• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

The worst piece of HiFi Equipment you've ever owned?

Audio Research D 52b. Apparently the gain module, the thing encased in plastic, went rogue and blew up a sweet pair of ProAc Studio 1s. A VT 100 II’s 6550 blew up and even took out an inch trace of the circuit board. Why that company mounted its power tubes horizontally is beyond me. Then two of the power supply transistors went bad and the power supply had to be rebuilt. The late Bill Thalman to the rescue. I have to question the brand’s reliability, although a D70 II has held up, but all the tubes are mounted correctly..
 
Lepai 2020ti
I think this is the worst audio item I've ever had.
Just awful sound quality.
Perhaps it's just production inconsisteny or I got a lemon, as it seems to be getting favorable reviews.
I've had no problems with other cheap Chinese D class amps from SMSL and also less problems with the ofen maligned "ZK" range (even more mini..) mini amps.

71yGMG0M9bL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg
 
Apreggiator said:
Lepai 2020ti
I think this is the worst audio item I've ever had.
Just awful sound quality.
Perhaps it's just production inconsisteny or I got a lemon, as it seems to be getting favorable reviews.
I've had no problems with other cheap Chinese D class amps from SMSL and also less problems with the ofen maligned "ZK" range (even more mini..) mini amps.

71yGMG0M9bL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg
Click to expand...

The weird thing with these amps is that they shipped with 12-volt 3-amp power supplies, that I think were actually far less than 3-amps, because they'd distort at moderate to loud volume levels because the included power supply couldn't deliver enough current. Once you replaced the original power supply with a 12-volt 5-amp, they actually sounded pretty good for the price and would go pretty loud (only a bump of 2 amps, so I think the 3-amp included wasn't anywhere close to 3-amp).

There were two versions of these Lepai's that look identical with slightly different model numbers -- one could go up to a 20-volt power supply and the other was limited to 12 volts but handle much higher current than the 3-amp supplied. I had one of the 20-volt amps fail and bought a replacement amp. I didn't realize the replacement amp was the version limited to 12 volts -- so I done blowed up the new amp real good :) when I moved my 20-volt power supply to it.

With a good power supply, they sounded very good for what they were, but they weren't very well made and would eventually fail. I could never figure out why they shipped them with such a horribly underpowered power supply -- it probably would have cost them another 50 cents to include a viable supply.
 
peterp1 said:
The weird thing with these amps is that they shipped with 12-volt 3-amp power supplies, that I think were actually far less than 3-amps, because they'd distort at moderate to loud volume levels because the included power supply couldn't deliver enough current. Once you replaced the original power supply with a 12-volt 5-amp, they actually sounded pretty good for the price and would go pretty loud (only a bump of 2 amps, so I think the 3-amp included wasn't anywhere close to 3-amp).

There were two versions of these Lepai's that look identical with slightly different model numbers -- one could go up to a 20-volt power supply and the other was limited to 12 volts but handle much higher current than the 3-amp supplied. I had one of the 20-volt amps fail and bought a replacement amp. I didn't realize the replacement amp was the version limited to 12 volts -- so I done blowed up the new amp real good :) when I moved my 20-volt power supply to it.

With a good power supply, they sounded very good for what they were, but they weren't very well made and would eventually fail. I could never figure out why they shipped them with such a horribly underpowered power supply -- it probably would have cost them another 50 cents to include a viable supply.
Click to expand...
I've always powered them (all class D amps mentioned) with laptop 19v bricks and power tool batteries (adapters for these used to be 10ish bucks on aliexpress), and can echo that the wall warts usually are items you'd want to ditch asap with these kind of amps.
 
Apreggiator said:
Lepai 2020ti
I think this is the worst audio item I've ever had.
Just awful sound quality.
Perhaps it's just production inconsisteny or I got a lemon, as it seems to be getting favorable reviews.
I've had no problems with other cheap Chinese D class amps from SMSL and also less problems with the ofen maligned "ZK" range (even more mini..) mini amps.
Click to expand...
Yep, I bought one also. How much was it, do you remember? Maybe I have blocked what I paid for out of my memory?!?! $30? $50? I bought it just to output from my desktop to a couple of cheap desktop speakers. Gawd it was awful. So tinny, metallic. I threw it away within days.
 

​

A Buckeye Amp with I think a NC252MP amplifier back in 2024. I purchased it thinking it would be a good Class D amplifier to 'warm up' to but no way. A friend brought over his very original Carver 400t to compare with a small 15-year-old Parasound. I wanted to trade him on the spot. It ended up on Audiogon but sold to a fellow on Marketplace.

​

 
peterp1 said:
The weird thing with these amps is that they shipped with 12-volt 3-amp power supplies, that I think were actually far less than 3-amps, because they'd distort at moderate to loud volume levels because the included power supply couldn't deliver enough current. Once you replaced the original power supply with a 12-volt 5-amp, they actually sounded pretty good for the price and would go pretty loud (only a bump of 2 amps, so I think the 3-amp included wasn't anywhere close to 3-amp).

There were two versions of these Lepai's that look identical with slightly different model numbers -- one could go up to a 20-volt power supply and the other was limited to 12 volts but handle much higher current than the 3-amp supplied. I had one of the 20-volt amps fail and bought a replacement amp. I didn't realize the replacement amp was the version limited to 12 volts -- so I done blowed up the new amp real good :) when I moved my 20-volt power supply to it.

With a good power supply, they sounded very good for what they were, but they weren't very well made and would eventually fail. I could never figure out why they shipped them with such a horribly underpowered power supply -- it probably would have cost them another 50 cents to include a viable supply.
Click to expand...
I did not know this about the power supply differences. See my reply also to @Apreggiator. I'll have to look and see if I did, in fact, throw mine away. Maybe mine is still around here somewhere;).

Thanks for that information.
 
I woke up this morning and thought of something worse than that Buckeye Amp. I sold off my nice Dual turntable to a friend to purchase a Fisher 502 when I was in high school. It was a Perpetuum Ebner 2040 and had so much horizontal friction I had to start using my Shure M93E and ADC cartridge instead of the new Stanton 681 I planned to use with it.
 
The only thing I can think of that was "the worst" was an RG Dynamic Processer. To me, everything was louder, but not improved, sound wise. I think when I bought it, I was kinda into those shiny things. I sold it with a preamp and power amp to a buddy that swore buy it. Honorable mention goes to a pair of Polk 5jrs, and a couple of pair of ADS speakers. Maybe I wasn't fair to the Polks, but they were an Ebay purchase, and arrived with a shifted magnet that I had to take care of, so that soured my opinion. The ADS' were just not to my ear senses. One of the best things about this pastime is somebody is looking for something.
 
Worst ever? I still own it, so I am being reminded of on a daily basis by most of my Hi Fi "buddies" active on all Hi-Fi forums out there. What gear I'm revering too? Well, that would be the only gear I have of course :rflmao:

See for the gear in question my profile pic far right, and AK account signature under this post / reply :dunno:
 
Last edited:
Bushikan said:
?
Click to expand...
I try to go for the most neutral sounding vintage - in my case - gear possible of my liking. Hence my Philips gear. But also late 70's, 1980's early 90's dedicated 2 channel Hi-Fi stereos, from Technics, Marantz, HK, Yamaha, Sansui, Rotel, Luxman, for example would have delivered that. Coloring I add if I want or need it, with tone control.
 
Last edited:
The worst piece of "hi-fi" gear I owned was a Sears branded, supposedly quad, receiver with an integrated 8-track player in it. I never used the 8-track. I bought it used but it was likely first sold in the early 1970s. I knew almost nothing about hi-fi at the time but I did quickly realize I wasted my money on it. It turned out to be a valuable lesson at the very beginning of my hi-fi journey. I never made that severe of a mistake again. I bought it in my late teens and waited until I was out of college and saved enough money to buy something decent.

This turned out to be a new pair of JBL L100t3 speakers and a new Onkyo TX-84 receiver. I was smart enough then to know to spend the bulk of my budget on a very good pair of speakers. I spent around $1,200 on the speakers and $370 on the receiver. I still have the L100t3s and a few years ago picked up a pristine TX-84 (with remote) from FBM for $100 to scratch my nostalgia itch. I haven't used the TX-84 yet and I probably shouldn't have bought it. Who knows what I would have bought without learning a hard lesson from that crappy Sears stereo. I loved the sound from the L100t3s so much that I have used mostly JBL speakers ever since.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom