xDuoo NANO D3
| DAP | DAC | DSD256 | 250mW | 2” IPS |
? xDuoo NANO D3, a tiny sized lossless music player with insane tech specs (for the price and size).
The xDuoo NANO D3 is one of newest DAC/DAPs from xDuoo, which is launched as an alternative to larger and more expensive models on the market but without sacrificing features and technical specifications.
The xDuoo NANO D3 features native DSD256, built-in internal storage, and op amps that are able to provide an insane output of 250mW (32 ohm).
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xDuoo NANO D3 Review
Tests & Scores
AF
Advanced Features
The xDuoo NANO D3 features include advanced options such as:
- Independant Dual output connection: standard 3.5mm headphone jack & line out
- Internal storage: 8GB
- Micro SD card reader: up to 256GB cards
- Native DSD support: hardware decoding of DSD64/256
- IPS HD Screen
- Firmware upgrades
W
Weight
xDuoo NANO D3 weight in Ounces and xDuoo NANO D3 weight in grams.
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A
Accessories & Packaging
The xDuoo NANO D3 unboxing results in a USB charging cable and 2 screen protectors.
The packaging is well-built and will safely protect the unit. Moreover, the device is placed in cutouts inside the packaging box.
3.25/5
D
Design
The xDuoo NANO D3 has a classic music player design with 90 degree edges and curved top/bottom left/right ends. The brand, model and serial number are written on the back side of the unit.
The right edge holds 3 buttons (power, vol+, vol-) and a recessed one to reset the unit. On the front of the unit there is the screen and below it, there are 4 buttons (home/back, play/pause. next track, previous track)
On the bottom edge, there are 2 output connectors (headphone and line out) and on the top edge there is the micro SD card slot and the charging port.
The dimensions of the xDuoo NANO D3 are 83mm×45mm×10mm, this makes it thinner than the FiiO M9, shorter than the FiiO M3K and much smaller than the ZIKU HK-X9 / ZIKU HD-X9.
4/5
OC
Operation & Control
The xDuoo NANO D3 has plenty of physical buttons (to be more precise, 7) that can do the following:
- Front
- Home button: Press and hold= home; Single tap= back
- Play/Pause: play/pause
- Down arrow: Press and hold= Scan forward; Single tap= next track
- Up arrow: Press and hold= Scan bacwards; Single tap= previous track
- Right edge
- Top button: Press and hold= power on/off; Single tap= turn screen on/off
- Arrow up: Vol+
- Arrow up: Vol-
The unit powering on time is very fast, being almost instant in comparison to most Android-based music players.
4/5
B
Battery Life
The xDuoo NANO D3 has a 900mAh 3.7V lithium-polymer rechargeable battery that provides over 20 hours of continuous playback time on a single charge.
The battery charge indicator can be found on the top right edge of the screen with a 5-bar battery icon.
How to charge the xDuoo NANO D3:
The xDuoo NANO D3 is charged through the micro USB port placed on the top edge of the device (a charging cable is included)
The xDuoo NANO D3 fully charges in less than 3 hours, if a 5V 1A charger is used.
4.25/5
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CB
Construction & Build
The xDuoo NANO D3 body is build in CNC aluminum allow with a sandblasted surface treatment.
The overall unit feels rugged and durable, yet very light-weighted – thanks to the reduced footprint and the 70 gr of total weight.
5/5
S
Screen
The xDuoo NANO D3 screen has a size of 2 inches, a resolution of 320×240 and 200 PPI. The type of screen is an IPS HD full view, which means that the screen does not suffer from color distortion while being watched from different angles.
As a reference: the size and resolution of the xDuOO NANO D3 is the exact same of the FiiO M3K.
4/5
M
Menu
The xDuOO NANO D3 has a home page with 6 main categories organized in a grid, the categories are: My Music, Playing, Folder, My Favorite, Music Settings, Settings.
- My Music: Music library that can be navigated by: Playing, All Songs, Artist, Albums, Genres, Folder, My Favorite
- Playing: Open the Now Playing screen
- Folder: Direct access to the folder navigation to explore the contents of the internal and external memory
- My Favorite: Direct access to the tracks set as favorite
- Music Settings: Access to the music-related settings such as: Play Mode, EQ, Resume mode, Default volume
- Settings: device-related settings like: Languages, Brightness, Auto Power Off, Sleep timer, Lock keys settings, Backlight time, System information, Format, Reset
FC
Formats Compatibility
The xDuoo NANO D3 covers most of modern audio formats such as:
- DSD: DSD256-DSD64(“.dsf”,“.dff”)
- APE: 96 kHz/24 bit
- FLAC: 192 kHz/24 bit
- WAV: 192 kHz/24 bit
- WMA
- MP3
- OGG
- AAC
- CUE
4.5/5
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C
Connectivity
The xDuoo NANO D3 has a micro SD card slot on the top and 2 audio connectors on the bottom edge.
The ports/connectors available are: a 3.5mm and line-out – the connectors are independent and non-shared.
4/5
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S
Sound
The xDuoo NANO D3 technical specifications list a frequency response of 10Hz-100,000Hz, SNR of 107dB and distortion of 0.005%(1kHz).
The brand assures that the xDuoo NANO D3 can drive headphones between 8Ω and 150Ω.
Despite the mini size, the xDuoo NANO D3 packs 250mW of output power. On paper, this is even more output power than the FiiO M9 and far more than the FiiO M3K. In real life, the output power of the xDuoo NANO D3 is, certainly, much stronger than the FiiO M3K and fairly above the FiiO M9 on low gain (3.5mm jack) but was somewhat below the FiiO M9 once the M9 was set to High Gain.
While testing the xDuoo NANO D3, we could appreciate a brighter sound than on other analytically-flat sources. The upper end of the sound spectrum is slightly boosted by the xDuoo NANO D3 but not excessively as to throw out of range most headphones.
Moreover, midrange frequencies and bass ranges are not boosted nor recessed by the xDuoo NANO D3, respecting and conserving the natural response of each headphone.
While measuring the response curve of xDuoo NANO D3 we confirmed the sound personality of this DAP/DAC, which show a highs boosting starting at 5kHz and covering every range above it.
We also proceeded to measure the EQ frequency response measurements, which revealed clear modification of sound on each EQ preset – EQ presets, in general, showed less pronounced effect on previous DAP/DACs reviewed by our team; the stronger EQ sound modification of the xDuoo NANO D3 is a feature that less tech-savy users, normal consumers and even listeners wanting quick on-the-fly EQs, might appreciate .
4.25/5
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EQ
EQ
The xDuoo NANO D3 has a 5-band equalizer covering the following bands: 62Hz, 250Hz, 1kHz, 6kHz and 16kHz.
Each one of the bands can be boosted up or down from +6dB to -6dB.
The EQ of the xDuoo NANO D3 includes 7 presets: Off, Rock, Vocal, Pop, Jazz, Classic and “User”. The “User” EQ preset is a manual EQ can be customized by each user.
4/5
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FW
Firmware
The firmware of the xDuoo NANO D3 can be upgraded by copying the firmware file to a micro SD card and introducing it in the unit.
Be sure to update the xDuoo NANO D3 firmware to it’s latest version. You can see the latest xDuoo NANO D3 firmware at HERE and you can download the v1.6 HERE.
To update the firmware: connect the device to a PC, extract the file and copy the file named RKNANOFW to the root directory of the NANO D3.
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xDuoo NANO D3 Scores
- Accessories - 7.5/107.5/10
- Design - 8/108/10
- Operation & Control - 8/108/10
- Battery Life - 8.5/108.5/10
- Construction & Build - 10/1010/10
- Screen - 8/108/10
- Formats Compatibility - 9/109/10
- Connectivity - 4/104/10
- Sound - 8.5/108.5/10
- EQ - 8/108/10
- Value for Money - 10/1010/10
Summary
✅ Huge output power (250mW)
✅ Rugged all-metal build
✅ Very small size
✅ Comfortable form factor
✅ 2 output connections (headphone + line out)
✅ 7 dedicated physical buttons for easy operation
✅ Internal storage + micro SD card slot
✅ Native DSD256
✅ IPS, full-view screen
✅ 20+ hours of battery life
✅ Noticeable sound modification with EQ presets
✅ Expandable storage up to 256GB
✅ Most lossless file formats compatibility
✅ Firmware updates
❌ UI is not as smooth and fluid as on other higher priced DACs DAPS
❌ Fonts and aesthetics of the UI are simple
- The high SNR and insane 250mW of output power makes the xDuoo NANO D3 a little power beast that can drive nearly every well-known headphone.
- This little music player is also highly recommended due to their native DSD256, good battery life and rugged construction, which makes the xDuoo NANO D3 a bang for buck deal for users on a budget requiring high output power.
Other type of users that will be thrilled by the xDuoo NANO D3 deal, are listeners that are looking for a source with brighter sound but that does not make mids thinner nor bass weaker.
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xDuoo NANO D3 Frequency Response Curve
Violet curve= without xDuoo NANO D3; Blue and Green curve= with xDuoo NANO D3
xDuoo NANO D3 Frequency Response Curve – EQ Presets
Blue curve= EQ OFF; Red curve= EQ On
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xDuoo NANO D3 Technical Specifications
Type | DAP/ DAC |
---|---|
Screen size | 2 inches |
Music Player/DAC/DAP | Yes |
DSD | Yes, native 256/64 |
Max Card Size | 256 GB |
Battery | +20 hours |
Screen resolution | 320×240 |
Formats | DSF, DFF, APE, FLAC, AAC, WMA, OGG, MP3, WAV, CUE |
Frequency Response | 10z-100KHz |
Plug | Stereo mini plug, line out |
Weight | Approx. 70g |
Internal storage | Yes, 8GB |
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