Old class A vs New class D.

[triode17]

Lepai lp 160. I'm obviously being provocotive. This arose out of a discussion I had with a friend who recently purchased a samsung home theater system that purportedly has 1000 watts system power. I tried to explain to him the concept that all watts are not created equal but it fell on deaf ears. (pun intended)

I have wondered about the power rating of my own A/V receiver. But I think it's that Dolby Digital and the like are multiplexing the channels, so that none can pass full power at the same time. That's' how a 100w/Ch. stereo receiver can also produce "500w".

 

[triode17]

I've just started experimenting with a Lepai 20w/ch amp. for a product my bro-in-law is developing. It sounds pretty good but not great. These are cheap Chinese amps. and are nothing special if you ask me.

 

[Archguy]

I've just started experimenting with a Lepai 20w/ch amp. for a product my bro-in-law is developing. It sounds pretty good but not great. These are cheap Chinese amps. and are nothing special if you ask me.

Which one is it? I wouldn't be too hasty to generalize from a sample of n=1.
Some of these 'cheap chinese amps' are not particularly special; others are.

 

[KingBubba]

As noted by many, the power supply for these little amps can be a very important issue. If they don't get enough juice, they don't perform.

 

[JoeESP9]

But I think it's that Dolby Digital and the like are multiplexing the channels, so that none can pass full power at the same time. That's' how a 100w/Ch. stereo receiver can also produce "500w".

Say what!?

 

[Rex81]

Which one is it? I wouldn't be too hasty to generalize from a sample of n=1.
Some of these 'cheap chinese amps' are not particularly special; others are.

I agree. All chip amps are not the same. Some are made off of cheaply designed and cheaply produced boards. But others are well-implemented with robust power supplies. The 3116 and 3118 (among others) chips are designed by Texas Instruments, an American company with American engineers. In fact, a number of those engineers visit audio forums like this one to get feedback on their performance and suggestions for improvements. I think that's pretty cool. And the TI chips are still very inexpensive.

 

[RobRoy]

The nice thing about the Crowns is that they're engineered and built to withstand their intended use: Professional DJ and sound reinforcement. Have you seen how this stuff gets treated? Left on for days on end, cranked to the max, sits outside in a freezing car night after night, dropped, tossed, beer spilled on, and everything else you can think of.

That 8 lb amp will put up with a lot more abuse and last a lot longer than most 50lb monsters, I'm sure.

You've seen how I treat mine.

All of my PA equipment is kept in a watertight, but not air tight shed where the internal temperature ranges from below zero to over 100 degrees and very high humidity. So far, so good.

BTW, they are stored right next to about 2000 of my 3,000 LP's. I checked one of those boxes after six years of storage. The records were like new. I think the key is they are pretty snugly packed in the boxes.