Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

To all those folks expecting a luxury branded audiophile unboxing experience replete with laser-cut styrofoam and hand-written thank you cards, the folks at Cary Audio would love to talk to you. These folks are all about the packing tape and bubble wrap. To that order, they spared no expense, because the chassis, 7 tubes, and obligatory black power-cord arrived without incident. However one might be hard-pressed to score Douk Audio any points for pretty packaging. Next to the finely coiffed offerings from Zappos and Prime! piled high in my mailroom, this box looked something my cousin might have sent me had she still resided in Humboldt County and was still dating that guy who knew a guy. Be warned- there is no manual, map or diagram to speak of. Makes sense, since the original was probably in Chinese anyway so why not save a tree and a litany of complaints from the 100 million or so that have Prime but can’t read Mandarin. Happily, since the tubes have a finite amount of pegs and designated to sockets with an equal amount of holes, anyone who attended a halfway decent pre-school has the requisite skillset required for assembly. Save for one thing: Tubes are pure magic as long as you follow the rule. Don’t touch the glass. Ever. Look at them all you want, but tubes don’t like to be touched. While the risk for injury is much lower than (say) a halogen bulb, replacement tubes are not available at Ace Hardware. It’s worth mentioning since the original tube boxes are probably still in China, along with the instructions for proper handling. If you’re a young millennial with a retro hipster affectation and are seeking proper tube handling guidance, text a Gen X’er to call their Dad for the proper. Don’t forget to inquire about the break-in period. Mine was 72hours before the tubes started to open up. The most important thing you should know is that this little amp is amazing. Incredible soundstage, articulate highs, tight bass and that warm, midrange bloom that these analog gems are famous for. This is a respectable bit of kit priced less than 1/3 of what most folks pay for their mobile. Audition Source:
 Sony CDP series transport Source configuration: Direct/analog, using gold-plated interconnects. Speakers auditioned:
Tannoy M1 (88db sensitivity) Klipsch KB-15 Icon (94db) Martin Logan Motion 15 (92db) Sources auditioned: Abbey Road (24/96 digital remaster) Dark Side of the Moon (24/96 digital remaster) Led Zepplin 4 (Barry Diament remaster) Blue Train (FLAC)