Disclaimer:

This HIFIMAN Jade II electrostatic headphone is a unit in an audition tour conducted by HIFIMAN.
I am curious about an electrostatic headphone, so I really appreciate to HIFIMAN team for
this opportunity to try Jade II.


- gear used to compare:
Sabaj D5 -> iFi iCan Pro -> HIFIMan HE-1000 V2


- Look and feel:

. It is in a shape similar to HE-1000 V2 that I own, but lighter in weigth.

. Headband: Jade II has newer headband that has round shape. V2 has flat top.

. both are very conformtable on head, Jade II has aluminum frame without wood veneer,
so I like V2 better on this regard.

. the cable split has been stripped a little bit, which shows the thin wires, makes one
worried about the possible issue from that.

. Amplifier is big and solid design, looks handsome.


- sound stage:
Jade II has great sound stage, it is wider than its depth, it sounds like you are in a music hall.
By comparision V2 sounds like in a smaller room.
Accompanying that incredable sound stage, music image benefited, instruments seem in their
own position and blend in together without interfering each other, on the other hand V2
sound crowded and intimated.
I also noticed Jade II is nature sounding, good layering from different instruments which
are in different volume and in different locations that provide a good sense of the stage.
Listening to Jade II, it is closer to speakers setup than any other headphones that I have
experienced.

- bass:
Jade II bass is there, it can go deep, if you tried Titanic movie sound track 1. Never An Absolution,
the bass can be heard and feel but a tad weak and no extension, it can not compete with
subwoofer speaker (no HP can I believe), comparing with HEK-V2 it is a tad less quantity,
my HEK V2 is driven by iFi iCan pro, and Jade has its own amplifier, so I cannot change gear to
find out if this can be tweaked, that is one of drawback of dedicated amplifier setup.
V2's bass is not great itself comparing with dynamic HP, but I think Jade's bass
can be enhanced a bit, maybe boost it from amplifer, just like iFi iCan pro XBass setting that I use
on my HEK v2 to tweak its bass.

Tried Adele - Rolling in the deep, it is not bad, but if it can punch harder, it would be perfect.
However, with Eagle's Hotel California the bass is still enjoyable.

- mid, high and volcals:
Jade's mid is pleasant to listen, clear and smooth, sounds sweeter than V2, I would descibe is
as a velvet sounding.

Because of its large sound stage, listening to vocal feels recess, this might take some times to
get used to since most heaphones sound closer in. But Jade sounds smooth and clear which makes
all singers, male and female, sound better, and if you are familiar with the singer's voice
chareacters, you may realize that Jade sounds truely for the singers.


Conclusion:

Listen with Jade II is relax and enjoyable. It is the best when listen to a symphony music.
The sound stage makes one feels like it is a live music.
Overall, I think Jade II does everything right, but still there are some areas
that it can be enhanced to do better, such as bass, needs more quantity and quality, and
Headphone cable can be better.

Gears used for comparison:


Disclaimer

I purchased Sabaj D5 as upgrade from my Topping Dx7s, D5 has 1 x ES9038pro, and Dx7s has 2 x ES9038Q2M.
I used to believe that dual DAC chip design must be better than single DAC chip, but when I did a review on Burson Audio Swing DAC, it is a ES9038Q2M vs 2x ES9038Q2M, and I found no significant difference on DAC performance, in fact, Burson Swing with 4 x V6 Vivid opamp performance better than Dx7s,that is the trigger of my upgrade to ES9038pro DAC – Sabaj D5.

Sound Stage:

D5 equips the latest ESS DAC chip ES9039Pro, during my comparison, it has
The best stage presentation with clear separation of instruments with good depth and width, vocal is smooth and lively.
When music is played, one can figure the location of each sound direction
From your headphone, far, near, center, side, forward and back, it is just amazing performance of the DAC. This is from my HiFiMan HE-1000 V2 on D5 balanced headphone output.

Sound Quality:

My HEK V2 is not too difficulty to drive (35ohm, 90db) with D5 balanced output (1912mW@32ohm), D5 drive it with authority, sound is clean, and vocal is smooth and pleasant. According to audio science review D5 SE output impedance is 3ohm, which is pretty good.
When I connect D5 line out to SP200 THX-AAA-888 amp, it sounds similar just SP200 has a tad better definition of music notes especially on low end, which must be from its stronger power and lower output impedance at 1.3ohm (audio science review), the difference is very small. Both D5 and SP200 are all new, so I am not sure if that impression will change over time. However, at the moment, my personal feeling is that D5 sound more pleasant though.

Conclusion:

Overall, D5 is a very good desk top Dac/Amp combination in one unit, its remote control is very convenient that you can control everything including on/off, that is big plus as some gears have power switch at the back which is
bad when you have stack up gears.
While I setup D5 driver with foobar200, this is the only DAC that I can setup to play DSD512 native and up sampling all PCM into DSD without any issue, meaning D5 can support DSD and sampling rate up to DSD512 and 768Khz completely.

I got a new pair on great sale price.
When I received it, I put it on to start listening, and it confirmed all the reviewers'
comment about two drawbacks.
1. its clamp force makes me uncomfortable
2. this headphone has weak bass response, not only recess as others said, but also weak
3. it sounds brighter than all my other headphones that is not the SQ to my taste

And I have no interest to tweak the pad to rectify the clamp force because
of its SQ.

All are true and that is deal breaker to me, so I returned it.

Please note, this is my personal opinion, your mileage could very.

Burson Audio Playmate DAC/Amp with V6 vivid op-amp

Product information can be found @ Burson Audio Playmate & SS V6 Opamp

Gears used:


Disclaimer:

Burson Audio send me this Playmate unit for my honest opinion.
I have reviewed Burson’s Swing in different Opamp model on Head-Fi @ here and here (Swing + V6x2)



I will compare Playmate with Topping DX7s as they are all DAC/AMP combo design, the DAC chip on DX7s are 2x es9038Q2M, and Playmate uses 1 es9038Q2M.


Apparently from above table, we can see Playmate has better parameters on Amplification design, however, Topping DX7s has balanced output on its Preout, and headphone output can go up to 1W @32ohm balanced. Balanced are not always better, but it is a plus if you have balanced headphone on hand.

(NOTE: some measurement data are from https://www.audiosciencereview.com)

Setting: headphone output at high gain

Sound Quality:
The first impression is, it is clear and very good separation of instruments in the music, which
gives me a good feeling of the stage. The clear sound seems a house sound of Burson’s gears as I have similar impression from Swing DAC. For me, the clarity on sound is not analytical at all.
For instrument reproduction, the punch on Playmate, big or small, are all in good quality, on DX7s comes a tad veil when A/B them.
Playmate sounds very good on female, male and male bass sound vocal songs, the mid is smooth and lively.
Playmate can driver my Denon AH-D5000 easily to its full potential, good dynamic and clarity.
I am surprised by my Denon headphone can punch out bass when driven by Playmate, it produces punch and extended heavy bass. Then I connect Playmate line out to my newly acquired SMSL SP200 THX-AAA-888 headphone amp to compare its amplification.
I am hit again to find out that Playmate drives harder than SP200, the same headphone, same song, when driven by Playmate I can hear bass with more extension and quantity. However, it is not as solid as SP200. But, when I replace the headphone output opamp on Playmate with Burson Audio V6 dual Vivid opamp, bass becomes well defined and quality is way better than stock opamp, actually it is quite an enhancement on overall sounding.


For Sabaj D5 Dac/Amp that I newly acquired, its XLR output power is close to playmate, but SE is way under, and by comparison on SE, Playmate is tad better on low end just like it won over SP200.

With my HifiMan HE-1000V2, Playmate still can drive it to enjoyable level, but DX7s is a little out of it, since playmate has only single end output, I used SE cable for it, so Playmate does a better job on SE driving power, this doesn’t surprise me any more since I have experienced its driving power already.



Sound stage:
Playmate has well defined stage, you can hear music with width and depth, and layering is also
good. In this department, Playmate performs in par with DX7s which equips 2 same DAC chips. I used to think that 2 chips design should be better than 1, so my collection of DAC are all two DAC chips, such as, LKS DA-003 (ES9018), and DX7s (ES9038Q2M)(sold) and Pro-ject Pre Box S2 digital (ES9038Q2M)(sold). However, Burson Audio R&D proves it otherwise, and changed my believing on this during my review of Playmate.
Actually, while writing at this, my new Sabaj D5 has arrived, which has ES9038PRO DAC/Amp.
And my DX7s was sold two days earlier. Yeah, I am no longer dual chip DAC advocate.
Sabaj D5 presents music in a space kind of feeling, that you can’t just describe it as width and length or height, just a space full of music and you are soaked in it, mid is forward, and listener is in middle of the sound field.
Playmate presents music in a clear layering manner, one can clearly figure out each instrument source and sounds are not interfere each other but blend in well, definitely not analytical if that is what in your mind from my description, D5 and DX7s have no such clear layering.



Conclusion:

I enjoy Playmate more than DX7s, because Playmate gives crystal clear sound, and better separation on busy music. Actually, the more I listen with it, the more I like it.
Jobs well done by Burson Audio engineers.
Playmate has only SE output, but its driving power and quality is in par or at times surpass my SP200 THX AAA 888 amp, I wonder if that is because my SP200 is new?
There are two things to note during this review that I have been turned from dual chips DAC believer to appreciate one chip design approach, this actually could save me some money down the road, and the other is amp SE output can be really good like Playmate does.
However, I have to comment about the small screen again, when I need to adjust it, I have to put my face close to it to see those characters. A bigger screen is on my wish list for Burson Audio next product.
D5’s screen is smaller than DX7s’ but I still can see its display text without leaning forward.

Reviewed Subject:

Swing DAC/PreAmp with V6 vivid op-amp, 2 Dual for I/V stage and 2 Single for LP stage

Product information can be found @ Burson Audio Swing & SS V6 Opamp


Gears used:


Disclaimer:

Burson Audio send me this Swing unit for my honest opinion, which I have posted my review on Head-Fi @ here
After that, they sent me a pair of V6 Vivid dual op-amp to do further review which is posted on Head-Fi @ here (Swing + V6x2)

Burson Audio sent me another pair of V6 Vivid Single version opamp to replace LP stage opamp JRC5534D, that makes this unit a top model Swing in the line.

(Previously, this review unit has JRC5532D replaced with dual version V6 Vivid opamp already.)

Setting: PreAmp Mode

I use high level Preamp out, then adjust volume to around 80 to match my Topping DX7s which
has output fixed at 2V.




Sound Quality:

With all 4 Opamp replaced with V6 Vivid Opamp, Swing becomes top model of the 3 versions that I have reviewed thus far.

Vocal on Swing is a tad sweeter than DX7s, especially with female vocals.
Sound stage is simply amazing, it has the best depth and width than all DACs that I have ever listened and very good layering, low and mid don’t affect each other, it sounds as if you were in a concert as I have said in previous review for Swing with 2 V6 opamp.
Instrument music sounds better to my taste with Swing, it is smoother and DX7s is a bit analytical with A/B comparison. With a busy music track when many instruments are playing together, DX7s is a tad messy, and Swing can sustain the layering better.
But, like I said before, without direct comparison, both sound good on its own.

With all Drums track, DX7s’ bass is not as punchier as Swing V6, not as strong, but still very good. Layering is not as clear as Swing V6, at times, it feels a tad of concealed when doing A/B.
I’d like to re-iterate that Swing has very good bass, it keeps the quality and quantity makes the bass in the music very pleasant to listen to.

Conclusion:

With All 4 Opamp replaced with V6 Vivid opamp, Swing has its best performance. The difference between 2 V6 and 4 V6 Swing is this 4 V6 one is smoother on the mid, and has
better and solid bass reproduction.
But, I can tell you that both are really good over basic model, with DX7s closely behind it.
This top model sounds so smooth which just like cut the sharp corners of a cube.
Again, if you have Swing basic model, I would encourage you to try V6 opamp, you won’t be disappointed, and while you are doing it, I would recommend to replace all 4 Opamp, who knows maybe you can hear the best of it over time, which I am not able to within this short review period.

Swing DAC/PreAmp with V6 vivid op-amp

Product information can be found @ Burson Audio Swing

Gears used:
Source: PC Foobar2000
DAC: Burson Swing (with V6 Vivid Dual opamp)
Topping DX7s
LKS MH-DA003
Amp: iFi iCan Pro
headphone: Sony MDR-Z1R


Disclaimer:

Burson Audio send me this Swing unit for my honest opinion, which I have posted my review on
Head-Fi @ here
After that, they sent me a pair of V6 Vivid dual op-amp to do further review.

This pair of V6 dual op-amp replaces two JRC5532D at IV stage on Swing basic model.

Swing comes with a tool for user to open the cover, and inner side of the top cover has a printed map to show
location of opamp, and their corresponding stage in the circuit.
There are two opamp for each stage, one type (JRC5534D) can be replaced with single version
opamp.
And the other (JRC5532D) can be replaced with dual version opamp, this is what I have in this review.

Replacing OP-Amp:

First thing – power off gears, all gears connected, not just Swing to be safe.
Open up the top cover by unscrew 4 screws, 2 on front panel and 2 on back.
Under the cover there is a picture showing location of opamp that can be replaced.



The V6 opamp comes with socket attached, if you place them in place of socket of current opamp IC, it will be too tall to close the top cover. So be sure to remove the socket from new opamp and put it into socket by aligning the side with notch to the side of on board socket with notch, place it wrong, you might burn it when you power on.



To remove IC or socket, you can use a small screw driver to ply it off a little bit on both side in turn, do not try to ply it off from one side, it might bend and damage the pins.
There is special tool to remove IC as shown by other reviewer, but it is not required.
I had been a circuit board designer for 4 years, I used to be able to un-solder and replace a 40 pins IC with no harm to it. But that was long time ago. Just want to say that replace an IC on socket is a piece of cake for people like myself. But it should not be too difficulty to any one either.



Setting: PreAmp Mode

I use high level Preamp out, then adjust volume to around 80 to match my Topping DX7s which
has output fixed at 2V.
I think this is important feature in a DAC that has adjustable Preamp out like this, especially
Swing has two level which will allow it to fit in different system needs.
With this, I can set my amplifier volume at the sweet spot as I learned from others and adjust
volume from DAC.

Sound Quality:

In my previous review of Swing basic model, it didn’t win in all aspects comparing with DA003, and DX7s. All had its own strong sides.

With V6 Vivid Opamp in place of the I/V stage opamp, Swing sounds beautifully in all aspects.
Swing V6 has good feel of stage, width, depth are all improved.
It is easy to hear the improvement over DA-003.
Vocal is crystal clearer, high extends in good way, and mid sweeter and low is punchier with
good quality and quantity. And the best of all is the sound stage is better layering, low and mid don’t affect each other and all music play together in harmonic.
Music sounds dynamic and energizing when listen to a track with only drums, when small and big ones play together, it is all clear in different location and full of punches, just amazing.
With instrument music, Swing V6 stage and layering makes it sounds like live concert.

DX7s is very close in, DX7s’ bass is not as punchier as Swing V6, not as strong, but still good though. Layering is not as clear as Swing V6, at times, it feels a tad of concealed when doing A/B.

As you might have noticed, you listen to your gear with satisfaction all along until one day you got a chance to compare with other gears and then you start to swing back and forth about to upgrade or not to upgrade. Yeah, we are all on same boat on this.

Conclusion:

With V6 Vivid opamp, Swing has improved a lot over basic model, it is worth the money to upgrade your Swing with it. I am a bit surprised that replaces opam with V6 Vivid can hear such improvement on SQ. It sounds like a different DAC from basic model in better way.
I have not heard V6 classic, but some reviewers mentioned that it comes down personal preference on their signature and the music you listen.
If you have Swing basic model, I would encourage you to try V6 opamp, you won’t be disappointed. I like Swing V6 a lot over basic model myself.

Product information can be found @ Burson Audio Swing

Gears used in comparison.

Headphone
HiFiMAN HE-1000 V2
Audeze LCD3
AMP
Audio-GD NFB-1AMP (with LCD3)
iFi iCan Pro (with HE1000 V2)
Source
PC Foobar2000

Test configuration:

PC -> Dx7s/Swing/DA-003 -> NFB-1AMP -> LCD3
PC -> Dx7s/Swing/DA-003 -> iCan Pro -> HE1000-V2




Disclaimer:

This Swing unit is sent from Burson Audio for my honest opinion, I really appreciate them for such opportunity
to review Burson’s gears..

I first learn Burson Audio brand name from its well-known solid state op-amp V5 and V6.
Those opamp have been highly praised and widely used on op-amp rolling by many audiophiles and
audio enthusiasts and music industry professionals.

Burson Audio applies them on their product lines as well, such as Bang, Fun, Play,
Playmate, and this Swing, as different configuration products.

Setting:

DAC mode:
output level set to low, which still drives harder(+4db) than Dx7s in balanced mode

PreAmp Mode:
Set Preamp out level to low is too low, as I turn volume up to 99 is still not loud enough.
I use high level Preamp out, then adjust volume to around 80 to match my DA-003 which
is also adjustable at -9.0db.
I think this is important feature in a DAC that has adjustable Preamp out like this, especially
Swing has two level which will allow it to fit in different system needs.
With this, I can set my amplifier volume at the sweet spot as I learned from others, and adjust
volume from DAC.

Sound Quality:

• With HE1000 configuration:

• With LCD3 configuration:

Comparing with Dx7s.
Again, I like female vocal with Dx7s, it is smoother than Swing and DA-003.
Swing is analytical in in this regard.

Conclusion:

I really like Swing for its crystal clean and energize sounding, and it pairs well with my iCan Pro.
Swing equips with a latest ESS9038 chip, and my DA-003 is ESS9018(?)x2, Dx7s is ESS9028Q2Mx2, even
it has only one DAC chip but it works really well in term of overall SQ comparing with dual DAC design.
Also, after a few days on comparison, Swing’s sound has improved a little, its harshness is improving.
All DACs used here are all ESS family chips, even by design they sound different, but are very similar in sounding.

I once heard a veteran audio gear designer mentioned that power supply is the most important part of an audio
component, so one should always look for good power supply design.
This is the part that Burson is specialized with her Max Current Power Supply(MCPS).
Which I believe that it helps with the clean sounding of their DAC & AMP product line.

I agree with some reviewers that the display screen is small on Swing, and hard to read.
I had owned Pro-Ject S2 digital which is smaller than Swing in size, but it has a bigger screen and in color!!
This is one thing I hope Burson can think about to improve it.

Talk about its size, it is one thing that I like the most, as it doesn’t occupy too much space on my desk top.
That is the main reason that I am selling my DA-003, as it is a full size DAC and is around 10x bigger than Swing
in total volume.

With power switch in the back, same as Dx7s, is a little inconvenient, if it can be placed at the front panel
like iFi iCan Pro will be a plus. See iCan Pro has busy front panel, but they still squeeze the power button
in, not to say that Swing has clear space at front.
Dx7s will auto-off if no signal detected in a few minutes after I turn off source, and auto on when I turn on my PC.
This will compensate the issue with switch in the back.

Final words:

So, what the take after this comparison.
If let me pick one, it is Swing. Why? It is smaller, and it has newer chip, supports best audio spec in the market
and most importantly, it costs less and sounds great.
And don’t forget that it supports Opamp rolling and Burson has best Opamp in audio world.

Headphone - Sony Z1R
Comparison Gears:
FiiO Q5 (dual AK4490EN)
Pro-ject Pre Box S2 Digital (dual ESS9038Q2M)
iFi xDSD (Burr Brown chip)

Before I received this tour unit, iFi xDSD has received award from
EISA (the European Sound and Imaging Association)
as the Best Portable DAC/Headphone Amplifier for 2018-2019.

There are many reviews have been posted out, so I am not going through
all introductions of the products, but jump to my own experiences and
usage comments.

I own iFi iDSD nano, and had reviewed iFi Miacro iDSD BL before,
so the latest driver is already in my computer, I plug it to my laptop USB port
and the device shows in my PC and in Foobar2000 output list.
iFi has unified its driver for many products, which is an excellent consideration
on product support, which also has simplified life for users who own many iFi products.

first impression
when I have it in my hand.
It is small, surely more portable than iDSD nano that I own which I have never
thought to use it as portable but put it in my office as desk Dac/Amp.
The shell of xDSD is supposed to be shining but soon got finger print marks
on the body once you hanlde it in your hand starts to play with it.
Other than that, the build is rugged, size is easy to handle.
However, its small and shining body slip off my hand when I picked it up from desk.
One needs to be careful when handle it on the go, you don't want it to slip off
on ground.

Accessaries
cables can be better, most product in the market tend to come with
cables that look cheap, and they still are with xDSD.
Since iFi choose to use USB A on its body, the port is kind of big on it, and the
extension cable for computer connection look bulky on it.
The picture below shows how USB cable compare with xDSD body.
Choosing UAB A so it can be connecting to OTG/CCK cable directly, so it is supposed
to be good on mobility.




connection and function
To save space on such small body, many function and setting have to combine different
buttons, it feels like you are playing code cracking to get to certain function.
iFi xDSD has load of functions, so its usage takes a little more time to get use to.

Fortunately, its cheat sheet clearly explains everything steps by steps so one can
just look for needed function on it and follow the steps.

To use line out mode might be the most complicated one above all others, but it is
still manageable to follow, but it took me a few trys to switch it off though.


Sound Quality
Bass: xDSD can go low and with quantity, punch and quality is good,
I could not hear much difference between xDSD, Q5 and S2.
Both bass enhance switch on xDSD and Q5 don't make bass better on Z1R,
so I mostly listen with them off.

Mid: xDSD is sweeter with femal vocal, S2 is also good, Q5 might be a bit harsh, but my Q5
is still new, probably will change in the long run. While this xDSD has been opened up
by all members in the tour, I believe.

High: I use Kenny G's Soprano for this test, and I like xDSD over S2, Q5 is on par with xDSD.
Probably has something to do with amp power as S2 is not as powerful as the other 2.

Sound Stage
All 3 sound forward with vocal, has some depth, width better than depth, layer of instrucments
is just fine.
But note that I use closed back headphone, so I don't expect much about stage.
No clear winner in this department.

Build
Q5 is obvious robust with its material, and I like the weight on hand, which feel just right
to me. xDSD has better size for portable use.
I also found that all 3 units have separated power port, it seems a trend of small dac/amp design
as one USB port is hard to handle power and data at same time?
My S2 must have a USB power connected otherwise it will causes the data USB port shutdown on my laptop,
it is inconvenient since it has no power on/off switch on it.

Conclusion
My only complain for xDSD is its cables, as its body is small and its cable becomes like over size tail.
The goods on xDSD are its versality for different usage, and its extreme DAC capability
to support PCM768KHz/DSD512/MQA, bluetooth, plus powerful ampilifier output, these left
nothing to be wanted for a portable dac/amp in the marcket.
Overall, all 3 dac/amp in the comparison are very similar on sound performace.
Q5 has better feeling on hand for its material and construction.
S2 has similar DAC spec. but less driving power, its supports MQA decoding on it.
The xDSD supports MQA but it only does rendering, if you connect to Tidal you will have it.
As portable Dac/Amp, xDSD pretty much handle all your needs, a very good solid design one.

Gears used for comparison:
Headphone - Sony Z1R, HIFIMAN HE1000.V2, Sennheiser HD800
AMP   - Schiit Jotunheim (amp),  Audio-GD NFB-1AMP
DAC   - L.K.S MH-DA003

I own iFi iDSD nano, so the driver is already in my computer,
I plug it in and the device shows in my PC and in Foobar2000 output list.
 
- Sound Quality by power mode.
 
  Eco mode,
 
  It has very good SQ for my Z1R, it drives the music beautifully without holding back.
  Even the Z1R is an easy driven headphone, the amp is capable to  drive it to reproduce the music
  as it should be, I hear clarity and dynamic in
  this mode.  The XBass feature extends bass a little deeper and doesn't add too much.
  the result is very good to my ear, definitely a plus point to amp section.
 
  Normal mode,
 
  It is sufficient to drive HE1000 and HD800 and of course Z1R.
  Adding XBass my HD800 bass response is enhanced in a pleasant way makes it better
  than I ususal know it.
 
  Turbo Mode,
 
  More power for sure, the benefit for what I can see is less turn of  volume knob.
  I do not have 600ohm headphone like T1 or HE-6, so I would not know
  if it is a must to use this mode for those headphones.

  When XBass is on, this mode will show too much bass boom and becomes overwhelm
  which somehow degrades overall SQ.
  This is not the case in normal power mode, which blends real well.
  Sound stage is pretty good in width & depth and layering of instruments are clear.

  However, it is still a little smaller than my LKS+NFB-1AMP, the music with BL
  feel closed by, it is good when on the move.  While at home, if it can be extended
  a little more that will make it almost perfect.
 
  Overall, this amp has planty of power, and XBass is absolutely a handy feature that
  adds the extra bass when you need it.
  My Sony Z1R has been considered as bass strog headphone, turning on XBass
  make the bass fuller and punchier, I am like "Wow...".

  I think to turn it on or off would be music track and headphone dependant.
  It can be too musch bass for some music, but it also add fun factor to
  some tracks that I am familiar with.
 
  3D+ feature
 
  However doesn't have dramatic effect as XBass, I don't hear much
  difference on my musics.
  I tried this with normal gain on HE1000-V2 headphone, in case you wonders.
 
  Filters,
 
  They all sound a bit different, I used a DSD album to test this:

  - bit-perfect: it sounds darker than min, phase, but smooth, one has to turn  volume a little up.
  - min. phase : this sounds more open on female voice track
  - standard   : this mode has loundest volume on all 3 modes.
 
  overal, it gives me this impression, min. phase mode change the sound smoothier
  than standard filter, and bit-prefect filter even improve the smoothness further
  than min. phase filter.
  It gives users 3 flavors of sounds, you will find one that you like the best.
 
- Build Quality:
 
  The Pphysical size is smaller then I expected, about 1 inch short of twice
  length of iDSD nano.
  Its whole metal construction feels solid and strong, the build is no doubt
  at one of the highest quality, and its weight is on the light side with its
  rich feature in such small package.
  It might be too big for portable if you use to tie your cell phone/DAP with
  dac/amp.
  But it is small enough for me to take it with me any where in my bag.
 
- Comparison:
 
  The overall clarify and music layering is about the same as my LKS+Jotunheim (L+J).
  But, my L+J combination sounds fuller at times, BL is a tad thin in music
  reproduction, but it needs to do careful back and forth comparison to notice it.
  However, BL is only 1/3 of the price of L+J combo, and it is portable that means you
  can take it with you on the road and enjoy the vivid music.

- Conclusion:
 
  The amplification part, BL is small in size but never lack in power,
  it performs really well to drive all my headphones.
  I use normal mode all the time which has enough  power to drive all my headphones.
  
  And I really like the XBass feature that you will surely enjoy for some musics.
  For its price, capability, features, flexibility and performance, 
  I will definitely recommend this DAC/AMP to any one who is looking for a combo
  for portable or desktop use.

- Final note:
 
    About volume knob, the mark on it is almost invisible, same to Jotunheim and
    iDSD nano.
    It is not a problem for Audio-GD amp because it is digital, the number display
    perfectly shows the volume.
    I have seen a user mod the knob of a BL unit, and it looks gorgeous and clear.
    It is obvious a common issue for analog knob, hopefully it can be improved among
    manufactures.