf speakers are extremely transparent and it was obvious the MA-150 was struggling to push them to room-filling level. Again, based on the output I was expecting, this wasn't a surprise to me. After a few minutes demoing my reference tracks, I decided to put the MA-150 on the OldSchoolStereo.com test bench and get some actual numbers.

Results? Not impressive and not even close to the 500 Watt rating. Using a 12V 35Ah Sealed Lead-Acid battery showing 13.0V of charge, I was able to obtain:

Output Test Results:

• 4.56V RMS of Unloaded Output at the speaker terminals
• 2.1 Watts RMS / channel at 8 ohms
• 3.4 Watts RMS / channel at 4 ohms
• 5.3 Watts RMS / channel at 2 ohms
• 15.6 Watts MAX / channel at 2 ohms

(tests above were conducted using a 1kHz 0dB Sine Wave Test Tone from the SMD DD-1 test disk and output was verified by the DD-1, which detects distortion at 1%. The resistive loads of 8, 4 and 2 were conducted with BOTH channels loaded)

Stay tuned for more tests of these mini amps and see which one (if any) you should buy. Check out my video review of the Kinter MA-150 below. Make sure to Subscribe to my YouTube Channel to stay updated of my latest videos. You can also follow me on Twitter @oldschoolstereo.

See my video review / bench test of the Kinter MA-150 and decide for yourself if this is the amp for you...


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Chinese Mini Amp Invasion! Kinter, Lepai and More

Mini Amps Galore! 3 Models from Kinter, 3 from Lepai and 1 from TeLi

If you spend anytime on eBay looking at car audio amplifiers, then you've surely come across some of the amps I'm going to talk about here. Lepai and Kinter are just a few of the brands you'll see quite often. Some of these mini amps are small enough to fit in your pocket and promise 500 to 700W of power. So why spend several hundred dollars on a fancy name brand amplifier when you can pick up most of these for under $20 US shipped? In the near future, I'll test each amp for RMS Watt output and with some reference speakers and we may soon see why.

After receiving and testing my first mini amp, the Lepai LP-2020A+, I decided it may be interesting to pick up a few more of these mini amps and have a shootout! Here are the models I've obtained thus far:

Lepai Amps:

• LP-2020A+ - my first mini amp, rated at 550W MAX (20W RMS) output. Tripath design, TA-2020, 2-channel, RCA/3.5mm input, bass/treble/bypass, large volume knob w/ blue LED backlight. 4-8 ohm compatible, 9-13.2V 4A power requirement (per box, amp says 12V 2A?). S/N ratio >80dB
• LP-V3 - "This amp is use BOSE power IC" (my favorite amp quote). Rated at 700W MAX (25W RMS) output, identical in size to the LP-2020A+ (so why the 700W rating?). 2 channel, RCA/3.5mm input, bass/treble/bypass, large volume knob w/ blue LED backlight. 2-8 ohm compatible, 9-14.4V 5A power requirement (per box, amp says 12V 2A also). S/N ratio >80dB
• LP-168HA - 2.1 (3 channel) design with ratings of 40x2 and 68x1 watts. Has separate volume for bass, built-in x-over, bass/treble/volume (all same size). RCA/3.5mm inputs, USB port, spring-loaded speaker terminals for Front L/R and Sub. 14.4v 5A power requirement.

Kinter Amps:

• MA-150 - the smallest amp in the group, rated at 500W MAX. BTL desigh, filter for L/Off/H (x-over?), RCA L/R inputs, speaker/power connections by molex-style plug w/ attached wires. 12v 0.5A power requirement
• MA-170 - Similar design to the Lepai LP-2020A+, but smaller. BTL design, 2-channel. Large volume knob, bass/treble adjustments, sprint-loaded speaker terminals, RCA L/R inputs. 9-14.4V DC power requirement, no Amperage specified. Rated at 100W PMPO or 4W x2 RMS, S/N ratio >70dB
• MA-200 - largest amp in the group. 4-channel design using 2x TDA7377 IC's, rated at 41W x4 channels RMS at 1kHz. Has equal size knobs for treble/bass/volume. Includes display for function display; AUX or FM. Includes input for USB and SD/MMC card. 12V 5A power requirement.

TeLi Amp:

• A6 - identical in size to the Kinter MA-170. 2 channel, BTL design, RCA/3.5mm inputs, bass/treble range +/- 15dB. 8-15V DC power requirement (no amperage mentioned)

See the latest Spreadsheet below with specs comparison or download it if you prefer:

Stay tuned for upcoming tests of each mini amp and we'll see which one (if any) you should buy. Check out the video overview of each amp below. Make sure to Subscribe to my YouTube Channel to stay updated of my latest videos. You can also follow me on Twitter @oldschoolstereo.

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Big 'Ol Stack of Mini Amps!

Kinter MA-150 in Orion HCCA Red