xDuoo TA-30 Reviews Compendium

Compendium updated February 16th, 2021

Rare is the tube amp that can decode PCM 32bit/768kHz and DSD512. Although many audiophiles might want to pair high-end decoding with a more objective solid-state amp, the xDuoo TA-30 is for those who enjoy a bit of warmth with their music.

We’ve compiled reviews from across the web for your reference. What you’ll find here are the TLDR versions of the full reviews (which you can access with the provided links). We’ll continue updating this compendium as reviews come in. 

 

From Z Reviews' review of the xDuoo TA-30, first published on February 8th, 2020:

 

“Thank you, xDuoo.” 

“It’s not ending up in a yard sale. I care about it too much. It does too much good for all of my shit.” 

 

From Currawong's review of the xDuoo TA-30, first published on June 15th, 2020: 

 

“It’s a nice, smooth, and easy-listening amp to use.” 

“The only possible downside is that it puts out quite a lot of heat.” 

“Overall, I think the TA-30 is a good buy.” 

 

From Headfonia's review of the xDuoo TA-30, first published on July 14th, 2020:

“The xDuoo TA-30 is the best DAC-AMP of the brand, to no-one’s surprise. It’s insanely powerful, supports almost every source, and will be a great all-rounder device for anyone in need of a tube-headphone-amplifier + USB DAC.

“The brand simply took all the good points of the TA-20 and TA-10, then pushed it to the limit. Amazing sound stage, powerful lows, sweet highs, and blissful vocals. If you want to discover the tube world, for a “relatively” low price, this is one of the best offer at the moment.

“My only drawback is the lack of an IEM mode, but there is the XD-05 plus for that.”

 

From SoundNews' review of the xDuoo TA-30, first published on February 21st, 2020:

“It is built to last and looks clean without brave design decisions. As a DAC/Headphone amp combo it is among the most powerful units I had the pleasure of testing, it will drive even the heaviest loads I know with an ultimate grip and driver control. It is easily in the top 3 most powerful headphone amps I tested and no matter the music I would listen to, a huge power reserve will always remain on tap.

“The jump from TA-10 to T-30 is much bigger than I anticipated, everything was improved to unrecognizable. Soundstage improved tremendously; it was simply the widest I encountered with my headphones. It had an incredible slam and control in the bass, midrange was sweet, engaging spread-out and layered. I’ve heard the most natural voices on this unit and weirdly enough, the treble never felt recessed or having a lower quality. Even top octave was there with sparkle and zing. That Sabre DAC added much needed detail, leading edge and speed that was shy and unimpressive on TA-10.

“Considering that TA-30 is an all-tube design, I expected a slower and a mellower tonality, but xDuoo managed to impress me with a neutral, transparent, energetic and faster sound presentation. It borrowed some of the greatest stuff from solid state amplification and added some tube goodness on top.”

 

From HiFiGo's review of the xDuoo TA-30, first published on April 15th, 2020:

“Let me tell you this thing straight if you are looking forward to buy a desktop DAC/AMP, this right here will fulfill all your needs in a single package. The xDuoo TA-30 is an extremely powerful device, it has a strong and sturdy build quality. It has a clean and detailed sound output with a warm tonality. The TA-30 sounds musical and enjoyable device, it powers my headphones and speakers with ease. As a DAC/AMP, it has humongous amounts of power to drive whatever you throw at it.”

 

Editor’s note: Emphases ours.