[koozoop]

Good evening and a happy new year to everybody!

I'm mostly into standard home hifi but recently i decided to acquire a couple of headphones to quietly listen to my music while family sleeps. I already owned a Hifiman RE-00 IEM's and a Blaupunkt DJ112 headset which I mainly use for music practicing. Yesterday I got myself a new-old stock B&W P7 headphones from which I'm quite pleased at the moment (needs some burn-in). Low Re (22ohms) so they can be driven directly from a smartphone but when plugged on my Pioneer's A-50DA headphone out they do shine due to amplifier's larger output.

So I'm in search for a headphone / DAC that can add to the musicality compared to a standard smartphone etc with enough headroom to drive more demanding cans (like the HD6xx, etc). I'm looking at a portable solution, not necessarily a pocket one. The products I have come up till now are:

1. Topping NX4
2. Burson Play
3. Xduuo XD-05 Plus
4. Ifi idsd nano BL
5. Chord Mojo

I know Chord's Mojo costs more than the other options but I have managed to source a new one for €230 so I'm adding it to the list.

Which one of the above would you choose in terms of music reproduction quality and ample headroom?

Thank you in advance!

 

[psikey]

Good evening and a happy new year to everybody!

I'm mostly into standard home hifi but recently i decided to acquire a couple of headphones to quietly listen to my music while family sleeps. I already owned a Hifiman RE-00 IEM's and a Blaupunkt DJ112 headset which I mainly use for music practicing. Yesterday I got myself a new-old stock B&W P7 headphones from which I'm quite pleased at the moment (needs some burn-in). Low Re (22ohms) so they can be driven directly from a smartphone but when plugged on my Pioneer's A-50DA headphone out they do shine due to amplifier's larger output.

So I'm in search for a headphone / DAC that can add to the musicality compared to a standard smartphone etc with enough headroom to drive more demanding cans (like the HD6xx, etc). I'm looking at a portable solution, not necessarily a pocket one. The products I have come up till now are:

1. Topping NX4
2. Burson Play
3. Xduuo XD-05 Plus
4. Ifi idsd nano BL
5. Chord Mojo

I know Chord's Mojo costs more than the other options but I have managed to source a new one for €230 so I'm adding it to the list.

Which one of the above would you choose in terms of music reproduction quality and ample headroom?

Thank you in advance!

Mojo but also a Dragonfly Cobalt if you don't need bitperfect 24/192 and DSD yet super easy/convenient to use.

 

[Harold999]

Personally i would forget the Topping NX4 and the Mojo because of the lack of bluetooth possibility. Not needing a wire between your smartphone and amp/dac is so nice imho.
Ldac bluetooth codec sounds very good. Lossless with 320kbps source material.

 

[koozoop]

I have narrowed my choices down to either Xduuo XD-05 Plus + Burson V5i (d) or Topping NX4 DSD. The price difference is around €120 in Europe, a gap I can cover if it can be justified. I mean the P7's are easy to drive but I plan to get an HD6XX or HD650 at sometime.

 

[Infoseeker]

Good evening and a happy new year to everybody!

I'm mostly into standard home hifi but recently i decided to acquire a couple of headphones to quietly listen to my music while family sleeps. I already owned a Hifiman RE-00 IEM's and a Blaupunkt DJ112 headset which I mainly use for music practicing. Yesterday I got myself a new-old stock B&W P7 headphones from which I'm quite pleased at the moment (needs some burn-in). Low Re (22ohms) so they can be driven directly from a smartphone but when plugged on my Pioneer's A-50DA headphone out they do shine due to amplifier's larger output.

So I'm in search for a headphone / DAC that can add to the musicality compared to a standard smartphone etc with enough headroom to drive more demanding cans (like the HD6xx, etc). I'm looking at a portable solution, not necessarily a pocket one. The products I have come up till now are:

1. Topping NX4
2. Burson Play
3. Xduuo XD-05 Plus
4. Ifi idsd nano BL
5. Chord Mojo

I know Chord's Mojo costs more than the other options but I have managed to source a new one for €230 so I'm adding it to the list.

Which one of the above would you choose in terms of music reproduction quality and ample headroom?

Thank you in advance!

The P7 has a sensitivity of 111 and a low impedence.

They are easy to drive and won't sound better out if the Pioneer. Either you are listening tk them louder on the Pioneer, orbthe Pioneer has some sound effect turned on.

You should not need an amp.

 

[koozoop]

Actually super-easy to drive but like all loudspeakers, they will benefit from an additional amplifier.

I have excluded Xduoo XD-05 Plus at the moment because of the USB-C OTG matter. I'm gonna wait for the next batch. So I'm leaning between the Mojo (€230) and the Topping NX4DSD (€180). In your experience, does the Mojo justify the extra €50 sound/performance wise?

 

[Arghavan]

Actually super-easy to drive but like all loudspeakers, they will benefit from an additional amplifier.

I have excluded Xduoo XD-05 Plus at the moment because of the USB-C OTG matter. I'm gonna wait for the next batch. So I'm leaning between the Mojo (€230) and the Topping NX4DSD (€180). In your experience, does the Mojo justify the extra €50 sound/performance wise?

I think it does. €230 is a great deal for Mojo IMO. but what's the issue with XD-05 Plus OTG?

 

[koozoop]

Works only with their cable at the moment (usb otg). There are many reports that it will not work with other type-c to type-c cables. There is also an announcement on their site: https://www.xduoo.net/product/xduoo-xd-05-plus/ (scroll down at the "Description" part)

 

[koozoop]

I went for the mojo. After all at €230 even if I don't like it I can always sell it for at least €200...

 

[recca]

What phone do you use? If Android make sure you read up on USB Audio Player (UAPP).

 

[koozoop]

Android only devices (redmi note 8, huawei t3 tablet and a diy with odroid c1+ i have for volumio). UAPP and Neutron mainly on these.

 

[PowerPod]

I posted a review on the xDuoo yesterday and bought an even harder to acquire USB-C to Lightning cable for my iPhone that works from Penon Audio (great shopping experience and good comms).

The OTG cables are relatively cheap if you're working with an Android device but they may not all be equal - I agree there are folks who have had bad experiences and that's where you need to read up on the product. Amazon is a good place for this where you can post questions, or what other reviewers have experienced.

While my cable is an 8 core OCC silver-plated cable, its a digital connection so it really doesn't need to be made of special inert precious metals (though some may disagree). With that said mine was great value considering it has a decoding chip in there for the iPhone audio connectivity.

I ended up putting a spreadsheet together listing the pros and cons and the relative costs. This pretty much pushed the xDuoo towards the top of the list in my case and the Burson Opamp was a worthy upgrade. It's all going to be down to preferences I guess and some of the older products you've listed can be found for good prices on eBay too.

The xDuoo makes for a sweet setup and great value for the money and hugely improves my low impedance headphones.

Good luck with your decision

 

[Drog]

Good evening and a happy new year to everybody!

I'm mostly into standard home hifi but recently i decided to acquire a couple of headphones to quietly listen to my music while family sleeps. I already owned a Hifiman RE-00 IEM's and a Blaupunkt DJ112 headset which I mainly use for music practicing. Yesterday I got myself a new-old stock B&W P7 headphones from which I'm quite pleased at the moment (needs some burn-in). Low Re (22ohms) so they can be driven directly from a smartphone but when plugged on my Pioneer's A-50DA headphone out they do shine due to amplifier's larger output.

So I'm in search for a headphone / DAC that can add to the musicality compared to a standard smartphone etc with enough headroom to drive more demanding cans (like the HD6xx, etc). I'm looking at a portable solution, not necessarily a pocket one. The products I have come up till now are:

1. Topping NX4
2. Burson Play
3. Xduuo XD-05 Plus
4. Ifi idsd nano BL
5. Chord Mojo

I know Chord's Mojo costs more than the other options but I have managed to source a new one for €230 so I'm adding it to the list.

Which one of the above would you choose in terms of music reproduction quality and ample headroom?

Thank you in advance!

I was not impressed with the Xduuo XD-05 so i returned it. I am very impressed with my Monolith THX AAA portable amp/dac. I also really like my Creative SXFI amp, and that or the Creative Soundblaster X3 should be on your list if you think you may want to watch movies with your headphones.

 

[Ynot1]

quloos qa390? It is bluetooth and does everything.

 

[Smithington]

I was not impressed with the Xduuo XD-05 so i returned it. I am very impressed with my Monolith THX AAA portable amp/dac. I also really like my Creative SXFI amp, and that or the Creative Soundblaster X3 should be on your list if you think you may want to watch movies with your headphones.

What didn't you like about it? I have the original version (non plus) and love what it does to my DT 770 pro 80ohm. The connection is a genuine ballache though, specifically the cables I've used to connect to my phone. Too short and it unplugs. Too long and it's a rat's nest!