After reading a couple of impressions and reviews on the
Xenos X1HA-EPC I finally broke down and ordered one. The amp arrived on Wednesday, 2/14 and it has been burning-in since.

The plan from the beginning was to let it burn in for at least 200 hours before I post my impressions. At said time I planed on comparing its sound to the two remaining portable amps I have, The Hornet "M" and the Tomahawk. I was hoping the new Headphonia with the AD8397 chip would have arrived however it did not happen, so any comparison to the new Headphonia will have to wait. Note, for this evaluation I used the 2005 Beyer DT990 (250 ohm), the AKG K701 and the K501.

package 

 

The amp came very well packed attention to detail was everywhere. Basically a very professional job just like is expected of a big outfit. I have seen similar attention to detail by HeadRoom, Ray, and HeadAmp to name a few.
 
The instructions are well written and easily understood. The amp itself is very solid and looks very well made. It has a solid feel to it that inspires confidence that it has been made to last a very long time. Again this is what I would expect of a high quality company. I also think it is a great idea they offer not only to sell you a replacement battery when the current one expires but that they will even install it for you if you are so inclined. I should add that the labeling and marks on the unit are very legible even when used in poorly lit places.

 

Hiss 

 

A good measure of a company is their customer service, Xenos has that covered. For example various users contacted Xenos and provided feedback on perceived hiss. Well Xenos first came out and provided a technical reason for the situation, then later they have issued a low gain version, users will be able to send back their unit to have it converted. I will personally avail myself of this service.

 

Look and Feel 

I like the recessed on/off switch on the back; this should prevent inadvertently operation of the switch. I also like seeing the volume knob flanked by the input and the output sockets, this should help prevent messing with the volume knob while on the go. It also allows some very large plugs to be used w/o interfering with each other. I also find that the volume knob is almost damped, that is it is a bit hard to turn. This to me is a good thing since once again it prevents its movement while in transit (saves your hearing from a major unanticipated jolt).

Recently I read a review in which the user described how impressive he was by the inputs. Well I thought about it and played with the unit and realized that the input plugs are indeed very nice units. They provide a firm grip w/o being wobbly or in any sense feeling loose.

 

Sound 

 

After more than 220 hours of burn in I have to say that this amp very favorably impresses me. It does everything I want it to do very well to extremely well. If this was the only portable amp I had I would be very happy with the quality of sound it produces. Before I start discussing the positive aspects of this amp I will first list the areas in which I feel it can be improved (not many):

• Gain should be lowered. DONE! As stated above Xenos received enough feedback to make this a reality.
• Make the pilot light less bright. I brought this to their attention and although the reasons provided are very good I would think that going from a 2mA drain to 1mA could add up to 1 hour of operation. Perhaps using a less finicky pilot light could make this a reality. BTW I realize I am nitpicking but that is the way I am.
• The crossfeed should be subtler. As it stands it is a bit too much which causes IMO too much of the clarity/definition to be lost.
• Here is the big one; it should be made at least 1” to 1.5” shorter. As a portable it is IMO too big, it is fine for a transportable but I would definitely strive to make it shorter so at least it would be in the same size as say an SR71 or similar.
  

Comparison 

 

As stated earlier I compared this unit against The Hornet “M”, the Tomahawk, and SR-71. IMO the Xenos X1HA-EPC is as good or better than any of them. In a nutshell the Xenos sell for 1/3 to ½ the other 3 amps and its bass is as punchy or more with full impact that very few amps can equal. IMO it has a better soundstage than the Hornet “M” or the Tomahawk, only the SR71 approaches it. I will also say that the Xenos extends further and it is clearer. Sound wise the 1XHA-EPC is IMO the winner!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion 

 

So after reading so far you probably will say that the Xenos 1XHA-EPC will become my portable amp. I mean the bass is as good or better, better soundstage, it extends further with more clarity and detail. Well I wish that could be the case, the only thing holding it back is its size. So for my truly portable I will stick with Ray’s The Hornet or Tomahawk (a showdown will soon be written on these two), and for my transportable rig the Xenos 1XHA-EPC will be it.
 
So I hope Xenos is listening (I know they are) and can devote some engineering time to make the amp 1.5” shorter with a bit less of crossfeed. If done then this will be the amp to beat. I will let the unit burn in another 250 to 280 hours and I will see if the additional burn in causes any changes.