Lepai LP-168HA Mini Amp Review - OldSchoolStereo.com Bench Test

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!

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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...the iPhone 3G nor the iPhone 4 would receive charge from the USB port.

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.

Also 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....

OK, it's confirmed...I just did some quick tests of my 2nd copy of this amp and it confirmed my original tests. The crossover is a joke, the sub channel is weak and something else VERY IMPORTANT I failed to mention in the video...the LP-168HA wants a higher voltage input than most portable mp3 players can provide. For example, I was unable to drive the amp to full volume (clipping) when using an iPod Nano or iPhone 4. I had to use a 3V pre-out signal from my Yamaha HT receiver for the tests

See the "Chinese Mini Amp Invasion" Article on OldSchoolStereo, which also has a matrix of all mini amps tested showing ratings and actual measurements:

http://www.oldschoolstereo.com/2011/1...

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