We’re excited to announce our first collaboration with xDuoo—and our first-ever OTL tube amplifier. Building on xDuoo’s extensive product line and solid reputation in the amplifier space, we worked closely with their engineers to create a brand new tube amplifier designed to pair with high-impedance headphones like our ever-popular HD6XX and HD58X. It’s the Drop + xDuoo OTL Tube DAC/Amp—and it’s totally tubular.
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From the earliest designs, we intended the amp to pair with high impedance headphones of 120 ohms up to 600 ohms. For this reason—among sonic preferences—we chose an Output Transformerless (OTL) topology for the amp, since it pairs so well with high impedance loads. Many fans of OTL amps such as the Darkvoice 336 and Bottlehead Crack are well aware of the magical attributes these amps can have when paired with a suitable set of cans.
The tube configuration uses a total of 4 tubes (2 per channel). For the preamp tubes, we chose the ECC 82 (equivalent to the 12AU7), which has been widely used in many popular tube amps. The power tubes are EL-84 pentodes, which had originally been conceived for use as a higher sensitivity output tube in radios. (These classic tubes are also where the TA-84 gets its model number.) An added benefit for those who like to swap tubes: both the ECC-82 and EL-84 tubes are in current production from several tube manufacturers for a broader option of tube rolling possibilities.
To deliver both accuracy and precision in volume adjustments, the amp uses a stepped potentiometer for volume control. A typical potentiometer generally uses some type of strip of resistive material, with a wiper to slide across it in order to provide variable output levels. A stepped potentiometer, by contrast, uses a series of switches, with each position having a specific value of resistor to achieve different levels of output. The main advantage of this design is a greater degree of channel balance and reliability. Alongside this potentiometer—or rather, on the other side of it—we’ve also included a gain switch on the rear of the amp to allow for further increase in control of the output level.
For those that want an all-in-one signal package, we’ve also equipped the amp with a built-in DAC to handle conversion with rock-solid resolution. The ES9018K2M Reference DAC is engineered to handle 32-bit 384kHZ PCM bit rates for seamless playback.
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Finally, we’ve outfitted the Drop + xDuoo with a preamp output, giving you the flexibility to use it as a preamplifier in other systems. Connect it to your Flagship monoblock power amplifiers, or as your volume control for your BMR1 monitors. Anodized with a sleek black finish—and small enough to slot into any corner on your desktop or shelf—it’s the perfect addition to any signal chain in need of a tube treatment.
The Drop + xDuoo OTL Tube DAC/Amp will be here in no time. Hit “Request” to be the first to know when it launches.
Need to know more about the volume control. How many steps does it have? Hopefully it's not just 24 as that usually gives too much difference from one step to the next.
Glad to see a "gain" switch. I've had an XDuoo all in one for years. It desperately needs a high gain setting for many cans. The 9038 dac chip is one I'm familiar with. When implemented with proper supporting circuitry I can certainly live with its sound. If it ain't priced like it contains magic inside the tubes, I'd be interested. I have MQA dacs. It's support or lack thereof doesn't mean a thing to me.
RilchuTA-30 uses a hybrid topology which where the TA-84 is an OTL circuit which is completely different, although both incorporate the use of tubes. If you plan to use low impedance headphones like Planars then you would want a Hybrid amp like the TA-30. OTL amps like the TA-84 work best with high impedance headphones such as the 6XX which is 300 ohms.
All of them. Either because the maker is paying more for the chip that is more expensive because the chip manufacture has to pay for the unfolding code license or the maker must purchase the code license directly from MQA if they are building in-house.
Though it's tiny, it manages to power even high ohm headsets with amazing accuracy. It works great with the drop usb-c to usb-c and my Phillips shp-9600. Soon enough I'll be using the Akoustyx...
I have an external amplifier with no integrated DAC and I only have an xduo xa10 as a dac/amp can I use the xduo xa10 as a dac only with an external amplifier?
So I bought the HD6xx a few weeks back and when I finally got the packages i got some Noir 99. ever happened to any of u guys and how did it get resolved