xDuoo Poke II Review

Sound & Performance

The Poke II offers a linear, neutral sound signature. The detail level and transparency are good, especially via wired connection. Going wireless takes a toll on the dynamism and PRaT but the difference is not night and day so that is totally fine for on-the-go listening sessions. The Poke II has an adequate amount of air and the presentation feels uncolored across the spectrum. The DAC & AMP does a good job of reflecting the signature of my IEMs and Headphones without saturation. The Poke II performs satisfactorily for a multi-purpose device but if you are after every single bit of fidelity, it is best to use it via USB. 

Low

The Poke II has a neutral-ish bass response with a slight dip in the mid-bass section. This dip gives a nice boost to the sense of air in the presentation. With that in mind, the rest of the bass response feels flat and reflects the paired earphone or headphone as it is. The Poke II is perfectly capable of delivering powerful bass if paired headphones have such a signature. I paired the Poke II with Hifiman HE-R9, the R9 is capable of delivering strong, bodied bass, and Poke II drove it to its limits. In high gain mode, the Poke II supplies more than enough power to move the dynamic driver of the R9 to its max, and the bass I heard was impactful, rounded, and bodied. The texture was quite lush and rich also. Pairing it with the Vision Ears VE7 gets you much faster, PRaT-wise snappy bass response with great resolution so yes, the bass reproduction relies on the paired gear as it should with any good DAC. The bass reproduction does not lack power or definition. The Poke II can deliver perfectly rounded, impactful hits without bleeding into the midrange.

Mid

The midrange of the Poke II feels inoffensive, smooth, and uncolored. Oftentimes, pairing the Poke II with analytical IEMs results in a slightly thinner midrange presentation. Detail-level is good, the mids are clean and resolving without any color. The musicality is not the greatest though, the Poke II does not do a wonderful job when it comes to conveying emotion. It will, however, highlight the badly mastered tracks in your archive. I can’t recommend pairing it with analytical or flat IEMs for this reason. The upper mids are resolving yet controlled. They show good energy while staying out of stridency. The Poke II has excellent control over the upper midrange and you feel this especially so when you pair it with an IEM that has a great technical capability like the VE7. 

High

The treble reproduction is clean with good extension. They feel controlled yet energetic just like the upper midrange. xDuoo aimed for a neutral and natural treble reproduction here. The highs do not feel artificial or metallic and they are not sharp either. They have good extension and definition. Some of the sense of air is contributed by this area as well as the upper mid extension. That enhances the perceived stage width and depth too. We will take a look at the technical capability in the next chapter.

Technical Capability

Let’s start with the soundstage. The soundstage of the Poke II is above average with good separation and good imaging. The extension of the highs and the treble helps the stage depth and height perception, affecting the headroom positively. There is an adequate amount of air between the instruments and separation is satisfactory. Tracking individual instruments on the stage is easy with equally capable monitors. Layering isn’t the best in class and I think it’s because the width of the soundstage is better compared to the depth. Resolution-wise the Poke II scales well with higher-priced, capable IEMs and performs great. I would expect it to be a tad more dynamic and musical but that is just not how it is tuned. The bite, the attack & decay is not as fast as I’d like, however, for the audiophile who is in pursuit of a smooth performer with a neutral signature, there aren’t many alternatives in the market that comes with as many features as this one.

vs. FiiO BTR7 ($219 USD)

FiiO’s newest and latest Bluetooth-first portable DAC & AMP BTR7 is released a short while ago. I have been using it extensively for the past week and I will be comparing xDuoo’s swiss army knife with it. The BTR7 features Dual ES9219C DAC chips from ESS Technology and dual THX AAA-28 amplifier modules. It comes with one of the latest Bluetooth chipsets from Qualcomm, the QCC5124. It has wireless charging support, USB DAC mode, and an 880 mAh integrated battery in a small and compact chassis. Just like the Poke II, it comes with full LDAC support. The battery life is rated at around 7h LDAC/BL and 9h through the AAC/SE. Both of the devices have UAC1.0/2.0 modes and utilize the same USB chipset from XMOS. 

The BTR7 weighs about 70 grams and is much more portable than the Poke II. The BTR7 can dish out 160 mW into a 32-ohm load through the 3.5mm SE HP output and 320mW through the 4.4mm BAL HP out. Let’s talk sound. I compared them volume-matched side by side with Vision Ears VE7 In-Ear Monitors. First of all, there are presentational differences between the two devices. The first main difference is that the Poke II feels flatter and slightly more neutral compared to the BTR7. The BTR7 has a more dynamic, slightly warmer signature. The resolution seems to be around the same level. Separation-wise Poke II feels a tad more spacious. The BTR7 has slightly more forward vocals and conveys emotion and details better than the Poke II. The Poke II is a better tool for monitoring purposes and it does not feel as saturated as the BTR7, however, don’t get me wrong here. Both of the devices have good tonal accuracy and there are no major dips or peaks. 

The BTR7’s wireless performance is impressive and it offers better range, however, it does not have as many features as the Poke II. Do note that Poke II performs better with full-sized cans and if you plan to buy a device to use mostly with cans, Poke II dishes out almost twice as much power. If you are an IEM guy, the BTR7 is a good rival versus the Poke II and has a really competitive price.

Last Words

I think xDuoo did a good job with the Poke II. It is a multi-purpose device that can serve as an all-in-one solution for your needs. It can drive ninety percent of the cans that is available on the market and it provides a hiss-free experience for the IEMs. The Bluetooth market is tough with many alternatives but as a feature-packed device, the Poke II offers good value. I am sure that xDuoo will provide new firmware that would improve what’s lacking and what’s already great about the device in the future. You can check here regularly to get the latest FWs available. If you are looking for a portable wireless multi-purpose DAC & AMP to pair with your cans and IEMs, make sure you give a listen to this one.

 

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

4.4/5 - (240 votes)
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Long time Tech Enthusiast, an ambitious petrol-head, Yagiz likes his gadgets and always finds new ways into the tinkerer's world. He tries to improve anything and everything he gets his hands onto. Loves an occasional shine on the rocks.

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