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@Jupiter rules For your unbalanced headphones, you can find on Amazon - you need an adaptor - pentacon to 3.5mm or whatever is your headphone jack. And for your amp , you need pentacon to RCA ( left and right ) cable. For headphones try the Goldplanar GL 2000 or Harmonicdyne Zeus both should pair well with the MT604. Set your DAC to variable output volume and set your MT604 at 12.30 - 1.00 and control the vol from your DAC and amp, that way you don’t ever need to adjust the vol on your MT604 again. Change the tubes after a month or two , they only costs like 20-40USD for 4 ( GE , WE , Mullard , Voshkod …. many choices ). You will get more out of your MT604.
@Jupiter rules If planars are not doing the job for you , it’s probably your DAC and headphone amp that’s the prob - as I found when using my GL2000 with the balanced output from my Matrix mini I pro3 , once I switched to the MT604 , the sound had more details , heft , deeper bass , higher dynamics etc. Good luck on your search.
@Jupiter rules Sorry I’m in China and we use Taobao instead of Amazon , we are spoilt for choice when it comes to accessories and also hifi gear. Most chi fi are selling for 15-25% less but imported is 30-50% more in some cases.
I have the MT604 volume set to noon and run it from the balanced pre-amp output of my SingXer SA-1 (fed by an RME ADI-2 DAC). Of course it colors the sound but I love that combo for many of my low to mid-impedance cans. For higher impedance I prefer my DarkVoice as tube. The SingXer knob is very slow in raising the volume and you have a lot of fine control this way.
These xDuoo products have thrown me for a loop - a positive one at thata!. I'll pass on this 604 'cause I just don't need it. However, I do have the MT-602 and was stunned at what it can do for most DAC's that I've used with it. It opens up a whole new world of listening and after using 7 different DAC's on it, I settled on using it either with the Schiit Modi 3+ or the Topping D10S. Listening to these combo's is like listening to variety of upper echelon audiophile gear. And I'm not easy to please.
I own both, 602 and 604, I feel 604 has more of a tubey sound, relatively more powerful, wider soundstage too, If you run something balanced, don't give it a pass.
I’ve ran a BTA30 through a 602 and it’s my go to if I’m gonna sit with my 4xx or 6xx. No need for some 4 figure rig! I might upgrade to the 604 with some adapters if I just wanna go smooth brain with my tubes, though.
I have had the 604 for about 2 weeks. Of course, I moved straight to tube rolling. Replaced the Chi tubes with 1952 vintage RCA 6AK5’s, and the same version with Mullard’s. Took “oh wow” to “OMG!”. Driving it with several different dac’s and using GL2000 and Audeze 2C’s. Love it!
I listen to my M602 more than any other amp I own. Like you said with this 604, its like a "magic button" no matter what you play through it. It makes no sense why I should love it so much.
I have the Xduoo MT-602 as a preamp for my living room system. Works well for that purpose. I have the gain set at 12 and adjust the volume via remote for the DAC. I also have a passive AV switcher that switches from no preamp to preamp. Having the output level matched, I can hear a slight difference and overall improvement. "Tube warmth" is definitely there, and it subdues the higher order distortion from speakers at louder SPLs.
Bought it because of this review. Have had it for about a week. Running it off of Zen Dac V1. Love it! Ananda and Sundara being used. Both on Amazon trial period until January 22nd. Both sound great. Returning one is going to be very hard. Original tubes sound very good. Have some tubes to roll but not so sure i want to yet. Great review Z...thnx!
@@hongwei4809 It's a great set up. I did end up rolling in some Sylvania 6ak5' from 1953 that added even better tone to my ears. Set of 4 of those however will be another close to $80. Should last for many years though so worth the investment for me.
@@RUMBLEGO1 Hey man thanks for replying! The unit i bought from wwas running Sylvania 5654-82 /85 / and 80 tubes. The soundstage and vocals are pronounced and forward, overall very warm and pleasant sounding. Have no idea how they compare with the stock tubes tho.
I changed to GE5654W tubes, it sounds much better. Then I put it between myMatrix mini I Pro3 and my int amp Moon I5 and it works too by using a pentacon to rca connector. Sounds great on my GL2000 too, better than the Matrix balanced output. Great buy.
This thing is amazing. I have over 20 HP amps and this thing stands out and truly shines! HD650/6XX plays so nice with it. I had it already when you unboxed and got a sense of your low expectations, at that moment I began anticipating this review.
do you think the 601 would be similar? they both use class A output stage and tubes however the 601 i would be using solely for a pre amp. i would use the 604 but it has no pre amp and the 602 uses a tube that isnt that good for pre amp the 601 has the same design with a much more desirable tube for rolling. pre amp is a huge oversight for this unit. 601 is like 60$ and if i can use it for pre amp for class D amp for speakers would be great! or for pre amp for my lyr 3 and planars !
I bought the 604 and absolutely love it with my Ananda's and it makes them sound just so so amazing it's insane. They be and just so buttery and so so wide like the Zeus. Like on a solid state the Ananda's are good but a bit intimate and pretty neutral. However on the 604 they become so wide and the perfect amount of Euphoric absolutely love it
Zeos, it's a Class A amp, the output in Mw is directly proportional to the input Voltage. You are getting milliwatts. Maybe watts, if you are over driving it. There will be a spec somewhere for maximum input voltage, it will be a range from x to y.
I got this day one and it blew me away. Literally don't even need to get another device. Happy with what it can produce. Makes 0 sense how this sub $200 can perform this well. Stock tubes are garbage though. Swapped them out for a set of 1964 Voskhods and it is just amazing.
@@listenintosweetmusic Here’s my set up ..but I’ll put it out there for all. Denon ( 3520 the beast) 💿main source. Coax to Grace S-Balanced DAC. Balanced output from DAC to the Little Bear balanced switch box (one in -three balanced out) . This feeds 3 different amps. THX789 Loxji 20 Xduoo Mt604 . All running balanced and feeding headphones that are also in balanced ( 650’s and 400i 2020) Now, I may run a balanced volume passive switch (by little bear on Amazon ) to be just before the 604 to act as a gain adjustment.
This is just my 2nd day with 604 and I wholeheartedly agree with Zeos on this one, I use it mainly to drive iem's. I've owned several hybrid or OTL amps, including 604's little brother 602, and 604 was the one that impressed me the most of all. Overall sound signature leans more on the tube side while retaining detail retrieval of a SS. I bypassed stock tubes-we all should do that with cheap stock Chinese tubes, right?-and replaced them with ge5654w's, I hook the amp to topping d30 pro. If you run balanced you should definitely give a shot on this magic piece of audiophilia.
I'm not seeing my original post. Specifically, how were "they"? You mean the tubes GE and Russian Vokshod Tubes? Well the GE's had much wider sound stage and fatter bass, but the mids felt slightly sucked out. But if you have like an HD650 or HD6XX that is already strong in the mids and weak in the bass, this is your dream tube. Now, the Vokshods have more of everything. They are livelier, more dynamic, have stronger bass, mids are good, and a sparkly top end. At first I was suduced by the Vokshods but eventually I went back to the stock tubes as they are the most balanced sound signature. Stock tubes are a great jack-of-all, master of none tube...just a nice listen. Hope this helps.
The gain/volume problem has been a serious problem in 'chi-fi' for well over a decade now; it's the one thing left that makes these products immediately seem low quality to me. It's got to be a deliberate decision right? I mean it's not limited to Chinese amps; I had a $1K Bakoon which was ruined by the complete lack of usable volume too.
Zen Dac has a 4.4 Pentagon connector. If you were to upgrade to an external amp, do you go for this or a zen can? I know that one is a tube amplifier while the other is a solid state, but they are both around the same price and one makes a perfect stack.
Depends what kind of headphones you have. If you like their defult sound signature then probably zen can, but if they are a bit bland/boring go for the tube
@@ZE0SPantera the only thing is that the zen stack has a pretty warm and relaxed sound already. Tubes make more sense to me when paired alongside a 'cleaner' DAC and amp.
I found out about these via CheapAudioMan's channel on YT and OMFG... I just received the MT-604 this morning and what a difference it makes to the Sundara's on the ZenDac which I felt sounded a little hollow... everything just seems more full and rounded and present.. like I am there is the best way I can describe it, it's a night and day difference. I have it running with the Zen Dac variable switch on so I can control the volume using the ZenDac and still have access to TrueBass (unfortunately switching to fixed stops the TrueBass being used). This amp is the bargain of the year! I've also tried the Focal Eligia's on these which I felt sounded much better than the Sundara's on the Zen Dac. I think I like the Focal Eligia's better just running off the Zen Dac, I feel the Xduoo may actually make an already present forward sounding headphone even more so (to the point of it being overdone). Which headphones sound better now... the Sundara's because they are more refined in sound with more detail when using the Xduoo but if I only had the Zen Dac I'd go with the Eligia's. PS: I don't usually interact in these forums just because there are already plenty opinions on the gear I have but I made an effort with this since there is very little out there on this amazing bargain of an amp.
@@FlamencoOz thanks for sharing your experience using the MT604 with the IFI ZEN DAC! It's really informative and helpful as I already have the ZEN CAN stacked balanced with the ZEN DAC. I was tempted to get the MT602 as it'd be a lot easier to connect via the purple RCA cables the ZEN DAC comes with. However, I now run my HD6XX, Sundara, Ananda, R70X all balanced with a 4.4mm pentagon jack into my ZEN CAN. I was thinking whether I should instead pick up the MT604 and use the existing 4.4mm to 4.4mm cable connecting my ZEN DAC and my ZEN CAN to connect the ZEN DAC to the MT604. I understand that there's a 4.4mm line out on the front and would like to confirm if it's true that I can do that and whether I should spend more and get the MT604 over the MT602 when I have balanced cables already.
Ok Zeos, I must be your golden product twin, because I have the GL2000s and the Xduoo M604, and both of my units sound fantastic. The M604s are a goddamn delight. And when paired with the GL2Ks are just phenomenal. (Caveat, I like a tube system, my main system is tube pre-amp and Tri-amped transistor amps). I run the M604 maxed out, fed from my music Hall 2.0 pre-amp via RCA to XLR cables. Vinyl sounds awesome, but the biggest change is with digital sources. It just adds that buttery, silky smoothness to the top end. Yum! Also, I can play my FiiO M9 balanced dap via a 2.5mm to 4.4mm connector. I also listen to single-ended headphones via a 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapter. There is nothing I don't like about this amp, and for £120, it's a no-brainer. Watch Cheapaudioguy's review. One last word, SOUNDSTAGE!!!
what about using the 601 that has dedicated pre amp and same class A and tube output stage.? seems like as a pre amp would be best option to carry the sound you are describing into other products such as my class D ncore speaker amp. cheapaudioman said he uses 604 as pre amp but that is dangerous because the voltage output is way to high for use as pre amp.
@@redleather420 Check out Cheap Audioman on RUclips..he used it as a tube preamp for several class d Amps and he was happily surprised ( and yes he gave the 604 a 👍 review)
@@carminedesanto6746 The problem is the 604 does not have a preamp outputs. I'm sure he did use it as a preamp however since the gain it's so high the output voltage that is going to be used as a preamp on the input of a class D amp is going to be way too high. Unless you turn the volume all the way down and even then I'm not sure amplifying and already amplified signal is going to be very good. You are going from 0.001 distortion from a typical preamp to a like 0.5 output of a power amp trying to put that into the input of a class D amp is slightly dangerous because it could overload the class D amp input stage and also going to cause significant distortion increase I think it's best to buy the 602 or 601 depending on which tube you want and using the preamp outputs and get the same sound because they are both class A tube designs. In the 601 actually has a far more desirable tube type with much higher quality tubes to be rolled as a preamp. Was wondering if anyone had experience with that or maybe I'm wrong and the 604 can be used as a preamp but I have yet to see anyone try it
@@redleather420 Ok, all I know is that it sounds freak’n great…and I just ordered a little bear balanced passive volume control box to act as it’s volume control “bypassing” the 604’s ..that I’ll peg at noon and then it’s done.🤘
I'm using mt-604 with aeon open x. For me this match is great because the soundstage is finally greater on my aeons and also bass has more quantity and quality.
@@guatobean2869 Great as a headphone amp, but too much tube as a preamp for my studio monitors. I have a cheap hybrid tube buffer preamp (Douk Audio P1) also with a pair of matched Voskhod Rocket Tubes for my studio monitors. It is totally neutral and transparent, meaning there is no change in transient, frequency or dynamic response. The only thing it adds is psycho acoustic depth (holographic imaging). With the Little Dot Mk2 as a preamp, I could definitely hear slight compression (around half a decibel), which is a not what I want in a studio monitor setup.
@@thatchinaboi1 that is legit. I think the tubey sound is lovely but tubes that can give you insane imaging and depth in staging is where it is at. Transforms the sound into something else.
Hi Zeos, thanks for your review. Have you tried HD560S on MT604? I'm curious how do they do together in terms giving more life to those neutral/analytical headphones.
You NEED to change the pads on the Shure 1540(sounds a bit crazy I agree) with Dekoni Choice pads. After the replacement of the pads the sound of the Shure 1540 improves in similar ways to the Beyerdynamic MMX300, goes from okish to OMG ... how ...how is this possible?...because chemicals are wonderful!
@@brianliu522 The GE tubes are fatter with more body on the low end. The midrange is recessed a bit. The sound stage is wider. Overall it's not as balanced a sound but I could imagine a headphone that is mid-centric with an anemic low-end would benefit from the GE tube sound. The Russian Vokshod Rocket tubes are better good mids and top end but a bit hot for me. Again, the stock tubes are more balanced and more all-a-rounder type tube.
I don’t have a 604, but I do have a 602, and while it does have those exact quirks minus the balanced stuff, it works perfectly with my XD05 plus, line out and the variable front butt, I’ve rolled the tubes and found some creamy wide detail queens, and at the same time op amp rolled the 05, and it seriously has me selling my stuff that doesn’t matter to me, just to get and experiment with hard to drive cans to see what’s possible, this hobby has me turning into a madman. And I don’t know what I want to do first, source equipment or cans 🤷🏼♂️
Sounds like someone will eventually figure out the perfect dac pairing (best price to performance dac) and will be the “go to” system to recommend to anyone just starting out. Blow some minds! Thoughts on what unicorn dacs will make the top of the list for pairing with the MT 604?
I bought the MT602 amp. I felt underwhelmed from that amp. I didn’t feel like their was any tubiness or anything significant. Look the MT602 are my first hybrid amp, but when comparing the MT602 to the Topping L30. My ears clearly prefer the Topping amp. I may actually need a headphone that has a higher ohm rating for the tubiness to kick in.
Not really. These are hybrid amps, so they don't thrive on high impedence cans like an OTL tube amp. If you want a more 'tubey' sound try picking up some warmer tubes.
Where are the links to the cable conversion plugs please? I'm gonna need to add this stuff to my kit. Also, a review of cables and connectors would be cool for reference, with supplier links. Thanks. This will be the next add to my Geshelli double box setup.
Have you not made a galaxy buds review? I just found your channel and I wanted to see what you say about them but I couldn't find such a video :(. Btw, your channel is great.
Have you considered getting a 3Dio microphone? They would probably be the best thing to allow us to here the differences in headphones, amps, dacs, etc. It wouldn't be a perfect solution or give us the true sound, but it would be the best thing to allow us to listen.
I'm getting the 602 and I specifically bought a topping L30 ready to use it, I think I'll stick with 602 as the DAC is single ended and yep get can convert apparently according to Z but I want to tube roll a little and 2 is cheaper than 4 plus think that will do me
lot of people say stock tubes are not very good, i9 have a few recommendations to try but what do others think k who have it, do I need to roll it straight Away?. going to drive my 6xx's to start with using it.
Picked this up for my hd800s and It’s freaking amazing more then enough power first tube amp and I haven’t taken my 800s of it since it arrive a month ago also have focal eligia sound good but you’ll hear hiss due to it being so much more sensitive my TIn p1 sound great on it as well moondrop star fields have hiss basically if it’s easy to drive doesn’t like this amp but if it needs power this is the amp
Hey zeos! I'll get straight to the point harmonicdyne Zeus, tygr 300r or the hd58x which one has the cleanest most detailed and widest soundstage with warmth to it for STORY GAMES (not multiplayer) I am asking you because you're the only one I have seen with all these headphones, would much appreciate a response from you.
@pikithekid thanks and what dac/amp would you like to recommend under a $100 that's compatible with PS4 because my PS4 controller won't power more than 32 ohms and the Zeus is 64 ohms
Ordered this plus as schiit modius and it should sound great with Sennheiser HD 600s. Hopefully I don't have a gain issue since they're 300ohm. Kinda surprised there isn't a high/low gain switch
I wonder if this and $150 for a DAC and all the cables/converters is worth the effort over just buying a TA-10R...want to buy a system to pair with Meze Classics 99 Noir
Do it have a Unity button or setting to equalize both of the volume knobs at the same time, or do you have to adjust each of them separately? Do you only do this once and leave it? Should you test the resistance of the potentiometers to see if they are matched at 100%?
I am interested in trying it. I love my ether cx but they could be more fun that’s why I have the zen stack. So I’m thinking the zen dac might be ok with it.
Soooo, we should just wait for the revision of this that comes with a gain knob or switch, or at least until someone figures out how to mod the circuit.
I just ordered a Little Bear balanced passive volume control..that becomes the master volume of the 604 and then just leave the 604’s volume at noon ( and they just become “balance controls” ) …so in essence problem fixed 😎
Zeos, you mentioned using an audio interface's balanced outputs with the mt 604. Are there any benefits to running a balanced input vs SE input, with the mt 604 in particular? I'm running my mt 604 with my Behringer's "balanced" outputs. I say "balanced" because I used a multimeter and found out recently that the balanced outputs aren't really balanced. I'm not too sure if I should get a balanced DAC or not. Thanks Zeos
do you recommend the xDuoo MU-604 Desktop DAC as a good pairing option for this amp? Its seems that is advertised as a stack system but cant find any reviews
i have RME ADI2 Dac if i conect to x doo 604 with XLR Balance and from XDUOO 604 conect to Luxman L590MK2 with Balance TOO Somady hawe expiriance.sound will change to more pleasing or i do not hawe expiriance with tubes but must try.i try KBear tube headphone amp and diferance was great totally diferent from D amplification so i want to try as pre amp .thank you
I have a balanced XLR DAC outputting into a balanced XLR speaker amp. Would it be possible to use this as a balanced Preamp? What type of cable would I need?
Which headphones are the best to use with that amp?I think the worst part about buying this amp will be the urge to buy expensive headphones to listen with it.
I found out about these via CheapAudioMan's channel on YT and OMFG... I just received the MT-604 this morning and what a difference it makes to the Sundara's on the ZenDac which I felt sounded a little hollow... everything just seems more full and rounded and present.. like I am there is the best way I can describe it, it's a night and day difference. I have it running with the Zen Dac variable switch on so I can control the volume using the ZenDac and still have access to TrueBass (unfortunately switching to fixed stops the TrueBass being used). This amp is the bargain of the year! I've also tried the Focal Eligia's on these which I felt sounded much better than the Sundara's on the Zen Dac. I think I like the Focal Eligia's better just running off the Zen Dac, I feel the Xduoo may actually make an already present forward sounding headphone even more so (to the point of it being overdone). Which headphones sound better now... the Sundara's because they are more refined in sound with more detail when using the Xduoo but if I only had the Zen Dac I'd go with the Eligia's. PS: I don't usually interact in these forums just because there are already plenty opinions on the gear I have but I made an effort with this since there is very little out there on this amazing bargain of an amp.
@@FlamencoOz Thank you for your insight! I did not know at the time at the Zen DAC and the Zen DAC signature were two different DACs. Saved my ass like 100+ dollars!!
@@FlamencoOz you running XLR out of the back of 604 to 4.4mm balanced into Zen Dac? I hear some talk about having to use the 4.4mm out on the front of 604 into i'm assuming a 4.4mm balanced into the Zen Can. I already own a XLR to 4.4mm adapter that I use with my 789 so that would save me some money if I can use that. Thanks for info you can provide!!
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@Jupiter rules No it doesn’t , the bass gets deeper , more tuneful and weight.
@Jupiter rules For your unbalanced headphones, you can find on Amazon - you need an adaptor - pentacon to 3.5mm or whatever is your headphone jack. And for your amp , you need pentacon to RCA ( left and right ) cable. For headphones try the Goldplanar GL 2000 or Harmonicdyne Zeus both should pair well with the MT604. Set your DAC to variable output volume and set your MT604 at 12.30 - 1.00 and control the vol from your DAC and amp, that way you don’t ever need to adjust the vol on your MT604 again. Change the tubes after a month or two , they only costs like 20-40USD for 4 ( GE , WE , Mullard , Voshkod …. many choices ). You will get more out of your MT604.
@Jupiter rules If planars are not doing the job for you , it’s probably your DAC and headphone amp that’s the prob - as I found when using my GL2000 with the balanced output from my Matrix mini I pro3 , once I switched to the MT604 , the sound had more details , heft , deeper bass , higher dynamics etc. Good luck on your search.
@Jupiter rules Sorry I’m in China and we use Taobao instead of Amazon , we are spoilt for choice when it comes to accessories and also hifi gear. Most chi fi are selling for 15-25% less but imported is 30-50% more in some cases.
@Jupiter rules Same , Amazon should sell them.
I have the MT604 volume set to noon and run it from the balanced pre-amp output of my SingXer SA-1 (fed by an RME ADI-2 DAC). Of course it colors the sound but I love that combo for many of my low to mid-impedance cans. For higher impedance I prefer my DarkVoice as tube. The SingXer knob is very slow in raising the volume and you have a lot of fine control this way.
how it work with ADI Dac as pre amp i want to try it in beatwin ADI and Luxman l590 mark2 balance connection of course
The input is probably for hooking your balanced DAP up to
These xDuoo products have thrown me for a loop - a positive one at thata!. I'll pass on this 604 'cause I just don't need it. However, I do have the MT-602 and was stunned at what it can do for most DAC's that I've used with it. It opens up a whole new world of listening and after using 7 different DAC's on it, I settled on using it either with the Schiit Modi 3+ or the Topping D10S. Listening to these combo's is like listening to variety of upper echelon audiophile gear. And I'm not easy to please.
Nice! Mine is in the mail chain. And gonna pair it with the RME ADI 2. Can't with to heat that famous tube sound!
I went the opposite..I skipped the 602 ..I run balanced everything and was waiting for the 604🤘
@@carminedesanto6746 Well, that's why they say, "there are different strokes for different folks!"
I own both, 602 and 604, I feel 604 has more of a tubey sound, relatively more powerful, wider soundstage too, If you run something balanced, don't give it a pass.
I’ve ran a BTA30 through a 602 and it’s my go to if I’m gonna sit with my 4xx or 6xx. No need for some 4 figure rig! I might upgrade to the 604 with some adapters if I just wanna go smooth brain with my tubes, though.
I have had the 604 for about 2 weeks. Of course, I moved straight to tube rolling. Replaced the Chi tubes with 1952 vintage RCA 6AK5’s, and the
same version with Mullard’s. Took “oh wow” to “OMG!”. Driving it with several different dac’s and using GL2000 and Audeze 2C’s. Love it!
Just in the process of ordering a set of Mullards. Can't wait.
RCA NOS sound terrific on this. Not bright, but brighter than NOS 1960s Sylvania.
Topping D90 => MT-604 => Focal Utopia. This thing sounds amazing. Volume knobs at noon + DAC volume control works great.
I listen to my M602 more than any other amp I own. Like you said with this 604, its like a "magic button" no matter what you play through it. It makes no sense why I should love it so much.
I have the Xduoo MT-602 as a preamp for my living room system. Works well for that purpose. I have the gain set at 12 and adjust the volume via remote for the DAC. I also have a passive AV switcher that switches from no preamp to preamp. Having the output level matched, I can hear a slight difference and overall improvement. "Tube warmth" is definitely there, and it subdues the higher order distortion from speakers at louder SPLs.
Bought it because of this review. Have had it for about a week. Running it off of Zen Dac V1. Love it! Ananda and Sundara being used. Both on Amazon trial period until January 22nd. Both sound great. Returning one is going to be very hard. Original tubes sound very good. Have some tubes to roll but not so sure i want to yet. Great review Z...thnx!
Im going to run this amp with a zen dac V2 soon as well! Pairing ift with a HD600
@@hongwei4809 It's a great set up. I did end up rolling in some Sylvania 6ak5' from 1953 that added even better tone to my ears. Set of 4 of those however will be another close to $80. Should last for many years though so worth the investment for me.
@@RUMBLEGO1 Hey man thanks for replying! The unit i bought from wwas running Sylvania 5654-82 /85 / and 80 tubes. The soundstage and vocals are pronounced and forward, overall very warm and pleasant sounding. Have no idea how they compare with the stock tubes tho.
I changed to GE5654W tubes, it sounds much better. Then I put it between myMatrix mini I Pro3 and my int amp Moon I5 and it works too by using a pentacon to rca connector. Sounds great on my GL2000 too, better than the Matrix balanced output. Great buy.
*I can only test it with balanced headphones so it sounds fucking awesome*
Good strategy Xduoo
You won’t be disappointed 😎
This thing is amazing. I have over 20 HP amps and this thing stands out and truly shines! HD650/6XX plays so nice with it. I had it already when you unboxed and got a sense of your low expectations, at that moment I began anticipating this review.
Same here 🤣
It’s a freaking unicorn 🦄…that my 650’s love them 👍
@@carminedesanto6746 heck yeah!!! Awesome!! Actually I just bought a second one
@@andrewwillcoxon 🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🤣👍
do you think the 601 would be similar? they both use class A output stage and tubes however the 601 i would be using solely for a pre amp. i would use the 604 but it has no pre amp and the 602 uses a tube that isnt that good for pre amp the 601 has the same design with a much more desirable tube for rolling. pre amp is a huge oversight for this unit. 601 is like 60$ and if i can use it for pre amp for class D amp for speakers would be great! or for pre amp for my lyr 3 and planars !
I have mostly Planars and my daily is T60 Argon, do these do anything for them? I currently have a Modius/Magnius.
I was looking at the MT602 but bought this instead, swapped the tubes for ge 5654w's and I am very happy with it.
I bought the 604 and absolutely love it with my Ananda's and it makes them sound just so so amazing it's insane. They be and just so buttery and so so wide like the Zeus. Like on a solid state the Ananda's are good but a bit intimate and pretty neutral. However on the 604 they become so wide and the perfect amount of Euphoric absolutely love it
Zeos, it's a Class A amp, the output in Mw is directly proportional to the input Voltage. You are getting milliwatts. Maybe watts, if you are over driving it. There will be a spec somewhere for maximum input voltage, it will be a range from x to y.
i have he1000 v2, i bought this b/c of this review and this sounds amazing. thank you
I got this day one and it blew me away. Literally don't even need to get another device. Happy with what it can produce. Makes 0 sense how this sub $200 can perform this well.
Stock tubes are garbage though. Swapped them out for a set of 1964 Voskhods and it is just amazing.
I max out ( from the Grace balanced DAC) on the 604 at the 10: 00 position…and I’m ok with that 😎
When you say, “Literally don’t even need another device.” Are you running it without a dac?? What is your source, and how are you connecting it?
@@listenintosweetmusic Here’s my set up ..but I’ll put it out there for all.
Denon ( 3520 the beast) 💿main source.
Coax to Grace S-Balanced DAC.
Balanced output from DAC to the Little Bear balanced switch box (one in -three balanced out) .
This feeds 3 different amps.
THX789
Loxji 20
Xduoo Mt604 .
All running balanced and feeding headphones that are also in balanced ( 650’s and 400i 2020)
Now, I may run a balanced volume passive switch (by little bear on Amazon ) to be just before the 604 to act as a gain adjustment.
Hi, I'm new to tube rolling. Regarding the Voskhods - did you get 2x matched pairs or a matched quad set?
Actually for me doesn't make sense how other products can be so expensive and not even sound as good...
So...
"sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
Clarke.
Just had to throw that quote in...
Cheers
It's a very versatile quote, especially nowadays, for good and troubling reasons alike
This paired with the Hifiman EF400 is magical.
This is just my 2nd day with 604 and I wholeheartedly agree with Zeos on this one, I use it mainly to drive iem's.
I've owned several hybrid or OTL amps, including 604's little brother 602, and 604 was the one that impressed me the most of all. Overall sound signature leans more on the tube side while retaining detail retrieval of a SS. I bypassed stock tubes-we all should do that with cheap stock Chinese tubes, right?-and replaced them with ge5654w's, I hook the amp to topping d30 pro. If you run balanced you should definitely give a shot on this magic piece of audiophilia.
I just ordered my 604 and have a D30Pro dac. How's it sound? Oh, and I ordered the iFi Audio 12v power-x power supply to upgrade the stock supply.
@@shawnpwatsons1a year later how were they
I'm not seeing my original post. Specifically, how were "they"? You mean the tubes GE and Russian Vokshod Tubes? Well the GE's had much wider sound stage and fatter bass, but the mids felt slightly sucked out. But if you have like an HD650 or HD6XX that is already strong in the mids and weak in the bass, this is your dream tube. Now, the Vokshods have more of everything. They are livelier, more dynamic, have stronger bass, mids are good, and a sparkly top end. At first I was suduced by the Vokshods but eventually I went back to the stock tubes as they are the most balanced sound signature. Stock tubes are a great jack-of-all, master of none tube...just a nice listen. Hope this helps.
Are you still planning on modding those 1540s? I'm excited to see what you come up with.
I've used this as preamp for speakers. So far so good.
Just got it hooked up, running off of a Bifrost 2. Sounds pretty great with 6XX so far...
The gain/volume problem has been a serious problem in 'chi-fi' for well over a decade now; it's the one thing left that makes these products immediately seem low quality to me. It's got to be a deliberate decision right? I mean it's not limited to Chinese amps; I had a $1K Bakoon which was ruined by the complete lack of usable volume too.
Topping DAC E30 II -->xDuoo MT-604🎚 NOS Western Electric 403B 💡-->ATH50x 🎧= front row live event or HD650 laid back champagne ViP section🍹
Zen Dac has a 4.4 Pentagon connector. If you were to upgrade to an external amp, do you go for this or a zen can? I know that one is a tube amplifier while the other is a solid state, but they are both around the same price and one makes a perfect stack.
Depends what kind of headphones you have. If you like their defult sound signature then probably zen can, but if they are a bit bland/boring go for the tube
Zen would be easier to live with and you can always get this 604 later to add on.
@@ZE0SPantera the only thing is that the zen stack has a pretty warm and relaxed sound already. Tubes make more sense to me when paired alongside a 'cleaner' DAC and amp.
I found out about these via CheapAudioMan's channel on YT and OMFG... I just received the MT-604 this morning and what a difference it makes to the Sundara's on the ZenDac which I felt sounded a little hollow... everything just seems more full and rounded and present.. like I am there is the best way I can describe it, it's a night and day difference. I have it running with the Zen Dac variable switch on so I can control the volume using the ZenDac and still have access to TrueBass (unfortunately switching to fixed stops the TrueBass being used). This amp is the bargain of the year! I've also tried the Focal Eligia's on these which I felt sounded much better than the Sundara's on the Zen Dac. I think I like the Focal Eligia's better just running off the Zen Dac, I feel the Xduoo may actually make an already present forward sounding headphone even more so (to the point of it being overdone). Which headphones sound better now... the Sundara's because they are more refined in sound with more detail when using the Xduoo but if I only had the Zen Dac I'd go with the Eligia's. PS: I don't usually interact in these forums just because there are already plenty opinions on the gear I have but I made an effort with this since there is very little out there on this amazing bargain of an amp.
@@FlamencoOz thanks for sharing your experience using the MT604 with the IFI ZEN DAC! It's really informative and helpful as I already have the ZEN CAN stacked balanced with the ZEN DAC. I was tempted to get the MT602 as it'd be a lot easier to connect via the purple RCA cables the ZEN DAC comes with. However, I now run my HD6XX, Sundara, Ananda, R70X all balanced with a 4.4mm pentagon jack into my ZEN CAN. I was thinking whether I should instead pick up the MT604 and use the existing 4.4mm to 4.4mm cable connecting my ZEN DAC and my ZEN CAN to connect the ZEN DAC to the MT604. I understand that there's a 4.4mm line out on the front and would like to confirm if it's true that I can do that and whether I should spend more and get the MT604 over the MT602 when I have balanced cables already.
Ok Zeos, I must be your golden product twin, because I have the GL2000s and the Xduoo M604, and both of my units sound fantastic. The M604s are a goddamn delight. And when paired with the GL2Ks are just phenomenal. (Caveat, I like a tube system, my main system is tube pre-amp and Tri-amped transistor amps). I run the M604 maxed out, fed from my music Hall 2.0 pre-amp via RCA to XLR cables. Vinyl sounds awesome, but the biggest change is with digital sources. It just adds that buttery, silky smoothness to the top end. Yum! Also, I can play my FiiO M9 balanced dap via a 2.5mm to 4.4mm connector. I also listen to single-ended headphones via a 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapter. There is nothing I don't like about this amp, and for £120, it's a no-brainer. Watch Cheapaudioguy's review. One last word, SOUNDSTAGE!!!
Great breakdown 👍
what about using the 601 that has dedicated pre amp and same class A and tube output stage.? seems like as a pre amp would be best option to carry the sound you are describing into other products such as my class D ncore speaker amp. cheapaudioman said he uses 604 as pre amp but that is dangerous because the voltage output is way to high for use as pre amp.
@@redleather420 Check out Cheap Audioman on RUclips..he used it as a tube preamp for several class d Amps and he was happily surprised ( and yes he gave the 604 a 👍 review)
@@carminedesanto6746 The problem is the 604 does not have a preamp outputs. I'm sure he did use it as a preamp however since the gain it's so high the output voltage that is going to be used as a preamp on the input of a class D amp is going to be way too high. Unless you turn the volume all the way down and even then I'm not sure amplifying and already amplified signal is going to be very good. You are going from 0.001 distortion from a typical preamp to a like 0.5 output of a power amp trying to put that into the input of a class D amp is slightly dangerous because it could overload the class D amp input stage and also going to cause significant distortion increase I think it's best to buy the 602 or 601 depending on which tube you want and using the preamp outputs and get the same sound because they are both class A tube designs. In the 601 actually has a far more desirable tube type with much higher quality tubes to be rolled as a preamp. Was wondering if anyone had experience with that or maybe I'm wrong and the 604 can be used as a preamp but I have yet to see anyone try it
@@redleather420 Ok, all I know is that it sounds freak’n great…and I just ordered a little bear balanced passive volume control box to act as it’s volume control “bypassing” the 604’s ..that I’ll peg at noon and then it’s done.🤘
I'm using mt-604 with aeon open x. For me this match is great because the soundstage is finally greater on my aeons and also bass has more quantity and quality.
I'll continue to stick to my Little Dot Mk2 with Voskhod tubes for my headphones of choice, which are the Sennheiser HD300 Pros.
Such a fun tube experience 👌🏼
@@guatobean2869 Great as a headphone amp, but too much tube as a preamp for my studio monitors. I have a cheap hybrid tube buffer preamp (Douk Audio P1) also with a pair of matched Voskhod Rocket Tubes for my studio monitors. It is totally neutral and transparent, meaning there is no change in transient, frequency or dynamic response. The only thing it adds is psycho acoustic depth (holographic imaging). With the Little Dot Mk2 as a preamp, I could definitely hear slight compression (around half a decibel), which is a not what I want in a studio monitor setup.
@@thatchinaboi1 that is legit. I think the tubey sound is lovely but tubes that can give you insane imaging and depth in staging is where it is at. Transforms the sound into something else.
Going to pick this up for my headphones and my 602’s are currently being used as preamp for my speakers :)
I would love something like this as a balanced tube pre if it wasn't so stupidly laid out and had a single vol knob.
Amazon: Little Bear balanced passive volume control …issue solved.
Xduoo TA20
Hi Zeos, thanks for your review. Have you tried HD560S on MT604? I'm curious how do they do together in terms giving more life to those neutral/analytical headphones.
You NEED to change the pads on the Shure 1540(sounds a bit crazy I agree) with Dekoni Choice pads. After the replacement of the pads the sound of the Shure 1540 improves in similar ways to the Beyerdynamic MMX300, goes from okish to OMG ... how ...how is this possible?...because chemicals are wonderful!
Ordered mine yesterday with GE Jan 5654w tubes and iFi Audio Power-X power supply upgrade. Can't wait.
How do you like the GE tubes vs stock ones?
@@brianliu522 The GE tubes are fatter with more body on the low end. The midrange is recessed a bit. The sound stage is wider. Overall it's not as balanced a sound but I could imagine a headphone that is mid-centric with an anemic low-end would benefit from the GE tube sound. The Russian Vokshod Rocket tubes are better good mids and top end but a bit hot for me. Again, the stock tubes are more balanced and more all-a-rounder type tube.
@@shawnpwatsons1 I just ordered the 6J1P-EV from Ukraine and the Sylvania 6AK5. Looking forward to testing them out with my MT-604
I don’t have a 604, but I do have a 602, and while it does have those exact quirks minus the balanced stuff, it works perfectly with my XD05 plus, line out and the variable front butt, I’ve rolled the tubes and found some creamy wide detail queens, and at the same time op amp rolled the 05, and it seriously has me selling my stuff that doesn’t matter to me, just to get and experiment with hard to drive cans to see what’s possible, this hobby has me turning into a madman. And I don’t know what I want to do first, source equipment or cans 🤷🏼♂️
I have 602 and 604 and I love them.
Sounds like someone will eventually figure out the perfect dac pairing (best price to performance dac) and will be the “go to” system to recommend to anyone just starting out. Blow some minds!
Thoughts on what unicorn dacs will make the top of the list for pairing with the MT 604?
ifi zen dac
@@chefsteve8381 Anything with in that price range (Zen Dac) with XLR outs? Or just roll with the rca to xlr cables?
@@listenintosweetmusic zen dac has pentaconn outputs just need a 4.4 mm to xlr plug
@@chefsteve8381 like this “4.4mm to Dual XLR Male Balanced Audio Headphone Adapter Silver Plated Cable 3 FT 1M”
@@listenintosweetmusic yes or shorter like 1 FT
Tubes will also give you a bit more enjoyment for the Redux and Renoise processed electronica out there. It just goes all super tubey.
Hey zeos is there a review for the TA-26 on the horizon?
i have had this for a wek and i love it
I would love to know how my balanced DT 880 600ohm would sound on this. Probably a match made in heaven.
I bought the MT602 amp. I felt underwhelmed from that amp. I didn’t feel like their was any tubiness or anything significant. Look the MT602 are my first hybrid amp, but when comparing the MT602 to the Topping L30. My ears clearly prefer the Topping amp. I may actually need a headphone that has a higher ohm rating for the tubiness to kick in.
Not really. These are hybrid amps, so they don't thrive on high impedence cans like an OTL tube amp. If you want a more 'tubey' sound try picking up some warmer tubes.
Every adapter? What about dual male 3-pin XLR to a singular male 4-pin XLR?
Under B in the Zeos dictionary new entry added "blersting - like blasting but better!"
Where are the links to the cable conversion plugs please? I'm gonna need to add this stuff to my kit. Also, a review of cables and connectors would be cool for reference, with supplier links. Thanks. This will be the next add to my Geshelli double box setup.
Have you not made a galaxy buds review? I just found your channel and I wanted to see what you say about them but I couldn't find such a video :(.
Btw, your channel is great.
Did you know that you can use de 4.4 input as an output? Put the dac as preamp, put the headphone on the 'input' and control volume with preamp
Have you considered getting a 3Dio microphone? They would probably be the best thing to allow us to here the differences in headphones, amps, dacs, etc. It wouldn't be a perfect solution or give us the true sound, but it would be the best thing to allow us to listen.
love it... have the matrix and this thing... wonderful
I'm getting the 602 and I specifically bought a topping L30 ready to use it, I think I'll stick with 602 as the DAC is single ended and yep get can convert apparently according to Z but I want to tube roll a little and 2 is cheaper than 4 plus think that will do me
lot of people say stock tubes are not very good, i9 have a few recommendations to try but what do others think k who have it, do I need to roll it straight Away?. going to drive my 6xx's to start with using it.
Hi and thanks for the review. Do you suggest it for Sennheiser HD599 and Fiio M9 DAP (input) with balanced cables?
Picked this up for my hd800s and It’s freaking amazing more then enough power first tube amp and I haven’t taken my 800s of it since it arrive a month ago also have focal eligia sound good but you’ll hear hiss due to it being so much more sensitive my TIn p1 sound great on it as well moondrop star fields have hiss basically if it’s easy to drive doesn’t like this amp but if it needs power this is the amp
Hey zeos! I'll get straight to the point harmonicdyne Zeus, tygr 300r or the hd58x which one has the cleanest most detailed and widest soundstage with warmth to it for STORY GAMES (not multiplayer) I am asking you because you're the only one I have seen with all these headphones, would much appreciate a response from you.
Zeus my boy
@pikithekid thanks and what dac/amp would you like to recommend under a $100 that's compatible with PS4 because my PS4 controller won't power more than 32 ohms and the Zeus is 64 ohms
@pikithekid not one fiio amp or dac is supported by the PS4 and Zeus is already 350 and that's my whole budget so can't afford 150 but under 100
Actually the two volume knobs can be fun - you can make the sound move around by experimenting with the two :-D
Ordered this plus as schiit modius and it should sound great with Sennheiser HD 600s. Hopefully I don't have a gain issue since they're 300ohm. Kinda surprised there isn't a high/low gain switch
How does it sound?
how does the front input work? If it is plugged in, does the back input get cut off? Or is it the other way around?
Just ordered one to pair with the HD800s , what's a decent dac to use with this especially due to the gain issue? Awesome review as usual!
How do you like this driving the HD800s?
Update?
This vs the loxjie p20?
I have a zen dac and i want to add a tube amp.
At the moment i use only balanced headphones.
In the end I opted for the xduoo, a really good choice
I wonder if this and $150 for a DAC and all the cables/converters is worth the effort over just buying a TA-10R...want to buy a system to pair with Meze Classics 99 Noir
Do it have a Unity button or setting to equalize both of the volume knobs at the same time, or do you have to adjust each of them separately? Do you only do this once and leave it? Should you test the resistance of the potentiometers to see if they are matched at 100%?
Thoughts on putting this inline to speakers? Big kid tube amps are a out of pocket's range
I am interested in trying it. I love my ether cx but they could be more fun that’s why I have the zen stack. So I’m thinking the zen dac might be ok with it.
I've changed its tubes from Chinese to French 5654RT to get better sound. Am trying other 6AK5 tubes including GE, Toshiba, NEC, RCA, and Hitachi...
I tried Sylvania and RCA NOS on it and RCA are my favorite so far.
Soooo, we should just wait for the revision of this that comes with a gain knob or switch, or at least until someone figures out how to mod the circuit.
Wait a second - no standard out? WTF? I love my 602, but no SE out on that 604 is sorta mad.
The Cheap Audio Guy's review of the 604 was much like this one.
@@harrybaque5502 ooooh burn
And Cheap loved this unit!!
Zen Dac + Zen Can + MT604 = ultimate balanced budget set up.
How about putting the MT604 between them? I'd like to hear that one!
I just ordered a Little Bear balanced passive volume control..that becomes the master volume of the 604 and then just leave the 604’s volume at noon ( and they just become “balance controls” ) …so in essence problem fixed 😎
@@carminedesanto6746 Nice!
@@Jmartinezvega It’s a work around ..but it’s needed 👍
Why do you need the zen can at all? I’m running this direct off the Zen DAC.
Z, is the focus on your GoPro ok? It looks crazy bad for the first :90 here.
Hi, have you used the hyperx cloud orbit or audeze mobius/penrose? Tried to find a review on them from you but couldn't :(
Zeos, you mentioned using an audio interface's balanced outputs with the mt 604. Are there any benefits to running a balanced input vs SE input, with the mt 604 in particular? I'm running my mt 604 with my Behringer's "balanced" outputs. I say "balanced" because I used a multimeter and found out recently that the balanced outputs aren't really balanced. I'm not too sure if I should get a balanced DAC or not. Thanks Zeos
I mean it should be fed with the standard signal. But I don't think you are causing any harm with that.
do you recommend the xDuoo MU-604 Desktop DAC as a good pairing option for this amp? Its seems that is advertised as a stack system but cant find any reviews
How does this compare to LOXJIE P20?
That volume issue in the input. It's exactly the same drama as in the Liquid Platinum.
Have been tooling around with a cheap tube pre and have certainly developed a taste for tube fuckery. Ordered one of these last night :)
What aftermarket tubes would you guys recommend for this unit? Preferably tubes that can be bought in Europe.
How would you compare this to Darkvoice ?
wandering how the sound will be if 604 matches to the topping D30 Pro
whats the song you were listening to at the beginning when you took off the headphones? :)
The question is, would you buy the SingXer over this if prices is not an issue?
I wonder how it compares to the xduoo TA-20?
If the tubes are actually working, why wouldn't they light up?
How did ur mic 🎤sound improved so good...??
So this doesn't have pre out? Really wish it had, so it works for speaker set up as well.
i have RME ADI2 Dac if i conect to x doo 604 with XLR Balance and from XDUOO 604 conect to Luxman L590MK2 with Balance TOO Somady hawe expiriance.sound will change to more pleasing or i do not hawe expiriance with tubes but must try.i try KBear tube headphone amp and diferance was great totally diferent from D amplification so i want to try as pre amp .thank you
mans got the ballin vector behind him lmao, i like it
We need dacs with multiple balanced outputs....
Can I use this with Hifiman Ananda and fed by a Singxer SA-1 as a pre-amp?
How would you compare this amp to mt602? They sound the same but just have less power? Or are they diffrent?
This adds a touch more soundstage from being completely separate amps.
Is there any reason an adapter from 3.5mm to 4.4 or xlr would not work? I understand you won't get balanced but just wondering #newbie
I have a balanced XLR DAC outputting into a balanced XLR speaker amp. Would it be possible to use this as a balanced Preamp?
What type of cable would I need?
Is xduoo mt-602 good for dt 880 600ohm?
Can you use the balanced outs on this to feed a pair of powered monitors?
How does it sound when you pair this Xduoo amp with HD800?
Ive got dis idea towards ur Gain prob..u feedin it frm ur endgame dac rite?..is there any gain switch on ur endgame dac..use it butter..peace.!
can i connect a magni 3+ passby ouput to this balanced amp? right RCA output to right XLR input and same for left?
can we use this amp's bal out for unbal headphones with 4.4 to 3.5 jumper cable
Which headphones are the best to use with that amp?I think the worst part about buying this amp will be the urge to buy expensive headphones to listen with it.
Would the MT604 plus the iFi Zen DAC Signature be a good "stack"?
Or can you not 4.4 Pentaconn to Dual XLR, from the iFi DAC into the MT604?
I found out about these via CheapAudioMan's channel on YT and OMFG... I just received the MT-604 this morning and what a difference it makes to the Sundara's on the ZenDac which I felt sounded a little hollow... everything just seems more full and rounded and present.. like I am there is the best way I can describe it, it's a night and day difference. I have it running with the Zen Dac variable switch on so I can control the volume using the ZenDac and still have access to TrueBass (unfortunately switching to fixed stops the TrueBass being used). This amp is the bargain of the year! I've also tried the Focal Eligia's on these which I felt sounded much better than the Sundara's on the Zen Dac. I think I like the Focal Eligia's better just running off the Zen Dac, I feel the Xduoo may actually make an already present forward sounding headphone even more so (to the point of it being overdone). Which headphones sound better now... the Sundara's because they are more refined in sound with more detail when using the Xduoo but if I only had the Zen Dac I'd go with the Eligia's. PS: I don't usually interact in these forums just because there are already plenty opinions on the gear I have but I made an effort with this since there is very little out there on this amazing bargain of an amp.
@@FlamencoOz Thank you for your insight! I did not know at the time at the Zen DAC and the Zen DAC signature were two different DACs. Saved my ass like 100+ dollars!!
@@FlamencoOz you running XLR out of the back of 604 to 4.4mm balanced into Zen Dac? I hear some talk about having to use the 4.4mm out on the front of 604 into i'm assuming a 4.4mm balanced into the Zen Can. I already own a XLR to 4.4mm adapter that I use with my 789 so that would save me some money if I can use that. Thanks for info you can provide!!
@@reckulurn3038 yes 4.4mm output on zen dac to the XLR input on the MT604.
Im using zen dac v2. I also want to pair it with mt604 too. Have you try this stack? Is it good?
I need a dac/amp to run my PC37X for gaming and my future KPH30i for music. Suggestions?
zen dac or fiio k5 pro
Can this be used as a preamp to a Asgard 2 (pure class A)? Will it be too rich?