So glad you added the Hd 800S to your collection. Soundstage specialist was the only thing you missed. Plus the fact that amps like this Xduoo or the AMAZING Primavera work wonders when teaming with the Senny.
Hey! I have a Xduoo TA-26 and I am a little bit confused by it. I have the HD6XX headphones and well, it sounds great, that's no surprise. But after testing multiple 6SN7 tubes (and also going through some different power tubes) I really struggle to find a huge difference in comparison to my FiiO K5 pro. I do use the FiiO as a DAC for my Xduoo but I also tested it on a separate DAC at a friends place, with no difference in sound at all and I just noticed that there is not too much difference in comparison to my FiiO as a whole when using the TA-26. The bass is a little bit stronger abd there is some more sparkle in some percussion instruments, but that's it. Maybe, just maybe the music is a little more dynamic, but that could be my imagination. So being a little bit into reading all sorts of reviews I am honestly wondering if I am getting the full experience of tube sound here. People recommend things like the bottlehead crack as the legendary 6XX pairing and I am curious how it would compare to the TA-26. Also, while being more or less broke, getting a new amp is always an investment. I was thinking about selling the TA-26 in favor for a little dot MK3, but eh, it's a difficult decision and I've already tinkered with my TA-26, replaced the potentiometer and rolled so many tubes that it became a important part of my music enjoyment. Then there is also the issue that I could never truly say how any of the other tube amps perform out of the box. Will they sound better? Worse? How would the noise floor be? Will the tubes it comes with be microphonic? All of these things are just sort of a gamble. Btw, my TA-26 has no hum at all, absolutely no noise, not even on IEMs it isn't made for. So TL;DR: I am very surprised how similiar the ESS chip of my FiiO is to my TA-26 and I'm considering selling it in favor for a different tube amp. I rolled a EH6SN7 Gold, a Tung-Sol, a black base US RCA 6SN7, Foton tubes from the 60's, almost all of these sounds the same and I am very intrigued by other amps in this price range.
I’m very disappointed with my TA 26. When using Headphones with 250ohm and greater there is so much distortion at 45% volume and greater. Did you have any distortion when using it? Did some tubes sound much better than others? I’m looking to upgrade the tubes and see if it’s any better. My stock DarkVoice destroys the stock TA 26 and I’m very puzzled because all the reviews I see say the TA 26 is great. Which obviously I don’t get at this point. Thanks in advance for any information you can pass on.
@@reckulurn3038 I have no distortion at all, not even at close to max volume (which I would never listen to because this would destroy my ears). Tube rolling doesn't do all that much, every tube sounded great so far or at least good and I think they don't vary all that much between each other on the TA-26. The only issue I had with my TA-26 was potentiometer crackling and it's also picky about which system it's hooked on. My USB port forwarded noise through my DAC (FiiO K5 pro ESS) right into my TA-26 so I switched to optical. Now it's dead silent. The only issue I have is fear of missing out tbh. It sounds great, but I wonder if there's better stuff out there. Using a HD6XX btw and even some trashy IEMs worked on that amp, despite not being made for it.
Been pretty happy with my TA-26 :). Have had it for a few months now and have tube rolled it and with my current tubes it's awesome on the ZMF Eikon headphone.
Is you TA-26 silent when it's running? Everything headphone wise is totally fine on mine but the transformer is giving off this humming noise and it's driving me crazy because I always hear it when that thing is on while no music is playing. I already contacted the seller, hope this is not a normal issue and that I can get a replacement unit.
Hi Sandu, I have HD800S on my way and planning to purchase a OTL tube amp to mellow the sound. Headphones will be used over M17 + PL50 combo and regarding tube amp I am thorn between Feliks Echo 2 , Xduuo Ta-26 and Miltra PCL86, what is your recommendation? I am leaning on XduooTa-26 but still wondering about other two. Thanks in advance for an answer :)
Thank you for your review! Would you say that this would match well with a 560S and its 120 ohm impedance? I listen to all kinds of music, from pop that is poorly recorded, heavily compressed, to jazz and classical with extreme dynamics, so having a precise volume control is particularly important for me. Thank you!
I have the drop 6xx headphones on this amp and they sound amazing. I also have the Darkvoice and the main benefit for me is that I can tube roll on the ta26 only, because the hum from anything other than stock tubes on the DV is unbearable. But, the Darkvoice is a little more powerful and more lively compared.
Thanks for a great review I recently brought a little dot mk 2 this little amp will work much better with low impedance headphones. Straight out of the box it even works well with my moon drop arias iems with no background hiss or mains hum. So it might be a better choice for anyone who doesn't own any high impedance cans
I love my HD 600 and HD 560s through my k5pro but I've been dying to hear them through a tube amp. Any opinions on running the RCA out from my k5pro into the TA 26? Would I be just taking the dac signal from my k5pro into the TA 26? Thanks.
Hey mate, that's exactly the signal path and I do think TA-26 would improve everything you love about your Sennies. K5 Pro is good, but ultimately drags them down a little, especially when it comes to scale and effortlessness.
Thank you for your nice review! I have the ta-26 and the only headphones I have are the HD 6XX and the Philips SP 9500. I noticed from the beginning a humming noise with the HD 6XX, but not with the Philips ones. The ta-26 also takes an external FM sound from elsewhere near my home. I hate both noises. They are also present when I couple the ta-26 to powered speakers. Any suggestions? Thanks again.
Not sure if you got a solution to the issue of FM radio. I recently bought my Xduoo TA-66 and I got the same issue when listening it. Eventually I found that the interconnect cables between the DAC and tube amp acts like an antenna that amplifies the radio signal if your house is close to a radio transmission tower etc. I replaced the cables with a pair of higher quality and well shield ones , now it is dead silent. No noise, no radio signal! If you haven’t replaced the cable, you may try to move the set up to a different location in the room away from the window, or shorten the cable by curl then up or move around in different angles. This may reduce the radio signal but may not get rid of it . Hope it helps. - Brian
Yes, i'm using it with a SMSL DA9 from a SMSL SU9 source. I've tube rolled EH Gold Pin and Tung Sol GTB 6SN7 tubes along with 6H13C Winged C power tube. I also use my AT R70X headphones with it. All in all, this one is for keeps. I love how much more body music has now to it.
You can't send pre from those into the pre of an integrated resulting into a weird cocktail. Unless your integrated has a home theatre bypass or unity gain to access the power amp section separately bypassing the integrated's pre!
Awesome! Glad to see you again
So glad you added the Hd 800S to your collection. Soundstage specialist was the only thing you missed. Plus the fact that amps like this Xduoo or the AMAZING Primavera work wonders when teaming with the Senny.
Golden words, I missed my HD800 and I'm a happy band-banger again with HD800S, there's something unique about them.
@@Soundnews There's something very unique about them...THE OWNER!😉
This amp with 6xx is magical. Got the Tung sol 6sn7gtb preamp tube and it is bliss
Thanks Sandu! Been considering this amp for a couple of months...
Hey mate, my pleasure, as always.
Hey! I have a Xduoo TA-26 and I am a little bit confused by it. I have the HD6XX headphones and well, it sounds great, that's no surprise. But after testing multiple 6SN7 tubes (and also going through some different power tubes) I really struggle to find a huge difference in comparison to my FiiO K5 pro. I do use the FiiO as a DAC for my Xduoo but I also tested it on a separate DAC at a friends place, with no difference in sound at all and I just noticed that there is not too much difference in comparison to my FiiO as a whole when using the TA-26. The bass is a little bit stronger abd there is some more sparkle in some percussion instruments, but that's it. Maybe, just maybe the music is a little more dynamic, but that could be my imagination.
So being a little bit into reading all sorts of reviews I am honestly wondering if I am getting the full experience of tube sound here. People recommend things like the bottlehead crack as the legendary 6XX pairing and I am curious how it would compare to the TA-26. Also, while being more or less broke, getting a new amp is always an investment. I was thinking about selling the TA-26 in favor for a little dot MK3, but eh, it's a difficult decision and I've already tinkered with my TA-26, replaced the potentiometer and rolled so many tubes that it became a important part of my music enjoyment. Then there is also the issue that I could never truly say how any of the other tube amps perform out of the box. Will they sound better? Worse? How would the noise floor be? Will the tubes it comes with be microphonic? All of these things are just sort of a gamble. Btw, my TA-26 has no hum at all, absolutely no noise, not even on IEMs it isn't made for.
So TL;DR: I am very surprised how similiar the ESS chip of my FiiO is to my TA-26 and I'm considering selling it in favor for a different tube amp. I rolled a EH6SN7 Gold, a Tung-Sol, a black base US RCA 6SN7, Foton tubes from the 60's, almost all of these sounds the same and I am very intrigued by other amps in this price range.
I’m very disappointed with my TA 26. When using Headphones with 250ohm and greater there is so much distortion at 45% volume and greater. Did you have any distortion when using it? Did some tubes sound much better than others? I’m looking to upgrade the tubes and see if it’s any better. My stock DarkVoice destroys the stock TA 26 and I’m very puzzled because all the reviews I see say the TA 26 is great. Which obviously I don’t get at this point. Thanks in advance for any information you can pass on.
@@reckulurn3038 I have no distortion at all, not even at close to max volume (which I would never listen to because this would destroy my ears).
Tube rolling doesn't do all that much, every tube sounded great so far or at least good and I think they don't vary all that much between each other on the TA-26.
The only issue I had with my TA-26 was potentiometer crackling and it's also picky about which system it's hooked on. My USB port forwarded noise through my DAC (FiiO K5 pro ESS) right into my TA-26 so I switched to optical. Now it's dead silent.
The only issue I have is fear of missing out tbh. It sounds great, but I wonder if there's better stuff out there.
Using a HD6XX btw and even some trashy IEMs worked on that amp, despite not being made for it.
Good video, and now interested in hearing it. Was it pretty good with metal? Find it difficult to find stuff that really makes metal shine.
from a metal brother to another: nothing can beat an OTL, all-tube or hybrid amplifier with metal of all sorts.
@@Soundnews Good man, thanks!
Been pretty happy with my TA-26 :). Have had it for a few months now and have tube rolled it and with my current tubes it's awesome on the ZMF Eikon headphone.
Sweet little setup you have in there, keep rocking!
@@Soundnews 😊
Is you TA-26 silent when it's running? Everything headphone wise is totally fine on mine but the transformer is giving off this humming noise and it's driving me crazy because I always hear it when that thing is on while no music is playing. I already contacted the seller, hope this is not a normal issue and that I can get a replacement unit.
@@PinePizza Yeah that sounds like a possible issue as mine is completely silent. Hope it gets sorted out.
Which tubes did you use and how does each perform?
hi,
nice review.... what economic dac do you recomend for Ta-26 ? thxks !
thx
Hi Sandu, I have HD800S on my way and planning to purchase a OTL tube amp to mellow the sound. Headphones will be used over M17 + PL50 combo and regarding tube amp I am thorn between Feliks Echo 2 , Xduuo Ta-26 and Miltra PCL86, what is your recommendation?
I am leaning on XduooTa-26 but still wondering about other two. Thanks in advance for an answer :)
After listening to tubes, I can’t go back to SS anymore. I have tube amps for my speakers and headphones.
Word! Golden words!
Thank you for your review! Would you say that this would match well with a 560S and its 120 ohm impedance? I listen to all kinds of music, from pop that is poorly recorded, heavily compressed, to jazz and classical with extreme dynamics, so having a precise volume control is particularly important for me. Thank you!
Hi Gustavo...it should do the trick. 560S aren't that demanding so why not.
I have the drop 6xx headphones on this amp and they sound amazing. I also have the Darkvoice and the main benefit for me is that I can tube roll on the ta26 only, because the hum from anything other than stock tubes on the DV is unbearable. But, the Darkvoice is a little more powerful and more lively compared.
Agree on this one, OTLs are shining with 6XX and other high-impedance headphones.
darkvoice runs the tubes at lower voltage vs the xduo.
Thanks for a great review I recently brought a little dot mk 2 this little amp will work much better with low impedance headphones. Straight out of the box it even works well with my moon drop arias iems with no background hiss or mains hum. So it might be a better choice for anyone who doesn't own any high impedance cans
I love my HD 600 and HD 560s through my k5pro but I've been dying to hear them through a tube amp. Any opinions on running the RCA out from my k5pro into the TA 26? Would I be just taking the dac signal from my k5pro into the TA 26? Thanks.
Hey mate, that's exactly the signal path and I do think TA-26 would improve everything you love about your Sennies. K5 Pro is good, but ultimately drags them down a little, especially when it comes to scale and effortlessness.
Thank you for your nice review! I have the ta-26 and the only headphones I have are the HD 6XX and the Philips SP 9500. I noticed from the beginning a humming noise with the HD 6XX, but not with the Philips ones. The ta-26 also takes an external FM sound from elsewhere near my home. I hate both noises. They are also present when I couple the ta-26 to powered speakers. Any suggestions? Thanks again.
Not sure if you got a solution to the issue of FM radio. I recently bought my Xduoo TA-66 and I got the same issue when listening it. Eventually I found that the interconnect cables between the DAC and tube amp acts like an antenna that amplifies the radio signal if your house is close to a radio transmission tower etc. I replaced the cables with a pair of higher quality and well shield ones , now it is dead silent. No noise, no radio signal!
If you haven’t replaced the cable, you may try to move the set up to a different location in the room away from the window, or shorten the cable by curl then up or move around in different angles. This may reduce the radio signal but may not get rid of it . Hope it helps. - Brian
Hi, I wonder what would be better between this and TA-10R for Beyer cans (250 n 600 ohms)? Can the TA-10R works as only an amp? Thank you very much 🙂
For the price pretty cool device
Hi there, a question: which power supply is better to choose?: 110 or 220v?
Is anyone using this as a preamp, connecting to your integrated amp? This is the purpose I would get it for.
Yes, i'm using it with a SMSL DA9 from a SMSL SU9 source. I've tube rolled EH Gold Pin and Tung Sol GTB 6SN7 tubes along with 6H13C Winged C power tube. I also use my AT R70X headphones with it. All in all, this one is for keeps. I love how much more body music has now to it.
You can't send pre from those into the pre of an integrated resulting into a weird cocktail. Unless your integrated has a home theatre bypass or unity gain to access the power amp section separately bypassing the integrated's pre!
@@GavinMarkable That's simply not true. I am using it for several monts like this and tube rolling really changes the sound.
👍🔥
Will it be suitable for Akg k712 PRO? [Impedence 62 Ohm, Sensitivity : 105 dB/V]
XDuoo recommends 60ohm onwards
The person who purchased this amp must replace the tube.
Amplifiers cannot increase soundstage. So cut the crap.
Please, enlighten us
It's the headphones and the recording that has the soundstage...
@@chefsteve8381 yes. It's in the recording. Good headphones will reproduce it. Poor headphones with bugger it up.
@@kyron42 I think I'll stop here, but I do not agree with your statement. Your entire chain is responsible for it, not only your headphones or music
No need to ruin someones findings if you yourself are unable to hear it. Oh yes, tube amps have a great soundstage.