Kinter K2020A+ Limited Edition Original Tripath TA2020-020 Class-T Hi-Fi Audio Mini Amplifier with 12V 5A Power Supply Black

Excelente equipo de audio! Los componentes internos Texas Instruments son digitales producion un audio HI FI único para audiofilos!

The sound is pretty amazing. The interface is simple, easy to setup, and operate. The unit is very light, so it's best if it can be mounted somewhere, otherwise every time you try to push a button or rotate a dial, it moves. The markup was a bit steep though (reason for docking a star), still a great purchase.

I bought this amp to replace an older Lepai that had given up the ghost, since the current Lepai or Lepy models don't use a tripath anymore and as a clone of those amps it fits the mounting holes I already had on my desk. It made my speakers buzz and whine softly from the moment I plugged it in, even without a source connected. Unfortunately I procrastinated a few months before setting it up and was well past the return period so I had to live with it. Tonight I woke up to the kind of popping and crackling noises that sounded like a bonfire and panicked thinking my apartment was about to burn down. Turns out there was no fire, I had just forgotten to turn this piece of junk off before going to bed and it was feeding loud static through my speakers. Since I won't be falling back asleep any time soon after that adrenaline surge, I'm instead writing this to warn other buyers: spend your money on something else.

I ordered this because I missed out on the original Tripath 2020 craze from a couple years ago. It appears that the class-T amplifier chips from Tripath are no longer being made and all the other mini amps out there have migrated to the "lesser" TI (Texas Instruments) chips. While searching around I happen to see someone recommend this Kinter limited edition amplifier as the only one still using the Tripath chips, so I jumped on the chance to own one. The amp comes securely packaged, and includes a good quality power brick in the box. Not included / what you need to add is a pair of speakers, speaker wire, a 3.5mm or RCA cable, and a sound source. My source is a desktop PC, so the 3.5mm audio jack was a nice surprise as I expected I would need to hunt around for an RCA adapter! I made all the connections and powered it on - you will hear a "click" from the speakers when turning on and off. I have connected a pair of Polk bookshelf speakers. The sound quality is great! With using the "direct" setting on the AMP I find the sound warm and full. There is perhaps a bit too much mid-bass by default, but I believe this is the tuning of the speakers more than the amp. Both stereo channels are working great, and the power produced is more than enough. I keep the amp volume knob at 20% and use the PC volume slider to adjust up/down as needed. One thing I like is the amp does not require a threshold to start playing, so even at extremely low volumes the speakers continue playing as expected. Bottom line: Discrete amp provides more flexibility, upgradability, and better overall sound than a comparable set of powered PC speakers at a similar cost. Pros: Hi quality Tripath amp Low cost / good value Includes RCA and 3.5mm audio inputs Quality power supply included Plenty of power for entry / mid bookshelf speakers Cons: Bright led in the volume knob Click/Pop sound when power is switched on/off Always on / no power saver (note, I prefer this as mentioned in the review it will play even at very low volumes)

This review (Jan 2020) is for the newest version Kinter tripath 20 watts/channel amplifier. I tested this amp with my studio monitors, which are a pretty awesome Paul Carmody design rated at 80W per channel, 8 ohms. While probably some people will find it useful, I have no interest in using the built-in treble/bass EQ , so I can't comment on that. I appreciate the fact that there is a selector switch to turn it off and take it out of the signal path -- awesome design choice!! (There is an audible increase in volume from this amp when the EQ is deactivated.) The test: I played a few punchy EDM reference tracks through this amp and ran the volume knob at 1/3, then 1/2, then a bit less than 2/3. I do not enjoy over-the-top volume levels but I do enjoy feeling the bass a tad. At all settings this amplifier is really very good. It is in fact a bit punchier, and with a bit fuller low end at identical loudness settings, than a "classic" early 90's era amplifier that I own. Of course an 80 or 100 watt per channel full-sized amp will go louder for sure. But I really enjoyed the sound of the Kinter tripath. it is a solid sounding amplifier and has enough transient current sourcing capability to deal with punchy tracks where kick drums and similar excursions are important. The sound does have something nice (but very subtle) about it, which might be the "tripath warmth" that others commented on. For near field monitoring at my desk I found the volume of this amp quite adequate and the distortion free at all settings. Of course it would make no sense to compare maximum volume on this amp with the maximum of an 80 or 100 watt amp, so I won't do that. Likewise I have no interest in cranking this amp up until I hear audible distortion, and at maximum settings the THD likewise won't compare with that of a good quality 80 or 100 watt full sized amplifier. But that is to be expected for *any* 20 watt per channel amplifier, so expectations have to be realistic. It is an excellent 20 watt per channel amplifier, really excellent. The best I have listened to by far. Several of the reviews have commented on noise, but no, in my experience there is no such noise. I found quite the opposite -- it is a totally quiet, noise free amplifier. If your recording is noise free, this amplifier does not introduce anything audible. One review commented that this amp is a lousy headphone amplifier -- I want to address that. It's not a headphone amplifier at all. There is no place anywhere to plug a set of cans into. The 3.5 mm jack in the back, next to the RCA connectors, is an input. If there were any lack of definition, bass, or punchiness, I would have heard it. Is it going to sound as good as a NAD? No, no, of course not. But it's a solid product, no problems at all.