Measurements of Xduoo XD-05PLUS Portable DAC&Amp

[WolfX-700]

A few days ago, @bys13 contacted me and said he wanted to send me Xduoo XD-05PLUS Portable DAC & Amp to me for measurement.

I certainly will not refuse such kindness. Thank you @bys13 for the measuring toy!

And then? Look at things first!

Obviously this is a compact unit (140 * 75 * 23mm). The surface feel of the product is very good. The frosted particles of the aluminum alloy are quite delicate. Although it lacks the touch of high-end products, considering the price of about $ 260, I Still very satisfied.

The switches and knobs have a "should" damping feeling, and the feel of pressing or turning / twisting is good, and there is no loose feeling.There is no problem with the feedback sound when the side button is pressed.

So if you really want to talk about vision and feel, the headphone jack may be one of the few aspects: I assure you that this 6.35mm headphone jack looks a little cheaper, and there is a slight deviation in concentricity (I May be a bit picky).

And then speaking of the overall shortcomings, the "fast charge" that takes more than four hours to be full is a bit of a joke in this era (God, it has 11 hours to fill the "slow charge" mode).

Okay, it's time to stop my nonsense. Let's measure it!

Part I: DAC

I use USB input and 3.5mm line output on the back of the product.

It ’s actually pretty good, right? (I don't have enough concept for this kind of product)


Part II: Headphone Amplifier

I used a 50R resistor as the load for the measurement

Limited by the performance of the potentiometer, this machine has obvious imbalance between channels.Fortunately, it has three-level gain control, which alleviates this to some extent (making the most unbalanced places can be skipped)

Near the output limit, low-frequency distortion can easily become a disaster


Multitone measurement is done at 50R / 700mw：

Headphone output impedance:

 

[renaudrenaud]

Thanks!

 

[WondrousHippo]

Thanks for measuring this!

 

[bys13]

Near the output limit, low-frequency distortion

Can I ignore this low-frequency distortion defect by not using high volume?
BTW, thank you very much for your kindness and dedication!

 

[WolfX-700]

Can I ignore this low-frequency distortion defect by not using high volume?
BTW, thank you very much for your kindness and dedication!

Yes you can

 

[NTomokawa]

A "portable" device with a 1/4" jack? Interesting choice. Using a 1/8" (3.5mm) jack would at least make it a whole lot thinner.

Thanks for the measurements.

 

[Tks]

A "portable" device with a 1/4" jack? Interesting choice. Using a 1/8" (3.5mm) jack would at least make it a whole lot thinner.

Thanks for the measurements.

Interesting oddity to say the least

 

[Quomz]

Thank you for measurering this. I am new to audio, but the results seem to say that this is somewhat powerful, but not very clean if I read the numbers right. I had hoped this would be a good all-around desktop / portable solution to start with.

 

[velasfloyd]

can someone help with some conclusions please

 

[Nango]

can someone help with some conclusions please

Strange "review", isn't it?

 

[Jimbob54]

Strange "review", isn't it?

I'd say, does its job but with limitations. Not a substitute for a good desktop DAC/ Amp. Portable in the "pack in your bag" sense, not "put in your pocket.

Anyone know how this compares size- wise against, say, the Topping DX3 pro? Although that needs powering. If you are taking 'phones with you that are comparatively easy to drive , wouldnt you just be better off with one of the better dongle DACs?

 

[Vduc]

A few days ago, @bys13 contacted me and said he wanted to send me Xduoo XD-05PLUS Portable DAC & Amp to me for measurement.

I certainly will not refuse such kindness. Thank you @bys13 for the measuring toy!

And then? Look at things first!

View attachment 43449

View attachment 43450

Obviously this is a compact unit (140 * 75 * 23mm). The surface feel of the product is very good. The frosted particles of the aluminum alloy are quite delicate. Although it lacks the touch of high-end products, considering the price of about $ 260, I Still very satisfied.

The switches and knobs have a "should" damping feeling, and the feel of pressing or turning / twisting is good, and there is no loose feeling.There is no problem with the feedback sound when the side button is pressed.

So if you really want to talk about vision and feel, the headphone jack may be one of the few aspects: I assure you that this 6.35mm headphone jack looks a little cheaper, and there is a slight deviation in concentricity (I May be a bit picky).

And then speaking of the overall shortcomings, the "fast charge" that takes more than four hours to be full is a bit of a joke in this era (God, it has 11 hours to fill the "slow charge" mode).

Okay, it's time to stop my nonsense. Let's measure it!

Part I: DAC

I use USB input and 3.5mm line output on the back of the product.

View attachment 43452

View attachment 43453

View attachment 43454

View attachment 43455

View attachment 43456

View attachment 43457
It ’s actually pretty good, right? (I don't have enough concept for this kind of product)


Part II: Headphone Amplifier

I used a 50R resistor as the load for the measurement

View attachment 43458

View attachment 43459


Limited by the performance of the potentiometer, this machine has obvious imbalance between channels.Fortunately, it has three-level gain control, which alleviates this to some extent (making the most unbalanced places can be skipped)


View attachment 43460

View attachment 43461

View attachment 43462
Near the output limit, low-frequency distortion can easily become a disaster


Multitone measurement is done at 50R / 700mw：
View attachment 43463

Headphone output impedance:
View attachment 43464

Thank you, but i'm a newbie, i want to know, output power xduoo 05 plus at 300 ohm, thanks.

 

[MalinYamato]

I'd say, does its job but with limitations. Not a substitute for a good desktop DAC/ Amp. Portable in the "pack in your bag" sense, not "put in your pocket.

Anyone know how this compares size- wise against, say, the Topping DX3 pro? Although that needs powering. If you are taking 'phones with you that are comparatively easy to drive , wouldnt you just be better off with one of the better dongle DACs?

as you, I am looking for a smaller and lighter alternative to XD-05PLUS because it is something you dont want to keep in your pocket and is unlikely a dac/amp you tend to bring with you on-the-go, so it will basically tend to stay as a desktop amp and as such should be compared to as you indicate with DX3 pro. For now I am keeping my Oppo HA-2SE as my on the go and instead invest in a better desktop solution than XD-05PLUS.

 

[Audiofool1Q84]

Thank you, but i'm a newbie, i want to know, output power xduoo 05 plus at 300 ohm, thanks.

+1 to that. There seems to be very little documentation on this that I've been able to find so far. Considering the plus vs the Vali2 which has a claimed output of 270mW pc for my HD650. Any insights would be most helpful!

 

[tifune]

+1 to that. There seems to be very little documentation on this that I've been able to find so far. Considering the plus vs the Vali2 which has a claimed output of 270mW pc for my HD650. Any insights would be most helpful!

Thank you, but i'm a newbie, i want to know, output power xduoo 05 plus at 300 ohm, thanks.

Serendipitous for me that this old thread was revived after so long. I've been searching for something portable that can do 500mW at 32ohm so looking at iFI and Xduoo.

Max 300ohm output seems to be 54mW, unless there's another Super Extreme Max Mode beyond that:

xDuoo XD-05 Plus Hi Boost Off - Test report a newbie-dummies Reference Audio Analyzer

Simplified report specifications for XD-05 Plus. Simple words with explanations. Recommendations for xDuoo XD-05 Plus

reference-audio-analyzer.pro

Strangely, xduoo seems to rate their equipment at 10% THD:

Measurements & Review of xDuoo XD-05 BAL DAC/AMP - L7Audiolab

便携设备 记得是3月1号某群里有一位网友 @暴鱼 说想买xDuoo XD-05 BAL,因为之前我测过XD-05 Plus,同时乂度还转发了我的测量。因此我刚好有问乂度申请05BAL的测试机。所以我说可以等我测了再看买不买。但……05BAL比较缺货，而网友又一直催一直催……

www.l7audiolab.com

 

[Audiofool1Q84]

Thanks @tifune
54mW seems to be in the right ballpark. My xduoo retailer told me 70mW. But that just seems an awfully low amount of power for the HD650 yet the internet is abound with examples of folks saying it drives them well - I thought the 650 was a power hungry can. What gives..?

 

[tifune]

Thanks @tifune
54mW seems to be in the right ballpark. My xduoo retailer told me 70mW. But that just seems an awfully low amount of power for the HD650 yet the internet is abound with examples of folks saying it drives them well - I thought the 650 was a power hungry can. What gives..?

70mW at 10% THD seems about right; it's annoying they aren't exactly up-front about that. I don't really understand power, resistance, etc. enough to answer your Q in detail but I can tell you, to my ears, the E1da 9038S can drive the HD650 to painful levels and it only does 34.6 mW at 300ohm. So, the XD05 should be fine if it has the features/price you're looking for.

I don't know that I would personally compare against the Vali2 because that's not portable, but I don't know the specifics of your situation. If you're OK with something that needs to be plugged into the wall 100% of the time, Topping and SMSL are usually a better price : performance value. As to whether it's an audible improvement is a different story; I do admit tubes offer a much better aesthetic value on pretty much any day of the week.

 

[Smithington]

I'm late to the thread and I own the original xduoo xd-05, having 500mw into 32ohm and the ak4490 chip in.

I use it to drive a dt770 pro, 80ohm using usb OTG from my android smartphone. At medium gain, I usually listen at 11-12 o clock on the pot. Off is closer to 8 o' clock and channel imbalance isn't an issue for me as it's long gone at my volumes.

As per assertions above, it's definitely only portable in the sense that it's great for taking away from home. The 1/4 inch jack is actually good for me. It feels much more solid, but at the expense of size. It's way too big for a pocket and is actually prone to disconnect when used as a DAC in this manner. You have to remember though that you can roll opamps in these so you need that space for a burson, should you want to put one in.

It is (to me) clean though. It sounds great. If what people want is a DAC / amp they can readily relocate and drive a good range of cans with it's a really well priced offering. If you only plan on using at home, or want something that'll work in a pocket, I wouldn't recommend.

 

[860lacov]

It is in drop for 139 USD

I would like to have something for my Audeze lcd2c that I Can easily take with me.

Will this unit be a good pair for those HP?

I'm thinking about fiio btr7 too.

 

[Blorg]

Max 300ohm output seems to be 54mW, unless there's another Super Extreme Max Mode beyond that:

High gain, high boost on (for high impedance) it does more:

• Power and voltage for 300 ohm : 210.52 mW/ / 18.0 dBV

xDuoo XD-05 Plus Hi Boost On - Test report a newbie-dummies Reference Audio Analyzer

Simplified report specifications for XD-05 Plus. Simple words with explanations. Recommendations for xDuoo XD-05 Plus

reference-audio-analyzer.pro