[Dramlin]

The sound is clearly superior from a technical point of view. I immediately noticed more air, speed, dynamics, soundstage, imaging, detail. I will update with more impressions in the coming days.

Glad you noticed the difference! I look forward to hearing your impressions, good or bad. More opinions the better.

Should I expect a burn-in process and changes in sound after a certain number of hours?

I've never experienced any burn in or sound changes with an IC op amp. Headphones and cables, maybe, but I've never noticed even a hint of change in an IC op amp.

 

[sebek]

A little burn in I think is required, because at first the AD827SQ was bright and harsh enough to make your ears bleed.

Then the bass came out too - less than the stock anyway - and it's a balanced sound, faster, more airy and defined than the stock.

With the HD 600s I'm using now though it's a bit frigid sound, I think they need more weight and warmth.

Maybe the sound of the AD827SQ will change a little more or I'll get used to it, we'll see.

I should also try the Burson V5i-D in the near future, which I now have a feeling may be the most suitable match for the HD 600.

 

[sebek]

Latest and final feedback on AD827SQ.

First, I think it requires some burn in because the sound really opened up and stabilized after about 15-20 hours of listening.

I bought it thinking I would perceive an improvement over the stock, but mostly in terms of nuances ... at first I also felt like an idiot for spending € 60 on that tiny chip lol ...

Instead we are talking about a really clear and evident step forward in all respects, almost as if it were a different device.

I've had FiiO BTR5, Dragonfly Cobalt, Chord Mojo and IFI Micro IDSD Black Label ... XD-05 Plus with AD827SQ delivers arguably the clearest and cleanest sound of all devices I've had, very immersive and with noticeable dynamics and impact.

The sound is absolutely neutral and balanced, with the HD 600 I sometimes find myself craving a little more bass and warmth, but it is the predictable result of a pairing between a basically neutral sounding headphone a little light on the bass and a neutral sounding device that adds or subtracts nothing in terms of bass and warmth.

As @Dramlin said the main thing to keep in mind is that it is a very neutral, clear and clean sound, probably not suitable for those looking for additional warmth, boosted bass or attenuated treble.

And @Julius Decimus is right in saying that it is perhaps better at medium-low volume listening than at high volume, where it risks becoming a little too harsh and aggressive. But essentially what the AD827SQ will return will simply be the sound of your headphones with no filters of any kind.

Great chip and absolutely recommended as an upgrade to opamp stock.

 

[sebek]

Latest and final feedback on AD827SQ.

First, I think it requires some burn in because the sound really opened up and stabilized after about 15-20 hours of listening.

I bought it thinking I would perceive an improvement over the stock, but mostly in terms of nuances ... at first I also felt like an idiot for spending € 60 on that tiny chip lol ...

Instead we are talking about a really clear and evident step forward in all respects, almost as if it were a different device.

I've had FiiO BTR5, Dragonfly Cobalt, Chord Mojo and IFI Micro IDSD Black Label ... XD-05 Plus with AD827SQ delivers arguably the clearest and cleanest sound of all devices I've had, very immersive and with noticeable dynamics and impact.

The sound is absolutely neutral and balanced, with the HD 600 I sometimes find myself craving a little more bass and warmth, but it is the predictable result of a pairing between a basically neutral sounding headphone a little light on the bass and a neutral sounding device that adds or subtracts nothing in terms of bass and warmth.

As @Dramlin said the main thing to keep in mind is that it is a very neutral, clear and clean sound, probably not suitable for those looking for additional warmth, boosted bass or attenuated treble.

And @Julius Decimus is right in saying that it is perhaps better at medium-low volume listening than at high volume, where it risks becoming a little too harsh and aggressive. But essentially what the AD827SQ will return will simply be the sound of your headphones with no filters of any kind.

Great chip and absolutely recommended as an upgrade to opamp stock.

Hope I can compare it to Burson V5i-D soon!

 

[flibottf]

Hope I can compare it to Burson V5i-D soon!

I wish I was living closer and switch our chips to see the difference! Got 2 Burson v5i-s here, sounds really good to me but I'm really curious to hear what other chips sounds!

 

[silent-circuit]

I have a HIDIZS DH80S coming literally any day now, but own several harder to drive headphones and am seriously considering selling the DH80S and getting an XD-05 Bal via Shenzhen Audio on Amazon (the 15% discount is already active there). Is this a terrible idea, or...?

 

[Julius Decimus]

I have a HIDIZS DH80S coming literally any day now, but own several harder to drive headphones and am seriously considering selling the DH80S and getting an XD-05 Bal via Shenzhen Audio on Amazon (the 15% discount is already active there). Is this a terrible idea, or...?

Hello.

There is topic for the balanced version here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/xduoo-xd05-balanced.954018/page-21

You could ask there. And i am sure there a lot of comparisons if you read through the pages.

Keep in mind the balanced version needs double more op-amps than XD-05 Plus. So for example if you need 1 op-amp from the Burson for the Plus version here, for the balanced version will need 2. And the device itself is as well more expensive 35%-40%. You decide if it is worth it.

That said, i see they both are on sale right now, but in the time when they are not, the balanced version is considerably more expensive. This is from Xduoo official store.

I would read some opinions in the thread for the balanced version and then decide. Looking at your Hidizs, the Xduoo will give you 3x louder volume. Or somewhere there.

PS: yes, better from Amazon, as this may have import tax from the official site.

 

[buchokoy]

hello! newbie here, appreciate the help to clarify if my set up is working as expected

1.) iphone --> cck + usb c--> usb audio to xduuo basic
- im not sure if digital or analogue audio is sent to the xduuo as iphone has volume control. is this double amping? was thinking that volume should be coming from dac/amp only?
- sound seems to be brighter and less lunchy vs below set up #2

2.) iphone --> fiio m9 as dac --> line out to xduuo
- volume control on xduuo only, sounds warmer and more well rounded vs set up #1 above

appreciate the help to clarify! thanks!

 

[sebek]

I put the opamp stock back on the XD-05 Plus.

With the HD 600 it works better for me than the AD827SQ.

Less resolution, but fuller, more enjoyable sound.

The AD827SQ has less bass and I think it pushes the mids too far forward, and the HD 600 is already quite mid-forward. Sound a little too thin, tiring and in your face.

Should a Burson V5i-D arrive, I will give my impression.

* I sell AD827SQ if anyone is interested, later I put the announcement in the appropriate section. 100% original, bought from RS Components, Europe only.

 

[Onik]

Whats the Aux out/Line out Voltage of xd05?

 

[Julius Decimus]

Whats the Aux out/Line out Voltage of xd05?

Is somewhere between 1.5v and 1.8v i would say. Is not 3v for sure, i think is less than 2v. But is not weak (so is not just 1v as well), somewhere between 1.5v and 2v. It is OK, decent.

 

[Onik]

Is somewhere between 1.5v and 1.8v i would say. Is not 3v for sure, i think is less than 2v. But is not weak (so is not just 1v as well), somewhere between 1.5v and 2v. It is OK, decent.

Thanks, shame on xduo for not mentioning about the fixed line out voltage on their website.

 

[Darkeye999H]

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 Amp	Single/Dual	Rank
AD827SQ	Dual	1- Best
AD829SQ	Single	2 - Excellent
AD829AQ	Single	2 - Excellent
Muses02	Dual	2 - Excellent
Muses03	Single	2 - Excellent
AD827AQ	Dual	2 - Excellent
AD822	Dual	2 - Excellent
AD828	Dual	2 - Excellent
Burson V5i	Dual	2 - Excellent
AD811	Single	3 - Great
AD844AQ	Single	3 - Great
LT1122	Single	3 - Great
Muses8920	Dual	3 - Great
NJM2114	Dual	3 - Great
OP275	Dual	3 - Great
OPA2134	Dual	3 - Great
OPA2227	Dual	3 - Great
OPA2228	Dual	3 - Great
OPA2277	Dual	3 - Great
RC4558	Dual	3 - Great
AD797	Single	3 - Great
AD711	Single	4 - Good
Muses01	Dual	4 - Good
OPA604	Single	4 - Good
OPA627	Single	4 - Good
AD712	Dual	5 - Mediocre
LF353	Dual	5 - Mediocre
LM4562	Dual	5 - Mediocre
LM833	Dual	5 - Mediocre
LME49720	Dual	5 - Mediocre
NE5532	Dual	5 - Mediocre
NJM4560	Dual	5 - Mediocre
OPA2132	Dual	5 - Mediocre
TL0171	Single	5 - Mediocre
TLO52	Dual	5 - Mediocre
OPA1612 (Stock)	Dual	5 - Mediocre
AD823	Dual	6 - Bad
AD826	Dual	6 - Bad
NE5534	Single	6 - Bad
NJM2068	Dual	6 - Bad
NJM4558	Dual	6 - Bad
OPA134	Single	6 - Bad

I just got the xDuoo XD05 Bal and I'm finding its sound too mellow, blunt and thick, even with clearer IEMs. I'm more into an energetic, sharp, clear and tight sound signature. So I think It's Muses02, Muses01 or AD829SQ for me then? Which of these do you recommend most for this type of sound?

 

[rikstaker]

Can this be used as a pure dac connected to an external amp like atom? Are their any drawbacks like noise and distortion?

 

[Julius Decimus]

Can this be used as a pure dac connected to an external amp like atom? Are their any drawbacks like noise and distortion?

Yes, can be used as DAC only, has a line out. You need cable with 3.5mm on Xduoo side and then check the Atom inputs to see what cable end is needed for the Atom. Is decent DAC, no distortion.