Xduoo X2S DAP and IEM hiss concerns, battery life

[carpman]

I'm looking for a cheap and lightweight DAP (~ 50g or less) which I don't have to worry about for minimal use on long (1, 2, 3 week) treks. Use = ~ 1200 FLACs, no searching, just shuffle / random play all songs.

The Xduoo X2S seems to fit the bill and it seems a number of annoying issues have been fixed in firmware. But something that seems to come up in some of the reviews is that when used with IEMs </= 32ohms there is some audible hiss / noise. Are there any users of this DAP who use it with IEMS and is this really an issue?

Possible IEMs to use with this are: 7hz Zero 2 or Tanchjim One (neither seem to be overly sensitive? - don't really know what I'm talking about though).

Also, if anyone can comment on the actual battery life when used with IEMs that would also be very useful (I've heard reports of well over 10 hours).

Any help much appreciated.

C.

 

[carpman]

I did a bit more research and seem to be on the way to answering my own questions. But I'm confused about the sensitivity element. The specs I get for these two IEMs are as follows:

7Hz X Crinacle: Zero 2
-----------------------
Sensitivity = 108dB/V @ 1kHz
Impedance: 32 Ohms

Tanchjim One
-----------------------
Sensitivity = 126 dB/Vrms @ 1kHz
Impedance: 16 Ohms 1kHz

From what I understand (if these specs are like for like and accurate) that should mean the Tanchjim One is quite a bit more sensitive than the 7Hz Zero 2s. But Amir's chart seems to suggest the opposite ...

Clearly, either those stated specs are wrong or I'm completely misunderstanding this sensitivity thing.

I went ahead and purchased the Xduoo X2S and so I'll see if the hiss is a big deal. It seems you can counter it with something like the iFi Ear Buddy.
From what I can gather the X2S offers 1200mW output power with a 32ohm load and some guy on Head-Fi said: "very low output impedance (my measurements show a value around 0.5Ω)".

So, I'll give it a go and see if my budget IEMs have a hissy fit.

C.

 

[Chr1]

I have been using the Xduoo X2S for several years and would highly recommend it. No hiss that I have encountered. Currently using Crinacle Zero Reds. Great battery life (10+ hours easy), heaps of power and good basic EQ options. The battery is also easily replaceable too.

 

[Jimbob54]

I did a bit more research and seem to be on the way to answering my own questions. But I'm confused about the sensitivity element. The specs I get for these two IEMs are as follows:

7Hz X Crinacle: Zero 2
-----------------------
Sensitivity = 108dB/V @ 1kHz
Impedance: 32 Ohms

Tanchjim One
-----------------------
Sensitivity = 126 dB/Vrms @ 1kHz
Impedance: 16 Ohms 1kHz

From what I understand (if these specs are like for like and accurate) that should mean the Tanchjim One is quite a bit more sensitive than the 7Hz Zero 2s. But Amir's chart seems to suggest the opposite ...

View attachment 348196

Clearly, either those stated specs are wrong or I'm completely misunderstanding this sensitivity thing.

I went ahead and purchased the Xduoo X2S and so I'll see if the hiss is a big deal. It seems you can counter it with something like the iFi Ear Buddy.
From what I can gather the X2S offers 1200mW output power with a 32ohm load and some guy on Head-Fi said: "very low output impedance (my measurements show a value around 0.5Ω)".

So, I'll give it a go and see if my budget IEMs have a hissy fit.

C.

Best test , with iem in and no content playing , raise the volume knob to the level you would comfortably play content at . Hear hiss? Raise volume dial until you do hear it .

If you get noise / hiss near your normal playback level , maybe not the best DAP for you .if you don't , you're golden .

Neither of those iem is particularly sensitive and his measurements suggest the published specs are incorrect . If the above test shows you are hiss free , the only issue might be if you ever wanted something like 64 audio or campfire Andromeda .

 

[carpman]

Great battery life (10+ hours easy), heaps of power and good basic EQ options. The battery is also easily replaceable too.

Thanks for battery life info. And glad you mentioned the replacement factor, I tried searching for replacement batteries, but couldn't find any for the X2S, only the X2. Any idea what battery it uses (I know it's a 800 mah - but not sure what kind). Do you know where you can get replacements or what the battery name / code is?

C,

 

[carpman]

Best test , with iem in and no content playing , raise the volume knob to the level you would comfortably play content at . Hear hiss? Raise volume dial until you do hear it .

Yes, that's what I'll do when it arrives. Thanks for the info on their specs -- I'm sure you're right (Amir vs manufacturer stated specs is probably no contest).

C.

 

[Jimbob54]

Yes, that's what I'll do when it arrives. Thanks for the info on their specs -- I'm sure you're right (Amir vs manufacturer stated specs is probably no contest).

C.

Sorry, I misunderstood "purchased" to mean "had in my possession". As you were . Hope it works as you want.

 

[carpman]

I noticed using the Zero 2 IEMs on my Fiio that in terms of listening volume (which goes from 0 to 60), switching from my Koss KSC-75s with Parts Express headband, I had to drop the volume from 41 to 39 for the Zero 2s). The KSC-75s (on ear, open backed) are:

Sensitivity at voltage: ~114.00 dB/V SPL (stated Sensitivity at power:101 dB/mW)
Impedance: 60 Ohms.

The Koss KSC-75s are not very sensitive - so it seems to back up what's been said and measured regarding the sensitivity of the two IEMs mentioned and measured by Amir.

C.

 

[carpman]

Sorry, I misunderstood "purchased" to mean "had in my possession". As you were . Hope it works as you want.

No -- it's on its way. I'll update with my findings.

 

[Chr1]

Thanks for battery life info. And glad you mentioned the replacement factor, I tried searching for replacement batteries, but couldn't find any for the X2S, only the X2. Any idea what battery it uses (I know it's a 800 mah - but not sure what kind). Do you know where you can get replacements or what the battery name / code is?

C,

I am away from home at the moment but will look tomorrow as I have bought a spare already. Will get back to you tomorrow with the code...

 

[carpman]

@Chr1 -- many thanks !

C.

 

[Chr1]

Can't see a code but here is a photo. Got it on Ebay...

 

[carpman]

Thanks. Looks like this one ...

Makerfocus 820mAh 1S 3.7V 653042 Lithium Polymer Battery Lipo Battery with JST 2.0A Connector(Pack of 2)

820mAh 1S 3.7V 653042 Lithium Polymer Battery Lipo Battery with JST 2.0A Connector(Pack of 2) Specification:Basic Information:Rated Capacity: 820mAhRated Voltage: 3.7 VStorage Temperature: -20~+25°CStandard Charging Current: 0.2C (740mA)Maximum Charging Voltage: 4.200±0.020VStandard Discharge...

www.makerfocus.com

42mm x 30mm -- seems to match in terms of dimensions.

Pretty sure that's it.
Looks like the model is "653042" and the connection is "JST 2.0A".

Much appreciated !!

Cheers,
C.

 

[Chr1]

No worries. One thing worth mentioning and the only fault of the X2S that I can think of is that you should be aware that the only way to see the charge level of the battery is to unplug it. When charging the charging animation doesn't actually indicate the charge level. Only that it is charging. You actually need to unplug it to see the level. Only a small gripe but from what I can gather, for optimum battery life, it is best not to leave this type of battery charging longer than is necessary.
Also, worth checking you have the latest firmware.

 

[carpman]

Yes, I've downloaded the latest firmware already -- in case it has the old library scanning issue.

Polarity might be an issue, but this may be a match battery wise:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/EEMB-653042-Rechargeable-Connector-Certified/dp/B082152887/

Same model number: LP 653042 - but strangely dimensions are out by a couple of mm -- might just be measuring ... not sure.

Thanks again for all the tips and help.

C.

 

[carpman]

What a strange little device. I'll run through my mini saga quickly and then I have a question (for those that don't like stories, jump to the question in bold below):

Parcel arrived in excellent condition, no courier maltreatment. Unpacked and X2S was completely dead (read about this and read manual).
Charged it for one hour, still dead. Did the 10 second reset button. Still dead. Charged if for another 2 hours, still dead. Then for a total of 4.5 hours, dead. Then did 10 second reset again. Left it -- it decided to come alive. There is no sense that any power is reaching the device, I had to test the cable with another device to see if any power was actually getting through. Anyway ...

Updated the firmware to 1.51 (using a smaller 16GB SD card), as apparently, firmware can only be updated with a FAT32 formatted card. The card with my music for this player is a brand new Samsung 128GB Evo Plus microSD and was formatted using NTFS (since I read that is can handle all 3 formats, but only one for firmware updates).

After firmware successfully updated, powered off (long hold), put in the Samsung 128 SD --- "Card Error" and player froze. No buttons worked, couldn't power off. Tried a 10 second reset. Didn't seem to work. Then it did seem to work. Took out card and reformatted to EXFAT via PC, added music via PC, put card in X2S -- didn't recognise any music.

Decided to let the X2S do the formatting itself (it must use EXFAT as FAT32 only goes to 32GB, I think). Then because the X2S seemed to have numerous weirdnesses, I decided it was safer to transfer files via the USB Cable with the PC seeing the X2S as external storage. That was slow but worked fine.

X2S then updated its library and all good. Set the player to play in shuffle mode. And we're off to the races - time to actually listen to music.

With DAPs I have around 1300 select FLAC files in 3 directories: Classical, Jazz, Pop (Pop = anything that isn't Classical or Jazz). So, we have 1300 FLACs in 3 folders ("Pop" being the largest).

--- onto the only major issue remaining ---

Here's what's strange. The time it takes the Xduoo X2S to select the next song in shuffle mode varies between around a couple of seconds to 50 seconds !!!! (yes, I measured it). I think one of the times might have been even longer - that's when and why I started measuring.

QUESTION: I know the X2S is not the fasted at reading SD cards, but I'm guessing the issue is that it's not expecting a large volume of tracks per folder. So it's jumping to a folder randomly then scanning all the tracks in the folder before deciding which to pick randomly in its shuffle mode?

I can't think of any other reason. The card is fine, the tracks are fine (they are identical to what's on my other Fiio player). The tracks play fine on the Xduoo. The ONLY issue is the time it takes to select the next track. After that, it's really good.

I really like the player (despite its quirks) - solid build and tested that it charges fine from my range of charging power packs. Sound is excellent (I can make out a little noise between tracks on IEMs, but nothing to really care about. But of course if you're waiting for a minute for the next track to play, it does give you more time to focus on the lack of pure silence between tracks.

None of the tracks by the way are odd or have long gaps after them. They are all 16bit, 44.1 kHz FLACs (ripped and encoded by foobar2000 - and they all play normally on all other devices).

Any help much appreciated.

C.

 

[Chr1]

Think that the problem might be your card formatting. I think that mine are Fat32. No problem with formatting 128GB cards AFAIK. Saying that it seems odd that you are having issues after formatting in the X2S itself.

The initial card scanning is definitely quite slow with the X2S, but haven't had the delays you describe between tracks myself. Might be worth retrying with the card formatted as Fat32.

 

[carpman]

Yes, there were no issues when the X2S formatted the card itself. Basically, everything works except this delay between tracks.

FAT32 is only supported by SD/uSD cards with capacity less than 32GB

What is the difference between FAT32 and exFAT? Which format should I format my memory card to? - Transcend Information, Inc.

FAT32 has better compatibility. If you are not sure whether your device supports exFAT, we recommend formatting the memory card to FAT32. Keep in mind, however, that FAT32 is only supported by SD/uSD cards with capacity less than 32GB, and it does not support storing or transmitting any single...

www.transcend-info.com

So if you go above 32GB you have to use exFAT. I'm guessing that's how the player formatted the card.

They state they support 128 GB cards. They also state they support all 3 formats, but only FAT32 for updating firmware. Can't find the source but it was on the Xduoo site / manuals.

C.

 

[carpman]

The initial card scanning is definitely quite slow with the X2S, but haven't had the delays you describe between tracks myself. Might be worth retrying with the card formatted as Fat32.

May I ask, what structure you have your files on X2S. What is (approx) the maximum number of files you have in any directory?

Thanks,

C.

 

[Chr1]

Will check when I get back in a couple of hours. Pretty sure they are Fat32. My feeling is that it may be the fact that you have a large amount of files in only a few folders. I use 128GB cards, but they are filled with albums, so there are many folders as each album is in it's own folder.