Douk Aufio U3

Occasionally, all or most of us at least, wind up purchasing an inexpensive audio device, expecting that it will perform far below expectations - yet our curiosity (based on having seen advertisements or word of mouth) have enticed us to complete the purchase. Such was the case for me when I happened to stumble upon this particular Douk Audio U3 mini head amp on Amazon - noticed the price - and wondered if it would even approach marginal status. And since I happened to have several budget level DAC's such as the Schiit Modi 3, the SMSL M100, and a few others, I thought, "Why not try out this budget head amp to see if it can hold up?" When it arrived I was not prepared to be impressed the way I was. To begin with, the U3 is built like a small tank, exceptionally well crafted with a logical, simple, and impressive front and rear panel layout. The craftsmanship of the U3 is more reminiscent of far more expensive products. Additionally, for those who understand and appreciate being able to make various modifications to electronic devices, the U3 has a pluggable op-amp socket design, which allows one to experiment with different sound signatures - with op-amps being a dime a dozen now-a-days (and Amazon has quite a few of them). Now it is important to note that this is a "Head Amp" only. If you have a DAC and want to connect it to a Head Amp which also has outputs on the rear of such a device to connect to speakers, etc., that will not be possible. The U3 has RCA inputs only (no outputs), so it will serve as a headphone amplifier only. And regarding the U3 being a great Head Amp - well, the best compliment I can give it is to remark, "The U3 truly gives good head...." Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa I first paired the U3 with the SMSL M100 - a simple, yet impressive entry level DAC. Now normally, I always allow audio gear to go through a period of burn-in for 24-48 hours (which I eventually did with the U3), but just for the heck of it, I began playing music through it immediately. Headphones used were the HiFiMan 400i 2020 version, Sivga 007, Philips SHP 9500, Status Audio CB-1, and the Brainwavz HM5. Music being used for evaluation were various large orchestral classical, big band jazz, Latin jazz, and other larger orchestral varieties. For evaluation purposes, It is always a good idea to listen to large orchestras that feature a wide variety of instrumentation. This gives you a good reference point how an audio component can relay orchestral timbres of each instrument. Even upon the first turn-on, I was immediately struck by the musicality of the U3 and the ability for it to further separate various instruments with the proper air or space around their locations. Previously, when I listened to headphones through the likes of the iFi ZenDAC, Soundavo HP-DAC1, Micca OriGen G2, Fiio K5 Pro, and FX-Audio DAC-X6 Mk II, they all displayed different sound signatures - with some models displaying a very bright sound signature, while others sounded bland, and some being very good for the money. With the U3, I was now hearing instruments that previously were not noticeable because of the blending of the sound within the various orchestras. Small, quiet instruments such as cymbals, triangles, and others, were no longer buried behind the entire orchestra. Rather, they were lifted and open to where you could hear them distinctly. All the instruments playing - whether via a full symphony orchestra or a smaller, more intimate jazz group - had this openness to the performances. It was as if a substantial veil had been lifted between the listener and the music. Additionally, imaging (the placement of instruments on an imagery stage) was so precise that you could envision the musicians and exactly where they were located. Depth was also exemplary. However, do keep in mind that if you are running a horrible recording or a poor stream of lower quality music, the U3 will let you know. I should also add that this particular budget head amp is a great device to determine how good your headphones really are. Now do note that I've long discovered (and believed) that warming up/burning-in an audio device is essential because the sound signatures can change over time. When you first turn on the U3 and begin listening, it is very detailed (with the stock Op Amp that comes with it) and dynamic - and perhaps may sound bright to some. As time goes on - in my case being just 48 hours being left on all the time - the overall audio character warmed up - yet the sound was still detailed with plenty of dynamics. As an aside, you should leave your DAC's and/or Head Amps on all the time as they use negligible power. It's just not good to turn off and on (constantly) audio components, and you'll eventually discover that your audio components will have a longer shelf life in the process. Another positive aspect about the U3 is that musical instruments have an accurate timbre to their sounds - not colored at all. I kept mumbling to myself, "Is this thing really a thirty-something dollar head amp?" If ever there was a piece of audio gear that defied expectations (for the better), the U3 meets that scenario. Following my discovery of the U3's capabilities, I then wondered that if the U3 sounded superb with the likes of the entry level SMSL M100 or the Schitt Modi 3 DAC's, what would it do with far more expensive and higher end DAC units? In fact, in my opinion, I'd still call it a bargain if the U3 was priced at $100-$125 - it is that good. Like I said, it makes you now want to pair it with far better (more expensive) DAC's to evaluate the sound quality, which I can only imagine would be improved even more so. Look - I do quite a few blogs and reviews about various audio gear. This Douk U3 threw me for a loop - I found it that stunning, given its ridiculously low price. I strongly suggest picking one up before the price rises. I'm actually in the process of ordering a second one - mainly so I can change out op amps in one, while keeping the other with the stock op amp. At this price, it's a no-brainer. Given my previous experiences with evaluating high performing, yet very inexpensive audio items - which after a series of excellent reviews - were predictably followed by price increases by the vendor. I believe that once Douk sees the reviews on the U3, like anything else, they may very well raise the price. Now let's address the ability to easily remove and change out the Op Amps. This is something I had initially not considered doing with the U3, but since Douk specifically advertised this feature, that piqued my interest. So I purchased several Op Amps and tried them all. And yes, there were sound differences - some making the U3 sound brighter, some harsher, and some warmer. I found that upgraded Burson Op Amps - albeit a bit more expensive - did the best and noticeably elevated the sound performance of the U3. The Burson V5 version homogenized the sound, had a warmer upper register, yet still maintained excellent detail/definition, and had quite a bit of weight to the music. Also keep in mind (remembering about what I wrote above about allowing an audio device to be broken-in), when you switch Op Amps, as they warm up, their sound character will also change and usually for the better (meaning an increased warmth to the audio). So when you first insert an Op Amp in the U3, it may at first sound brighter, but don't let that dissuade you. Give it a few hours or up to 48 hours to be able to notice a discernible change in sound character. Be careful with op-amps though because if you insert it the wrong way (like backwards), you will immediately burn out/destroy the op-amp (not the unit). So before you do any op-amp rolling, PLEASE - be careful and know what you are doing. Given that, the op-amp that comes with the U3 is quite competent and musical sounding. Well, how about any negatives you may ask? Well, yes there is one (subjective) - and that is the front blue light which indicates on/off status of the U3, is rather large (and bright) when compared to the rest of the unit. It features an overly bright blue light which can light up a room at night (without exaggeration). When it's on, especially at night - and your sitting close to it such as by a desktop computer while listening to music - it can be extremely distracting because of its brightness. And when that light is "blue," somehow it becomes more pronounced. It would have been nice if Douk designed the light to be either red or green, which would have toned down the effect somewhat. So that's the only negative thing I can report really. I was so impressed with the U3 that I purchased a second one shortly after getting the first copy. Now when it comes to support - wow, are they good! After 4 months or so, one of my U3's developed a loud hum in the headphone jack. At first I thought it was the headphone I was using, but soon discovered that something happened with the U3. So here it was - June - and I contacted Douk via Amazon. They were quick to respond - didn't ask any questions - and sent me a new U3 in a jiffy manner. Now that's support to the maximum. So, based on its uncanny low price vs its ridiculously high performance ratio, I am enthusiastically rating the Douk Audio U3 mini head amp with 5 stars. It's just that good!!!!

I bought this amp to hook up to my Schiit Modius, in order to be a secondary amp that would mount to the bucket seat of my racing sim set up. I didn't want to have to span headphone cables across the room, and figured running RCA to my sim set up would be easier, and was originally planning on buying a Schiit Magni at bstock just to be frugal. I now have it directly attached to the side mount of my seat and I can take my Sennheiser HD660s from my desk to my sim rig without having to mess with the headphones and without too much loss in quality. My set up: Schiit Modius and Magnius running HD660s. The Douk is connected to the single ended out on my Modius, as the magnius is being used for headphones as well as the desk speakers I have. Sound: For $38, this thing is performing well above its price range. I have used one of the old cheap apple power cube bricks to power the amp, and so far I have not had any issues with noise or interference. I have the volume set to around 9 o clock position, and easily am getting plenty of power to the 150 Ohms Senns, with enough power to probably blow out my ears. Sound quality is very good especially coming from an amp plugged into a mid to high end DAC. One thing I have not tried is plugging the amp into a usb port for power, but based on past experience with tech like this, I would not recommend that in the first place. I know most people in this price range are looking for good power and clean signal, so if you do take the steps, you can easily achieve that. I will say, it is still early for me to give a good representation of sound in comparison to more common amps, but I will probably come back to update this review once I have had it for a bit. First impressions are that the sound is definitely not hindered in any way when given a good clean power source and signal. Build: Again, for $38, quality is phenomenal. I would be paying $100 plus for this quality any other day, but the price to performance makes this that much more worth it. The power button is solid and defined to use, and does not wiggle around in its casing. Volume knob is extremely nice, and the Volpot has small clicks for each level of volume, very satisfying. The materials used for the casing are great as well. The front panel appears to be more of a rose gold compared to the image which seems to make it look bronze orange ish. Finish on the front plate as well as the body are even and clean, and the unit I got did not appear to have any blemishes. 1/4 jack has presented no issues either. The unit comes with 4 stickon rubber feet, which on first glance made me think they were screw in. Since I was removing them to attach the amp to my sim frame, I could see they didn't cheap out on the small details like this. Features and Value: The things you can do with this amp will vary greatly depending on your creativity and need. I believe that for anything headphone related, assuming you are on a budget from $0 to $150, I would recommend this, as it does everything any other headphone amp does if you set it up properly. The blue light on the front of the unit is indeed bright, but I won't be leaving this amp on anyway, so it doesn't matter to me. Small things to consider: Make sure you give it good clean separate power NOT from a usb port on a computer. When powering off, you will here a fizz sound as the power drains out of the unit, I don't think this is any sort of issue, but if it develops into one, I will update the review accordingly. When you turn the unit on for the first time, make sure the volume is turned all the way down, or you will blow your ears or your headphones out. Or both, who knows. Conclusion: If you are on a budget and want the best amp you can buy under $40, get this. The unit is very capable and can be paired with a lot of different hardware to accommodate various use cases. I personally will probably buy a few of these in case they go out of stock. Office use, gifts to friends, similar things all seem to fit the U3 Mini extremely well.

Great value desktop headphone amplifier and volume control for use with analog line-level audio output. If your computer only comes with a line-level or low-power headphone audio output, or if you have a line-level output DAC preamp for your speakers, this adapter will provide full power over the full range of output suitable even for high-impedance headphones. I use this to power Sennheiser 620S and 660S2 and get full-volume bass response. It is sturdy and well-built. The op-amp is socketed for those who want to tinker. NOTE a good quality USB-A power supply is NOT provided and is required to use the unit; an older Apple unit works for me, but I have had some buzz when I tried cheaper generic units.

It is exactly what I was looking for in the price range I was willing to pay. It doesn't have the greatest audio quality, as it's only a class A amp. But for my purposes it's fine. I use it to convert the line level out from a mixer that is fed by three different HF radios into a seven watt speaker. Given the bandwidth of my radios and the quality of the audio from a radio, it works just fine. I would expect for music it would result in some appreciable loss of audio quality. When I transmit, there is quite a bit of RF in the area, but it does not amplify that and performs just as it should. Note it's location in the photo behind the mixer, that was all I had. But this indicates a use case scenario. Obviously this thing is designed for headphones, but for one 7 watt speaker, It has very good audio and is very loud. But I never take the volume up past about 50%. It's loud enough and I don't need to.

Awesome amplifier, easily a thousand dollar sound selling for 2 figures, the signal to noise ratio is also extraordinarily impressive when powered by my power bank which is a DC power supply.

Excelente custo benefício

まだ届いて1日しか経っていませんが値段以上に良くてびっくりです。 画像にはUSB-DCケーブル付属とありましたが普通にACアダプターの電源が付属してました。 PC-オーディオUSB-SMSL D1-RCAケーブル- U3-イヤホンという感じで接続しています。 ノイズ対策でモバイルバッテリー経由と付属の電源を聴き比べて見ましたが付属品はノイズ等もなく嬉しい誤算でした(˶' ᵕ ' ˶) 基本的にFPSゲーム用途ですが自分のバカ耳では音楽、動画視聴も高音質に思います。これまでfiio k11 k7 k9 k15 その他たくさんの据え置きやポタアンを試してきましたがなんかもうこれで良くね？って思ってしまうくらいでした(笑) 余計な機能は要らず6.3mmや3.5mmしか使わない。という方なら全然アリかなと思います。 このレビューがどなたかの参考になれば幸いです🙏🏻

U3 تأدي الغرض و زيادة انا معاي سماعة ASH-50x و الصراحة الصوت معاه جبااار

I think this little amp looks really nice; the bronze finish is cool. It was $40 when I bought it. I wanted to simply listen to CDs using DT 770 Pro 80ohm headphones at a cramped desk space. I bought a $40 Maite brand DVD player to read CDs. I am aware that it is an audiophile crime to use a cheap on-board DAC. However, it works fine! It's using a simple RCA connection, and when I put the headphones on without playback while the amp is turned on, it is the sound of sweet nothing. There is no static, no buzzing or whining. You just need an ordinary USB power brick to plug it in. The kind that you can find at a gas station or dollar store works fine. There's headphone jack adapter provided. Other reviewers said that it didn't work, so I picked one out of my junk drawer and I had issues. It sounded like the music was being played in another room. I twisted it, and it would come in fully, but it would get muffled again if it was touched again. Then I tried the adapter they provided and it worked perfectly! Other reviewers reported the volume knob squeaking or something. I didn't have anything like that issue. Maybe early on in manufacturing they had a couple quality control issues that they corrected. Another thing is that people complained about the brightness of the blue light to indicate power on. It's just an ordinary power-on light. The same sort of thing is on my Audio-technica mic, Tplink usb hub, and Logitech mouse. For 80ohm headphones, I'm only at about 15% on the volume knob. Loud! Some day I might add a DAC or get a proper CD player. But I'm having no issues with sound, and my bank account is looking sad. By golly, this thing works like a charm!