XDUOO TA-22 DAC&Tube Balance Headphone Amplifier ES9038Q2M*2 USB DSD256 32Bit/384kHz HD Bluetooth DAC Amp

I am am audiophile and not ashamed of it. I am am a DevOps engineer who listens to music and podcasts (mostly music from my very large collection) all day. Of course, that's when I am not on a Teams meeting (which is most of the day). But, when I can get 30-60 minutes to just code and listen to music I am in heaven.I have the Topping, SMSL, Schitt, etc. but this one was never on my radar for some reason. I looked at it when I came out and thought "eh...I have better." Yeah...no.This unit went on a bit of a sale here on the old Amazon and "popped up" as a recommendation. I took another look (you do to I bet) and I started to read more about it. I did my due diligence (Reviews, YouTube Videos, etc). I found the placement of the tubes in the architecture quite interesting. I love the sound of tubes and I thought the smoothness of a tube against silicon might be worth hearing so I pulled the trigger.First thing I noticed was how well balanced the unit was. I have several others AMP/DAC's (combo and stacks) and found the sound of this unit very smooth and it had that lovely "tube sound". Not that tube sound where you hear a hiss or a crackle every now and again. The tubes simply smoothed out the sound from the silicon chip. That "sharpness" and "stale" sound was now warm and smooth. I was really impressed and with the gear I have, that's not to easy to do. I really enjoyed how just about everything I threw at it was smooth, and sounded really well balanced. I was so impressed, I removed my Topping and FiiO K9 Pro from my desk and just used this unit for about 3 weeks straight. I wanted to let it break in and really give it a run for my money. I like to change out my equipment every few weeks so I don't get bored with the same sound all day, every day. This unit is now part of that rotation. Color me impressed. Truly.I am not going to sit here and tell you this is the best unit ever. However, it has a good soundstage, very well controlled bass and mids, and I love the smoothness of the treble. I threw 3-4 headphones and various IEM's at it and it handled all of them perfectly. The only issue I was not aware of was it's size and how heavy the unit is. It's a beast.I have not idea how I missed this one. I don't buy gear to just buy gear. I want something that brings something different to my music.Now, I did change out the tubes. I have a favorite I like to use from a specific manufacture but the stock tubes are more than adequate for most.If you have been looking at this unit, give it a shot. I think you might be impressed.

It has been a long time since I wrote a review on Amazon, but my experience with this device has compelled me to do so again. I was looking for a combo DAC/Amp because I am very tight on desk space and was intrigued by the idea of going with a tube amplifier after watching countless hours of review videos online. Audio is one of those funny things that you can't really explain with words or video... you just have to hear it to understand whether something is right for you or not. This unit is PERFECT for me! As a hybrid amplifier, you get to experience the unique warmth that tubes provide without losing the efficient and effective amplification that solid-state provides. It really is the best of both words and probably worth a lot more than they sell it for.I have it connected to my desktop PC via USB after installing the drivers. I used the included USB cable and had zero trouble getting it running. I love that it has a lot of connectivity options in case I ever want to use it in a different way in the future.If I could take off 0.1 star, it would be that the stock tubes were not "tubey" enough for me. Once I upgraded the tubes to Genalex Gold Lions... Oh. My. God. It took the audio experience to the next level!! I can't even describe how good all my favorite songs sound now. I am rediscovering old favorites that I've listened to thousands of times before and hearing new sounds that have been hidden from me all this time. The experience is truly euphonic!Seriously, if you're on the fence, just get this and immediately go get a matched pair of Genalex Gold Lions. You'll be glad you did!For reference, I am listening on DT 177X Go headphones.

I was able to snag this guy in "used-good" condition for $350. It came basically brand-new, everything in the original package included and no issues as of yet.I was looking for an upgrade to my FIIO K7 and after some time, I set my sights onto the TA-22. It's not a full tube amplifier, but rather a hybrid one. It won't give you the full tube experience, but it'll work well with both dynamic and planar driver headphones. I'm using my HE6SE V2, a rather hungry pair of cans, through balanced on the TA-22 and it gave it a moderately nice jump in audio quality compared to the K7. It makes the music more lively and enjoyable compared to the K7. I run medium gain with the volume level around 70-80 with EQ, so no problems getting to a comfortable listening level. It is on the heavier side, good for staying in one spot on the desk.If you want to experience a little bit of tube sound in an all-in-one dac/amp, then this one will do it. It's got bluetooth, a nice display screen, and an overall solid build quality to it. I can recommend.

TLDR: great if you are upgrading from nothing, but for me not a huge leap in difference with a DT 1990 pro. Also for audiophiles 80-90% of sound is headphones, and DACs/amps will reach diminishing returns as do headphones.Build quality is beautiful, and it is heavy. Unit will run warm but not hot. Menus are good and dial knob works well. I wish they would sync up the lights as one is orange and the other is yellow… but that’s nitpicking. This unit has a beautiful warm excellent sound.I have DT 1990 pros that I used with this. Coming from a SB AE-9 I was hoping to see a night and day difference but it was subtle and to me not worth the price. In pure mode with Peace and Orratory EQ the headphones sound beautiful.I went down the audiophile rabbit hole and I can safely say that for amp/dac you probably won’t notice a drastic difference once you pass the topping dx3+ or similar $200-$300 range. As for headphones I have a big collection of them and diminishing returns hit hard once you pass $500 ballpark.