[HUM24H]

Hi All
 
So I decided to make a thread on the Pioneer XDP-100R, I know there is already a thread since its announcement at IFA but there has been very little talk about it and since getting my hands on it, I can't see why mainly because I am loving it.
 
I have owned the OPPO HA-2, and despite the same ESS 9018K2M DAC in both the HA-2 and the XDP-100R, I find the XDP-100R to sound just that bit better and also I had hiss when I used my Fidue A83 with the HA-2 but when using it with the XDP-100R I have zero hiss at all. Plus the fact it has Dual MicroSD Cards and stock Android 5.1.1, in my opinion makes the XDP-100R stand out from a lot of other players like Fiio & iBasso.
 
But hey guess opinions are opinions, and some people will like it and some will not.
 
I will be writing a review very soon and most likely be out on Head-Fi by the end of the week.
 
Below is my unboxing & overview:
 

 
Just hope this player gets a bit more attention as to be honest I think it deserves more than it is getting at the moment.

 

[Signal2Noise]

I agree. The XDP-100R is probably the best valued high-res player currently available based on it's features. The only thing that would make it absolutely perfect is an improvement to volume level. I know the UK version has a volume limiter that sets the DAP max level lower than desired. Even the Japan version I bought which supposedly does not have this limit has a lower volume threshold that irks me. For a "comfortable" normal level I need to go to 90 before audio level sounds full. Hope a firmware/software update fixes this eventually.

 

[HUM24H]

I agree. The XDP-100R is probably the best valued high-res player currently available based on it's features. The only thing that would make it absolutely perfect is an improvement to volume level. I know the UK version has a volume limiter that sets the DAP max level lower than desired. Even the Japan version I bought which supposedly does not have this limit has a lower volume threshold that irks me. For a "comfortable" normal level I need to go to 90 before audio level sounds full. Hope a firmware/software update fixes this eventually.

Yeah I do kinda wish the volume was a bit louder but I tend to just have it at 120-130 most of the time with my Fidue A83.
 
But yes it is a very good player for the price.

 

[cattlethief]

Yeah I do kinda wish the volume was a bit louder but I tend to just have it at 120-130 most of the time with my Fidue A83.

But yes it is a very good player for the price.
[/quote

The volume issue was fixed and it is more than loud enough.

 

[Signal2Noise]

Originally Posted by cattlethief /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 

The volume issue was fixed and it is more than loud enough.

If it was fixed it's barely noticeable. To move the volume from 0 to 90 to achieve a 'normal' listening level is ludicrous since the max is 160. That's roughly 80 volume "steps" of useless level. My 2 cents anyway. I can live with it and if I ever need more I can just add the Mojo to it. The XDP was a 'stop-gap' purchase to try out a high-res DAP before splurging more and/or seeing how the recently announced iBasso DX200 turns out.

 

[Koolpep]

I played around with one last week and am intrigued. I wonder why it's not more popular, especially given the price.

Looking forward to the review.

 

[HUM24H]

I played around with one last week and am intrigued. I wonder why it's not more popular, especially given the price.

Looking forward to the review.

It is a fantastic player.
 
My review is up on Head-Fi:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/pioneer-xdp-100r-k-black-32gb-portable-high-resolution-audio-player-japan-import/reviews/15848

 

[LancasterR]

Hi,
Would anyone know how to locate the files audio_policy.conf and build.prop on the XDP-100R? I have asked Pioneer but there is no reply. The people at Poweramp have asked me for it so they can adapt their player to run well on our DAP.
Thanks

 

[Signal2Noise]

^
Interesting. I would like to see other media player (i.e. Rocket Player) take advantage of the ESS chip as well. Afaik only the default Audio Player App can access it. I haven't gone beyond a quick google as I am no programmer but I think you can find what you need here since the files would be a part of the Android OS and not the XDP itself.
 
Just a bit of googling linky

 

[LancasterR]

the specs are linked to the devices of course, since they may have a different architecture. I downloaded the app root browser and traced the files I was looking for.

 

[saintintn]

So, I wanted to weigh-in on the Pioneer XDP-100R.  I got it yesterday from Amazon at a really good price, but am sending back today.  As a backgrounder, I typically listen to flac, dsf, and alac on my iPhone 6 using Onkyo HF, or CanOpener for normal listening.  Headphones are Shure SE846's.  
 
To start, I love the Android interface, that it has built-in wifi and bluetooth.  Very well built, a bit large and bulky, but nice finish and it feels very solid.  SQ is very good and they equipped this device with an awesome DAC.  All of my music sounded superb.  Different from the iPhone 6, for sure, not necessarily better IMHO, but it sounds very good.  I do love that you have access to the Google Play Store and I can still use my Apple Music subscription, as well.  
 
So why send it back, you say?  In two words, battery life.  Woke up this morning to a full charge but less than 9 hours later it was at 20%.  And that's me playing two or three songs.  The rest of the day it just sat on my nightstand.  When I read the reviews, they said 16 hours off one charge, but it landed nowhere near that and I can't imagine what I would get if I was on a flight playing 2 to 3 hours of music.  
 
I really thought this was the one, but no such luck.  My search for the perfect device continues.  Honestly, what I need is an iPhone 6 with 512gb storage and I could call it a day.  Guess that is too much to ask.

 

[SDBiotek]

Just curious, did you try disabling any apps etc to see if that helps a charge to last longer? Also just turning off Wi-Fi when not in use should help.I don't have this DAP, but have been using Android cell phones for years.

 

[saintintn]

To SDBiotek:  I get your point, but do you turn off your cellphone to extend your battery?  My point is that I can use my iPhone for almost 24 hours with internet, bluetooth, etc... on and still listen to music, respond to emails.  

 

[SDBiotek]

  To SDBiotek:  I get your point, but do you turn off your cellphone to extend your battery?  My point is that I can use my iPhone for almost 24 hours with internet, bluetooth, etc... on and still listen to music, respond to emails.  

If you're not used to Android, it can require a bit more tinkering in order to  not have extraneous applications running in the background. I didn't say anything about actually turning off the Pioneer unit.
 
Also, it's quite common for Android-based DAPs to only last up to around 10 hours per charge. In general, their amps sections are more powerful than that in your iPhone, so that will also reduce your runtime. It's a common tradeoff: either the very nice iPhone UI and all of the built-in battery life optimization, or the wild west of Android-based DAPs, where you can drive your more power hungry headphones, and possibly have a bit better sound quality, but it's a no-go if you want the unit to last for days in between charges.

 

[saintintn]

That's helpful to know.  Can you tell me how you use your's then?  Minimal apps (as in few actually installed on the DAP), minimal apps running, conservative use of wifi and bluetooth?  Anything else?  
 
If I can do these things and get 10 hours use out of it, I'll keep it.  
 
Thanks.