We review the xDuoo Poke II DAC & AMP with Bluetooth. It’s selling for $390 USD.
Disclaimer: xDuoo sent us the Poke II DAC & AMP for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and experiences with the product are naturally my own.
xDuoo
xDuoo Tech. Co., Ltd. is a professional company specializing in the development, design, and sales of audio products. Their main focus is on DACs & AMPs. They are around since 2011 and we have covered a lot of their gear here on Headfonia. They are based in Guangdong, China and they have been receiving a lot of new attention with their new line-up. They have designed and manufactured many audiophile products and they have several patented technologies that are unique to the company. You can check out more of our xDuoo reviews, through this link.
Today we are going to take a look at their latest portable DAC & AMP, the Poke II.
xDuoo Poke II DAC & AMP with Bluetooth LDAC + MQA
xDuoo launched the Poke series in 2018. The name ‘Poke’ derives from Pokemon. The first product of the series, the XD-10 Poke was presented to the audiophile sphere with a price tag of $249 USD. It featured AKM’s AK4490 8-channel DAC and it was a wired-only, portable DAC & AMP. After that, the XD-05 was launched, and we covered it here on Headfonia. In the first quarter of 2022, the new Poke II debuted. It offers many advanced features and comes with a new fun design that is aimed toward young audiophiles. It is also the only portable device that the company offers LDAC support.
I am including all the highlights of the Poke II, below.
x2 Cirrus Logic CS43198 DACs (Dual Configuration)
XMOS XU208 USB Controller
Realtek CSR8675 Bluetooth 5.0 Chipset
AAC / SBC / aptX / aptX LL / aptX / LDAC Codec Support
3.5mm Unbalanced x1 – 4.4mm Balanced HP Output
Native DSD up to DSD256 – PCM up to 384kHz + x8 MQA Support 4000mAh Battery + USB-C Fast Charging
10-12h Bluetooth Playback / 7-8h USB Wired Playback
Packaging & Accessories
Poke II comes inside of a compact white cardboard box. The box has a bunny mascot on it as well as the full name of the Poke II, “Pokemon Headphone AMP & DAC II”. It looks fun, a little strange but fun. xDuoo listed model and serial info on the back side of the box and the white-blue theme is catching the eye. After removing the top cover, you’re immediately welcomed by the device itself. The accessories are located in a cardboard compartment under the foam that holds the device.
xDuoo included a long, braided USB-C to USB-C cable in orange color, a short, angled USB-C to USB-C interconnect, a small USB-A to USB-C adapter, and an adhesive magnet to stack the device with your DAP or mobile phone. Lastly, and surprisingly, the device comes with a USB-C to Lightning cable and that is great. Usually, manufacturers do not include Lightning cables due to cost and it is very nice to see that xDuoo Poke II comes with full device support straight out of the box. The accessories look very good and quality-wise I am impressed. The connectors and the cables feel very durable and well-made.
Overall, I am very impressed with the included accessories and rich package content. You have everything you need to start using xDuoo with any device you already have.
Design & Build Quality
Poke II has a design that appeals more to young audiophiles. We see that POKEMON artwork is used from the box design to the front and back of the device. The orange bunny, which is the mascot of this series, is also featured on the front of the device. On the back of the device, we see the motto ‘Life’s A Struggle.’ It is an interesting choice of motto for a device with such colorful design lines, to say the least. Let’s talk about the build quality of the device and the materials used.
First of all, the front and back of the device are made of thick tempered glass. I can’t say that this glass resists fingerprints well, but the dark blue artwork manages to hide fingerprints. The rest of the device is made of aluminum and features an anodized finish in blue. The finish looks great and I can’t find any CNC imperfections around the frame. The device is around the same size as a modern smartphone at 12 x 6 x 1.5 cm and it weighs 200 grams so it is pocketable.
The device has a simple layout and is very easy to remember. xDuoo has placed a small orange font OLED display on the front of the device. This small screen gives us information about which gain mode is active, volume level, active input, device battery status, input type, and which EQ preset is selected. There are two USB-C sockets at the bottom of the device. While the one on the right can be used to charge the device, the one in the middle serves to establish a USB connection. xDuoo has also placed three LEDs that indicate the status of the device in this area. On the top side, we see the 3.5mm and 4.4mm headphone outputs. There are three buttons on the left side of the outputs. From left to right, these buttons are used to change the input, filter, and gain settings. The main controls are located on the left side of the aluminum frame. xDuoo has placed a power button that is in red and additionally there are volume buttons, an EQ button, and lastly a Bluetooth button here. The buttons are not wobbly and feel well-assembled.
The review continues on Page Two, after the click HERE or by using the jump below.
Page 1: xDuoo, xDuoo Poke II, Packaging & Accessories, Design & Build Quality
Page 2: Technology Inside, Features, Power
Page 3: Sound Performance, Technical Performance, Comparison vs. FiiO BTR7, Last Words
