Douk Audio 2 Channel TPA3255 Bluetooth Amplifier 300W x2, Turntable Phono Amp with VU Meter, Treble Bass Control for MM Record Players, Home Theater Speakers (ST-01 Plus)

A solidly built great little amp. I was surprised with the heft and build quality. The knobs are also all solid and have weight to them. Sound is great. I am not an audiophile, but pushong my ELAC 5.2s, with or without a powerd sub and you can really enjoy the music. The sound reprodiction is great off of vinyl or streaming high quality audio over BT and included DAC. I can listen on this system for hours and it is always pleasnt. You don't realize how much audio fatigue you get off an echo speaker, or your phone speakers until you use a HiFi.Same with music source quality. On a crappy echo dot, you can't really tell the difference between lossy and lossless audio. At least I can't. All of it sounds... Like noise. This amp let's the source quality though and provides great audio at normal volcues. I cannot speak to house shaking volume leves, because I am not a kid anymore. I also cannot speak to how this amp compares to a pure tube or a pure class D. I can tell you that for the money I was very impressed and would buy again.The speaker connections are solid, but not as high of quality as on my ELAC speakers. The line level 3.5mm out is convenient for running a powered sub, and the line level volume is dependtend on the overall volume, so you get proportioal sound off of both the 3.5mm and the speaker outs. Inputs all seem to work, I haven't tried the digital coax yet, but all others work great.Now for the cons. As minor as they are.The amp looks a treat. The soft orange Vu meter and soft glowing tubes look great, retro, analogue, and warm. Unfortunately the blue LED source indicator throws that vibe out the window. Maybe it is just me, but this was a poor austetic choice in my opinion.The lowest volume level is not low. I am running 86Db speakers and the lowest Volume level has got to be at least 86 DB, so about 1 watt. This may not matter so some, but your speaker sensitivity may make for a very loud setup with this amp. I would not be able to use my HiFi as I want if I had higher sensitivity speakers (95ish) with this amp. Sound is great, just know there is a high floor and no really attenuation ability below that.Cheap remote. Yup, first world problems. But the cheap generic remote that weights all of a ounce is in sharp contrast to the high quality of the amplifier. It works fine. But I have no delusions tjatt it will last. Asumming o do t lose the darn thing, I will update the review if the remote keeps working past 4-5 months.Yes it is Chinese made and branded,. But appears to be quality. If it does or otherwise fsiles to live up to my expectations, I will update. Otherwise, I have no regrets and would buy again.

I'm sure there are better sounding "hybrid" tube amps. And better sounding amps in general. However, for the price and size, considering the features, I LOVE this little amp. I've got several AV amps (couple SONY, Onkyo, etc). Ive got a few similar "mini" amps from a handful of makers. I'm not a hi-fi nut, but I'm pretty picky about good sound. This little amp does it for me. The tubes add a nice touch of warmth and smoothness that sounds just amazing to me. One thing that I think can tell the quality of an amp is how different speakers sound on it. For instance, I put some "decent" but old and budget-level bookshelf speakers (6" woofer, 1" dome tweeter) on this. Sounds nice. I put my Micca RB42x on it - definitely a difference, sounds better! I hooked up some Klipsch ... oh, man, did this thing shine!!! Lesser amps make both the Micca and the Klipsch sound good. This guy makes the micca sound good and the Klipsch sound REALLY GOOD; you really can hear a significant difference. (I did put the Klipsch back on my stereo upstairs and this unit runs with the micca as it's "routine" setup, and sounds really good, amazing really, for something THIS small and at THIS price point.)Basic function has been good. I use it wired, mostly, but do use BT connection about 1/4 of the time i use it. I've had no problems with BT connections and sound quality is as expected for BT. Volume control is smooth. Remote works well. I use it in my home office, which is really the sort of application intended, and it's plenty powerful to fill the space and sound good. If you were using it, say, in a shop or large room, and running large speakers, it might not have quite enough "oomph" ... but this type/power of unit really isn't intended for that! And I can't speak to "volume" - whether it's loud enough for someone ... I personally don't care if it's "loud." I want to listen just loud enough to separate all the parts of the music - instruments and such - and where they all sound RIGHT, like they should, like each instrument is right there. This unit does this for me in a 10x10 office at less than 1/3 power on 4" bookshelf speakers and at a level that is comfortable, that i could listen to for a long time without feeling pressured or get sound-fatigue. I see no point in going higher and rattling things on my desk or in the closet. Although, it does have enough power even at that reasonable, very comfortable volume, my wife can hear I have music on in the room above me (despite insulation I put in for sound deadening + acoustic blocking ceiling tiles). I have added a small powered sub on the sub-out channel and find that a really NICE feature. The tone adjustments are nice to have, I guess, and do work, but I generally run it pretty flat with an occasional veeeery _small_ tweak with an EQ setting at the source based on a particular album or recording (ie PC when I'm running over BT from my computer).I've loved this little amp for the months i've been using it so far without any glitches or problems, and hope it lasts forever for me! Definitely worth the money. It's my 3rd Douk device and so far, all have been winners in value for the price.

I’ve been into audio equipment since the 70’s. I’ve tried all matters of receivers, integrated amps, separates, and tubes. All in an effort to find the ever elusive magic that would have me stop & settle on one setup. Unfortunately, that’s just not going to happen.Some of the best sound I’ve had was from an EL-84 based push-pull all tube integrated. The problem is, it’s low power, and doesn’t put out any bass, even with high efficiency speakers. For only $160 with upgraded tubes, and some positive reviews, I figured I would give this amp a shot.Well, I must say I’ve been pleasantly surprised! The bass is there, and so is some of the goodness that tubes have to offer. Voices & acoustic instruments are a bit more 3D and organic sounding than just straight solid state. Not as sweet as all tubes, but enough to make for a difference. I did spring for the popular Riverstone 5654W tubes. They do a great job of testing & matching the pairs they sell. I can confirm the amp makes no sound without tubes installed, but I still question whether they act more as a buffer, or are actually in the circuit as a preamp. I did try different valves, and there was an appreciable difference in their sonic signatures.As far as the “clicking”...it does so when switching inputs, and when the signal first starts to play. I don’t notice it much as I am playing via a USB cable into the internal DAC and just playing back 3000 songs from my PC in random order. I did try my Topping E30 DAC, and found the sound of the built in DAC to be very similar. No clicking between tracks, I have it setup in my smallish office, so no interference from other remotes. I’ve been using it for 8+ hours a day for more than a week, without issues or concerns. The only thing I don’t like is when lowering the volume, the sound goes out before I can reach the (lower) volume I would like.Playing into a pair of ELAC Debut 2.0 6.5 sans sub gives me all the bass I could ask for. Playing into a pair of Dali Zensor 1 speakers with a sub is sublime. So, am I ready to proclaim this amp as the greatest piece of audio gear in all the universe? I’m certain I’ve never heard the best, and I’m sure the cost of such a system would be far out of my budget. However, for what this amp does, the really good sound qualities and all the inputs and versatility it offers, for the price, I will likely be buying another, to use in a second system. It is that good.

When I watched Randy, the Cheapaudioman's review on YouTube, I was fairly confident that I would get a good product for the money. What I didn't know was just how knocked out I would be! (To be completely straight he reviewed the Ayima T9 but it is in actuality the very same product) This guy punches WAY above his class! The clarity is miles above what I expected. The overall sound is, and please, this IS the best description to my ability, well, warm and gooey like grandma's best backed chocolate brownies with warm layers of caramel. Don't get me wrong, the ST-01 produces plenty of punchy bass, but where it's true strength resides is in the mids. I listened to 1978's London Town by Wings. All of the lush melodic fare is brought to the fore. Paul McCartney's vocal stylings have a weight and texture that I had previously never heard. This is also heard on Denny Laine's lead vocals, and when mixed with Linda McCartney's vocals make a rich sause of sound that is exquisite. This little guy is no slouch in the treble department either! This, friends, is where the astounding clarity comes in. Cymbal strikes and other forms of percussion other than drums rings sweet and clear. The flutes on Don't Let it Bring You Down are simply heavenly. The higher register vocals on Girlfriend are AMAZING. The highs are never fatiguing, and keep in mind that this was lossy audio from the internet that I was listening to! I haven't even listened to my vinyl yet on this thing! Sgt. Pepper, here I come! Don't let the naysayers in a few of the other reviews influence your decision here. Yeah, it clicks when nothing is being put through and I guess it goes into standby mode if no audio signal is detected after ten seconds. SO? This is so minor as to be a non issue and at this price point with the amazing sound quality? It's like having a filet Mignon that you didn't pay a lot for and complaining about just a bit of grissel along the bone. The meat is tender and juicy but you're going to complain about a TINY piece of it? This little tube hybrid is the real deal, folks and while it isn't a true tube amp with them only powering the preamp stage, this powerful little guy makes my old $395 Onkyo sound kinda old and washed up. This is ABSOLUTELY the best $129 I have ever spent!

Good sound quality

UPDATE: Downgraded to 1 star for 3 reasons.1. Unit doesn't turn on all the time and sometimes turns on and off repeatedly.2. VU meter worked for a bit and then stopped working completely.3. Customer service... To say it's bad would require ANY response at all. It's non existent. I've tried to resolve this with Amazon and the vendor on 5 occasions (2 Amazon, 3 vendor), ZERO luck, zero response.The sound quality and performance of this amp is staggering for its size and price. If you're on the fence, go of it. You will NOT regret it. I have it driving a pair of Boston Acoustics VR Reference speakers and using the aux out for a 1000 watt matching sub. It's unreal the sound this thing produces.. Warm, rich, full, VERY articulate, no discernable distortion, and able to get QUITE loud if you need it.

First, this thing sounds fantastic for an integrated amp under $1000. And it only cost me $130! If you want a very small form factor amp I really dont think that you could do better in this price range. I use it mostly connected to my Fluance RT85 turntable connected via a Douk Audio T4 Pro preamp, but I've also used the Bluetooth and the optical input (CD transport connected), so I can tell you that the integreated DAC sounds great! The bluetooth connects quickly and works perfectly paired with my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra from anywhere in my 2500+ sq ft home. It drives my Klipsch R-41M bookshelf speakers perfectly. I udually keep the volume at about halfway, maybe a bit more and my preamp gain isn't even close to being turned up past halfway. I use the 3.5mm auxiliary output on the back to drive a Klipsch R-10SW 10" subwoofer. I did also added GE 5654W tubes, not because I think they really sound any better, but because they're shorter than the included chinese tubes. I like that look more. The build quality of this amp is very impressive for the price. All connections and controls feel solid. The VU meter on the front also works well and looks great.In summary, if you're in the market for an affordable integrated amp that performs very well and are on the fence about buying this integrated amplifier then just do it. Buy it. I'd be surprised if you were disappointed.

This little amp has a huge amount of punch and is really fun to look at, with the vacuum tubes and the VU meter. Contrary to the manufacturer's description, my unit did NOT use the TI TPA3221 chip, it actually had the superior TPA3251 audiophile class-D chip. I know this because I have an engineering backround and opened up the unit and took a look inside (see pictures). Construction and internal components are high quality, with 105C (not 85C) electrolytic capacitors and good multilayer PCB's.It's also really practical, with Bluetooth, USB, RCA, coax and optical inputs. AND A REMOTE! I was impressed with the sound quality, low noise and low startup and shutdown pop. It does not have any clicks or noises when switching inputs or setting volume with the remote. The only quibble I have is that they call this a "200W" amp, even though the max unclipped power you can get out of the included 24V power supply brick would be 36W into 8 Ohms or 72W into 4 Ohms. Still, 72 REAL Watts is plenty of power for a bookshelf or even a home stereo system unless you really need wall shaking volumes. I'm really happy with this purchase!

The sound quality of this little valve amplifier gave me a big surprise. I connected it to a CD player and a pair of Heco floor standing speakers. It immediately surpassed my other 5.1 solid state amplifier in terms of reproduction of music. Bass is solid and thick. Clarity and separation of vocal and instrument are superior. Overall, it brought back my enthusiasm of listening to music which the 5.1 amp had failed.

I'm not an audiophile nor do I really care for high end audio. I purchased this amp for use in a small room with cheap used bookshelf speakers and it works very well. This amp is very convenient as you only need speakers and a device that outputs digital music (your phone, tablet, IPOD, PC etc) and don't require a DAC or a preamp. The bluetooth works well but if you tend to play your music loud then it's probably best to use USB, optical or RCA as I noted the bluetooth did not output the same level of volume. It felt like it was around half or 60% compared to other inputs.The clicking is present but it's actually not noisy or annoying as pointed out by some of the reviews. The click and the cutoff occurs after 10 seconds of no input. Once this amp receives input again it will click on again after about half a second.The VU meter works but in order to see good movement you need to turn up the volume and bass. I noticed it jump around a lot more with the bass turned up. For quiet listening do not expect the VU meter needle to make any movement.I asked my father who is an audiophile to play around with the ST-01 and provide his feedback and he basically said what a lot of the youtube reviewers are saying. For the price, it does an amazing job and should be enough for most people. He was really surprised that an amp so small could output so much volume. Mind you, he's 77 years old so he's probably not really caught up on how efficient class D amplifiers have become. Compared to his amplifiers he thought it sounded pleasant with enough details. He thought this amp did very well in vocals. In his words, he said his amplifiers sound like the music is coming from a concert hall and the Douk Audio ST-01 sounds like it's coming from a small stage. He didn't think the sound was "warm" as is the characteristic of tube amps but he found the highs and mids non fatiguing to his ears. He did note that the ST-01 didn't seem to be outputting the stated watts as he wasn't able to sufficiently power his speakers at the volume he normally listens to. He thought maybe with a good power supply upgrade this issue could be fixed.Overall the Douk Audio ST-01 is a great little amplifier. I am really happy with this amplifier after spending few hours with it. It's not some unicorn that's going to beat the expensive amps so please have realistic expectations about this amplifier. As someone who isn't interested in hi-fi audio, even I can tell that expensive amps that my father have sound much better.

I have this unit paired with Sony SS-CS5 speakers and the matching Sony sub. The clarity and the bass is excellent. Using the internal DACs, I like the sound from this amp slightly more than the sound from my Pioneer Elite receiver. I think this is a great amp. I have had it for one month with no problems so far.

well desgigned

I'm not an audiophile but the sound on this beautiful...For the price, the clarity beats anything that I currently have. I used to have an FX-Audio as a preamp to add a the "tube" warmth, but that stopped working. I didn't realize how much I missed that "tube" sound until I got this unit.The only downside is if you're looking to buy this for the VU meter, it doesn't work very well (at least for my setup). It seems that you have to crank up the volume to deafening levels before the pin moves.Pros:- good price- great sound- compact- exhaustive source optionsCons:- VU meter needs high volume to work