Welcome back, everyone. Today we will check out something unusually cool, something that caters more to music lovers than to audiophiles. But don’t worry, we still get some technicalities, just not a lot of them. About ~16 years ago, I bought an R2R ladder DAC with a tube output stage. At that time, I was already familiar with R2R DACs, so that part wasn’t new to me, but having a tube output stage made everything sound creamier and juicier, at the cost of not being as tight and utterly resolving. Reviewing the xDuoo TA-32 feels like I’m 16 years younger. Interestingly, this is much more than just a DAC with a tube output stage; it can also function as a standalone preamplifier or headphone amplifier, and you can even mix and match some of these functions. This thing is not exactly cheap, it’s the most expensive xDuoo device but I assure you, every penny spent on it will be rewarded with goosebumps and countless hours of glorious music playback. I have a lot to say about this one, so let’s check it out!
