Juke Audio Multi-Room Streaming Amplifier Review

This is always the worst part of installing a whole house audio system, it’s never easy, and it never works the way the instructions say it will. But Juke is different, the instructions for setup are on one page and just four steps. I just wanted to mention the extra detail of the single page being printed on card stock which really gives it an important feel. After you connect all the wires to the back you can simply use your phone to complete the setup online. That’s it! I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of it, I didn’t have a single hiccup during the couple-minute setup. Why can’t all whole home audio systems be this easy?!?

Whole house audio and DIY-friendly are not usually things that go hand in hand. But Juke is actually doing it. You don’t need to be a professional to install it if you know how to connect wires and use basic setup software setup on your phone. For $1,499, you can get an 8 zone/16 speaker (6 zones/12 speakers is $1,349) system up and running, that is if you already have the wiring and speakers in place. If not, there’s a bit more work involved. Even if you don’t have an equipment closet, the Juke Amplifier doesn’t need to be rack-mounted. Its face plate is well-designed and will blend in nicely with other much higher-priced gear. Difficulty shouldn’t be an excuse for missing out on great home audio.

When it comes to whole-house audio, convenience and cost usually come before sound quality, and since you’re typically using in-ceiling speakers, it’s often tough to tell how good an amp truly sounds. The Juke is OK in this respect. When you crank up the volume you quickly notice the lack of power. The juke definitely needs more wattage to properly drive larger in-wall and ceiling speakers. I would only use it with standard 6-inch in-ceiling speakers and nothing larger. It’s not a bad amp, it just needs a boost to really get the sound pumping.

As I mentioned, sound quality isn’t usually a big factor in whole-house audio systems, but it can sometimes be important to clients. There isn’t a pre-out option here to allow an upgrade to a better amp, which I think is a good move to keep everything simple. That said, I think for Gen 2, offering a much more powerful amplification option would really make the audiophiles happy and open up more install options. Sound quality, as it is now, is OK, I would give it a 5/10 as it just gets the job done.

Juke Audio came out of the gates swinging with this first model. The brand clearly has a bright future. With little needing improvement so far in my opinion other than offering more power, I am curious to see what else they have in the works. This is a model I would sell and install personally; however, I may not sell many because they are so easy to DIY! Juke has a winner on their hands here while they are truly making whole house audio easy for everyone.