[Beepat]

@LoneFurrow which parts are needed to get the Xduoo running with the Sparkos SS2590s? I would like to give it a try.

 

[helloh3adfi]

The digital volume knob sometimes moves 2 steps forward. Anyone else experiencing this?

Many digital volume knobs move wrongly if you move them too fast. Take it slowly.

 

[gmalik]

Many digital volume knobs move wrongly if you move them too fast. Take it slowly.

If I turn the volume control slowly or quickly, doesn’t matter.

 

[Ben86]

@LoneFurrow which parts are needed to get the Xduoo running with the Sparkos SS2590s? I would like to give it a try.

You will need two pcs dip8 extensions:

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EwmZTG7

And one pcs mini pci-e adapter:

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EuKwT55

 

[Beepat]

Thank you @Ben86 for sharing the links!

 

[LoneFurrow]

I think the pci-e approach is the simplest way of installing larger opamps. Others here have posted more advanced solutions that require modifying the opamp board; my soldering skills are woeful so I've avoided that!

The pci-e card will stick up when installed so you need some sort of cover to hold it in place. I used a piece of 1mm carbon fibre board as I had some spare, but I know others have used a piece of credit-card thickness plastic. It took longer for me to get the cf cut and drilled correctly than planned. You need to be quite precise in positioning the holes and don't have much room on the right side - only about 1mm. The piece I cut measures 31.5mm wide x 19.5mm deep, with the holes 26.7mm apart.

 

[ChangTan]

There is a new pci-e extension card available in taobao that is specifically made for the XD05Pro which has the right size and shape so it can be fitted and screwed onto the unit.



https://m.tb.cn/h.gaKM1rZ4rA92DJj?tk=kbSRWJjNrMT

 

[Ben86]

There is a new pci-e extension card available in taobao that is specifically made for the XD05Pro which has the right size and shape so it can be fitted and screwed onto the unit.



https://m.tb.cn/h.gaKM1rZ4rA92DJj?tk=kbSRWJjNrMT

The problem is that TaoBao does not ship to EU :/

 

[ChangTan]

The problem is that TaoBao does not ship to EU :/

Does it not? A quick google search tells me that taobao does ships to EU. maybe the info is already outdated.
I know taobao definitely ships to Australia though. But I’m not sure whether they have English language in their website as I can read Chinese so I never find out the language options.

 

[LoneFurrow]

Does it not? A quick google search tells me that taobao does ships to EU. maybe the info is already outdated.
I know taobao definitely ships to Australia though. But I’m not sure whether they have English language in their website as I can read Chinese so I never find out the language options.

Thanks for sharing the link to the pci-e card - that's great. I'm in the UK so have the same issues with Taobao, plus I can't read Chinese. Google Translate helps to some extent, but it feels we're still a bit restricted in terms of access to some great options here in Europe.

 

[LoneFurrow]

I've been trying an alternative approach to opamp rolling with the XD05 PRO. I have a Little Bear B4-X amp that allows for opamp rolling, so have tried the Sonic Imagery Labs 994s in that unit. They work perfectly so I wonder if the output from the DAC stage in the XD05 is just too much for the 994s vs the SS2590s or SS3602s.

An even less portable solution:

 

[Ben86]

Does it not? A quick google search tells me that taobao does ships to EU. maybe the info is already outdated.
I know taobao definitely ships to Australia though. But I’m not sure whether they have English language in their website as I can read Chinese so I never find out the language options.

I tried to order different accessories for my XD05PRO from TaoBao and I just keep getting message that shipping is unavailable to my country in EU.

 

[Ferdinando1968]

I've been doing a little more testing with alternative opamps. I have a pair of Sonic Imagery Labs 994Enh-Ticha opamps, which are either faulty or don't get on at all well with the XD05. There's a lot of background noise compared to any other opamp I've tried so I've ruled those out. I've been using the ESS DAC, mostly in Eco or Normal mode - I see no reason for Turbo with my IEMs.

Comparing the SS2590s and SS3602s is proving interesting. If I could find a way of fitting the SS2590s inside, I would. Both the Sparkos opamps have a similar overall signature - accurate, technically excellent, marginally warmer than neutral. The 2590s feel fuller and more expansive, presenting a more holographic sound stage. I've tried Storm, Loki and TSMR X, all of which appear to respond similarly. If you can tolerate the impracticality of having exposed opamps, and can also tolerate the additional expense, they're worth checking out.

I'm considering trying the Burson V7 Classics and Muzg Audio JFET dual opamps, but I'm pretty sure they won't be an improvement on the SS2590s. Different, perhaps, but I doubt they'll be ostensibly "better" for my needs and tastes.

When I tried the SS2590, I also thought they sounded better than any other OP-AMP I'd tested,
and that's even though they're admittedly underpowered on the XD05.

Too bad for the inconvenience of the implementation, which undermines the portability of the DAC.

It's really a shame not to be able to use them all the time.

 

[LoneFurrow]

When I tried the SS2590, I also thought they sounded better than any other OP-AMP I'd tested,
and that's even though they're admittedly underpowered on the XD05.

Too bad for the inconvenience of the implementation, which undermines the portability of the DAC.

It's really a shame not to be able to use them all the time.

Unfortunately there are always compromises to be made, aren't there? The XD05 PRO with SS3602s is still, to my ears, a brilliant-sounding device. Trying different opamps is a fun experiment and one I'll continue when time permits, but I'm more than happy with the 3602s for transportable duties.

I'm intrigued by your comment about the 2590s seeming "underpowered". What do you mean, and how do you think that manifested itself? I'm very interested.

 

[Ferdinando1968]

I'm intrigued by your comment about the 2590s seeming "underpowered". What do you mean, and how do you think that manifested itself? I'm very interested.

I was writing underpowered because the datasheet reports that the OP-AMP require at least +/- 9V:

https://sparkoslabs.com/product/pro-discrete-op-amp-ss2590/


while the XD05 provides +/- 8 V (green circle):

At least this is what I understand by reading the block diagram.

There is almost always some tolerance in the values reported in the datasheets, so the circuit works, however, since the output stage is class A, underpowering it shifts the operating point, and this could lead to distortions when moving towards the operating limits.
However, I'm not an amp expert, so I could be wrong.