- Joined
- Dec 26, 2011
- Messages
- 850
- Reaction score
- 76
My xDuoo TA-01 DAC/Amp arrived today, and after swapping out the stock chinese tube with a Genalex Gold Lion I'm quite pleased; bass firmed up very well, highs become clearer, and the mids more detailed.
Sound-wise, it's pretty great at it's price. Its clarity is not as good as my GeekOut 1000... and much, much further away from my Yulong Sabre DA8. But then again, I paid USD299 for the GO1000 and USD1,199 for the DA8... Whereas the xDuoo TA-01 is got for USD146 [of AliExpress. MassDrop has them for USD129.99, but only being shipped in 21.Dec.15 and with only USA shipping]
I have a vintage Mullard 12AU7/ECC82 tubes en-route to me as well; eager to hear what they sound like, as well as how the sound shapes after a period of burn-in.
Build-wise, it's very sturdy. The volume pot is silent and precise; I was worried it may be scratchy and noisy considering it's price. It could do with a solid, heavier metal volume knob/dial instead of the plastic one it has, to give more weight to the movement.
Other than the said plastic volume knob/dial, its metal and all edges and smooth; no sharp edges or pointy bits.
Aesthetics-wise, it looks much more expensive than it actually is. The gold screws complement the matte-black en-casing. The silver metal piece encircling the tube and leading to to front as a stripe looks good, but feel that if it too was gold in color, along with t he power toggle-switch and all markings/writings on the face, it would become a real head-turner.
Even though markings/writings on the face are not engraved but painted on, it is very well done.
There are nicely patterned parallel lines on the top, as well as very well designed & cut arc cutouts near the tube on the top.
The sides and back have a few vent cutout slots, all black through & through; no metal/silver gaps or bleeds.
The power brick it comes with could be either have a longer cable or a figure-8 connector, but sadly doesn't.
All in all, it's a great, bang-for-buck DAC/AMP, especially if you drop ship the MassDrop deal, and if you want something to can change the `color` of sound by replacing the tube.
I got it for two reasons:
1 - Because I wanted something cheaper for the office that I can leave plugged in [ a kensington lock should work well with the vent cutout slots ]
2 - Because I wanted to trying out first, before getting a few from MassDrop as gifts for some family and friends.
::EDIT::
Link to the MassDrop xDuoo TA-01 drop: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/xduoo-ta-01-dac-amp
Sound-wise, it's pretty great at it's price. Its clarity is not as good as my GeekOut 1000... and much, much further away from my Yulong Sabre DA8. But then again, I paid USD299 for the GO1000 and USD1,199 for the DA8... Whereas the xDuoo TA-01 is got for USD146 [of AliExpress. MassDrop has them for USD129.99, but only being shipped in 21.Dec.15 and with only USA shipping]
I have a vintage Mullard 12AU7/ECC82 tubes en-route to me as well; eager to hear what they sound like, as well as how the sound shapes after a period of burn-in.
Build-wise, it's very sturdy. The volume pot is silent and precise; I was worried it may be scratchy and noisy considering it's price. It could do with a solid, heavier metal volume knob/dial instead of the plastic one it has, to give more weight to the movement.
Other than the said plastic volume knob/dial, its metal and all edges and smooth; no sharp edges or pointy bits.
Aesthetics-wise, it looks much more expensive than it actually is. The gold screws complement the matte-black en-casing. The silver metal piece encircling the tube and leading to to front as a stripe looks good, but feel that if it too was gold in color, along with t he power toggle-switch and all markings/writings on the face, it would become a real head-turner.
Even though markings/writings on the face are not engraved but painted on, it is very well done.
There are nicely patterned parallel lines on the top, as well as very well designed & cut arc cutouts near the tube on the top.
The sides and back have a few vent cutout slots, all black through & through; no metal/silver gaps or bleeds.
The power brick it comes with could be either have a longer cable or a figure-8 connector, but sadly doesn't.
All in all, it's a great, bang-for-buck DAC/AMP, especially if you drop ship the MassDrop deal, and if you want something to can change the `color` of sound by replacing the tube.
I got it for two reasons:
1 - Because I wanted something cheaper for the office that I can leave plugged in [ a kensington lock should work well with the vent cutout slots ]
2 - Because I wanted to trying out first, before getting a few from MassDrop as gifts for some family and friends.
::EDIT::
Link to the MassDrop xDuoo TA-01 drop: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/xduoo-ta-01-dac-amp
