[ToneDeafMonk]

I feel not much difference for ESS

Agreed hard to hear any difference for me.

 

[KaiFi]

Yeah, I'll go all the way and say that I can't hear any difference. It was the same with the Q7 and other devices that have had the same filter options.

Of all the things that make a difference in sound, there is a hierarchy: headphones > amplifier > DAC > filters

(Not going to include cables here to avoid the controversy!)

 

[DingDongMonster]

Yeah, I'll go all the way and say that I can't hear any difference. It was the same with the Q7 and other devices that have had the same filter options.

Of all the things that make a difference in sound, there is a hierarchy: headphones > amplifier > DAC > filters

(Not going to include cables here to avoid the controversy!)

I am coming out of the closet. I never could hear any difference in any of the filters of any DAC, big, small, cheap, expensive, DAP, desktop. There.

 

[Ben86]

Talking about ESS and CS dacs - it is very hard for me to hear difference in filters. Talking about AKM - I can hear a slightly noticeable, very subtle difference beetween filters, especially Slow Roll Off and Sharp Roll Off filters, my favourite AKM filter for all AKM dacs (4493, 4497, 4499) is called "Short Delay Sharp Roll Off" - it makes overall sound presentation a bit more "dynamic and alive", with a bit more noticeable bass presence. Talking about XD05PRO dacs, the most noticeable change in sound is with ROHM dac, when choosing beetween two filters.

 

[DingDongMonster]

Hello everyone. I'd like to introduce my premium limited edition XD05 stand. Made from authentic not original Lego parts. The colours were invented to match the XD05, but not too closely. It took a whopping 5 minutes of staring and 1 minute of fitting man-hours. Engineered to perfection, almost, it may collapse on rough handling.

Truly a one-of-a-kind piece of functional art. Not that Bansky nonsense. A second copy will be available at Christie's for auction. You don't want to miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime chance to own an original creative piece de resistance of the audio chain.

*XD05 for illustration only, it will not be included.

 

[Ferdinando1968]

Just managed to read through all the 154 pages, before I got in the last page managed to order 12v DC 3a power supply, SS3602's, 8802's with MK8's and one protective case .... have to say that XD05 Pro is really great as default already, looking forward how much these new OPA's will improve it

Congratulations friend

 

[LoneFurrow]

Talking about ESS and CS dacs - it is very hard for me to hear difference in filters. Talking about AKM - I can hear a slightly noticeable, very subtle difference beetween filters, especially Slow Roll Off and Sharp Roll Off filters, my favourite AKM filter for all AKM dacs (4493, 4497, 4499) is called "Short Delay Sharp Roll Off" - it makes overall sound presentation a bit more "dynamic and alive", with a bit more noticeable bass presence. Talking about XD05PRO dacs, the most noticeable change in sound is with ROHM dac, when choosing beetween two filters.

I agree with your choice of FIR3 for the AKM - Short Delay Sharp Roll Off. I also agree about the ROHM filters having a more significant effect - I far prefer FIR2 - Slow Roll Off - personally.

I spent a fascinating afternoon comparing a newly modified XD05 PRO with my more stock unit. Upgrades are as follows (see attached images as well):

11 x Kemet SMR PPS Film Caps (4 on AMP module)
10 x Audio Note Kaisei Electrolytic Caps (4 on AMP module)
8 x Elna Silmic II Electrolytic Caps
6 x Kemet Tantalum Polymer (2 in ESS DAC Module)
2 x Ti OPA2211 (in ESS DAC Module)
2 x Ti OPA1656 (in ESS DAC Module)
Thermalright Extreme Odyssey thermal pads upgraded throughout plus added to opamps in ESS DAC Module)

Amazing work by NP Audio in the UK.

 

[DingDongMonster]

I agree with your choice of FIR3 for the AKM - Short Delay Sharp Roll Off. I also agree about the ROHM filters having a more significant effect - I far prefer FIR2 - Slow Roll Off - personally.

I spent a fascinating afternoon comparing a newly modified XD05 PRO with my more stock unit. Upgrades are as follows (see attached images as well):

11 x Kemet SMR PPS Film Caps (4 on AMP module)
10 x Audio Note Kaisei Electrolytic Caps (4 on AMP module)
8 x Elna Silmic II Electrolytic Caps
6 x Kemet Tantalum Polymer (2 in ESS DAC Module)
2 x Ti OPA2211 (in ESS DAC Module)
2 x Ti OPA1656 (in ESS DAC Module)
Thermalright Extreme Odyssey thermal pads upgraded throughout plus added to opamps in ESS DAC Module)

Amazing work by NP Audio in the UK.

Oh wow. I can't wait to hear your experience!

 

[DingDongMonster]

Tested the DX260 LO out to the XD05. The 8 channel DAC of the reference tuned DX260 mated with the amp stage of the XD05 running the V7 Vivids. This is the best I have heard so far. Airy and wide, smooth and effortless, precise and detailed. The details on the Symphonium Crimson is insane. Now this is what I call scaling.

 

[LoneFurrow]

Oh wow. I can't wait to hear your experience!

Some notes I captured yesterday and shared via the Elise Audio Discord channel:

XD05 PRO NP Audio "GTS" vs stock XD05 PRO

GTS

• Modded amp card with Sparkos SS3602 opamps
• Modded ESS 9039 DAC module

Stock

• XD05 amp card with Sparkos SS3602 opamps
• ESS ES9039, AKM4499EX and ROHM BD34301EKV DAC modules tested (albeit briefly)

Initially tested using NP Audio modded HiBy RS6 as a DAC, running 4.4 balanced input into XD05 PRO GTS and stock XD05 PRO using ESS 9039 DAC and Sparkos SS3602 opamps
Then tested using USB-C input with the RS6 acting purely as a streamer, comparing stock ESS, AKM and ROHM DAC modules against XD05 PRO GTS
IEM: Kinera Loki

Overall Impressions

• GTS seems closer to neutral in overall tuning, slightly less warm in tonality when compared to the stock version
• Appears technically superior, with improved instrument separation, a little more airiness and a greater sense of space around the notes
• Feels like a typical experience when moving up the DAC food chain, and likely makes it a lot closer to $2K transportable devices such as the Quloos QA390LE (which I also own)
• Amp section appears noticeably more neutral, whereas my stock amp section with SS3602s has a little more warmth and thickness to bass notes in particular. This can be a blessing with more neutral transducers though, so it's not necessarily an outright win for the GTS. The greater neutrality of the GTS may result in better synergy with transducers that have a denser bass tonality than Kinera Loki though, such as Elysian Annihilator 2023, Symphonium Titan, e.t.c.
• I felt the closest in terms of overall performance using my stock version was, weirdly, with the ROHM DAC rather than my ESS module. I felt this ran the GTS closer than the ESS module so I've reverted to using the ROHM DAC module for the time being
• The AKM module, which I like a lot in isolation with the right transducer, felt a little congested in a direct side-by-side comparison - it may benefit from some upgrades itself so that's on my short list to try

The NP Audio upgrades are to an excellent high standard, as I've come to expect from other upgrades I've tried and/or owned (including modded HiBy RS6, Shanling H7, iBasso DX320MAX Ti, iBasso AMP12EXN module for DX300). I am still debating whether I want to go ahead with a full upgrade. A lot depends on transducers used, library, preferred tonality, e.t.c, so I might try just having the AKM and ESS DAC modules modded first. I will try to borrow the modded XD05 PRO from Elise Audio for a few days once the device is fully burnt in and compare again.

 

[LoneFurrow]

Tested the DX260 LO out to the XD05. The 8 channel DAC of the reference tuned DX260 mated with the amp stage of the XD05 running the V7 Vivids. This is the best I have heard so far. Airy and wide, smooth and effortless, precise and detailed. The details on the Symphonium Crimson is insane. Now this is what I call scaling.

That should be a great combination. Crimson is a brilliant IEM and pairs very well with the XD05 PRO as a DAC and amp. I was testing that a lot yesterday.

Love the use of Lego too - I should try that!

 

[Ben86]

Tested the DX260 LO out to the XD05. The 8 channel DAC of the reference tuned DX260 mated with the amp stage of the XD05 running the V7 Vivids. This is the best I have heard so far. Airy and wide, smooth and effortless, precise and detailed. The details on the Symphonium Crimson is insane. Now this is what I call scaling.

Does Ibasso DX260 have a "true line out" or a "software line out"? Did you connect it with 4.4 cable?

 

[DingDongMonster]

Does Ibasso DX260 have a "true line out" or a "software line out"? Did you connect it with 4.4 cable?

Oh dear. I have no idea and how to check for that. Yes. I used the 4.4 interconnect that came with the XD05.

Ops. It is a true lineout.

 

[DingDongMonster]

That should be a great combination. Crimson is a brilliant IEM and pairs very well with the XD05 PRO as a DAC and amp. I was testing that a lot yesterday.

Love the use of Lego too - I should try that!

The Symphoniums are great for testing stuff. How is the Storm on the XD05? That was how I auditioned at CanJam, and I loved it.

 

[LoneFurrow]

The Symphoniums are great for testing stuff. How is the Storm on the XD05? That was how I auditioned at CanJam, and I loved it.

Storm works really well with the XD05. Full desktop systems bring out a little extra, imho, but a really good portable such as the XD05, 320MAX, or M9 Plus should work well enough. I'm still undecided which DAC module suits the best in the XD05, but am thoroughly enjoying the ROHM module at the moment.