xCAN

Website: https://ifi-audio.com/
£299

Boost the quality of your music wherever you are: the xCan is a portable headphone amplifier designed to up your music experience on the go.

I’m a sucker for a chunky-looking piece of tech, and the xCan screams ‘this does something clever’ with its bricky, techy look. It’s certainly not compact, but that said, it’s still perfectly portable, small enough to slip into your pocket or bag to make sure you always have it to hand when you need it. It’s what this device does that’s important, of course, not how it looks, but I found it nerdily satisfying and had to give its design a shoutout.

This dual-mono headphone amp unlocks the true range of the tunes you’re playing. No matter how good your earbuds might be, they can’t reproduce the same output as a full sound system, but the xCan? This device can handle the range of hard to drive 600 ohm while still driving sensitive 32 ohm IEM with a silent background. It delivers 1000mW of power per channel, and it keeps sound balanced with a specially designed 'S-Balanced' circuit allowing either 3.5mm single-ended (TRS) or 3.5mm balanced (TRRS), with low crosstalk and low distortion. Fully balanced inputs/outputs or the ability to convert SE to Bal or vice versa, of course fully single-ended in/outputs too.

The xCan really opens up your sounds around you. Through 3D Holographic+ and XBass II, its advanced analogue signal processing circuits correct your music’s low-end bass and mid-range frequencies, which has the effect of making everything seem bigger: it’s like the music is surrounding you. Even the volume control has been carefully designed: volume changes smoothly and doesn’t lose sound quality. You have to try it out to fully appreciate what a difference this little gadget makes!

A really cool detail to the xCan is its built-in Bluetooth, which means you can Bluetooth the audio from your smart device into the xCan for better sound since the xCan can produce CD like quality over Bluetooth, you’ll still plug your wired headphones into the xCan though. Plug your wired headphones into the amp to boost their sound, pair the xCan with your phone, laptop or other device over Bluetooth, and bam! You’re free to move without tangles.

The xCan’s 2220mAh battery supports 12-18 hours of play time, making this a perfect tool for real music-heads who want to listen all day. It recharges via the included USB charger, and it’s ready to go straight away when you get it out of the box!

Technically, the xCan isn’t a necessity, but if you’re really serious about music, this little gadget is a game changer. It’s well worth the try so you can hear the difference for yourselves: you may never go back to using headphones without it again.
 

Pros
Portable
Noticeably improves sound
Good battery life
Inbuilt Bluetooth

Cons
A little pricey

5/5