XDuoo X10Tii

There were times when stacking your choice of DAP, DAC and Amp was the “IN” thing in the audiophile community where if you had a stack, you’re cool. While the practice is still common, it has seen a steep decline thanks to the recent surge of DAPs that are either packed with great DACs and Amps or have the luxury of attaching a variety of modules. For the audiophiles that live in the fast-paced world, the appeal of a dedicated transport that doesn’t outright play music has indeed died down.

xDuoo believes otherwise with the release of their X10Tii, the 2nd iteration of their X10T which carved a niche of its own that the X10Tii hopes to strengthen. The xDuoo X10Tii review unit that we’ll be using was sent by Linsoul Audio in exchange for an honest review. Priced at $230, you can check it off Linsoul Audio’s official website and DD Audio's AliExpress storefront.
Marketed as a “High Performance Digital Turntable”, xDuoo has high hopes that the X10Tii can at least rekindle the romance from previous stack-loving audiophiles or even stoke new flame within a budding audiophile, time will tell but for now, let’s check on this realview as to what the X10Tii has to offer that makes it even worth considering.


xDuoo X10Tii Spec sheet:

• Screen: 2.4 Inch IPS HD full vision, 240*320 pixels
• Body Material: CNC aluminum alloy shell with matte surface
• Battery: 3.7V/2400 mAh
• CPU: Ingenic X1000
• Built-in Memory: None
• Size: 103.3*54.3*15.2 mm
• Playing Time: >15H
• Charging Time: <3H(fast charging)
• Expansion Memory Support: TF/Micro SD Cards, maximum 256GB
• Weight: 130g
• Supported HD Lossless Audio Formats: DSF, DFF, DXD, DSD256 and ISO format, FLAC, APE, WAV, ALAC, AIFF and PCM 384kHz/32Bit

The xDuoo X10Tii came in traditional xDuoo packaging which is the white cardboard box with the product snapshot upfront and minor product details on all sides. Inside this box is a black lift up box with a lone silver xDuoo label. Lining the X10Tii unit and its black synthetic leather case are foam cut outs for added transit and on-shelf protection. Underneath this foam cutout is another white box which stored a multitude of accessories, here’s a complete list:

• Type-C to Type-C USB cable
• Type-C to Micro-B USB cable
• Type-C to Micro-B USB charging cable
• Optical cable
• Coaxial cable
• AES cable terminated with mini-XLR3 and full-sized XLR3 connections
• 2x screen protector
• User Manual and Warranty Card

Made from CNC aluminum alloy, the X10Tii does fell premium to the hand and has the heft an all metal build offers but also the tendency to retain the room temperature it’s used on, from being considerably warmer to the hand on a poorly ventilated room to being almost chilly when used in a fully air-conditioned room. While there is some major caveats to the all-metal build, the matte black paint job done on the X10Tii however equalizes some of this with its great almost scratch-resistant finish that both works for form and function. I would however strongly recommend that whoever buys this thing to right away install the supplied screen protector as its 2.4 IPS display isn’t sporting the best glass out there and easily scratches.
It’s pretty boring how xDuoo was unable to update the X10Tii’s overall design language which is completely similar to the other models bearing the X naming scheme by xDuoo. The usual vertical orientation was also used for the X10Tii with exactly the same navigation buttons configuration up front with their X3ii music player. The obvious change was made on the side contours of the X10Tii which is now chamfered as opposed the flat sides of the X3ii which made the included leather case to only fit the X10Tii, the usual placement of the SD card port (supports 256 GB cards but have personally tried using 400 GB cards that worked flawlessly) and the red power button are on the left side and nothing on the right side, the top portion houses a supposed to be plastic cover for that Bluetooth function. The OTG function works great when using the right cables and with the provided Type-C to Type-C cable, I was able to easily connect it to my laptop and have files transferred by drag and drop as well as uploading software update files. You can check the latest firmware for the X10Tii at this SITE which is currently at V1.2.

Turning on the X10Tii is a breeze however updating your music library isn’t a walk in the park, a 128GB SD card loaded with around 2,800 tracks took around 4 minutes to update. The X10Tii still uses the dark theme employed on the X3ii and navigation is straightforward and easy to use with zero learning curves as all options are labelled correctly and no weird layouts. I didn’t find it hard to be back with button controls since this doesn’t have a touch screen which other music players are. Cycling through the numerous music files using the forward/backward/next/previous buttons is smooth and no lags. It seems that the Ingenic X1000 processor which was also used on the FiiO M3K (X1000E version) is indeed working great so I won’t be surprised to see this on other devices as well.
There 6 main UI categories being Music Browser, My Music, Now Playing, Music Settings, System Settings and Bluetooth Settings. It houses all the expected sub-categories with notable options such as, Play Mode, DSD Output Mode, Breakpoint Play, Gapless Playback, USB DAC mode, Folder Skip and Car Mode. The presence of an EQ is also making its appearance on the X10Tii which I personally didn’t tinker on but here’s a list of the 10-band EQ presets that are preloaded on the X10Tii:

• Rock, Classical, Jazz, Pop, Dance, Vocal, Sentimental, Metal and of course, Custom

There is also a separate Bluetooth section since the X10Tii uses BT4.2 and supports up to Apt-X connectivity. The X10Tii when used without its included leather case is much better than the xDuoo X3ii ever have due to the fact that the X10Tii has its chamfered edges rather than being completely flat, one-handed use is 100% doable on as well with controls easy to use except for that weird backward and forward button designed as a upward and downward controls. Using it with the included leather case just makes the X10Tii a no-brainer easy to use and comfortable device overall.

This is where the X10Tii makes or breaks its case, touted as “High Performance” with the sole purpose of being able to output Hi-Res quality audio to the user’s choice of DAC and Amp. A multitude of connectivity options are present on the X10Tii and they are all located on the bottom side of the device. The X10Tii possesses a USB/Coaxial1 port, AES output and an Optical/Coaxial2 port. The Bluetooth connectivity is signified by the discreetly designed black “plastic” component at the top-back portion of the X10Tii.
I have paired the X10Tii via USB-C to the Zorloo ZuperDAC-S, via Coaxial2 to the xDuoo XD-05 and via Coaxial2 to the iFi Audio iDSD Micro Black Label, all 3 connections did great and encountered no issues. I have also paired it with via Bluetooth to my OnePlus 3T device and used the Hiby Link function to stream the music on my phone and it did pair excellently and encountered no interruptions.
I haven’t experienced a single signal cut-off or a device lag/hiccup during the whole duration of the realview and all the ports were secure enough as well, I would have preferred a reinforced USB/Coaxial1 and Optical/Coaxial2 port since this device will be heavily used on such ports and an issue on these very parts will spell doom. They could have also provided a much longer AES cable or even a longer Coaxial cable to be used on desktop setups.

The X10Tii packs a 2400 mAh battery pack and is marketed to last 15 hours of continuous usage. My personal experience with the X10Tii fully charged battery lasted me around 11-12 hours of continuous use when connected to the Zorloo ZuperDAC-S with various MP3, FLAC and DSD files on cycled playback. Charging time is dependent on the charging adapter used but I tried it with various phone adapters and average charging time took around 3-4 hours for a full charge from zero. Intermittent usage was great on the X10Tii as it can last me a full week when using it at either 30 minutes to 1 hour a day at twice or 3 times a day.

The X10Tii stays true to its form with its sound quality performance. It outputs a clean and full-bodied sound which allows different combinations and pairings to be maximized to its full potential. Pairing the X10Tii with the Zorloo ZuperDAC-S delivers a lush sounding midrange with mediocre bass impact and a soft sounding treble presence. The iFi Audio iDSD Micro Black label and X10Tii combo provided a much more engaging and livelier midrange performance with extended upper midrange, the bass impact is considerably better and thumps as expected when the X-Bass feature was enable, highs were distinct and had great clarity and detail retrieval. The xDuoo XD-05 and X10Tii pairing had an overall softer approach as compared to the iDSD Micro Black Label, the bass impact is still great being full-bodied and the midrange engaging with a much more pronounced lower midrange delivery, highs were still distinct and much easier to the ears. I personally enjoyed using the X10Tii with this various pairings except when navigating solely on the X10Tii as the supplied connection cables were indeed too short for the fact that the X10Tii was supposed to be a dedicated audio transport, you better organize your playlists on the X10Tii or let it go full shuffle for that radio feel.

The audiophile community has a lot of things going for it lately and that results to a highly competitive market ranging from DAPs, DACs, Amps, IEMs, Headphones and even the accessories department doesn’t shy away from the competitive nature that the hobby entails. What the xDuoo X10Tii as a dedicated digital turntable transport offers is an exclusive feel which has been abandoned by most audiophiles, pure actual stacking. The X10Tii has a solid build and a slew of connectivity options that fits the current trend that enables it to pair with notable stand-alone DAC/Amps while still being able to harness and exhibit a clean and detailed sound in a stable and lag-free experience. There sure is room for improvement on the X10Tii but with no real competition popping up, the X10Tii is indeed a must-try device, if not a must-buy.

Xduoo X10Tii

disclaimer: A big thanks to Steven at Xtenik who sent me the X10Tii to review since I have the previous generation of the product and was interested. I have no financial interest in Xtenik, nor was I compensated or coerced in any way for this review.


Unboxing / Accessories:

The packaging is fairly standard with a slip cover outer pack with illustrations on the front and specs on the reverse. The interior is a black lift-top box that is nicely understated. Upon opening the box, a tray with two compartments is visible with the case on the left and the player on the right. Under the tray is a container with the accessories, warranty card and instructions. The X10Tii comes with quite a kit. It has a screen protector mounted, and two more in the box. A leather case is provided to complete the protection suite. Cables include a USB to usb-C charging cable, a micro-usb to usb-C OTG cable, a usb-C to usb-C OTG cable, a 3.5mm TS Coaxial cable, A mini-toslink optical cable, and an AES to XLR cable for use with the AES port. About the only useful cable that is not provided is a usb-c to USB- type B Female OTG cable for things like the xDSD or other ifi DACs. The usb-C to type B female can be picked up on Amazon for $15 to complete the package.




Build/Fit:

The X10Tii is a fairly small unit with dimensions very similar to the Xduoo XP-2 or the Cayin N3 for those familiar with either. For those who haven’t had the chance to try either, the unit is about 4 inches tall, 2 wide, and 1/2 deep without the case. The screen is a 2.4 inch 240 x 320 and while fairly low res by today’s standards, it is adequate for the intended purpose and keeps battery discharge down. Screen protectors are provided as part of the package and are certainly a welcome addition. Controls (more on these in a bit) are on the left side and lower front of the unit with the top, rear, and right being slick sided. The micro-sd slot is also on the left side of the unit about 3/4 of the way down. One really nice touch, the provided case does allow for changing cards without having to remove the case to do so. This is far too often overlooked and it is an ordeal to get some units in and out of the case repeatedly. The bottom of the unit has all the connectivity with a USB-C port for charging and USB out, an AES connector at the center, and a Optical/Coaxial connector at lower right. I found the optical connector provided to be a good fit for use with the iFi xDSD.










Internals:

Here we leave the paved road as it were as the X10Tii is not the average DAP. This is the section where we would normally mention what DAC chip is used, what op-amps drive the output etc., only this time, none of those things exist in the Xt10Tii. The X10Tii is purely a digital transport, it makes no attempt to convert anything to analog let alone amplify it. The CPU is an Ingenic X1000 which does an admirable job of keeping the UI moving quickly. No internal memory is provided and while the official specs say it supports up to 256gb cards, I had no trouble using a 400 or 512gb micro-SD card to provide the tracks. The Battery is a 2400mAh battery and testing via the USB port using a hobby charger to measure current draw and time shows the nominal spec to be very close to accurate.



UI/Controls:

As mentioned earlier, the power button is on the left side and bright red. Once powered on, all other buttons are on the lower portion of the front below the screen. From left to right, we have the Back button with the ↵ logo, an options button (with what appears to be the windows logo), the play/pause button (larger and in center), and then the foward/up and reverse/down buttons at the right hand side. Also worth noting, this is not a touch screen device. We are all so used to touch screens that we find ourselves tapping away at things that fail to respond and this is one of those times. The buttons below the screen have to be used to navigate on screen controls.

The Main Menu and the Options menu are the two starting points. Beginning with the main menu, use the up/down keys to pick a selection and the play or option key to select it.

Up first is the Music Browser. This option allows you to update your library, view the contents of your SD card or view the contents of a USB drive attached via OTG. I found that it worked fairly effectively with thumb drives but would not power a USB hard drive. When attached with a powered USB hub, performance was hit or miss. I’d recommend limiting OTG use of storage media to non-powered devices.

Next up is the My Music menu, this is your music library and allows you to sort by most all of the common choices. It also supports playlists and gapless for those interested in audiobook playback.

Now Playing spans both columns at the bottom and when opened takes you into the player screen showing album art and details. From within the Player screen, forward and back change tracks , a press and hold of the options button brings up the EQ, and a click of the options button brings up a bar across the screen with the option to change the following: Play Mode (all play, random, repeat 1, repeat all) , D2P/DOP mode (This controls how DSD is output to SPDIF), Add to favorites, Add to Playlist, and Trash.

Returning to the main menu (press and hold return), at the top right we have the Music Settings Menu. Within this menu, you can enable and disable gapless, DOp/D2p, Change play mode, turn on album art and lyrics, and adjust the EQ.

The next item in the right column is the system settings menu, which allows you to change language, switch USB between charging and DAC mode, adjust screen settings, enable folder skip, car mode, and sleep timing as well as firmware update. Firmware updates follow a familiar path of copy the update file to the root of an SD card and initiate the update from the menu. My sample was not on the newest firmware when I received it which gave me the opportunity to try out the update mechanism.

Finally on the right is the Bluetooth settings menu, this is discussed in more detail in the section dedicated to bluetooth.










Sound/EQ:

This is the hardest part of the review as the X10Tii contributes very little to the sound signature since it doesn’t do anything to modify the source unless you use the EQ to intentionally do so. Without the EQ, I think the X10Tii does a good job of presenting the source to the dac exactly as it is. I found no coloration of any kind added to the signature.

One thing worth noting is that although the X10Tii supports DSD, it is not universal as the USB output supports DSD64-256 (2.82-11.28Mhz) while the other physical ports support DSD64 (DOP Only). When using PCM, 32 bit output is available via USB while the coax and aes are limited to 24. All physical outputs are capable of 16 or 24 bit /44.1-192Khz PCM output.

File format support includes DSD, Flac, Mp3, Wav, Alac, WMA, and AAC.

The EQ works well, although I didn’t find any of the presets particularly useful and it would be nice to have the opportunity to create your own presets for reuse later. It will retain the single custom preset, but having an option to store multiple custom settings would be welcomed.


Bluetooth:

Bluetooth offers a way to use the X10Tii as a stand alone device. Pairing earphones was straight forward. Go to the Bluetooth settings on the main menu, turn on Bluetooth, put the earphone in pairing mode, choose to scan for devices on the X10T, and then once it finds it, scroll to the bottom of the list of available devices and click the device to add it. I did find that use of Bluetooth decreased battery life, as expected, but not as much as on some other devices. Range was solid and I as able to walk around the house or office without losing connection unless multiple interior walls were present between the X10T and the earphones.

Pairing the X10T as an input device was equally straight forward although I will admit the process was a bit more foreign so took longer to get going. I eventually was able to setup the X10T as the Bluetooth to Coax converter and run the output into my Bifrost and then on to the Valhalla and HD800 and enjoyed listening. Again, this allowed me to control my music remotely from the device using my phone and USB audio Player pro as the input to the X10T. Battery life was again less than wired modes, but still better than 6 hours which is quite respectable. As a side note, in this mode the device can be plugged in via the USB-c and charged while in use so battery may be a complete non-event.

The High quality option under the Bluetooth menu is a must if your device support APT-X Low Latency. Just know that a reboot of the device is needed to change this mode.

I was also able to setup Hiby Link from my Z3 phone and control the player while it was in a pocket. I don’t find this exceedingly more convienent than using the interface on the device, but its an added plus for some I’m sure.



Battery Life:

Battery life is dependent on mode used. In wired mode, I consistently got 9+ hours out of the X10Tii before needing to recharge it. On Bluetooth mode, it was reduced to 6.5-7 hours which is still quite respectable. From near dead to full charge took roughly 3.5 hours using a 2.1 Amp charger and 5.5 hours using a 1.5 Amp charger more commonly seen with cell phones.



Thoughts / Conclusion:

Having owned the original X10 and X10T along the way, it is interesting to see what has been done to improve upon them in this latest generation. For me, the UI is a bit smoother functioning, the battery lasts longer, and the buttons are a bit better laid out. The first generation was excellent from a sound quality standpoint and that is retained in the new version. I find the X10Tii to be excellent when paired with the iFi xDSD via Optical or Coaxial. (The usb worked as well, but I’m not a fan of that as the cable is so short it puts a lot of stress on both USB ports). For those interested in a Bluetooth only player, the X10Tii has a small form factor, light weight, a good battery life, and with support for large Micro-SD cards, enough storage potential to make this a viable choice. For those with a good portable DAC/Amp who are looking to quit draining their phone battery feeding it, the X10Tii makes a lot of sense. No need to run your source files through two dacs or sets of op/amps, just transport it straight to your favorite DAC/AMP in pristine condition. Those looking for a gadget to carry to shows to test other equipment, few things come with this many connectivity options in this small an amount of space. At $230, it isn’t out of line with many other budget daps on the market and while some will be quick to point out what it doesn’t do, those who pay a little closer attention to what it does do will be rewarded handsomely. The X10Tii goes alongside the XD-05 as the two best products Xduoo has produced to date, come to think of it, they work pretty well together too.


ACCESSORIES
8.0/10

BUILD QUALITY
7.5/10

SOUND QUALITY
8.0/10

CONNECTIVITY
8.5/10

BATTERY LIFE
8.5/10