Review xDuoo TA-10 – Yes we can!

xduoo ta-10

UI & Usage

PC USB

The xDuoo TA-10 installation is very straight forward, all you need is to link you source (computer/transport/DAP) through the USB port, and that’s it. The supplied driver on the CD should not be of any use if your computer OS is up to date, so no Windows XP! In case you’re missing a CD drive, you can download the driver directly from the brand’s website.

The DAC supports USB 2.0 Audio mode, so you can choose between ASIO, Wasapi or Direct Audio. I use AIMP as my main audio player and I didn’t have any issue switching from one mode to the other, a good point. It supports audio streams up to 32bit/384kHz and DSD64/128/256, so you could play any files you want.

Obviously, the xDuoo TA-10 needs a power supply and cannot work with USB alone, even tough USB Type-C can deliver up to 100W now!

DAP/Smartphone USB

Thanks to its dedicated power supply and a whole new XMOS chip, the xDuoo TA-10 was easy to feed with a DAP and a smartphone. All you need is a USB OTG cable with a female Type-A port and the USB port of your choice at the other hand. I used an Apple Camera Connection Kit for my iPhone and an iFi USB Type-C to Type-A for the DAP.

FiiO M9, iBasso DX150, Shanling M2X, all of them worked flawless once connected. Just remember to choose the USB input instead of AUX 1/2. The volume control was muted on my iPhone and FiiO M9 but strangely, it was not with the DX150 and Shanling M2X.

Everyday use

There is not much to say about the xDuoo TA-10 in term of ergonomics. The volume goes from 00 to 95, the link LED turns on once connected to a source and so does the play LED when you start your music. No UI, no battery and no switches for gain or bass-boost.

The volume knob is kind of a mixed bag. There is not enough resistance to really “feel it” but at the same time you can’t miss your steps, thanks to the fully digital assets. It “clicks” yet it could be a bit more weighted, like in a Burson amp for example. Thankfully, this is a minor inconvenience and all you should remember is the fact that you can fine-tune the volume, up to 99 (not enough digits for 100).

This volume knob is clickable and allow you to switch through the three available inputs: USB/Aux 1/Aux 2. You can even connect two single-ended connections to the AUX 1+2 and get a balanced output at the other end, something I discovered only recently.

The two headphone outputs are very sturdy and you should not have any issues inserting/removing your headphone plugs. Like the whole amp, it’s delightfully well adjusted and it “clicks” every time. Like I said before, the balanced port is a XLR 4-Pin, it’s cool for my Audeze and Sennheiser or even Hifiman but if you got a Meze Empyrean or a Focal Clear, you should get an adaptor or the appropriate cables.

The SPDIF output works as soon as you connect a Cinch or a mini-toslink. Play your music from your digital USB source and stream it back from the SPDIF. Of course, this doesn’t work if you are connected through the Aux 1 and 2. Anyway, it works as intended and you shall be able to bypass the AKM DAC if you want to use the xDuoo TA-10 like a gate.

The line out is leveled at 2.1 Vrms. Thanks to this you can connect another amp to the TA-10 or a pair of powered-speakers. There is no pre-out settings, so the volume is fixed and you will have full control on the child-device. You can use the line-out and the SPDIF-out and the headphone-out at the same time. That’s cool.

The review continues on Page Four, after the click HERE or by using the jump below.

3.8/5 - (15 votes)
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A nerdy guy with a passion for audio and gadgets, he likes to combine his DAC and his swiss knife. Even after more than 10 years of experience, Nanotechnos still collects all gear he gets, even his first MPMAN MP3 player. He likes spreadsheets, technical specs and all this amazing(ly boring) numbers. But most of all, he loves music: electro, classical, dubstep, Debussy : the daily playlist.

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