The Douk A100 Amplifier - Real World Review

[@TheBoomerConsumer]

Please keep comments civil. Comment with links will be removed.

[@RUMBLEGO1]

Yeah it is crazy good. I own the Fosi V3. Was able to pick the A100 up for $90 shipped from Nobsound when they were selling this for that introductory price. So glad i made that decision as in my system it is another step forward in performance than the V3. This in my system of course. The midrange is just incredible! Happy camper with this amp! Looking for another deal to snag one so i can use them as monoblocks. Don't think i'll ever see $90 shipped again though alas. Good review!

[@US_Joe]

Good review - Thanx Bruce. Just ordered one.👍👍👍

[@marcparsons1726]

I need a preamp with bells and whistles. Got all the amps anyone could ever need in a lifetime.

[@MrBenherrmann]

This A100 sounds great - but I was highly disappointed in the following areas: 1. Screws used to remove case (i.e. to allow for Op Amp changes) were unbelievably difficult to remove. Whoever installed them on the assembly line made sure that they were secure (too secure really). Three of the screws on my unit could not be removed and I had to use an extractor bit in my drill because the hex tools could not remove them and they were stripped. 2. You are limited with the op amps you can switch out. Because the op amp receptacles are unusually spaced very close, discrete op amps like from Burson and specifically, the Sparkos Labs varieties will not fit at all - which was a huge disappointment. You can only use the small IC-based op amps - like the size of the stock NE5532's. 3. The overall gain setting is ridiculously low. I use my A100 on a desktop, near-field setting, where I am only 3-4 feet away from my speakers. Just to listen "normally," I had to set the master volume knob at the 3 o'clock position - think about that. I can only imagine that this thing would not play appreciably loud at all in a larger room setting. I then took it downstairs in my 17 x 17 family room where my video gear was. I had to turn the master volume all the way up to the max position (5 - 6 o'clock) just to get a halfway decent volume. But like I said, it sounds great - even with the stock NE5532 op amps.

[@TheBoomerConsumer]

I will pass this along to my contacts at Douk

[@doukaudio]

Hello Ben, Thank you for your comment on our A100, and high evaluation on A100’s cooling efficiency, sound quality and other aspects. As for the shortcomings that disappointed you, we are very sorry and here are some response from our PD, and we will address and resolve these issues in future production. 1. The difficulty of disassembling the case: Due to the unique structural design of the A100, the disassembly process is indeed more complicated than the common Class D amplifiers. Please refer to the video; with the correct tools and methods, it will become much simpler. 2. The issue of replacing the op-amps: Initially, the A100 was designed as a compact, high-power Class D digital amplifier, so we overlooked the need for larger op-amps. In the second batch, we will increase the op-amp spacing from the current 11.3mm (center-to-center distance of the two replaceable op-amp sockets) to 14.5mm to compatible with more op-amps. 3. The volume knob needing to be at the 2-3 o’clock position for the sound to be noticeable: To enhance sound quality, we used type-B potentiometers in the first batch of A100s. Based on your feedback, our engineers have optimized this and decided to switch to type-A potentiometers in the second batch while maintaining the A100’s excellent performance. Thank you again for your feedback. Have a great weekend!

[@MrBenherrmann]

@@doukaudio Thank you so much for responding to this. This shows that you folks truly listen to your customers. Yes, that would be great if you update the issues I mentioned, however, for those of us who have rushed out to purchase the current version, we're kind of out of luck on this one. But as I said, the sound is superb.