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xDuoo XD05 Bal's curious specs

Tortie

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Today ChiFi manufacturer, xDuoo Audio, launched a new portable combo unit, model number 'XD05 Bal'.

https://www.xduoo.net/product/xd05-bal/

xDuoo bills this device as fully balanced from input to output. It has a 4.4mm pentaconn headphone jack as well as 6.33mm SE. But take a look at the power output specs. Notice anything peculiar?

iMarkup_20210201_191244.jpg
 

raif71

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WOW, SE has similar power as balanced. Good, right?
 
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Tortie

Tortie

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Another discrepancy in the specs is the stated THD-N figures. Balanced output always introduces more noise but here Xduoo lists a higher figure for the single-ended output. What in the world is going on?
 

raif71

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I don't think so. Balanced output should yield 85-99% more power than the SE output. This looks like phoney balanced output.
It's a matter of how you see it. It is one of those designs where the balanced and SE has similar power, if I would guess internally the balanced circuitry is routed to SE hence both SE and balanced having equal power but other specs such as thd/n is better, no?
 
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Tortie

Tortie

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It's a matter of how you see it. It is one of those designs where the balanced and SE has similar power, if I would guess internally the balanced circuitry is routed to SE hence both SE and balanced having equal power but other specs such as thd/n is better, no?

I'm not sure what they did. It may not be balanced at all in the analog section. If the 4.4mm jack was outputting a balanced signal there would be a higher THD-N figure listed in the specs. It's basic science. Hopefully someone with more technical knowledge of amplification circuits can weigh in and break things down. Been a while since I last read up on the details of how various balanced configurations work. But I know there were some configs from manufactures that were found to be illegitimate or pseudo-balanced that got taken to the woodshed by the audio enthusiast community. Frankly the internal shots of this new Xduoo product show a poorly designed amplification circuit with electrolytic crowded together. Are they in the signal path?! Are they even authentic Nichicon caps? The Chinese supply chain is contaminated with fake pirated clone parts.
 

Nango

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Frankly the internal shots of this new Xduoo product show a poorly designed amplification circuit with electrolytic crowded together. Are they in the signal path?! Are they even authentic Nichicon caps? The Chinese supply chain is contaminated with fake pirated clone parts.

Ohh my god, are you sure what you reporting there? I can't believe it, not from asian vendors, from western vendors might be, but from them??? Ohh, nooooo!!!

And it is no balanced circuitry inside where it says balanced outside??? Oh, nooooo, just bridged balanced from SE, unbelievable!!!!
 

mitro

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I've owned the XD-05 Bal for a couple months now and can say with 99% certainty that the SE and balanced output are not the same. After plugging in the interconnects of my hart audio cables into both jacks, I'd quickly bounce back and forth with the mini xlr and its plain as day that the balanced output is quite a bit louder (double power as expected?). I assume the SE is more like 500mw. Still false advertising either way, but they sure don't sound the same to me.

As far as I can tell no one has actually tested it.
 

admor

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Are there any chances for unit to be measured? It is so interesting device, many people would be grateful..
 
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