Xduoo MT602 Headphone Amp Review - $99 Smooth Operator
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- Опубликовано: 27 авг 2024
- Xduoo MT602 Yaoyaotiger Link bit.ly/2Pe6eQ1
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RIP Fry’s been o. Life support for years; finally pulled the plug last week.
Randy...just a note to say this MT-602 functions just brilliantly as a pre-amp, just as you'd mentioned in these Xduoo-MT reviews. I think it's actually better in that role, though not suggesting it makes for a lesser headphone amp...it's good for that, too -- but man -- as a pre-amp....wow. Just wow.
How do use this as a preamp? I need this explained more
@@depthsofyourmind6070 you initially pre (before) amp it. Your chain looks like this: digital source--->DAC--->pre amp--->amp.
I use it with a matched pair of Voskhod tubes in my main speaker system as a preamp. They give my speakers Holographic Imaging and sounds tonally neutral.
Randy... the man who never sleeps
I have the MT-602. Swapped out the default tubes for a matched pair of Sylvania 5654's and it's pure bliss! Tube rolling is also very affordable for this amp. For sensitive iem's I had to turn down the digital volume of my dac to compensate.
Love it.
I think I bought the same tubes. No print or any information on what year they are, though. I was hoping for the ones manufactured between 1952 and 1964. You may have read the same article as I did. Have fun.
One tip to address the high output level of this little devil. When it arrived, I could only turn the volume knob up to 8 or 9 o'clock before it was too loud with my modest NAD 302 as a power amp. So I ponied up $22 at Parts Express for a pair of Harrison 12 dB attenuators to go on the output side of the MT602. They go on my RCA cables between the cables and the NAD. I'm using the NAD with the preamp stage disconnected. (You pull out the u-shaped pins between preamp out and power amp in). With the attenuators in place, I can dial the volume level of the MT602 up to a range between 11 and 2 o'clock where it's in the sweet spot. It's a very nice solution, and allows for the volume know to provide a really subtle range of volume adjustment. Delicious sound in this configuration. I'm here to tell the the $22 attenuators are a good solution.
I'm so happy that I had time enough to cancel the LoxJie P20 order on time in favor of a LAST UNIT available of the MT602 on Amazon (Germany) for just 85 bucks! I will pair them with DT 770 pro my, very first audiophile rig is on the way! THANK YOU
PS: I will stack it with Ifi Zen DAC V2
Bought the Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ and TA-100 thanks to your reviews. Can't wait til they come in!
Update: got the PT-100 preamp, A-300 amp, and SE-12 sub to pair with the B1+'s. Sounds AMAZING
Fry's..... buy a 1 lb bag of candy and get a free set of earbuds.....while supplies (of candy) lasts.
Excellent review as always Compadre!
Nice job, Randy. I don’t do headphones, but I enjoyed your review. Sounds like it’s great and cheap.
This looks nice. My only problem with tube amps is they seem to be susceptible to noise/buzz from EMF. I bought a Bravo Audio V3 Tube Headphone Amplifier about a year ago and I like it, but if I had my iPhone or iPad near it you could hear a lot of interference from them. If you move the devices the noise went away. I’m loving my Bellari HA543 solid state headphone amp so far.
You won't get a buzz with this if you use good cables
Randy...I'm compelled by a force I don't understand to have a coffee with you everyday...I'm buying that thing cuz of the vent holes...
I like your vids man! Keep the hard work up and it will pay off!
From the UK. Bought this on your recommendation and love it. Love your vids. Thank you.
You need to do a compilation of your intros!!!! "We here at cheapaudio man don't think your hifi should cost more than . . . ." Maybe for your 200th show?
man... that would be a lot of editing
@@cheapaudioman Send it down to the editing dept! Or make your kids do it.
Seriously, love the show!
Decided to pick this up and give it a try. I've been setting up a mini listening cave in a walk in closet and went to give my headphones some love, but my NuForce Icon just doesn't have the juice ( < 0.1 watts) , and my other dac/amp is flaking out on the right channel. Avoided the temptation to spend $$$$ on everyone's favorites and really curious to see how far budget gear has come in the past decade.
And what's your verdict?
@@BatteryAz1z I’ve been really enjoying it. I’ve been listening primarily with hifiman he400i and sennheiser hd598 headphones. I’ve also been using it as a preamp out to my speaker amp. I think it sounds great, I just don’t have any other even semi-modern gear to compare it against. My only complaint is I wish the gain were set lower. I don’t get much play in the volume knob, and with the sennheisers i barely get it past the point of channel imbalance to get to listening levels.
Gonna miss Fry's.......the only real dealer of electronic parts and components that was left after Radio Shack. This is the second great review I've heard on this amp.......might get one!
Bought it last night from Amazon Germany 9-4 received it this morning ( playing for 12 hours ) great Amp sofar
Red knob, dual tubes, vent holes, FLUSHED UP SCREWS! I drool, you drool, we all drool for Xduoo!
I have a Xduoo XD-5 Plus portable headphone amp for about $290 and it sounds great. With 1000Mv output, it's a beast. This drives anything and sounds very good. I am in the process of changing out the op amp for a Burson V5i-D op amp that is supposed to be superior at least reviewers like the Burson better than the Muses 01,02,03 op amps. Fun with headphones. I wonder if this unit has a replacable op amp? Also xDuoo often uses 1/4" jacks.
just came across your channel, subscribed and liked, perfect rev for me as I have 6xx winging across the pond to the UK and also been looking at getting this Amp
Nice rip on Fry's Electronics haha
Can it be connected to an audio interface?
It has an analog input and output, as well.
Watching and listening to this review through the MT-602 with Sylvania tubes. Much better than the stock Chyyyna tubes. This amp is awesome. Also using a Monolith Liquid Spark by Alex Cavelli and this sounds better. Now I'm just waiting for my Voskhod 6ZH1P-EV Gold Grid year 1975 tubes to arrive. All going through an S.M.S.L. Sanskrit 10th MKII and the Hifiman Sundara 2020 Edition with ZMF Ori Lambskin perforated pads. I'm happy. Just need a glass of 18 year old matured Whiskey and a Montecristo No.2 Cuban cigar.
Have my xduoo on the way almost went for the balanced but I want to experiment with tube rolling and 2 is cheaper than 4. Is there a forum or listing of the different tubes. So for I stance if I didn't want such a sharp high end but wanted it faster for say a Sundara is there a tube set for this that may do that? When you swapped in the zylvania tubes what changed and what will change with the voskhod’s. Enthused to get into this but some guidance would be invaluable so I don't end up setting up a radar be on by mistake and force landing a mig fighter 😜
@@adrianmorrish8494 just type in MT-602 tube rolling in google. Thats all I did. I learnt a lot
@@UpgradingAsUsualahh rats I was hoping for some semi-secret dark web only group that had webcam meets in hooded robes every blood moon, but ok Google will have to do, thanks.
@@adrianmorrish8494 Seriously, that's all I did and found an absolute gem in that amp. Just try to find the Sylvania 1953's like these: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290582165627 and you will have the best tubes out there for that amp. I have a different setup now but I still think the MT-602 is brilliant. Unfortunately, because audio is highly subjective you can only experiment. I just feel that tube rolling is waaaay too expensive to be trial and erroring yourself. Good luck and watch your wallet! Just a little tip: try your best to ignore 'matched' pairs. They add to the price for no reason and buying 'single' tubes in batches of two will yield the same results. Save where you can! The article is here: audiofool.reviews/tube-rolling-the-xduoo-mt-602/ .....not sure if youtube will let me keep these links here.............
I love my XDuoo TA-20 tube amp. It’s the only product from them I own but they seem to make good stuff. It pushes my M560’s and my Aeon X opens just fine.
I have the m560's and the Aeon Closed RT... good choices,
Goat intros lol i love em
If you want a *balanced* version of this unit, they make one - called the MT604, and it costs $169. Four 6J1 tubes, and two volume knobs.
And they make a model called MT601 which uses a single 9-pin tube, that is a dual triode, and a 24V power supply - and sells for $10 less than the MT602. It has a bit less power, but probably is plenty for most headphones. Like the MT602, as Randy says, it is not ideal for very sensitive headphones or IEMs because it has a lot of gain.
Got one of these for Xmas, based upon this review. Everything Randy says about this is true, nice headphone/preamp! Anyone have suggestions for a good, budget power amp to do with this ?
Nice review Randy! I have the hifiman he400i planar headphones. Do you think this amp would be a good match for them?
I haven’t heard the 400i but I did have the 4xx for a while and this would be a great pairing
Oops....Fry's has officially bit the dust, as of a few weeks ago.... sadly, it was only a matter of time. Hope Best Buy is not next🤔
This is my first post but I've become a huge fan of the channel. How is the MT602 as a preamp for speakers? I'm not a big headphone guy, but I like butter, and tube preamps, particularly for near field setups like my home cpu. I am very happy since I switched to KEF Q150s*. I have one of those little Fx-audio Tube-03s sitting around, and I think I need more tubes in my life.
*I tried out the ELAC Debut 6.2s, and they made my heart sad, and I was somehow unhappy even listening to Iron Maiden, which shouldn't happen. I thought maybe I was just depressed, but it turns out I was just having an allergic reaction to overly bright speaker design. At one point I had them toed out like 45 degrees. I couldn't figure out what was wrong until I found your videos. Your channel changed my life. Thanks!
It definitely adds a bit of a flavor. You can always start to try different tubes too. A very easy and inexpensive way to get into tubeiness
Finally a review of this product because all I saw was someone with a questionable knowledge of this amp.
Looks like this will pair nicely and tame the DT 1990 a fair bit.
Did you happen to try reducing source volume to note effects on volume control and hiss for sensitive headsets/iems? Emotivas had no significant floor noise? Wondering if this could be a good budget tube option especially with my Focal Elegia (relatively sensitive for headsets, similar to emotivas ratings) 🧐 Thanks for the review!
Do you use sets of new lighting and lens man? It's kinda nice!
thanks. having fun learning the video thing.
Have you tried the Fiio K3? If so how do you think it compares? I think the Fiio for the price sounds better than other competitors that are 4 times its price and is also the best DAC.
What tubes come with it? I replaced the P20's tubes and the power supply and I love it, especially with the P20's balanced in and outs.
I have such a 40€ mini-tube-headphone amp, quite suprised me ... this one looks better build tho
TUBE UPGRADE ? any recommendations ? Thank You
If I get a wiim amp, could I use this between my turntable and wiim inputs for listening to vinyl, or is there a better solution?
I love old school mini-toggles also. Yet most audio mfgr's avoid them.
That was a great review I've been through two sets of over ear headphones. I could never get past the fact of being tethered so then I went the portable power route ie studio, fiio BTR 3 and 5. In a really cool and Randy the little bear portable headphone amplifier which actually has tubes and balanced output.I need to send that to you it sits on my desk I rarely use it sometimes I will plug it in line and use it as a preamp kind of two buffer that's a neat product . I would never miss it if it was gone but it is really cool I should send it to you it's yours brother look it up. Great review man have a fantastic rest of your weekend. ✌️
LOL got to love voice text 😁. You get the point I'm too lazy to type all this out on my phone...
@@treyhorn5645 shoot me an email. I’d love to give it a try. I seriously considered getting one of those before I started the channel
Can this little amp drive Beyer Dynamic DT 880 or 990 premium 600 ohm headphones ?
Thanks for this review... 2 questions...
1- Can this be tube rolled?
1- can it be used as a preamp to the thx 789? (See Joshua Valour's video on using tube pre amps)... I don't won't to blow up my 789 but if this works I'm definitely pulling the trigger :)
Yes and yes. Just set the volumes and the control with only one volume after you have it set initially
How is it compared to Schiit Vali 2. Which one would you recommend?
It's good your editing the coffee slurping out now
I aim to please, chris
So, as a member of the Sith Audio Fan Club and all Black Clothing. And as you being a Distributor can you explain in 25,000 words or less the "preferable" Class D Amps with Bluetooth and that are preferably AptX capable that while possibly strident would be tamed by this Fine Unit? I'd happily buy from Ali, but I fear slow boats from China. And curiously would you think a Schiit Loki would be a nice addition to the chain of events? Lastly, Darko Audio's review of Schiit products is worth more than the price of admission.
Randy, unrelated, but related...... Your opinion, Emotiva B1+ or Klipsch 61 Ii? $70 swing is not insurmountable. Thank you. I thoroughly enjoy your work.
Well the 61's are much bigger and front ported and are great. The problem is that the B1's are remarkable and provide an experience that other speakers just can't. If it's a very large room then the 61's. Anything else the B1's. Even in a fairly large room the B1's work.
Thanks boss. Room is 11x14, which I thought maybe to small for the 61's. B1+ has been my first pick, they're just unavailable at the moment. I will be pairing with a Flex8.
Randy, I finally broke down and bought Pale Emperor on vinyl. Wow! Great sounding pressing. BTW...countersunk screws???
Yeah. I couldn’t think of the word. Yeah. I have that record on vinyl. It’s so good
👍
haha, some people won't get it but the Fry's sponsor was quite the doozie
too soon?
Dude that knob looks like it's more than $100. Nice 💀. I think Fry's Ieft the party. They went under. You were their last sponsor.🏆
would I benefit from upgrading the power supply V12 cable on this?
Fry's is gone. Makes me cry
Fiio e10k vs fiio btr5 vs mt602 vs soundblaster g3
Okay, now you've made me curious - this uses 6J1 tubes, which I have not heard of. They are 7 pin - what brand are they? Edit: these are apparently pentode tubes.
They also sell a slightly lower price version ($89) that uses a single tube (6N11 / E88CC / 6922). These are dual triode tubes (I am pretty sure?) so the one tube does both channels.
That I don’t know. But there are some Soviet tubes called 6J1p’s you can use for different sounds. I’ll be looking into that to start my journey into tube rolling.
@@cheapaudioman Right - from what I found, the 6J1P is the mil spec version, and so probably sounds better, or at least will last longer. Someone on DIY Audio says that you can use 5654, 6AK5, EF95, and 6096 for the 6J1. EDIT: These are apparently pentode tubes (not triode).
Maybe you can compare the MT601 ($89), MT602($99), and the Schiit Audio Vali 2+, which is a single tube headphone amp for $149 - which is made in the US. It has a high and low input level switch, and their Coherence topology, which is near-Class A performance with more efficiency.
Ordered a matched pair of GE 5654W tubes (for about 41 Canadian bucks) to go with mine to test out, if all goes well might find more compatible tubes to try too
@@cheapaudioman On the strength of your review, and a few other RUclipsr reviews of the Xduoo MT-602, and because it has both 1/4" and 1/8" headphone jacks, I have ordered one. I was very tempted by the MT-601, because I have good 6922 tubes (used in my Modulus 2C preamp), but it lacks the 1/8" headphone jack. It has less output (which is probably NOT an issue) which might make it a little more gentle on the volume gain - but apparently, it runs much hotter than the MT-602.
I also ordered a Schiit Vali 2+ which uses a single tube (the same type/group as the MT-601) and while it only has a 1/4" jack, it has a High/Low gain switch for safer listening on higher sensitivity headphones. I am also getting a Modi Multibit DAC, which should arrive much sooner, as the Vali is on 4-6 week backorder.
On the subject of DACs, if your recommended Orchard Audio unit was available as a standalone DAC (without the Raspberry Pi) then I would have considered it. My experience with Volumio on a Pi is tempered by the lack of being able to sign into my Radio Paradise account, and the very uneven dependability of simply listening to it. I switched over to a Bluesound Node 2i that you recommended for its much better software interface. I am much happier now, even with the short period when an update made the software very laggy. It is now working flawlessly again, and the coax (S/PIDF) connection to my Schiit Bifrost 2 sounds better than the Pi on USB did.
Would this allow me to connect to my guitar tube amp and hear my guitar amp through headphones?
Nice work, bro, thanks
any time. great product.
@@cheapaudioman thanks, friend
What are your thoughts on the Xduoo XQ-50 Pro?
can i plug this to my computer out of the box or do i need an extra cable for it to plug in my computer?
Any one has comparison with this vs the schiit vali 2?
Hello, my name is randy and I am connecting up a new hifi system. I am purchasing a new home and can not do any purchases through my bank account. I went to Best Buy and purchased a rotes a12 intergrated amp which was purchased on the fly. Electronics are hard to come by as they don’t have anything in stock or in the warehouse. What is your impression and do you believe that this system is good for pushing Elac debut reference with 6.5 woofer
The amazing thing is that it actually meets its specs, and really has a 115db signal to noise ratio, try finding that in anything this cheap or 4 times the price or more! Pair this with the $150 topping e50 and itll be ground breaking, on audio science review, its measurements beat out a 2500 dollar dac from benchmark... Get kable direct rcas which are cheap asf and have only 14 pf per ft and they don't cost an arm and a leg. They are almost as good as bluejean rcas which cost like 75 bucks for 10ft, kabledirect rcas are so much more affordable, like 15 bucks for 10ft cable, they actually meet 14pf perfoot as I seen someone use a capacitance tester On them. With cables like that, it's useless to go more expensive, most rcas, even from most reputable brands usually measure in at 120pf or higher which is horrible and acts like a lowpass filter. For literally nothing at all, you would have a reference setup that would make snakeoil voodoo believing audiophiles cry.
You should check out the xd-05 basic
How long do i have to turn it on to have the target sound? And how much power it take if not playing but still not turned off? See, i keep my desk monitors and dac always on,thus the question.
not sure. I'll take a look though
Soooo... this means you are going to check out the new Xduoo XA-10 class a headphone amp?
Hopefully
Damn it's early.
No tone controls? Need one for my my MacBook Pro into my ATHM50X headphones.
honestly i feel like level control should just be done with software when running from a computer
I agree but the MacBook has a very weak source for powering bigger headphones.
@@steve4321able that's why you use an amp obviously.... but u can still use whatever tone controls u want through your computer in combination with any amp..
Can you recommend any tone controls for a MacBook Pro?
@@steve4321able www.maketecheasier.com/apply-equalizer-macos/ ...or you can buy an used analogue one on ebay and have fun with it :)
They have a dac amplifier at 479 Pricey, but looks interesting model "AK44932"
Watch out Satan. I'm coming!
That's a great review. Glad you're back in the cheap audio aisle. I guess the tubes buffer, and aren't part of the amplifier? You should have a look at MiniAmp aka MiniDamp.. This does not Compute has a review. I got one, then 3 more to give away as presents... Proves the power supply issue, the more volts in, the better the sound. Not going to be springing €995 on the power supply Hans Bekhuasen reviewed on Friday though 😸😁🤠🎱🏴
did anyone notice a ping sound after turning it on?
102 views 2 thumbs down. You know that you have made it when the haters are champing at the bit... 🤦👾😸🎱🏴