[yklee118]

It has been a long time coming and I think it is time to add another few more headphone amps to my long list of amps.

I will have pictures of this amp soon enough, however for now, here is a short review with more to come in the coming weeks.

I recently purchased the new C&C XO+. Please note the plus sign as this amplifier is supposed be better than the outgoing XO amplifier, which I must say is both a work of art both cosmetically and sonically. Great implementation of the AD823 JFET op-amp coupled by four buffers and roughly the same configuration as the original C&C XO. The original boasts a smooth glossy finish that exudes a level of prestige that only the highest end of the audiophile spectrum such as the Diablo or some of the other offerings from China. I am not a great fan of the Chinese, however being Chinese myself, I must say that I must at least listen to what they have to offer.

Now my collection of amps consist of the Xin Reference (used from a friend), Little Dot MKI (with the LT1364 upgrade), Little Dot MKI+ (just recently purchased), C&C F1, C&C Box+, C&C XO, and now the C&C XO+.

I used to own American made headphone amps, however all of them during their time used either one or two 9V batteries, which were expensive and troublesome to replace when I need to during very pleasurable listening sessions. Now my collection consists of the offerings from Hong Kong and mainland China. All but the Xin Reference use either a 3.7 or 7.4V lithium ion battery pack of sorts which means I can recharge them at either my leisure or when the juice starts to run out.

Anyway with the C&C XO+, the cosmetic finish of the amp is different from its predecessor. Employing a matte finish identical to the C&C F1, which I believe is better for grip. The amp still retains the original shape of the XO, which was the other reason for me to purchase the first XO. The XO+ has the almost the same number of features as the original amplifier such as impedance, gain control, sound-field, and bass compensation. The location of the audio ports are the same as the XO while the exception now is Volume knob, which now features an on/off feature. I have yet to test to see if the amp is still equipped with an auto-stand-by feature.

During the next couple of days, I will give this amp a serious run for its money both burning in the amp and my recent purchase of the AKG K702. I will provide both items with proper material to which the burn-in will take place thus maximizing listening enjoyment for many years to come.

Right Out of the Box Experience Around <10 hours

Sonic transparency is one thing I can say for certain with this amp paired with the K702. Mind you now that I am still using the stock cable offered by AKG because of my current location in the world. Once I return to the US, the first thing to do is ditch the stock cable and have one made by Moon Audio. The C&C XO+ was purchased through Casque-HiFi which I find is supported by Audiophile China. I originally owned the first XO and was purchasing a second standard XO for use with my home audio system. Instead I was upgraded to the newer offering from C&C Studios, which is the XO+.

The first piece to test transparency, warmth, and dynamics was Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring Part one. The sound-stage is full with no coloration whatsoever. Dynamic passages were well defined throughout the entire score with a sense of warmth and transparency that I thought would happen sometime toward the sixty hour mark of the burn-in rather than right out of the box. These are however my impressions since I have only been with this forum for about two years maybe less, however I have been headophile for the last ten years and audiophile for twelve years parallel.

There are of course one or two things I can say now after switching the gain control and impedance to High, this amp and headphone combination will need extensive burn-in before I give more impressions on them. For now though I will say to all that this is well worth the investment. Another great amplifier provided by C&C Studios. I will upload some pictures of the insides of the amp as soon as time permits. Also I will post another item which the Little Dot MKI+, which I have stated also purchased recently.

Until then, feel free to email me.

More impressions in due time Please wait.

 

[mrarroyo]

Nice initial write-up of your impression. Look forward to your follow up and PICTURES! We like pictures here.

 

[raymondu999]

Any follow up after 5 months or so?