Douk A5 Budget Stereo Amplifier Review

[effj]

the active filter but set to minimum is still useful to remove the sub bass frequencies in small bookshelf speakers, those frequencies are often not reproducible by those speakers and do nothing but create distortion and drain the amplifier's power for nothing

That’s what I ended up doing, and am very happy with my purchase.

 

[Jon L]

Douk A5 runs nicely off of 36V Li battery (measures 40.8V at full charge) for those who have them for electric scooter, etc.

0402251726_1743641549878_1743641598021 by drjlo2, on Flickr

 

[Scrivs]

Definitely not useless. Reduces the <40hz load to my bookshelves (Infinity IL10) letting the two subs carry that load. Would I like a more flexible HPF yes. But I see it as basically a freebie with a very decent amp. No regrets.

It's definitely not a "freebie." The cost of this poorly executed filter is baked right into the cost of the Dookie.

Sadly, getting the filter right wouldn't have cost them any more than the lacklustre one we see here.

No Dookie for me. Those belong in the 'ole WC

 

[Scrivs]

Under no circumstances are Dookie to be found anywhere in my house unless it's in the commode where it belongs with it's compatriot products- i.e the new "Pi-Pi Pro" headphone amp

 

[Talisman]

Some people just know how to complain about anything at any cost.

 

[Jmudrick]

The cost of this poorly executed filter is baked right into the cost of the Dookie.

Well duh. So is the volume knob.

Douk is $10 cheaper than the SMSL it replaces, offers comparable performance and gives me a serviceable HPF. Win.

 

[chasmo57]

Anyone have actualexperience or measurements of what position the knob pointer must be for 80, 100, 120Hz (i.e. 12 O'clock, 1 O'clock, 2 O'clock, etc. )? I noticed the info about 200hz at 3 O', but it wasn't useful for those of us with subs below 100hz. Anyone,?

 

[Power Pop 23]

Anyone have actualexperience or measurements of what position the knob pointer must be for 80, 100, 120Hz (i.e. 12 O'clock, 1 O'clock, 2 O'clock, etc. )? I noticed the info about 200hz at 3 O', but it wasn't useful for those of us with subs below 100hz. Anyone,?

Amir says in the review he used the 'center' position to generate his graph. I take 'center' to mean 12 O'clock.

 

[Scrivs]

Some people just know how to complain about anything at any cost.

Well duh. So is the volume knob.

Douk is $10 cheaper than the SMSL it replaces, offers comparable performance and gives me a serviceable HPF. Win.

Wow, lots of emotional connections to the Dookie.

Mish of my stuff is low price. In fact, my most expensive amp cost ne $300-$200 for a NC252MP module, and $90 for the enclosure.

I love reasonable priced options- I'm just not beholden to any of them.

Feedback is part of continual, incremental product improvement.

Since the (HPF) parts are baked into the price, why not (its quite trivial) strive for a more "correct" response.

Cheap doesn't have to be mediocre, or "almost there."

My $450 DBR-62 are prime examples.

 

[Jmudrick]

Wow, lots of emotional connections to the Dookie.

Mish of my stuff is low price. In fact, my most expensive amp cost ne $300-$200 for a NC252MP module, and $90 for the enclosure.

I love reasonable priced options- I'm just not beholden to any of them.

Feedback is part of continual, incremental product improvement.

Since the (HPF) parts are baked into the price, why not (its quite trivial) strive for a more "correct" response.

Cheap doesn't have to be mediocre, or "almost there."

My $450 DBR-62 are prime examples.

What makes you think that a variable HPF is such an easy thing to implement in a low cost device? I paid about $130 just for the stand alone HPF made by HSU and it's a customized two step HPF filter rather than being continuously variable. And HSU has been doing this a long time.

 

[Scrivs]

It's a simple matter of choosing the correct component values. Not to difficult. Sorry you paid $130 for that stand alone "HSU" filter. You could have gotten an active 2/3 way mono/stereo active crossover (CX2310) for the princely sum of $89, manufactured by a pro audio concern with decades of engineering experience in professional sound reproduction and reinforcement.

What makes you think that a variable HPF is such an easy thing to implement in a low cost device? I paid about $130 just for the stand alone HPF made by HSU and it's a customized two step HPF filter rather than being continuously variable. And HSU has been doing this a long time.

A poor choice (value wise) ime, or, maybe the overpriced (often technically compromised) option brings value to you. Good luck.

 

[chasmo57]

Got a response from Douk Audio USA customer service:

"
Hello,
80Hz: It is recommended to point the knob towards around 11 o'clock;
100Hz: It is recommended to point in the direction from 12 o'clock to 1 o'clock.
But this is not a fixed value, it is still recommended that you adjust it slowly according to the device."
-Douk Audio.

This is contrary to Amir's measurement for "straight up".
I gather that it's anyone's guess as to where to set it for 120hz. Maybe I'll try setting it between 1 & 2.
Thanks.

 

[Talisman]

Reminder.
People who complain about everything also know how to do everything and do it better and for less.

 

[chasmo57]

"People who complain about everything also know how to do everything and do it better and for less"

Anyone have any helpful information?.
Peace

 

[Talisman]

"People who complain about everything also know how to do everything and do it better and for less"

Anyone have any helpful information?.
Peace

Yes, you have to search for useful information a little before, I posted the measurement of the frequency response at various positions of the filter knob.

 

[chasmo57]

"you have to search for useful information a little before, I posted the measurement of the frequency response at various positions of the filter knob."

I searched this thread for your posts again, but all I see are curves for 50hz and 200 hz for 12 O'clock and 3 O' clock. I'd already seen this previously, so thanks.

My question was regarding which knob position to get 100 & 120hz. So far I haven't found this info. Do you know?

Any more useful information?
Thanks

 

[Scrivs]

Reminder.
People who complain about everything also know how to do everything and do it better and for less.

Perhaps they are trying in their own way to point out better choices for less scratch to help people make INFORMED choices, especially those (I'm one of them) who don't have the financial means to buy and rave about every new clone of the last device that's been released. Have at it bro, your money.

I'd much rather have a few properly engineered devices (cheap or otherwise) than a "stack" of e-waste that's only waiting to be scavenged for usable parts (or the landfill I'm guessing in your case.

Open your mind a bit, it's ok not to rave over the latest (Chinese or otherwise) hype-toy.

 

[Talisman]

People always have something to say about anything at any price, it's a competent amplifier, it has a reasonably flat frequency response thanks to the pffb and a high pass filter that you don't have to use, all for 100 euros, until a few years ago you could really buy junk at these prices, or at least products that were not so technically good. This product up to its 30 watts could be indistinguishable in a blind comparison with a McIntosh, but for you it's junk.

 

[Jmudrick]

It's a simple matter of choosing the correct component values. Not to difficult. Sorry you paid $130 for that stand alone "HSU" filter. You could have gotten an active 2/3 way mono/stereo active crossover (CX2310) for the princely sum of $89, manufactured by a pro audio concern with decades of engineering experience in professional sound reproduction and reinforcement.


A poor choice (value wise) ime, or, maybe the overpriced (often technically compromised) option brings value to you. Good luck.

Retail on the Behringer is now $119 for the record. Which is more than the total cost of the A5. I'm aware the used market is full of these units. I prefer to have the little HSU box in my living room.

 

[plastic_avatar]

Background:

I couldn't pass it up at $54.02 shipped (bought right before the Tantrum Tariffs took place [frowns]).

It'll hopefully be here in a couple of weeks (before that de minimis change on the 2nd of May [frowns more]).

It will replace my desktop thrifty system's Fosi BT20A. I'll pass that to a daughter, for a desktop system of her own.

I expect the Douk to perform better than the Fosi, and I have a bag of cheap opamps I bought to test in my Neohipo DC10 (out of the cheapies I tried, I prefer the Burr Browns).

Question:

I don't see anyone *really* talking about what kind of performance is possible with these new, cheap digital amps when used with bigger-than-desktop speakers. So, how well do they perform?

I've got some Polk SDA 1C that are heavily modified. They bounce between 4 and 6 ohms. I can't imagine a little amp, no matter the power supply, could effectively drive them with the kind of authority that a full-sized, giant power supply amp could. Yet, I see people online acting like these little amps can do extraordinary things.

Have any of you come across head-to-head test of large(r) speakers and teeny amps vs conventional amps? Like Fosi monos vs a conventional pair of blocks? Anything like that?

I feel there's a bit of a disservice, if my thoughts are correct, where n00bs in the realm think these amps can do more (and grow with them over time as they get better speakers and need to fill larger spaces).

Opinions?