[elira]

I got an iPhone 15 pro max, and the XD05 PRO works very nicely with it, the cable that comes with the iphone works fine which is great, no need to find weird cables.

And about the ROHM DAC, I had high expectations but it's not as good as the ESS DAC. It entirely removes the sharpness of the ESS which is good, but it allso dulls the sound, likely a poor digital filter that overly smooths the sound.

 

[quaddac]

I got an iPhone 15 pro max, and the XD05 PRO works very nicely with it, the cable that comes with the iphone works fine which is great, no need to find weird cables.

And about the ROHM DAC, I had high expectations but it's not as good as the ESS DAC. It entirely removes the sharpness of the ESS which is good, but it allso dulls the sound, likely a poor digital filter that overly smooths the sound.

I like Ess so much that I'm still hesitant to buy another module. Which opams do you use?

 

[STUkh]

One more question. I have found several versions of ESS9039: 9039, 9039S, 9039M, 9039Q2M. Who knows how to classify these by level?

ESS - company name, so all of them contain ES before number
1. ES9039PRO or ES9039SPRO - the latest 8 channel DAC. I suppose they added "S" in last minute. Haven't seen name without "S" in real life.
2. ES9039MPRO or ES9039MSPRO - the same as ES9039SPRO but with ability to decode MQA directly on chip
3. ES9039Q2M - 2 channel DAC. Usually positioned as portable solution

 

[Ben86]

Found this review on Youtube. Absolutely agree what this guy said about XD05PRO. Also agree with everything what he said about comparison to FiiO Q7. I have sold my M17 DAP and now enjoying this XD05PRO more, because of the reasons mentioned in this video review about Q7 sound signature. M17 was a bit more technical, precise neutral and clinical sounding, but XD05PRO has more engaging factor, with more powerful bass, thicker midrange, wider soundstage, more holographic scene. The only downside for me is that Xduoo not included proper dedicated USB-C 12V charger in the kit.

 

[elira]

Which opams do you use?

The stock ones that come installed, I haven’t changed those.

 

[LoryWiv]

I must point out that I don't have a pro yet. I believe that bal2 and pro are a similar school of sound. The Pro is twice as expensive and much larger and the size is a bit of a stop to me from buying it, because it's an important aspect for me. The price is also of course smile, and the pro has such extensive possibilities of personalizing the sound that the price (it's almost certain ) can increase up to three times compared to the bal2. The Bal2 catches a great synergy with my headphones, sounds incredibly good for my taste and I think the pro would also be perfect, but I don't think three times better, but still better (class A). Replacing the opamps with v5i in bal2 is necessary in my opinion, but the factory opamps in the pro can be better matched. At the moment, buying a pro is not an obvious decision for me. We know it's an endless road and I guess that's why I'll probably buy a pro today, because there is still the last piece in my country. Oh my God, the life of a music lover is a constant anxiety

Just did so and agree 100%, huge improvement. See my 1st impressions here if interested.

 

[nioh]

Noob question: What happens if you don’t match pin 1 of the op-amps like for eg. the Bursons and put them the other way around ? I understand that it won’t work, but will it damage anything ?

 

[ChangTan]

Noob question: What happens if you don’t match pin 1 of the op-amps like for eg. the Bursons and put them the other way around ? I understand that it won’t work, but will it damage anything ?

the screen will show "PROTECT" when you turn it on. As whether it will damage anything or not i'm not sure. My theory is it will not as the protection is in place for this kind of things.

 

[Jahgrid]

Noob question: What happens if you don’t match pin 1 of the op-amps like for eg. the Bursons and put them the other way around ? I understand that it won’t work, but will it damage anything ?

I've never tried it, but I once watched a youtube video by @ThomasAndStereo where he got one of the burson amplifiers for review and accidentally incorrectly placed the opamp - the opamp burned out and the equipment continued to work.

Of course, please don't take this as a guarantee that only the opamp can be destroyed in case of misplacement, generally opamps from what I understand are dc based devices so correct polarity is important there.

 

[quaddac]

Noob question: What happens if you don’t match pin 1 of the op-amps like for eg. the Bursons and put them the other way around ? I understand that it won’t work, but will it damage anything ?

If you inserted the opamp backwards and nothing happened, it means that there may be reverse polarity protection on the PCB. Typically, the reverse opmap application damages the opamp, but the losses may be greater. For example, burson V6 has reverse polarity protection implemented, v5i does not, and in general, opamps usually do not have this function.

 

[Ben86]

Noob question: What happens if you don’t match pin 1 of the op-amps like for eg. the Bursons and put them the other way around ? I understand that it won’t work, but will it damage anything ?

Display will show message "PROTECT" I have got this message on my unit once.

 

[Ben86]

Has anybody tried to use XD05PRO in EXT mode with IFI "ipower" or "ipower x" 12 V DC power supply connected to 5.5/2.1 USB-C adapter? Will it make audible benefits compared to ordinary DC 12V power supply? I wish that XDUOO could release special 12V DC usb-c power supply, cause I'm still in search of higher quality small portable DC 12 V power supply solution ...

 

[nioh]

Has anybody tried to use XD05PRO in EXT mode with IFI "ipower" or "ipower x" 12 V DC power supply connected to 5.5/2.1 USB-C adapter? Will it make audible benefits compared to ordinary DC 12V power supply? I wish that XDUOO could release special 12V DC usb-c power supply, cause I'm still in search of higher quality small portable DC 12 V power supply solution ...

I would say don’t waste your money. In the end even if the IFI IPower provides a clean voltage you are still using a cheap adapter to convert it. Mind you, a good quality DC to USB-C converter with 12v output is not easy to find, they’re all cheap ones from sites like Aliexpress. Kinda defeats the purpose of having the iPower2 in the first place which is why I returned mine.

 

[nioh]

Display will show message "PROTECT" I have got this message on my unit once.

I must admit I installed my Bursons the other way around first and nothing happened, there was simply no sound. There was no PROTECT message. I reinstalled the correct way and then it worked. This is why I asked because I was confused.

 

[STUkh]

cheap adapter to convert it

I don't think that adapter convert anything. It should just connect pins and that's it