iFi Audio xCAN Portable Amplifier with Bluetooth

I'd ordered the HIpDac 2 two weeks ago but sent it back, since it only has USB input, no BT, and it wasn't suiting my needs since I mainly wanted it as an upgrade and to use with my Fiio player, not really that much for USB or PC sources. Found the XCan after a lot of research on IFI, wasn't up for an $800 desktop amp, don't need it, so this came up refurb'd on here and I grabbed it at a bargain price. I'm sitting here previewing it now, connected wired to my Fiio X1 player, with XBass and Presence 3D on. I had to set my DAP to "headphone" analog out instead of line out, turn BT off, and then I got sound. At first I got zip,for some reason. My Fiio player has BT also of course, so I can either do wireless with the XCan or wired! Fantastic. The only thing you cannot do is use wireless IEMS or headphones with this amp.Using my new Hifiman HE400SE planars thus far. Well, this amp sounds darned good, very "warm but neutral" and the bass and 3D features add a lot. Has plenty of power, even on the planars I tested the upper power shelf and it has plenty of power to spare, I would never turn it up nearly that loud!For dynamic phones you could probably keep it down in the silver or green range and never have to turnit up any louder. Or basic IEMs. The amp is built solid, has a metal chassis, is compact but has some weight to it, All the indicator lights etc. are useful and work as promised. It charged in about three hours.I don't have any balanced cables here, and have never used them, and I'm a bit baffled as towhat cables I would need for the 2.5" balanced input or headphone out on here. I'll researchthat later on. I will also test the Bluetooth later as well, with my iPhone14. I just used thebasic longer 3.5" provided to connect the DAP to the amp.I believe, for under $200, this is a phenomenal headphone amp. It's a big upgradefrom the older Fiio A5 amp I was using for several years, as the XCan has tons more power,and sounds overall, a good deal sharper and clearer as well. You have both BT optionsand old school wired, and both balanced inputs/outputs, which is amazing. The amp has powerto burn to drive almost any headphones, I would say, except maybe super high impedancepower eating studio phones. Even those, it should drive anyway. I played Wish You Were Hereside 1 (Pink Floyd from Discovery box set) and now playing Blondie Disc 1 of the new box setAgainst The Odds, and all of it sounds warm, tight, and detailed so far, no distortion at all.The XBass really helps for planars, etc. 3D is less exciting but it does add some soundstageor presence. With XBass on, it adds a good deal of low end punch, but, it still doesn't go toexaggerated, muddy, BEATS type extremes.If you only need a USB connex. portable amp without Bluetooth, get the HipDac 2,but if you want a lot more power and either type of connection option, the XCan is theamp for you, no question. And it's totally portable, or could function as a portable laptopor PC/Mac tablet desk amp if necessary, though you'd have to use BT or a wired connection.I see now why IFI is held in such high esteem, they put out a quality product, but you betterresearch it all first to see which of their amps is right for your needs, and also consideringtheir price levels, which can go from $100 up to $5000 or whatever!

This product is nearly perfect.Everything is well thought out and with proper time learning and getting to know the equipment one can have an absolutely amazing audio experience.I'm not going to say a whole lot other than I don't give 5 stars out willy nilly. This earned 5 stars over 9 months of use and truly understanding every feature and optimizing sound of each one of my headphones. This product has no firmware update, software upgrade, or app and therefore is a product that you can use well into the future. To me it's a brilliant product. The sound quality is very, very good....quite remarkable for a travel design. Listening to quality productions on this has left my mouth open at times.I have since gone on to buy the xdsd which is basically this with a DAC.I repeat I don't do a lot of reviews and I am a tough critic and rarely give 5 stars. It's the best technical product I have bought in a long time. It has enough power to switch through any of my 12 headphones and has balanced output. If you understand EQ then you will know how to use the features optimally.At $220 - $250 this is a great value.

iFi needs to QC their stuff better or get better designers/engineers. I've bought their Hip Dac and now the Xcan. Both returned almost same day due to out of the box issues. The balanced out on the Hip Dac had one channel out (Bought brand new mind you) and now the Xcan. I got it out the box and tried to turn it on. Nothing so I go to charge it. The light under the USB C port rapidly blinks green and red then turns off. I'm confused as I looked at the manual and it does not show anything about this behavior and confirmed that I need to connect it to a 5v port via USB type A to C cable. So I move it to another charger via a different USB type A to C cable. Now it blinks green a few times then white and turns off. No charging light after a minute. I let it site for a bit thinking it might be charging.... Nope. Repeated this over with different cables, the stock cable, different charger. Sometimes I get the rapid red green light to nothing or then I get the green to white behavior. Even went as far as using a port on my PC to charge it. No charge retained. Only works when it is directly plugged into a charger and I use it. I suspect it needs a charge but it won't do it. Nothing I can do to make it either. If this is not a defect its a design flaw. Either way, I'm done with iFi.