Douk Audio U10

So it may be silly to be in love with a small tube buffer headphone amp but goodness this device is so fun and sounds so good. I just recently bought a good pair of headphones, Kiwi by Linsoul, and I tried a different headphone amp did not like it so I took a chance on this rather inexpensive device. I had a couple of improvements in the tube department so I added those listen to it for a few days and then added two new op-amps. Lme49720. They have a lot of clarity and they work beautifully with the tubes. Currently listening to Fleesh, a great Brazilian band and their tribute album to Marillion. Beautiful. Thank you Douk.

having worked as a professional sound design and music composer in video games for 20+ years, i was a bit skeptical that for the low price (about $45) this device wouldn't do much or sound decent at all. but honestly, afaikt so far just about everything i've sent through this sounds better! warmer, more rounded (especially the digital synths), slightly fuzzy around the edges (in a pleasent way). obviously if you send a crappy quality mp3 or internet streaming(usually low fi 128kbps) this won't improve garbage compressed audio much. but if you have .wav or .flac, this will surely add something special when listening to those lossless quality files. tbh, i feel i could run my stems or mixes through this during a mixing session and get a really nice tube drive sound. for certain personally projects i feel i could even run the masters through this to add a nice 'little something extra' analog, since i tend to work mainly 'in the box'. ive even been able to power this via the usb c(with a 4x usb a hub) from my laptop and then fed audio from the same laptop through this. there was only a subtle ringing tone when i turned the volume all the way up. but i just crank the output volume on the laptop and kept the volume knob on this tube amp down, and the ring is not noticeable at all. ymmv there, as i read some others got terrible noise when they tried this kind of setup. i love that it's usb powered and you could easily take it on the road. the tubes sticking out do seem quite fragile obviously, and get a bit hot (probably normal behavior) so im aiming to be extra careful if i need to pack it or move it after heavy use, by letting it cool down completely first. overall id say this thing is a great deal and pairs will with my koss pro4aa's. sounds quite warm and lovely and has a nice look and feel (the volume knob is smoooth). really glad i bought it!

Pros: Excellent sound quality, lots of volume/power, makes all music sound a little warmer and sweeter, brings out details, less listening fatigue, good stereo separation. Packaged well, arrived in great condition. Build quality is great. Cons: No included power supply, only a USB to DC cable (I do not recommend to use a PC USB port (dirty /noisy power and often not enough amps), you WILL need to purchase a separate power supply or need to make sure the USB power source you are using can actually output the required amps and volts cleanly otherwise you will get issues with distortion or it just won't turn on, my power back could not supply the appropriate voltage/amps over USB A but could over USB C. Other comments: the little light up plastic insert is silly, and completely unnecessary, I would rather there be no led light at all, I may open it up and remove those LEDs. Also I sort wish it had a little cage or bars to protect the tubes from accidental damage or impacts, but that isn't a por or con just a opinion.

Update: Second time turning it on, and it refuses to send an audio signal out, even after letting it warm up for 15 minutes. This was plugged into a USB port on a desktop surge protector. The U10 definitely produces a bit heat and as well as a bit of a smell. Sometimes that's normal for new electrics, however considering it appears to have died on me, that likely was the warning sign something went wrong with this device. Possible fire risk. Be warned. - - - I honestly did not know what to expect with this amp. First time using anything with tubes in it. I have an HE400se and an HD700 which could have benefitted from more juice. The HD700 in particular were supposed to lose a bit of their harshness with a tube amp. Unfortunately, with the Douk Audio u10, it is the opposite. The audio became a bit harsher and with less resolution. It actually sounds worse than just plugging it into my computer or the GSX1000 in stereo mode. Some are saying the quality of the audio is clean, but its definitely getting a bit dirty in the process and not in a good way. The headphones I tested it with were the HD700, HD598, HE400se, V-Moda Crossfade, KPH30i and EPOS H6pro. So while I find the audio quality WORSE after using this amp, it can clearly cover the more demanding headphones out there. Can't say I recommend this, but keep in mind that is due to my limited experience with this kind of Amp. As I am mostly on the computer, I use the GSX1000 as both the DAC and Amp. Including the Douk to the chain did not help much.

Great little unit... Increase in music power and clairity in my headphones and audio speaker system. There is slite pop in my speakers (only when turning on)!

Great amp! Upgraded the tubes. Sounds great.

This headphone amp is cheap, small and looks good. But most importantly, it works great with power hungry headphones! You just need a 5v 2 amp cube or usb power source, which is not included. Once turned on, wait a few minutes until the tubes get warmed up. Tubes are exchangeable with other compatible tubes of your choice if you want to experiment with variations of it’s warm sound. Packaging is very simple, just a brown cardboard box with no bells and whistles. Don’t be fooled by it!

My setup: Denon DSD DAC, Schiit Sys, Schiit Magni +, Bellari EQ570, Douk Audio U10, Hifiman Sundara Closed Back, Sennheiser HD 569, Sennheiser HD 280, AKG Q701. Lossless FLAC and High Res Music including DSD 64. Audrivana Music Player for Mac. Mac Mini 2024. MacBook Air. Move over Schiit Vali, there's a new Budget Tube Amp in town. Yes, it's that Good. My older Tube Amp died and I researched until I concluded that this Douk U10 fits my budget without sacrificing on sound quality and I was pleasantly surprised. A 5V Power chord is a must, don't waste your time with a USB connection since it will introduce noise and will not reveal the true potential of this little gem. Warm up time for the U10 is about 15 - 20 mins. I was not getting the most of my Sundara Closed Back with my audio setup until I added a Bellari EQ570 and the Douk Audio U10 Tube AMP. My Sundara came to life since it needed a some EQ and a matching amp like the U10 and its now heavenly bliss listening to Lossless and High Res. music. The Sundara has bass to die for, this headphone is lush with perfect lows, mids and highs. I now understand why Hifiman headphones are so popular Don't be fooled by "Audiophiles/Audiofools". Get this little champ before it's discontinued for an another model. I plan to get a second one as a backup. This little champ is highly recommended but without an actual 5V AC power supply, it will be noisy. Its dead quiet with a 5V Power Supply sold right here at Amazon. Highly recommended.

Embalagem excelente, entrega no prazo. Ótimo equipamento, sonoridade muito boa. As vozes, os instrumentos musicais, apresentam-se com nova roupagem!

El producto no es malo sino que está acorde a su precio, es más yo creo que está sobrevalorado. Yo lo devolví porque el sonido que brindaba no me convencía. Muy plano y con falta de agudos por lo que la experiencia auditiva no era la mejor.

This little headphone amp is tremendous value for money. Not only does it sound really good it has no trouble driving the most difficult headphones with it's 1100 mW output. Quality can be improved by op amp rolling if you like to experiment. I replaced the ones in mine with the Burson Audio V5i which made a big difference in the sound quality while still keeping the total cost around £100.

En musique c'est souvent très subjectif mais je ne vois pas du tout l'intérêt de ce petit ampli pour casque.