[lostman]

XB10 owners, if you have a Mac, can you check whether it streams AptX or AptX HD? I can't find any info on this. I know for sure that AptX is supported and has been for a long time (always found it strange that Macs have it but iPhones don't)

 

[cj3209]

  XB10 owners, if you have a Mac, can you check whether it streams AptX or AptX HD? I can't find any info on this. I know for sure that AptX is supported and has been for a long time (always found it strange that Macs have it but iPhones don't)

How would you know if aptX HD is even on?  When I connect to my macbook pro, it just says 'XB10.'

 

[cj3209]

 
How would you know if aptX HD is even on?  When I connect to my macbook pro, it just says 'XB10.'

OK, I googled it and my macbook says it is 'aptX.'
 
FYI.
 
CJ

 

[k4syx]

All AptX supported devices are listed on CSR portal, this is licensed technology so if its not there, no AptX support.

 

[cj3209]

Astell & Kern just released firmware updates to their newer players and is, supposedly, releasing FW updates for the older 100ii, 120ii, and 240 models to add aptX HD streaming.  I think this means that we can stream aptX HD from the AK players to the XB10 and get better quality than aptX streaming.
 
I'm stoked....so much for selling my AK 120ii.
 

 

[ViperGeek]

  Astell & Kern just released firmware updates to their newer players and is, supposedly, releasing FW updates for the older 100ii, 120ii, and 240 models to add aptX HD streaming.  I think this means that we can stream aptX HD from the AK players to the XB10 and get better quality than aptX streaming.
 
I'm stoked....so much for selling my AK 120ii.
 

 
I saw that too, and think it's brilliant that A&K is going "all in" on aptX HD.
 
I'm wondering, though, about the use cases for streaming an already portable high-res audio solution, through aptX HD Bluetooth, to a second portable headphone amp.  Wouldn't the already excellent electronics in the headphone amp of the A&K DAP meet or exceed the amp in the XB10?
 
- Dave

 

[cj3209]

I saw that too, and think it's brilliant that A&K is going "all in" on aptX HD.

I'm wondering, though, about the use cases for streaming an already portable high-res audio solution, through aptX HD Bluetooth, to a second portable headphone amp.  Wouldn't the already excellent electronics in the headphone amp of the A&K DAP meet or exceed the amp in the XB10?

- Dave

Yes it does but with the XB10, I'm not tethered to my AK 120ii; I have more mobility. For instance, I can tuck my AK 120ii in my pocket, hang my XB10 on my shirt and listen and fast forward songs all while moving around and still have use of my hands. That sounds a little weird, lol...

 

[DJ The Rocket]

Mine arrived via fedex early this morning! First impressions:

-The round packaging is an example of getting too cute with a design. I had to basically perform a c-section to get the thing out!
-SQ using the SE output is just okay. It's a noticeable step down from what I'm used to, but not so bad I would return it. I would be able to forget about it easily in real-world listening situations, and just enjoy the music. Fortunately though, this isn't what I got it for.
-SQ using the balanced output is excellent! It sounds great with my M50s, even better with my PSB M4U 1. I don't think it's quite as great as the balanced out from my Geek Out V2+, but it's close enough to not really matter
-strangely, the volume control rocker doesn't seem to work with balanced output, only SE. Balanced, I'm stuck using the volume on the player.
-the control layout isn't anywhere near as bad as I feared. Clipping it to my belt, it will have the same orientation every time, allowing me to make adjustments without looking

Right now I'm connecting with my [aptx enabled] LG G3. Later today I intend to test the SQ using my iPod Nano 7's regular bluetooth. Also I haven't tried listening with my balanced HD800, which will be the REAL SQ test

 

[ViperGeek]

-strangely, the volume control rocker doesn't seem to work with balanced output, only SE. Balanced, I'm stuck using the volume on the player.

 
When I test-drove these balanced, I found that the Volume+ button wasn't doing anything.  Listening carefully, I heard a "double beep" every time, so I repeated pressed Volume- and eventually the volume decreased.  In my case, I was hitting the max volume of the little hockey puck.  I'm not sure if you're experiencing the same phenomenon, but my volume control does work with the balanced out.
 
I've also found that it helps to max out the Bluetooth volume on my GS7 Edge.  I don't think the old concern over having multiple attenuators in series applies, but so far it seems to allow for more dynamic range coming out of my phone.
 
- Dave

 

[DJ The Rocket]

When I test-drove these balanced, I found that the Volume+ button wasn't doing anything.  Listening carefully, I heard a "double beep" every time, so I repeated pressed Volume- and eventually the volume decreased.  In my case, I was hitting the max volume of the little hockey puck.  I'm not sure if you're experiencing the same phenomenon, but my volume control does work with the balanced out.

I've also found that it helps to max out the Bluetooth volume on my GS7 Edge.  I don't think the old concern over having multiple attenuators in series applies, but so far it seems to allow for more dynamic range coming out of my phone.

- Dave

Huh. I was preparing myself to feel silly if that was the case here, but it is not. There's no double beep with a + press, and hitting - repeatedly for awhile or even holding it down, the volume did not change even slightly. Weird.

So that's 1 it works vs 1 it doesn't work. Can anyone else chime in with their experience?

 

[cj3209]

Huh. I was preparing myself to feel silly if that was the case here, but it is not. There's no double beep with a + press, and hitting - repeatedly for awhile or even holding it down, the volume did not change even slightly. Weird.

So that's 1 it works vs 1 it doesn't work. Can anyone else chime in with their experience?

My balanced volume works fine-didn't even notice anything...it just worked. Try rebooting and reconnecting.

 

[DJ The Rocket]

My balanced volume works fine-didn't even notice anything...it just worked. Try rebooting and reconnecting.

Actually the problem was much simpler and stupider than that. See, apparently there's a "key lock" function on the power switch....

 

[DJ The Rocket]

Sound quality update:

First--using a 7th gen iPod Nano as the bluetooth source (BT 4.0, but no aptx) there is a hit to SQ. The balanced connection mitigates it somewhat, but to me, it's not enough. The SQ isn't bad exactly, it's more like an absence of good. That's disappointing, the iPod nano + hockey puck combo would be an attractively small mobile setup. But I'll add more thoughts about that below.

I currently have an HD800 hooked into the balanced port, and thus I've located the puck's limits. It sounds good, sure, but it's not a particularly exciting variety of good. It's not eargasm level good, while every other set I've tried [with a balanced connection]. This seems to be an issue with the amp as much as the source signal. I say this because I've noticed that cheap amps (like the Fiio E11, for an example) can make the HD800 borderline painful to listen to, after even short 15 min sessions at moderately loud levels. In contrast, the amp in my Geek Out V2+ can push them quite loud without me feeling any discomfort whatsoever! The XB10 is really somewhere in-between the two.

So far for me, the PSB M4U 1 is the ideal partner to get the most out of an aptx connected XB10. The M50 vibrates too much with the bass, and yes I realize what a wonderful problem that is to have, as far as problems go. I also must mention my vintage Pioneer SE L40, for being eargasm inducing even through theXB10's SE port!

After one day of ownership I am absolutely thrilled with this purchase. My biggest complaint is thatnif you accidentally sit on it while it's playing, there's a strong likelihood that you'll turn the volume all the way up and hurt something in your ear as a result!

I'm considering trying to pick up a small used Android phone (of nearly any make/model) to use as a portable digital transport. It would require aptx and full USB audio support, and will probably be much less expensive than my ipod, which I'm selling in order to support this notion. Which in a way brings me to the last thing I want to say, the best thing about the XB10:

As great as it can sound now, we still aren't at it's true limits yet, as I haven't even seen a review using aptx HD! The future is looking bright at the moment.

 

[slackerpo]

Sound quality update:

First--using a 7th gen iPod Nano as the bluetooth source (BT 4.0, but no aptx) there is a hit to SQ. The balanced connection mitigates it somewhat, but to me, it's not enough. The SQ isn't bad exactly, it's more like an absence of good. That's disappointing, the iPod nano + hockey puck combo would be an attractively small mobile setup. But I'll add more thoughts about that below.

I currently have an HD800 hooked into the balanced port, and thus I've located the puck's limits. It sounds good, sure, but it's not a particularly exciting variety of good. It's not eargasm level good, while every other set I've tried [with a balanced connection]. This seems to be an issue with the amp as much as the source signal. I say this because I've noticed that cheap amps (like the Fiio E11, for an example) can make the HD800 borderline painful to listen to, after even short 15 min sessions at moderately loud levels. In contrast, the amp in my Geek Out V2+ can push them quite loud without me feeling any discomfort whatsoever! The XB10 is really somewhere in-between the two.

So far for me, the PSB M4U 1 is the ideal partner to get the most out of an aptx connected XB10. The M50 vibrates too much with the bass, and yes I realize what a wonderful problem that is to have, as far as problems go. I also must mention my vintage Pioneer SE L40, for being eargasm inducing even through theXB10's SE port!

After one day of ownership I am absolutely thrilled with this purchase. My biggest complaint is thatnif you accidentally sit on it while it's playing, there's a strong likelihood that you'll turn the volume all the way up and hurt something in your ear as a result!

I'm considering trying to pick up a small used Android phone (of nearly any make/model) to use as a portable digital transport. It would require aptx and full USB audio support, and will probably be much less expensive than my ipod, which I'm selling in order to support this notion. Which in a way brings me to the last thing I want to say, the best thing about the XB10:

As great as it can sound now, we still aren't at it's true limits yet, as I haven't even seen a review using aptx HD! The future is looking bright at the moment.

 
thank you for the scoop. i wont be able to get it, until i get an aptx device. too bad cause my 6p has served me well.

 

[shigzeo]

My review is finally of the XB10 is up. I hope it is helpful to someone.