Xduoo XD-05 Bal

The power output of the XD-05 Bal is superb! Really powers IEMs and headphones to the point where they can showcase their true potential. Having a 4.4 mm balanced output is so much better than the general 2.5 mm balanced.

DO NOT BUY! I wanted a hi-fi portable headphone DAC that can drive my LCD-2 headphones. I chose this model because it has both wired connections and bluetooth. The USB connection is very good, SPDIF connection likewise, sound quality is reasonable for the price. (Also use Fiio BTR5 and iFi Neo) and the build quality looks and feels superb. BUT! The bluetooth is the worst I have come across. It takes many attempts to reconnect a bluetooth device and the connection is very unstable. I have the Amazon music app on my TV. I am sitting less than 3 meters away from the TV with no obstructions. This device drops out every 30 seconds. The poor bluetooth performance completely overshadows all other impressions. So if you don't want bluetooth buy something like the hip-dac at half the price. If you do want bluetooth then buy something else that works.