Quick Take: xDuoo TA-22 DAC/Tube Amp Review - all in one-der?

xDuoo packs a lot of capability and fun into this versatile headphone amp, DAC, preamp combo. And don't forget about Bluetooth :)
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[@danieleturrin5625]

As someone else said here in the comments, balanced output sounds quieter than the single ended one. I tried two units and both of them had this "issue". To me it's not balanced with 3W of power on 32 ohm as they claim. Have you ever tried to compare the headphone outs? Edit: I also have an Aune S6 DAC/amp, which delivers about 1.5W on 32 ohms on the balanced out and another proof of what I say upwords is that they have the same loudness when I put both volumes to the same value.

[@pk.002]

I have the TA-22 and interestingly I didn't experience the same fatigue with the dac. I'm coming from a Zen dac/can stack which use a Burr Brown chip also, and while the dac itself sounds more clinical in my tests without tube preamp, with both a pair of matched RCA clear tops and Electro Harmonix tubes I've tested, it remedied that immediately and it sounds warm, inviting, and musical with a massive 3D-like soundstage. They power my Moondrop Venus, Para, and HD 600/650's wonderfully and it's an investment I'm very happy to have made. I second your recommendation, and also suggest swapping the stock tubes asap. Electro Harmonix so far are my favorite, but I'll try rolling other tubes down the road.

[@SineCraftAudio]

Thanks for sharing your feedback and experiences!

[@danieleturrin5625]

How does electro harmonics sounds against clear tops? Looking for those tubes too.

[@pk.002]

@@danieleturrin5625Electro Harmonix sound richer and warm, whereas the clear tops sound more clinical and analytical with nice soundstage, almost like a full on solid state. I'm running cryotreated Genalex Gold Lions and those are my favorite. They sound like a better version of the clear tops with some warmth.

[@diabolicalangle]

Did you find the balanced output to be equal or lesser in volume compared to the single end? Have heard people say that it doesn't seem to have a true balanced output as it claims

[@SineCraftAudio]

Per the specs, the balanced headphone out offers 2x the output power. I mostly spent time listening via the XLR out as I thought it sounded a little better. The amp's topology is balanced throughout (not required to have balanced outputs). There tends to be a lot of confusion around what "balanced" means. There's balanced interconnects, balanced circuit designs, and balanced headphone outputs.

[@diabolicalangle]

@@SineCraftAudio sorry should have specified the balanced xlr headphone out vs the single end - yeah the discrepancy with the specs to some people's experience (claimed on the internet) was what was concerning to me

[@Coffeeandacigarette]

What dacs did you use to feed this? I'm coming from a zen dac / can stack powering a pair of he1000 v2 stealth. I snagged a matched pair of tung-sol tubes as well, for s's and g's.

[@SineCraftAudio]

I had three DACs (beyond the one internal to the unit to test with). The SMSL M300, Chord Mojo, and my reference the Mojo Mystique X. I preferred all of them to the internal DACs presentation, but that is likely a matter of taste.

[@Coffeeandacigarette]

Thank you for your response!​@@SineCraftAudio