Douk Audio X1 HiFi GE5654

[Hofnar]

For some reason - curiosity? - I recently ordered and am now the proud owner of a cheap chinese class D amplifier decorated with two vacuum tudes, the Douk Audio X1 HiFi GE5654. Since it arrived about a week ago it´s been connected to a pair of Acoustic Energy 100/2 speakers. signal input from an Aiwa APX680 turntable, a SMSL PL100 CD-player - both via cables - and my laptop via bluetooth.

https://doukaudio.com/products/douk-audio-x1-bluetooth-vacuum-tube-amplifier-desktop-amp-for-turntables-160wx2

So, what can I say about this tiny and reasonably priced little ampifier? Is it hifi? Definitely. Is it high end? Obviously not. Could I live with it as my main/only amplifier? No problem, especially if I didn´t have anything better at hand to compare it with.

For a music lover on a budget it´s a no brainer. It has a phono (MM only) and a line RCA-input as well as bluetooth. Enough output to comfortably power a pair of bookshelf speakers as the above specified and I guess it would manage my ELAC Debut F5:s, at least at the volume levels I, livig in an apartment with neighbors,  dare to play them at. The phono prestage sounds, at least to my ears, perfectly decent and so does the bluetooth. Of course I could play at beeing an audiophile and critically compare the Douk to my Advance Acoustic amplifier and hang up on it´s shortcomings but I find it more enjoyable to let it do it´s thing and listen to the music.

[ropie]

They obviously know a thing or two about hifi as I see they are using one of those special left handed anti-clockwise turntables in their advertising literature 

Nice looking little amp, though.

[Hofnar]

I´ve fallen down the chi-fi rabbit hole. Intrigued by the tiny Douk hybrid class C amp I ordered a Nobsound AV-525 hybrid class A (or A/B?) that is now unpacked, plugged in and have been running for a couple of hours. This is a larger and heftier amplifier and so is the sound it produces, at least that is my spontaneous impression. It also costs about twice as much as the Douk X1.



The Nobsound sports no less than seven vacuum tubes and two - one per channel - VU meters. The meters have no practical use. The tubes handle the preamplification while the power amplification is solid state. More thorough reviews and comparisions will follow.