Douk Audio 2 Channel Bluetooth Valve Tube Preamp, Hi-Fi Headphone Amp, USB DAC PC Sound Card, Wireless Receiver Audio Preamplifier with VU Meter, Optical, Coaxial, APTX, LDAC, DSD256, Remote Control

Set up / signal pathPioneer PLX1000Goldring E3 cartidge- P1-Mackie proFX 6 mixerFocal Shape Twin powered reference monitorsI bought this as my Mackie doesn't have a phono pre-amp. Despite this I was getting an exceptional sound from vinyl using the input gain to drive the level and grounding elsewhere - the PLX and the E3 make for a brilliant audiophile experience. Having just rediscovered the sound of vinyl I have been blown away by the transparency separation and wide soundstage. Anyway I bought this principally as phono pre-amp - However I have discovered it is not a phono pre-amp so the use of gain is still required.In terms of sound quality I have absolutely no complaints, although the PLX/E3 is great on it's own, there was a bit mid band pressure on my ears when listening to certain vocalists and this has softened that without any loss of detail. The warmth from the valves is apparent and pleasing, and the tone controls are useful particularly with the low end detail depth and warmth.So far so good. The addition of BT 5.0 and USB also attracted me to try out its affect on UHD streaming. Up to now I have always through the sound quality of Amazon HD and Apple Music was pretty good, but since rediscovering vinyl they sound dull lifeless and tiring on the ears. While this unit doesn't provide the full magic of listening to vinyl, it makes a seriously positive difference to both USB and BT streaming; more detail, warmth and separation - very nice.It's a shame the unit doesn't have a proper phono input, but I will be keeping it as it is superb with other audio and in the sort term I can keep using the Mackie's pre-amp gain.If you absolutely need a phono pre-amp and don't have any ability to mitigate this, then this is probably not for you. But, if you want to add valve warmth, detail and separation to digital audio this is definitely worth getting. I toyed with taking a star off for the phono issue, but didn't because it still performs exceptionally well.I will probably buy a separate phono stage pre-amp to insert into my signal path, but for now I am very happy listening to my new and revived vinyl collection through this unit.

Well what to say about it,The statement above says alot?Excellent preamp and being valve operated, it's a lovely warm sound with an amazing tone control (bass/treble) stage and yes the valves really do work and are NOT for show.The DAC Decoder build into the preamp is disappointing as it tends to deliver a harsh sound with annoying clicks every now and then?It might be be a fault as this one will go into white noise (harsh, loud hiss) which completely shuts the music off!!! The only thing to do to reset it is to turn it off/on, then you might get 3 songs 🎵 before it repeats itself again???Anyway it's not a problem to me as i have several DAC Decoders and only wanted the tone control stages and the valve section which works perfectly without having to use the internal Dac inside! (Input RCA) from DAC / to (output 3.5mm) to amplifiers.Bluetooth 📶 works well (not needed for me)Overall the preamp stage is superb while the Dac (24bt 192Khz) is a tad disappointing and sometimes drops into white noise 🔊 🔊 very loudly 😟I have several Dac's and i use my latest edition to my collection of Dac decoders,Topping Dx -3, Pro (32bt 768Khz) which i purchased through Amazon (nearly 4 weeks) via Singapore post 🏣 worth the 🚏 wait... And I've finally got the sound I've been waiting/looking for. (only 10+ years) But worth the wait ?Thank you Amazon, Topping, Douk Audio and Edifier (my speaker 📣 companion)Preamp 5 stars // Dac 3 stars // 4 out 5.Joner (Kevin jones)Ludlow Shropshire UK

Very fast delivery. The amp is solidly constructed and of good quality. Works as expected.I use this with Sennheiser HD 265 headphones. The sound is quite clear, good bass, good heights.The sound control is a plus. There's a tiny hum in the pauses, not loud enough to be a distraction.No obvious audible distortions at highest volume. Maximum sound level with the HD265 is good (150 Ohms), but less than with my usual amp; it will certainly be sufficient for normal use.The Bluetooth receiver allows to reconnect without resetting the device (another receiver I use for active speakers can't do this).24/06/20 Tried the USB audio connection today from a Windows 10 Laptop. Worked out of the box, nothing at all to setup. Sound is fine and no problems so far (in contrast to reports elsewhere). The cable was in the box.This also contributed towards solving another issue - the question whether the tubes are there for their nice glow in the dark only or are actually used in the signal pathway (the company understandably does not provide a circuit diagram and I don't want to open the chassis). When connected via USB, when switched on, the sound on the headphones comes on delayed and in accordance with the tubes heating up, slight delay between the channels (a Bluetooth connection is too slowly setup to show the effect). Given the pre-amp has none of the big output transformers, tube amps usually have, but instead a common headphone amplifier chip, I wasn't so sure the tubes are actually used. I am much closer to being convinced now. Waiting for another set of tubes to hear if there is any difference.

This pre amp is really straight forward to use. The bluetooth pick up is great and it finds your device immediatley. looks and feels like a quality product and was excellent value for the price. Sound quality is great.f