In today’s feature, Lynn reviews the xDuoo TA-32, a high-end integrated swappable Rohm DAC card and balanced tube amplifier with up to 3W of output power. It is currently priced at $999.00.
Disclaimer: This is a sample sent in exchange for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or status. I thank Shenzhen Audio and xDuoo for their support.
Click here to read more on xDuoo products& that we have previously reviewed on Headfonics
This article follows our current scoring guidelines, which you can read in more detail here.
xDuoo is known for producing products that fill many niches, from affordable desktop units such as the recently received XA-02 to higher-end models such as the portable XD05 Pro.
One such release was the desktop tube amp, the TA-30, legendary for its power capabilities, driving most (including the very hardest) headphones to astonishingly loud levels.
Plus, when you threw in tube rolling, you got an energetic option that came across as highly musical and powerful.
The recently released $999 TA-32 takes those positives, adding in the ability to change DAC cards should you desire, starting with the excellent ROHM BD34301 DAC chip, known for its high-end home system use.
With the versatility to be used as a tube pre-amplifier, the TA-32 comes across as highly adaptable to many uses, whether it be a home system or a desktop alternative.
I will admit that the anticipation of this unit had me giddy with excitement, especially since I have an open love affair with the TA-30.
Features
The xDuoo TA-32 is a fully operational tube amplifier and pre-amplifier that is capable of true 1-bit DSD while using the made-for-home-audio ROHM BD34301 interchangeable chip set.
You can order the TA-32 with the ROHM or, for an additional $200 USD, have the TA-32 with AKM’s AK4499EX DAC card. Having the ability to change cards, combined with tube rolling, makes the TA-32 worthy of much personalization.
Capable of PCM up to 16–32-bit / 44.1kHz–768kHz, DSD DSD64–DSD512, and MQA folding of 8x through the USB-B input, the TA-32 can compete well within its market.
Bluetooth 5.1 paired with a Qualcomm QCC5125 receiver chip, the TA-32 supports SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX LL, aptX HD (24-bit/48kHz), and LDAC (up to 24-bit/96kHz).
With the use of balanced XLR-out, you can easily run the TA-32 with powered speakers or use the tube-out option in a two-channel system. I was able to demo both, now that I am back to my full-system setup. Used mainly as a headphone amplifier, though, the versatility shines.
Combined with all of this, the TA-32 is also capable of up to 3000mW (at 32Ω) for use with headphones from 16-600Ω.
Tubes
Coming with Ray Audio Select Tubes (middle choice, but still excellent) for the amplifier and a new xDuoo 5U4G rectifier makes for a very competent beginning.
The inclusion of the Ray tubes alone is a positive in my book. I did order a used RCA 5U4G rectifier tube (March 1943) for comparison, as well as the RCA 12AU7 tubes (circa 1954) I use in the TA-30 for comparison on the amplifier front.
I will note that the OG xDuoo 5U4G included on the TA-30 comes across as quite grainy, even after 100 hours of use. The included 5U4G with the TA-32 does not carry that graininess, thankfully.
Part of the appeal of tube amplifiers is the ability to easily roll tubes. Since I have a good selection of comparable tubes from my tube rolling on the TA-30, I changed some to see what difference(s) there might be.
The main use was with the tubes included, though. Knowing you could easily spend half or more of the cost on aftermarket vintage tubes is a good selling point for the versatility of the TA-32. But the tubes included are no slouch.
Design
There is a certain industrial look to most xDuoo products, and the TA-32 carries this over in a semi-gloss dark gray color that reminds me of The Peaky Blinders’ gray Birmingham landscape. I like both.
Coming in at slightly over 11 lbs, the TA-32 is stout, carrying a staunchness to it that exudes business. The curvaceous railings carry over from the TA-30 but, alas, are not removable. No bother, though, as this works to highlight the three tubes doing the business.
The tube area, which lies to the right side on top, carries multiple vent holes meant to dissipate heat. It works. There is even enough space to the left of that for a set of headphones to lie without coming close to the tubes.
The 3.12” OLED screen carries a lighter olive-green color to its lettering, which is easily discernible from a distance. Access to the sub-menus is via three vertical buttons to the right, with a large red multi-function volume knob to the right of that. The three headphone jacks lie to the right of the knob, without bother.
No remote is included, but once acclimated, the functionality is easy to remember.
I/O
The front carries the 3.12” OLED screen to the left, with the aforementioned three vertical function buttons next. The large red multi-function volume knob next does seem a bit out of place but draws attention to the tube array above it. The three headphone jacks of 6.35mm SE, 4.4mm balanced, and XLR balanced finish the front.
The screen is readable from a short distance and has good spatial qualities to it, but I do wish it were a tad larger. You can vary what is shown between an old tape-like L/R volume level or the pertinent information regarding decoding, gain, source, etc.
The back carries the on/off switch to the far right, with a voltage regulator to the left. Neatly arranged next is the BT antenna with the Coax input next to it, with optical and the USB-B input right below.
A three-pin AES input is included to the left of the Coax mix, which is a nice addition for those who might have vintage setups that include such outputs.
To the left of that are dedicated three-pin balanced XLR inputs for use with an external DAC that carries those capabilities, such as the Geshelli Labs JNOG2 or something comparable.
An RCA aux-in is next, followed by aux-out RCA connections for tube out (pre-amplifier use) or the DAC-only option.
I used the tube-out option for my McIntosh MA6100, streaming successfully from the HiBy R4 and FiiO JM21. XLR balanced out finishes the backside, which was used with a pair of older Soundcraft Absolute 4P studio monitors.
Controls
The four function buttons on the front (and center) of the TA-32 allow the user to gain access to all necessary functionality. Vertically set to the right of the OLED screen, you have the menu, gain, and BT pairing buttons.
The menu button allows you access to the submenus such as filter, backlight, brightness, PH-balance, and display. Changing any settings within those sub-menus is done by moving the red volume knob left or right.
It should be noted that to access the menu functions, you need to press and hold the button for two seconds. I guess this prevents any accidental change.
The filter option changes between PCM FIR1 and FIR2, which changes from a more detailed character to a richer signature. I found I preferred the richer FIR2 setting most of the time, but when called upon, such as paired to the Absolute 4Ps, FIR1 is the “better” choice to me.
PH-Balance skews volume levels either left or right to accommodate any discrepancies in channels or any mismatched tubes (even though the Ray Select tubes are a matched set). You can add or subtract up to 5dB for each channel separately.
Gain comes along with low, medium, or high. I used high gain on the SVS Horizon 600Ω, but only low or medium on the 600Ω AKG 240DFs. It could be that the Horizon ran through balanced XLR while the AKG was used with the existing 6.35mm SE jack.
Pushing the menu button when in the submenus takes you back to the previous screen, allowing access to the other functions under the “menu” section.
Pushing the red button changes input, and it took several times for me to “remember” that this was not to gain access to the menus. The pairing button for BT is self-explanatory.
Packaging & Accessories
The xDuoo TA-32 comes as well protected as you would expect. The main unit is packed in form-fitting semi-hard foam, with another solid piece above it. Inserts within that upper part keep the three tubes safe, along with the power and included USB-B cord, and the BT antenna.
From opening to powering it on took me less than five minutes, much of which was spent admiring the included tubes and back for the inputs and outputs.
Connectivity
Qualcomm’s QCC5125 receiver chip BT 5.1 pairing was seamless, and I had either the FiiO JM21 or HiBy R4 up and running easily. Support for SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX LL, aptX HD(24-bit/48kHz), and LDAC (up to 24-bit/96kHz) is provided.
As expected, a multitude of inputs show the TA-32’s versatility. The common USB-B connection saw much use tethered to the two DAPs listed below. The Coax connection was used for pairing with my older Oppo BDP-83 for use with CD playback.
I did not utilize the optical playback, but could easily use it for a CD player as well. The 3-pin XLR balanced option was used for pairing with the Geshelli Labs JNOG2 to determine whether an external DAC was worth it. The Geshelli Labs is an outstanding stand-alone DAC and works seamlessly.
Aux-in was briefly used with my older Shanling M6 Pro for playback. Tube out was used for connecting to my McIntosh MA6100, tethered to both DAPs listed below. Reversing the trend, the DAC out was sent to the Geshelli Labs Erish2 headphone amplifier without issue.
And last but not least, the 3-pin XLR out was sent to the Soundcraft Absolute 4Ps for use with powered speakers without a bother.
Sound Impressions
The following sound impressions were made after 100 hours of burn-in for the stock tubes. I used the FiiO JM21 and HiBy R4 as DAPs, the Oppo BDP-83 as a CD transport, my MacBook Pro as an alternative, and the Soundcraft Absolute 4P powered speakers for XLR-balanced out.
Listening devices included the SJY Horizon, Kennerton Rognir, AKG 240DF headphones, Campfire Audio Supermoon, Solaris 2020, and Drop x Campfire Audio Dark Star IEMs. The 4Ps were used for balanced output, and my McIntosh MA6100 as a power amplifier (aux-in), and pre-amp in.
Summary
As the top xDuoo model, you expect two things: great power to handle all it can and sound to back that up. The TA-32 handles both with aplomb. The 3000mW on both 4.4 balanced and XLR shows it can handle the most demanding headphones out there, and the ability to play nicely with easier-to-drive units as well.
The stock tubes promote a tube-like sound that also carries very good detail retrieval in the sound characteristics.
Tight, controlled bass can be heard through the music when the source plays a more analytical sound, while an additional, melodic midrange carries excellent clarity to it, and the lusciousness of tubes when called upon.
The listening device plays a good bit into this, so the TA-32 adapts to your devices with good results.
Timbre
The TA-32 does not carry the true deep-reaching low-end one might expect from a tube amplifier but instead promotes excellent retrieval characteristics across the spectrum. I was never left wanting more detail from the music or a thicker tonality typical of tube amplifiers.
Instead, using the stock tubes (those Ray Select tubes are fantastic), the sound qualities present were thoroughly organic, with excellent reach into the upper reaches. The ability to quickly change gain afforded me the option to add tonality across the spectrum or leave it to the source.
There were times I wished for a more pronounced bottom end. The kind that tube amplifiers are known for. To me, this was the result of two things: 1. The stock rectifier xDuoo tube, and 2. The Rohm DAC chip.
While the current iteration of the xDuoo rectifier tube lacks the graininess of previous iterations (such as from the TA-30), it does not satiate my need for thrust down low.
A simple change to the RCA 5U4G tube countered that somewhat. And the Rohm DAC, while fantastic in its own right, is known for a more musical, natural tonality as opposed to the additional AKM that can be purchased separately.
Options are nice to have, and both of those “misgivings” can be changed rather quickly. At the time of press, I had a Brimar 5R4GY rectifier tube en route, but it did not make it in time for this review. This tube will hopefully add the low-end I crave.
Gain Levels
Changing gain makes a difference here, as expected. Harder-to-drive headphones, such as the SJYs, crave high gain, and I happily obliged. Bass came across as more intent, with a push the other headphones could not match, showing the TA-32 can be tailored to your headphones.
The Rognir seemed to thrive better on mid-level gain. With a tendency to push too much in the treble region, the mid worked best. As expected, low gain was best for the IEMs mentioned.
Staging & Dynamics
The TA-32 carries itself very well across the three dimensions, with a push to heights that rivals many. Depth is a bit lacking, but only when focused upon. The width complements the height, making for a thoroughly engaging soundstage across the three dimensions.
The height is such that it feels elevated, lifting it above the stage to promote an almost “floating” aspect. There is no disconnect from the rest, though, as imaging comes across as accurate with very good placement.
Left/right transients are easily heard and accurate, without feeling separated. There is more of a connectedness across the whole that ties the individuals together.
Running high gain with the Horizon headphones presented a euphonic response, especially using the PCM FIR2 filter, to me.
Click on page 2 below for my recommended pairings and selected comparisons.
