xCAN

I’ve paired this up with a chord mojo and wow are they an awesome pairing! In total this is not a cheap combo (if bought new you are talking approximately £700) but you can pick them up
Second hand if you want to save money. However, the sound quality from these is simply sublime! The chord is obviously a very highly respected DAC And does sound tremendous but when fed (using line out mode) into the XCan it just takes it up another couple of notches.

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The item is a good stuff, the sound quality as expected. Easily to use with Bluetooth paring.

I normally buy my hifi equipment from Peter Tyson as the guys are extremely knowledgable and helpful. They also have a super efficient customer returns policy so one can feel very comfortable and confident when purchasing product from them.

After much research I decided on purchasing the ifi XCan and as I wanted it the next day and I had missed the “next day” cut off time for P.T. I decided to purchase it from Amazon. Next morning a thought crossed my mind regarding faulty product returns with Amazon hmmm….. It arrived within the pre informed delivery widow which was excellent as always. Great anticipation on its arrival ( I had downloaded the instructions/operating guide from ifi ) so I was ready to rock and roll on its arrival.

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“…the proof is in the listening. To my ears, the xCAN delivers a sizeable sonic payoff beyond all proportion to its modest price.”

“The xCAN is more about a serious, solid, stable, professional sound output.”

“…this little gadget is a game changer”

I am not an audiophile ….so therefore can not give an in depth review of the sound nuances. But this is a well made device with various and many options. The blue tooth connection is brilliant. I made a silly mistake as to where the recharging LED was and the manufacturer could not have been more helpful.

Excellent little bit of kit. Sound quality is high, bluetooth pairs very quickly and it definitely does the job..

Very enjoyable listen, improves the output of your phone and even sounds better than some dedicated DAPs..

Well worth the investment

Bit of a fingerprint magnet though..

Only been using this amp for a few days and it’s really showing its potential already. Can drive low 32 and high 300 ohm headphones and IEMs really well. I love that it provides a neutral level of amplification from my Fiio M11 paired with the HD6xx headphones. Portability is also great and it comes with velcro to secure it to your DAP.

I have been using the xCAN for a couple of weeks now and I must admit its like a credit card sized pocket rocket. In short, its a portable headphone amp with a built in DAC and Bluetooth with both single ended and balanced inputs and outputs…

My main use of the xCAN is as a desktop amp. I had it connected to my motherboard audio at first (x570 Taichi), and a separate dac (Drop Airist R-2R).

Sounds great with both, headphones are Sendy Aiva and Audio Technica ATH M50. I bought a separate adapter for the Sendy to use the balanced 2.5mm output. Made a big difference in volume, it’s hard to tell about sound since just being louder makes it feel like it sounds better even if it’s not changing anything.

I keep the xBass II button on the front on for everything, it’s like a free EQ setting that doesn’t affect the music negatively at all. It’s great, really adds a lot to the music even if you don’t have any EQ. The 3D+ is more subjective, I prefer it off but that’s likely due to my headphones and personal preference.

The volume knob has the tactile steps, but feels smooth. The iFi button glows in different shades from dark blue up to bright red depending on the volume, which was a nice touch.

Doesn’t get warm to the touch at all on my desk, even if I leave it on.

Overall I’m very pleased with the product, though at first I thought I made a mistake in getting this over one of the iFi dac/amp combos. I was wrong, and was totally worth the investment.

Flexibility of going Bluetooth to listen to my phone on the couch is an added benefit.

The IFI x-CAN is a cracker of a portable headphone amplifier. It has bags of power to drive even the most demanding of headphones including planar magnetics.

It pairs efforts with every Android and iPhone device that I’ve thrown at it, creating a very wide and transparent soundstage. It sounds great across all frequencies; crisp but non-sibilant highs, lush mids and authoritative bass. For the price you can’t go wrong.

The Armchair Audiophile takes a close look at the ifi xCAN. An extremely powerful and versatile mobile, balanced, headphone amplifier.

Fantastic

Pros:
-Tiny for a headphone amp
-Bluetooth. Now you can ‘connect’ your hifi headphones to your phone without plugging into your phone
-USB C charging
-Well-machined, metal/plastic shell holds an ESS Sabre audio chip
-Bass boost and 3D surround features if you want to use them
-3.5mm single-end and 2.5mm balanced outputs and inputs

Cons:
-Tiny. Could have used the saved space for a bigger battery.

So I got this for travel use because my smartphone case doesn’t play well with my hifi headphones and their big connectors. I can see this also working out for anyone with a newer phone that doesn’t have a headphone jack and doesn’t use Bluetooth headphones. As you might expect, it does what it does: act as a Bluetooth link with your phone and a wired link with your headphones.

Even though it is an amp you still have to turn it up quite a bit on a 600ohm headphone, but that’s a sacrifice you understand getting into a portable device. Otherwise, it works very well; the metal/plastic shell doesn’t feel cheap although I was surprised by the small size.

I put up a picture comparison of that with my PC mouse. I wish iFi had used the extra space they saved for a bigger battery. Being just an amp with the highly regarded Sabre chip, it sounded fine; I don’t use the bass boost or surround sound features but they are there in case you want to use them.

“Well, priced at 300 USD, and having a similar performance to xDSD, or rather even better on the amplifier part, and having a Bluetooth module, the xCan surely is a good purchase, good value and overall can’t complain one bit about its value.”

“The sound is iFi’s magical touch, with a pretty neutral-ish approach, an organic midrange, clear and punchy bass, sparkly top end, and with the x-Bass 2 and the 3D+ features, you can customise it to your liking as much as you want.”

My xCAN arrived earlier today and even though I read every review I could before placing the order to crank up my expectations, this diminutive little box easily exceded what I thought I’d be getting.

Now every headphone I have can easily be driven to my desired real life volume level rock out delight.

The 3D+ and XBass II modes offer a number of different adjustments to add to the liveliness and fun of what you hear. And do so without being digitally processed to take away as much as they might add.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

“xCAN can be a great companion for any portable source, eliminating any power limit and making it very transparent.”

“Excellent construction”

“A lot of power and control”

At first glance, the xCAN looks almost identical to iFi Audio’s stablemate xDSD (HFC 439). Both share the same gleaming aluminium casing, with a compact, ridged design that looks similar to a hipflask. But while the xDSD functions as a multi-purpose DAC/amp combo, the xCAN primarily focuses on providing a portable and powerful analogue headphone amp…

From the company that’s built itself a reputation as the go-to brand for personal audio devices, can this simplified xCAN headphone amplifier continue the success story?

The xCAN is a dinky little thing, spanning 95 x 67 x 19mm and weighing in at only 127g, so it’s truly pocket sized. Its corrugated iron look offers grip when necessary and the svelte design won’t tag or catch on clothing. 

Generally speaking, this portable amplifier offers a dual-mono wired/wireless design delivering 1000mW of power per channel via its new Cyberdrive headphone amplifier stage (a new circuit design, apparently). You’ll find 2.5mm TRRS balanced and 3.5mm TRS single-ended sockets available here plus a large, centrally-based volume button with attendant status messages. More on that later…

“The xCAN allows the music to really soar without compromising the angelic clarity of the voices.”

“the xCAN’s power via Bluetooth is impressive, and if you like loud rock or dance music it adds real punch over Bluetooth”

“if you simply want a headphone amp that can boost the power of your digital music player to your headphones in an attractive package, it fits the bill. It’s impressively powerful, but smart enough to focus that power so that it adds impact without compromising sound quality. And, with Bluetooth streaming and good battery life, it can earn its keep when you’re away from home too”

Cut the cable from the phone and connect your headphones to the xcan. Then bluetooth from phone to can. You get the magic of wireless with the quality of your expensive wired headphones connected to the xCAN. And its all in your pocket.

“the xDSD gives way to the xBass II switch in its new and revised generation… It is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding novelties in this device, and that is presented for the first time within the range of iFi.”

“It is a kind of “more of everything”, with a sound of more body, greater analogical sensation, and means that gain transparency and presence, whatever the connected headset.”

“The xCAN is one of the best portable amplifiers in the current scene, with a formidable size / power ratio.”

I have no complaints, i use this with my grado and nad headphones. There is a very obvious improvement, i even use this with an old nexus 7, which can still play music. The big feature on this is that it has a much better d/a converter so you can use this with a crappy old device

At the xCAN’s heart is a high-spec, low-noise, dual-mono headphone amplifier of proprietary design, capable of delivering 1000mW per channel to make the most of any headphone type, from sensitive in-ear monitors to high-impedance on- or over-ear designs.

iFi’s Cyberdrive amp stage combines the sonic purity of analogue operation with the convenience and precision of digital control. Volume attenuation occurs entirely in the analogue domain, for maximum resolution at all volume levels.

“The device is ideal for those who are accustomed to listening to music using modern streaming services (TIDAL, Spotify, Deezer and others) using a smartphone, tablet or laptop, as well as simply throwing your favorite songs on the phone, grab an auxiliary device and go on a journey.”

“The sound of xCAN is well balanced, rich, smooth and very musical. The device delivers the material whole, melodic, with a slight touch of warmth, good detail and high-quality study of low frequencies. This is a smooth and unobtrusive processing without any apparent failures in a particular area of ​​the frequency response. There is a small color, mainly in the midbass area, which makes it sound cozy and slightly thicker than its predecessor xDSD. Such mannerism only gives the sound of richness and charm.”

“They’re wavy, flashy, eye catching and cool.”

“The iFi xCAN provides a very clean and tight bass response with a fast decay and good control.”

“The iFi xCAN provides you a big power, a BAL setup for your BAL system, a great BT DAC/Amp performance with good quality, very nice build quality and a design which is very portable and light. As a result, I think it deserves a spot on our Best Amplifiers List in the portable category. Congratulations to iFi Audio.”

Pros – 1) Amazing sound signature
2) powerful enough for a portable device… 6XX Here I come…
3) Bass bass bass even without xbass
4) Good battery life for an opamp device
5) Balanced input – output
6) s-balanced output
7) The lights are less intrusive than xDSD for night listening
8) Fine tuning of volume with the knob for sensitive headphones like Meze 99
9) ifi renowned Bluetooth implementation – recloking signal although is not clear to me how the femto clock is implemented with the sabre DAC ship, however it sounds as it implemented beautifully…

As I listened to music, the Sennheisers and AKG earbuds sounded very good driven by the iFixCAN.

The HD 800s present a relatively difficult load of 300 ohms, but the xCAN had plenty of gain to drive them to uncomfortably loud levels, even when I played an album of very low average loudness through its single-ended output. And with all its sound enhancements disengaged, I found the iFi effectively transparent.

Most of the enhancement options provided by the xCAN proved useful in maximizing my enjoyment of music. The 3D+ setting is yet another implementation of a crossfeed circuit, which tends to bring the soundstage forward while narrowing it.

iFi Audio’s xCAN is a great product for those looking to improve their smartphone listening experience. Without its enhancements engaged, its sound was thoroughly transparent, providing enough gain for most any pair of headphones without any colorations or ill effects.

More than that, it’s the feature set that matters. XBass II sound enhancement couldn’t be easier to use, and provided serious improvement in sound quality through two clever options: Bass and Presence. And iFi’s 3D+ crossfeed circuit is available for those who enjoy this sort of effect, or find long-term headphone listening fatiguing.

• Desktop power in a pocketable format, able to drive demanding cans with ease
• Fully-balanced topology
• Aptx Bluetooth a nice bonus
• Useful, if somewhat blunt EQ functionality

I wanted to try an portable amplifier for my Astell and Kern DAP and this came recommended to me. I bought on Amazon so i could return if needed but this is going nowhere!!! I’d suggest following the instructions in the manual to set-up rather then trying usually male type guess work BUT once you’ve sussed it out, it’s amazing. It just has so much power.

I paired it with my HD650s and my HE400s and no problem. I must admit to being surprised by the BT as well, so surprised that I had a play and set it up with my TV. I’ve had a couple of late nights watchng films while the other half was asleep. The Mission (an old favourite with a power score) and Bohemian Raphsody – xCAN and Queen – a killer combo for sure. Both blew me away.

“I like it… I like it a lot.” “Not only does it look really nice, it feels really nice and it feels premium to the touch.”

“The first two things you notice with the xCAN, is its smoothness, and its authority. It’s an enjoyable, engaging, easy listen, you’ll tell straight away the amplifier in the xCAN allows for a very dynamic presentation.”

“It comes nicely packaged, with lots of cables and connectors.”

“It just fills you with confidence that this is a well-built, well-designed, quality product.”

“I can’t see many people not being really happy with one.”

“With the xCAN, ifi Audio has once again succeeded in creating an outstanding, mobile headphone amplifier that has a longer battery life than the xDSD and is also considerably more powerful in terms of performance. The xCAN works as a perfect Bluetooth receiver and balanced headphone amplifier.

With the sound effects, he sets a new record with the added “Presence” option when it comes to simple, effective and above all good sound adaptation. The bottom line is the xCAN is absolutely impressive and I like even a tick better than the xDSD and thus enters a rating of over 95% with me, which in the future must be exceeded!”

“Powerful dual-mono headphone amplifier that can unleash the full dynamic range of hard to drive 600 ohm over ear phones while still driving many sensitive 32 ohm IEM with a silent background.”

“The xCAN is a fine pure portable amplifier at this price point. Its modern wireless connectivity may appeal more to a new generation, but as an old hack I really do appreciate a great analog performance and this is indeed a great one.”

“The xCAN is a fantastic reference portable solid-state amp and one I will be keeping on the table as a pleasurable if somewhat niche benchmark”

” Transparent and powerful”

“Perfect as an analogue amplifier, does exactly what it should, stylish and portable”

“The iFi xCAN is a wonderful device and one of the most powerful portable amplifiers in this size class.”

“The iFi xCAN is among the most powerful portable amplifiers on the market, as it provides 1 W on 16 Ω. This is desktop-equipment-class power! All this power means that the xCAN can drive most full-size headphones without much effort.”

“What’s not to love?”

iFi devices don’t disappoint in the sound department and my expectations were no different this time around. The xCAN surely can drive many IEMs and headphones with its powerful output,

I just received my xCAN a moment ago. Still getting the hang of using it but so far the product is absolutely amazing!!!! Easily drives my Sennheiser 800S openbacks with no issues and plenty of room to spare. Pairs well with my DAP Hiby R6. Exactly what I was looking for. Great bang for the buck and I would highly recommend.

The xCAN is one of those products where I feel that I should find a weakness just to make the review more interesting. However, save its love for collecting fingerprints, I honestly cannot find a downside to buying one.

The little portable amp is reasonably priced at just under £300, performs brilliantly and even throws in some slick Bluetooth skills for good measure.

Thanks to its terrific sound quality and capability to use a balanced line-in connection along with Bluetooth and single-ended hook-ups, this iFi amp deserves a StereoNET Applause Award.

So…what are we left with? Pretty much a steal if you must boil it down to one word. More versatile than my iBasso PB3 (another balanced in/balanced out amp), and with more features. I have not really talked about the balanced in/out feature as many will not use the critter that way. But if you insist…It worked. Balanced in/out worked the way one would expect. Shove a balanced source-out sound into the balanced-in of the xCAN and you can comfortably play your balanced headphones in the bal-out port on the front of the xCAN. No muss, no problem. You can even simply hook up your balanced headphones to the front, and the magic involved inside will automatically convert the sound to balanced. What voodoo is this??!! Holy smokes!

With so many phones removing the headphone jack, the xCan really hits the mark perfectly. No messy wires, just connect any phone via bluetooth, plug your favourite headphones in to the xCan and be blown away by the wonderful audio experience. The xCan is driving my headphones like nothing else has before. Very impressed.

With so many phones removing the headphone jack, the xCan really hits the mark perfectly. No messy wires, just connect any phone via bluetooth, plug your favourite headphones in to the xCan and be blown away by the wonderful audio experience. The xCan is driving my headphones like nothing else has before. Very impressed.

Like most other iFi products, the xCAN delivers a relatively clean, uncolored sound.  My test tracks sound accurate and on-point, with no undue compression or distortion present.  As powerful as the xCAN is, it easily drives all three of my test headphones – the Audio Technica M50x, the Beyerdynamic DT 1990, and the Hifiman HE6se.

But if I was expecting a hum-drum, by-the-numbers listening experience, I’ve got another thing coming.  Because like some other higher-tier iFi products, the xCAN offers 3D+ and XBASS II filters that add a sense of depth and bass extension, respectively.   Both features are implemented well, never sounding too artificial while adding some extra emphasis to the music.