xDuoo Link 2 Review

Link 2 DAC & Connectivity

The Link 2 is equipped with a high-performance ES9118 DAC chip from Sabre Technologies. You can find out all about this chip here. A quick search in the Headfonia database didn’t bring up any other units (we reviewed) that use this chip. As said, in comparison to the Sparrow and Cobalt in example, the Link 2 doesn’t do MQA. For me personally that’s not a big issue, but it might be for you, so take this into account.

Even though the Link 2 was developed with smartphones in mind, it can also be hooked up to other devices. When hooking it up to my laptop, the driver installed automatically and ROON had no issue recognizing the unit. When connecting it to DAPs however, I had mixed results. For some it work and for others it didn’t. And for those it did, the volume was maxed out, so it’s impossible to use it with ear/headphones. Same goes for the xDuoo XT10ii: the connection is no issue, but the volume is maxed out and I couldn’t find a way to change it.

Hooking up the Link 2 to my Android phone was super easy. Just flick on USB OTG and you’re done. Go to HiBy Music or Tidal or whatever, and enjoy your music. Basically the same goes for iOS. With my tablet I only had to connect the Link 2 with the provided cable and everything worked. Easy, fast, perfect. In both cases changing the volume was also perfectly fine. Battery-wise the Link 2 doesn’t consume too much (too quickly), I was never left with an unexpected low phone battery for the remainder of my trip.

Sound – Enhancements

Before diving into the regular part on how the Link 2 sounds, I want to get into the Bass and Sound Stage enhancement feature. This was tested with the Vision Ears Elysium IEM.

As xDuoo says, this is a hardware setting, and it is easy to activate depending on the IEM in use or the type of music you’re listening to. That’s the good part. The bad part for me is that these don’t really bring any additional value or improvement to the sound, specially the bass enhancement. Bass become very big in body and impact, but the quality is missing. The enhanced bass isn’t tight, it’s bloated and it runs into the mids. Unless you want bass and don’t care about sound quality or technicalities, this could be interesting. But I myself don’t “dig” this enhancement effect. The only time I more or less could live with it when I was listening to bad quality live house recordings from 1995.

The sound stage enhancement feature is more interesting, but again I don’t see how this implementation can possibly benefit the sound quality. When you activate the feature do you get a more spacious sound, but you at the same time lose overall body, precision and attack. The mids will sound wider and more airy, but you get a veiled presentation in return.

In short, I can’t agree the bass enhancement doesn’t compromise the other aspects of the sound frequency range as xDuoo states. XDuoo also claims the soundstage enhancement provides an unmatched music experience. I suppose you can call it that, yes… And then I’m not even saying anything about activating both the bass and sound stage enhancement at the same time. It’s a bit of a shame really as the regular Link 2 sound is very nice. I simply wouldn’t have added these enhancements, or at least not how they are working now.

Sound – General

For this part we’re obviously not touching the sound enhancements. Do note that the Link 2 gets loud very quickly depending on the source you’re using it with. With my laptop the volume increases in steps of 2 and step 4 already is above my comfort zone. With my phone this isn’t an issue at all however, and setting the perfect level is easy. Do make note of this when you will be connecting sensitive gear to the Link 2, some sources will be loud.

It is very true that the Link 2 is dead silent with a perfectly black background, and that’s very nice to hear. You from top to bottom get good clarity and precision with excellent PRaT. The xDuoo Link 2 sounds energetic and crisp and it can handle a fast pace incredibly well. The tuning is musically neutral and it’s not boosting any frequencies at all. The presentation isn’t warm or smooth but it’s clear, precise and engaging. It’s the typical neutral solid state timbre and presentation, really.

Left-right balance and the stereo image is very nice. The sound stage width and depth is ok, but not spectacular. The amount of air, especially in the mids, is good but I wouldn’t expect it to be at a lower level either. Separation definitely is good.

The Link 2 has a good level of detail, but it isn’t the most extended in regards to notes and their decay. The treble section score best here however. Let’s check out the sound classics.

Bass-Mids-Treble

The bass is really nice and to me really doesn’t need a boost. Bass is compact, tight but it has a good punch and impact. Body-wise bass levels are neutral, there’s no added bass to be found here. Bass is fast, clear and has a good amount of detail. The sub-bass and depth part aren’t as present in the Link 2, and the same goes for the layering. It’s there, but you’ll need a revealing IEM to get that out of it.

That being said, I like the way bass is presented. It’s energetic, fast and tight and it doesn’t do anything wrong. The mids are precise and detail, very clear and they like the bass carry the same level of energy and enthusiasm.

The mids have enough air they sound spacious but not overly so. The timbre here is excellent and you get a neutrally music presentation, with excellent vocals. Like with the bass, the part that’s limited here most is the depth and layering, but the energy, speed and clarity quickly make you forget about that. The upper mids and treble are the best part for me personally.

The treble section actually extends nicely and is has a comparable airiness to the mids. The treble section is the most energetic and the notes here extend most. To my ears, the layering and depth are the best here. For some listeners the treble energy might be a bit much, but there never is any harshness or sibilance in the delivery. This of course also will depend on the IEM you’re pairing the link 2 with.

The xDuoo Link 2 is clean, clear, focused and energetic. I especially like treble part, the vocals and guitar work with it.

The part on sound continues on the third page with Comparisons and our extended conclusion.