Hi all, I've tried both the duo (soundhole) and Align XT. I sent both back. Here are my thoughts.
I was attracted to the duo because of it lo profile design and lighter weight than the sunrise. But run flat into my Rivera and the duo sounded really awful...the sunrise sounded much better...night and day (forgive the pun).
My desire was to dual source with the align ad here is what I ran into. Connecting the ES wiring harness (must be 9v) to the align XT was easy...the system is designed to work directly with the ES 9v. When replacing the preamp with the XT though I had some major issues because the knob arms on the ES preamp are longer than those of the XT. In other words, after removing the ES preamp and placing the bushings onto the XT I found the ES rubber knobs would grip enough of the knob arm and came off very easily. I called customer service (excellent by the way) and tried to get a fix. I found out that an unnecessary nut and washer needed to be removed...still though, the knob arms wouldn't grip enough to make me comfortable.
Sound wise, with the XT, I was unimpressed. For some reason, the sound I was getting was way overdriven and very different from the standard baggs element active setup. I was pretty bummed that it didn't work, tried to make a few adjustments-but to no avail.
I've since gone with a sunrise and k&k pwm. Totally passive, no batteries and they sound great blended together.
Having said all that, many people are satisfied with both the duo and XT...though I've found less reviews on the XT system. They just weren't for me.
My .02
