My opinion of xDuoo's previous DAC/tube amp I tested was that it was fine, but not giving you what was being marketed. The TA-22 being a desktop source, you also had tube sockets allowing tube rolling, yet the basic architecture was simply not conducive to give you that rich analog warmth expected after going through the product page and some reviews. The brand has since put out some less expensive standalone tube amplifiers that people have been quite positive about, so I was very curious whether some of that newfound love could be shared with its portable source line too. The XD05 Pro has already left a strong mark on me, and I dare say the XD05T helps fill a niche that was missing in xDuoo's line. This offers a good balance of a clean sound with some added tube richness, lending favorably to instruments in particular. It's not the most tube-y sound, yet I couldn't really ask for more in this form factor. There are some smaller DAC/tube amp units in the market too, with the Muse HiFi M5 Ultra getting some attention thanks to a certain retailer basically spamming these units to their chosen influencers, yet I thought it was okay at best, with the sound in tube mode not really showcasing any strengths, and others I trust seem to think the same. You should still consider it though, given it can be had for half the cost of the XD05T. It won't give you all the features on offer here, yet you can go with solid state amplification for higher battery life there. Personally I'd rather save the money and get something like the FiiO BTR17 instead (review coming soon) which is even smaller and has a really nice feature set that bests the XD05T as well, or save some extra to get a source such as the XD05T which actually takes advantage of the tubes and gives you a tangibly different sound compared to pretty much any other solid state DAC/amp on the market.

The good news is you get this richer and warmer sound without compromising on detail retrieval or dynamics. In fact, I found the treble dynamics to be even better here than with a typical solid state portable or desktop source. High dynamic range classical music can be really demanding on sources, and the XD05T handles it with ease. Being able to use it with the vast majority of IEMs and headphones I have here is a win too, even if it's not the best with highly sensitive IEMs given the slight noise floor. On the other hand, I never expected I'd be able to use the likes of the Susvara Unveiled on my living room couch without feeling it was being held back somehow, so this merits attention purely for being able to drive more demanding flagships with ease too. I do wish the battery life was higher, yet this is more a limitation of the platform than anything else, since xDuoo already has a large 6000 mAh battery inside that takes up nearly the entire length of the PCB. Add to this extensive I/O, including a full 1/4" jack, and you will see why the XD05T is closer to a desktop-class source than a portable one. There's so much going on here, and yet anyone used to one of the higher-end xDuoo XD05 series sources will feel right at home. The XD05T is not a perfect set by any means, and it's a more niche product than a mass-market one, yet I find it compelling and fulfilling its goals enough to award it a recommendation. Just be aware this will be on sale multiple times a year, including during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday time I write this review, so you can get it for significantly lower than MSRP with some patience.