Review on Douk Audio U3 Mini Class A Headphone Amplifier - HiFi Desktop Home Stereo Amp (DC5V) by Lara Kaye

I bought this amp to connect to my Schiit Modius to be an extra amp to mount on the bucket seat of my racing simulator. I didn't want to run my headphone wires across the room and figured it would be easier to hook up the RCA to the sim and originally intended to buy the Shi'ar Magni from stock just to save money. Now it attaches directly to my seat's side mount and I can move my Sennheiser HD660s from my desk to my sim rig without fiddling with headphones and without much loss of quality. My setup: Schiit Modius and Magnius with HD660s. The Douk is linked to a single on my Modius as the Magnius is used for both the headphones and desktop speakers I have. Sound: At $38, this thing is well above its price point. I've used one of the old cheap Apple power supplies to power the amp and so far I've had no issues with noise or interference. I set the volume to around 9 o'clock and easily get enough power for 150 ohm sens, with enough power to probably stick my ears out. Sound quality is very good, especially from an amp connected to a mid to high-end DAC. One thing I haven't tried is plugging the amp into a USB port for power, but based on previous experience with this type of technology I wouldn't recommend that at all. I know most people in this price range are looking for good performance and a clean signal. So if you take the steps you can easily get there. I will say it's too early for me to give a good idea of the sound in comparison. to more common amps, but I'll probably come back to update this review once I have one. First impressions are that given a good clean power supply and signal, the sound definitely doesn't interfere with audio. Build: Again, the quality is phenomenal for $38. I would pay over $100 for this quality any other day, but the performance price makes it worth a lot more. The power button is solid and designed for use, it doesn't hang around in his body. The volume knob is very nice and the volpot has small clicks for each volume level which is very nice. The materials used for the case are also great. The front panel looks more like rose gold compared to the image which appears bronze-orange. The finish on the bezel and body is consistent and clean, and the device I received has no defects. 1/4 jack didn't cause any problems either. The device comes with 4 rubber adhesive feet which, at first glance, gave the impression that they were screwed in. Since I took them off to attach the amp to the ledge's frame, I could see that they didn't skimp on small details like this. .Features and value. What you can do with this amp is highly dependent on your creativity and needs. I think I'd recommend it for anything headphone related, assuming you're on a budget between $0 and $150, as it does everything just like any other headphone amp if you set it up right. The blue light on the front of the unit is really bright, but I'm still not going to leave this amp on, so I don't care. USB port on a computer. You will hear a hissing sound when you turn it off when the power goes out of the device. I don't think this is an issue but if it develops into one I will update the review accordingly. When turning on the device for the first time, make sure the volume is set to the minimum or you will pierce your ears or headphones. Or both, who knows. Bottom Line: If you're on a budget and want the best amp you can buy for under $40, get this one. The device is very powerful and can be paired with many different devices for different use cases. Personally I'll probably buy a few of these when they run out. Office use, gifts for friends and the like are ideal for the U3 Mini.