XDuoo XD-05 Portable Dac/Amp Introduction - Impressions
Jul 3, 2020 at 11:30 AM Post #1,771 of 2,097
Single vs Dual doesn't really matter. One isn't going to be inherently better, as it depends on the design of the op amp chip(s) and how that interacts with the design of the XD-05. Most op amps will be one or the other, without a choice.

In the rare event where there is a chip that you can choose (like the Burson v5i), two singles might have the potential to sound a little better, but I've only seen one or two report having heard a subtle improvement over a dual of the same type.
 
Jul 9, 2020 at 5:39 PM Post #1,773 of 2,097
Over the last few months I've tested 42 different Op Amps in order to find one that makes the XD-05+ sound just as good as a high quality desktop amp. In short, I failed. The chip that sounds closest to my desktop reference is probably about 90% there. 90% is certainly close, but I really was hoping for perfection. Having tried almost all of the reputable chips, I would bet the remaining 10% is probably some other part of the Amplifier that would need to be upgraded (capacitors, or some other part of the design).

Below is some info on the chips, all of which is entirely subjective and mainly applies to the XD-05+. This is likely also relevant to the regular XD-05 (for dual chips), but I've got no way to confirm that. My main focus was to find a sound that is faithful to the original intent, and as close as possible to what a desktop amp would provide. That said, some chips are just technically better than others even if they aren't truly neutral, so trying to rank them gets complicated.

The Winner:

AD827SQ : Tonally perfect, with a semi 3D sound stage and great details. With this chip the only thing holding the Amp back is a little more separation and refined clarity on every note. It's close, but a desktop amp will still sound better in a subtle but noticeable way.

Notable Runner Ups:

AD829SQ: Just like the AD827SQ, but a little thinner. May be preferable if your headphones are a little thick by default.

AD827AQ: Similar to the 827SQ, but without the 3D stage, softer details, and an extended treble. Costing less than half of the SQ, this is a great choice if you don't feel like spending for the SQ, and don't mind a treble that extends all the way without being sibilant.

AD829AQ: Just like the AD827SQ, but with a little less of everything (stage, details, separation, etc...)

Muses02: Slightly higher than neutral which leads to a much 'clearer' sound compared to the 827SQ. Very good separation and stage, but the downside of this chip is that it is brighter and thinner than it should be. May be a good choice if you have dark or thick sounding headphones.

Muses03: Brilliant stage and details, marred by a much lower than neutral tone. This probably has the best stage and separation of all the chips. The treble is very rolled off, leading to a much lower than expected tone. May be a great choice for those that have overly bright headphones, or those that are very treble sensitive. Those looking for neutral should look elsewhere though.

Burson V5i: The thread favorite. Going by majority consensus this is the chip to get. As far as technical performance goes, it is excellent. Great stage width, depth, and details. What keeps this from being my #1 or #2 is the much darker than neutral tone, and a subtly loose bass response. It's not as tonally low as the Muses03, but it's close. Every note is a bit off which is fine for most music, but with electronic music it's very noticable.

Other Chips worth mentioning:

OPA627: Renowned in many DIY forums for many different setups, but it just doesn't work that well in the XD-05. Produces a good sound, but overall flat and boring.

Muses01: Way north of neutral in tone. All notes are brighter than they should be. The only nice thing about this chip is how clear everything is, but that is just due to how thin the mids are.

Muses8920: Of the Muses this one is closest to neutral. Less bright than the Muses02, but just a hint north of neutral and a bit thin. It has better stage and separation than most regular chips, but lacks refinement compared to Muses02 and Muses03. May shine with the right headphone setup, and also costs significantly less than the rest of the Muses line.

OPA1612 (Stock): Similar to OPA627, this is also renowned in DIY forums. It seems like a technically capable chip, but something about it isn't right in the XD-05. Puts out a dark, muffled, and mostly flat sound in this application.

Here's the rest of the breakdown. This is not ordered in a true ranking. I've got details on all the chips, but it would take too long to truly rank them. I doubt anyone cares which one is #37 as opposed to #38 (I certainly don't), so they are just categorized more in generalized groups:

Op AmpSingle/DualRank
AD827SQDual1- Best
AD829SQSingle2 - Excellent
AD829AQSingle2 - Excellent
Muses02Dual2 - Excellent
Muses03Single2 - Excellent
AD827AQDual2 - Excellent
AD822Dual2 - Excellent
AD828Dual2 - Excellent
Burson V5iDual2 - Excellent
AD811Single3 - Great
AD844AQSingle3 - Great
LT1122Single3 - Great
Muses8920Dual3 - Great
NJM2114Dual3 - Great
OP275Dual3 - Great
OPA2134Dual3 - Great
OPA2227Dual3 - Great
OPA2228Dual3 - Great
OPA2277Dual3 - Great
RC4558Dual3 - Great
AD797Single3 - Great
AD711Single4 - Good
Muses01Dual4 - Good
OPA604Single4 - Good
OPA627Single4 - Good
AD712Dual5 - Mediocre
LF353Dual5 - Mediocre
LM4562Dual5 - Mediocre
LM833Dual5 - Mediocre
LME49720Dual5 - Mediocre
NE5532Dual5 - Mediocre
NJM4560Dual5 - Mediocre
OPA2132Dual5 - Mediocre
TL0171Single5 - Mediocre
TLO52Dual5 - Mediocre
OPA1612 (Stock)Dual5 - Mediocre
AD823Dual6 - Bad
AD826Dual6 - Bad
NE5534Single6 - Bad
NJM2068Dual6 - Bad
NJM4558Dual6 - Bad
OPA134Single6 - Bad
 
Jul 9, 2020 at 10:28 PM Post #1,774 of 2,097
Over the last few months I've tested 42 different Op Amps in order to find one that makes the XD-05+ sound just as good as a high quality desktop amp. In short, I failed. The chip that sounds closest to my desktop reference is probably about 90% there. 90% is certainly close, but I really was hoping for perfection. Having tried almost all of the reputable chips, I would bet the remaining 10% is probably some other part of the Amplifier that would need to be upgraded (capacitors, or some other part of the design).

Below is some info on the chips, all of which is entirely subjective and mainly applies to the XD-05+. This is likely also relevant to the regular XD-05 (for dual chips), but I've got no way to confirm that. My main focus was to find a sound that is faithful to the original intent, and as close as possible to what a desktop amp would provide. That said, some chips are just technically better than others even if they aren't truly neutral, so trying to rank them gets complicated.

The Winner:

AD827SQ : Tonally perfect, with a semi 3D sound stage and great details. With this chip the only thing holding the Amp back is a little more separation and refined clarity on every note. It's close, but a desktop amp will still sound better in a subtle but noticeable way.

Notable Runner Ups:

AD829SQ: Just like the AD827SQ, but a little thinner. May be preferable if your headphones are a little thick by default.

AD827AQ: Similar to the 827SQ, but without the 3D stage, softer details, and an extended treble. Costing less than half of the SQ, this is a great choice if you don't feel like spending for the SQ, and don't mind a treble that extends all the way without being sibilant.

AD829AQ: Just like the AD827SQ, but with a little less of everything (stage, details, separation, etc...)

Muses02: Slightly higher than neutral which leads to a much 'clearer' sound compared to the 827SQ. Very good separation and stage, but the downside of this chip is that it is brighter and thinner than it should be. May be a good choice if you have dark or thick sounding headphones.

Muses03: Brilliant stage and details, marred by a much lower than neutral tone. This probably has the best stage and separation of all the chips. The treble is very rolled off, leading to a much lower than expected tone. May be a great choice for those that have overly bright headphones, or those that are very treble sensitive. Those looking for neutral should look elsewhere though.

Burson V5i: The thread favorite. Going by majority consensus this is the chip to get. As far as technical performance goes, it is excellent. Great stage width, depth, and details. What keeps this from being my #1 or #2 is the much darker than neutral tone, and a subtly loose bass response. It's not as tonally low as the Muses03, but it's close. Every note is a bit off which is fine for most music, but with electronic music it's very noticable.

Other Chips worth mentioning:

OPA627: Renowned in many DIY forums for many different setups, but it just doesn't work that well in the XD-05. Produces a good sound, but overall flat and boring.

Muses01: Way north of neutral in tone. All notes are brighter than they should be. The only nice thing about this chip is how clear everything is, but that is just due to how thin the mids are.

Muses8920: Of the Muses this one is closest to neutral. Less bright than the Muses02, but just a hint north of neutral and a bit thin. It has better stage and separation than most regular chips, but lacks refinement compared to Muses02 and Muses03. May shine with the right headphone setup, and also costs significantly less than the rest of the Muses line.

OPA1612 (Stock): Similar to OPA627, this is also renowned in DIY forums. It seems like a technically capable chip, but something about it isn't right in the XD-05. Puts out a dark, muffled, and mostly flat sound in this application.

Here's the rest of the breakdown. This is not ordered in a true ranking. I've got details on all the chips, but it would take too long to truly rank them. I doubt anyone cares which one is #37 as opposed to #38 (I certainly don't), so they are just categorized more in generalized groups:

Op AmpSingle/DualRank
AD827SQDual1- Best
AD829SQSingle2 - Excellent
AD829AQSingle2 - Excellent
Muses02Dual2 - Excellent
Muses03Single2 - Excellent
AD827AQDual2 - Excellent
AD822Dual2 - Excellent
AD828Dual2 - Excellent
Burson V5iDual2 - Excellent
AD811Single3 - Great
AD844AQSingle3 - Great
LT1122Single3 - Great
Muses8920Dual3 - Great
NJM2114Dual3 - Great
OP275Dual3 - Great
OPA2134Dual3 - Great
OPA2227Dual3 - Great
OPA2228Dual3 - Great
OPA2277Dual3 - Great
RC4558Dual3 - Great
AD797Single3 - Great
AD711Single4 - Good
Muses01Dual4 - Good
OPA604Single4 - Good
OPA627Single4 - Good
AD712Dual5 - Mediocre
LF353Dual5 - Mediocre
LM4562Dual5 - Mediocre
LM833Dual5 - Mediocre
LME49720Dual5 - Mediocre
NE5532Dual5 - Mediocre
NJM4560Dual5 - Mediocre
OPA2132Dual5 - Mediocre
TL0171Single5 - Mediocre
TLO52Dual5 - Mediocre
OPA1612 (Stock)Dual5 - Mediocre
AD823Dual6 - Bad
AD826Dual6 - Bad
NE5534Single6 - Bad
NJM2068Dual6 - Bad
NJM4558Dual6 - Bad
OPA134Single6 - Bad
Would you be interested in selling or loaning out any for me to test? I can't shell out 60 or morr dollars just for an op amp I wont know for sure I'll like. I'm new here but I do a lot of avexchange on Reddit
 
Jul 10, 2020 at 11:46 AM Post #1,775 of 2,097
I wish I could, but I was borrowing these myself. I was lucky enough to be able to use them for as long as I needed before returning them to a friend. That is the problem with Op Amp rolling, you have to get a chip without knowing if it will be any good. The more chips you try, the more chips you find that aren't good enough and were ultimately a waste of money. That's why I'm hoping my post will at least narrow down the the Op Amp field to just those that may be best in your setup. No need to try the 30 or so chips that aren't technically capable enough to be top contenders. Those near the top are at least going to be technically capable, but whether or not they are right for your setup will depend on your headphones, cables, and tastes.
 
Jul 10, 2020 at 1:12 PM Post #1,776 of 2,097
@Dramlin it has been mentioned on another thread and forum that the most favorable Op-Amp rolling results for both the XD-05 and XD-05 Plus is when they are used in HeadAMP mode only. Meaning that AUX IN is used, completely bypassing either the AK4490 or AK4493 DAC chip. Just wondering what your thoughts and experience on this are. I myself have been using it in HeadAMP mode only now for a few weeks and have been very impressed.

I really appreciate all the time and effort you have spent on this research and sharing it with us!:L3000:
 
Jul 10, 2020 at 2:04 PM Post #1,777 of 2,097
I think it will depend on your source as well as your Aux cable. My source is an Ibasso DX120 which is a single AK4495, and I use a FiiO L17 PCOCC-A cable. Despite being great quality, the aux cable degrades the signal just a bit, leading to slightly less detail vs using the Coax input. In my setup the cleanest sound uses the Coax input, but I'd bet that the Aux in could still be better depending on the DAC being used.
 
Jul 12, 2020 at 7:38 AM Post #1,778 of 2,097
Anyone have any insight on the difference, if any at all, between the AD827SQ (Mouser $51.02) and the MIL-STD-883B processing variant AD827SQ/883B (Mouser $68.43). Apparently, everywhere I looked they are "not-in-stock" and require a six-week or more lead-time.
 
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Jul 13, 2020 at 11:25 AM Post #1,780 of 2,097
No clue on the sound of the 883B/Mil spec. You would have to listen to it to hear if there is any difference. The 883B spec should be just a guarantee of durability/ruggedness in military and aerospace applications, which may or may not lead to any sound changes at all. I'd bet there is no discernable difference over the regular SQ, but I've been wrong (often) on assumptions before.
 
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Jul 17, 2020 at 1:19 PM Post #1,781 of 2,097
Received and installed the AD827SQ. Very pleased thus far with the sound (performance) of this op amp; thanks for the recommendation @Dramlin :wink: Here are some pics of the op amp roll performed...
Analog Devices_AD827SQ (3).jpg

Analog Devices_AD827SQ (1).jpg

Analog Devices_AD827SQ (2).jpg


XD-05 PLUS_OpAMP Section Empty.jpg

XD-05 PLUS with AD827SQ (1).jpg
 
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Jul 19, 2020 at 12:48 PM Post #1,785 of 2,097
How's the subbass? And is there a single version of those?
Personally I love the analoguish sound of the Burson v5i, but the subbass is somewhat slightly less than the stock opamp...
Superb sub-bass; very detailed bass overall which both are very important to the genre I mainly listen to.
The AD827 is a dual version of Analog Device's industry-standard AD847 op amp.
 

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