Better to be excessive than lacking is a mantra that has been influencing most of my decisions in almost all aspects occurring in my day to day life. A great opportunity came my way to have this mantra be exhibited in this site and if you have been following my realviews, it’s clear that most of my realviews are either IEMs or Headphones that are easy to drive, a case could be made for most of which scales well depending on the source or the power pumped into them.
That said opportunity about excessive amounts came in the form of Xtenik Audio reaching out to Audio Realviews to check out the xDuoo XD-05 DAC/AMP along with its dedicated Bluetooth Module, the xDuoo 05-BL, in exchange for an honest take on the 2 items. You can check out all other Xduoo products off the official Xtenik Audio website. The xDuoo XD-05 DAC/AMP is priced at $209 which you can grab off HERE while the xDuoo 05-BL is priced at $55 which you can grab off HERE.
I’ve had my previous encounter with Xduoo products in the form of the xDuoo X3ii and I am yet to be disappointed from a price point perspective in relation to its performance and sound quality. With a new addition to their audiophile line of products whose combination of a wired and wireless solution bordering in a portability and desktop usage option will make one wonder if xDuoo are gearing towards an entry towards the high end market. Will these recent additions to their offerings bridge the gap from xDuoo ’s niche entry level market towards their supposed leap into the higher ranks either make or break their hopes? I’m more than willing to at least give an insight on this supposed attempt with the XD-05 and 05-BL Realviews.
Specifications and Packaging
XD-05
- Battery: Built in 3.7V/4000mAh rechargeable lithium polymer battery
- DAC CHIP: AK4490
- Screen: 0.91 inch OLED screen
- Body: Aluminum alloy
- Output Power: 500mW (32Ω load)
- Supported Sampling Rates: USB IN
- PCM: 16-32 Bit/44.1-384KHz
- DSD: DSD64-256(1Bit/2.8M-11.2M)
- DXD: 24-32 Bit/352.8-384khZ
- OPTICAL/COAXIAL IN
- PCM: 16-24 Bit/44.1-192KHz
- Gain: +6/+9/+15dB
- Bass boost: 0/+6dB
- THD+N: 0.0025% (1 KHz)
- S/N: 112dB
- Recommended Earphone Impedance: 8Ω-300Ω
- Battery life: 11H (USB IN), 16H (SPDIF IN), 23H (AUX IN)
- Charging time: Quick charge 5H (with charger), Slow charge 11H (Via PC)
- Size: 139.5*75*23mm
- Weight: 270g
The xDuoo XD-05 packaging was plain signature xDuoo , coming in a white cardboard box with the product photo upfront and the product specifications at the back, inside this cardboard box is a black matte box with gold xDuoo branding on the cover and underneath reveals the XD-05 unit itself resting on a foam cutout to protect it especially during its shipping journey. Just below the XD-05 unit is a white box with all the accessories stored in. The accessory set are as follow:
- USB Cable(for Charger)
- USB Cable(for PC)
- Rubber Feet x 4
- Silicone Band x 2
- CD(With USB driver)
- User Manual
- Warranty card
- 4 Allen screws
05-BL
- Bluetooth Specifications and Version: 5.0
- Bluetooth Chip: CSR8670
- Bluetooth-Supported Music Formats: SBC, AAC, aptX
- Maximum Communication Range: Within 10 meters
- Distortion Factor: 0.00087%
- Output Amplitude: 0.5Vp-p
- Battery Life: ≥15hours
- Charging Time: Less than 2 hours in case of 5V/0.5V
- Size: 75*22.8*14.8 (29.3) mm
- Weight: 31g
The xDuoo 05-BL packaging was similar with the XD-05’s except that the inner box has a grooved glossy finish with a silver xDuoo branding. The 05-BL rested on a foam cutout as well with all the other accessories included getting its own foam cutout treatment. The 05-BL accessory set are as follow:
- USB cable
- XD-05 switch protective jacket
- 4 Allen screws and 1 Allen screw driver
- User Manual
- Warranty card
Build quality, Interfaces and Handling
XD-05
With a body made of Aluminum Alloy, the XD-05 is in fact more lightweight than it appears, coming in at a mere 270g weight makes the XD-05 a great portable desktop solution and with a lengthwise form factor makes it even more constant handling-friendly. I’m not a fan of stacking but with a carefully designed silhouette attributing to the rounded corners and a sandblasted finish makes the XD-05 acceptable. I can carry it around since it fits most horizontal pockets on my backpack and I’d greatly appreciate if they added a velvet pouch for it so I can store other gears on that horizontal pocket.
Front Panel
TThe XD-05’s front panel features a 0.91 inch OLED screen that shows a collection of battery, audio format, input signal and digital filter indicators. On the left side of this OLED screen is a 6.5mm output jack with a 500mW (32Ω load) Output power and to its right is the Volume knob doubling as an ON/OFF switch and finally, towards the bottom of the OLED screen are three toggle switches for the INPUT (OPTICAL/COAXIAL, USB IN and AUX IN), BASS BOOST (ON/OFF) and GAIN (LOW, MID, HIGH). 4 Allen screws are also present with great ease of access in case you would are open to modding the XD-05’s stock Operational Amplifier (OP AMP).
Side Panel
Decking out the XD-05’s side panel are horizontal vents on the upper portion on both panels except that the left side panel features 3 buttons for controlling the OLED screen (ON/OFF), SAMPLE RATE CONVERSION or SRC (48/96/192/44.1kHz) and the FILTERS option (PCM1, PCM2, PCM3, PCM4).
Back Panel
The XD-05’s back panel also features 4 discreet allen screws for that modding option along with 2 LED light indicators, 1 for the LINK connection which blinks blue when source is confirmed as well as another LED light indicator for the CHARGE status, red when charging and turns off when battery is full. The XD-05’s micro USB port is strictly for charging. The variety of input options for the XD-05’s is its main drawing feature. The 1st of these inputs is the LINE OUT/IN jack, the 2nd input port is the USB Audio input jack compatible with all recent Windows systems, Linux and Apple systems and also supports Apple’s Camera adapter and Android’s USB-OTG function. Lastly, the XD-05 features a DIGITAL IN port for OPTICAL/COAXIAL signals supporting up to 24 bit 192 kHz digital signals.
05-BL
With an all plastic build for the 05-BL, it then and there shows you that it is indeed dedicated for that BT function although the main front panel is still metal with 4 allen screws as well. The 05-BL comes in only black which greatly compliments either the 2-tone silver/black or the all black XD-05. Attaching the 05-BL to the XD-05 makes the already versatile XD-05 to be even more of a sweet deal not to mention that each component features an independent battery system allowing for more control over your usage behaviors, not to mention that it sits snugs and makes the XD-05 even sleeker when the 05-BL is attached.
Front and Top Panel
Featuring a dual gold-plated 3.5mm jack to implement the BT function with the necessary 05-BL product details and the top panel outlining the different button controls. The 1st being the BT ON/OFF button doubling as a PLAY/PAUSE button when connection is established. A dedicated micro USB port for charging beside a charge LED light indicator (Low Power – Red light blinks, Charging – Red light ON, Charging complete – Red light off) and a BT connection LED light ( Pairing – Blue light blinking, Connected – Blue light stays on, Audio signal playing – Blue and Green light alternately blinking). The last 2 buttons on the 05-BL’s top panel controls the NEXT/PREVIOUS track options and just in case your BT signal is acting up, a discreet rest button is also present on the top panel. All buttons has great feedback when pressed and doesn’t rattle at all when shaking the 05-BL.
Connectivity and Stability
XD-05
With a weight of 270g for a portable DAC/AMP and you’d automatically expect a plethora of connectivity options to match any need you’d be having when the need arises and the XD-05 doesn’t disappoint. I am yet to experience an instance where the XD-05 wasn’t able to address my occasional need for that audiophile sound. The AUX IN/OUT function works well when I’m needing that amplified power while the USB audio input allowed me to connect it to my laptop as well as via USB-OTG with my mobile phone and DAPs. The Digital IN port allowed me to even have that SPDIF and Optical connection towards my consoles. That’s a complete solution in my opinion, unless when you are needing a connection for your desktop and standing speakers.
05-BL
With the 05-BL utilizing the CSR8670 BT chip, it enables the 05-BL to support up to Bluetooth 5.0 as well as aptX with a maximum stable range of up to 10 M which upon actual usage is accurate except when walls are present which I tried and BT signal tends to cut off occasionally but still stays connected nonetheless. Using the 05-BL with XD-05 is as stable as it gets with no connection issues whatsoever for all the usage time that I had with it. Pairing time was stellar and appears appropriately as Xduoo 05-BL and not some weird random name which I have encountered on different CN-based BT products. One thing however that knocks off a big chunk of style and portability points off the 05-BL BT module is the fact that it uses dual 3.5mm plugs for connectivity which isn’t storage friendly at all.
Sound Quality and Battery Life
XD-05
Finally, the part where all these audio stuff either breaks it or makes it, Sound Quality. But before we dive into that, let’s check out the XD-05’s battery performance, with a claimed battery life of around 11-23 hours depending on output and format used, the XD-05 is a stellar performer. It indeed gets past the 11 hour minimum threshold when using it solely connected via USB IN with 16/44 FLAC playback and the usual NetFlix and Steam game marathon. SPDIF IN was a little suspect with an average battery life of 13-14 hours while the AUX IN gets way past that 23 hour threshold and even touches 30 hours. The form factor is indeed justified by packing a reliable battery on it without any heat issues.
The XD-05 uses the AK4490 DAC Chip which is used widely from entry level audiophile products such as the Zishan Z2 to mid tier audio players, Shanling M5 and Cayin i5 to high end DAPs such as the AK KANN and Questyle’s CMA400i makes the XD-05 very versatile on paper. It however translated well with an overall balanced sound signature with emphasis on the low-end frequency performance. Sub bass drops has greater impact feel and bass body being fuller especially evident on the Sony CD900st which arguably lacks that low end kick despite possessing a midrange that is well-defined and has great clarity. The variety of filters accounted for a much more intimate feeling imaging performance especially with the PCM1 and PCM3’s sharp roll-off capability. I found the PCM4’s Short delay roll-off filter to be the most accurate but lacks energy and life towards tracks rendered. The XD-05 handled the ATH-AD900x and Meze Audio 99 Neo with ease and made them more than sufficiently powered even at the 9’oclock volume knob level. Sensitive IEMs such as the BGVP DM6’s which was notoriusly hissing on almost all my other DAPs sounded clean and hiss-free. It however synergized best with balanced sounding IEMs like the Tin Audio T3 and the Magaosi K5 v2, the low end rumbled cleanly while still rendering a lush midrange and fatigue-prone treble.
05-BL
With a BT 5.0 and aptX combo, the Xduoo 05-BL BT module for the XD-05 was a godsend, it enabled the XD-05 to match up with recent releases of wired/wireless DAC/AMP offerings from Fiio to iFi Audio. Battery life was standard though with an average of 10-12 hour performance, it clearly gets behind the XD-05’s stellar battery life which made me use the BT connection 1st and make sure that I still have that wired solution ready and locked when the 05-BL decides to rest.
Sound Quality was great and commendable especially for a wireless connection, there’s a noticeable dip on the low end performance for the 05-BL which is the XD-05’s greatest strength and a recessed treble, good thing though was that the midrange was left intact and still retained great clarity and extension.
Conclusion
The xDuoo XD-05 looks exactly what a portable desktop DAC/AMP solution should be. Its great battery life cancels out its weight drawbacks. It’s inherent ability to not color a respective IEM’s and Headphone’s sound signature with the option to mod its op-amps adds up to its noteworthy features yet still being able to provide that needed power bump and respective frequency kick and extension makes for an even greater value for money. Did I forget to mention that it has a dedicated Bluetooth Module? Oh yeah, the 05-BL! Now that’s how you keep XD-05 users happy, a thing other manufacturers of portable DAC/AMP manufacturer’s should learn except for those that made portable DAC/AMP with built-in BT support, that’s a topic for another review. And one last thing, Xduoo, if you’re reading this, please do include any sort of carrying pouch or case for your portable DAC/AMPs because you know, portable?
