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Edited December 10, 2021
at 11:06 AM
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deal [adorama.com]
$170 + free s/h (price drops in cart)
This is a headphone amp for portable devices. It works with 3.5mm connectors or 2.5mm balanced. It takes bluetooth as input or 3.5mm (see pics)
Very good unit for higher end sensitive in-ears that often require very good, clean power to shine
inputs:
- ESS Sabre 44.1/48k 16-Bit (AAC, aptX, aptX LL and SBC)
- Wired3.5mm (TRS or TRRS S-Balanced) and 2.5mm (TRRS)
outputs:
- S-Balanced > 3.8V / 45 mW (@ 300 Ohm)> 3.5V / 380 mW (@ 32 Ohm)> 3.1V / 600 mW (@ 16 Ohm
- Balanced> 7.6V / 90 mW (@ 600 Ohm)> 7.2V / 800 mW (@ 64 Ohm)> 5.7V / 1,000 mW (@ 32 Ohm)
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1) the LiPo battery pack inside these units begins to degrade in battery life within 2 years of usage.
2) the Li-Po battery packs inside these units use a proprietary connector that makes it difficult to self-service.
3) The manufacturer offers replacement batteries but under the following conditions: You must ship your Xcan to them at YOUR expense. You must pay them approximately $40 for the battery and return shipping. They will NOT mail you the replacement battery to do the swap yourself.
4) The balanced headphone jack on the Xcan is a cheap module that lacks an anchor into the PCB. This means that it will break off from just light careful usage. Many complaints about this on Head-Fi.
Read up on this product on the official discussion thread on Head-Fi and also read over the negative reviews on Amazon. There are frequent complaints about the balanced jack breaking inside the Xcan. This is because the solder joints eventually fail and there's no through-PCB anchor to keep the jack secure.
Also review the lab tests for other iFi products at AudioScienceReview.com
Most of them don't test very well. It sort of a mixed bag.
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https://ifi-audio.com/comparison-...d-to-head/
I have this. Great little amp. Fingerprint magnet, but otherwise it's great. I think I paid about $200 or $220 for this USED from Head-Fi classifieds a year or so ago.
I used to use an apple camera adapter cable to run from phone to my previous portable headphone amp. Got tired of all of the cables everywhere. Now I just bluetooth from my phone to the amp and then out to the amp. I even have a XLR 4-pin to balanced cable adapter.
This is also MQA capable -- IF you run it hardwired... so you can get MQA on the go (with an apple camera adapter)... or you can use it in a desktop setup if you want (essentially using this as a DAC and outputting to a beefier amp).
Last but not least, I sometimes have issues when I change from bluetooth mode to wired mode... and then try going back to bluetooth. It won't connect again. The solution is to totally unpair it... and then re-pair it. Not sure if they fixed that via a firmware update or not.
there is no built in desired technology in neither phones nor DAP's.. this offers much power than both can provide.
Keep in mind the DAC is only for the Bluetooth. Think of the xCAN as a headphone amp with an added option for steaming very good quality Bluetooth from your phone or computer: https://ifi-audio.com/products/xCAN/
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You need more power than the fiio puts out for high ohm hd800/650's or hungry orthos, but who is using a battery powered portable with cans like those anyways.
I use it when I'm sitting outside on the deck, on the couch, or by the lake. Yes, the portability is a huge factor.
I use it with my phone or computer and connect them via Bluetooth or a hardwire, and the sound quality is about as close to equal is it gets. I use it with my HiFiman 400i headphones and my Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 2 headphones. This device takes them to another level, and it has more than enough power.
Another poster above mentioned that it's difficult to get them to go from Bluetooth to hardwire, but then he corrected himself citing that he had another iFi product. This device has no such problem. It is a fingerprint magnet, but I don't really care about that. There are a lot of far more advanced audiophiles on this thread, and that's great. I'm a novice at best, and for me and my needs, this device is unbeatable, and at $199, it's a great deal. Highly recommend.
You need more power than the fiio puts out for high ohm hd800/650's or hungry orthos, but who is using a battery powered portable with cans like those anyways.