I was previously using a SMSL SH-9. My main headphones are the Quad ERA-1. Noticeable improvement in power, warmth, separation and detail. Still using stock tubes. Unit has approximately 40 hours of use now. I’m streaming Tidal to a Bluos Node 2I. I use the volume control on the Bluos, amp itself is at 12 o’clock. Then to the TA-30 via coaxial cable, nothing fancy. My only complaint is a pop when turning off so I unplug headphones beforehand. It does get quite warm as well. Other than that I love it.
I purchased xduoo TA-30 since I failed to buy xduoo TA-20 PRO. But it turned out I bought the better one.
TA-30 has more power and smoother sound. I just love it. I tried almost every headphone that I have(about 60) to this beautiful headphone amp, most of them worked so nice except Hifiman Susvara. I was so surprised that Yamaha 5000se headphone(which is very picky and delicate) also worked great with TA-30. I do recommend it to you guys.
Very stylish, nice sounding, powerful amp, but the volume knob only works for the headphone out and not the aux out on the back, so you will need a different device to control volume.
Solid build, decent quality out of the box. Powerful enough to drive almost anything. For a better quality, I suggest investing in better vaccuum tubes.
This is my second xDuoo, as well as my second DAC / AMP. There is definitely a big difference with this compared to it's older brother the TA-20. With the built in filters you can choose and the overall gain to a lot of sounds that were shadowed with the older version. The TA-30 does run hot so I do recommend having ample space from other components and decent air flow area. My preferred default filter is brickwall and it is honestly a blast.
First I'm not a pro audiophile. I just know what sounds good to me and I'm always skeptical. That being said, I didn't expect much for an all in one tube at this price. Well it's a gem with my Focal Clear MGs. My Sennheisers, Beyerdynamics and Hifmans ran well, but I seem to enjoy my Clear MGs on this unit. I'd say my second favorite on this TA-30 was the LCD-x. The volume on most my headphones is 9 o'clock max. My Hifiman HE6se V2s pushed it to 11 o'clock max. My other Hifimans were a tad less on the volume position.
Bluetooth tested with - Iphone 13 pro max and Google Pixel 6 pro using Tidal, Amazon HD and local Synology. Worked well and did not drop connection if I didn't push the BT range.
Computer tested - Macbook pros M1, M2 and Intel.
Build - It's a mini tank and the design with tube guard rails is done nicely. Tube insertion was tight.
Heat Note - It gets hot, but not as bad as I expected from other reviews. I'd still follow the directions on the placement distance.
Cons - Volume control is very short range and the BT volume works odd. The Z review mentions the BT volume at a certain level acts unusual and I have duplicated his assessment. Using the volume know on the TA-30 is the only option from my testing.
Note - This was my first Drop purchase and paid for faster shipping. They did great and will get my future purchases.
So far this thing has been absolutely fantastic. The first one I got with a bad tube, but the replacement has been perfect. No complaints at all. I will say it does give off some good heat so be aware of that!