xDuoo XD-05 Plus Portable DAC / Headamp Review and Measurements

for the price this sure looks temping for my Solaris 2020....
also interest in the 05BL Pro Bluetooth Adapter add on.

opamp rolling also appeals to @Hands .

the best part of the press kit for the XD-05 Plus front panel is:
BOOST: Increased thrust Switch.

now THAT is what most SBAF members need!

 

Some iFi Nano BL impressions here for reference:

• https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/ifi-nano-idsd-bl-impressions.5448/

• https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...ac-modi-multibit-jds-el-dac-ifi-nano-bl.6313/

• https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...ds-el-dac-ifi-nano-bl.6313/page-2#post-208350

I have not tried Fiio Q5/Q5S so I cannot really comment. However, I would opt for the S version because it uses the AK4493 instead of the 4490, unless you really want the Velvet sound. There is no guarantee that the S version won't be Velvet. It seems dependent upon implementation. The Fiio does look like much more of a polished product. The XD-05 Plus isn't so polished, but rollable opamps is huge.

I liked the iFi Nano BL quite a bit. Ultimately what I would choose is dependent upon IEM or headphone. The XD-05 Plus has a bit of an advantage with a much more modern DAC chip. iFi is steadfast with sticking with the PCM179x line for DA, which is totally understandable because it fits their vision short of going R2R (expensive): liquid, laid-back, natural. Where the entry-level Nano can't keep up is that it is on the soft side. Tonally, I can see the Nano BL work with the Drop x JVC FDX1, but I would like something less soft, harder and more muscular in the lows. The FDX1 lows are a bit too much of a good "DD" thing for me, fuzzy, slow, and mushy. The XD-05 Plus may fare better here than the Nano BL.

 

It's sad to see what's going on with "audio science". These kids are smart, but not experienced. This sums it up:



The thing is that in 2005, there wasn't all that much. One could build a headamp, chip-based or discrete on breadboard that sounded better than anything HeadRoom ever made. I pretty much experimented with most of the variants discussed on https://tangentsoft.net/audio/ Many of the old-timers, the ones still around, built more impressive projects on PCBs, AMB M3, B22, KG Dynalo, Dynahi, Cavalli CTH, EHHA.

The shity "objectivist" attitude started with nwavguy whose designs were no more advanced than what people documented 10 years before him. The only twist is that he placed on emphasis on the cheapest parts possible and wringing out that few db in noise floor via dumb stuff like putting the volume pot after the gain stage without adequate power rails (he made a bad assumption that people would only be using low output sources, which is bad engineering because people never RTFM). And even then, the O2 amp really didn't even measure all that well. It left me scratching my head why nwavguy was heralded as such a genius.

Today, we have audio religion fanatics, passing judgement on gear based on a single number, the SINAD and claiming ridiculous falsehoods that no one can hear the difference between an Asgard 3 and Schiit Heresy because they have enough zeros after the dot. (Offering to pay Jason a sum of money if he made a YT video of him passing a level matched blind test - as if Jason as CEO of Schiit didn't have better things to do with his life than satisfy the whims of a fanatic).

The only way to get past this is for encourage folks to build their own and understand. Even at a very fundamental level using opamps and buffer chips as building blocks, one can understand a lot, and even develop their ears.

 

I was going to recommend the 1656. Sounds good where I've used it and is dirt cheap. I did not care for the 828, so I'm especially curious to know how you feel about it relative to the 627, which I haven't used before.

 

@purr1n other XD-05 reviews on the webs indicate it might not be the best with sensitive IEMs due to hiss.
your early post indicate hiss is not really prevalent with Solaris 2020 to adult ears, interested in what the young padawan can detect one day.

 

"Barely. Barely barely. Not recognizable to a normal person."

Solaris 2020 into UMM-6 with 1m tube and recording volume set to 100% in Windows audio setting
GRN = XD-05 Plus medium gain volume set to 1100 position. UAPP app running with music but paused
YEL = XD-05 in OFF position.

 

I got the OPA1656 in today. It reminds me of the Modius' balanced output. Strong lows with heft and impact, and the rest of the audio band clear and flat and well extended up top. The highs are honest and done well without any f'kery. However, with IEM balanced armature drivers, this isn't necessarily a good thing. I still prefer the mellower OPA627s. I should have x2 of the OPA828 (singles) in soon and will report back on them. The OPA828 are supposed to be the nextgen OPA627.