xDuoo TA-20 Plus combines Tubes and Class-A with success

xDuoo TA-20 Plus headphone amp goes for $499 and this is my review. Read my written reviews with scores at iiwireviews.com/
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Buy on Apos: shorturl.at/moMV2
00:00 About TA-20 Plus
03:58 Sound
08:50 vs Topping L70
11:27 vs Topping A90D
14:37 Conclusion
Follow me on Instagram for behind the scene stuff: / iiwireviews
Test system:
Eversolo DMP-A6: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DEh...
Gustard R26 DAC: bit.ly/3XLyNCF
Acoustic Invader AMP and PREAMP (Fulcrum version): acousticinvader.com/
Spirit Wind Speakers: • High End 2-way speaker...
KEF LS50 speakers: amzn.to/2ztRg0s
Head-Fi:
Topping A90D: bit.ly/3Mrk0KY
Verum 1: www.verum-audio.com/store
Goldplanar GL2000: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DkW...
AKG K702: amzn.to/3TSlnUF
#hifi #audiophile #amplfier #headphones #stereo

[@cheeky1664]

"yeah, I used musical - Sue me" 😂😂😂 Love it! As always, a pleasure to watch you work. Your passion for music shines through 👍😁👍

[@carminedesanto6746]

GM ☕️ I’m still rocking the Xduoo 604 …so I’m good …but this looks “more grown up” . Great review.

[@sloboat55]

Excellent vid. Cool runnings

[@iiWiReviews]

Thanks 👍

[@manonich]

It's always a pleasure listening to your reviews. They are insightful and passionate at the same time. I would have loved a comparison with Aune S17 pro since it has a tube like sound in some instances. Have a great day :)

[@iiWiReviews]

That will be done when I review Apos Ray Tubes.

[@alexanderignatyev8175]

Hi! I couldn't wait and recently ordered it from Ali for $439, looking forward to listening to it! According to the review I have made the right choice.

[@pickcick1580]

Another great review. Have been waiting for this. If just based on the sound wise, how does it compare to the TA-22? Really interesting if you could add it up in the next video. Thanks and cheers.

[@chengo51]

If your tubes are new, wait until they get around 100Hrs then re-review this amp !

[@hunteer963]

Interesting, I am planning to get this one.

[@williammoningka8080]

Hi there, i’m bery thankful for the reviews, your reviews are always amazing, i’m wondering how this stands against their own ta-22 if you use it as a stand alone amp?

[@Revan83]

Thanx for the review! I hope we'll see a comparison between this one and Aune S17 Pro. It should be glorious battle))

[@iiWiReviews]

Coming soon

[@cristis2023]

thanks for the upcoming review @@iiWiReviews , can you also make a brief comparison with the older version of the same company the TA 20 ?, thanks' in advance

[@datdudeinred]

Thanks for that tube guard. My cat would love to sit on this as this is both beautiful & warm. She never sat on any of amp/dacs as they are not as beautiful as my pc which is beautiful & exhausts hot air outaa it's top 🤣 Is this warmer sounding than shanling stuff you tried? I never tried any tube amps yet (apart from brief auditions). But love shanling warm sound. So would love a comparison of shanling solid state vs this tube.

[@peterlenhardt5525]

Danke!

[@iiWiReviews]

Thanks! 👍

[@NeilBlanchard]

I own several xDuoo headphone amps - the MT-601, MT-602, and MT-604. I like the sound quality they have - I am running them on linear power supplies, and with upgraded tubes. The issue that I have with all of the them - is oxidization noise on the volume pots. Edit - your friend's pronunciation of "matte" is correct. It is the same as "mat". What are the stock tubes on this TA-20 Plus?

[@charlesurias]

What linear supply do you use for the 604?

[@ancientalien815]

A comparison between this and the A70 pro would have been cool!

[@iiWiReviews]

OMG it's stuck somewhere in a pile of boxes and I completely forgot I have it. 😖 That would be very close since A70 pro has slightly more resolution than L70 and less than A90D... It's also on a warmer side tonally.

[@tubefreeeasy]

I love how xDuoo uses 12au7 which offers the most variety with tubes in general. I own the TA22 and TA30. Great for my desktop system.

[@tubefreeeasy]

My tubes for both amps are Shuguang Black Treasures (4) and Sophia Aqua 5u4g (1).

[@soulfulfool]

@@tubefreeeasy but why 2 xduoo instead of one higher quality tube amp?

[@tubefreeeasy]

@@soulfulfool I feel, my TA22 is changing my iPhones Bluetooth signal from my tubed processed DAC to another tubed amp (TA30). The TA22 DAC uses two ESS DAC chipsets. One per tube for procession. The TA30 uses a blue colored rectifier tube and has a single ESS 9038. That tube offered a musically balanced signature for my preamp. I feel, I need a separate xDuoo tubed dac and tubed preamp so the processed tube signal (TA22) will receive more tubed sound treatment (TA30). These are two high quality amps that sound as good as the tubes you use on your unit. Then, my powered Kanto Tuks and my RSL 10” does its magic from my desktop system.

[@tubefreeeasy]

I’m trying to get a tube signal even more tubed.

[@soulfulfool]

@@tubefreeeasy I remember times when I tubed THX AAA 887 it was fantastic

[@Ali_Shafai]

Excellent review, as always. Thank you! What do you think about pairing this amp with Chord MScaler and Hugo TT2? My headphone is Audeze LCD 5.

[@zzezzobike]

hi,this is low class amp get yourself ifi xdsd pro also tubes it matches overall system budget

[@Ali_Shafai]

@@zzezzobike Thank you very much.

[@NickArcade]

Great job using the font from Halo 3 in the thumbnail

[@eccentric363]

Could this be used as a low powered preamp for powered speakers?

[@jungtarcph]

I wish it was a preamp for stereo or class A Amp

[@bluemuffin6160]

Does this work well with iems?

[@bluemuffin6160]

This one vs xduoo ta66?

[@yasucm]

What is your recommendation to amplify the moondrop Venus?

[@iiWiReviews]

This amp is one of the options, and a very good one too. It has the power and its bassy and warm sound would complement Venus well.

[@siamxiii]

Hi, how does it compare to TA-26?

[@brano5006]

⏩ 15:02 ▶️ 16:13 ⏹️

[@johncallaghan3097]

Using the RCA outs, can one use this as a pre-amp?

[@doanhuan151192]

i dont no

[@pdcragin33]

No. The outputs are pass-through, not tube-processed nor volume-controlled.

[@johncallaghan3097]

Thanks for replying -- this means it wouldn't suit me.

[@doanhuan151192]

Does it work well with speakers as a preamplifier? Thank you

[@charlesurias]

Z Reviews has a video that mentions this. He claims that it doesn’t impart much tube sound as a preamp.

[@pdcragin33]

My understanding is that the TA 20+ is NOT a preamp in that it’s RCA outputs are relaying an unprocessed, not volume-controlled input signal. So no “tube effect” and you’ll need volume control either upstream or downstream of this TA.

[@shawnpwatsons1]

So how do you like this compared to the AUNE S17Pro?

[@iiWiReviews]

If headphones are good enough to show it, S17 Pro is richer and bigger sounding, with better detail retrieval.

[@thanawitsagulthang6471]

Yes it is "matt"

[@mikereyes1660]

Nice review. How do spell your name?😊

[@ChaddicusRex]

He talks about his name at the end of this video -- I actually found it interesting!: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaPCdI2Dpq9-b8Usi=_lfeSFw0h8_dTxh9

[@amb3cog]

It shows at the beginning of the video. ✌️

[@toxotis70]

Can you suggest a dac for this tube amp?

[@iiWiReviews]

SMSL SU-9 Ultra would go really nice with it. If you're on a budget then take a look at my SMSL D6s review just published a few hours ago.

[@siamxiii]

@@iiWiReviewsUsing it with SMSL D1SE (ESS9038PRO based). It’s a really good match.

[@nicktan4530]

It does not sounds warm. Its sounds neutral. Very solid state like.

[@tubefreeeasy]

I’m hoping, you use pure silver cables and silver or Puritan power distributor. Also high end filtering. Please try a xDuoo TA20 Plus along with the TA22. I’m sure you’ll experience pure tubular immersion. A good subwoofer helps. With the best tubes, who knows how much better this sounds over anything in hifi?

[@WorldView22]

Reviewing a tube amp with stock tubes is not very informative; it's almost universally true that the sound is significantly inferior. Your tube rolling review addition is definitely necessary to be part of a single review even if it takes longer. Best regards

[@michaelwright1602]

No speaker outputs!

[@amb3cog]

Why would there be? It's a headphone amp. Not a speaker amp.

[@michaelwright1602]

@@amb3cogMany headphone amps today have speaker outputs.

[@amb3cog]

@@michaelwright1602 None.

[@amb3cog]

@@michaelwright1602 Show me 1.

[@amb3cog]

@@michaelwright1602 actually I can think of two tube units that have them. And they're both about 1 watt. So basically useless for the majority of speakers and rooms.

[@dangerzone007]

Tubes seems to be adding stuff to the sound. A good recording shouldn't need anything added.

[@maols43]

Think of it more as unpacking and presenting the sound, rather than adding stuff to the sound.

[@soulfulfool]

Good recording is well mastered and that alone state that things have to be added to raw recording, microphones are not human ears

[@yarbles66]

So confused. This or ta26s for my Sennheiser HD800? I only really want it for that sole purpose. Thank you

[@iiWiReviews]

This one is better in my opinion.

[@yarbles66]

@@iiWiReviews many thanks

[@siamxiii]

@@iiWiReviewsDefinitely. I have OG TA-26 with upgraded tubes. It’s nice sounding amp for jazz or acoustic music, but slow for faster and heavier music. TA-20 Plus is just what i wanted from amp.