Tube Phono Preamp: HiFi MM/MC Turntable Preamplifier | Headphone Amp with AUX Input | VU Meter for Record Players, Vinyl Systems Audiophiles (T4 Plus)

We recently decided to pull our fancy LP turntable out of storage after 30 years sitting idle. We got caught up with the recent interest of LP albums and it sparked a strong interest within ourselves. I had previously given away all my receivers, amplifiers, and speakers away. I decided to keep the turntable and realized in 2023. I needed a quick refresher course on what I needed to play LPs with what I currently have. I was against purchasing a receiver or powered speakers. I have a Bose IV Soundtouch System and a Sony Soundbar. Lesson 1 - Get a Preamp! I did an exhaustive review of entry and mid-level preamps. I set my limit at $100 and this Douk Audio T4 Plus Vacuum Tube Phono preamplifier was the Chosen One! It looks amazing with the needle movements and soft casting amber lights. The red volume control knob is a nice contrast and feels amazing as you dial it with your fingers. The two vacuum tubes included were a bonus and happy it still fell into my budget. Hooking this between my Denon DP-71l turntable and the Bose Soundsystem was very straightforward. Just need to plug in the RCAs and ground to the Phono In - Douk T4. And then Line Out RCAs to a 3.5mm plug inside the Bose. Once I had the settings set on the Bose, put the needle onto the track and enjoy! What I immediately noticed is the volume is low. I cranked up the volume knob on the preamp to the max and then raised the volume on the Bose. I am not sure if that is how it should be but it works in the meantime. I did notice the music sounding better after 30 minutes or so since the tubes needed that timeframe to assimilate all the signals for deeper and warmer tones. I am also ecstatic the preamp has its own power on/off setting. This Doul Audio T4 looks stylish and classy right alongside the rose wood of my turntable. Definitely happy we jumped back to listening to our LPs with a little help of this preamp. 5 Stars! One issue - I also received the preamp in an unsealed box. So weird. At least nothing fell out and all seems to be in order. Have a great one to you all!

As at least one other reviewer has noted, the box came UNSEALED. No tape, no gray bag, nothing. I verified I received all the arts that I was supposed to (preamp, DC supply, audio cable, 2 tubes, manual). However, the DC supply had a European plug (round pegs), not at all what we use in North America. I happen to have a stash of wall warts that matched the requirements of the preamp, so I was lucky. As for the sound, well I'm using it to digitize old 78 RPM records direct from a phono cartridge. So for me, it sounded fine. Plenty of headroom, no audio distortion. VU meter worked fine, although one meter for a stereo preamp is a little weird, but the purpose seems to be little more than eye candy. I am using the tubes that came with the preamp, but I may try other types of tubes to see if it really makes any difference. Physical construction is very good, feels solid. One small plus is the cartridge ground screw is the kind with a very small hole that accepts a 22 AWG stranded wire typical of the ground wires that come with most turntables. So it's not just a screw that is hard to get the wire to stay on. Overall I think this is a good value for the money. Just wish the vendor would seal the box before shipping, and provide the correct type wall wart (DC supply). Thanks for reading.

There are a lot of decent affordable Chinese preamps available nowadays & that's a great thing for those of us on a budget. I had a Fosi Box 2 that I was very happy with until it died after only 3 years. I took a stab at this one that cost a little more hoping for an upgrade that'll last a longer. I can't speak for the longevity but I can report that it is an upgrade in terms of sound quality. The Fosi had a lot more bottom end & gain but this Douk has some of the crispest highs & an impressive amount of definition. Rush (2112, Farewell To Kings & Hemispheres) has never sounded better on my system. I do need to turn it up the volume a bit & boost the bass on my EQ but the results are breathtaking. Astetically it's very pleasing as well. The build is very unique & I can stare at the volume meter all day long. I'm not likely to use the additional features; headphone jack, AUX input & MM/MC capablity bit I suppose others will & it's nice to know I've got the option. If you're looking for a budget preamp, this offers great value with excellent sound. Give it a try, I think you'll be happy that you did.

Douk Audio T4 PLUS Phono PreAmp with VU meter, Very good phono preamp for the money, all metal case with some heft/weight, cool VU meter (adjustable meter swing), fairly small, easy to fit on desk top, originally bought it to use on a portable turntable with headphones, but listening to it straight out of turntable sounds very good, it's driving Sennheiser HD 598SE headphones with no trouble, will play loud, low volume detail is pretty good, a must have with this purchase would be the Tube Upgrade from RiverStone Audio (available on Amazon), the Riverstone 5654W Platinum grade Tubes are NOS matched pairs for $29, these Riverestone tubes are much better than the stock ones, this change was significantly better, lastly, also purchased an IFI IPowerX ,12V-2A, used this replaced the standard wall wart that comes with the Douk, upgrade was available on Amazon and made a very nice improvement

I love this preamp. I have had it about a year. Paired with a vintage Denon DP47F turntable and an Onkyo TX-NR5007 receiver. Comes with GE tubes. Sounds as good if not better than my NAD preamp, and looks a whole lot cooler. Great value. Highly recommended.

came delivered, MISSING THE MOST IMPORTANT PART, THE ACTUAL TUBES. two empty slots where the tubes should be. get it together FFS.

This came well packaged with the preamp, 2 NOS tubes, power adapter and cord, and audio input Y-cable. The 2-prong power adapter is 90 degrees for outlet clearance and the cord is long for good placement. A gold plated Y-cable is included for plugging the stereo RCA connector into the mini-jack "Aux In" port in the back. Plugging this cable in automatically disables the phono input. This can be annoying if you need to switch between the two sources but I am only using this preamp for my turntable so the Phono input is all i will need. The casing is all metal and extremely well made. The control knob on the front is all aluminum and machined with a knurl. The color is a gorgeous industrial grey with a great contrasting red knob with machined accents. The knob is very smooth with a nice click for on/off. The bottom of the case is smooth and could use some silicone pads to help with sliding and vibration isolation. The VU meter is bright and beautiful to watch with a crystal clear lens and adjustable sensitivity to get just the right amount of bounce. The color matches the tubes perfectly. Comes with 2 NOS GE 5654W tubes. These were clean, with good contacts and inserted into the sockets easily. Others have already rolled these tubes with other tubes and heard a difference in sound so they are functional and not just show. I switch to Siemens or Telefunken 6AK5s for some more high-end and a larger soundstage. i have paired this with my Ortofon 2M Blue so I set the jumpers to MM. but this preamp gives me the option to upgrade to a better MC cartridge in the future and custom set the resistance Ohm load. Overall a very nice tube preamp if you are looking for a warm tube sound with retro looks and adjustable MC settings. Plus a really cool VU meter.

¡Atención! La publicación es confusa. El anuncio ilustra la versión vieja en la foto principal y la nueva en las subsecuentes (note el ajuste del nivel del indicador VU en el costado izquierdo, incorporado en el modelo nuevo). Asimismo, las imágenes muestran y mencionan la inclusión de bulbos 5725 , pero la descripción menciona 5654. Lo compré a finales de julio 2025 y recibí el nuevo modelo con los 5725. Ojalá Douk corrigiera la información para evitar confusiones. El preamp funciona muy bien; yo cambié los bulbos a los 5654 y el sonido de mis vinilos mejoró claramente y a mi gusto. Ajustes e instalación fácil; aceptable nivel de personalización. Buen producto.

Fantastic phono pre-amp with headphone output as a bonus. The pre-amp output may be a little on the quiet side, requiring increased volume from the output device, but the sound is very good- exactly what you want from an analogue tube amp, smooth as silk. Headphone output has lots of gain, I suspect enough to drive the most power hungry headphones. The output gauge is totally unnecessary- and I love it. Great value.

Es una pieza pequeña y funcional. Su look retro es lo que me gusto. El uso de un bulbo permite suavizar el sonido de los discos y le da un color diferente vs. CD's. Por el precio, no esperen un sonido high-end; no obstante es razonablemente aceptable. Tiene un control de volumen que permite regular la salida. Es de fácil conexión. Se puede utilizar tanto con las tornamesas que tienen la salida para Phono-Only, como las que permiten ajustar a Auxiliar o Phono. Muy recomendable si se encuentran en espacios pequeños.