Nobsound NS-20G Stereo Amplifier - User Impressions.

[Robertosimus]

Nobsound NS-20G

In short:

What i like:

• Perfect size for desk use. The amp is narrow short and low. Perfect to tuck away underneath a pc monitor.
• Performance wise (25-45watt per channel) a perfect match for small- mid size desk speakers, perfect for my Q Acoustics 7000i speakers.
• Crisp performance at low (and high) listening volume. No buzz or humm.
• The top side volume dial is very user friendly. Its practical. Perfect size, easy to operate. Good volume steps. I prefer it over front face volume dials for desk use.
• The volume display is a nice gimmick.
• No audible on/off pop trough the main speakers.
• EQ options that comes close to JBL's sound signature (great bass).
• Neutral EQ option.
• The amp has no bass and treble tone control dials. I prefer this because other users keep accidentally messing up these settings.

What i don't like:

• No Bluetooth AVRCP implemented for Absolute Volume control (Synchronize the source volume with the amplifier volume like BT headphones do).
• No Bluetooth AVRCP implemented to control the source play, pause etc commands via BT trough the amp.
• BT can only be disconnected from the source side. (So when someones else is connected but not using it, you can't use BT)
• There is a loud off-pop trough the Phone output to the subwoofer. Really annoying.
• The Aux input and the Phone (sub) output are on the front side. Its messy with cables. (I wish they used the Douk M3 enclosure and moved all I/O's to the backside.)

What i'm slightly disappointed about but acceptable for the price:

• I wish it also had an USB-C input
• Does not support multiple BT sources connected at the same time.
• There are 5 DSP EQ choices but there is no info on what each E0-E4 setting does in the manual or on the website.
• The Aux input line is not pre-amplified. Using 3.5mm jack plug output from a Samsung table (instead of bluetooth) results in very low volume at maximum volume. On other devices the Aux input did work fine.

What i wish it was:

• NS-20G TPA3116 hardware in the Douk M3 housing
• All I\O on the back side
• A USB-C input
• Another analog input or two (3.5mm jack)
• A top side volume dial with pause play
• Front side EQ switcher, source chooser and next track button.
• A 128x32pixel oled
• Pre-out
• Some AVRCP stuff (Controls: volume up, volume down, mute, play, pause, stop, next track, previous track,fast forward, rewind, shuffle, repeat. Display: title, artist, album, genre, and track number, track length, track position.)

Specs:

• Brand: Douk Audio / Nobsound.
• P/N: NS-20G
• Chip: TPA3116d2
• Performance THD+N = 1%:
• 2x 25watt @ 8ohm.
• 2x 45watt @ 4 ohm.
• 2x 90watt @ 2 ohm.

Inputs:

• Bluetooth 5.0.
• 3.5mm jack analog in.

Outputs:

• 2x stereo banana plug with screw terminal.
• 3.5mm jack analog output for subwoofer.

Dimensions:

• Dimensions: WDH 78 × 90 × 23 mm (3.07 × 3.54 × 0.91 inches)

Pricing

• $35 (aliexpress discount without psu) - $50 regular price - $75 (amazon with psu)

Long story:

My user scenario is a lot of hours of low volume listening behind the computer in the evenings right in front of the speakers and a bit of loud listening at a fair distance.

I have a cramped desk nook in the back of the livingroom where i have been struggling to get some descent audio because there simply isn't space for serious speakers. After trying various speakers i ended up being very pleased with a pair of Q Acoustics 7000i (6ohm) speakers (And a 10" subwoofer) .These speakers have such a small footprint but sound so crisp at all volumes, especially at low volume. MUCH better than many desktop/pc speakers.

I was looking to upgrade to something super compact TPA3255 based that has at least Bluetooth + analog in + Pre-out or subwoofer out.
Also USB-C input and a few more analog inputs would be nice so i could keep the laptop,tablet,and desktop connected all the time.

At the moment i did't have an amp and while i was in between amps and got a TPA3116 based $10 XY-C100H (Not worth the money) from aliexpress to fill the gap till the release and reviews of announced new amps and other considerations like the Fosi MC331, Nobsound A5, Onoorus D3 PRO etc.
I was REALLY surprised that the TPA3116 amp easily had sufficient power to drive my Q Accoustic 7000i (6ohm) sufficiently loud. Which made me rethink my $100+ TPA3255 wishlist, especially after reading mixed reviews and unsolved issues with the MC331 and other new amps. The XY-C100H started to annoy with low volume buzzing, bluetooth connection issues and the left channel cutting out.
I was following the Douk Audio Aliexpress webshop for a while and saw the NS-20G being on discount to $35 this month so i couldn't resist and got it in the mailbox only 4 days after ordering.

My first impression unboxing it was soso. It doesn't look bad, its so light that it feels cheap but when its installed and powered up it looks pretty fancy with the volume display and the led. My wife and kids quickly figured out switching sources and connecting bluetooth so its definitely user friendly.
It did disappoint me a bit that the volume doesn't sync with the source volume in BT mode. For very low volume and very loud listening you keep fiddling with both the source and the amp volume. You also cant pause/play/mute te source from the amp. There also is a shut-off pop trough the subwoofer output (phone channel).Really annoying.
After a week of use i conclude that this amp is a good match for these speakers and this specific application.
ALL IN ALL I REALLY LIKE THIS AMP ESPECIALLY FOR THIS MONEY.

Considered Alternatives:
Fosi DA2120A Great alternative. Cons: price.
SMSL A100 Great alternative Cons: Price.
Topping MX3s Cons: Price, bad reviews about units dying young.
xDuoo DA-100 Cons: No pre-out. No analog input. High price.
Fosi BT20A PRO, my second choice. Cons: Tone control dials, power overkill, price.
Fosi MC331 Cons: unresolved bugs, price.
Onoorus D3 PRO Cons: Too few reviews, overkill in features, price.
Nobsound A5 Cons: No BT, high pass front dial, price.

DSP EQ settings : (From a Douk audio representatieve.)
E0: not mentioned
E1: It is suitable for users to use the built-in sound effects of the music player APP to obtain different effects.
E2: The low frequency is strengthened, and the treble is strengthened. Users may like it by turning on the sound effect function with the music player APP.
E3: The bass and treble are super strong, not suitable for opening the sound effect of the music player APP, and cannot be enhanced; however, it is more shocking to listen to movies and videos, because the video generally cannot adjust the bass, E3 can help you adjust it.
E4: Natural sound effect, some people don't like DSP, just use E4.