Tripath developed this Class D technology over two decades ago and since went out of business due to mismanagement. What's amazing is that some of the basic stuff, like their model numbers, are the same. TPA3112 is Texas Instruments, I believe, which bought out a lot of Tripath (if not in whole). This chip is similar to the original Tripath TA2022, I believe. If you ever get a chance would love a mini documentary about the rise of chip amps. I think it'd be a good topic for your audience, and you could run through a lot of the chip amps you covered and a few head units like the old Panasonic head units running 60w RMS. I think some of the newer Sony head units are running 50w now. Anyway, really enjoyed the vid, and glad to see your channel is thriving!
I wonder if these compact class D chip based amps have any decent dynamic range compared to classic amp solutions used in high quality big box amps used in hi-fi systems. Does the sound get distorted and compressed on higher volume? I know that these chips were designed to be used in small and/or portable audio systems and car hi-fi for example. Not to make an audiophile come in his pants. 😅 I got some questions about how good are the specs of this miniaturised amps.
This amp rocks although I used aiyima t9 but looks almost the same. I work at hifi store and after changing lamps adding a decent dac it really can rival normal amps like Denon. Everyone of my coworkers was impressed that it can drive high end like rubicons 8 really well without much distortion especially with new dac. Its EQ is really well to because it doesn't feel fake like those normal eq from denon. On a set with included lamps plus smsl su9 it best denon pma900 in precived sound quality
Douk ST-01 Pro TUBE tip: If your amp came with Chinese 6k4 tubes (has a red star printed on the glass), mine caused distortion. I upgraded to much better sound for $17 with GE JAN 5654W matched pair tubes. 6k4 tubes can be replaced by 6J1, 6J2, 6J3, 6J4, 6J5, 6"1N, 64N, 65N, 5654/5654W, 5725, 6AK5, EF95, 6BA6, 403B, etc. Your tubes may be ok. Just an FYI free tip.
thx for the home audio reviews! ......it would mean alot for the home audio community if you could start to dyno emotiva and such brands...outlaw etc still waiting on that 18inch sub in house review :)
@@wal ya true some stuff is super expensive hit them up they might send a review unit ...idk just want some home audio dynos haha...i seen one channel tested emotivas lil 50watt amp on a dyno think it started smoking lol....i have there new pt1 a2 setup it seems decent would like to know the true power on these units tho 🔥🔥 love the content 🔊
@@kevinb_420 Years back, just for shenanigans, I abused the heck out of that little Emotiva amp when I hooked it up to two 8" subs all while gaining up the RCA input through a headphone amp to get even more output. It survived, was running pretty warm, but nothing alarming.
Ive had mine since the cheap audio man review. I dont care about distortion, it sounds great and kicks ass. I bought an emotiva TA1 for $550 at the same time, and the emotiva sucks with its shitty shrill sound. The Douk ST01 is nice, lush full and wet sounding
*Shop (affiliate links):* Douk Audio ST-01 mini amp: amzn.to/3QE3NRp AIYIMA T9 mini amp: amzn.to/3dsovFs Elac Debut 2.0 6.5" Bookshelf Speakers: amzn.to/3dnSYEF Polk Audio PSW10 Powered Subwoofer: amzn.to/3dnT7YJ Precision Screwdriver kit: amzn.to/3zURucz Eneloop AAA Rechargeable Batteries: amzn.to/3AjPxaY *Related Videos:* Mini Amp Playlist: bit.ly/3bUtuyo Douk Audio M1 Pro Mini Amp: th-cam.com/video/WROm7jJbb2M/w-d-xo.html Douk Audio TONE Mini Amp: th-cam.com/video/ww_XwJXbnAs/w-d-xo.html Video Index: 0:00 Intro 0:50 Unboxing 2:06 Specs and Features 3:56 Amp Dyno Tests 5:48 Line Output Test 6:34 Sound Demo 7:56 Demo with Subwoofer 8:56 What's Inside? 10:28 Pros and Cons 11:37 Final Thoughts 12:02 EXTRAS _*DISCLAIMER*: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase from one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases_
the improved version Aiyima T9 Pro is out now. Worth a review I think. Uses the more powerful TPA3250 amp chip and better bluetooth qcc3031 and other chips.
I think with a tube preamp you are always going to get a lot of THD at high settings. It's desirable in a guitar amp but not so much in audio. I've never bench tested that on a McIntosh though and I would think that would be the standard by which we would judge.
Unlike other audiophile channels that speak gibberish. Your review was refreshingly easy to understand as a newbie. God Bless your Sir. You gained a new subscriber.
I have the Aiyima T9 version of this amp powering my Klipschorns. Teeny little amp / massive speakers... kinda funny.And, yes... it can get very loud without going much past 1/2 volume. But a couple of things that you didn't really cover is the presence, detail, and soundstage that this little amp produces; which is what really impressed me. I've played a lot of music that I know very well, and almost without fail have heard details that I never heard before. Janis Joplin's 'Summertime' is jaw-dropping. Curtis Mayfield's 'Pusherman' is a rediscovered masterpiece. Good live recordings sound exactly like that-live. Time and again it's been as if the band was in the room.
Douk ST-01 Pro TUBE tip: If your amp came with Chinese 6k4 tubes (has a red star printed on the glass), mine caused distortion. I upgraded to much better sound for $17 with GE JAN 5654W matched pair tubes. 6k4 tubes can be replaced by 6J1, 6J2, 6J3, 6J4, 6J5, 6"1N, 64N, 65N, 5654/5654W, 5725, 6AK5, EF95, 6BA6, 403B, etc. Your tubes may be ok. Just an FYI free tip.
They should sell a 30V power supply which is far better imo. I upgraded mine to the 30V from the 24V. I forget the part number but the 30V adapter was around 40 bucks.
I'm sure it was $$ concern to provide the 24V power supply. Also it puts less stress on the chip. I'll try 30V but I doubt it will do much more power than I show here. Maybe 10-15W?
Thanks Big D for homing in on these little gems. I almost pulled the trigger on this one until I saw the AIYIMA Tube T4 Audio 6J1, which fits my purposes which includes the qualcom 5,1 Bluetooth, but more importantly it has the ability to interchange OP Amps...Minor differences in these amps can have major results for US users. None of my tube amps (which include a 4 channel Leslie 102) have no subwoofer out...with Subs I'm prefer the high level way...
The t9 sounds better than the T4. You can also use the "sub out" and daisy chain another amp dull range. The smsl sa-98e and the 07 are perfect if you are able to bi amp
@@ufarkingicehole By using the word "sounds" do you mean you actually heard and compared the 2? I was pointing out these units are having a variety of interchangeable parts. I'd take the T10 over the T9 because it has the Qualcomm Bluetooth APX...
@@4LED I have. I've been through a lot of these type amps. The best I've found was the 07 and the smsl sa-98e for a cheap amp. I haven't heard the t10 yet but own the t9. I've also had a few like the smsl 0200 as well. Played with countless dacs all the way to a Pegasus dac and the smsl 0400. I hope to save people money and help people get the most for their money. I am moving on to buying a mini dsp next. I believe that's probably a necessity for anyone serious about audio. I have a good friend that wanted a killer system with a lot of bass on a budget. I got him to buy a Aiyima t8 pre (upgraded tube), Aiyima 07 to drive the highs and smsl sa-98e to drive the bass (bi amped). I talked him into getting a pair of jbl studio 590s on sale. This worked really well. Infact I challenge anyone to piece together a better system for the same budget.
@@ufarkingicehole Like you, I've tried the SMSL AO200 and prefer my A07 with its TPA3255 chip best, over my SMSL SA-98e with its TDA7498e. I'm interested in trying the Aiyima T9 or similar Douk ST-01. How would you compare the T9 to your A07? And have you tried your A07's 32v power supply with the T9 to boost power?
Excellent video! The best and most thorough review I have seen!! Came across this in my thread and thought I'd check it out. I'll have to look at other reviews down by the same person. I wonder if they did the Dayton Audio which does have 2 meters n phono jack?!?? Thanks for the video.
I read a review on YT and some chap was complaining about the Valves being for show, now I know they are Pre Amps. Cheers. I have a Denon, I want something Smaller for my mac. Dont need Hi Volume as I have Neigbours. Shame no headphone out.
@@V081WLBlue Not sure I want anything glowing or blinking like the VU. It's only for my computer, only live in a flat, so can't use any real volume. Open to any suggestions.
Douk ST-01 Pro TUBE tip: If your amp came with Chinese 6k4 tubes (has a red star printed on the glass), mine caused distortion. I upgraded to much better sound for $17 with GE JAN 5654W matched pair tubes. 6k4 tubes can be replaced by 6J1, 6J2, 6J3, 6J4, 6J5, 6"1N, 64N, 65N, 5654/5654W, 5725, 6AK5, EF95, 6BA6, 403B, etc. Your tubes may be ok. Just an FYI free tip.
Great stuff. The output power was actually limited by the exhausted power supply unit 🙂Of course, it would be exciting to see the capabilities of this little guy on the 30V power supply allowed by the manufacturer.
Regarding the THD on the pre-amp output, I wonder if the tubes were warmed up when you did the test? Tubes need to get to operating temperature before they work well, so if it was not quite there it may explain the higher THD and better sound quality when connected to the sub.
Preout for a sub is ok. Douk ST-01 Pro TUBE tip: If your amp came with Chinese 6k4 tubes (has a red star printed on the glass), mine caused distortion. I upgraded to much better sound for $17 with GE JAN 5654W matched pair tubes. 6k4 tubes can be replaced by 6J1, 6J2, 6J3, 6J4, 6J5, 6"1N, 64N, 65N, 5654/5654W, 5725, 6AK5, EF95, 6BA6, 403B, etc. Your tubes may be ok. Just an FYI free tip.
Tripath was way ahead of its time. Recently, Bruno Putzeys has improved upon class D, and many high end audio companies are now using UcD. One way to get closer to the rated power output of the chip is to add a bigger, beefier power supply. The supplied power supply is 24 volts so switching to a 30 volt psu should increase output.
Hey, I’ve been using a similar type amp in my office a Fosi T20. I’ve switched over to GE5654w tubes and wow that made huge improvement! I would suggest trying a set. Built in Bluetooth on these amps is a bit lacking. Try and external better quality Bluetooth receiver for improved quality. Or direct connect to PC or high end Dac. This is great content to add to Channel!
I got this amp a couple of months ago and I would recommend to anyone upgrading from a base level amp. I'm not an audiophile, but my old pair of second hand speakers sounded heaps better, with more detail and range. I hooked it up to an active KRK 8 studio sub and a vintage pair of 100 watt passive 4 x 12inch tower speaker for Guitar / PA system and it powered them wonderfully. Plenty of volume, detail and versatility for combining with other amps too. What worries me about this amp the most, is that it may have set me on the path of the audiophile.
This is a cool little amp. It will drive fairly efficient speakers surprisingly good! It did power Elac Uni-Fi UB5 ok, but not very loud or close to their potential. I swapped for vintage Advent Legacy speakers and the sound really came alive. Happy to have it, hope it lasts. Nice review, great info. Thanks!
These little class D mini amps are cool but you need to drive them with a high voltage and high amperage power supply, otherwise you need some high efficiency speakers.
Lol. Had to grab some popcorn for these comments. Listen, its cheap and cool looking and provides amplification. I'll run anything and everything thru stuff like this until it dies. Life's too short to be so damn precious about this shit. HAVE A GOOD TIME!
Do I have to become a REGISTERED audiophile if I move to another state? What if I give guitar lessons to kids? I'm already a pedagogue so being a registered audiophile might affect my employment opportunities.
i’ve been loving the videos and wondering if you could do a dyno test on the precision power PC 250, i saw you did the video on the bigger version a while back, it’s just a cool classic amp and i’m about to run mine in my classic miata, cheers
Man i realy enjoy your content , me and my friend are in our late 40's and are big oldschool fans !!!! Good on you for it all keep grinding, and oh yah thanks for the youtube tutorial it help me understand better 🤙🏻🤙🏻🤙🏻
I don't know where this myth came from, I have touched vacuum tubes with my fingers for years, guitar amps bass amps my Fisher integrated amp and many others. We are not talking about halogen movie and video lamps here, those you do not touch with oily fingers. I am thinking about buying one of these little amps, thanks for the video very helpful.
the high distorsion is normal this come from the glas tubes . and you whant to have that tube sound so you need that high distorsion. if you have a real tube amp you Will understand wy the sound of a tube amp is so Nice to hear. no sound try to make IT with a digital end chip and use the tube for the input to make IT more tube sound . again if you change the tube for russia tube the sound go up and Will be more lower / mid sound.
I remember all tube amplifiers...and a few Class A power amps. To me the best sounding amps to this day. The pre-amplifiers were dead silent (no THD...or so low, unmeasurable). Then we went to Class A/B. They had some interesting ways to achieve high power using toroidal transformers and high current. We started seeing amplifiers become expensive, powerful, and heavy as hell. Class D was nothing new and weighed a fraction of Class A/B, but never got a good footing until several years ago. Their distortion levels are much better, low enough for "most" not to hear. But, they are still basically high frequency light switches. Then these small "digital chip" amps came along...similar to Class D, but packed with power in a small footprint. When you measured the Op Amp with 6.5% THD...got me thinking, why? How hard is it to make a small IC chip with 1v that produces 0% THD? Something is amiss here. I own a lot of digital chip micro amplifiers from Douk, Aiyama, Fosi, etc. Some sound perfect...and quite "warm" like a tube or Class A. And some sound cold, un-lifelike, and pissed off at the world. The market is full of these little amplifiers and I am glad you are out there testing them for us.
I like the sound on this. I connected it to an Aiyima A07 amp and put a 36w 10amp power supply on the Aiyima and it sounds great and has plenty of power now. The Douk does run a bit hot so I put an inexpensive desk fan beside it and it stays cool.
Just bought a new unit one off ebay for $122.OTD cant wait to press it into service with my Realistic Walnut Minimus 7's. Now I just need a mini subwoofer.
From 6:50 standard playback testing - the thing was unusable. Absolutely awful distortion, why isn't anyone saying it??? Nobody could listen to that? Edit: Were you pushing it to clipping? Were you overloading mic? I notice the output VU meter was in the red? Suggesting you were pushing it to unlistenable distortion levels. Why record that?
Nice video! Thanks for doing the review of this tube amp! Been eyeing this unit and with your review it really helped me decide to get this one! What kind of cable did you use to connect the amp to a subwoofer? Can I buy from Amazon? Thanks!
It makes a click sound when input is on RCA and the music stops. Every ten seconds a click sound when music is stopped. Also another problem, the output for the subwoofer is very low.
In the path. Douk ST-01 Pro TUBE tip: If your amp came with Chinese 6k4 tubes (has a red star printed on the glass), mine caused distortion. I upgraded to much better sound for $17 with GE JAN 5654W matched pair tubes. 6k4 tubes can be replaced by 6J1, 6J2, 6J3, 6J4, 6J5, 6"1N, 64N, 65N, 5654/5654W, 5725, 6AK5, EF95, 6BA6, 403B, etc. Your tubes may be ok. Just an FYI free tip.
reason that are no battery . is the rule from China . its agains explosion. its Just one rule for alle battery systeems . this way IT can come with the airplane and not with a container. stupid rule ? who know.
@@gotham61 China is not usa OR Europa. You have to sent paperwork with the battery u use and more bla bla bla Those are extra cost and the product Will cost more for some AAA battery include with your stuf you order .
Needed a small desktop amp for my desktop speakers with RCA and USB input, and a line out for my powered sub. This was a neat option, but settled for the M100 Pro since I can't stack my Schiit Magni+ headphone amp on top of it. Check out the Douk H7PRO!
Nice review! Too bad they don't still include a complete schematic diagram like in the good old days; I miss the tube tester at the drug store. I'm bothered by >.25% THD from all class D amps. Maybe it just rattles something already lose in my head, lol. _I must have my idle current!_
Thanks for your review and channel. Need some advice: Current State: Pair of B.I.C. America DV62si 8ohm passive bookshelf speakers, 1994 Sony STR-D315 integrated amp/receiver, Sony CDP-CX53 50+1 CD player, Pioneer PL-7 TT (forgot the cartridge used), and finally a FiiO BTA30 Pro BT Transceiver DAC. What I like: Recently replaced my Sony 5-Disc CD changer that did not have digital SPDIF out, only analog. So now I feel my CD listening experience has improved by feeding the digital signal from this slightly newer (2000 vs 1994) CD player using optical (TOSLINK). I like how I can xmit BT from the DAC to my Sony WH1000-XM4 headphones and listen to my new DAC converted CD playing. What I don't like and what I "think" is the only thing missing from the mediocre yet very satisfying setup for me, is the ability to listen to my Phonograph TT over my BT headphones. So I've come here to vet my own research solution. Tell me it's bad, good, or okay. And if bad then how would you augment/update my system on somewhat a budget. See this interesting thing is most class D full-featured amps/DACs that feature BT only do so on receive, not transmit (xmit). My researched solution: Buy a Phono pre-amp to connect my TT to, then use the RCA out of that and input it into an Analog-to-Digital converter. Then use COAX digital out of that device as an input to the FiiO BTA30Pro, then RCA analog out of that back into my Sony integrated amp. Then switch inputs on the BTA30 for amp/speaker listening, or BT xmit for wireless headphone listening (of course while selecting the digital input, either optical (CD player) or COAX (TT). Thoughts? I'm worried taking an analog TT signal, pre-amping it to only re-digitize it might nuke the quality? Thank you
Got the aiyima t7 tube preamp arriving tomorrow, tube sound through my harmon kardon, and sub outputs to my carver amp powering my subs, should be interesting ..
Thank you so much for this review, I'm planning on pairing this with some Klipsch speakers that I have stored, a little bit overkill for this little amp hahaha, also I've seen another 2 options that are around the LOXJIE A30 and Fosi Audio DA2120C, have you heard (haha) of them? Thanks for your content!
I'm no familiar with theese mini amps. But the lack of output transformer and a 105 W class-D transistor IC amplifier. Does that means that the tubes are only for decorative purpose?
Thanks for the videos, I'm going crazy looking for home theater amp to power two 10" passive subs in-wall to 80 watts each, I think my speakers are 8 ohms. Can someone help me find a plug/play amp to do this? I have Onkyo TX-SR494 AV Receiver and Acoustic Audio HDS10 in Wall 10"
Douk ST-01 Pro TUBE tip: If your amp came with Chinese 6k4 tubes (has a red star printed on the glass), mine caused distortion. I upgraded to much better sound for $17 with GE JAN 5654W matched pair tubes. 6k4 tubes can be replaced by 6J1, 6J2, 6J3, 6J4, 6J5, 6"1N, 64N, 65N, 5654/5654W, 5725, 6AK5, EF95, 6BA6, 403B, etc. Your tubes may be ok. Just an FYI free tip.
P.O.S. Hums like crazy. Annoying clicking and VU meter bounces every 10 seconds in all modes except BT. Returned. Went thru 3 of them and finally gave up got money back...Amp sounds half decent. Annoying clicking really high distortion won't pass for me. Love Douk's P1 HiFi Preamp USB DAC/Headphone amp is Great!
Great review! Since you are taking some interest in these little amps, would love to see the Douk X1 tube amp. It says it can max out to 160wx2 using a 32v power supply. I would recommend though, to let the tubes burn in overnight at least and for a testing session to let them warm up for 15 to 20 minutes. I have also changed the stock GE 5654 for the Russian 6m1n-EB and the Ayima 6A2 which I like better. Have fun!
I have the Aiyima branded version of this. It even has the same cardboard packaging. Super nice sound, perfect for small spaces. Very precise imaging. One thing to be aware of (on the Aiyima version anyway...) when the input goes silent on USB there is a slight clicking sound which recurs every 10 seconds or so repeatedly, along with a slight movement of the VU meter. If you sit next to it it may become annoying. It bothered me so much for the first few days I considered returning it. It sounds so good though that I did not. It doesn't happen during continuous streaming and you probably won't hear it from a distance. It has received some discussion and does bother some people though. What subwoofer would you recomend to pair with it? I don't want to buy a super expensive speaker for a $250 stereo but I don't want a loose sounding bass either. Mine is paired with Moukey 3 ways and it is insane how good it sounds for the price. Edit: I see you have that Polk listed but that costs more than the entire rest of the stereo... 😀
I heard about the clicking due to the auto shut off feature so I didn't buy this. I got the A07 instead and it sounds great. I got it for under 70 on prime day.
Honestly I think I’m going to order one just to use in my shop since it looks interesting 🤔 doesn’t need to be insanely loud just something to throw on my bench & look rather different nice video thanks for sharing!!
I love mine. Regarding the distortion you measured. I can't "hear" any distortion at all sounds great. I think it is one of those measurements can only detect with equipment like you are using. I use the line level out and run it to my NOBSOUND G2 sub amplifier. The VU meter only works on the left channel.
The distortion is even order harmonic. Great sound. Douk ST-01 Pro TUBE tip: If your amp came with Chinese 6k4 tubes (has a red star printed on the glass), mine caused distortion. I upgraded to much better sound for $17 with GE JAN 5654W matched pair tubes. 6k4 tubes can be replaced by 6J1, 6J2, 6J3, 6J4, 6J5, 6"1N, 64N, 65N, 5654/5654W, 5725, 6AK5, EF95, 6BA6, 403B, etc. Your tubes may be ok. Just an FYI free tip.
Having trouble connecting to my phone via Bluetooth. When I first set it up I connected no problem. I couldn’t connect to I “forgot this device” could not see it after that. I’ve tried turned both devices on and off. Anyone else having this problem?
I've got a couple old school amps sitting around. How can I send them out to you? This was an interesting review by the way. I purchased one of these for my Beyerdynamic 770's at my computer, but I found that it wasn't quite what I needed as it distorted too much when I was listening to music.
Maybe a dumb question, but how does the amp know which level you have set up the crossover frequency on the active subwoofer? Or does it just throw out the low frequencies both on the sub and speakers?
thank you so much for this review! related to your findings regarding the rather moderate distortion on the line out test a @ 6:22... my question is: In your opinion would this distortion be "prohibitively" audible when i connect two mono blocks to the line out? i.e. So that the Douk ST 01 works like a pre-amp to power the two mono amps that will each be connected to a left and right speaker respectively I just got two Nobsound G2 mini mono channel amps i ordered buthave not connected them yet. I guess i will soon find out... but in theory with your findings on the line out THD level .. should I be able to perceive this anomaly at 80 or 90 decibels? thank you for your input!!!
The one thing I hate about exposed vacuum tubes is that they never come with a cover to keep dust off them while not in use. Tubes collect dust that interfere with heat dissipation and can cause damage. And as mentioned, it's not a good idea to touch them either. And that also includes cleaning them. The less you must touch or disturb them for any reason, the better. For internal vacuum tubes, you can cover the box with a cloth or whatever to keep them clean. But exposed vacuum tubes need a dust cover - one that does not touch them is greatly preferred. Edit: also notice the amp power input is rated up to 30v, while the adapter in only 24v. So buying a different adapter could boost this amp a little bit, probably at the expense of overall life span.
So, when a tube fails, you just throw the whole unit away? Ummm- no. You have to touch vacuum tubes, don't you? Some, high power ones should be thoroughly cleaned to avoid etching, according to some "experts", but I have never actually seen an etched tube, or one that spontaneously cracked. If you couldn't touch tubes, the tube tester industry would never have existed.
@@jdlech Calling my a fool, makes you smart? You don't know what you're talking about whether it's me, or tubes. I'm an EE, for decades. You- Internet stranger.
@@ENGLISHISBEST That would work, in a hillbilly kind of way. I've seen tube amps come with velvet covers. Quite elegant looking. But it's been decades since I've seen them come with dust covers.
I have the same amp but branded as the Aiyima T9. The thing I really dislike about it is the auto-mute after 10 seconds of no input. It then takes a few seconds to unmute missing the start of tracks. Very annoying.
Douk Audio has resolved the 10 second auto-standby clicking issue with the updated ST-01 . Just press the M1 button on the remote control. I got mine at "doukmall" on eBay and it rocks! 😎👍
Are those tubes even in circuit or just for looks? They need 200 volts for the plate, but I see no high voltage supply in that amp. A simple test would be to just unplug them and listen if the amp still plays.
Some users have said there's no audio output if the tubes are removed. There could be a circuit that detects the filaments are missing and kill the audio, so I doubt the tubes are actually in the signal chain.
Are those round speakers JVC? I have had fantastic luck with a few different models of JVC mini-hifi system speakers. Did the Douk sound good with them?
Tripath developed this Class D technology over two decades ago and since went out of business due to mismanagement. What's amazing is that some of the basic stuff, like their model numbers, are the same. TPA3112 is Texas Instruments, I believe, which bought out a lot of Tripath (if not in whole). This chip is similar to the original Tripath TA2022, I believe.
If you ever get a chance would love a mini documentary about the rise of chip amps. I think it'd be a good topic for your audience, and you could run through a lot of the chip amps you covered and a few head units like the old Panasonic head units running 60w RMS. I think some of the newer Sony head units are running 50w now.
Anyway, really enjoyed the vid, and glad to see your channel is thriving!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I wonder if these compact class D chip based amps have any decent dynamic range compared to classic amp solutions used in high quality big box amps used in hi-fi systems. Does the sound get distorted and compressed on higher volume? I know that these chips were designed to be used in small and/or portable audio systems and car hi-fi for example. Not to make an audiophile come in his pants. 😅 I got some questions about how good are the specs of this miniaturised amps.
This amp rocks although I used aiyima t9 but looks almost the same. I work at hifi store and after changing lamps adding a decent dac it really can rival normal amps like Denon. Everyone of my coworkers was impressed that it can drive high end like rubicons 8 really well without much distortion especially with new dac. Its EQ is really well to because it doesn't feel fake like those normal eq from denon. On a set with included lamps plus smsl su9 it best denon pma900 in precived sound quality
Jakie dałeś lampy?
Can you please specify updates you made? Thanks
nice someone finally took this thing apart.
That’s how I roll 👌
@@wal the improved version Aiyima T9 Pro (Douk Audio) with TPA3250 amp chip is out now.
Worth a review I think.
Loved the vid! All these nobo amps seems to be pretty legit
Tubes and VU, how can you go wrong?
They are no joke.
Douk ST-01 Pro TUBE tip: If your amp came with Chinese 6k4 tubes (has a red star printed on the glass), mine caused distortion. I upgraded to much better sound for $17 with GE JAN 5654W matched pair tubes. 6k4 tubes can be replaced by 6J1, 6J2, 6J3, 6J4, 6J5, 6"1N, 64N, 65N, 5654/5654W, 5725, 6AK5, EF95, 6BA6, 403B, etc. Your tubes may be ok. Just an FYI free tip.
thx for the home audio reviews! ......it would mean alot for the home audio community if you could start to dyno emotiva and such brands...outlaw etc still waiting on that 18inch sub in house review :)
I’ll have to contact them as I can’t buy and rest too much home stuff due to the prices
@@wal ya true some stuff is super expensive hit them up they might send a review unit ...idk just want some home audio dynos haha...i seen one channel tested emotivas lil 50watt amp on a dyno think it started smoking lol....i have there new pt1 a2 setup it seems decent would like to know the true power on these units tho 🔥🔥 love the content 🔊
@@kevinb_420 Years back, just for shenanigans, I abused the heck out of that little Emotiva amp when I hooked it up to two 8" subs all while gaining up the RCA input through a headphone amp to get even more output. It survived, was running pretty warm, but nothing alarming.
Ive had mine since the cheap audio man review. I dont care about distortion, it sounds great and kicks ass. I bought an emotiva TA1 for $550 at the same time, and the emotiva sucks with its shitty shrill sound. The Douk ST01 is nice, lush full and wet sounding
Grab a smsl sa-98e and Aiyima 07 to daisy chain out (if you can bi amp).
I've gone through dozens of these and non of these sound the same.
Living in Japan my volume never get's very high this looks to be an excellent deal.
*Shop (affiliate links):*
Douk Audio ST-01 mini amp: amzn.to/3QE3NRp
AIYIMA T9 mini amp: amzn.to/3dsovFs
Elac Debut 2.0 6.5" Bookshelf Speakers: amzn.to/3dnSYEF
Polk Audio PSW10 Powered Subwoofer: amzn.to/3dnT7YJ
Precision Screwdriver kit: amzn.to/3zURucz
Eneloop AAA Rechargeable Batteries: amzn.to/3AjPxaY
*Related Videos:*
Mini Amp Playlist: bit.ly/3bUtuyo
Douk Audio M1 Pro Mini Amp: th-cam.com/video/WROm7jJbb2M/w-d-xo.html
Douk Audio TONE Mini Amp: th-cam.com/video/ww_XwJXbnAs/w-d-xo.html
Video Index:
0:00 Intro
0:50 Unboxing
2:06 Specs and Features
3:56 Amp Dyno Tests
5:48 Line Output Test
6:34 Sound Demo
7:56 Demo with Subwoofer
8:56 What's Inside?
10:28 Pros and Cons
11:37 Final Thoughts
12:02 EXTRAS
_*DISCLAIMER*: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase from one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases_
Absolutely love these videos!!! Thank you for taking the time to make these. That little amp is so cool.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
the improved version Aiyima T9 Pro is out now. Worth a review I think.
Uses the more powerful TPA3250 amp chip and better bluetooth qcc3031 and other chips.
That's awesome, first time I've ever seen one of these
I think with a tube preamp you are always going to get a lot of THD at high settings. It's desirable in a guitar amp but not so much in audio. I've never bench tested that on a McIntosh though and I would think that would be the standard by which we would judge.
Unlike other audiophile channels that speak gibberish. Your review was refreshingly easy to understand as a newbie. God Bless your Sir. You gained a new subscriber.
I have the Aiyima T9 version of this amp powering my Klipschorns. Teeny little amp / massive speakers... kinda funny.And, yes... it can get very loud without going much past 1/2 volume.
But a couple of things that you didn't really cover is the presence, detail, and soundstage that this little amp produces; which is what really impressed me.
I've played a lot of music that I know very well, and almost without fail have heard details that I never heard before. Janis Joplin's 'Summertime' is jaw-dropping. Curtis Mayfield's 'Pusherman' is a rediscovered masterpiece. Good live recordings sound exactly like that-live. Time and again it's been as if the band was in the room.
👌😬👍
I heard some people complained about clicking sounds and other things. Is ir stilling working OK?
@@francohic Its the relay inside the unit and the only other things I have that make the same noises are super expensive stereo receivers.
Douk ST-01 Pro TUBE tip: If your amp came with Chinese 6k4 tubes (has a red star printed on the glass), mine caused distortion. I upgraded to much better sound for $17 with GE JAN 5654W matched pair tubes. 6k4 tubes can be replaced by 6J1, 6J2, 6J3, 6J4, 6J5, 6"1N, 64N, 65N, 5654/5654W, 5725, 6AK5, EF95, 6BA6, 403B, etc. Your tubes may be ok. Just an FYI free tip.
Company provides 24 volt adaptor but tpa 3221 provide max power at 32 volts that's why I don't meet specs written in datasheet
Sure it would have made more than it did, however he has tested other models of chip amp at the max rated voltages and they still rarely meet rated.
They should sell a 30V power supply which is far better imo. I upgraded mine to the 30V from the 24V. I forget the part number but the 30V adapter was around 40 bucks.
I'm sure it was $$ concern to provide the 24V power supply. Also it puts less stress on the chip. I'll try 30V but I doubt it will do much more power than I show here. Maybe 10-15W?
@@wal yeah, probably only 10 to 15 more watts per channel, if that.
Another cool chip amp is the TPA3255.
This amp is good! But the PRO version is amazing! also did a video review of the T9 and a review of the T9 PRO with measurements!
That’s pretty cool little amp
Thanks Big D for homing in on these little gems. I almost pulled the trigger on this one until I saw the AIYIMA Tube T4 Audio 6J1, which fits my purposes which includes the qualcom 5,1 Bluetooth, but more importantly it has the ability to interchange OP Amps...Minor differences in these amps can have major results for US users. None of my tube amps (which include a 4 channel Leslie 102) have no subwoofer out...with Subs I'm prefer the high level way...
The t9 sounds better than the T4. You can also use the "sub out" and daisy chain another amp dull range. The smsl sa-98e and the 07 are perfect if you are able to bi amp
@@ufarkingicehole By using the word "sounds" do you mean you actually heard and compared the 2? I was pointing out these units are having a variety of interchangeable parts. I'd take the T10 over the T9 because it has the Qualcomm Bluetooth APX...
@@4LED I have. I've been through a lot of these type amps. The best I've found was the 07 and the smsl sa-98e for a cheap amp. I haven't heard the t10 yet but own the t9. I've also had a few like the smsl 0200 as well. Played with countless dacs all the way to a Pegasus dac and the smsl 0400. I hope to save people money and help people get the most for their money. I am moving on to buying a mini dsp next. I believe that's probably a necessity for anyone serious about audio.
I have a good friend that wanted a killer system with a lot of bass on a budget. I got him to buy a Aiyima t8 pre (upgraded tube), Aiyima 07 to drive the highs and smsl sa-98e to drive the bass (bi amped). I talked him into getting a pair of jbl studio 590s on sale.
This worked really well. Infact I challenge anyone to piece together a better system for the same budget.
@@ufarkingicehole Like you, I've tried the SMSL AO200 and prefer my A07 with its TPA3255 chip best, over my SMSL SA-98e with its TDA7498e. I'm interested in trying the Aiyima T9 or similar Douk ST-01. How would you compare the T9 to your A07? And have you tried your A07's 32v power supply with the T9 to boost power?
Excellent video!
The best and most thorough review I have seen!!
Came across this in my thread and thought I'd check it out.
I'll have to look at other reviews down by the same person. I wonder if they did the Dayton Audio which does have 2 meters n phono jack?!??
Thanks for the video.
I typically test car audio amplifiers but also test some home audio as well. I appreciate you taking the time to not only watch but comment as well!
@@wal thanks. appreciate the video and your approach and use of the SMD Amp Dyno AD-1. What a great tool!
I read a review on YT and some chap was complaining about the Valves being for show, now I know they are Pre Amps. Cheers.
I have a Denon, I want something Smaller for my mac.
Dont need Hi Volume as I have Neigbours. Shame no headphone out.
Nope, these tubes are just wee shiny things for silly people
@@V081WLBlue Not sure I want anything glowing or blinking like the VU.
It's only for my computer, only live in a flat, so can't use any real volume.
Open to any suggestions.
Douk ST-01 Pro TUBE tip: If your amp came with Chinese 6k4 tubes (has a red star printed on the glass), mine caused distortion. I upgraded to much better sound for $17 with GE JAN 5654W matched pair tubes. 6k4 tubes can be replaced by 6J1, 6J2, 6J3, 6J4, 6J5, 6"1N, 64N, 65N, 5654/5654W, 5725, 6AK5, EF95, 6BA6, 403B, etc. Your tubes may be ok. Just an FYI free tip.
I can imagine a head unit with two meters like that. Would look elegantly cool.
They sell eem..500 smackers doe! 😲
@@wal
Geezus. But hey, gotta pay for something unique right? 🤪
I love seeing your comments on random vids 🦫🦫
@@vilmfilm
I’m up down all around on TH-cam.
That looks so cool! I've never seen one before.
Stewart Little would rock that. 🐭🎸
Great stuff. The output power was actually limited by the exhausted power supply unit 🙂Of course, it would be exciting to see the capabilities of this little guy on the 30V power supply allowed by the manufacturer.
Good call.
@8:10... cool how you caught the vibration of the sub in the image there while viewing your favorite thing, the VU meter
👌😬👍
Hey, Big D! will you ever test a focal fps amplifier? and do you think they are better than jl audio HD in better sound quality?
Thanks for the suggestion. I don't typically compare SQ since it's subjective
Regarding the THD on the pre-amp output, I wonder if the tubes were warmed up when you did the test? Tubes need to get to operating temperature before they work well, so if it was not quite there it may explain the higher THD and better sound quality when connected to the sub.
Would be cool to try other tubes too and check if they make a difference.
Preout for a sub is ok. Douk ST-01 Pro TUBE tip: If your amp came with Chinese 6k4 tubes (has a red star printed on the glass), mine caused distortion. I upgraded to much better sound for $17 with GE JAN 5654W matched pair tubes. 6k4 tubes can be replaced by 6J1, 6J2, 6J3, 6J4, 6J5, 6"1N, 64N, 65N, 5654/5654W, 5725, 6AK5, EF95, 6BA6, 403B, etc. Your tubes may be ok. Just an FYI free tip.
Tripath was way ahead of its time. Recently, Bruno Putzeys has improved upon class D, and many high end audio companies are now using UcD. One way to get closer to the rated power output of the chip is to add a bigger, beefier power supply. The supplied power supply is 24 volts so switching to a 30 volt psu should increase output.
Hey, I’ve been using a similar type amp in my office a Fosi T20. I’ve switched over to GE5654w tubes and wow that made huge improvement! I would suggest trying a set. Built in Bluetooth on these amps is a bit lacking. Try and external better quality Bluetooth receiver for improved quality. Or direct connect to PC or high end Dac. This is great content to add to Channel!
Thanks for the suggestion
Yes same here, much better sound with GE NOS tubes!
I use my ST01 as a line driver send the left and right channels into rcas and into a douk P1 pre amp
All those lil chip amps are great for light listening... Thanks for another good video.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
That little amp shakes my couch...
You touched the tubes!
I got this amp a couple of months ago and I would recommend to anyone upgrading from a base level amp.
I'm not an audiophile, but my old pair of second hand speakers sounded heaps better, with more detail and range.
I hooked it up to an active KRK 8 studio sub and a vintage pair of 100 watt passive 4 x 12inch tower speaker for Guitar / PA system and it powered them wonderfully.
Plenty of volume, detail and versatility for combining with other amps too.
What worries me about this amp the most, is that it may have set me on the path of the audiophile.
This is pretty much as "base level" as it gets, and this amp is almost the complete antithesis of "audiophile" products.
@@johncoops6897 guess i've got a long way to go.
@@RG-ls2db - doesn't matter how much it costs - if you like the sound then that's all that really counts.
This is a cool little amp. It will drive fairly efficient speakers surprisingly good! It did power Elac Uni-Fi UB5 ok, but not very loud or close to their potential. I swapped for vintage Advent Legacy speakers and the sound really came alive. Happy to have it, hope it lasts.
Nice review, great info. Thanks!
These little class D mini amps are cool but you need to drive them with a high voltage and high amperage power supply, otherwise you need some high efficiency speakers.
Lol. Had to grab some popcorn for these comments. Listen, its cheap and cool looking and provides amplification. I'll run anything and everything thru stuff like this until it dies. Life's too short to be so damn precious about this shit. HAVE A GOOD TIME!
Amen 🙏
I recently reviewed the Aiyima T9 which had the same box and same enclosure. All from the same build house I assume. It works well for the money.
„Audiophile“ is not just putting 2 vacuum tubes into a lousy piece of crap. Treble and Bass? LOLROTF!
Do I have to become a REGISTERED audiophile if I move to another state? What if I give guitar lessons to kids? I'm already a pedagogue so being a registered audiophile might affect my employment opportunities.
You may only need to register your tubes... 😊.
@@peterbaugh51 Try explaining to a kid's parents that you were talking about a TV with cathode ray tubes, not "C.R.T.", bwahahahahaha!
@@troyevitt2437 WOW no joke. Cathode Ray Tube Dude! Hahaha
i’ve been loving the videos and wondering if you could do a dyno test on the precision power PC 250, i saw you did the video on the bigger version a while back, it’s just a cool classic amp and i’m about to run mine in my classic miata, cheers
Thanks for the suggestion
Man i realy enjoy your content , me and my friend are in our late 40's and are big oldschool fans !!!! Good on you for it all keep grinding, and oh yah thanks for the youtube tutorial it help me understand better 🤙🏻🤙🏻🤙🏻
I appreciate that!
Boomer! 🔊
I don't know where this myth came from, I have touched vacuum tubes with my fingers for years, guitar amps bass amps my Fisher integrated amp and many others. We are not talking about halogen movie and video lamps here, those you do not touch with oily fingers.
I am thinking about buying one of these little amps, thanks for the video very helpful.
In this case it won't matter because the tubes are just for looks.
@@huskypup3489 . I respectfully suggest that they really do affect the tone characteristics.
the high distorsion is normal
this come from the glas tubes .
and you whant to have that tube sound so you need that high distorsion.
if you have a real tube amp you Will understand wy the sound of a tube amp is so Nice to hear.
no sound try to make IT with a digital end chip
and use the tube for the input to make IT more tube sound .
again if you change the tube for russia tube the sound go up and Will be more lower / mid sound.
I remember all tube amplifiers...and a few Class A power amps. To me the best sounding amps to this day. The pre-amplifiers were dead silent (no THD...or so low, unmeasurable). Then we went to Class A/B. They had some interesting ways to achieve high power using toroidal transformers and high current. We started seeing amplifiers become expensive, powerful, and heavy as hell. Class D was nothing new and weighed a fraction of Class A/B, but never got a good footing until several years ago. Their distortion levels are much better, low enough for "most" not to hear. But, they are still basically high frequency light switches. Then these small "digital chip" amps came along...similar to Class D, but packed with power in a small footprint. When you measured the Op Amp with 6.5% THD...got me thinking, why? How hard is it to make a small IC chip with 1v that produces 0% THD? Something is amiss here. I own a lot of digital chip micro amplifiers from Douk, Aiyama, Fosi, etc. Some sound perfect...and quite "warm" like a tube or Class A. And some sound cold, un-lifelike, and pissed off at the world. The market is full of these little amplifiers and I am glad you are out there testing them for us.
Hi, Can you tell us your fav mini amps so far? Thx for sharring🙏
@@cedrebleu7181 Douk Audio M1 PRO 320W Bluetooth Power Amplifier sound the best. $90 on Amazon.
@@ChrisDIYerOklahoma A shame this model doesn't sell in europe, i don't have an external dac anyway, only integrated ones but thank you 😅
Tubes rule while SS drools....
It's crap but it's for audiophiles, let them have it.
I like the sound on this. I connected it to an Aiyima A07 amp and put a 36w 10amp power supply on the Aiyima and it sounds great and has plenty of power now. The Douk does run a bit hot so I put an inexpensive desk fan beside it and it stays cool.
Just bought a new unit one off ebay for $122.OTD cant wait to press it into service with my Realistic Walnut Minimus 7's. Now I just need a mini subwoofer.
i have been looking for one of these in class A/B or class A.
i dont like class D for full range speakers.
From 6:50 standard playback testing - the thing was unusable. Absolutely awful distortion, why isn't anyone saying it??? Nobody could listen to that? Edit: Were you pushing it to clipping? Were you overloading mic? I notice the output VU meter was in the red? Suggesting you were pushing it to unlistenable distortion levels. Why record that?
Nice video! Thanks for doing the review of this tube amp! Been eyeing this unit and with your review it really helped me decide to get this one! What kind of cable did you use to connect the amp to a subwoofer? Can I buy from Amazon? Thanks!
Thanks for your review 👍🌎🇬🇧
Thank you for the video 👍🏻
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I'd try pulling out a tube while running just to see if that channel drops out.
If they are bumped and the heater turns off in the tubes the volume instantly droped about halfway for me
Tubes on the driver side would have required a much larger power supply dealing with those plate voltages and current. Cool little package regardless.
The channel goes out when I pull the tube from my Douk T8 EQ- the tube is in the circuit
The tubes are a real preamp.
@@rxpsycho7326Preamp tubes, can run on 100 volts.
It's got Bass and Treble controls. It's made in China. Audiophile potential? I doubt it.
It looks pretty so it must sound great... Just like speakers ..
I dropped a huge Douk.... first we had schitt audio..(Schitt Rag) now we got the Douk
It makes a click sound when input is on RCA and the music stops. Every ten seconds a click sound when music is stopped. Also another problem, the output for the subwoofer is very low.
So are the tube's actually in the audio signal path, or do they just light the heaters for looks?
In the path. Douk ST-01 Pro TUBE tip: If your amp came with Chinese 6k4 tubes (has a red star printed on the glass), mine caused distortion. I upgraded to much better sound for $17 with GE JAN 5654W matched pair tubes. 6k4 tubes can be replaced by 6J1, 6J2, 6J3, 6J4, 6J5, 6"1N, 64N, 65N, 5654/5654W, 5725, 6AK5, EF95, 6BA6, 403B, etc. Your tubes may be ok. Just an FYI free tip.
reason that are no battery .
is the rule from China .
its agains explosion.
its Just one rule for alle battery systeems .
this way IT can come with the airplane and not with a container.
stupid rule ? who know.
That’s only an issue with lithium batteries, not regular alkaline AA cells
@@gotham61 China is not usa OR Europa.
You have to sent paperwork with the battery u use and more bla bla bla
Those are extra cost and the product Will cost more for some AAA battery include with your stuf you order .
Dang, this is one of the coolest things you've reviewed! Great job!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Needed a small desktop amp for my desktop speakers with RCA and USB input, and a line out for my powered sub. This was a neat option, but settled for the M100 Pro since I can't stack my Schiit Magni+ headphone amp on top of it.
Check out the Douk H7PRO!
Nice review! Too bad they don't still include a complete schematic diagram like in the good old days; I miss the tube tester at the drug store.
I'm bothered by >.25% THD from all class D amps. Maybe it just rattles something already lose in my head, lol. _I must have my idle current!_
The tubes here are for the preamp but you may have nailed the THD issue with the line output
Thanks for your review and channel. Need some advice: Current State: Pair of B.I.C. America DV62si 8ohm passive bookshelf speakers, 1994 Sony STR-D315 integrated amp/receiver, Sony CDP-CX53 50+1 CD player, Pioneer PL-7 TT (forgot the cartridge used), and finally a FiiO BTA30 Pro BT Transceiver DAC. What I like: Recently replaced my Sony 5-Disc CD changer that did not have digital SPDIF out, only analog. So now I feel my CD listening experience has improved by feeding the digital signal from this slightly newer (2000 vs 1994) CD player using optical (TOSLINK). I like how I can xmit BT from the DAC to my Sony WH1000-XM4 headphones and listen to my new DAC converted CD playing. What I don't like and what I "think" is the only thing missing from the mediocre yet very satisfying setup for me, is the ability to listen to my Phonograph TT over my BT headphones. So I've come here to vet my own research solution. Tell me it's bad, good, or okay. And if bad then how would you augment/update my system on somewhat a budget. See this interesting thing is most class D full-featured amps/DACs that feature BT only do so on receive, not transmit (xmit). My researched solution: Buy a Phono pre-amp to connect my TT to, then use the RCA out of that and input it into an Analog-to-Digital converter. Then use COAX digital out of that device as an input to the FiiO BTA30Pro, then RCA analog out of that back into my Sony integrated amp. Then switch inputs on the BTA30 for amp/speaker listening, or BT xmit for wireless headphone listening (of course while selecting the digital input, either optical (CD player) or COAX (TT). Thoughts? I'm worried taking an analog TT signal, pre-amping it to only re-digitize it might nuke the quality? Thank you
Got the aiyima t7 tube preamp arriving tomorrow, tube sound through my harmon kardon, and sub outputs to my carver amp powering my subs, should be interesting ..
How do you find the sound quality of the t7 thank you
Thank you so much for this review, I'm planning on pairing this with some Klipsch speakers that I have stored, a little bit overkill for this little amp hahaha, also I've seen another 2 options that are around the LOXJIE A30 and Fosi Audio DA2120C, have you heard (haha) of them? Thanks for your content!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I'm no familiar with theese mini amps. But the lack of output transformer and a 105 W class-D transistor IC amplifier. Does that means that the tubes are only for decorative purpose?
Thanks for the videos, I'm going crazy looking for home theater amp to power two 10" passive subs in-wall to 80 watts each, I think my speakers are 8 ohms. Can someone help me find a plug/play amp to do this? I have Onkyo TX-SR494 AV Receiver and Acoustic Audio HDS10 in Wall 10"
Recently bought the ST-01 Pro, excellent little amp with a great smooth sound.
Douk ST-01 Pro TUBE tip: If your amp came with Chinese 6k4 tubes (has a red star printed on the glass), mine caused distortion. I upgraded to much better sound for $17 with GE JAN 5654W matched pair tubes. 6k4 tubes can be replaced by 6J1, 6J2, 6J3, 6J4, 6J5, 6"1N, 64N, 65N, 5654/5654W, 5725, 6AK5, EF95, 6BA6, 403B, etc. Your tubes may be ok. Just an FYI free tip.
P.O.S. Hums like crazy. Annoying clicking and VU meter bounces every 10 seconds in all modes except BT. Returned. Went thru 3 of them and finally gave up got money back...Amp sounds half decent. Annoying clicking really high distortion won't pass for me. Love Douk's P1 HiFi Preamp USB DAC/Headphone amp is Great!
WTF? What was the demo supposed to do? We can't "HEAR" amps/preamps/DACs/speakers unless we are in the same room as the equipment.
Great review! Since you are taking some interest in these little amps, would love to see the Douk X1 tube amp. It says it can max out to 160wx2 using a 32v power supply. I would recommend though, to let the tubes burn in overnight at least and for a testing session to let them warm up for 15 to 20 minutes. I have also changed the stock GE 5654 for the Russian 6m1n-EB and the Ayima 6A2 which I like better. Have fun!
If it seems too good to be true, it often is
Will that work for a citizen band radio 😮
Old (in age...) analogue, 80s HiFi fan here... Are those Watts RMS, or fantasy Watts?
Amp Dyno tests in RMS Power only
Def fantasy!!! lol
Peak power.
I have the Aiyima branded version of this. It even has the same cardboard packaging.
Super nice sound, perfect for small spaces. Very precise imaging.
One thing to be aware of (on the Aiyima version anyway...) when the input goes silent on USB there is a slight clicking sound which recurs every 10 seconds or so repeatedly, along with a slight movement of the VU meter. If you sit next to it it may become annoying. It bothered me so much for the first few days I considered returning it. It sounds so good though that I did not. It doesn't happen during continuous streaming and you probably won't hear it from a distance. It has received some discussion and does bother some people though.
What subwoofer would you recomend to pair with it? I don't want to buy a super expensive speaker for a $250 stereo but I don't want a loose sounding bass either. Mine is paired with Moukey 3 ways and it is insane how good it sounds for the price.
Edit: I see you have that Polk listed but that costs more than the entire rest of the stereo... 😀
The Polk was $99 not long ago but inflation Goteem! I know Monoprice has budget subs that are pretty good
I heard about the clicking due to the auto shut off feature so I didn't buy this. I got the A07 instead and it sounds great. I got it for under 70 on prime day.
The Dayton Audio 8” subwoofer from Parts Express does a nice job for the price. I think I got mine for $105 on sale.
Hi I love your channel. I'm watching the video of this doke tube amp, it's identical to the aiyima t9
who will copy who lol....
Honestly I think I’m going to order one just to use in my shop since it looks interesting 🤔 doesn’t need to be insanely loud just something to throw on my bench & look rather different nice video thanks for sharing!!
Yeah man it’s a cool piece to show off also 👌
Honestly they are quite impressive and take up minimum space. You can't go wrong.
Trust me, it's loud enough. I prefer it to my Arcam Delta 290. It's ridiculous.
I love mine. Regarding the distortion you measured. I can't "hear" any distortion at all sounds great. I think it is one of those measurements can only detect with equipment like you are using. I use the line level out and run it to my NOBSOUND G2 sub amplifier. The VU meter only works on the left channel.
And the tube amps people love so much have distortion as well. Good point
The whole reason for using a tube/value amp is to ADD distortion.
According to Audiofools, the distortion make the sound "better".
The distortion is even order harmonic. Great sound. Douk ST-01 Pro TUBE tip: If your amp came with Chinese 6k4 tubes (has a red star printed on the glass), mine caused distortion. I upgraded to much better sound for $17 with GE JAN 5654W matched pair tubes. 6k4 tubes can be replaced by 6J1, 6J2, 6J3, 6J4, 6J5, 6"1N, 64N, 65N, 5654/5654W, 5725, 6AK5, EF95, 6BA6, 403B, etc. Your tubes may be ok. Just an FYI free tip.
Having trouble connecting to my phone via Bluetooth. When I first set it up I connected no problem. I couldn’t connect to I “forgot this device” could not see it after that. I’ve tried turned both devices on and off. Anyone else having this problem?
Are you saying this is built in two separate places by two separate companies? I highly doubt that.
Its worth mentioning that the preamp out will have considerable distortion, this is the nature of tubes/valves, thats what they do, create distortion.
I've got a couple old school amps sitting around. How can I send them out to you?
This was an interesting review by the way. I purchased one of these for my Beyerdynamic 770's at my computer, but I found that it wasn't quite what I needed as it distorted too much when I was listening to music.
Depends if you want them back or not. WillistonAudio (at) gmail dot com
I have a set of JBL L60T's. Would this be able to power them? I am an extreme noob when it comes to home audio. Thanks!
Large THD is good (5-10%. This mean they really use tube. This make it sound like tube and I love it.
Aiyama doesnt make an exact copy, these are the same thing just a different label. I got the Aiyama for 60 bucks.
Big D for prez 2024
Ha! I could never be a politician
@@wal well even politicians suck at politics
@@wal you're honest. For that reason you've got my vote 💯
Does this heats up to boil eggs?😅ty nice review for a tech dummy like me but I learned a bit much than nothing at all🎉😂❤
Maybe a dumb question, but how does the amp know which level you have set up the crossover frequency on the active subwoofer? Or does it just throw out the low frequencies both on the sub and speakers?
Sub handles the crossover.
Oh, I thought it was an actual amp made by Amazon with Alexa aimed at audiophiles or something. Lol.
😏
Thanks for this candid video.
thank you so much for this review!
related to your findings regarding the rather moderate distortion on the line out test a @ 6:22... my question is: In your opinion would this distortion be "prohibitively" audible when i connect two mono blocks to the line out? i.e. So that the Douk ST 01 works like a pre-amp to power the two mono amps that will each be connected to a left and right speaker respectively
I just got two Nobsound G2 mini mono channel amps i ordered buthave not connected them yet. I guess i will soon find out... but in theory with your findings on the line out THD level .. should I be able to perceive this anomaly at 80 or 90 decibels? thank you for your input!!!
or you could buy one of those cheap Crosley record players with their bluetooth capability and connect it to a Marantz receiver ...like i did
No Phono input? Why doesn't the RCA input work for that? please respond. thanks
It's cute. Not overpriced.
The question in the title is left unanswered. The answer would need to include the definition of "audiophile".
The one thing I hate about exposed vacuum tubes is that they never come with a cover to keep dust off them while not in use. Tubes collect dust that interfere with heat dissipation and can cause damage. And as mentioned, it's not a good idea to touch them either. And that also includes cleaning them. The less you must touch or disturb them for any reason, the better. For internal vacuum tubes, you can cover the box with a cloth or whatever to keep them clean. But exposed vacuum tubes need a dust cover - one that does not touch them is greatly preferred.
Edit: also notice the amp power input is rated up to 30v, while the adapter in only 24v. So buying a different adapter could boost this amp a little bit, probably at the expense of overall life span.
So, when a tube fails, you just throw the whole unit away? Ummm- no. You have to touch vacuum tubes, don't you? Some, high power ones should be thoroughly cleaned to avoid etching, according to some "experts", but I have never actually seen an etched tube, or one that spontaneously cracked. If you couldn't touch tubes, the tube tester industry would never have existed.
@@soupernutt9508 Don't be ridiculous, fool. Wear gloves
@@jdlech Calling my a fool, makes you smart? You don't know what you're talking about whether it's me, or tubes. I'm an EE, for decades. You- Internet stranger.
If your worried just get any decent container or box & place it upside down over the unit when not in use.
@@ENGLISHISBEST That would work, in a hillbilly kind of way. I've seen tube amps come with velvet covers. Quite elegant looking. But it's been decades since I've seen them come with dust covers.
Douk Audio ST-01 or Aiyima T9 ? Have any Key differences... ?
This guy sounds weirdly similar to the narrator for S2 Underground....
I have the same amp but branded as the Aiyima T9. The thing I really dislike about it is the auto-mute after 10 seconds of no input. It then takes a few seconds to unmute missing the start of tracks. Very annoying.
I read the same thing also and got the a07 instead. It sounds great.
use soundkeeper
Douk Audio has resolved the 10 second auto-standby clicking issue with the updated ST-01 . Just press the M1 button on the remote control. I got mine at "doukmall" on eBay and it rocks! 😎👍
I would pay 200 bucks for a better version of this amp, called 2.0
Are those tubes even in circuit or just for looks? They need 200 volts for the plate, but I see no high voltage supply in that amp.
A simple test would be to just unplug them and listen if the amp still plays.
Some users have said there's no audio output if the tubes are removed. There could be a circuit that detects the filaments are missing and kill the audio, so I doubt the tubes are actually in the signal chain.
They run at 100 volts. Preamp tubes.
Which one tube is good to listen heavy metal?
Are those round speakers JVC? I have had fantastic luck with a few different models of JVC mini-hifi system speakers. Did the Douk sound good with them?