KinterK2020A+ Limited Edition Original Tripath TA2020-020 Class-T Hi-Fi Audio Mini Amplifier with 12V 5A Power Supply Black

Update - the amp performance still bothered me, too many positive reviews here so I did more testing.I tried yet another set of speakers, some Paradigm Atoms that seemed to be sized well for the T2020. I also dragged out my AudioSource Model 2 so I could baseline the Atoms. Turns out the Atoms sound fine with the Kinter. So why didn't the Klipsch sound fine? I expect the two 6" woofers were just a bit much for the Kinter and the 12V factory supply and that's why the bass suffered. Also the tweeter in the Klipsch is way louder than the Atoms - I didn't not hear the switching noise as loudly with the Atoms but clearly heard it with the Klipsch.How does the T2020 compare with the AudioSource on the Atoms? It's probably 90% as good according to my tin ears. Bass was fine, treble was fine, nothing fuzzy or distorted sounding; totally acceptable for the price of the T2020.What about the switching noise? Well turns out I was probably hearing some inter-mods aliasing down in the audio range. With the volume all the way down and the audio input cable disconnected from the source you can see an 870KHz oscillation on the speaker outputs from the class D driver. I tried to get a scope shot of the aliased lower frequency noise but the best I could do was a 32KHz-ish scope shot. My hearing rolls off sharply above 13KHz but you can definitely hear idle "hiss" if your tweeters are any good. Is it a problem? Well I will leave that up to you to decide, as a studio monitor this is probably not your amp but to fill a room with sound, you will probably never hear the hiss.How well did it do with bass and high frequency? Well I did some scope shots to get you some data. These were taken in parallel with the speaker acting as a load and you can see the switching hash at high frequencies to be sure but you can't really perceive it. The 40Hz looks fine on the scope and the 20KHz looks a little hashy but hey - that's how class D works, not much you can do about it.I included some shots of the AudioSource so you can see the difference. The sine wave was from a function generator app on an iPhone for both amps. The AudioSource has the higher p-p voltages and the cleaner output obviously.What about the minimus 7s? Well they stink compared to the Paradigms of course but that's kinda apples and oranges. When I put the minimus 7s on the AudioSource they sounded similar to the Kinter so I began to suspect there was a speaker problem. The woofer surround looked fine when it was mounted in the speaker but when I removed the drivers I could see a crack at the base of the foam, which is why the bass suffered so badly in these units. So I put in some generic 4" woofers and the minimus 7s sound ok now on both the AudioSource and the Kinter. To be honest the Kinter sounded slightly better as you could boost the bass with the tone controls to match the tiny speakers.Bottom line - buy this amp if you have reasonable expectations and reasonable speakers, it sounds fine and it is worth the money. If you are pushing too big a driver you might be sad, but for a modest system the T2020 does just fine.Oh and this is not a paid review, I bought this thing. Also bought a DAMGOO bluetooth amp with the TPA3116D2 part in it. That amp sounds fine as well given the cost, same comment on the hiss, but no scope shots of it yet.================= original review below ===================Wanted to like this amp based on the many reviews but they didn't deliver at all on sound quality. Initially I hooked it up to a pair of Minimus-7s figuring they should be well matched and used my iPod as the source. Started with the tone knobs both on mid range. The high end was super bright and clear but bass was muted. Fine, cut back on the treble knob and cranked up the bass and the amp delivered a fuzzy and muted thump for every bass drum kick. Ok - maybe the surrounds on these speakers are bad? Nope - the drivers had been replaced and the foam was all good. Ok maybe the crossover is bad, I'll try a different speaker.So I hooked up a known good Klipsch RC3 center channel speaker which has 6" woofers in it. Cranked the bass up again and it started to come through but still felt very thin. For something like a cello or standup bass notes you can probably get away with it, but for any music with a backbeat and some punch this amp falls flat on its face. Also there is a continuous 13KHz hiss coming out of the speakers, either with or without an audio source - regardless of volume level. Very noticeable, not acceptable.The final straw was when I plugged the iPod back into the Cambridge Soundworks model 88 radio I was trying to replace. Night and day difference, the model 88 has tons of bass punch compared to this amp, and my model 88 has had a long and hard life in the shop and has been rode hard and put away wet. It has a tiny 4" driver and it put our more bass than the alleged 20W into the RC3. If you own Klipsch speakers you know how loud they get and how efficient they are, it's kinda their "thing". If this amp can't drive a Klipsch, what the heck can it drive?Maybe I got a dud, or maybe all the hype was too good to be true, don't really care. Don't buy this amp unless you long for the sounds of a paper dash speaker with a whizzer cone in your clapped out Chevy II, and a photo flash unit charging up next to your head.

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.