Lepai LP-A6 Hi-Fi Stereo Mosfet Amplifier 20 Watt RMS with Sanyo’s Chip LA4636

If you're familiar with Lepai, you probably know about their highly acclaimed lp-2020+. That's how I learned of them as well. I own 3 2020's and they serve me well. I was shopping for a power source for my 3rd 2020 (parts express forgot to include it with last one) and i came across all the other Lepai models. I checked all the product pages out and was really curious what they had to offer as far as performance. I started by researching the various amplifier chips they put in these and decided to purchase 2 amps with the higher performance chips. This is the first one that arrived.Now, either my A6 is an older model, or one of the newer ones. I'm guessing it's outdated though. This A6 doesn't look like the one pictured. It doesn't have a tuner, nor does it have the tone bypass control.But i'm not too beat up about it.I thought the lp-2020+ was small, but the A6 is even more compact.I plugged it in and immediately could tell that it doesn't have the same quality as the 2020-the amp isn't silent when in idle. but the noise isn't terrible. it's only real noticeable when you're a foot or 2 from the speakers. Also, the volume knob flashes blue and red, but I can hear the 'click' of the lights in the left channel as they switch when I'm right next to the speaker.Well on to the important stuff.I'm very impressed with the sound of this amp. It doesn't have the tube sound that the 2020 provides, and it doesn't quite have the same dynamics, but it does have a very detailed and clean sound. The bass isn't lacking, the midrange is flat and smooth, and the highs seem adequately extended and clear. It definitely doesn't sound like a cheap desktop 'D'istortion amp. from what I can tell, I get about 5W per channel of power before the distortion becomes noticeable. And if you're worried that 5W won't give you enough volume, don't even be concerned. I've dedicated this amp to a pair of mediocre bookshelf speakers, but they have a sensitivity of 90dB and this amp can make 'em scream.Overall, I really like this little amplifier. A solid class D amp for a very low price. In fact, it replaced one of my lp-2020+'s. If you're curious about it, i say go for it. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Distorts easily driving small 15watt speakers.