xDuoo XD-05 BAL Review

Sound performance

For the purpose of this review, I used the FiiO FA9 for IEM testing and the Sennheiser HD-800S for headphone comparison. All files were streamed from Amazon Music HD in Hi-Res, when available, Spotify, and my own catalog.

Overall Signature

If out of the box the XD-05 and XD-05 plus were hard to differentiate, that isn’t the case with the new XD-05 BAL.

Right from the beginning, the ESS signature can easily be spotted with crisper highs and a wider soundstage. That if, you go balanced of course, as I did with the Sennheiser, even if plugged through the usual 6.35mm port, results are already impressive. 

Dynamic range is simply outstanding and combined with the usual flat sound signature, the DAC really managed to impress me. It’s sharp, with tight lows and clean highs, but more importantly, the XD-05 was able to extract many micro-details, hidden before.

Switching from the AK4493 DAC to the ESS9038Q2M is a much bolder move than just going from one generation to another. Compared to the previous amp, the XD-05 BAL sounds completely different, trading softness for accuracy and extension. I like it, a lot, but some listeners may prefer the old sound signature, keener to the ears. 

At this price-point, the xDuoo XD-05 BAL easily takes the crown of the most accurate DAC/AMP I listened to, for the moment. Whatever the track, or genre, the little box achieved little wonders and managed to transcribe every little nuance. From Run The Jewels raging flow in DJ Shadow Nobody Speak, to Rhye soft whispers in Patience

There was no channel imbalance this time, even at very low volume, even when I used the 6.35mm headphone port. And, that alone is a great improvement compared to the previous generation. As usual, I tried the different filters, but could not really hear a difference between each of them. If you do feel a difference, feel free to share what you felt with us.

Tonality

The sound signature is mostly linear, but each frequency range got its own flaws and qualities. A quick overview.

Bass: deeper than ever. The xDuoo XD-05 BAL goes further than its predecessor, reaching deeper tones even on my HD800S, which is usually not a bass hunter. Even with the bass boost off, I was able to get satisfying results on my ears and cans, and going balanced really made a difference with my setup.

Test track : Purple Noise – Boris Brechja

Mids: accuracy is the key. Excellent dynamic range, combined with an excellent DAC makes for a very sharp signature. It doesn’t feel as smooth as before, but the result is quite addictive, even more, if, like me, you like hard-hitting electro tracks or favors accuracy before musicality.

Test track : It takes a lot to know a man – Damien Rice

Highs: careful with your source. As for the lows, the XD-05 BAL sounds curiously close to the previous generation. Highs are sharp, clean, and if you avoid harsh recordings, the result remains deeply impressive. With the Audeze LCD-X, the amp was able to match the big TA-30, and that’s darn impressive.

Good test track : Feral / Leatherette remix – Elder Island

Conclusion

The xDuoo XD-05 BAL is a brilliant DAC/AMP, taking advantage of all the features introduced in previous generations: versatile design, complete I/O, excellent sound.

Once again, the brand didn’t reinvent the wheel and took all the good points found in the basic and plus version, and polished them. Balanced circuit with a 4.4mm output, Bluetooth chipset, no more channel imbalance, and the same sound signature.

Add a mind-blowing bundle, excellent price/performance ratio, and the XD-05 BAL directly goes into my recommendation list, replacing the XD-05 Plus.