Hi everyone,
having owned two of these units for a year more or less, I'd like to share my experience with the XDuoo XD-05:
Initially, as a new owner, I reported yet another "very happy best ever heard price performance" story. However, I am now less enthusiastic about this product. Over time, and in comparison with other headphone amps, I found that this amp's sound has a significant flaw in voice reproduction at all volume levels. Female voices in particular do sound quite grainy, unnatural, and for some time I was wondering whether these flaws are in the recordings. Later, I stumbled across some blog posts, suggesting to use the DAC section only, paired with an external amp. And, wow, what an improvement! Not only the female voices issue, but bass reproduction, reduced overall stress level at high volumes, so much improvement.
So I suggest to all XDuoo XD-05 owners, if you use this product on your desk (and not for portable use), do yourself a favor, and try routing that line-out at the back into an external, more capable amp. The XDuoo XD-05's DAC sounds great.
Other than that, there are several functional flaws. People already mentioned the USB male connector design issue. I personally don't face that issue, since I picked the right cable, and mostly non-portable use. One other problem bothers me quite frequently: The amp's output protection relay (?) cuts off the signal when the device starts charging (I usually have the charger permanently connected). The signal does not return, and one needs to turn off and on again. This defect is reproducible on both units I own. Not an issue when using an external amp, since the line-out is not affected.
And while I love the physical volume knob, the volume pot actually exposes quite a channel imbalance at low levels. One unit more than the other.
I suggest to the manufacturer to do some homework for the next product release: Get rid of that clunky USB connector, fix the amp-mute upon charging issue. Improve the amp section. Better quality control / selection for the volume pot.
And don't get me wrong, I still like this little gadget. The XMOS+DAC sections alone are worth the price I paid (USD 140...150). I love the display, the overall design, the volume knob. Very enjoyable product, but not without flaws, and not audiophile "best ever heard" as some people keep saying.
Cheers, and happy listening!
having owned two of these units for a year more or less, I'd like to share my experience with the XDuoo XD-05:
Initially, as a new owner, I reported yet another "very happy best ever heard price performance" story. However, I am now less enthusiastic about this product. Over time, and in comparison with other headphone amps, I found that this amp's sound has a significant flaw in voice reproduction at all volume levels. Female voices in particular do sound quite grainy, unnatural, and for some time I was wondering whether these flaws are in the recordings. Later, I stumbled across some blog posts, suggesting to use the DAC section only, paired with an external amp. And, wow, what an improvement! Not only the female voices issue, but bass reproduction, reduced overall stress level at high volumes, so much improvement.
So I suggest to all XDuoo XD-05 owners, if you use this product on your desk (and not for portable use), do yourself a favor, and try routing that line-out at the back into an external, more capable amp. The XDuoo XD-05's DAC sounds great.
Other than that, there are several functional flaws. People already mentioned the USB male connector design issue. I personally don't face that issue, since I picked the right cable, and mostly non-portable use. One other problem bothers me quite frequently: The amp's output protection relay (?) cuts off the signal when the device starts charging (I usually have the charger permanently connected). The signal does not return, and one needs to turn off and on again. This defect is reproducible on both units I own. Not an issue when using an external amp, since the line-out is not affected.
And while I love the physical volume knob, the volume pot actually exposes quite a channel imbalance at low levels. One unit more than the other.
I suggest to the manufacturer to do some homework for the next product release: Get rid of that clunky USB connector, fix the amp-mute upon charging issue. Improve the amp section. Better quality control / selection for the volume pot.
And don't get me wrong, I still like this little gadget. The XMOS+DAC sections alone are worth the price I paid (USD 140...150). I love the display, the overall design, the volume knob. Very enjoyable product, but not without flaws, and not audiophile "best ever heard" as some people keep saying.
Cheers, and happy listening!