It's worth the money if own a really cheap player

Using it with mid-fi or high end equipment

I got it to improve my old Magnavox 560 & Audio Alchemy v1.0 DA processor. Well it kinda worked. When I unpluged with the DA processor the sound inproved but not $200's worth. I kept it out of my system thinking what a waste of money! A few months later while shopping at Costco/Price Club, I spoted a Magnavox $200 DVD/CD player with DTS and Digital out something I wanted for my video system.

I hooked the player up in my sound system just to check it out. Well the sound really sucked. So I hooked up the DA processor to it. That was not much better. Then, kinda as a joke I tried the XD-10. Hey now the sound was way better than anything I have heard in a long time. The combination of the cheap Magnavox DVD player and XD-10 is great to my ears. In fact they have become my only cd playback device.

So you won't think I am into being too cheap. The rest of my system includes: Theil 6, Krell FBP 200 and a Adcom GTP 400. The way to go with this device is to stay cheap, then its worth the money.

It's worth the money if own a really cheap player

Using it with mid-fi or high end equipment

I got it to improve my old Magnavox 560 & Audio Alchemy v1.0 DA processor. Well it kinda worked. When I unpluged with the DA processor the sound inproved but not $200 worth. I kept it out of my system thinking what a waste of money! A few months later the 560 started to act up, it is 10 years old. While shopping at Costco/Price Club I spoted a Magnavox $200 DVD/CD player with DTS and Digital out. Hooked it up in my system and the sound really sucked. So I hooked the DA processor. That was not much better. Then, kinda as a joke I tried the XD-10. Hey now the sound was way better than anything I have heard in a long time. The combination of the Magnavox DVD player and XD-10 is great to my ears. So you won't think I am into being too cheap. The rest of my system included Theil 6, Krell FBP 200 and a Adcom GTP 400. The way to go with this device is to stay cheap, then it worth the money.

Sweet tube sound.

A little less air.

This is a sweet sounding tube immitator. X10-D actually use 2 vaccum tubes. At first, I felt I lost some sense of air in the sound. However, X10-D creates sweet and natural sound. If you have a budget system, it's worth a try. I use Technics CD player, NAD integrated amp and Tannoy Mercury M1 speakers. Make sure that you use quality interconnects (such as DH Labs BL-1) in shortest length possible.
I'm going to try NOS tubes in X10-D hoping to get even better sound. Sweet midrange without metalic sounding harshness is really good.

It gives a more "tube" sound to clinical cd.

Perhaps a "tad" over priced.

The X10D purchase was the best addition I have made in relation to cd's.
Let's get one thing clear.....I am a VYNIL fanatic and use cd as mere background music when I am doing the housework or busy entertaining guests. However, that said, The X10D has given my Pioneer 505 Precision player a much more vynil sound and as a result it is now taken more seriously.
Judging from the other reviews of this product it proves that there is rarely an item that pleases EVERYONE. That said, I would recommend at least an audition of one and particularly if you prefer the sound of vynil to cd!
Finally, I believe that this product is no longer manufactured so keep your eyes peeled for possible clearance bargains.

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This is to address those people who do not like the X-10D. What equipment are you using with it? What do you really expect it to do? This is what Musical Fidelity says,

"It works because we have found that many CD players never quite seem to achieve the potential that their tecnical specifications promise. They are usually let down by the analogue output stage which has difficulties driving the variable inductive, capacitive and resistive loads presenter by a typical amplifier and cable combination."

This means that if you already have a halfway decent CD player, the sound improvement would be slight or even detrimental. If you want to hear the improvement it is capable off, try this, because i did and it made me a convert. Take a sony disc man or other such product and plug it into the X-10D and from there to an amp. The improvement is immediately audible. If you can't hear any improvement you are better off sticking with Aiwa minisystems.

A great "tool" that can really help in certain situations.

Very limited applications where it actually helps.

The X-10D is a great little unit that CAN actually improve the sound of your system. Like others have alluded to here, you really have to try it in your system to see if it helps in your situation or not.

In my case, I coupled the X-10D with a Musical Fidelity X-DAC and found the results to be quite pleasing. I am very much an analog guy, so the idea of throwing a lot of money at high-end digital gear really doesn't appeal to me. I simply wanted a cheap way to make listening to CD's less fatiguing. The X-10D was the perfect solution in my case. It really "smoothes out" digital harshness, in my opinion. I went from being able to tolerate CD's for 40 minutes or so to being able to listen to them for hours on end. Yes, the X-10D does alter the sound, and in a mid to high-end system I'm sure it will do this in a negative manner. However, with my cheap X-DAC it helped extend the bass and smooth out the top end. Overall, I felt both presentation and detail were improved. I am very content with the X-DAC/X-10D combo and have no desire to upgrade. If your CD player or DAC sounds harsh to you, then the X-10D may be just the ticket, but you won't know unless you try it out.

I have found the X-10D can help in other situations where the sound seems "harsh" or "bright", especially with older equipment. I have an old Fosgate Tate II SQ/surround decoder that I still use. This is an excellent piece of equipment, but does sound exceptionally bright and harsh. I found that hooking up a pair of X-10D's to this unit works miracles! Granted, this is a very esoteric application, but I tell you it is the single best argument for the X-10D I can come up with. No one should dismiss the X-10D until they've heard it in an application where it actually has a positive impact.

adds warmth to your system

None

Hi guys! You've to know that this little thing, works good enough for the money it's selling. I'm very content I bought it. Since that day, my system plays very better regarding low end with smooth uncolored highs. Obviously, you are free to agree or not but, in my opinion, this is the best device you can try, if you got an old but still good sounding transport or, simply, if you like to add that "good ol' tube" sound to your system. Yes, probably it acts on signal, but tell me, do you really know what sound engineers has made with the signal recorded on the cd you're actually listen to?

Soundstage, price, quality

Truly a matter of taste!

My system:
SONY CDP-X333ES CD-Player (modified),
ROTEL RDP-980 DAC,
ROTEL RC-980BX PreAmp,
ROTEL RB-980BC PowerAmps (2 pcs.),
INFINITY Kappa 8a Speakers
KIMBER OPTO1 Cable
VAN DEN HUL 102 MkIII interconnects
LIFELINE speaker cable (weird brand + colour!!!)

This little "can" can really add warmth and depth to a hifi-system. I say it can add warmth etc. because I don´t think you should use it with quite good gear. Why? Being placed after my Sony, it improved its soundstage fairly well. Connected between my Rotel DAC and PreAmp, it "softened" the sound of the system.

Anyway, this little "can" may be an extremely good way of upgrading a single CD-player without buying an expensive DAC!

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cheap way of adding 'tube sound' to solid state component

needs long warm-up before releasing full potential

An effective ways to smoothing the sound of budget equipment. Only small audible difference when added to a higher-end component, unless yours is to the bright side.

It adds warm to music, so people who dislike this kind of sound will not like it (and say that its muffled or dilute resolution). Basically, Musical fidelity's kind of sound (if you heard the A1 class A amp before, you'll know).

system use to test:
AVI integrated Amp
McCormack DAC1 deluxe
Cambridge audio discmagic transport
silverlink interconnect MCS
Siltech H8SI coaxial cable (unbalanced)

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Good sound stage. Buffer between pre-amp and power amp.

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I have used the X-10D for more than one year. At first I connect it between the DAC and the pre-amp. However, I found it more effective to put it between pre-amp and power amp. It extends the sound stage and creates a better picture of the instruments and vocal. I suggest you can experiment this configuration with your system to see the effect without spending a dime, it's a lot of fun.

My initial configuration is X-PSU, X-24K, X-Pre and X-10D lined by X-link. However, I found the X-Pre does not produce an accurate piano or violin sound, and I changed it to Creek OB-12. This makes the sound very transparent with good sound stage which one can identify the position of vocal and instrument very clearly with no sacrifice in the warmth of vocal. The piano or violin sounds real.