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Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones
Product Description
The xDuoo TA03S Tube Headphone Amplifier is a little tube-supported powerhouse, perfect for pushing your high-end headphones to sing with warmth and detail. The XMOS U8 processor drives the unit with plenty of headroom for processing, which is good because there are two separate CS4398 DAC chips supporting up to 32-bit, 192-kilohertz decoding Read More
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I got this on Black Friday 2022 and it's still working great (although I don't use it too often). It does get pretty hot, but that's pretty expected. Just don't touch the radiator.
This runs so hot that it can burn your skin. I don't know if mine is just broken but I am worried. Also, I feel like it is weak compared to cheaper alternatives live FiiO and other amazon dac/amp...
First, it did not work( no blue light on, if you know about TA-03S). Kindly Drop helped me, sending another product. But sadly the second one did not work either. Only Drop can do is ending the help since it became a month period of guarantee. I just waste 140 dollars.
It starts to distort when turning the dial past noon, which you often have to do when using high impedance headphones. This amp is almost better suited for use with IEMs.
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Though it does get extremely hot. I would not recommend having this turned in for more than 4 hours
These do sound ok with the right headphones, but I was really looking forward to hearing my Hifiman HE-X4 planar headphones through this amp. I let the tubes warm up for about 15 minutes then put on some HD music files. Before the sound levels got to a listenable level, the audio started distorting (about halfway up, at the 12 o'clock position). I checked the amp with my AKG k240s and Sennheiser HD280s and the amp sounded fine until it got close to the 12 o'clock position. However, with these more efficient headphones, that was louder than I ever listen (or anyone should listen, it was seriously loud by that point) to music. It seems like their volume knob has twice as much level as it should. It's also very hot (which isn't a bad thing, just something to keep in mind). The sound lacks the clarity across the whole spectrum I generally expect. The bass was a little bit muddy, the mids were not as distinct as I'm used to, and the highs didn't have the shine I like. I basically got what I paid for, a cool looking amp that is good for casual listening.
If you read my review, you would see I did try it out on AKG and Sennheiser headphones. "All the reviews" don't mention this, and as these are my first foray into planar headphones, I forgot to check the specs. Thanks for gatekeeping. In comparison to my Cambridge DAC through an integrated amp and also a pro audio interface, this unit gets about 3 stars. I stand by my review as it deserves mentioning.
Did not sound good at all. I would rather just plug directly into my motherboard. Highs were painfully sharp and there were sounds that I just wouldn’t hear at all.
I thought it sounded great out of the box, though it improved somewhat with run time. Based on the comments here I upgraded the preamp tube to a JJ ECC82 and the power tubes to Sovteks. This noticeably improved the bass response over stock. It has plenty of drive, too. I'm using my vintage Realistic (by Koss) headphones from the late 60s (low impedance) and I barely have the volume halfway to 1 on the dial (out of 10).
It does produce quite a bit of heat, which isn't shocking for a tube amp and while noticeable it isn't dangerous for adults. I'd recommend keeping it away from little kids, of course, like any tube equipment.
DAC/Amp was great for about two months. Now it has a weird buzzing noise coming out of the unit itself when turned on. Have not had the opportunity to request a replacement yet so we will see how that goes.
UPDATE: DO NOT BUY THIS FROM DROP. NO WARRANTY. MY UNIT IS TWO MONTHS OLD AND WAS TOLD THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING THAT WE CAN NOT REPLACE OR REPAIR IT.
Enjoyable musicality, distinctly analog, has good spatial and dynamics sound quality
Good with dynamic drivers and copper cables
Not so good with sensitive drivers and silver plated cables due to more pronounced humming
The Cirrus Logic DAC x 2 and the amp does a good job at reproduction (humming is only downside)
Excellent construction -- visually and feel
Solid block
Well vented
Signal light indicator for USB connector
Light but fluid volume knob
Humming is noticeable with stock tubs (only knock in my assessment)
Not apparent after 1.5 position (~8 o’clock) - again subjective hearing
Other: :
The DAC is rated at 192KHz but Apple picks up 32bit/384K and works perfectly. Use with shielded USB cable and away from other transmitters
Pairing with EtherCX (copper cable) has lower hum noise but sound reproduction is noticeably less impactful compared with dynamic drivers (Focal Clear) - these are my typical headphones
Assuming good reliability, I think this is a good product and great value at $150, particularly if you're looking for the analog sound quality in a tube amp.
Well, what can I say besides this this came in with a dead channel on the RCA side and I waited months for it to arrive as well. The USB-C side played temporarily but would intermittently cut out too. Even with the intermittent USB-C working the volume was extremely low and inadequate. After trying several different sources and cables nothing's seemed to work so for me it was a no go. I ended up returning it for a full refund.