I have this and couldn't be more happy. Agree with everything said in the review. Sold my FiiO M17 dap to purchase this XD05PRO, no regrets! M17 of course sounding a bit more technical accurate and "clinical" compared to this, but this one absolutely has that WOW effect, much more lowerfull Bass, thicker Vocals and overall much more close sounding to good Desktop unit than M17. More enjoyable for sure!!! The metalic case make super reliable feeling when holding in hand, made like a tank! Very sturdy feeling! One more thing that I didn't like in M17 was headphones input holes made of plastic, everytime I had a feeling that it will break over time of using... with XD05PRO it is metalic and very sturdy! Like it a lot! Changed OPA1612 to Burson V5i-D dual pair of opamps and the sound became even more refined! Waiting now for AK4499EX dac module 😍
@@nusu5331 no I haven't tried Sparkos. I'm quite happy woth V5i-D. I wish that Xduo develop oposite side OP-AMP board to make possible fit for Burson V6 or V7 op-amps 🥹
Hello Sandu, now that's a huge portable device! The modular r2r dac really caught my eye, there are not a lot of options out there, I can only think of the other 2. So if this module comes around the similar pricing or even a little lower given that is not really an integral product more than a module is absolutely amazing. I've been torn between choosing between A&K PA10 and Aune S17 Pro as my next amplifier and Xduoo has made the choice even more complicated, not that it is a bad thing, it is good to have great options. Thanks for bringing this one! Nice weekend everyone!
Aune S17 pro is a diferent device without DAC. If you already have a good DAC to seems a very good choice. A more comparable device in Aune' s line is the S9c.
@@sameermana2003 Again, not game changing. It's purely a compromise and does nothing particularly well. And all you have to do with the Xduoo is use play/pause, next track, last track feature. Does the same thing. Just use your phone on wifi. I WANT the DX05 Pro to be a just DAC/AMP, I want to use it on my phone to watch videos, listen to music, use it on my desktop, use it as Digital source. And do it extremely well with a tremendous battery capacity. Nothing on the market does with this thing can do. Power your IEM's with it in my front hoodie pocket or power the Susvara or Tungsten. While I'm at work. THATS game changing! The extreme performance combined with portability with desktop level sound. Not a little SD card. If I wanted a compact DAP for my IEM's or compact/efficient headphones.. I wouldn't even consider the XD05 Pro. You aren't comparing even remotely the same use case or products.
@johnrus7661 my intention wasn't to say that my device is more of a game changer than the device listed above...which does have a lot going or it... Front hoodie pocket though.. The weight of the thing would be, for me, extremely impractical... My device is portable...one listed above is transportable at best
@sameermana2003 You did say that. And it does the same thing if you want via Bluetooth. Just a little different way, you do not need to interact with your source if you don't want to. Has all the basic controls on it. But I never use it that way. I just use my phone and my streaming services. Plus I use advanced parametric EQ. It's not that bad and I have sensitive IEM's that have a noise floor on most devices. So this is one of the few things that actually poweres them silently. Along with powering even my Tungsten. I'm looking for ultimate performance with a huge range of headphones and IEM's. Nothing else can do this. And I don't always have to have it in my hoodie pocket. I also set it down as well. It's big but not unmanageable and the audio quality is worth it for me. Also I travel a lot for work sometimes, so having this level of quality at my apartment watching movies or games is killer. There is a lot of reasons to like this device.
Got mine a few days ago and it's insane!! It's transportable at the best and the sound is unbelievable! Tried the AK4499EX DAC-module, but it's to bright for my taste. The standard module is great though!
Holly mother of all amplifier gods...YOU COULD ASSIMILATE THE BORG WITH THAT THING! All AI in the universe can fit in there. If you throw that away your fitness coach will praise you for losing 15 Kg in one session 😅 Knowing XDUOO (one of the best unique companies from China that I know together with Gustard) this sounds warm, impactful, fun and and musical. Coloration? Hellyeah! Glad you received this, I wanna try it!😉👍
I bought Xduoo XA-10 recently and that thing is also a beast and very musical but also clean sounding. I knew its measurements were not good on ASR website but still took a chance and bought it. It is awesome overall. Using it in just single ended and low gain
@@sorcerermax5111 Measurements are good as a starting point. You can't measure impact, soundstage or imaging. So your ears are still the supreme court.
oh you can measure all of that, there are some informations about it on the net and even here on yt, but its not as easy to understand as simple frequency response measurements@@Flavius7
since you already reviewed pretty much all transportable flagships, it seems, that the XD05pro beats everything else in soundstage depth and layering even in stock configuration. With Sparkos SS3602 OpAmps it will even become a much more impressive unit specially regarding soundstage, separation and imaging. The opamps arent cheap but well worth it and highly recommended by anyone who tried them in their XD05pro. I am sure you already know about that. Maybe it would be worth an additional review. maybe comparing it with the portable ibasso r2r dac amp D16 Taipan 🙂
Hi Sandu, I'm glad you're feeling better. Can you rate the performance of the xd05 pro with a linear power supply, with a standard power supply, with a QC charger and on battery power?
Great review dude, its a tempting piece of kit, but the Mojo 2 is still keeping me pretty happy. Might hold off to see how much the R2R and discrete amp modules will cost.
Hi! Thank you for the comprehensive review, and for going over all the details of the DAC-AMP :) It feels strange but I just fell in love with THIS monster Brick... With tons of audio power! Can I ask what kind of Power supply do you need to make it work in desktop mode? What would be the minimum wattage to run it safely?
Thank you for your comprehensive review 🙏 If you ever decide to install the sparkos op amp on your XD05 Pro, I would love a video tutorial of it. Apparently the sparkos op amp needs to be physically trimmed down in order to fit inside the XD05 Pro, but I don't know what tools I would need to achieve this.
Are you able to tell us if you have tried the new op amps and dacs. If so, what are your favorites or recommendations? I just got one and don’t know what to choose.
Hello there Sandu. We currently have an HD800s, a Fostex Th909 and an Arya V2, and we will be getting an Arya Organic shortly. Will the XD05 Pro be better than our current setup of a Topping A90 and Loxjie D50 ? Thanks for your reviews.
Thank you for this review, was looking forward to this one.l know it has output ports in the back,just wondering if we can bypass the dac and use only the amp with another dac like in line out? Does it have a hold button?Would be nice if they have option to buy it with the other dac instead of just the Ess saber dac chip.Thank you.
Great review and it was nice you mentioned Negura Bungets Om thats a great album and as a metal fan im looking for a good over ear open back and a good portable dac/amp, any recommendation?
he said in this video, that soundstage beats every other portable unit he heard. also there is the possibility to use Sparkos SS3602 which should be endgame for soundstage.
I got this few days ago and for some reason its not detecting the streem quality of apple music which I have set on my pc to 192 KHz output ? the XD05 is only reading 48KHz on the front display? Can someone explain why please? im in the dark here
It’s because it’s an apple device. They only have AAC and not LDAC. Sounds great but just not as good as LDAC. This may change some day but we’ll see. Until then, enjoy the best quality on pc. 384 kHz.
I don't think this was meant to carry around listening. More like take it to the patio, kitchen, on vacation to the hotel room. It's movable to different locations to have high quality sound. I can not imagine walking around or jogging with it. I have one on order and will use it around the house in stationary locations or on a trip once I get to the hotel room etc.
griphon has very old burr brown dac and cant compete at all in resulution and technicalities. the diable gets bad reviews at many places. its said to sound rough and you cant use it well with iems. didnt here it myself tho
There is probably anotger very powerful portable dac, from centrance. I believe its 3W if i am not wrong. The ifi diablo newer version is also quite powerful.
One has to carry around a man purse just to fit this. I’m simple and just use an ifi go blu along with some Hexa iems and focal Celestees for portable rigs. Not really interested in spending mega on iems as I don’t see the value and I also index heavily toward being light nimble while moving. Heck air pod pro 2 are fine 95% of the time on the go.
At this point I need to ask: why not just an iDSD Neo that is about the size of an agenda, and can be powered by a phone charging power bank? You got everything this got, plus a remote control, plus you can swap batteries any time so it is NOT limited by the availability of batteries. 30 years later buy a 5v battery and you are good.
This thing maybe is good but its NOT transportable lets be serious gentleman.You may be able to take it from one room to an other but you won t go for walking with a brick
Wtf... Look at the size.. Wow swappable Dac n Amp wow.. Mine only amps swap.. As big as my mt604 but mine tubes no offend must be big But dis.. Hmm hows Susvara with it sir?. bigger then Q7 Ha3.. God! Peace! U compare it with fiio While im combining 'em.. Yup Q5S TC(dualAkm4493 which in RMEadi2 + dualTHX aaa= as stock gds) + MT604 = Heaven is it?.. Endgame system for IEM.. Peace2
I have this and couldn't be more happy. Agree with everything said in the review. Sold my FiiO M17 dap to purchase this XD05PRO, no regrets! M17 of course sounding a bit more technical accurate and "clinical" compared to this, but this one absolutely has that WOW effect, much more lowerfull Bass, thicker Vocals and overall much more close sounding to good Desktop unit than M17. More enjoyable for sure!!! The metalic case make super reliable feeling when holding in hand, made like a tank! Very sturdy feeling!
One more thing that I didn't like in M17 was headphones input holes made of plastic, everytime I had a feeling that it will break over time of using... with XD05PRO it is metalic and very sturdy! Like it a lot! Changed OPA1612 to Burson V5i-D dual pair of opamps and the sound became even more refined! Waiting now for AK4499EX dac module 😍
did you also try the sparkos SS3602?
@@nusu5331 no I haven't tried Sparkos. I'm quite happy woth V5i-D. I wish that Xduo develop oposite side OP-AMP board to make possible fit for Burson V6 or V7 op-amps 🥹
What did you use as input though?
@@nusu5331 no, only burson v6
@@game-zer0387 my smartphone. I tried ROHM and AKM dac, but the stock ESS dac is the most revealing and engaging.
Hello Sandu, now that's a huge portable device! The modular r2r dac really caught my eye, there are not a lot of options out there, I can only think of the other 2. So if this module comes around the similar pricing or even a little lower given that is not really an integral product more than a module is absolutely amazing. I've been torn between choosing between A&K PA10 and Aune S17 Pro as my next amplifier and Xduoo has made the choice even more complicated, not that it is a bad thing, it is good to have great options. Thanks for bringing this one! Nice weekend everyone!
Aune S17 pro is a diferent device without DAC.
If you already have a good DAC to seems a very good choice.
A more comparable device in Aune' s line is the S9c.
I've actually ordered the shanling h7 and due to receive it in a few days...the fact that it has a micro SD slot...game changer
SD slot isn't game changing in the slightest.
It means I can use it as a dap as there's an app on my phone that connects to the device
@@sameermana2003 Again, not game changing. It's purely a compromise and does nothing particularly well. And all you have to do with the Xduoo is use play/pause, next track, last track feature. Does the same thing. Just use your phone on wifi.
I WANT the DX05 Pro to be a just DAC/AMP, I want to use it on my phone to watch videos, listen to music, use it on my desktop, use it as Digital source. And do it extremely well with a tremendous battery capacity.
Nothing on the market does with this thing can do. Power your IEM's with it in my front hoodie pocket or power the Susvara or Tungsten. While I'm at work.
THATS game changing! The extreme performance combined with portability with desktop level sound. Not a little SD card. If I wanted a compact DAP for my IEM's or compact/efficient headphones.. I wouldn't even consider the XD05 Pro.
You aren't comparing even remotely the same use case or products.
@johnrus7661 my intention wasn't to say that my device is more of a game changer than the device listed above...which does have a lot going or it... Front hoodie pocket though.. The weight of the thing would be, for me, extremely impractical... My device is portable...one listed above is transportable at best
@sameermana2003 You did say that. And it does the same thing if you want via Bluetooth. Just a little different way, you do not need to interact with your source if you don't want to. Has all the basic controls on it. But I never use it that way. I just use my phone and my streaming services. Plus I use advanced parametric EQ.
It's not that bad and I have sensitive IEM's that have a noise floor on most devices. So this is one of the few things that actually poweres them silently. Along with powering even my Tungsten.
I'm looking for ultimate performance with a huge range of headphones and IEM's. Nothing else can do this.
And I don't always have to have it in my hoodie pocket. I also set it down as well. It's big but not unmanageable and the audio quality is worth it for me. Also I travel a lot for work sometimes, so having this level of quality at my apartment watching movies or games is killer.
There is a lot of reasons to like this device.
Got mine a few days ago and it's insane!! It's transportable at the best and the sound is unbelievable! Tried the AK4499EX DAC-module, but it's to bright for my taste. The standard module is great though!
AKM brighter than ESS? 🤔
@@some_developerI was thinking the same.😊
Holly mother of all amplifier gods...YOU COULD ASSIMILATE THE BORG WITH THAT THING! All AI in the universe can fit in there. If you throw that away your fitness coach will praise you for losing 15 Kg in one session 😅 Knowing XDUOO (one of the best unique companies from China that I know together with Gustard) this sounds warm, impactful, fun and and musical. Coloration? Hellyeah! Glad you received this, I wanna try it!😉👍
I bought Xduoo XA-10 recently and that thing is also a beast and very musical but also clean sounding. I knew its measurements were not good on ASR website but still took a chance and bought it. It is awesome overall. Using it in just single ended and low gain
@@sorcerermax5111 Measurements are good as a starting point. You can't measure impact, soundstage or imaging. So your ears are still the supreme court.
oh you can measure all of that, there are some informations about it on the net and even here on yt, but its not as easy to understand as simple frequency response measurements@@Flavius7
Thanks very much. Please review the Xduoo TA-20 Plus 😄
Thank you for the review! Side note: Your G-Shock looks excellent.
Soundnews, ThanksMuch for sharing !
since you already reviewed pretty much all transportable flagships, it seems, that the XD05pro beats everything else in soundstage depth and layering even in stock configuration.
With Sparkos SS3602 OpAmps it will even become a much more impressive unit specially regarding soundstage, separation and imaging.
The opamps arent cheap but well worth it and highly recommended by anyone who tried them in their XD05pro.
I am sure you already know about that. Maybe it would be worth an additional review. maybe comparing it with the portable ibasso r2r dac amp D16 Taipan 🙂
It's an odd matchup, but if I wanted to replace a desktop Topping DX9 Pro with this more portable unit, how would the XD05 Pro compare to the DX9 Pro?
Hi Sandu, I'm glad you're feeling better. Can you rate the performance of the xd05 pro with a linear power supply, with a standard power supply, with a QC charger and on battery power?
Great review dude, its a tempting piece of kit, but the Mojo 2 is still keeping me pretty happy. Might hold off to see how much the R2R and discrete amp modules will cost.
suggest watching the review iiWi Reviews who is a huge fan of the mojo and compares it to the xduoo
Fabulous review as usual. Will but when I have the funds. Loving my fiio q7 so far and better connectivity ports.
Hi! Thank you for the comprehensive review, and for going over all the details of the DAC-AMP :)
It feels strange but I just fell in love with THIS monster Brick... With tons of audio power!
Can I ask what kind of Power supply do you need to make it work in desktop mode? What would be the minimum wattage to run it safely?
Thank you for your comprehensive review 🙏 If you ever decide to install the sparkos op amp on your XD05 Pro, I would love a video tutorial of it. Apparently the sparkos op amp needs to be physically trimmed down in order to fit inside the XD05 Pro, but I don't know what tools I would need to achieve this.
Are you able to tell us if you have tried the new op amps and dacs. If so, what are your favorites or recommendations? I just got one and don’t know what to choose.
Hello there Sandu. We currently have an HD800s, a Fostex Th909 and an Arya V2, and we will be getting an Arya Organic shortly. Will the XD05 Pro be better than our current setup of a Topping A90 and Loxjie D50 ? Thanks for your reviews.
Thank you for this review, was looking forward to this one.l know it has output ports in the back,just wondering if we can bypass the dac and use only the amp with another dac like in line out? Does it have a hold button?Would be nice if they have option to buy it with the other dac instead of just the Ess saber dac chip.Thank you.
I love these guys, always making crazy devices... Are you gonna review the Xduoo TA-20 plus balanced amp ?
Overkill for iems? Yes. But, to get the same sound quality for iems, what do you recommend?
Great review and it was nice you mentioned Negura Bungets Om thats a great album and as a metal fan im looking for a good over ear open back and a good portable dac/amp, any recommendation?
This Xduoo xd05Pro or Topping D90 III discrete? please help
Hi. can it be used as a pre amplifier to powered speakers? thanks
I've been listening to this for a while and I'm glad we're in agreement: fun, powerful, transportable sound, but definitely not portable 😂
How do you comment attaching this securely to you DAP without covering the screen. Tnks
Really waiting for Enelium 23rm review!
Could you compare IFI Audio XDSD Gryphon with XDuoo XD05 Pro?
Are you connecting to it via Bluetooth?
Thank you for the video.
Sandu can you please review the new kennerton HeartLand Dynamic please 😊
How does the soundstage compare to the Q7? I remember you mentioned that the Q7 was 3D
he said in this video, that soundstage beats every other portable unit he heard. also there is the possibility to use Sparkos SS3602 which should be endgame for soundstage.
I got this few days ago and for some reason its not detecting the streem quality of apple music which I have set on my pc to 192 KHz output ? the XD05 is only reading 48KHz on the front display? Can someone explain why please? im in the dark here
It’s because it’s an apple device. They only have AAC and not LDAC. Sounds great but just not as good as LDAC. This may change some day but we’ll see. Until then, enjoy the best quality on pc. 384 kHz.
Nice t-shirt 👕
I don't think this was meant to carry around listening. More like take it to the patio, kitchen, on vacation to the hotel room. It's movable to different locations to have high quality sound. I can not imagine walking around or jogging with it. I have one on order and will use it around the house in stationary locations or on a trip once I get to the hotel room etc.
Do you know "Sandu"? jazz composition written and performed by the one and only Clifford Brown! One of the greatest trumpet player who ever lived.
How's this compared to the iFi Diablo X/Gryphon?
griphon has very old burr brown dac and cant compete at all in resulution and technicalities. the diable gets bad reviews at many places. its said to sound rough and you cant use it well with iems. didnt here it myself tho
awesome insight and review as always! I would love to send the JM Audio XTC over to you for review- let me know if you have time or are interested -JM
There is probably anotger very powerful portable dac, from centrance. I believe its 3W if i am not wrong. The ifi diablo newer version is also quite powerful.
One has to carry around a man purse just to fit this. I’m simple and just use an ifi go blu along with some Hexa iems and focal Celestees for portable rigs. Not really interested in spending mega on iems as I don’t see the value and I also index heavily toward being light nimble while moving. Heck air pod pro 2 are fine 95% of the time on the go.
At this point I need to ask: why not just an iDSD Neo that is about the size of an agenda, and can be powered by a phone charging power bank? You got everything this got, plus a remote control, plus you can swap batteries any time so it is NOT limited by the availability of batteries. 30 years later buy a 5v battery and you are good.
I do like and probably will buy but it’s definitely not portable 😅
It's pricier than Aune S9c Dac/amp.
its better also
@@nusu5331you listened to both ?what are the sonic differences between both ?
This thing maybe is good but its NOT transportable lets be serious gentleman.You may be able to take it from one room to an other but you won t go for walking with a brick
🤣🤣get that in your pocket or audiophile handbag 🤣🤣
Wtf... Look at the size.. Wow swappable Dac n Amp wow.. Mine only amps swap.. As big as my mt604 but mine tubes no offend must be big But dis..
Hmm hows Susvara with it sir?.
bigger then Q7 Ha3.. God! Peace!
U compare it with fiio While im combining 'em.. Yup Q5S TC(dualAkm4493 which in RMEadi2 + dualTHX aaa= as stock gds) + MT604 = Heaven is it?.. Endgame system for IEM.. Peace2
Too Big
You sound like my ladies :)
@@Soundnews Is this better than aune s17 pro? I have topping e50 dac
That size is ridiculous
Overkill for iems? Yes. But, to get the same sound quality for iems, what do you recommend?