Which selector switch is the BEST? Fosi LC30 vs the classic Douk VU3 One Little Bear!

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  • Опубліковано 25 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 124

  • @mikecampbell5856
    @mikecampbell5856 8 місяців тому +6

    I bought the One Little Bear after watching your video, and I'm glad I did. I love the darn thing!

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  8 місяців тому +3

      I love it!

    • @HiFiMods
      @HiFiMods 8 місяців тому

      lol. I returned mine after I compared listening with and without it ... 🙃 See my other comment for details, good luck!

  • @chrislj2890
    @chrislj2890 8 місяців тому +1

    I had considered one of these VU meter switchers but went with a plain type instead. I got a Solupeak P2 from Amazon and it works perfectly to switch between two amps to one pair of speakers. I already had a Solupeak U31 which lets me switch between up to three turntables into one amp, although I'm only using two, and it works great also. It's a shame that Fosi unit sucks because it really looks nice.

  • @timster1
    @timster1 8 місяців тому +9

    To me it just demonstrates that most people have no idea how few watts or milli-watts are needed for loud.
    Fosi Audio meters are "calibrated" to WATTS, and for most people, most of the time even 1 watt is going to be 85db or more - in other words LOUD. The miss for me is that the Fosi audio should have a dual scale meter, calibrated to 10w / 100W for 0db on the scale, switchable. Just like the venerable old Realistic APM-100. And yes I own the LC30 and the Neohipo equivalent.

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  8 місяців тому

      Thanks for watching and the great ideas!

    • @Kevin-sh1sx
      @Kevin-sh1sx 8 місяців тому

      NEOHIPO ET30?

    • @limulus61
      @limulus61 7 місяців тому

      This is exactly what I noticed. The scales are different on these units. Personally, I like the look of the Fosi but if the cool needles don't move, then I have to go with Douk.

    • @Kevin-sh1sx
      @Kevin-sh1sx 7 місяців тому +1

      @@limulus61 Why not choose NEOHPO ET30? After all, in terms of testing, ET30 yields better results than DOUK VU3.

    • @limulus61
      @limulus61 7 місяців тому +1

      @@Kevin-sh1sx I’ll check it out.

  • @bacarandii
    @bacarandii 23 дні тому

    Thanks for the illuminating comparisons. I have six-way TEC audio switches (no meters, no volume controls) in various configurations for selecting between amps and speakers and sources (some handle speaker wires, some are for RCA cables) -- and a Douk VU22 (with groovy round yellow meters) that does nothing except make the pretty VU needles dance. I turn that on when I'm running vintage components that don't have meters built in (and even when they do!) because it looks nifty.

  • @stevezeidman7224
    @stevezeidman7224 8 місяців тому +1

    Nice job on this. I do like the watts indicator better on the fosi. But, if the meters aren’t sensitive it’s a waste of time and money.

  • @jim010109
    @jim010109 8 місяців тому +3

    Great review, yep I'd go with the Litte Bear

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  8 місяців тому +1

      Agreed!

    • @Kevin-sh1sx
      @Kevin-sh1sx 8 місяців тому

      There is also a NEOHIPO ET30, which is a VU meter & switcher. It has been tested on ASR (Audio Science Review) and does not affect audio parameters at all, but there are very few UA-camrs who promote it.

  • @HiFiMods
    @HiFiMods 8 місяців тому +3

    🤔 I returned my D.A. Little Bear the same as in the video once I found out there was a signal degradation (lost audio) using the same speaker cables than if I connected directly - AMP to speakers. 🤷‍♂️ Now I just do it manually each time I either listen to music or watch a movie using different amp/receiver but the same L&R speakers. Those A/B switches add additional resistance to the circuit, which inhibits pure/clean signal transmission, resulting in pore audio fidelity. At least in my system ... 🙃🤷‍♂️

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  8 місяців тому

      Thanks for the heads up!

    • @Douglas_Blake_579
      @Douglas_Blake_579 8 місяців тому +3

      You found out... Did you experience this personally?
      Yes there will be a small increase in resistance... in the order of milli-ohms that I seriously doubt would ever be audible within the power handling limit of the device.

    • @mikecampbell5856
      @mikecampbell5856 8 місяців тому

      Could you just connect to speaker B and enjoy the show?

    • @EskWIRED
      @EskWIRED 8 місяців тому

      Resistance is unlikely to be the culprit. It could be a million other things.

    • @damienlahoz
      @damienlahoz 7 місяців тому +1

      its possible the device is adding noise, it has cheap internal power, led's and RF, none are great for sound but resistance? not sure. the device, from that stand point should simply pass current or not. like a light switch. could be wrong though but id use an spl meter to make sure, if there is a drop in sound pressure you'll know something is going on. but honestly a slight bump on the volume wheel should take care of it. but noise is a different matter all together and you are right to worry there

  • @annebokma4637
    @annebokma4637 14 днів тому +1

    I want a box like this without the vu for under €100. Any ideas? RC and 2 in and 2 out are a minimum/must

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  14 днів тому +1

      Look for vintage switches on eBay. I have one from radio shack without meters that is easy to use and I paid $10 for it. I made a video about it on my channel about using that instead of a traditional preamp for class d amps if you want to check it out

    • @annebokma4637
      @annebokma4637 14 днів тому

      @ForeverAnalog thnx, will have a look, though radio shack is a rare find here in Europa 😁

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  14 днів тому +1

      @annebokma4637 I bet so!

  • @VIctorCarruyo
    @VIctorCarruyo 5 місяців тому +1

    There is a reason for the needles moving like they do. Read the scales, one is a VU meter, the other is a watt meter that goes to 300+. Most amps cant push 300 watts, most speakers get really loud with 20-40 watts.

  • @MrHesmovedon
    @MrHesmovedon 3 місяці тому

    I bought Neohipo ET 30.
    Not only it is responsive enough, but also can change the colour of the dimmable VU metres.
    Also ( on the remote ) is the button to change the speed of the hands
    And it was the cheapest.

  • @damienlahoz
    @damienlahoz 7 місяців тому +2

    id love one of these with the remote but i use a dumb amp switch. just a passive device with nothing to offer to the signal chain. hate having to switch it all the time but i cant imagine how all the circuitry in the devices in this video plus 5v power and RF dont affect the signal chain in some way.

  • @MegaSnake76
    @MegaSnake76 4 місяці тому

    i've got the douk v3 and its awesome for the price . have it connected to my vintage onkyo amp, tape deck and turntable for that old school look .

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  4 місяці тому

      Awesome, thanks for watching and sharing!

  • @Dafnessific
    @Dafnessific 2 місяці тому

    The spot-lighting on the Douk VUs looks more correct to me for some reason. Even knowing it's a cheaper approach. The Fosi does hold itself out as for 'high power' applications.

  • @paulkent6846
    @paulkent6846 8 місяців тому +2

    Assuming Fosi cannot provide a firmware update, as every review I’ve seen mimics yours. Completely pointless for most situations, unless you are a high volume listener. Thanks for the comparisons and DB level info, really helped understand how it would be no use for me. Thanks.

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  8 місяців тому +1

      Thanks for watching and glad it can be of help!

    • @Jeep_on_audio
      @Jeep_on_audio 8 місяців тому +2

      Firmware for hardware without any software?
      Just change a pair of resistors inside and you're done.

  • @trog69
    @trog69 8 місяців тому +2

    I'm very disappointed in the Fosi meters, which is 95% of what I'd want from a switcher. I always thought the meters showed the signal no matter the volume, but apparenty that not true, which is another strike in my book. I'm in no hurry since I need to replace the tweeters in my 910s. I have the replacement tweeters, fresh from Mr. So's very capable hands. (Mr. So worked at aDs and has a lot of replacement drivers for their speakers, though he recently ran out of midrange drivers.)

    • @Douglas_Blake_579
      @Douglas_Blake_579 8 місяців тому +1

      These meters are reading the voltage across your speakers. That is, of course, totally volume control dependent.

  • @FeedScrn
    @FeedScrn 3 місяці тому

    Tip: If you're just looking for a VU meter box with no amp / speaker switches, last I checked there was one in Ali Express.... uses RCA jacks. (as of Sept 2024).

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  3 місяці тому +1

      Awesome. Thanks for sharing and watching!

  • @pierrebenisti
    @pierrebenisti Місяць тому

    Hi How do I connect the same source to two amplifiers, when I use switcher ?

  • @BobbyBass-x6i
    @BobbyBass-x6i 5 місяців тому

    Thanks for the comparison video. I had both and found the same results. The Douk was much better. The meters are much more sensitive and the color palette is great too. I have it set with a purple tone. I have it just listening to my music now for the meter action. Plan on using the switch between speakers in the future. Got a refund from Fosi but it took a while to process.

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  5 місяців тому

      Sorry to hear you had the same issues. Thanks for sharing!

  • @jacksonranch
    @jacksonranch 8 місяців тому +1

    Did you encounter in audible distortion with either device?

  • @Robert-ps8fj
    @Robert-ps8fj 8 місяців тому

    The design of the fosi audio looks very nice....

  • @barrywilliams606
    @barrywilliams606 2 місяці тому

    Can you use a speaker selector with a home theater receiver and a class d amp

  • @doubledark2
    @doubledark2 4 місяці тому

    how do you connect an active subwoofer to these devices? cheers

  • @francislai5128
    @francislai5128 6 місяців тому

    Apart from the cool looks of the VU meters, will it affect the sound qualities ?

  • @alanalain4884
    @alanalain4884 8 місяців тому

    And aside ot working better than Fosi, I anyway prefer the retro look of the little bear vu meters... Thank for the video, and your others...

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  8 місяців тому +1

      Thanks for watching! I love Fosi products, but I think this one just slipped through QC with some issues.

  • @septembersurprise5178
    @septembersurprise5178 8 місяців тому

    I'm a sucker for bright shiny things, V.U. meters fit that category for me. Having said that, the other attraction for these switchers is "switching". Do either of these units switch seamlessly between speakers and amps, at listening levels? Is the switching instantaneous, with out interruption to the music?

    • @JoergAsmussen
      @JoergAsmussen 8 місяців тому +1

      My experience with the Douk: if I switch speakers at high volumes (I guess > 75 dB), there is a notable "noise glitch" during switching. At lower volumes, it works seamlessly.

    • @septembersurprise5178
      @septembersurprise5178 8 місяців тому

      @@JoergAsmussen Thank You for the reply.

  • @BrunoFonsecaPT
    @BrunoFonsecaPT 8 місяців тому

    No comment on the build quality differences? Or the max Wattage for each of the units? Or sound degradation?

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  8 місяців тому +2

      I know my audience pretty well these days and knew they would tune out the minute they see the lack of response from the VU meters, so mentioning everything else seemed unnecessary.

    • @BrunoFonsecaPT
      @BrunoFonsecaPT 8 місяців тому

      @@ForeverAnalog Isn't that assumption robbing your audience of their own decision making? I'm sorry, I'm not being difficult, just trying to understand the rationale, as I would prefer to see an unbiased comparison so I can also take my own conclusions out of the video. I understand I may be on the minority here, but I was still part of your audience and the VU meters are what I value the least in a device like this. And don't get me wrong, I think you make a great job of reviewing the VU meters, just saying I would love to see also the other parts of the device getting some attention.

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  8 місяців тому +1

      @@BrunoFonsecaPT fair point, thank you!

    • @Douglas_Blake_579
      @Douglas_Blake_579 8 місяців тому +1

      @@BrunoFonsecaPT
      I don't disagree with you ... But why would you buy something that doesn't work right?

  • @ChiragPatnaik
    @ChiragPatnaik 3 місяці тому

    Apologies for the stupid question. But Can these be connected to active speakers and an amp like the R7? Seeing the connectors it’s not clear.

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  3 місяці тому

      Unfortunately no, at least not in a way I can think of since the connections here are all via speaker wire.

  • @bluesfish55m51
    @bluesfish55m51 4 місяці тому

    Someone explain how these can be practical as an amp switcher!?! Unless your source has two outputs that can go to two amps so the same signal is available to both. Many of the reviews on these tout them as a way to a/b amplifiers but all they do is switch speaker signals.

  • @ptg01
    @ptg01 8 місяців тому +1

    The DOUK also presents a LOAD to the amp even though that particular amp is not selected. This is critical for tube amps. I don't know if the FOSI does that or not.

  • @TorontoJon
    @TorontoJon 8 місяців тому +1

    Yeah, the Vu meters of the Fosi Audio LC30 seem very disappointing indeed in terms of the needles barely moving and then, only at absurdly high volumes.
    I have both the Fosi Audio LC30 (which I'm contemplating returning, but I'll see) as well as the Douk Audio One Little Bear VU3 and the Vu meters played a huge part in those purchases in the first place.
    I also have the Douk Audio VU22 which has a microphone, so it can detect any audio in the room and the Vu meter needles are very sensitive and responsive. Plus, I like the cool copper rings around the Vu dials which add a lot of style (almost Steampunk in a way reminiscent of Captain Nemo and '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea') and those copper ring embellishments match pretty well with the copper rings surrounding the tubes of the Fosi Audio V3 or other Fosi Audio or Douk Audio phono preamps as well as a copper and black Audio Technica turntable, the AT-LP120XUSB-BZ direct drive USB turntable, which is sold exclusively by BestBuy Canada.
    In any case, the diminutive Douk Audio One Little Bear VU3 amplifier speaker selector has won this round. Kudos! :)

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  8 місяців тому +1

      Thanks for sharing and watching!

    • @Kevin-sh1sx
      @Kevin-sh1sx 8 місяців тому

      There is also a NEOHIPO ET30, which is a VU meter & switcher. It has been tested on ASR (Audio Science Review) and does not affect audio parameters at all, but there are very few UA-camrs who promote it.

  • @guernseybunker1203
    @guernseybunker1203 7 місяців тому

    Fosi LC30 is a calibrated power meter. measuring actual watts out of the amp and displayed on the correct scale. Douk VU3 is uncalibrated VU meter eye candy with VU display gradient in decibels... these meters are made for line level signal measurement, not amp power. Wrong VU meters display type for the job IMHO, but if moving meters is what you want... it delivers that as demonstrated.

  • @WestonWill
    @WestonWill 8 місяців тому

    I wonder if someone with some electronics smarts could figure out a resistor to put on the potentiometer to change the overall bandwidth. It seems they didn't consider enough range while developing the VU adjustment. They probably errored on the safe end, so someone with 500w / channel didn't catch the thing on fire! I do like the looks of the Fosi much better.

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  8 місяців тому

      Yeah. I just think the consumer solving the problem would be like us buying a new car and then taking it home and having to install new brakes 😂

    • @Douglas_Blake_579
      @Douglas_Blake_579 8 місяців тому

      Audio power meters are kind of a nobrainer design ... a couple of diodes, a couple of resistors, maybe a capacitor. The meters themselves are very easy to drive, pass a tiny current through them and the needles move, a 1.5 volt battery would destroy them if hooked up directly... so it's obvious Fosi made mistakes in scaling them.
      I agree with Aaron on this one... one should not have to fix a brand new product.
      Under another bad review of the fosi unit I suggested they would have been smarter to go with a range switch instead of a pot... 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 watts.

  • @tamersosman
    @tamersosman 8 місяців тому +2

    It's good that I asked for a refund from fosi who gave me a very hard time to ship lc 30 am lucky that I got my money back

  • @keith6872
    @keith6872 8 місяців тому

    Thank you.

  • @kickonthejams
    @kickonthejams 7 місяців тому

    had the Douk Lil bear for just over a year and one of the speaker channels has stopped outputting sound. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt.

  • @JoergAsmussen
    @JoergAsmussen 8 місяців тому +3

    I bought the Douk VU3 last year for the switching and remote control. Love it. The VU meters are just a gimmick though. I have them and the light turned off. You only need VU meters for real when you record to tape. Every other use is bollocks. I wish the Little Bear didn't have VU meters. We are not teenagers anymore.

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  8 місяців тому

      My knees remind me everyday that I’m no longer a teenager lol.

  • @xtv007
    @xtv007 8 місяців тому +1

    I wonder if it isn't just a matter of quality control for the Fosi which I did own for two whole days before returning. I used it with my old school Scott RS250 receiver and it worked flawlessly as far as the meters were concerned. At low volume the meters were actuating just fine with the gain set to the lower side of town. At volume level 3, the Scott was registering 10-15 watts of output according to the LED power indicator on it's face and I was able to "gain" match the meters to the indicated output of my receiver. All of that worked fine as far as functionality was concerned, my only caveat about the unit was when I powered it back up after powering it down. As soon as the Fosi came back to operating and passing signal through, it made a staticky sound that I was rather uncomfortable with considering this is just a novelty item in my eyes. Overall, the build quality seems nice, the performance was on par as far as I'm concerned, so the only thing negative I can say is that it made a funny noise through my speakers while powering back up. I ordered it from Ebay due to Amazon being out of stock but the return was painless and my refund credited in less than a week.

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  8 місяців тому

      I really like Fosi products but I agree that it seems something was off in qc when these were shipped out to consumers.

  • @WeeWeeJumbo
    @WeeWeeJumbo 8 місяців тому

    thanks for sharing your experiences with these two nerdy-ass products

  • @artysanmobile
    @artysanmobile 8 місяців тому

    It should be a very simple fix to change the Fosi’s sensitivity.

  • @lifebarier
    @lifebarier 3 місяці тому

    vu3 or vu3 pro?

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  3 місяці тому

      I haven't used the pro version yet so can't speak to it!

  • @Firebottleman
    @Firebottleman 5 місяців тому

    I really think that you received an uncalibrated defective Fosi unit. My LC30 is A-OK. Having owned many OG amps of the past, the Fosi LC30 is realistic and up to snuff on the meter side of things.

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  5 місяців тому

      Cool. Maybe they fixed the issue after so many people complained about defective units as I’m not the only one who had the issue 🙌🏻

  • @goodsound4756
    @goodsound4756 Місяць тому

    Fair enough you talk about the difference in sensitivity of the vu meters, but it should not remain your only assessment. People interested in that gear want to know if there is a sound quality degradation, added noise or hum or clicking sounds when changing between inputs/outputs. Sadly not a single word about sound quality from you.

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  Місяць тому

      Fair point. Lots of other reviewers have noted no degradation in sound while using and I think it's fair to assume that if either caused sound issues, I would have been quick to point out - thanks for watching!

  • @RedSinter
    @RedSinter 8 місяців тому +1

    Note: the noise you were fretting about and blaming the "power source" is actually the Spliter Cable as Scientific Audio had the exact same issue and proved it was the cable.

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  8 місяців тому

      Thanks. I still recommend powering monoblocks with their own separate PS even without a bad splitter cable.

  • @ericmares7662
    @ericmares7662 6 місяців тому

    I have the fosi. You can't push 10 watts and expect response

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  6 місяців тому

      Unfortunate, thanks for sharing your experience as well.

  • @Jeep_on_audio
    @Jeep_on_audio 8 місяців тому

    This is fun-fi, only without the fun (ie pretty useless). I just cant imagine who needs an amplifier-speaker switch other than reviewers and small shops. The hassle with all the extra speaker cables. With short cables it's still expensive if you care about overall sound quality.
    I have the Douk Audio VU2 which is a 4x input switch. Much more useful on an amp with only 1 input. It does nothing to the sound since its only relais and a bit of wire. The VU-meters work very well. And I even made an extra output for my subwoofers (easy with a small 512R resistor to extra RCA's).
    If you want to fix the VU-meter range on ths Fosi I suggest opening it up and look for the resistor that taps the speaker signal and replace it with a smaller value.

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  8 місяців тому +1

      Yeah I don’t think anyone should have to repair a brand new product lol

    • @Jeep_on_audio
      @Jeep_on_audio 8 місяців тому

      ​@@ForeverAnalog
      Oh, that's what I've done for 15 years already with many Chinese audio products. In the end I got great products for little money. But products are getting better and better.

    • @Douglas_Blake_579
      @Douglas_Blake_579 8 місяців тому +1

      @@ForeverAnalog
      Exactly ... if they can't make it right, don't buy it.

    • @JoergAsmussen
      @JoergAsmussen 8 місяців тому

      I have 2 sets of bookshelf speakers, Dali Oberon 3 and Wharfedale Denton. I love switching between them, and hearing how they differentiate

    • @budzlightyear2212
      @budzlightyear2212 7 місяців тому

      When you have several sets of speakers a speaker switcher mandatory.
      Cheap ass Chinese garbage is not mandatory......

  • @stayfree870
    @stayfree870 8 місяців тому

    The bright hotspots of the Little Bear seem annoying.

    • @JoergAsmussen
      @JoergAsmussen 8 місяців тому

      They can be dimmed, even via remote control. And turn off completely.

  • @Gregdsilva915
    @Gregdsilva915 8 місяців тому

    Subwoofer low frequency registering on the meter

    • @VIctorCarruyo
      @VIctorCarruyo 5 місяців тому

      Only because they pull most current

  • @madcrabber1113
    @madcrabber1113 8 місяців тому

    Seems like the Fosi is useless as far as the meters go which is the main reason most people would even buy it.

  • @stonefree1911
    @stonefree1911 3 місяці тому

    Neohipo ET 30

  • @kadajawi2
    @kadajawi2 8 місяців тому +2

    The Fosi looks nice. It was designed. The Douk wasn't. It's ugly. If the goal is to make your system look nice, the Douk is going to ruin it. There is far too much going on, the fonts are poorly chosen, and on and on and on. It's a shame.

  • @cosmoshfa88savant66
    @cosmoshfa88savant66 8 місяців тому

    they look like swr meters

  • @zounds13
    @zounds13 8 місяців тому +1

    Well that's disappointing.

  • @drdyna
    @drdyna 8 місяців тому

    Since youtube keeps showing me these Fosi meter videos since I dared to comment on one of them, here goes. The meters are completely useless. That's not how power scales, and the decibel relationship is way off. The difference between 20w and 100w is not 10db. The difference between 100w and 200w is not 4db.
    It might be a pretty display, but it's completely information free, there might as well not be any printing on the meter faces at all. It's just a bouncing red bar.

    • @ForeverAnalog
      @ForeverAnalog  8 місяців тому +1

      Sometimes the red bar barely dances lol

  • @dtracy03ss
    @dtracy03ss 3 місяці тому

    Check out the New VU3 Pro
    Upgraded