Do you have multiple amplifiers and wish you could easily switch back and forth between them at the push of a button? Do you have two sets of speakers that you would like to listen to without having to swap the wire on the back of your one amplifier? If yes, there is a product that will allow you to easily switch between amplifiers and speakers. Today I’m going to review the One Little Bear Vu3 amplifier/speaker switch made by Douk Audio.
One Little Bear Vu3 Features
The One Little Bear is an amplifier/speaker selector box that, once inserted into your audio chain, will allow you to toggle back and forth between two amplifiers or two sets of speakers with the push of a button.
As you can see on the rear of the unit, the One Little Bear has two groups of banana female connectors, one set is for connecting two amplifiers while the other set is for connecting two sets of speakers.
The front of the unit contains two large meters, one for each audio channel. If you are fan of vintage audio but do not have any gear with meters, the One Little Bear could be a fun addition to your stereo set up.
The One Little Bear comes with a remote control which allows you to power the unit on/off, dim the light on the meters, and buttons to allow you switch back and forth between the amplifiers and speakers connected.
There is a “swing-range adjuster” knob on the front of the unit that helps you control the meter pointers range.
The unit is powered by a USB cable (more info on that later).
Things To Know Before You Buy The One Little Bear
The unit is supplied with a USB cable for power, however, there is no wall charger supplied, just the cable. Be prepared to fish your own wall charger out of the junk drawer or order one specifically for this unit.
Modern equipment, like my Cambridge AXA25, have a USB powered input on the rear of the unit so I can plug the One Little Bear directly into the amplifier. When I power on the amp, the One Little Bear comes to life.
But if you wanted to buy the One Little Bear and run two vintage receivers at once, you will need to supply a wall charger as vintage gear will not have the ability to connect a device via USB.
The remote control IR sensor is sensitive to other remotes. For instance, my TV remote can turn the One Little Bear off which is annoying when I turn on my TV while listening to music and the audio disappears.
Also, the remote control can interfere with other devices. For instance, I had the One Little Bear sitting on top of my Cambridge AXC35 CD player and when I used the remote for the One Little Bear, it would cause my CD player to skip to the end of the disc.
Sound Quality of the One Little Bear
I was curious if the One Little Bear would negatively impact the sound quality of my stereo system once inserted.
I first listened to my amp without the One Little Bear and again with the amp connected and did not hear any degradation to the sound quality. I cannot speak to the durability of the One Little Bear so this might be a problem with later use, but for now, it sounds fine.
How To Install the One Little Bear
At first glance, the rear of the One Little Bear can be a little intimidating to figure out where to hook up all of the appropriate wires.
I recorded a YouTube video showing how to install the unit in your stereo system which you can watch below:
Why Would You Buy the One Little Bear?
You might be curious as to why someone would want to purchase the One Little Bear. I’ll give you a quick explanation of why I purchased the unit.
As someone who reviews audio gear like the Schiit Saga+ or Emotiva’s Airmotiv B1+ speakers, I thought it would be helpful to quickly flip a switch and be able to change amplifiers or speakers in an effort to compare them with a different model.
For instance, I just reviewed the Aiyima T9 amplifier and thought it would be interesting to compare it to the Cambridge AXA25 amplifier which is close in price.
As you can see in the photo above, I was able to connect both amps to the One Little Bear and with two CD players playing the same CD, jump back and forth between the two amps to listen for any differences.
I am hoping to review more speakers in the near future and having the One Little Better will allow me to quickly compare two sets of speakers as well.
Also, let’s be honest…a lot of us love collecting audio gear, whether it be vintage or modern equipment. Instead of having to reinstall an amplifier or set of speakers each time we wanted to change things up a bit, we could instead use the One Little Bear to have two systems connected at once.
Say you have speakers that sound better for jazz and another pair that sound great for rock music. You could select the latter speakers and turn on Pink Floyd and when that is finished playing, easily switch to the jazz speakers and start listening to Miles Davis, all without having to move from your couch!
Another reason you might want to buy the One Little Bear isn’t for your ears, but for your eyes. Most modern stereo equipment is designed without the visual aesthetic of vintage gear, therefore it’s rare to find new gear with meters.
I’ve had a few vintage receivers over the years with meters and it’s fun to watch them bouncing up and down while listening to music. I wouldn’t sacrifice audio fidelity just to have meters, but if you are someone who wants to add the visual excitement of meters to your stereo setup, the One Little Bear would allow for you to do so, even if you are only running one amp and one set of speakers.
Vintage Speaker Switches
Speaker switches have been available for many years now. Just do a quick search on eBay and you will see some options, mostly from companies like Realistic.
I would normally recommend someone picking up a vintage switch for cheap, but those switches are limited to just connecting speakers while the One Little Bear gives you the opportunity to connect both amplifiers and speakers.
Should You Purchase the One Little Bear Vu3?
If you are an audio gear collector and have multiple amplifiers and speakers you would like to easily switch back and forth between, the One Little Bear would be a handy piece of equipment to use.
If you are someone who loves big meters but doesn’t have any to display with modern gear, the One Little Bear will allow you to add the metered look to your system.
Before You Go
If you enjoyed this review, please sign up for my mailing list above. I usually send out one or two emails a month with updates on gear reviews, YouTube videos, etc.
Please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel where I also review audio products, post how to videos and nerd out on my record collection.
Lastly, please visit my Etsy store where I’ve designed shirts and gifts for the vintage audio lover in your life.
