Some time ago I bought an Xduoo dx-05 Dac-Amp and wanted a bit more out of it, so I began to roll Op-amps in it.
I am mainly using it with two of the several Headphones I own: Beyerdynamic T1 first gen and AKG K812
Carlos from Burson Audio has reached out to me couple weeks ago and offered me a review sample of the V5i dual op-amps in exchange for my honest opinion on them. Thank you Burson Audio for letting me try them.
Original stock OPA 1612 compared to Burson Audio V5i dual op-amp
This is a list of a few Op-amps I tried that are actually worth mentioning:
OPA 1612 stock in xduoo xd05
OPA 2197
OPA 2207
OPA 1692
My listening setup consists:
Tidal HiFi subscription and a collection of Flac 16/ 24 bit files on an Samsung S7 edge with USB Audio pro app, OTG cable to Xduoo xd-05 Dac Amp and Beyerdynamic T1 or AKG K812
The stock OPA 1612 is not bad but what the Burson v5i will bring is a wider sound stage with warm low end and less sibilant Highs.
OPA 2197 has great low end, sub bass will extend deeper and will give a very warm sound, but Burson V5i will give you a very detailed sound image and great separation between instruments.
OPA 2207 is one of my favorites of the ones I tried and has superb extension in lows and highs with great micro details in treble and very airy in the top frequency range. Compared to the OPA2209, the Burson V5i has almost the same extension but will be less sibilant with more accent in the upper Bass - lower Mids and with great vocals. Male and female voices will sound closer and more intimate with the V5i probably the reason why sound stage will appear less wide.
OPA 1692 is most of the time my favorite using the BeyerdynamicsT1 but I prefer the V5i with the AKG K812.
The opa1692 has great micro details in the treble and good extension in Sub Bass, more than the Burson V5i but can get sibilant with the AKG K812. The Beyers will easily get away with this and it is only on certain songs that are not mastered greatly.
One problem I run into by using the Burson Audio V5i dual Op-amp was that I couldn't use the Bass boast of the Xduoo when high gain was selected and I only could use bass boast with low and medium gain. High gain can be used only with bass boast off. Not a big problem if you have sensitive headphones that don't require high gain and the Xduoo has lots of power in medium gain.
Overall the Burson Audio V5i is a great op-amp that will bring a wide holographic sound stage, warm solid low end with great vocals and mids and detailed extended treble. It is a great upgrade over the stock Op-amp of the Xduoo xd-05 and depending on your musical taste and Headphones you own, will get the Xduoo into a way higher league than the original price.
Thank you Carlos from Burson Audio for giving me the opportunity to hear this great piece of technology.
I am mainly using it with two of the several Headphones I own: Beyerdynamic T1 first gen and AKG K812
Carlos from Burson Audio has reached out to me couple weeks ago and offered me a review sample of the V5i dual op-amps in exchange for my honest opinion on them. Thank you Burson Audio for letting me try them.
Original stock OPA 1612 compared to Burson Audio V5i dual op-amp
This is a list of a few Op-amps I tried that are actually worth mentioning:
OPA 1612 stock in xduoo xd05
OPA 2197
OPA 2207
OPA 1692
My listening setup consists:
Tidal HiFi subscription and a collection of Flac 16/ 24 bit files on an Samsung S7 edge with USB Audio pro app, OTG cable to Xduoo xd-05 Dac Amp and Beyerdynamic T1 or AKG K812
The stock OPA 1612 is not bad but what the Burson v5i will bring is a wider sound stage with warm low end and less sibilant Highs.
OPA 2197 has great low end, sub bass will extend deeper and will give a very warm sound, but Burson V5i will give you a very detailed sound image and great separation between instruments.
OPA 2207 is one of my favorites of the ones I tried and has superb extension in lows and highs with great micro details in treble and very airy in the top frequency range. Compared to the OPA2209, the Burson V5i has almost the same extension but will be less sibilant with more accent in the upper Bass - lower Mids and with great vocals. Male and female voices will sound closer and more intimate with the V5i probably the reason why sound stage will appear less wide.
OPA 1692 is most of the time my favorite using the BeyerdynamicsT1 but I prefer the V5i with the AKG K812.
The opa1692 has great micro details in the treble and good extension in Sub Bass, more than the Burson V5i but can get sibilant with the AKG K812. The Beyers will easily get away with this and it is only on certain songs that are not mastered greatly.
One problem I run into by using the Burson Audio V5i dual Op-amp was that I couldn't use the Bass boast of the Xduoo when high gain was selected and I only could use bass boast with low and medium gain. High gain can be used only with bass boast off. Not a big problem if you have sensitive headphones that don't require high gain and the Xduoo has lots of power in medium gain.
Overall the Burson Audio V5i is a great op-amp that will bring a wide holographic sound stage, warm solid low end with great vocals and mids and detailed extended treble. It is a great upgrade over the stock Op-amp of the Xduoo xd-05 and depending on your musical taste and Headphones you own, will get the Xduoo into a way higher league than the original price.
Thank you Carlos from Burson Audio for giving me the opportunity to hear this great piece of technology.
