[General Accessories] vectron:
This is a Review of iBasso DX80 Digital Audio Player (DAP) with touch screen. http://www.ibasso.com/cp_xq_dy.php?id=304.

Apparently I have been living under a rock since this is my first encounter with iBasso DAP. In the past I have heard of their DX50, DX90, and DX100 audio players and quite often been asked to compare iBasso and FiiO DAPs, but I never had a hands-on experience with any of their products until now. It’s hard to judge where DX80 fits in their models lineup because it’s indexed below DX90 yet has an updated design. One thing for sure – DX80 offers a very impressive amount of features at an affordable price which elevates it close to the top of price/performance ratio in mid-fi DAP category, even challenging some summit-fi models. I don’t want to give away too much ahead of the review, so let’s just proceed to read what I’ve found.

Unboxing.

After awhile of reviewing multiple products from the same manufacturers, you get used to their packaging style and unboxing experience becomes rather predictable. Upon discovery of a new product brand, you get a hope for something different, and iBasso doesn't disappoint. Once you remove the outer sleeve, the main box opens up along the diagonal split on a side, in a setting reminiscent of a designer watch display. I know some people don’t care as much about unboxing, but I always appreciate it because of the time and the effort spent by manufacturer to make their product enjoyable from the moment you get that box into your hands. In my personal opinion, iBasso created a very elegant box setting with a practical storage and display functionality.

Once you remove the top portion where DX80 resides in a secure foam cutout, you get an accessories box in a shape of a wedge and the rest of the goodies inside of it.

Accessories.

The included accessories cover the basic essentials and then some surprises. Since we are dealing with a large 3.2” touch screen surface, screen protector is a must-have to keep scratches away, especially when in your pocket, and 2x film protectors are included. With such large display I wouldn’t mind a tempered glass for extra protection, so hopefully some aftermarket company will offer it one day. Also included is a high quality usb to micro-usb charging/data cable, and I really mean – high quality! The same with included coaxial short interconnect cable, a high quality thick shielding cable with a durable build. Optical cable would have been nice, but I know that not too many people have an external DAC to support it, thus probably a reason why it wasn’t included.

You will also find a soft silicone skin case which enhances the grip, adds scratch protection, and offers a minimum bump/drop protection by cushioning the DAP. Plus, all the physical buttons (playback control and power/volume) are covered to prevent dust accumulation, the same with Coax/Optical port. Overall, the case is OK, but due to static it becomes a lint magnet which is very noticeable on a black silicone finish. Personally, I’m waiting for Dignis leather case since I'm aware they are working on one to be available soon. I wouldn’t say DX80 is slippery in your hand, but the grip enhancement never hurts as long as it complements the style of the product. And speaking of style, I also liked how warranty card and manual was printed “in style” on a quality black paper with silver letters – almost like a fancy event invitation.

Now, here comes a surprise. Prior to receiving DX80, I read through a list of accessories and stumbled across “burn in cable”. I have reviewed a lot of audio gear, but never heard of such thing. Due to the nature of analog electrical components, DAPs need to have a burn in before evaluating a sound. Turning it on and hitting play button only exercises the screen/display, not the internal circuit driving headphones. Thus, you typically need a headphone connected to HO for a full burn in – a load for a current to start “circulating” through internal circuit. You also would want to drive it at different gains and higher volume, all of which going to be limited by your headphone driver and convenience of where you can burn in without disturbing others with sound leakage. Here, iBasso came up with a brilliant solution of a short cable with a passive load in a small box to simulate a speaker driver. There is no sound, but it loads the output of HO to get the juices going. And just like that you can have it running anywhere for days, going through a quiet burn in of internal circuit.

Silicone case.

Design.

Though I’m not a fan of using my smartphone as a dedicated DAP, touch screen interface is the most intuitive way to navigate through music files and to control the playback. I don’t have hands-on experience with DX50/DX90 models, but have seen a resemblance to the original AK100/AK120 DAPs with a similar compact footprint and a small touch screen, except iBasso took it to a whole different level with their 3 playback buttons. DX80 evolved into something brand new and original with a large touch screen, solid all metal body and elongated “smartphone” bar shape, while still keeping their unique front panel hardware playback buttons.

When you look at the top panel of the DX80, approximately 3/4 of the space is occupied by a smooth 3.2" screen. Below it you have 3 identical size/shape large hardware buttons with Play/Pause in the middle and Prev/Next on the left/right sides of it. Personally, I would have loved to see their functionality symbols etched into the buttons. The combination of a large touch screen and physical playback buttons is not uncommon, but iBasso front panel placement is unique. The dimensions of the player are 4.7" x 2.5" x 0.66" with 178g of weight, making it very comfortable to hold in one hand. As long as it's not too wide, in my opinion the extra length is not as critical. The narrow width, tapered corners, and 3.2" screen is a perfect combination for a slide navigation with a thumb, even if your hand is not that big. Power button is easily accessible on the left side and volume +/- buttons are on the right side. But once the screen is off or in your pocket, you have a convenient access to three large control buttons with a nice tactile response. I have a number of touch screen DAPs with hardware playback controls, and those buttons are always on the side, small, and often not as easy to locate. Here you have the best of both worlds, like in the past when we used to have touch screen phones with a slide-out physical keyboard :)

The bottom of the DAP has 3.5mm metal reinforced Headphone Output (HO) and 3.5mm reinforced Line Out (LO) ports. I know they’re within a close proximity, but having HO closer to the corner makes it easy to ID so you don’t stick your headphone in LO. Both of these ports have a rather tight fit, and I actually I had to apply some force removing headphone plugs, in one case (w/UE600) I had to apply an excessive force since the plug almost got stuck. I assume the connector will loosen up after some use. I already mentioned the volume +/- buttons are on the right size, made from plastic with a clear marking on top, and nicely spaced for easy access. The left side has a power button which also turns the screen on/off with a short press.

The top of the unit has multi-function micro-usb port for charging, data transfer, and usb/usb-otg dac operation. You can set the port as Charge only when connected to your laptop, or normal charging with data transfer. You can also use DX80 as USB DAC connected to your computer. No drivers required for MAC/Linux, and Windows driver available for download. For some reason the provided driver didn’t work with my Win7 laptop. Since I read others had a success, I need to figure out what’s going on with my machine. But USB OTG works without a problem. I was able to use DX80 with my usb-otg thumb drive, and also connected it as USB DAC to my Note 4 – works flawless!

Next to micro-usb port there is a dual microSD card slot, which can accommodate 2x 128GB cards and most likely the latest 200GB cards for a combined storage space of up to 400GB. I like how the card slots are stacked in parallel which saves room, and there is also a protective dust cover which tightly seals the opening. Last, but not least, is SPDIF Coax port which also has an Optical out – enabling output of up to 24b/192k signal.

In my personal opinion, exterior design and ergonomics of controls in DX80 is top notch! Ideally you want to be able to use your DAP with one hand, thus a reason why so many manufacturers shrink their design so you can reach all the controls. But shrinking the design means less room for inside circuits (analog components, especially power/filter caps) and compromise of features. Plus, small size results in hard to see screen, and the lack of touch controls. Making screen bigger pushes hardware controls off the top panel to the side/top, making them smaller and hard to reach. With DX80, iBasso struck a good balance between touch screen size, large easy to use hardware control buttons, and a lot of ports, except for the balanced wired one (perhaps they are saving this one for their next flagship model).

Under the hood.

In the heart of DX80 you will find a dual Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC, just like in AK120ii. I know, some might question why bother using this DAC since it's no longer a flavor of the month or the last 6 months. Based on a dozen of DAPs which I have recently reviewed, I can tell you with certainty that it’s not just about the building blocks of the design but also how you implement them. At the end of the day, any DAP is like a black box which should be judged primarily by its sound, and from my sound analysis later in the review you will get an idea of how it compares to other DAPs with different chipsets.

The amplifier section is powerful enough to provide 260mW, though iBasso didn’t specify at what impedance. The headphone amp used in the design runs off 10V rail-to-rail supply, yielding an impressive 2.9Vrms (32ohm load). Also, it’s great to see output impedance of less than 0.1 ohm which should make a lot of multi-driver IEM/CIEM users happy. Even in low gain it performed very well driving all of my sensitive and some other demanding headphones with authority.

I already mentioned about 3.2” IPS screen with an excellent viewing angle and resolution of 480x800. Not the highest resolution, but albums/songs cover art was crisp and detailed. Although it supports 2 external micro-SD cards, the Android based OS is stored on internal eMMC memory - an embedded flash memory/controller for a faster access and more efficient operation.

Also, it worth mentioning about 3600 mAh non-replaceable 3.8V LiPo battery, tested to provide about 12+ hrs of playtime with display off. The benefit of playback hardware buttons is that you don’t need to constantly keep your display on to navigate through the songs. That helps a lot with a battery life.

Overall, it looks like DX80 component selection has a perfect balance between performance and power saving to give you a decent battery life even with a large touch screen. And the hardware is powerful enough to support playback of up to 24bit/192kHz and native DSD decoding up to 128x, including every lossy and lossless audio format from APE, FLAC, WAV, WMA, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, OGG, MP3, DFF, DSF, and DXD. I was also able to read and play CUE files, skipping within from track to track without a problem. It takes a lot of processing power to support native decoding and touch scrolling without stuttering or glitch. Plus, I was also impressed with gapless playback which typically requires buffering for a smooth uninterrupted transition – it was executed flawless in DX80.

GUI/Interface.

When you are dealing with a touch screen, GUI becomes a very important aspect of DAP operation and everyday use. Even so with a screen off you have full control of the playback with physical buttons, I don't think too many people would turn down an experience of a smooth gliding glass with a responsive touch control similar to a smartphone.

Once you power up DX80 you are greeted with a main Playback screen where more than half of it at the top is occupied with a song/album art or a default image. Above that you have a notification bar where in the upper left corner you will see EQ preset name (if enabled), in the middle - volume level, and in the right corner - battery % and corresponding icon. Below artwork window, you can read Song and Artist name, Album name, and see the Play Mode.

Next is a playback bar with a current song position, total time, and bit/sample rate in the middle. Playback bar is touch swipeable to fast forward through the song, and while you're doing that a little popup window in the middle of the song art window will show you the position of a time marker as you swipe it left/right - great idea so you know exactly where you are within a song. At the bottom of the screen you have Play/Pause button and Skip next/previous next to it. Tapping on the artwork brings up a choice of adding a song to an existing playlist or a new playlist, and also you get a Song Info icon with details about the track.

When you swipe a screen down from notification bar, you are greeted with a quick access to all the essential settings such as Gapless on/off, USB Mode (reader/DAC, charge only), Digital Filter (sharp/slow roll off), Gain (high/low), and Play mode (order, loop, shuffle, and repeat). For those familiar with A&K DAPs, you will quickly realize similarity, and yet again - iBasso made it clearer and easier to read and to tap switches. All these settings could be also accessed from a dedicated Settings pages, but having access from within Notification bar is a lot more convenient.

Swiping the screen to the Right brings up My Music menu screen with a selection of Now Playing (the list of the songs in the current directory/sub-directory/root), All Music (with every single song), Directory (where you can access micro SD1 and SD2 and view all the directories in the root to navigate from there), and then display by Artist, Genre, and Album. I have to be honest that I don't have a large and properly tagged library of music, so these sorting results are not always consistent with my files. Typically I use Directory view. Last on this screen is Playlist generated from songs tagged during playback where you can find links to your different playlists.

Swiping the screen to the Left brings up Settings Menu. In there you have access to 10-band graphic Equalizer with 5 editable presets and one Custom preset, L/R Balance (which is reversed, unless if you interpret sliding left/right with "-" value as reduction instead of direction of sound balance), Gapless (on/off), Gain (high/low), Music Info, USB Setting (reader, DAC, charger only), Play Mode (order, loop, shuffle, repeat), Digital Filter (slow and sharp roll-off), and Advanced setting. In Advance setting you have selection of Language, Display brightness and selection of wallpapers (3 choices), Power Management (backlight off, auto power off, and sleep timer), Rescan library (choice of individual card or both micro sd cards), System Info, and Factory reset.

Though swiping Left/Right brings up these two menu pages, when you click within it to get to other pages, you have to touch an arrow in the upper left corner of notification bar to go back. My proposal in here is that it would be nice to have a shortcut to get back to Playback screen, for example holding Play/Pause physical button for a few seconds like a home key would work quite well in this case.

Sound Analysis.

In the past it was really easy to tell apart DAPs in mid-fi and summit-fi category. Now, the gap of separation between mid and high level sources is not always clear while the price difference is significant, suggesting diminishing returns. DX80 positioned itself with a solid audio performance closer to that separation threshold, while being priced well below it.

I found this new iBasso DAP to have a spacious, neutral-smooth, musical sound signature. The sound is dynamic with a nice layering and separation, average transparency and retrieval of details. Basically, sound is very clear and well defined without going into analytical details, not too much airiness between layers, and a little hint of warmth. Low end is tight, articulate, well controlled, even though I hear a slight boost in mid-bass region. Lower mids have a nice body, not too thick, adding slight warmth which is not contributed from mid-bass, and upper mids/vocals are clear, smooth, a little neutral-brightish but not pushing it too far. Treble is extended and smooth and has some hints of brightness. Soundstage is big with a nice holographic effect, definitely having an above the average width and a nice spacious depth and height.

In comparison to my other DAPs, here is what I found:

DX80 vs X5ii: X soundstage is narrower while depth/height are similar, X sound is a little warmer, thicker, and a bit less transparent in comparison, low end is not as tight and a little slower, lower mids and upper mids are similar, and treble is similar as well. X background is darker during playback.

DX80 vs N5: very similar soundstage expansion except N5 is a touch narrower, but they have a similar level of transparency and similar layering and separation of a sound, DX might be a touch smoother, but other than that - a lot of similarities. N low end is a little tighter, a bit faster, and has slightly more sub-bass, while lower/upper mids are nearly identical, and the same with a treble. Same background noise level when paused, and slight hissing when playing (relative to my sensitive iems/ciems).

DX80 vs PAW5k: PW soundstage is scaled down in width/depth/height, sound is flatter, definitely doesn't have the same level of dynamics and layering/separation as DX, and also PW sounds a bit more congested and warmer in comparison to DX. PW has a little more sub-bass and low end is a bit less articulate and slower, PW lower mids are thicker and upper mids are not as detailed, treble not as bright and has less airiness.

DX80 vs AP100: AP has more hissing (due to higher power, and relative to sensitive iems/ciems), similar soundstage (though DX is a little wider), DX sound is a little tighter, more controlled. Sound sig is similar, bass is similar, lower mids in DX have a little more body, upper mids in DX are smoother and not as splashy. Treble extension is similar. DX sound is a little more dynamic.

DX80 vs N6: N has a little more transparency and slightly better layering/separation, similar height but N soundstage width is narrower while depth is deeper. N low end is tighter and faster, with sub-bass going a little deeper, and overall being a little more articulate; lower mids in N are a bit leaner and upper mids have a little better retrieval of details. Also, N treble is brighter and has more airiness. In comparison DX is smoother and more organic.

DX80 vs X7: X7 soundstage is wider, sound is more transparent with a better layering/separation, overall X7 sounds more neutral, tighter and more detailed. Considering both utilize a full touch screen, I prefer DX current interface better and find touch screen to be more responsive. But in terms of sound quality, X7 definitely stands above it.

DX80 vs L5Pro: very similar soundstage and neutral-smooth with a touch of warmth tonality. L5Pro sound has more transparency and better layering/separation, with a little better retrieval of details.

DX80 vs AK120ii: AK has nearly the same soundstage (maybe a touch wider), same neutral-smooth with a touch of warmth tonality. AK has a little more transparency and a slightly better layering/separation, and a little more airiness in treble, but DX has a higher quantity and more articulate low end, definitely prefer DX for the bass.

As mentioned before, I couldn't get it to work as USB DAC with my Win7 laptop, but it worked perfectly as USB-OTG DAC with my Galaxy Note 4 - where I found sound to be a little warmer/darker, not as transparent, with more lower mids body and slightly less details in upper mids/lower treble. It wasn't a good pair up.

External Amp pair-up (from DX80 LO).

w/E12A - a touch brighter in lower treble, and slightly narrower soundstage

w/C5 - adds more transparency and a little more depth to a sound

w/RunAbout - adds more transparency and slightly better retrieval of details

w/HA-2 - not as smooth, and slightly narrower staging

Pair up with different headphones.

On low-gain with Sharp roll-off (volume setting noted below):

ES60 (63/150) - detailed smooth sound, great soundstage expansion, tight articulate low end, detailed balanced mids, well defined treble with a moderate level of airiness - excellent bass texture.

W60 (85/150) - very smooth balanced sound, surprisingly I hear better control of low end in comparison to other DAPs, lower mids are not as thick (makes sound less congested), very detailed organic upper mids, treble is smooth but lacking airiness. Nice expanded sound.

Savant (84/150) - very transparent detailed sound with an excellent layering/separation, tight articulate low end with a nice sub-bass texture (not elevated but brings up a nice flavor), lower mids are a little on a leaner side but still contribute with a nice body to the sound, upper mids are very detailed, bright, but not sibilant or harsh, treble is airy, with a great definition and excellent extension - perfect combination if you want analytical quality sound which is still smooth.

ZEN (111/150) - very spacious sound with an excellent transparency, great retrieval of details, bass is tight but lost a bit of rumble - switching to high gain gets some of it back, mids are more on a leaner side and very detailed, airy well defined treble. Overall sound is a little leaner (surprisingly).

UE600 (74/150) - absolutely NO hissing, totally black background, clear transparent detailed sound, a little more on a leaner side, tight low end, detailed mids, extended treble - never crossed threshold of sibilance or harshness.

DN2kJ (81/150) - excellent soundstage depth, lean detailed sound, never crosses threshold of sibilance or harshness like I found it with other DAPs, low end is tight, nice punchy mid-bass while sub-bass is a little rolled off, mids are lean and very detailed on analytical level, but not grainy or harsh, treble is airy, well defined, extended, but not sibilant. Sound does misses some body.

EL-8C (111/150) - not the best pair up, upper mids/treble have a bit of metallic sheen, sound is thinner than I expected; in high gain you get more body and even some sub-bass texture, but this metallic sheen is still noticeable.

PM-3 (104/150) - excellent pair with an expanded soundstage, tight articulate low end, textured sub-bass, fast mid-bass punch, perfectly balanced lower mids (not too lean or too thick), detailed organic upper mids, and crisp well defined treble.

R70x (123/150) - amazing pair up - super expanded sound, high level of transparency, layering/separation, smooth retrieval of details, tight textured bass, detailed organic mids, airy extended treble. Very impressive!

Conclusion.

Even so I didn’t have any previous experience with iBasso DAPs, I have read some of the comments referring to their initial introduction and was a bit anxious how the firmware/interface will turn out in this new model. To my pleasant surprise, it was a lot better than I’ve expected. And within first couple weeks of its introduction, a few updates were already released, demonstrating active development and support of the product. I absolutely love slick design of DX80 and combination of large hw buttons and touch screen interface with a smooth response I’m used to from my Galaxy smartphones. The sound tuning is excellent, pushing it closer to a bracket of summit-fi category, and as a matter of fact I was getting a bit frustrated thinking to myself “oh, wish there would be a little more transparency, a little more airiness, a slightly better layering”, until I realized that I’m holding a $359 DAP, not $1k-$2k flagship design. It almost feels like iBasso intentionally held it a little back to be able to introduce soon a true flagship TOTL DAP which I have no doubt is a work in progress. But looking at what they offer now and based on its sound performance, audio quality, build quality, and a very impressive list of features – DX80 punches above a lot of the mid-fi DAPs and challenges some summit-fi players. I can definitely recommend it as one of the top price/performance ratio contenders.