Review of xDuoo TA-10 - the new DAC amplifier with warm tube sound

Purpose

Over the past decades, gadgets for high-quality music playback have changed dramatically. If earlier a rack of audio equipment could occupy half of the room, today most people get by with a smartphone in their pocket and miniature headphones. The progress is huge, but hard-core audiophiles do not stop talking about some special "tube sound". In their opinion, amplifiers from the past had a characteristic atmospheric sound that is now almost lost.

Especially for such fans, manufacturers have set up the production of amplifiers operating on vacuum tubes. A life hacker tested one of these devices in order to personally experience the magic of tube sounding or to make sure that this is only nostalgia for the past, fueled by advertising promises from manufacturers.

Specifications

Manufacturer	xDuoo
Device type	Stationary DAC with amplifier
Amplifier type	Lamp
DAC model	AK4490
DSD support	256/11, 2 MHz
Sampling frequency	384 kHz
Frequency range	10 Hz - 100 kHz (± 0.5 dB)
Harmonic distortion factor	0, 01%
Signal to noise ratio	> 115 dB
Bit depth of the input signal	6/24/32 bit
output power	2,000 mW / 32 ohm
Input connectors	USB, Coaxial, RCA
Output connectors	6.3mm XLR RCA
Nutrition	100-240 V, 50-60 Hz
Dimensions (edit)	105 × 120 × 230 mm
The weight	1.5 kg

The DAC of the device is implemented on the AK4490 chip. The 12AU7 lamp is responsible for the amplification, as well as the transistors operating in class A. Customization lovers can easily replace the default lamp with something more perfect and open up a huge field for experimenting with sound.

The XDuoo TA-10 uses a digital USB input on the XMOS chip to connect to a computer. The device supports PCM signal up to 32 bit / 384 kHz and DSD up to DSD256. The built-in amplifier is capable of driving headphones with impedance up to 600 ohms. There is both a balanced output and a linear one.

Packaging and equipment

xDuoo TA-10 comes in a large cardboard box that is completely devoid of any design delights. Dense yellow cardboard, a minimum of inscriptions, impressive size and weight - you can immediately see that we have a serious product in front of us. However, the packaging coped with its main task brilliantly: the amplifier got to us safe and sound.

Inside, we found the device itself, a power cord, a cable for connecting to a computer, a headphone adapter, a CD with drivers and instructions. A special frame was packed separately, which serves to protect the lamp from accidental damage.

Most of all we were surprised by the included drivers CD. Nowadays it is quite difficult to find a computer equipped with a corresponding drive, so it is completely incomprehensible why the manufacturer added a disc here. It's good that at least I did not forget to post all the necessary files on the site.

Appearance

The body of the xDuoo TA-10 is made of high quality black metal. All surfaces are perfectly smooth, no roughness or burrs. The model is stationary, so they did not save on materials. The walls of the device are quite thick and do not bend even under strong pressure.

On the front panel there is a volume control combined with an input switch. It moves smoothly and gently, and when pressed, a quiet click of the relay is heard. There is also a line-in jack and an XLR-input for connecting headphones on the front. The latter uses a balanced connection, which is mainly used in professional audio equipment.

xDuoo TA-10: The focus is on the vacuum tube

The main attention is drawn to the vacuum tube. It is located outside, which allows you to easily replace it with any other, and also gives an unusual appearance to the amplifier. During operation, the glass bulb emits a faint flickering light that looks great at night.

xDuoo TA-10: electronic tube placed outside

The sides of the xDuoo TA-10 are completely blank. But on the back panel there is a real pandemonium: there is a connector for the power cable, above it is the power button, and on the left there are three groups of jacks for connecting external sources.

The sides of the xDuoo TA-10 are completely empty, but the back panel is crowded

In general, the appearance of the xDuoo TA-10 inspires respect for its rigor and solidity. The device pleases with high-quality materials, good assembly and the presence of all the necessary interfaces for use in both household and professional purposes.

Connection

Thanks to the numerous connectors, two modes of use are possible. If you connect a signal to the line input, the xDuoo TA-10 will only work as an amplifier. And if you connect the device using the supplied cable to the USB output of your computer, it will completely replace its sound card. In this case, the xDuoo TA-10 will act as both a digital-to-analog converter and an amplifier.

When the gadget is connected to the computer for the first time, the system will detect it and then install the necessary drivers. In any case, this is exactly how it happens in Windows 10. Users of other operating systems will have to install drivers from disk or the Internet.

Next, you need to open system preferences and select the XMOS speakers as the default audio output device. This will route the digital signal to an external DAC bypassing the built-in sound card. Now you can connect headphones or an active speaker to the xDuoo TA-10.

Sound

To test the sound quality, we connected the device to both a stationary computer and a laptop. Music recordings in FLAC format of various artists and genres were played. Oriolus Finschi headphones were used for listening.

Even after a cursory acquaintance, it became clear that the sound of this tube amplifier is very different from its semiconductor competitors. First of all, the breadth and depth of the soundstage is striking, where each note has its own place. Music is not distributed inside your head, as it usually happens when using headphones, but around and sometimes even as if in the distance. The TA-10 proves that tales of signature tube sound really have a real foundation.

The device has a good response to the lower spectrum and can easily reproduce even the lowest notes. The high power output delivers tight bass at any volume level without drowning out the mids.

But the high frequencies, in our opinion, would not hurt to add speed and sharpness. Many listeners may not like their soft and even enveloping sound, which is not suitable for reproducing aggressive music genres. However, maybe this is the indescribable originality of the tube sound, about which his admirers talk so much?

Outcomes

The xDuoo company gained its popularity primarily due to the release of high-quality portable devices: players, amplifiers, digital-to-analog converters. However, as the example of the TA-10 shows, this manufacturer copes well with stationary equipment.

xDuoo TA-10 has a stylish, strict design, high-quality filling and sound that no smartphone can produce. The ability to quickly change the vacuum tube opens up a wide field of experimentation for audiophiles.

At the time of writing the review, the cost of xDuoo TA-10 is 18,950 rubles.