This amp is so simple and so fun! I am a person who really enjoys equipment (amps and dacs) that are easy to use, simple to set up and just work! In my humble opinion, there are too many amps on the market that offer an immense amount of inputs and outputs, that for people like me who only use them to listen to great headphones, and great music, done honestly need. I really like the simplicity of this amp because it is easy to use, easy to set up and comes with a ton of power for any headphone or desktop speaker!

Burson is a company located in Melbourne, Australia, the city my brother's wife is from. Its full of beauty, very much like this little amp. I appreciate that the amp is compact, powerful and looks great. I'm going to review this amp from the perspective of a person who likes to get home, plug in my headphones, USB into my MacBook and listen to music straight away [Aussie phrase ]. The Burson Fun allows me to do with no issues.

The Power:
I will let you read the specs on their website, but for power, it has enough power for any and every headphone imaginable. I used this amp in conjunction with my LH Labs Geek Pulse X Infinity by bypassing its built-in amp so it could just be sent the clean dac sound to be amplified by the Fun. The power is perfect for an at-home set-up for headphones, and speakers alike!

The Sound:
Its sound is clean, clean clean. There seems to be no extra warmth added to the sound from this amp, just powerful, dynamic sound to my Audioquest Nighthawks, Sennheiser 6XX and Audeze iSine20. The Fun amp is the type of amp I was looking to pair with my Geek Pulse X Infinity's DAC which is a sublime combination! If you are looking for an amp that won't add color to the sound, just clean, clear amplification, this is a wonderful buy for the base price of $299!

Conclusion:
This is a perfect addition to any system that needs more power, better amplification, and a sound that is accurate to the way your favorite music should be! I am excited to tinker with the addition of the various other op-amps Burson offers to see how the sound is enhanced with these better quality components.

• Let me start by saying this little gear has it all! It is BURR-fect! I am a teacher and am on the go all time whether it's a trip to the copy room, an hour of planning time, or moving from coffee shop to coffee shop to grade papers for my kiddos, I use this. It is extremely light, easy to velcro to the back of my iPhone SE and can connect wired (my traditionalist choice) or Bluetooth, it produces clean powerful sound.

I am not what you would call a bonafide audiophile, but I love listening to great music, with the best gear! I am going to compare this to my Centrance BlueDac, LH Labs V2+ Infinity, and Mojo. The comparison comes with my priority of using gear focused on portability, ease of use, sound quality, price, and weight.

Portability/Ease of Use:
This dac/amp is extremely portable, very much like a shrunk down Ifi IDSD BL in the palm of your hands minus the RCA output. I use the included velcro to attach my iPhone and it does not add much weight, size or bulk. I can stick it in my pocket, attach the apple cck and off I go. Using Bluetooth is a sinch as well. Once the Ifi xDSD is first connected via Bluetooth to your source, it will auto connect every time after this initial connection. With my Bluedac, connected to my phone via velcro and Bluetooth, it would produce the LTE phone signal buzz which basically made what Centrance called a wired or Bluetooth dac/amp, only a Bluetooth amp. This was frustrating so I was looking for its replacement soon after. This replacement came in the form of the Ifi xDSD which has zero hiss if you want to use its Bluetooth connection while being physically attached to a phone. This was a huge plus, as the chassis has a plastic bottom that allows for a clear signal path between Bluetooth components without sacrificing build quality (which the bluedac did with its 3D printed chassis that broke on me 3 times!). Overall, this kit is extremely portable and easy to use with its nice buttons, simple directions and multiple input/output options.

Sound Quality:
The Ifi xDSD sound is amazing. I love the BurrBrown Dac implementation as it provided all of my headphones (6xx, AudioQuest nighthawk, V-Moda M100, and Audeze iSine20) with enough power, depth, soundstage, and clarity. The sound is much like the mojo, but with a touch less warmth, but with more connection options and better battery life. I really enjoyed its sound. The Ifi xDSD provides the clear, punchy (x-bass) bass and wide soundstage (3D) options that are a nice addition for those wanting some extra options for their variety of cans. I truly enjoy its sound and have made it my everyday, go-to amp/dac for streaming tidal and playing hi-res files on my Hiby music player app.

Price/Weight:
The price for such a quality, usable and versatile amp/dac speaks for itself. I demoed the Fiio Q5 and while it has a nice option for changing of amps, I much prefer the Ifi xDSD for the price because of the sound, and it's super lightweight. This is a steal for such an advanced portable amp/dac of which I highly recommend for anyone who wants all the bells and whistles in a tiny form factor with Bluetooth.

Ifi XDSD + XCan:
Not only is the XDSD amazing on its own, if you are the person who needs just a bit more power for your Hifiman HE-6 or those high impedance cans that crave as much power as they can stomach, then ifi allows the monstrous, balanced, power of the XCan to suit your needs. I played around with using the 3.5 to 3.5 connector supplied in the XDSD accessories box to connect the XDSD and XCAN together to see what their capability was as a pair. The result was a booming, clean, simple set up that brings the best out of the Ifi xDSD's BurrBrown dac through to the addition of the XCAN's truly amazing power. The Ifi xCAN's pure power in addition to the Ifi xDSD's wonderfully implemented BurrBrown analog-like sounding dac is a tiny form factor desktop quality stack!

In conclusion, the Ifi xDSD is my portable amp/dac of choice of all on the market right now for the myriad of reasons stated in my review. All I can say now it go and enjoy it!

Let me first start by saying I moved from using at home amp/dacs to using almost exclusively mobile, portable solutions for my earbuds, IEMs and headphones. In my opinion, the technology of the mobile audio world has nearly caught up with the power and sound quality of the stay at home, stationary solutions such as my LH Labs Geek Pulse infinity with the LPS4 power conditioner.

My review will be mainly comparing the IFI XCAN with the Centrance Bluedac as my main use of the IFI XCAN is its supreme aptx bluetooth ability. I am also going to comment on the xcan's ability to compete with the uber popular Chord Mojo as it is one of the mainstays in the mobile amp/dac category.

This review has no pictures as I feel it is redundant with all the reviews out there showing the XCAN and what comes in its package .

Equipment used for the review:

Amp / Dacs:

IFI XCAN
Chord Mojo
Centrance Bluedac

Headphones:

Sennheiser 6XX
Audeze iSine 20
Venture Electronics Zen Omega Edition earbuds
Audio Technica ATH-M50x

Music:

Tidal (Mostly master quality streaming)

First impressions of the XCan itself:

1. This little guy has a TON of power. You can check the specs on the IFI website, but at 1000mw per mono channel is quite impressive considering its slim form factor and loads of options for a portable amp/dac. With my Audeze iSine 20s that crave power, this was a welcome addition for such a small device.

2. The reconnection time of the bluetooth is very quick. After you initially (first time) connect the XCAN to your source, it will remember its connection partner and reconnect without you having to manually do so in a flash! For me, when reconnecting to my iphone SE or my Macbook air, was a mere 1-2 seconds.

3. I can easily connect all of my balanced headphones to the XCAN. I have a number of great earbuds (VE Zen Omega, VE Zen Lite, Cypherus Audio Camp Fred 2, Shozy BK) that are terminated for either 3.5TRRS or 2.5TRRS. I have some earbuds terminated to 3.5trrs in order to connect to my LH Labs GO V2+ infinity 3.5 balanced output, with others terminated to 2.5trrs for my Centrance Bluedac balanced output. Its wonderful that I don't have to switch cables or add adapters for my 3.5trrs earbubs. I can just plug and play to get great pure balanced sound!

4. Build quality is top notch! I really enjoy the feel of the buttons, and the smoothness of the volume control. The fact that the chassis is smooth and a bit slippery, the wave like shape of it allows for it to be held in a number of different positions without the worry of dropping out of the hand or sliding of a table. This was my favorite part, the little build in rubber feet really add a nice touch when using as a dac/amp at home.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS:

The XCAN sounded great on my balanced earbuds, over ear and open back. This little amp/dac was fast, clear and accurate. The bass was full, deep and quick. I listened to a variety of Hans Zimmer soundtracks (Interstellar, Inception), a number of EDM tracks from Galantis, Empire of the Sun, and Zedd, and classic rock from the Grateful Dead, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. All of the music was first listened to in the XCAN regular mode (no XBass or 3D+) and then compared with the 3D+ mode and XBass individually as well as together. Here are my impressions of those three modes of listening.

Normal Mode (non XBass II or 3D+ modes):

This normal mode was a great starting point for purists who want to listen to what the amp and dac can do/sound like without the aid of filters or fill-ins. I appreciated this a great deal as it provided the sound to be presented in the most direct way from the amp/dac to your ears. There was no coloring of the sound, it was not as clinical sounding as my Centrance Bludac, but it was not as warm as the Chord Mojo. I liked the sound quite a lot.

3D+ Mode:

This mode seemed to add a bit of airiness to the overall presentation of the music, which I used mostly during my time with the classic rock. Overall it did not make a huge difference in the music but it did add that little extra soundstage to the open back Sennheiser 6XX cans.

XBass II Mode:

This mode was a bit more pronounced and observable when it was used. The bass was fuller, deeper but did not cause the bass to bleed or sound muffled at all. This was a great addition to the EDM music as well as those songs that sounded a bit less bassy when used with the 6XX cans. The XBass was able to improve bass in all aspects when used through all of the tested headphones I used.

Comparison to the Centrance Bluedac and Chord Mojo:

The IFI XCAN has many more input options (mainly the 3.5trrs balanced) and much more power to boot. I enjoyed the combination of slightly warm, yet very fine accuracy of the sound stage and clarity. This is a wonderful middle ground amp/dac if you are looking for a very dark background with a touch of clinical/analog warmness combo. I put it right in between the Bluedac (clinical) and the Chord Mojo (warmish) sound signature. The only thing that the Bluedac does better than the XCAN is it is much lighter and the battery lasts around 20 hours of playback vs XCAN's 8 hours. In terms of the weight, it feels much lighter then the Chord Mojo which is a big plus for a bluetooth focused dac/amp (something Mojo only acquires with the addition of the expensive Poly). Honestly though, I would never need a dac/amp more than 8 hours so this is not a deal breaker by any means. If I were to take only one of these on the go, it would be the IFI XCan because of its versatility and wonderful capabilities sound wise.

Overall Impressions:

If you are looking for a very powerful, excellent sounding, portable dac/amp, take a serious look at the XCAN! The build quality is top notch, the sound is excellent, it is fully balanced throughout, and the battery life is great considering the amount of power it is outputting. For $299 MSRP, this little amp is a wonder considering the options you get, the excellent bluetooth sound and the power/performance ratio. The IFI XCAN is a little wonder that packs a punch and performs well above its price point. A dac/amp that is a must own for the mobile audiophile! For the Audeze iSine users out there looking for an extremely powerful amp/dac for those power hungry iems, this is it!

Burson Audio+ Pro A2R Cable

Equipment Used:

• Burson Audio+ A2R cable
• Amps: Geek Pulse X Infinity + LPS4 and ALO Audio Pan Am + Gateway + Passport
• Dac: Chord Mojo
• Source: AK 120 Titan and iPhone SE Tidal Hi-Res streaming
• Headphones: Massdrop X Sennheiser 6xx and Audio Technica ATH-M50x

Initial Reaction:

Let me start off by saying I am by no means a believer that cables can have much impact/improvement on the sound quality when used as interconnects.

I was approached by Burson Audio about the possibility of reviewing this cable, as they said it had impedance matching capabilities; this I wanted to try! Too often in our audiophile world, one company makes only a few high quality and cost-effective products that you would want to use, let alone buy together.

I have yet to find one company that I would buy ALL of their products for one set-up (dap, DAC, amp, headphones, and cables).

For this reason, I was interested in testing out the Burson solution to the inconsistency of impedances between the hodgepodge collection of my set-up. So, when the cable arrived I was excited to see if this could match impedances of my set-up and have a large enough impact for me to actually hear consistently.

Here are my impressions about using the Burson Audio Cable+ Pro A2R with my set-up...

Impressions:

Here are my impressions of the aspects that were the most impacted/improved by the Burson Audio Cable+ Pro.

1. Bass: clear, clean and tight. The bass heard while using the Burson cable seemed to unwrap and release to a point I had not heard before on my Audio Technica ATH-M50x. The clarity and tightness of the bass had been improved as the deep impact remained consistent.
2. Soundstage: presence. I know everyone's ears hear soundstage and openness differently, but wow. This cable just seems to open things up just a bit more than my normal interconnect cables. It seems like the soundstage opens up to a level of presence that puts a smile on your face.
3. Gain: Wow. The added gain and power that the Burson cable provided was a nice addition. It seemed to be added a bit to the internal buffer and seemed to lessen the push/effort the amps I used had to push. This allowed a seamless path of impedance balance to effortlessly drive my headphones.

Conclusion:

The Burson Cable+ Pro does what it says. Period. It does it well too. This is an interconnect cable for all of you audiophiles who want a cable that will allow your variety of impedance equipment to sound as if they were made by the same company for the expressed use together. I will be using this exclusively with my set-up for the foreseeable future as it allows the true sound of my music to shine.