Shanling Onix Beta XI2 Tube USB Dongle DAC AMP Review – Dual DACs, Dual Tubes, Dual Fun
Shanling Onix Beta XI2 is a $349 USD Tube Dongle DAC AMP designed for portable users to enjoy their music on the go, with a Dual CS43198 DAC combo at the heart, Dual JAN6418 Tubes for the sound output, and up to 550mW at a 32 OHM impedance of output power. Today we review the Shanling Onix BETA XI2 and also compare it with other similarly priced DAC AMPs including KAEI TAP-1 DACs (329 USD), Shanling EH2 (369 USD) and iBasso Nunchaku (299 USD). Competitors are always chosen based on popularity and how many requests I receive to compare a new product to certain other ones.
Introduction
Shanling has something really interesting going on with their Onix part, and we have reviewed their Shanling Onix Alpha XI1 already, which was a solid performer, but Shanling in general has a team that makes reliable products, high-quality sound and beautiful designs a reality. Everything made so far under the Onix name has been even more edgy, a bit more technologically advanced, yet also priced with the same mindful pricing Shanling is known for. You can find Shanling products on Amazon, Aliexpress, Linsoul, and other HIFI Sale channels.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3XsorJu
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3PQQZAv
Build Quality – Design
From the ground up, Shanling Onix Beta XI 2 is a rather small portable dongle DAC AMP with a tiny display, one USB Type-C input and two headphone outputs. The two headphone outputs are placed far enough apart that you could theoretically plug in two pair of headphones in the Onix BETA X I 2, but I do not recommend doing that as it would theoretically stress the AMP circuits a lot.
Beta X12 is equipped with the same Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC chips as the Beta XI1, and it has an upgraded amplifier architecture, with a different 4x BUF634 and 2x OPA1162 OP-AMPs, delivering up to 550mW of power for a 32 OHM impedance. The main headphone output is powered by a JAN6418 tube stage, with two tubes, which are also visible as they offer a subtle visual glow to the DAC AMP.
For your control, there is a 0.87″ OLED display and just like the Onix Alpha, XI2 has an intuitive and simple UI which allows you to monitor playback, volume and settings. You can choose the output mode to be either Solid State or Tube, and XI2 has button controls.
USB DAC – Subjective Usage
As with most Shanling products, everything works out of the box, and a rather helpful feature is that you can keep pressing the volume level for major volume adjustments. There is zero USB DAC delay and Onix Alpha XI2 is adequate and actually great for playing games and watching movies.
If you’re concerned about heat, you don’t have to worry, although XI2 uses a dual RaJAN6418 tube combo, it stays pretty cool during usage, and it is safe to use in all environments. Everytrhiong works as it should with zero bugs, but it is a pretty simple DAC AMP You can set your gain level and whether you’re using the tube amp or the solid state amp from the menu, and you can rotate the screen, as well as select the font and the DAC filter.
Sound Quality
Pairings – To test the Shanling Onix XI2 Beta, I have paired it with multiple headphones and IEMs, including Raptgo LEAF D01, Palma DHS-1, KBEar Cepheus, Crosszone CZ-10 Enhanced, Erzetich Thalia, Erzetich Mania V2024, TinHIFI T7, FiiO FT13, NFAudio NE4, Sivga Peng, Moritz Dragon, Crosszone CZ-8a Enhanced, Sendy Audio AIVA 2, Tangzu TianPeng, Soundz Flame, YanYin Canon PRO, Dunu Vulkan 2, Letshuoer Mystic 8, and HIFIMAN Isvarna.
Driving Power – Shanling gave the little Onix Beta XI2 quite a lot of driving power, it is more than capable of handling full-sized headphones, even HIFIMAN Isvarna and Ananda Nano, and with excellent control and very low distortion. For IEMs, it has no audible noise in solid state mode, but there is a bit of noise in tube mode. There is no microphonic or handling noise, which is super nice, and unique, as most tube based amplifiers of this style have some audible background microphonics / handling noise.
Overall Signature – Shanling Onix Beta XI2 has two sonic modes, one in tube mode and one in solid state. Tube mode is likely what most people will be using, and in this mode it sounds warm, a bit fuzzy, with extra harmonics, with a lot of textures. The sound comes through as rich and fuzzy, warm and it also has an increased THD or distortion compared to the solid state mode. Solid State mode or Tube Mode off has a much lower distortion, higher precision, higher dynamic range and sounds more holographic, more spacious and cleaner, with a better resolution. It is also more clean and less warm.
Bass – At the bottom end, XI2 can sound either warm, fuzzy with a bigger upper bass and mid bass, in tube mode, more neutral, clean and faster in SS mode. Solid State presents music technically and in an analytic fashion with excellent precision. As with most tube DAC AMPs and hybrids, it is important to find your sweet spot. I found that XI2 sounds better in tube mode with high impedance headphones, and the higher impedance, the more precise and cleaner tube mode is, while with lower impedance, it has more effect and at very low impedance tube mode has a ton of character and it influences the signature, coloring it a lot.
Midrange – In the midrange, Xi2 inherits the same characters as it does in the bass, tube mode is really fuzzy, warm, a bit thick, with a lot of extra texture, especially present in the midrange. This works really well for acoustic instruments, guitars, rock, metal, and music that is not digitally created. Tube mode adds a bit too much texture for EDM, Pop and music that is synthetic, where solid state sounds colder, brighter, more neutral and has a more precise definition. SS mode works really well for revealing details, while Tube mode will not reveal as much, but sound more romantic, more harmonic.
Treble – Treble character is also influenced slightly by the tube mode, but not as much as the midrange and the bass. The trick here is that tubes can reproduce treble really well, and unless it is an intentionate design for an AMP to sound rolled-off or smooth, tubes will create a bright, airy treble, but with XI2, the top end is basically a bit brighter and a bit more open in the solid state mode, and a bit smoother, a bit more rolled off in the tube mode.
Dynamic Range And Textures – Dynamic range is higher, with less compression in solid state mode. Tube Mode has the tendency to compress the dynamic range slightly for XI2, and also add more texture, which creates a unique presentation that is warm and fuzzy, like you’d hear from a vintage guitar amplifier that has a bit of overdrive and distort added to the sound. This is why the tube mode works really well for rock and metal.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – XI2 handles both high and low volumes well, you can push the volume far more in SS mode as it inherently has a lower distortion, while if you push the volume a lot in tube mode, you hear more of the tube character and its extra texture.
Soundstage – Beta XI2 renders a natural soundstage in both Tube mode and SS modes, it renders a natural soundstage with fairly good instrument separation, but instrument separation is higher in solid mode, and there’s more fuzz, less definition and less space between instruments in tube mode.
Comparisons
Shanling ONIX Beta XI2 vs iBasso Nunchaku (349 USD vs 299 USD) – Nunchaku is basically the same product idea as Onix Beta XI2 but with a slightly different presentation and different shape and color. They both use the same tubes, but Nunchaku has a volume wheel instead of buttons, it has a similar output power, and the same Dual CS43198 DAC combo as XI2. With XI2, the sound is always more neutral, more balanced and tube character is less obvious while with Nunchaku, the tube character is a bit more extreme, sound is thicker, warmer, more dynamic in tube mode, and also brighter, sharper in solid state mode. It is a more extreme variant of the same idea as onix xi2.
Shanling ONIX Beta XI2 vs KAEI TAP-1 DACs (349 USD vs 329 USD) – Kaei TAP1 DACs is the first portable DAC AMP that we’ve reviewed with this idea of using this style of tubes and it also has a Dual CS DAC, but a different model, and it uses a set of MUSES02 OP-AMPs, it can deliver almost 10 times the power that XI2 can deliver, but with the caveat that in portable mode it can deliver only 6 times as much for a 16 OHMs impedance (so close to double at 32 OHMs impedance). For all practical reasons, XI2 sounds more controlled at very high volume, it is cleaner, less distorted, has a higher resolution, but KAEI TAP-1 sounds smoother, more lush, warmer and has that characteristic waxy signature of the MUSES02 OP-AMPS. KAEI TAP-1 DACs is an experimental product more than XI2, so if you want a versatile, basically useful product, XI2 is better, while KAEI TAP-1 DACs squeezes more from the same concept, but is less stable, has audible handling noise, heats up much more.
Shanling ONIX Beta XI2 vs Shanling EH2 (349 USD vs 369 USD) – EH2 is a basic desktop DAC AMP and it has a really high driving power of 4.3W for headphones, but for most headphones XI2 will be plenty, so it is important to keep in mind that EH2 has some light EQ tuning via the bass and treble wheels, and it has an OS / NOS switch as it has an R2R DAC that can work raw of filtered. The actual difference is that if you leave both at default, XI2 sounds similar to EH2 if you use OS mode on EH2 and SS mode in XI2. In OS mode, EH2 sounds soft, a bit wet and less aggro, while in Tube mode XI2 sounds warm, thick, fuzzy and harmonically rich.
Value and Conclusion
For its 349 USD price tag, Shanling ONIX Beta XI 2 is a better product than KAEI TAP-1 DACs in size and reliability, but it has fierce competition from Shanling in their EH2 as well as Nunchaku which is basically the same idea. XI2 has the advantage of a super high driving power for headphones despite its small size, it runs cool with all impedance levels and it sounds pleasing, having a similar value compared to Nunchaku and EH2, so it is currently well positioned in the market.
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for an excellent tube DAC / Headphone AMP with a high driving power, two sonic modes, two gain levels, no USB DAC delay, and a fuzzy or a more precise sound, Shanling ONIX Beta XI2 is an excellent way to experience tubes, with none of the disadvantages usually associated with tubes, and a fully recommended purchase today on Audiophile-Heaven.
PROs
- Really good software and implementation, no USB DAC delay, no issues, no overheating, no microphonic when handling it
- Fuzzy and warm sound in tube mode
- Precise, analytical and technical sound in SS mode
- Balanced 4.4mm headphone output
- Strong value relative to the market
Cons
- Tube mode has a lower resolution and higher THD, as well as some dynamic compression compared to solid mode
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3XsorJu
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3PQQZAv
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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