[markkkun]

  Hey all,
 
My Xduoo X2 came in about a week ago, so I wanted to post about my experience with the pairing so far. In general, I definitely like it. My expectations for the Xduoo X2 were probably too high though, I was hoping for it to be a giant slayer of epic proportion (much like the Monk itself). While it's not quite in the same price-to-performance ratio (the Monks one is insane imo) I'm definitely enjoying it. I mostly listen to a variety of genres and artists (Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Daft Punk, Bluetech, Ott, Younger Brother, Quanta, Hibernation, Notorious BIG, De La Soul, The Pharcyde, etc etc) in FLAC (16 bit 44.1khz) during the daytime and will vary in volume between 14 to 22 depending on indoor or outdoor use. Though hiss has been reported with sensitive IEMs, I have not had any issues with that at all using the X2 with the Monks.
 
My hopes were that the soundstage would improve coming from my laptop (without dedicated amp) - the opposite was actually true, which was a bit of a let down for me at first being somewhat of a soundstage fanboy. I found I got a more airy feel in the high mids & treble region from the laptop, and the soundstage went from out of head (not incredibly spacious but nice, like 'in the studio' I guess) to in my head on the X2. Disappointing as I had read great things about the Xduoo X2, one of those supposedly being a really nice soundstage. I have no idea what DAC is in my laptop - random onboard one probably, but I suppose it turns out to actually be reasonably capable (it's a Dell Inspiron 15R (3537) in case anyone is wondering). The airy highs plus wider/deeper soundstage on it also gave the impression of (even) a bit better seperation straight out of the laptop.
 
This may sound a bit negative, but that's not the whole story thankfully . Apart from the soundstage not quite meeting my (probably too high) expectations having experienced better through the Monks, I do really like the X2 and the pairing. I definitely notice what they say about the X2 being a warmer source (I reverted from v7 to v6.1 and also feel it sounds a little bit better, but ymmv). Though I definitely do not experience the Monk's bass as weak (I find it nicely balanced) sometimes I wouldn't mind it to have a little bit more oomph - depending on genre, artist and sometimes song, and especially when outdoors.. The warmer X2 helps out in that department, and even more so with EQ (more later). The highs I got from the Monk using the laptop were really airy and sparkly, but thankfully the X2 still brings out a nicely detailed pleasant sound. Seperation is good.
 
Lastly - as noted before in X2 reviews and user experiences on here, I too am finding that the EQ function on the X2 works very well, as in: change relative frequencies WITHOUT a general degradation of sound quality. Though EQ has a sketchy rep around here, I'm happy it's there on the X2 - it plays very nicely with the Monks. Depending on the genre and mastering of the track I like to turn it on - for instance DBB (digital bass boost?) to give the lows a push. I'm experimenting with silicone bud covers atm that I just received which to my ear sound like somewhere between naked buds and the donuts - the mids and highs are unhindered but bass is (probably) a little bit lighter than I get with foamies.  The silicone covers are however grippy and so far really help the Monks stay put after I get the fit right - save a lot of adjusting, I'll probably write a bit more on the covers in a later post. Anyway, the EQ helps, for instance it puts some  extra meat on the bass of the Wailers accompanying Bob Marley and helps it stand out even when I'm walking around outside . Though I haven't quite worked out what freqs are changed and how much, the Rock setting also seems to work nicely for - you guessed it - rock .
 
Conclusion: though I don't think the X2 has as shocking a value-for-money ratio as the Monks, considering the price paid and the performance I'm pretty happy & wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a very nice DAP to pair with the Monk!
 

 
Good review. I'm a xduoo X2 user too... but I finally bought a Fiio X1 because of the UI. I prefer the Fiio UI, although it isn't amazing.

 

[zhibli06]

Thx brother for your tips on the rubber ring thingy.
 
And sorry that I wanna reply u here in full about the xduoo x2 vs your old laptop topic instead of your PM
 
it is quite interesting really~
 
first u can't say , the output of a laptop is ****~ cuz they are not.
 
the best laptop phone-out I used was my dell INSPIRON 1501 （really old ，low-end , amd duo core lol)
 
the SQ is pretty impressive (for a laptop), it can drive a hd580 / akg k701 without turned for over 50% of the volume 
but its back ground is not that clean, which means it has quite some background noise, but to me they sounded the best among all my laptops.
 
I current using dell 6700 covet , which was a top of the line product from dell a couple of years ago, it is cleaner sounding , but not as powerful.
 
and the very worst one being my current on the go laptop ,lenovo yoga 1st gen , it is the worst sounding laptop ever.
 
ever since we enter hd audio gen, our pc is geared with quite proper soundcards imho,
 
it is at least very powerful , cuz its 16-19v power supply, but since the inside of any pc is chaos for hi-fi 
 
so the sound of a laptop might not as clean as a dedicate dap like the xduoo.
 
but to match its output gain, u will need something like a fiio x3ii I think,
 
though overall even iphone sounds better than 99% of the laptop if "power" is not what we are looking for .
 
the monk is designed to benefit from this kind of "power"
 
that is why u might find the monk have a lesser sound stage on the xduoo 2, though I think xduoo could have done better in other areas, but sound stage is very much related to the "output power"
 
I hope my personal exp can be helpful to your quest
 
Cheers
 
Lee 
 
 
Quote:

  Hey all,
 
My Xduoo X2 came in about a week ago, so I wanted to post about my experience with the pairing so far. In general, I definitely like it. My expectations for the Xduoo X2 were probably too high though, I was hoping for it to be a giant slayer of epic proportion (much like the Monk itself). While it's not quite in the same price-to-performance ratio (the Monks one is insane imo) I'm definitely enjoying it. I mostly listen to a variety of genres and artists (Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Daft Punk, Bluetech, Ott, Younger Brother, Quanta, Hibernation, Notorious BIG, De La Soul, The Pharcyde, etc etc) in FLAC (16 bit 44.1khz) during the daytime and will vary in volume between 14 to 22 depending on indoor or outdoor use. Though hiss has been reported with sensitive IEMs, I have not had any issues with that at all using the X2 with the Monks.
 
My hopes were that the soundstage would improve coming from my laptop (without dedicated amp) - the opposite was actually true, which was a bit of a let down for me at first being somewhat of a soundstage fanboy. I found I got a more airy feel in the high mids & treble region from the laptop, and the soundstage went from out of head (not incredibly spacious but nice, like 'in the studio' I guess) to in my head on the X2. Disappointing as I had read great things about the Xduoo X2, one of those supposedly being a really nice soundstage. I have no idea what DAC is in my laptop - random onboard one probably, but I suppose it turns out to actually be reasonably capable (it's a Dell Inspiron 15R (3537) in case anyone is wondering). The airy highs plus wider/deeper soundstage on it also gave the impression of (even) a bit better seperation straight out of the laptop.
 
This may sound a bit negative, but that's not the whole story thankfully . Apart from the soundstage not quite meeting my (probably too high) expectations having experienced better through the Monks, I do really like the X2 and the pairing. I definitely notice what they say about the X2 being a warmer source (I reverted from v7 to v6.1 and also feel it sounds a little bit better, but ymmv). Though I definitely do not experience the Monk's bass as weak (I find it nicely balanced) sometimes I wouldn't mind it to have a little bit more oomph - depending on genre, artist and sometimes song, and especially when outdoors.. The warmer X2 helps out in that department, and even more so with EQ (more later). The highs I got from the Monk using the laptop were really airy and sparkly, but thankfully the X2 still brings out a nicely detailed pleasant sound. Seperation is good.
 
Lastly - as noted before in X2 reviews and user experiences on here, I too am finding that the EQ function on the X2 works very well, as in: change relative frequencies WITHOUT a general degradation of sound quality. Though EQ has a sketchy rep around here, I'm happy it's there on the X2 - it plays very nicely with the Monks. Depending on the genre and mastering of the track I like to turn it on - for instance DBB (digital bass boost?) to give the lows a push. I'm experimenting with silicone bud covers atm that I just received which to my ear sound like somewhere between naked buds and the donuts - the mids and highs are unhindered but bass is (probably) a little bit lighter than I get with foamies.  The silicone covers are however grippy and so far really help the Monks stay put after I get the fit right - save a lot of adjusting, I'll probably write a bit more on the covers in a later post. Anyway, the EQ helps, for instance it puts some  extra meat on the bass of the Wailers accompanying Bob Marley and helps it stand out even when I'm walking around outside . Though I haven't quite worked out what freqs are changed and how much, the Rock setting also seems to work nicely for - you guessed it - rock .
 
Conclusion: though I don't think the X2 has as shocking a value-for-money ratio as the Monks, considering the price paid and the performance I'm pretty happy & wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a very nice budget DAP to pair with the Monk!
 

 

[Pulpfiction]

Makes sense, there *is* more background noise on the laptop. I'm not that noise / hiss sensitive honestly, but it's very clear when I pause a track on the laptop - noise remains.
Following this reasoning, soundstage of the Monk through the X2 should improve with an amp, correct? Hmmm... I'm a little afraid it's going to be a lot less pocket-friendly, but I'm very tempted to look for a cheapie now. Anyone here using X2 + Monk & an amp? I'd love some suggestions, looking for improved soundstage (and high end air if possible), together with portability (especially not too thick) and cheap ! Probably asking for too much here, but doesn't hurt to ask I suppose ..
 
Thnx for the explanation Lee !

 

[ozkan]

Makes sense, there *is* more background noise on the laptop. I'm not that noise / hiss sensitive honestly, but it's very clear when I pause a track on the laptop - noise remains.
Following this reasoning, soundstage of the Monk through the X2 should improve with an amp, correct? Hmmm... I'm a little afraid it's going to be a lot less pocket-friendly, but I'm very tempted to look for a cheapie now. Anyone here using X2 + Monk & an amp? I'd love some suggestions, looking for improved soundstage (and high end air if possible), together with portability (especially not too thick) and cheap ! Probably asking for too much here, but doesn't hurt to ask I suppose ..

Thnx for the explanation Lee !

What is your budget? Xduoo X3 is a better DAP than X2 with less power but still more than enough for Monk. Another great pairing is Hidizs Ap100 which went down to $178 on Amazon.

I'd recommend Topping NX1A if you are considering an amp to pair with your X2 but not necessarily.

 

[Pulpfiction]

Thnx for the headsup Ozkan. Just on the prowl for new stuff, like most of us here 

. Not for right now, but I could imagine myself spending around 50$ on an amp. Just had a look in the Portable amp thread, and came across the Fiio E11K which looks like it's in a sweet spot between performance and price (had a look at the ClieOS sub-100$ portable amp shootout too). I should probably just be happy with what I have, and save up for a better DAP further down the line, but maybe I'll pick up a portable amp somewhere in between. As far as DAPs go I've been oogling the Cowon Plenue D, I like the size of it and reviews & experiences so far. I used to have an Iaudio 4 way back in the day, and for its time it sounded very nice - I also quite like the tweakability of their BBE DSP stuff (I know that's almost cursing around here but oh well 

). Not for now though, unfortunately 

.

 

[xnormskix]

Thank you for this great review I've stumbled upon a couple weeks ago, just bought my Monk yesterday for $8 with shipping cost. Should be here in 2 months lol
For now I have to bare with my trusty MX400 II. Hopefully it's really worth the wait!

 

[ozkan]

Thank you for this great review I've stumbled upon a couple weeks ago, just bought my Monk yesterday for $8 with shipping cost. Should be here in 2 months lol
For now I have to bare with my trusty MX400 II. Hopefully it's really worth the wait!

I don't think that it will take two months to reach you. I haven't heard the mx400ii however I have the old mx400 and mx400 cannot hold a candle to the glorious Monk when it comes to sound.

 

[nolife1123]

I don't think that it will take two months to reach you. I haven't heard the mx400ii however I have the old mx400 and mx400 cannot hold a candle to the glorious Monk when it comes to sound.

I got mine within 2.5 weeks, even with my local post office being awful and delivering a few days after the package was delivered to their place :<

 

[Lorspeaker]

I use Audirvana on my McAir to block background noises...
Not sure about windows.

 

[trellus]

Got my Monks in two days ago, and totally satisfied with the full, rich sound of these $5 wonders!

Just today, I received my Ear Hoox and now I have ear buds that sound ridiculously superb AND don't fall out of my ears. Thanks for evangelizing these Monks! I already gave a pair to a co-worker and we will both be ordering multiple pairs.

[/IMG]

 

[ngoshawk]

Thnx for the headsup Ozkan. Just on the prowl for new stuff, like most of us here :rolleyes: . Not for right now, but I could imagine myself spending around 50$ on an amp. Just had a look in the Portable amp thread, and came across the Fiio E11K which looks like it's in a sweet spot between performance and price (had a look at the ClieOS sub-100$ portable amp shootout too). I should probably just be happy with what I have, and save up for a better DAP further down the line, but maybe I'll pick up a portable amp somewhere in between. As far as DAPs go I've been oogling the Cowon Plenue D, I like the size of it and reviews & experiences so far. I used to have an Iaudio 4 way back in the day, and for its time it sounded very nice - I also quite like the tweakability of their BBE DSP stuff (I know that's almost cursing around here but oh well  ). Not for now though, unfortunately  .

The Fiio a3 works REALLY well with my Fiio x3ii, my iPhone 6+, or MacBook Pro through Decibel with the Monks, or my other "more expensive" iem's.l. Just a fantastic $50+\- amp.

 

[leobigfield]

Poor man's best rig ever:
 

 
$75 tomtop Xduoo X3 + 11.11 Ali Sale $50 Fiio Q1 + MONK = $130 of pure multiple eargasm. Or like @Hisoundfi s avatar:
 

 

[yacobx]

Got my Monks in two days ago, and totally satisfied with the full, rich sound of these $5 wonders!

Just today, I received my Ear Hoox and now I have ear buds that sound ridiculously superb AND don't fall out of my ears. Thanks for evangelizing these Monks! I already gave a pair to a co-worker and we will both be ordering multiple pairs.

[/IMG]

You're wearing the ear hooks backwards

 

[golov17]

You're wearing the ear hooks backwards

Right

 

[jedipodpilot]

My VE Monk after a month of daily use on the way to and from work..