Dayton Audio DTA-2.1BT

[Gordy]

I imagine that the auto market for pre-amps, amps etc. is far larger than the DIY market. Hence economies of scale. And the consumer market isn't really focused on the level of features we would like.

I was looking at the pre-amps from various low cost vendors. One nice thing about these units is the "aux" input is really suited for phones/mp3 players' low amplitude output.

The first to come up searching "car pre-amp" in the automotive category on Bezos site ... EDIT: But these seem to have all the controls on the front except for input gain. there are trunk units that can be hidden away after setting (that include HP) but there in the 4100+ category.

I have often wondered how these would work out for home audio as well. I run an Audio Control EQS and 6XS in my truck

[Millstonemike]

Hey guys, the PE board is not a Douk board. I have several Douk boards and they are good boards. The branding on the actual amp board for the DTA 2.1 is actually from a company called FX Audio. Pretty solid reviews on their DACs. PE is actually selling this for cheaper than you can buy from FX and PEs includes the 24v power supply.

Douk and FX are brands under Chinese companies from Shenzhen. I missed a "G" and thought they were under the same umbrella of Chinese Co.'s.

My mistake, sorry. How many lashes?

[mmbone4]

See, I learn something new everyday. Great find...I have not had any issues with Douk/Nobsound boards thus far. Also, back to the DTA 2.1 board, I do think I am having an issue with the board. Last night the power and BT was intermittent. So Mike, maybe the bass issue I am having is the board malfunctioning.

I am ordering a new one and will let you know.

Thanks.

[Dropcarve]

I have often wondered how these would work out for home audio as well. I run an Audio Control EQS and 6XS in my truck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32J7Se6cXg4

[Brian Steele]

Just a quick update - while it's unfortunate that the DTA 2.1 doesn't have an adjustable LP (or HP) filter, it can work quite well when you take its features (or lack thereof) into consideration. I recently used it with my "Mini-Me" speakers (sealed 2-way boxes that roll off naturally just above 100 Hz) and my Enigma 10" 4th order BP subwoofer (rolls off naturally above 100 Hz) to provide background music for a get-together, and the combination sounded really impressive. The 180~180 Hz LP filter on the subwoofer channel is far enough out of the passband of the bandpass subwoofer to not adversely affect its performance, but close enough to help to reduce the out of band noise (which is already quite low with the Enigma design - a happy accident, but I believe I know now how that "accident" works, so I can use it for future 4th order BP designs).

[rpb]

I was also thinking that bandpass would work. A pair of 3-way speakers with mono bass could be built, and this would eliminate some of the x-over parts needed to cross the woofers low. Possibly even a bandpass in each cabinet.

[ejh2854]

Just a quick update - while it's unfortunate that the DTA 2.1 doesn't have an adjustable LP (or HP) filter, it can work quite well when you take its features (or lack thereof) into consideration. I recently used it with my "Mini-Me" speakers (sealed 2-way boxes that roll off naturally just above 100 Hz) and my Enigma 10" 4th order BP subwoofer (rolls off naturally above 100 Hz) to provide background music for a get-together, and the combination sounded really impressive. The 180~180 Hz LP filter on the subwoofer channel is far enough out of the passband of the bandpass subwoofer to not adversely affect its performance, but close enough to help to reduce the out of band noise (which is already quite low with the Enigma design - a happy accident, but I believe I know now how that "accident" works, so I can use it for future 4th order BP designs).

Similar situation here, and probably just another happy accident- I have the DTA 2.1 in my office running a pair of C-Notes and one Anarchy tapped horn, and it took very little dithering to get the whole mess sounding good.

[Brian Steele]

I'm having pretty bad luck with this particular Dayton product it seems.  The first one arrived with a dead power supply brick, and I had to send brick plus amp back for replacement and eat the shipping charges.  Now it looks like the BT feature on the replacement isn't working properly. I just had the opportunity to test it, and the volume I'm getting via BT is significantly lower than if I plug in the same source directly (via the RCA jacks). Shucks.  I don't want to go through the drama of returning it again. It does sound fantastic when I use on of the AUX inputs. 

[mattp]

I'm having pretty bad luck with this particular Dayton product it seems.Â* The first one arrived with a dead power supply brick, and I had to send brick plus amp back for replacement and eat the shipping charges.Â* Now it looks like the BT feature on the replacement isn't working properly. I just had the opportunity to test it, and the volume I'm getting via BT is significantly lower than if I plug in the same source directly (via the RCA jacks). Shucks.Â* I don't want to go through the drama of returning it again. It does sound fantastic when I use on of the AUX inputs.Â*

Brian,

You should not have had to cover return shipping charges for a defective product (within a certain time period). If you did not call our customer service I recommend doing so. They will get this straightened out. Also, It is very unusual to have this many issues with this amp, of the dozens I have tested I haven't come across either of these problems. I would recommend asking if one of the techs can pull one from stock to test prior to shipping to you.

MP

[mattp]

Also (everyone)...

We are currently testing a V2 of this amp (I know I know - V2 already...blah blah) that has an adjustable low pass. Everything is identical, just the addition of a small pot on the front. I cannot give you a time period but I'm just letting you know we are listening. Probably a couple months.

MP

[Kevin K.]

Also (everyone)...

We are currently testing a V2 of this amp (I know I know - V2 already...blah blah) that has an adjustable low pass. Everything is identical, just the addition of a small pot on the front. I cannot give you a time period but I'm just letting you know we are listening. Probably a couple months.

MP

Sounds Fantastic! I'll be dropping one in the cart as soon as it's available.

[Brian Steele]

Brian,

You should not have had to cover return shipping charges for a defective product (within a certain time period). If you did not call our customer service I recommend doing so. They will get this straightened out. Also, It is very unusual to have this many issues with this amp, of the dozens I have tested I haven't come across either of these problems. I would recommend asking if one of the techs can pull one from stock to test prior to shipping to you.

MP

Hi Matt, I ship through a freight forwarder in Miami, hence the extra shipping charges, which worked out to about $28 US to ship here (I can't remember the cost of shipping it out).  And my govt here has made it even more difficult to return items by making the paperwork a lot more complex than it needs to be.  Not really worth the effort to have it replaced again. 

Concerning the BT issue, I've tried connection to a few systems since my last post, and so far it looks like it happens only with my Galaxy S7 Edge so far.  It works fine with my laptop used as a BT source, and also my main PC with its BT dongle attached.  Strange.  And yes, I've got the "media" volume up on the S7 when a BT connection is made.  It's the same BT source that I use for my car's audio system. 

[Brian Steele]

Also (everyone)...

We are currently testing a V2 of this amp (I know I know - V2 already...blah blah) that has an adjustable low pass. Everything is identical, just the addition of a small pot on the front. I cannot give you a time period but I'm just letting you know we are listening. Probably a couple months.

MP

Don't forget to include the adjustable high-pass too for the mains . 

My preference would be to have the adjustments for the filter(s) located somewhere where they can't be easily fiddled with, but beggars can't be choosers . 

[tomzarbo]

Also (everyone)...

We are currently testing a V2 of this amp (I know I know - V2 already...blah blah) that has an adjustable low pass. Everything is identical, just the addition of a small pot on the front. I cannot give you a time period but I'm just letting you know we are listening. Probably a couple months.

MP

Fantastic! Thanks for listening.
TomZ

[tomzarbo]

Also (everyone)...

We are currently testing a V2 of this amp (I know I know - V2 already...blah blah) that has an adjustable low pass. Everything is identical, just the addition of a small pot on the front. I cannot give you a time period but I'm just letting you know we are listening. Probably a couple months.

MP

Matt, I see that it's not expected back in stock until July... do you expect to restock this one or just move to V2?

BTW, I picked up two of the current version for gifts that I did MillstoneMike's mod on for a 72 Hz lowpass crossover and it's really quite a nice and powerful amp when setup that way.
I'm really looking forward to messing with V2 when it becomes available.  Thank you for listening to us Tech Talk'ers, I appreciate it.

TomZ