đź”· xDuoo TA-22 Dac Amp

This is the official thread for the xDuoo TA-22

This thread is for discussion and reviews.

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  • DAC & Hybrid Tube Amp
  • Power Output 3000mW (32Ω)
  • Bluetooth

:red_circle: Hifiguides Amazon Link

[Reviews]

Z Reviews…

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I got an Xduoo XD-05 Basic and a Little Dot Mk2 for half the price of this, total. I don’t think I’m wrong if I say most people here (searching for low-cost hi-fi) will be better off with a similar system, instead of that TA-22.

I haven’t heard the TA-22, but the Little Dot Mk2 is an OTL (precisely, either an OTL or something close to it). The tubes in the TA-22, being an hybrid, won’t do much in comparison… :man_shrugging:

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Being a hybrid, the ta-22 will be better suited for low impedance low sensitivity headphones (planar) and there should be a lower noise floor for iem’s. It has a fair amount of versatility. I have not heard the ta-22, and probably won’t get it. but that fact that Josh valour said it competes with the lyr+ (in sound quality), which is >$100 more for just an amp, is intriguing. I could see it making a great all in one for a lot of folks. I’ve had pretty good luck with xduoo stuff (mt-602, ta-10r) in the past

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I guess I’m not in that place where I would be comfortable with a DAC/Amp. That said, I have the TA-20 and I love the thing. The 12AU7 is a really nice tube and I have been able to obtain some wonderfully matched sets. I am always surprised by how good it sounds. Ironically, of all the headphones I have, I like the EDXS best with it.

Gosh, Z was right about that TA-22! I’ve had this with me for a few days now and am impressed by its qualities, especially with headphones from the upper mid-range.

With both the Arya Stealth and the HD800s, this DAC/Amp does exactly what is needed to make both headphones shine, smoothing out the range that occasionally makes these headphones sound a bit harsh without even remotely missing detail to permit.

It opens a realistic stage in all directions, wide, deep, high, thumbs up for it. He also manages to provide both headphones with a clean and very solid bass reproduction, which few amplifiers can actually achieve, especially with the Sennheiser.

As a result, the Arya suddenly sounds silky and almost realistic and retains its attention to detail without drifting into its usually rather “technically sterile” reproduction pattern.

The HD800s shows its qualities completely and in this combo reminds me why I love the Senni so much!

By the way, for Sennheiser’s 650 it’s all a bit too much of a good thing, it tends to sound rather dull in combination with the TA-22, with slight distortions in the bass range, while both the 600 and 660s benefit from the interaction.

The sensitive menu navigation through the rotary control mentioned by Zeos is no longer up-to-date, since the menu navigation has probably been improved and the rotary control now has a gradual grid, similar to the Topping A90D.

I would also like to mention that the amplifier didn’t passed the Andro test, which means it is definitely not dead quiet in the low/gain area, in combination with the hypersensitive Andromeda.

But if you have headphones or less sensitive in-ears that tend to be a bit high-pitched and/or could use a little bass boost (like 80% of the ChiFi goods :wink:), here you go, the TA-22 exists.

All thumbs up from my side :+1:

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Great! I caved and picked up a ta-22. Now we wait. Have you tried it as just an amp? How does it compare to the mt-604?

Using it as a DAC only is similar to using it through the headphone amp.

Paired with my Bowers & Wilkins speakers, it’s a bit much of a good thing, since the speakers themselves are already quite “warm” tuned, I have a similar effect as with the HD650, namely an exuberant bass and a washed-out sound.

When used with a KEF or Klipsch loudspeaker, for example, a very balanced and powerful sound image is reproduced provided the amplifier is neutrally tuned.

A lot of factors, so it’s not easy to make a blanket positive or negative verdict.

The TA-22 is a comparatively “mature” amplifier.

1.) The handling is extensive and better controllable.

2.) The 604 unfolds its tube effect primarily with in-ears, with performance-hungry headphones the difference to a standard amplifier is hardly perceptible.

While the TA-22 can reproduce a bit of a tube effect even with more demanding headphones, of course not in its purest form, but perceptible.

However, it must be clear that the TA-22 is not a Feliks Audio Envy, it’s far from it.

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My ta-22 arrived today. Grabbed a set of RFT 12au7 (supposed to have very low noise) from tube depot, and I’ve got sets of gold lion and tung sol to roll. Looking forward to trying it out

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Does this amp have enough power to drive Beyer 880 600 Ohms via the SE output?