xDuoo - XA-10

If you want a detailed sound impression of Xduoo XA-10, I recommend that you check out the review by Sandu from Soundnews.

I am here to tell you that this unit is the most affordable balanced dac/amp available currently in the Indian market that has the potential to be your endgame setup for all your headphone needs whether dynamic or planar. The only exception is if you are an exclusive iem user as there are multiple reports of this unit causing hiss with sensitive items. So, exclusive iem users can give this unit a pass. However, still if you only occasionally use iems and your iem is not very sensitive, you can give this unit a try.

Since this is a class A dac/amp combo featuring dual AK4493 chips, this is especially suitable for planars and even among planars this is best suited for Hifiman planars. It is because this unit has a warm and spacious sound signature that goes well with the slightly bright and analytical sound of most Hifiman planars. I myself use this with my Hifiman Sundara (through the XLR balanced port) and the combo produces great dynamics, wide soundstage along with tight bass, lush mids and non-fatiguing treble. If you are considering buying a Hifiman Sundara or Hifiman He400se, I recommend that you save up a bit and buy a balanced cable and the Xduoo XA-10 as well. It might seem like a large investment at first, however, keep in mind that this is an endgame system and you can use the cables and the XA-10 in the future as well when you upgrade to a Hifiman Ananda/Arya/He1000v2/He1000se. Thus saving your cash in the long run as well. Some of you may be turned off by the poor performance of this unit in the ASR website. But do not worry, most of those measurements won't be audible to human ears and don't serve any purpose other than bragging rights. In case, you want further proof, Andrew from The Headphone Show and Resolve Reviews recently made a video debunking the whole concept of SINAD and showing why it is not important.

P.S: A request to Headphone Zone. You can put Xduoo XA-10+ Balanced Hifiman 4.4/XLR cable+ Hifiman Sundara as an audiophile desktop combo. At a combo price of around 65000 Rs or lower, this will handily beat all other combos whether in terms of raw power, sound quality or features like bluetooth and mqa full decoding.

I brought the Xduoo XA-10, The 4.4mm balanced cable and the 4.4mm to 4 pin XLR adapter from PLGS Facebook Group. Thank you, Headphone Zone for running this facebook group. It is an awesome place for great deals.

I was using the Topping A30 Pro and mojo combo for my arya , final Audio e5000 and e4000.....it was an amazing sounding combo.....until i tried this......the class A Amplifier is definitely better for planars and the Balanced DAC makes IEMs sing.....i was able to notice more intricate details much easily and imaging and separation also improved compared to the topping mojo combo........maybe costlier gear sounds even better......but at this price i doubt you could do any better......

P.S. The Bluetooth connectivity is a godsend. 👍🥳

The thing about sharing audio listening & equipment experience is a) they are highly subjective b) there are multiple moving parts/gear that has impact on the final music presentation. As a reader do keep these in mind!

Before getting the XA-10, I was considering the Topping D30/A30 pro stack. But when I saw a serious price drop on Xduoo XA-10 on HPZ, decided to go for it. At half the price of the topping combo, with similar power, a better quality (supposedly) TOTL AKM 4493 DAC chipset and MQA decoding capability, the XA-10, makes a serious case for folks looking at a good looking, small and compact desktop solution that punches above its price.

Pros: Clean sounding DAC and a powerful amp section, unique looking, small & takes very little desk space, fully balanced circuit, feature packed incl MQA, Bluetooth with aptx & LDAC, in the time that I spent with it I didn’t see the XA-10 getting very hot. Bass, mids and treble have good amount of authority and control. A good set of headphones paired with the Xduoo XA-10 will surely shine. Pairs with my Focal Radiance very well with excellent imaging, sound staging & highly energetic sound.

Cons: The volume knob has a mind of its own! Sometimes it needs multiple turns to get a couple of dB volume gain. Hardly any extra functionality (except for filter and gain), some users might miss a remote control. For a fully balanced circuit, lack of balanced preamp out is a miss (this is in the rare case if one wants to pair this to a more powerful amp).

In a crowded chi-fi mid range market, the Xduoo has a lot going for it esp with its highly musical, authoritative and impactful sound presentation. If you are looking for inexpensive, well built, all-in-one solution, Xduoo XA-10 will have to be up in the queue.

Shout out to team HPZ and their fast expanding product catalogue! Thats good news to us music lovers. Keep it up guys !