iBasso DX100 Reference DAP

I got these a month ago and it still amazes me. First of all, I have to say that burn in is very important, with the HDP-R10 at least. At the start, the sound is a bit muddy and it has a bit of hiss, but that is completely eliminated after about 300 hours. It is said to be superior to the DX100 which is why I purchased it instead of the DX100. The specs show that it is recommended for any headphone from 8-600 OHMs which is basically everything. Below is my full review.
*Disclaimer* I am in no way affiliated with iBasso nor Hibino Intersound. I bought these myself. Here are the specs from Hibino Intersound

UI

The UI is alright but is lags quite a bit. You can create multiple playlists which is really convenient for me. Swiping is a bit weird because it takes long to respond and scrolling is weird. Then once again, I'm used to the very responsive Samsung Galaxy S3 screen so I'm sure it's not actually so bad. When you select a song, it also takes 5 seconds to play it and that really does get on my nerves at times. The track forward and back also have a similar problem but it is not as bad. The whole player is rather unresponsive and I have tried to contact Hibino Intersound with no success. However, this is an audiophile music player after all and it was built for the main purpose of playing music. It is a lot easier to use than say a Sansa Clip+ rockboxed. Overall, not too bad but it could be further improved.

Design
The design is not the best that I have seen. The volume rocker is usually on the left side on most devices and it is on the right with the HDP-R10. There is a 1/4 (gold plated?) jack and a 3.5mm jack which makes things a lot more convenient. It also has a line out and 3 gain switches as well as optical and coaxial outputs which I do not use but the more functions the better right? The inbuilt memory is 64GB and it accepts 32GB Micro SD cards but you can use a 64GB one formatted to FAT32. The battery is stated to last 10 hours but I often get around 12 hours playing 16 bit music. I find that it is perfectly sufficient but it may be a bit too little for long plane flights. I'm not sure why iBasso decided to make this an Android device and I believe that most people will not use most Android functions such as apps. Overall, the design is pretty good except for its huge size.
Here are some pictures:

Packaging & Accessories
It came with a pretty looking white box which which is sealed with a piece of tape. Upon opening it, you are greeted with the HDP-R10 surrounded by soft foam covered with a soft, silk like purple cloth. It is an expensive player and the packaging certainly reflects that. Below, a compartment slides out and there is a nice USB to Micro USB cable and a charging cable that was with the Japan socket. I had to get an adapter thing to use it in Australia. There is a user manual in Japanese which I cannot read and that is about it. Nice and simple. iBasso included all the necessary features on the actual player and didn't waste their time on unnecessary accessories that nobody was going to use. You can buy a case, stand and screen protectors separately.

Soundstage
The soundstage is absolutely amazing on these. the stage width is around 5 times as wide as my Samsung Galaxy S3 with Poweramp and everything is placed very well. This is perhaps the biggest soundstage in a DAP.

Internal DAC
This uses the ES9018 DAC that is popular in many expensive home set ups. It is, one of the most expensive if not the most expensive DAC chip on the market. In a word, it is wonderful. I don't mean that it is just better than say a DAC on your phone or your cheaper DAP. I mean that playing music on my phone sounds grainy in comparison. The background is completely black and I can hear minute details that I just can't on cheaper DAPs. The most noticeable difference is the bass and how it seems to be faster than on other more economical DAC chips. For those who don't believe that DACs make a difference, try this. I've seen some people stack an external DAC on and I've never really gotten the point of it. I think that the internal DAC is better than all portable DACs including the Algorythm Solo -DB with an iPod Classic. This is the chip that it uses:

Internal AMP
This DAP has a great amp and uses the 627 op amp and it is said to be able to power 600 OHM phones well. Many people said that they drove the HD600 and HD650 with ease and they are both 300 OHMs. I can push some of my headphones to sound like speakers. I have no doubts at all about the driving power of this. The internal amp does reduce hiss by a lot and there is none detectable at normal listening levels. It also refines everything and I feel like this really add a bit of detail.

Sound

Bass

The bass is very neutral and it reproduces deep bass extremely well.The detail in the lower region is really incredible. With lesser players, drum hits were just a sound, but now, they are textured and you can actually hear them vibrating after every hit. Bass guitars are so realistic and you can actually hear every individual string plucked and the air around them when they vibrate. The bass trumpets are hyper detailed and you can hear the person taking a breath easily. Woodwind instruments are also reproduced very realistically and the bass detail is simply the best that I've heard, surpassing the DX100, AK100 and many other ToTL DAPs. 

Midrange

These are a tad bit mid heavy and in a good way. It is great for vocals, but it won't hide any flaws and it utterly revealing. If sibilance is present on the track, the HDP-R10 won't help reduce it. FLAC tracks by Susan Boyle are hauntingly good and with the right headphone or IEM, it really does sound that she's right in front of you. Now that we've established that vocals are absolutely awesome, let's move on to midrange instruments such as pianos, violins, guitar and the like. I have never really been truly impressed by the way that a portable player presents piano, but Hibino has done it. Pianos, violins and other instruments sound so real that if you are listening to classical music, you really do feel like you are in a concert hall listening to a live performance. 

Treble

The treble, like all the other frequencies are stunning. Cymbals are rendered superbly and the decay is just right. There is just enough sparkle to make it neither dull nor sibilant. Woodwind instruments are extremely realistic and detailed and with good headphones, you can actually hear the spit from the performer's mouth on well recorded tracks. If you have actually heard a trumpet in real life, you will be amazed how well the HDP-R10 can reproduce it. Compare the HDP-R10 to lesser players, an you will think that other players sound thin and plain bad in comparison. Even when I compare this to the DX100, this wins by a bit and you can tell how it is mire detailed and overall just more realistic.

Comparisons 

Coming soon

Conclusion

I know that I used the words realistic and others many times, but that's really how you can describe it. It is just so realistic, like there are people performing in front of you. There are hardly any faults for sound quality and you'd really have to be nit picking to find a real fault in sound as it just sounds so great. However, not everything is good about this player. The major downside for me is size. I'd happily pay twice as much for this if this was half as thick, had 15 hours of battery life, can be charged via USB and was just about bug free. I do feel like with every purchase of the HDP-R10 and DX100, iBasso/Hibino Intersound should at least include a nice case and a screen protector. About the pop and 5 second delay problem, Hibino Intersound said that they will probably release a firmware update in the near future that will fix these issues. So is this an end game DAP? For me, yes, until something that meets all my requirements above comes out. I was looking at the HM-901, but I decided that no touchscreen and the wheel thing would be too hard to navigate, so I'm sticking with my HDP-R10. 

When I first received my iBasso DX100, I think I lost a week or so really getting everything to work perfectly, even though I had solid advice from other headfiers (see the FAQ on the player), and even if I went straight to 1.2.7 firmware.

The main things that will take time is that you need to clean all your tags (I thought they were clean, but apparently not DX100 clean). Then you have to understand the small issues (for instance, when you turn it on after transferring a lot of music, you have to leave it alone for a long time, even if it seems to be doing nothing, or it will freeze - for the longest time I thought something was wrong. Apparently they will fix this in the next firmware).

Once you overcame this initial phase...well this is another realm of sound. I can only compare it too my previous players (ipod + ibasso T3D, Cowon X7, Cowon Z2), but the gap is just huge. For instance, if the sound is 4/10 for an ipod and 6/10 for a Cowon, it's gonna be 10/10 for a DX100. You really have to listen to it to understand the difference. With good IEMs (top tier universal or customs), the feeling of space and instrument separation is just huge. You hear every single detail in your music, which may be anoying with low quality music. And when I say low quality, I don't only mean losless vs. mp3. Some CD quality tracks may be poorly mastered and have a lot of noise. The DX100 will let you hear everything, for better or worse...

I don't want to get into the whole technical analysis of the sound, because I am not qualified too, but just to give you an idea of the quality: there is a track on fiona Apple's latest album called "Werewolf". The song starts with doors opening and closing, with the sound coming from the back. I was listening to it alone in my bed and really stood up and looked around terrified, convinced that someone had entered the room.

In my opinion there are two main issues with the player: the first one the battery does not last very long, and for reasons unknown to me the battery life seems a bit unpredictable depending on what is running in the background (I don't want to risk rooting the player to remove all unnecessary apps). The second one is that the player is not all that portable. It is not only the size, but sometimes, if you really move it around too much, the music might skip. So in my opinion, this is not the player to run or exercise.

The last problem crazy audiophiles may encounter is that they will not know what to buy after that ! It seems like the best all-in-one portable solution out there, and you will even hard pressed to find an amp to make it even better ( according to all the reviews out there, only the best portable amps make it marginally better, but I have not tried it.). So your purchasing mania might be frustrated :)

All in all, I just love this player. I have been listening to twice as much music since I have it, and this will only get worse (better) once I get my Miracle. If you are looking for amazing sound and can overcome a few niggles, this player is for you.

Until recently I would have said stay well clear of this player. I bought mine in June from a fellow Headfier. Sound was good but the UI was poor. Worse, the player app crashed regularly (read daily, virtually every session) and it had a couple of very frustrating flaws - most importantly if you changed track manually, the sound for the first second or so would be quiet, ruining the start of many songs. Buggy would be a polite way to describe it. I tried a whole range of fixes but nothing worked.

But, the sound was good, very good actually. It had obvious potential and brilliant flexibility so I've stuck with it. I almost reached the point where I'd had enough, but didn't feel I could inflict it on anyone else when they released the latest firmware (1.2.7 I think but don't quote me). It was that close to being consigned to my cupboard of failed equipment.

But the firmware upgrade saved it. Amazing transformation. Now completely stable, sound even better and the quiet start (almost) eliminated - apparently it's something to do with the way the chip is implemented. It's still a little quirky and the UI could be better, but you quickly adapt.

The sound is outstanding, very natural and organic. It has excellent resolution and I'd describe the overall sound as neutral without being clinical in any way. Using the headphone out I'd put it a notch or two behind my desktop rig (Meridian 588/Macbook Pro -> Audio-gd reference 5.2 -> Icon Audio HP8mk2), but for a portable it is excellent. I had Frank from Toxic Cables make me a silver interconnect and happily use it via the analogue line out jack to my amp and feel I'm missing very little. I take it to work every day, using it to drive my Westone 4Rs and, when I come home, I just connect it to the HP8 if the Mac is in the other room. I have my classical music on the external card and everything else on the internal memory, I mix and match files of different resolutions seemlessly. The ability to use it with the built-in amp (a good performer with three gain settings – it drives my Senn 6xx fine although obviously a decent desk top amp is superior), analogue, optical, coaxial and USB digital outs gives amazing flexibility and I find the sound consistent across all the plugs.

I use it so much I almost wonder whether I need my other DAC/sources sometimes. And with the ongoing development that seems to be happening, I reckon it's got a good future. I'd been round the houses with ipods, portable amps and tried the CLAS a friend owned. This is so much better and comes in one box! They just need to make the battery life a bit longer - I recharge most days.

In a word - recommended.

A bit of background: I'm coming from using Sony MiniDisc Walkmans, Hi-MD specifically, with their ability to play full CD-quality LPCM, and providing true gap-less playback, aside a sound quality that is way above that of iPods and other typical MP3 players -and I have tried a few of those.

My musical library just keeps growing, the price per 1GB Hi-MD MiniDisc just isn't competitive any more, and lugging around many discs isn't always convenient, so I'd been on the look-out for a replacement for my Hi-MD Walkmans, and ideally even an upgrade in sound quality, since from using Sony MDR-EX90SL's I'd upgraded to the Audio-Technica W5000's.

I'd considered the iMod at one stage, with a large SSD and a good headphone amplifier with a long lasting battery, & that probably remains a solution for those seeking the longest on-the-go autonomy; also the iPod Classic + portable iDACs, CLAS (-dB) / HP-P1 / Go-DAP(-X) / PHA-1, but why support a product, the iPod, that is mediocre in its conception in its first place? Sure the UI is unanimously recognized as intuitive and practical, but for a music player, isn't sound quality the most important? Apple failed miserably here.

So Colorfly has an interesting device, the C4 Pro, but alas no gap-less, and 24bit/192kHz only via WAV, not FLAC, not quite practical.

HiFiMan just has a terrible UI, no gap-less either, and the design just doesn't appeal to me.

Then iBasso came along to announce their first DAP, and touting it as a "reference" one, setting a new high level standard.

Up to 64GB swappable memory via µSDXC, 64GB internal, gap-less, one of the best DAC's on-board, and a powerful amp; the ability to plug my W5000's straight-in without an adaptor, cool. Metal housing, nice.

All that sounded like a truly meaningful upgrade to my MD Walkmans.

So, bought it, and how do I like it?

Built quality is pretty good, not quite Sony-Made-In-Japan level, but very acceptable. 64GB capacity and credits are printed just slightly slanted on the back*, and I have to insert the µUSB cable into its slot also in a slightly slanted manner. I don't mind that, but I can imagine others would return their unit immediately for these little faults. I'm too addicted to the sound right now to bother.

Wow! As the listening mileage grows, all I can say is that I'm very impressed, and get a better idea of what my W5000's really are capable of.

The DX100 is giving me the best sound quality I've ever heard with my headphones. My first true audiophile experience.

The user interface takes some getting used to, but one gets the hang of it after a while. I've disabled all the applications but the music player of course. This reduces interferences and optimizes battery life.

I'll post more in-depth impressions of actual musical comparisons eventually, but so far I can notice more depth in the sound, more impact, the power delivered is adequate, the treble extends higher and ever so smoothly, though still crystal clearly, without fatigue; bass goes lower too, while remaining tight and articulate, and I will hear no more "W5000's are bass-light": if you think that you either didn't bend the metal bands enough to get a good seal, either you won't admit you're a bass-head, or they weren't amped adequately! Since the thundering bass you get here when its called for is tremendous! I was already quite happy with what the EH1 or RH1 could deliver, but this is even more impressive. More bass impact would be too much.

Mid-range is beautiful, nothing special to add; will do more piano listening for this aspect.

Sound-stage, imaging are bettered too; instrument separation is further much improved.

Now, the details, those are amazing! I get so much more out of the music; typical comment, but indeed, I now hear things in the recordings much better or that I hadn't even noticed before!

All these qualities on the DX100 brings you closer to the live sound!

I'm very, very pleased with my purchase.

Disclaimer: You've noticed I'm only a budding audiophile, haven't had other high-end gear to compare to, so please take my comments with a pinch of salt. Just MHO, YMMV.

N.B.: User interface rating I have bumped up a notch since my first rating, since with firmware version 1.1.7 and proper ID3 tagging, album art & tags show up nicely, and the UI operation has become a little snappier.

N.B. #2: Support of 64GB µSDXC confirmed. After formatting to FAT32 it is perfectly recognized by the DX100. 120GB of flash memory at hand, ain't that nice! I will be adding more of these flash memory cards over time since my Norêve carrying case conveniently has a few slots for them, but moreso because those high definition albums do take an awful lot of space up...

N.B. #3: With iBasso's v.1.2.7 FW update for the DX100, the user interface has been much improved: nearly all my albums' cover art is showing up, the battery management is better in that the standby mode is effective, so that it doesn't drain as fast as it used to, and believe it or not, the sound quality has moved up yet another notch!

Thus, I have bumped up the UI rating by another half star!

*After more than six months of very intensive use which translate into a few scratches and dents, I made use of iBasso's excellent customer service & cheap spare parts catalogue & ordered a new backplate, and that one is impeccable. With a new display protection —that I got for free— I also ordered two extra mains adapters: one for in the backpack & one for at my other most visited location. All this was promptly shipped and delivered just as quickly as the DX100 itself via DHL.

P.S.: A few user interface images that show CUE file support:

Bought as part of my upward spiral into high quality portable audio. I wanted something to surpass my Cowon J3 and the DX100 certainly achieves that.

The sound quality is better than anything I've ever heard. This is not, of course, an exhaustive list, nor do I have any home audio to compare with. I'm not really an audiophile but I listen to 2-3 hours a day while I commute. With this and my ACS T1 custom IEMs, the rest of the world just vanishes into the background. It's just as well I get off at the end of the line or I'd miss my stop every day.

The interface has not been well received, but coming from a J3, it's certainly no worse, and as someone who's been using Android for a while now, I found it pretty straightforward. I'm getting about 8 hours battery life, which is safe for two days of my use, but does mean I need to charge much more often than the J3. 

How good this would be for you depends on what you want. My only need is to listen to good quality music, one album at a time, for as long as my journey takes. The DX100 has given me more pleasure whilst fulfilling my simple needs that I thought possible. It wasn't cheap, but I've found it to be worth every penny.