DeBilbao
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 20, 2003
- Posts
- 149
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- 185
Last week I was contacted by Steven Lau, marketing manager of Xtenik Audio, an online store located in China dedicated to the sale of audio products for personal use. In addition to selling many well known chinese brands, Xtenik also has a blog with interesting reviews.
Steven offered to send me one of his devices for testing, and asked for my written impressions in the forum. In exchange I would get the device for free. I've never had an experience of this kind, and told him that it will be ok as long as he would accept that my opinion would be honest, highlighting evenly the goods and the bads of the product.
Having clarified the terms of our relationship, Steven sent me from Shenzen an XDuoo XP-2, a portable amplifier and DAC that accept wired and wireless input signals, adding Bluetooth 5.0 support to the unit.
And it's in the Bluetooth connection where the XDuoo XP-2 shines. Wireless is being imposed for its convenience by freeing you from the wires, even for the audiophiles. I use my Apple AirPods everyday with my iPhone X, and my Bowers & Wilkins PX are always with me when I go on a trip and want a balanced mix of noise cancellation and sound quality while on a plane.
But my favorite headphones are still the Sennheiser HD-650 and this small XDuoo XP-2 allows me to use them freely without having to be next to the sound source. Here you can see it receiving the signal from the music library of my iPhone X, via Bluetooth 5.0 with a sound quality more than enough to enjoy the music, in this case the new edition of the I Trawl the Megahertz by Prefab Sprout.
The device is very well manufactured, encased in aluminium making it solid and light, although its dark color makes it prone to fingerprints. The volume control knob is precise and it's difficult to move it by mistake, something very important for a portable device that could end in your pocket.
The front of the unit has the volume knob and also two 3.5mm stereo jacks for headphone output and an auxiliary input / output.
To the left the gain selector (high and low) and the source selector that allows you to choose between the USB input, the Bluetooth input or the wired auxiliary input.
To know which one is selected it uses a color code with a LED diode that is too small making it difficult to see. This is one of the weak points of the design, because it is also very easy to change the input if you hold the device with your fingers where the selector is located.
The Bluetooth link works flawlessly and it is only necessary to select the input pressing the selector until we see the green light and after pressing the BT Link button the blue LED on the left starts blinking. Now you only have to go to our source (telephone, tablet, laptop or any other Bluetooth emitter), and the device will appear to link. Fast and without problems, very well resolved.
Here you can see it connected to my MacBook Pro. It's a 2015 model with Bluetooth 4.2 and doesn't support Bluetooth 5.0, but I can connect to the device using the aptX codec and the quality is remarkable. As a player I use Audirvana in its version 1.5, which is the one I like the most to squeeze my FLAC files to the maximum.
Audirvana indicates that the Bluetooth connection supports 44.1KHz, enough for my FLAC library from my 16bit y 44KHz CD collection.
On the back you'll get two microUSB ports, one for charging and another one to connect it to your computer in order to get better sound quality. Freedom of movement or best audio quality? You need to choose, but with this device it's easy and just a thumb press away with the selector.
Connected with the supplied USB to microUSB cable, Audirvana shows that it supports from 44.1KHz up to 192KHz stereo signals. No DSD support, but it's not a problem for me as most of the time I listen to 44.1KHz FLACs, although I'm getting used to TIDAL Masters, usually streamed at 24bit and 96KHz.
Bluetooth quality is good, but the difference with the wired connection is very important. Si if you want to get the most out of your headphones, it's much better. The good news is that it's available by simply plugging in or unplugging the cable and selecting the USB or Bluetooth source.
With a wired connection, it comes close to my iFi iDSD nano. The small XDuoo XP-2 has more than enough power to move my Sennheiser HD-650 with authority. With 245mW power @ 32 Ohm and with the gain in high mode, I'm a long way from the end of the volume know without any audible distortion.
The sound of the AKM AK4452 DAC is clean and detailed, maybe a tad cold for my taste, as I'm more into a full-bodied sound, like the combination at my desktop rig with the iFi iDSD nano as DAC and the Rega EAR MK II headphone amplifier.
I'm sure that most would like more the combination of the HD-650 with this XDuuo XP-2, as they become much more transparent and less dark. I've been using it all weekend and with good recordings it makes you enjoy it a lot.
With its small size and the versatility of the Bluetooth connection, it's a great alternative to your desktop, or even as a desktop option that you can easily move to the couch without having to rely on a computer.
The device comes very well protected in its box. Don't expect any premium package, it's just a bit more than the typical chinese box made with cardboard
It comes with everything you need, except a battery charger. It can be charged from the computer with the USB cable to microUSB, although it is better to use an external charger such as the one you use to charge your mobile phone.
It also includes some cables to connect it to an Android mobile directly with USB OTG. If you want to use it with a direct connection to an iPhone you will need the Apple adapter that converts from Lightning to USB.
A recommended purchase especially for the versatility of its wireless connection, which you can use to connect your favourite headphones and turn them wireless.
And if you already have a quality wireless headphones like the Bowers & Wilkins PX, you can get the most out of them by connecting it to the small XDuoo XP-2. Connected by Bluetooth to the iPhone they sound good, but connected by cable to iMac the set offers a very high quality sound.
I'm not a fan of in-ear, but I have a pair of Soundmagic E10c that I use from time to time and I've connected them to the XDuoo XP-2 in low gain mode without any hiss, something really nice as i's quite common that when you use an iem with an amplifier some background noise appears. In this case the background is completely silent.
You can buy the XDuoo XP-2 at XDuoo XP-2 Portable Bluetooth 5.0 Headphone Amplifier - Xtenik Audio for $110
Steven offered to send me one of his devices for testing, and asked for my written impressions in the forum. In exchange I would get the device for free. I've never had an experience of this kind, and told him that it will be ok as long as he would accept that my opinion would be honest, highlighting evenly the goods and the bads of the product.
Having clarified the terms of our relationship, Steven sent me from Shenzen an XDuoo XP-2, a portable amplifier and DAC that accept wired and wireless input signals, adding Bluetooth 5.0 support to the unit.
And it's in the Bluetooth connection where the XDuoo XP-2 shines. Wireless is being imposed for its convenience by freeing you from the wires, even for the audiophiles. I use my Apple AirPods everyday with my iPhone X, and my Bowers & Wilkins PX are always with me when I go on a trip and want a balanced mix of noise cancellation and sound quality while on a plane.
But my favorite headphones are still the Sennheiser HD-650 and this small XDuoo XP-2 allows me to use them freely without having to be next to the sound source. Here you can see it receiving the signal from the music library of my iPhone X, via Bluetooth 5.0 with a sound quality more than enough to enjoy the music, in this case the new edition of the I Trawl the Megahertz by Prefab Sprout.
The device is very well manufactured, encased in aluminium making it solid and light, although its dark color makes it prone to fingerprints. The volume control knob is precise and it's difficult to move it by mistake, something very important for a portable device that could end in your pocket.
The front of the unit has the volume knob and also two 3.5mm stereo jacks for headphone output and an auxiliary input / output.
To the left the gain selector (high and low) and the source selector that allows you to choose between the USB input, the Bluetooth input or the wired auxiliary input.
To know which one is selected it uses a color code with a LED diode that is too small making it difficult to see. This is one of the weak points of the design, because it is also very easy to change the input if you hold the device with your fingers where the selector is located.
The Bluetooth link works flawlessly and it is only necessary to select the input pressing the selector until we see the green light and after pressing the BT Link button the blue LED on the left starts blinking. Now you only have to go to our source (telephone, tablet, laptop or any other Bluetooth emitter), and the device will appear to link. Fast and without problems, very well resolved.
Here you can see it connected to my MacBook Pro. It's a 2015 model with Bluetooth 4.2 and doesn't support Bluetooth 5.0, but I can connect to the device using the aptX codec and the quality is remarkable. As a player I use Audirvana in its version 1.5, which is the one I like the most to squeeze my FLAC files to the maximum.
Audirvana indicates that the Bluetooth connection supports 44.1KHz, enough for my FLAC library from my 16bit y 44KHz CD collection.
On the back you'll get two microUSB ports, one for charging and another one to connect it to your computer in order to get better sound quality. Freedom of movement or best audio quality? You need to choose, but with this device it's easy and just a thumb press away with the selector.
Connected with the supplied USB to microUSB cable, Audirvana shows that it supports from 44.1KHz up to 192KHz stereo signals. No DSD support, but it's not a problem for me as most of the time I listen to 44.1KHz FLACs, although I'm getting used to TIDAL Masters, usually streamed at 24bit and 96KHz.
Bluetooth quality is good, but the difference with the wired connection is very important. Si if you want to get the most out of your headphones, it's much better. The good news is that it's available by simply plugging in or unplugging the cable and selecting the USB or Bluetooth source.
With a wired connection, it comes close to my iFi iDSD nano. The small XDuoo XP-2 has more than enough power to move my Sennheiser HD-650 with authority. With 245mW power @ 32 Ohm and with the gain in high mode, I'm a long way from the end of the volume know without any audible distortion.
The sound of the AKM AK4452 DAC is clean and detailed, maybe a tad cold for my taste, as I'm more into a full-bodied sound, like the combination at my desktop rig with the iFi iDSD nano as DAC and the Rega EAR MK II headphone amplifier.
I'm sure that most would like more the combination of the HD-650 with this XDuuo XP-2, as they become much more transparent and less dark. I've been using it all weekend and with good recordings it makes you enjoy it a lot.
With its small size and the versatility of the Bluetooth connection, it's a great alternative to your desktop, or even as a desktop option that you can easily move to the couch without having to rely on a computer.
The device comes very well protected in its box. Don't expect any premium package, it's just a bit more than the typical chinese box made with cardboard
It comes with everything you need, except a battery charger. It can be charged from the computer with the USB cable to microUSB, although it is better to use an external charger such as the one you use to charge your mobile phone.
It also includes some cables to connect it to an Android mobile directly with USB OTG. If you want to use it with a direct connection to an iPhone you will need the Apple adapter that converts from Lightning to USB.
A recommended purchase especially for the versatility of its wireless connection, which you can use to connect your favourite headphones and turn them wireless.
And if you already have a quality wireless headphones like the Bowers & Wilkins PX, you can get the most out of them by connecting it to the small XDuoo XP-2. Connected by Bluetooth to the iPhone they sound good, but connected by cable to iMac the set offers a very high quality sound.
I'm not a fan of in-ear, but I have a pair of Soundmagic E10c that I use from time to time and I've connected them to the XDuoo XP-2 in low gain mode without any hiss, something really nice as i's quite common that when you use an iem with an amplifier some background noise appears. In this case the background is completely silent.
You can buy the XDuoo XP-2 at XDuoo XP-2 Portable Bluetooth 5.0 Headphone Amplifier - Xtenik Audio for $110
