Lepai LP1601S 200W Class D Stereo Amplifier with Bluetooth and Power Supply

Description

Lepai's LP1601S, a 200-watt Class D amplifier, boasts an impressive feature set rarely seen in its price range. Its standout feature is the high power output in a compact size, closely followed by the aptX Bluetooth capability for high-quality wireless audio. The amplifier's headphone output further sets it apart, enabling music listening in virtually any scenario. Review: I'm only driving a pair of bookshelf speakers, but ... - I'm only driving a pair of bookshelf speakers, but I wanted lots of headroom and ideally some room to grow, so I sought an affordable stereo amp with 100w per channel into 8-ohms. This fits that bill, and was actually the only affordable stereo amp I could find that did. It is just as advertised - nothing particularly fancy. I haven't had any trouble getting plenty of power, and the bluetooth connection seems reasonable. Documentation seems to be inconsistent as to whether this does 100w per channel, or 120w, or 160w. It seems that the most accurate description is probably 100w per channel at around 1% THD, and higher power output per channel only at higher THD. I didn't find any info in the documentation, so just in case you had any ideas of using the headphone/line out on the front for a powered sub or anything, note that using that headphone output cuts off the speaker outputs. I'm no audiophile, and the speakers are only $200-$300 per pair Klipsch bookshelf speakers, so it wouldn't make sense to get into frequency response discussions. I do not detect any undue distortion or over- or under-emphasis. My only gripe is that there is a hiss in the left channel that is perceptible when the amp is on but no content is playing. The volume of the hiss seems to be independent of volume settings, and consistently stays with the left channel even when sources, speakers, and cables are swapped. The hiss is not perceptible when any content is playing, so I guess it's not that big of a deal. I found reviews on other sites describing similar, so didn't bother trying to exchange for another unit (I kept it). 3/5 stars "it's okay" due to the hiss in the left channel. It seems reasonable for a ~$100 stereo amp capable of 100w per channel. Review: Good size - Bluetooth range coverage is not good, even less than 3feet from my phone and signal very weak, decided to keep it because the size is very small and powerful, but only use with the cable option.