Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › Any impressions of XM5 yet?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Any impressions of XM5 yet?

post #1 of 14
3/29/08 at 7:10pm
Thread Starter 
It has been out a few months now, and yet I can't find any info yet on here about how this dac/amp sounds.

Has anyone had a chance to gather some impressions or comparisons? Even a sentence or two would be nice.

Thanks!
Reply
post #2 of 14
3/29/08 at 7:43pm
My god, this thing looks sexy.
Practical Devices Corporation
XM5 Headphone Amplifier-USB DAC BUF 75o BASS XFeed amp - eBay (item 150229047713 end time Mar-30-08 16:59:36 PDT)

Socketable OpAmps, Bass Boost, Crossfeed, and then this:

The XM5 comes equipped with a high-quality USB DAC, with 44.1 / 48kHz sampling rate and integrated oversampling. The DAC is natively supported by Windows XP, Vista, MAC OS 9 and OS X, and most Linux distributions. Further advanced USB functions, such as 3D HRTF, EQ, and virtual 7.1CH speaker shifter, are available under XP with the installation of additional drivers.

Someone buy this. Now. (So that the rest of us don't risk wasting our money in case this turns out to be a dud )
Reply
post #3 of 14
3/29/08 at 7:54pm
I have one, I think it's pretty darn good. It's one of the very few portable amps that actually have a treble boost. The bass boost is awesome. Crossfeed is pretty good, it does what it's supposed to. It has a lot packed into a small package. Is there anything specific you'd like to know?

I'm considering selling mine -- I find myself less in situations where I need a portable unit. I've had it for about 2 months or so. I'm thinking of going with a Zero DAC or something similar (not portable). I'm still not 100% sure I want to though.. I need to think about it a little more.

Hey Nirmalanow, is that a Welsh Corgi Pembroke? We have one too.
Reply
post #4 of 14
3/29/08 at 8:48pm
Thread Starter 
Any more specifics on the sound would be great! What headphones do you use with it? Ever use it with IEMs?
Reply
post #5 of 14
3/29/08 at 9:21pm
Thread Starter 
^
Reply
post #6 of 14
3/29/08 at 9:33pm
I use the Denon D2000 and also the Denon C700 (canalphones). It works fine with my C700s. IEMs/canalphones are typically very low impedance, so the AD8397 chip is best for those because of it's high current ouput (it's even higher than using BUF634P chips). The C700 is 16ohms.

My personal preference is to use both the Bass and Treble boost. It sounds great without them, but I love deep powerful lows, and I also love highs.

The XFeed feature was at first a little bit "hissy" -- but P.D. fixed it and sent me a new module right away (awesome customer service). I can't really tell a difference with it on or off now, except of course for less stereo imaging which is what is intended.

The USB DAC is good. It's not 24-bit/96kHz of course, but it's still a nice feature to have, especially when you're traveling. Much better than a laptop's built-in sound card (yuck!).
Reply
post #7 of 14
3/29/08 at 9:40pm
Thread Starter 
Yes I want to use it with my laptop so the DAC is a great feature. And thanks for explaining about the chips.

Have you ever had a chance to compare it with other amps out there?
Reply
post #8 of 14
3/29/08 at 9:49pm
Thread Starter 
Also, have you ever used the DAC by itself?
Reply
post #9 of 14
3/29/08 at 10:01pm
I haven't had a chance to compare it to other popular amps out there. But I can say that the SQ improvement was huge to my ears versus iPod's output and my home receiver/amp (old Sony). I let my mother try it and she noticed a big difference too (she's 64, and definitely not an audiophile).

I'm not exactly sure what you mean use the "DAC by itself." There is no SPDIF input, only USB input for the DAC, and analog input which doesn't use the DAC.
Reply
post #10 of 14
3/29/08 at 10:15pm
Thread Starter 
Some people have used the analog out from similar portable amp/dac combos as a feed to a larger home headphone amp or even into a speaker system. It gives a sense of what the DAC by itself can do, even though the signal still goes through the amp circuit. In a sense the amp circuit acts like a preamp to the other amp, so you do not need to turn up the volume very far on the DAC/Amp. You of course need a cable or converter to go from the 1/8 inch plug to RCAs in order to try this.
Reply
post #11 of 14
3/30/08 at 12:24am
Thread Starter 
^
Reply
post #12 of 14
3/30/08 at 5:31pm
Contact Asr, I believe he has one.
Reply
post #13 of 14
3/30/08 at 7:51pm
Thread Starter 
I did. He said he is going to post a review sometime soon, within a week or two.
Reply
post #14 of 14
3/31/08 at 8:44pm
Thread Starter 
I got itchy wallet syndrome and went ahead and bought one, so I guess I will be able to form my own opinion soon. I will be trying it with a pair of AT W1000s and a pair of Ety ER4S with cable by Apuresound, and when I have had a good listen, I will post my results.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › Any impressions of XM5 yet?