Reviews by Lacas
Intro
I had contact and constant positive experience with iBasso products since the start of the computer audio era. The DX90 was one of the best mobile audio players anno - liked it a lot, and also the DX50 was a likeable player. The DC01 2,5” balanced USB dac was one of the front-line fighters of the budget mobile usb dongle dac-s with extraordinary sound quality. I used it for more than a year, sold it just because I upgraded it to a pricier, higher level component.
iBasso has built up and renewed its audio player line in the last couple of years. In the lower segment of the midrange players they sent the DX120 into fight with the in-house Linux-based, audio optimised Mango OS operating system and Mango Player app, with AKM AK4495 DAC chip. On the top of the player range they released the DX200 and the upgraded DX220, the later with dual Sabre ES9028Pro chips, selectable Android 8.1 and MangoOS operating systems, two-way Bluetooth 5.0 support, and last but nut least changeable amplifier modules. In the midrange they released the DX150 also with interchangeable amplifier modules (compatible with DX220 modules), with midrange AKM AK4490EQ chip, Android 6 and Bluetooth 4.1 support. The number of amplifier choices has grown constantly, now including also the AMP9 module with Korg NuTube tubes.
The question may arise, how the DX160 fits into this palette of audio players? In the midrange such popular Android based players have been released as the Hiby R5 and Fiio M11, and at higher price level, the Fiio M11 Pro, Shanling M6, M6 pro. The iBasso wanted to provide an alternative to these players with the DX160.
Technical details - all in
Let's start with the most important aspect - the DX160 with its aluminum frame can be bought in 4 colors: black, blue, red and silver
The tested player was red - the color can be described as very nice dark mauve. The tested, updated 2020 version of the DX160 contains an 5 inch, 445 ppi, 1080p screen produced by JDI. The screen fills the device side-to-side, just some small place is left below it. The screen looks gorgeous - colors and contrast are great, and has enough luminance to make the use also outdoors enjoyable.
Based on the announcement, the 2020 facelifted version contains also upgraded opamp and buffer beyond the new screen, and the headphone socket has beem replaced with a CTIA conform version.
Back to build characteristics - the DX160 has been designed to use in one hand. This is supported by the ideal, pre-phablet size, and the 178g weight that is betwwen the weight of Hiby R5 and Fiio M11. The track change and play/pause buttons are positioned on the right side of the device, and can be easily reached with the middle or the trigger finger. The volume wheel changes the volume digitally, works easily and precisely.
The USB-C socket has been placed on the top of the device. Beyond the charging it makes it possible to use the DX160 as a USB DAC, and the socket supports the connection of OTG compatible device, thus the DX160 can act as an USB Audio digital audio transport. The USB DAC operation can be activated in the Advanced settings of the Mango Player.
The SD card slot can be found on the left side of the device, while the 3,5" single ended and 4,4" simmetrical output has been placed on the lower end of the player. The 3,5" jack socket is multifunctional - line out (LO), headphone (PO) signal level can be selected, and can act also as COAX SPDIF output. The design shouts for 90 degree headphone adapters...
We did not talk about the inner life of DX160 yet. Dual CS43198 DAC chips are working inside. The CS43198 is a very popular choice among mobile audio hardware manufacturers nowadays - for example the Hiby R5, Opus 1s and AK SR25 players employ this DA converter. The operation system is Android 8.1 - also the Mango Player can be accessed from the main screen of Android. In contrary to the DX220 the swith to MangoOS is not possible on the DX160 (using the official firmware). Some mods made it possible derived from the formware of the DX220. The two-way Bluetooth 5 connection is is imherited from the DX220. The operating system is driven by an 8 core Rockchip processor with 2 GB RAM and 32GB ROM. I did not face any UI speed problems. Sometimes the Mango player 'was a bit thinking' before playing the first song of the albums, but the subsequent songs started immediatelly, so I did not find it annoying, problematic. The official firmware does not contain the Google Play store. Instead the APKPure and CoolAPK management apps are installed. I could easily install the newest version of the official Tidal app using APKPure. The wifi connection is up to date - b/g/n/ac (2.4Ghz/5Ghz) standards are supported. I did not encounter any dropouts during using Tidal-t connected to a wifi router in another room. Also the MQA decoding worked without any issues.
The built-in battery supports QC3.0, PD2.0 charging standards, and the size is 3200mAh - they promise maximum 13 hours of playback time. In daily use it fluctuated between 10-12 hours, depending on the file types and ear/headphones used. To achieve higher energy-efficiency, the screen goes blank after some seconds of inactivity, and the screen resolution can be set to 720p. The included accessories are an USB-A to USB-C cable and a transparent silicone case.
Some additional performance measures, then we can finally move to the usage experience.
The DX160 performed really well on independent tests - the measured performance was close to the iBasso published values. This is refreshing, since in case of some other audio manufacturers the measured performance is many times much worse then the values annaounced. If somebody is interested, the test can be accessed here:
https://hifigo.com/blogs/news/ibasso-dx160-player-testing-report-beat-even-himself
Usage - nicely fits in the palm
It is worth to mention about Android used on the device, that additionally to the apps of streaming services any prefered audio player can be installed from APK file (for example USB Audio Player Pro), even if it is not available in APKPure.
The icon of iBasso's own Mango Player appears in the lower left corner of the screen by default.
The usage of this player is very straightforward. You can search in the indexed media library ordered and filtered by Album, Performer, Genre, etc..., also album and performer views can be selected, and the music stored on the device can be browsed also by folders. The Mango Player does not support DLNA, but third party apps, like USB Audio Player can be installed also for this purpose.
The following options can be accessed in the Settings
In the filter manu we can choose from the four built-in filters of the Cirrus CS43198:
With my earphones I liked the 3. filter the most - the bass was tight and dynamic, with the right amount, the sound was very natural.
Sound - refined vitality
General impressions of tuning- balance to the force
The sound of DX160 is balanced, none of the frequency ranges are emphasised substantially. All the ranges are equally well presented. Even so I would not call it completely reference, neutral tuning - it sounds slightly warm. The focus is slightly on the midbass and midrange, with nice vocals. The following adjectives come first into my mind: fresh, dynamic, tight, rich, without the common problem of blooming midbass and oversaturated midrange. The DX160 cannot be accused of the politeness, occasional softness of the iFi iDSD BL Nano, nor the sterility of the Hidizs S8 / Tempotec Sonata HD Pro. It can be heard that iBasso did not aim for an absolute reference sounding player with the DX160 - if somebody is looking for such DAP, for them there are in house the DX200, DX220 and DX220 MAX using dual ESS Sabre 9028 chips. In later part of this article there is a datailed comparison with the DX220.
The great advantage of this tuning, that in case of all the earphones I tried with the DX160, the DX160 did not alter their own sound character (including their advantages and disadvantages), did not color their sound, but the freshness, dynamism and airiness could be felt in all these pairings. It must be emphasized, that the manufacturers have to make compromise in the midrange players to meet also the cost-optimisation goals. In most cases the price of the emphasised detail retreival is a more or less digital, unnatural sounding device. The makers of DX160 has balanced it really well - they could avoid this kind of 'hardness' of the sound. The instruments have realistic body / weight and natural lifelike timbre, but not at the expense of detail retreival.
The soundstage is significantly over average in size horizontally and also in depth, and the positioning of instruments is surprisingly convincing. If we do not expect reference level, we can be surprised by what we hear. Also in this aspect is the DX160 really close to the DX220 with AMP1 Mk2 - this is a great feat from a midrange player.
The balanced Pentaconn 4.4 output brings its usual benefits - the double power of SE output (6.4Vrms), thanks to that it has enough power for higher impedance, harder to drive headphones. The SE and balanced output sounded similarly, but the balanced output was more dynamic and the instrument separation was better through this output.
Bass - solid ground
The DX160 does not spare on bass, and doesn't raise it. As I mentioned earlier, within the bass range the emphasis is on the midbass, but not to that extent as in case of the iFi Hip-Dac. It does not provide reference level subbass, but can reach quite deep, and if a song requires, it can become enough physical - not any bass drop is lost We cannot have any complaint regarding the detail level of bass - the DX160 can reproduce the diverse vibrations of a double bass, and the unique sound of diverse elacatric bass playing styles. The sound of bass instruments is natural, energic, weighty, but not overly, quick, tight, and can be hard hitting if the source material sound so. Changing the filters of the DAC chip affected the bass range the most - we can tailor the sound to our taste this way to an extent.
Mids - music to my ears
The mids are a bit in the foreground. Both the male and female vocals sound good, lifelike. I liked a lot that the DX160 can sound velvety, fresh/live and airy at the same time, that makes listening to it enjoyable and exciting for longer sessions. The detail retrival, and 3D presentation is outstanding within the midrange players, and very good on the whole.
Highs - fine details
The highs nicely fit into the mostly balanced tuning of the DX160. The detail level of the highs is 'only' close to the DX220, and the highest octaves are a bit rounded, but I did not feel I miss anything important. What is provided (and it is not scarce) from the high range, that is fantastic - they are sparkling, but do not become metallic, hard, or even harsh. The DX160 represent the sound character of instruments in this range really nice - they are fresh, airy, dynamic, but can become enough scratchy (for example intense trumpet solos). The DX160 does not want to become the champion of details, but serves up enough detail for those who are interested is small nuances of a performance or musical piece. As a result the DX160 is a good choice for any genre.
Soundstage, separation, positioning - the question is from where, instead of from what direction
One of the best features of the DX160 is the exceptional soundstage representation. With all the earphones/headphones used during the testing it produced an out of the head soundscape with convincing horizontal scale and depth. The positioning of instruments, and separation was very precise even in densely orchestrated, complex songs. I know that it starts to become boring, but I can say that compared to the DX220 there were no night and day differences. Compared to one of the best mobile USB DAC-s, the Lotoo S1 turbo charged with an iFi iPurifier3 noise eliminator +USB reclocker they provided similar level of sound, there were slight differences in favor of the DX160. The sounds were not just positioned correctly to the left or right side, but I could hear well where are they related to eachother, and what is the approximate distance between them. The DX220 could up this level with the ability to clearly separate also very close instruments from eachother, avoiding the blurring of these instruments, or rounding their sound. Beyond that the DX220 could also present complex room reverbeations more correctly. I can say confidently, that the DX160 reaches outstanding level of soundstage representation, positioning, separation in this price range.
Noise level, power - Sound of silence
The 4.4" balanced and the 3,5" SE outputs have 0.4 Ohm and 0.3 Ohm output impedance, that ensures, that the DX160 does not influence the original sound character of the ear/headphones. The player is very silent - I did not hear any noise through my very sensitive Simphonio Dragon 3 earbud. I have read some tests stating that the DX160 is sensitive to WIFI signals, that can be heard used with very sensitive earphones - I did not encounter this issue. The power of 3.2Vrms (SE) amd 6.4Vrms is enough to drive most of the earphones/heaphones except for extremely hard to drive ones.
Pairing - sociable
The DX160 is not too sensitive to pairing, can be used effectively with a wide range of earphones / headphones.
Beyerdynamic T5P
My friend Csaba lended me the T5P together with the DX220 for the test - great thanks for it. The soundstage representation of the DX160-T5P pair was above average, but I felt the left-right separation a bit close. Within the bass range the focus has been moved to the subbass, that resulted in emphasising the mids. This was not my favourite pairing.
Simphonio Dragon 3
The DX160 is a perfect pairing with the balanced sounding Simphonio Dragon 3 - the very detailed mids and fresh highs of the earbud are a great match with the sound signature of the player, and the Dragon 3 can benefit from the tight, deep, quick bass of the DX160. In Kamaal Williams song called Street Dreams the sound of the harp and the saxophon are great beneath the strings, and the sound effects in the background can be heard, identified very well. Clair de Lune from Kamasi Washington is a fantastic, complex musical piece, that is mastered gorgeously – recommended listening. Using this pairing the timbre and weight of piano in the intro is great, even the noise of the pedals can be heard, if somebody is interested The sound of wind isnstruments are very life-like, the electric organ in the background sounds realistic, the varied sound of saxophone reflects the changing style of play, and the base is tight. The sound of the chorus is very emotional and convincing. The soundstage is great, imaging is pinpoint - this is one of the - this is a great feature of the Dragon 3 - the DX160 lives up to it.
oBravo Cupid
The tuning of the oBravo Cupid is very exciting, but calling it balanced would be hugely misleading. Between the tight, deep, detailed bass of the dynamic driver and the fresh highs of the planar driver, the midrange is a bit weak, slim. The DX160 helps a lot to compensate it, but it cannot eliminate this limit of the Cupid (without EQ). In Kamaal Williams - Street Dreams the harp is even more airy, the saxophone has more bite, but the strings sound a bit slim. Kamasi Washington - Clair de Lune: the base is a bit bulky, the brass intruments sound a bit too metallic. Beyond these everything sounds very dynamic, soundstage is great, the sound of the chorus is great. This pairing is better suited for pop and electronic genres.
Etymotic ER2XR
This pairing has a lot in common with the Simphonio Dragon 3, thanks to the great tuning of the ER2XR, and the realistic timbre of the instruments.
In case of Kamaal Williams - Street Dreams the sound of the harp and saxophon is great next to the string instruments, with easily identifiable effects in the background. Kamasi Washington - Clair de Lune: the piano sounds a bit slimmer, but overall the timbre and weight is good in the intro. The sound of pedals can be heard, the sound of brass instruments is nice, but a bit less rich than in cas of the Dragon 3. The electric organ is convincing in the background, the sound of the saxophone is a bit dryer, but natural, the trumpet is very life-like. The base is tight and quick, maybe this pairing is the best in this apect. Using the two earphones with the DX160, the pairings represent the core signatures of the earphones: both earphones produce very realistic sounding instruments, but the Dragon 3 sounds richer, more inviting, airier with huge soundstage and pin-point imaging, while the ER2XR is a bit dryer, more monitoring sound, with a flatter soundstage, but goes deeper in the subbass range, and is tighter. Both pairings are great, just in a different way - but this preference is hugely subjective.
AIAIAI TMA-1 STUDIO YOUNG GURU EDITION
Color-wise this is the best pairing The TMA-1 Studio Young Guru Edition is a very interesting headphone. This has been designed and tuned for mastering electronic and bass oriented genres like hip-hop. The frequency response is not balanced, some sort of W shaped, but the soundstage presentation is great, and it is very detailed - every nuance, change and movement of the instruments can be traced easily. I usually EQ down the midbass with about 4dB, and raise the subbass with 1-2 dB - this way I get a tight sounding, very detailed, enjoyable headphone. In Kamaal Williams - Street Dreams the sound of the harp and saxophone is even better, more lively than on the Dragon 3. Kamasi Washington - Clair de Lune: the higher octave piano sounds sound a bit slim, sizzle. The base is tight, the sound of brass instruments is realistic and have nice bite, the lower octaves of piano sound very natural with great weight. Good pairing with very detailed, sometimes bit bright sound.
My Sennheiser HD6XX arrived only following the completion of the review, thus could not take into consideration. In the upcoming tests it will be a standard device in the comparison section.
Comparison – can hold it's ground
These comparisons were completed with the DX160 - Simphonio Dragon 3 pairing, as this is the Top Of The Line earbud now with very realistic tuning and detail retrievel, which trades blows with the HD650, and scales well with better sources. Beyond that I know very well all aspetcs of it's sound
The table containing the detailed comparison can be read in the original version of the review: http://www.futureware.hu/?p=450
Verdict
What can be achieved with a midrange audio player nowadays? Based on the experience with the DX160, quite a lot. Playing back music that is stored on an SD card, from bluetooth source or from from streaming providers (Tidal also with MQA, Spotify, etc...) or using third party DLNA player apps are all supported on the ANdrois 8.1 based UI.
The DX160 is not total reference tuned, but quite balanced - the following adjectives come first into my mind: fresh, dynamic, tight, rich, without the common problem of blooming midbass and oversaturated midrange.The makers of DX160 has balanced it really well - they could avoid this kind of 'hardness' of the sound. The instruments have realistic body / weight and natural lifelike timbre, but not at the expense of detail retreival.
Soundstage presentation, positioning is great, not far from the reference level players. Thanks to the very low noise level, and quite high power output, the DX160 can be paired with a wide range of ear/headphones, from sensitive IEM-s to harder to drive headphones (except for the extreme hard to drive ones), and it is not sensitive to tuning of ear/headphones in pairing.
The great suprise of the test was for me, how close is the performance of the DX160 is to the reference level DX220. If somebody is looking for a player with absolute neutral, flat tuning, for them it is recommended with provisions, but I think it is worth for everybody to try it. You will be surprised how natural, refined, dynamic sound full of vitality can it produce, inviting to continuous music listening joy. Based on these findings I was not surprised that the DX160 is one of the standard sources used by Crinicle in his IEM and headphone tests: https://crinacle.com/
The iBasso DX160 has been presented for the review by Muzix Group Kft. the official hungarian distributor of iBasso.
I had contact and constant positive experience with iBasso products since the start of the computer audio era. The DX90 was one of the best mobile audio players anno - liked it a lot, and also the DX50 was a likeable player. The DC01 2,5” balanced USB dac was one of the front-line fighters of the budget mobile usb dongle dac-s with extraordinary sound quality. I used it for more than a year, sold it just because I upgraded it to a pricier, higher level component.
iBasso has built up and renewed its audio player line in the last couple of years. In the lower segment of the midrange players they sent the DX120 into fight with the in-house Linux-based, audio optimised Mango OS operating system and Mango Player app, with AKM AK4495 DAC chip. On the top of the player range they released the DX200 and the upgraded DX220, the later with dual Sabre ES9028Pro chips, selectable Android 8.1 and MangoOS operating systems, two-way Bluetooth 5.0 support, and last but nut least changeable amplifier modules. In the midrange they released the DX150 also with interchangeable amplifier modules (compatible with DX220 modules), with midrange AKM AK4490EQ chip, Android 6 and Bluetooth 4.1 support. The number of amplifier choices has grown constantly, now including also the AMP9 module with Korg NuTube tubes.
The question may arise, how the DX160 fits into this palette of audio players? In the midrange such popular Android based players have been released as the Hiby R5 and Fiio M11, and at higher price level, the Fiio M11 Pro, Shanling M6, M6 pro. The iBasso wanted to provide an alternative to these players with the DX160.
Technical details - all in
Let's start with the most important aspect - the DX160 with its aluminum frame can be bought in 4 colors: black, blue, red and silver
The tested player was red - the color can be described as very nice dark mauve. The tested, updated 2020 version of the DX160 contains an 5 inch, 445 ppi, 1080p screen produced by JDI. The screen fills the device side-to-side, just some small place is left below it. The screen looks gorgeous - colors and contrast are great, and has enough luminance to make the use also outdoors enjoyable.
Based on the announcement, the 2020 facelifted version contains also upgraded opamp and buffer beyond the new screen, and the headphone socket has beem replaced with a CTIA conform version.
Back to build characteristics - the DX160 has been designed to use in one hand. This is supported by the ideal, pre-phablet size, and the 178g weight that is betwwen the weight of Hiby R5 and Fiio M11. The track change and play/pause buttons are positioned on the right side of the device, and can be easily reached with the middle or the trigger finger. The volume wheel changes the volume digitally, works easily and precisely.
The USB-C socket has been placed on the top of the device. Beyond the charging it makes it possible to use the DX160 as a USB DAC, and the socket supports the connection of OTG compatible device, thus the DX160 can act as an USB Audio digital audio transport. The USB DAC operation can be activated in the Advanced settings of the Mango Player.
The SD card slot can be found on the left side of the device, while the 3,5" single ended and 4,4" simmetrical output has been placed on the lower end of the player. The 3,5" jack socket is multifunctional - line out (LO), headphone (PO) signal level can be selected, and can act also as COAX SPDIF output. The design shouts for 90 degree headphone adapters...
We did not talk about the inner life of DX160 yet. Dual CS43198 DAC chips are working inside. The CS43198 is a very popular choice among mobile audio hardware manufacturers nowadays - for example the Hiby R5, Opus 1s and AK SR25 players employ this DA converter. The operation system is Android 8.1 - also the Mango Player can be accessed from the main screen of Android. In contrary to the DX220 the swith to MangoOS is not possible on the DX160 (using the official firmware). Some mods made it possible derived from the formware of the DX220. The two-way Bluetooth 5 connection is is imherited from the DX220. The operating system is driven by an 8 core Rockchip processor with 2 GB RAM and 32GB ROM. I did not face any UI speed problems. Sometimes the Mango player 'was a bit thinking' before playing the first song of the albums, but the subsequent songs started immediatelly, so I did not find it annoying, problematic. The official firmware does not contain the Google Play store. Instead the APKPure and CoolAPK management apps are installed. I could easily install the newest version of the official Tidal app using APKPure. The wifi connection is up to date - b/g/n/ac (2.4Ghz/5Ghz) standards are supported. I did not encounter any dropouts during using Tidal-t connected to a wifi router in another room. Also the MQA decoding worked without any issues.
The built-in battery supports QC3.0, PD2.0 charging standards, and the size is 3200mAh - they promise maximum 13 hours of playback time. In daily use it fluctuated between 10-12 hours, depending on the file types and ear/headphones used. To achieve higher energy-efficiency, the screen goes blank after some seconds of inactivity, and the screen resolution can be set to 720p. The included accessories are an USB-A to USB-C cable and a transparent silicone case.
Some additional performance measures, then we can finally move to the usage experience.
The DX160 performed really well on independent tests - the measured performance was close to the iBasso published values. This is refreshing, since in case of some other audio manufacturers the measured performance is many times much worse then the values annaounced. If somebody is interested, the test can be accessed here:
https://hifigo.com/blogs/news/ibasso-dx160-player-testing-report-beat-even-himself
Usage - nicely fits in the palm
It is worth to mention about Android used on the device, that additionally to the apps of streaming services any prefered audio player can be installed from APK file (for example USB Audio Player Pro), even if it is not available in APKPure.
The icon of iBasso's own Mango Player appears in the lower left corner of the screen by default.
The usage of this player is very straightforward. You can search in the indexed media library ordered and filtered by Album, Performer, Genre, etc..., also album and performer views can be selected, and the music stored on the device can be browsed also by folders. The Mango Player does not support DLNA, but third party apps, like USB Audio Player can be installed also for this purpose.
The following options can be accessed in the Settings
- Turn on/off Gapless playback
- Play mode – Original order, Continuous playback, Random playback, Repeat
- Gain (Low/High)
- Graphic and parametric Equalizer
- L/R balance
- One of four digital filters (one of them must be selected)
- and in the Advanced menu
- the USB DAC mode
- Sleep timer, media rescan and system information.
In the filter manu we can choose from the four built-in filters of the Cirrus CS43198:
- Fast Roll-off
- Short delay slow roll-off
- Short delay fast roll-off
- Slow roll-off
With my earphones I liked the 3. filter the most - the bass was tight and dynamic, with the right amount, the sound was very natural.
Sound - refined vitality
General impressions of tuning- balance to the force
The sound of DX160 is balanced, none of the frequency ranges are emphasised substantially. All the ranges are equally well presented. Even so I would not call it completely reference, neutral tuning - it sounds slightly warm. The focus is slightly on the midbass and midrange, with nice vocals. The following adjectives come first into my mind: fresh, dynamic, tight, rich, without the common problem of blooming midbass and oversaturated midrange. The DX160 cannot be accused of the politeness, occasional softness of the iFi iDSD BL Nano, nor the sterility of the Hidizs S8 / Tempotec Sonata HD Pro. It can be heard that iBasso did not aim for an absolute reference sounding player with the DX160 - if somebody is looking for such DAP, for them there are in house the DX200, DX220 and DX220 MAX using dual ESS Sabre 9028 chips. In later part of this article there is a datailed comparison with the DX220.
The great advantage of this tuning, that in case of all the earphones I tried with the DX160, the DX160 did not alter their own sound character (including their advantages and disadvantages), did not color their sound, but the freshness, dynamism and airiness could be felt in all these pairings. It must be emphasized, that the manufacturers have to make compromise in the midrange players to meet also the cost-optimisation goals. In most cases the price of the emphasised detail retreival is a more or less digital, unnatural sounding device. The makers of DX160 has balanced it really well - they could avoid this kind of 'hardness' of the sound. The instruments have realistic body / weight and natural lifelike timbre, but not at the expense of detail retreival.
The soundstage is significantly over average in size horizontally and also in depth, and the positioning of instruments is surprisingly convincing. If we do not expect reference level, we can be surprised by what we hear. Also in this aspect is the DX160 really close to the DX220 with AMP1 Mk2 - this is a great feat from a midrange player.
The balanced Pentaconn 4.4 output brings its usual benefits - the double power of SE output (6.4Vrms), thanks to that it has enough power for higher impedance, harder to drive headphones. The SE and balanced output sounded similarly, but the balanced output was more dynamic and the instrument separation was better through this output.
Bass - solid ground
The DX160 does not spare on bass, and doesn't raise it. As I mentioned earlier, within the bass range the emphasis is on the midbass, but not to that extent as in case of the iFi Hip-Dac. It does not provide reference level subbass, but can reach quite deep, and if a song requires, it can become enough physical - not any bass drop is lost
We cannot have any complaint regarding the detail level of bass - the DX160 can reproduce the diverse vibrations of a double bass, and the unique sound of diverse elacatric bass playing styles. The sound of bass instruments is natural, energic, weighty, but not overly, quick, tight, and can be hard hitting if the source material sound so. Changing the filters of the DAC chip affected the bass range the most - we can tailor the sound to our taste this way to an extent.Mids - music to my ears
The mids are a bit in the foreground. Both the male and female vocals sound good, lifelike. I liked a lot that the DX160 can sound velvety, fresh/live and airy at the same time, that makes listening to it enjoyable and exciting for longer sessions. The detail retrival, and 3D presentation is outstanding within the midrange players, and very good on the whole.
Highs - fine details
The highs nicely fit into the mostly balanced tuning of the DX160. The detail level of the highs is 'only' close to the DX220, and the highest octaves are a bit rounded, but I did not feel I miss anything important. What is provided (and it is not scarce) from the high range, that is fantastic - they are sparkling, but do not become metallic, hard, or even harsh. The DX160 represent the sound character of instruments in this range really nice - they are fresh, airy, dynamic, but can become enough scratchy (for example intense trumpet solos). The DX160 does not want to become the champion of details, but serves up enough detail for those who are interested is small nuances of a performance or musical piece. As a result the DX160 is a good choice for any genre.
Soundstage, separation, positioning - the question is from where, instead of from what direction
One of the best features of the DX160 is the exceptional soundstage representation. With all the earphones/headphones used during the testing it produced an out of the head soundscape with convincing horizontal scale and depth. The positioning of instruments, and separation was very precise even in densely orchestrated, complex songs. I know that it starts to become boring, but I can say that compared to the DX220 there were no night and day differences. Compared to one of the best mobile USB DAC-s, the Lotoo S1 turbo charged with an iFi iPurifier3 noise eliminator +USB reclocker they provided similar level of sound, there were slight differences in favor of the DX160. The sounds were not just positioned correctly to the left or right side, but I could hear well where are they related to eachother, and what is the approximate distance between them. The DX220 could up this level with the ability to clearly separate also very close instruments from eachother, avoiding the blurring of these instruments, or rounding their sound. Beyond that the DX220 could also present complex room reverbeations more correctly. I can say confidently, that the DX160 reaches outstanding level of soundstage representation, positioning, separation in this price range.
Noise level, power - Sound of silence
The 4.4" balanced and the 3,5" SE outputs have 0.4 Ohm and 0.3 Ohm output impedance, that ensures, that the DX160 does not influence the original sound character of the ear/headphones. The player is very silent - I did not hear any noise through my very sensitive Simphonio Dragon 3 earbud. I have read some tests stating that the DX160 is sensitive to WIFI signals, that can be heard used with very sensitive earphones - I did not encounter this issue. The power of 3.2Vrms (SE) amd 6.4Vrms is enough to drive most of the earphones/heaphones except for extremely hard to drive ones.
Pairing - sociable
The DX160 is not too sensitive to pairing, can be used effectively with a wide range of earphones / headphones.
Beyerdynamic T5P
My friend Csaba lended me the T5P together with the DX220 for the test - great thanks for it. The soundstage representation of the DX160-T5P pair was above average, but I felt the left-right separation a bit close. Within the bass range the focus has been moved to the subbass, that resulted in emphasising the mids. This was not my favourite pairing.
Simphonio Dragon 3
The DX160 is a perfect pairing with the balanced sounding Simphonio Dragon 3 - the very detailed mids and fresh highs of the earbud are a great match with the sound signature of the player, and the Dragon 3 can benefit from the tight, deep, quick bass of the DX160. In Kamaal Williams song called Street Dreams the sound of the harp and the saxophon are great beneath the strings, and the sound effects in the background can be heard, identified very well. Clair de Lune from Kamasi Washington is a fantastic, complex musical piece, that is mastered gorgeously – recommended listening. Using this pairing the timbre and weight of piano in the intro is great, even the noise of the pedals can be heard, if somebody is interested
The sound of wind isnstruments are very life-like, the electric organ in the background sounds realistic, the varied sound of saxophone reflects the changing style of play, and the base is tight. The sound of the chorus is very emotional and convincing. The soundstage is great, imaging is pinpoint - this is one of the - this is a great feature of the Dragon 3 - the DX160 lives up to it.oBravo Cupid
The tuning of the oBravo Cupid is very exciting, but calling it balanced would be hugely misleading. Between the tight, deep, detailed bass of the dynamic driver and the fresh highs of the planar driver, the midrange is a bit weak, slim. The DX160 helps a lot to compensate it, but it cannot eliminate this limit of the Cupid (without EQ). In Kamaal Williams - Street Dreams the harp is even more airy, the saxophone has more bite, but the strings sound a bit slim. Kamasi Washington - Clair de Lune: the base is a bit bulky, the brass intruments sound a bit too metallic. Beyond these everything sounds very dynamic, soundstage is great, the sound of the chorus is great. This pairing is better suited for pop and electronic genres.
Etymotic ER2XR
This pairing has a lot in common with the Simphonio Dragon 3, thanks to the great tuning of the ER2XR, and the realistic timbre of the instruments.
In case of Kamaal Williams - Street Dreams the sound of the harp and saxophon is great next to the string instruments, with easily identifiable effects in the background. Kamasi Washington - Clair de Lune: the piano sounds a bit slimmer, but overall the timbre and weight is good in the intro. The sound of pedals can be heard, the sound of brass instruments is nice, but a bit less rich than in cas of the Dragon 3. The electric organ is convincing in the background, the sound of the saxophone is a bit dryer, but natural, the trumpet is very life-like. The base is tight and quick, maybe this pairing is the best in this apect. Using the two earphones with the DX160, the pairings represent the core signatures of the earphones: both earphones produce very realistic sounding instruments, but the Dragon 3 sounds richer, more inviting, airier with huge soundstage and pin-point imaging, while the ER2XR is a bit dryer, more monitoring sound, with a flatter soundstage, but goes deeper in the subbass range, and is tighter. Both pairings are great, just in a different way - but this preference is hugely subjective.
AIAIAI TMA-1 STUDIO YOUNG GURU EDITION
Color-wise this is the best pairing
The TMA-1 Studio Young Guru Edition is a very interesting headphone. This has been designed and tuned for mastering electronic and bass oriented genres like hip-hop. The frequency response is not balanced, some sort of W shaped, but the soundstage presentation is great, and it is very detailed - every nuance, change and movement of the instruments can be traced easily. I usually EQ down the midbass with about 4dB, and raise the subbass with 1-2 dB - this way I get a tight sounding, very detailed, enjoyable headphone. In Kamaal Williams - Street Dreams the sound of the harp and saxophone is even better, more lively than on the Dragon 3. Kamasi Washington - Clair de Lune: the higher octave piano sounds sound a bit slim, sizzle. The base is tight, the sound of brass instruments is realistic and have nice bite, the lower octaves of piano sound very natural with great weight. Good pairing with very detailed, sometimes bit bright sound.My Sennheiser HD6XX arrived only following the completion of the review, thus could not take into consideration. In the upcoming tests it will be a standard device in the comparison section.
Comparison – can hold it's ground
These comparisons were completed with the DX160 - Simphonio Dragon 3 pairing, as this is the Top Of The Line earbud now with very realistic tuning and detail retrievel, which trades blows with the HD650, and scales well with better sources. Beyond that I know very well all aspetcs of it's sound
The table containing the detailed comparison can be read in the original version of the review: http://www.futureware.hu/?p=450
Verdict
What can be achieved with a midrange audio player nowadays? Based on the experience with the DX160, quite a lot. Playing back music that is stored on an SD card, from bluetooth source or from from streaming providers (Tidal also with MQA, Spotify, etc...) or using third party DLNA player apps are all supported on the ANdrois 8.1 based UI.
The DX160 is not total reference tuned, but quite balanced - the following adjectives come first into my mind: fresh, dynamic, tight, rich, without the common problem of blooming midbass and oversaturated midrange.The makers of DX160 has balanced it really well - they could avoid this kind of 'hardness' of the sound. The instruments have realistic body / weight and natural lifelike timbre, but not at the expense of detail retreival.
Soundstage presentation, positioning is great, not far from the reference level players. Thanks to the very low noise level, and quite high power output, the DX160 can be paired with a wide range of ear/headphones, from sensitive IEM-s to harder to drive headphones (except for the extreme hard to drive ones), and it is not sensitive to tuning of ear/headphones in pairing.
The great suprise of the test was for me, how close is the performance of the DX160 is to the reference level DX220. If somebody is looking for a player with absolute neutral, flat tuning, for them it is recommended with provisions, but I think it is worth for everybody to try it. You will be surprised how natural, refined, dynamic sound full of vitality can it produce, inviting to continuous music listening joy. Based on these findings I was not surprised that the DX160 is one of the standard sources used by Crinicle in his IEM and headphone tests: https://crinacle.com/
The iBasso DX160 has been presented for the review by Muzix Group Kft. the official hungarian distributor of iBasso.
Puroplatino
So can I use my Amp 8 & 9 modules from the dx225 on this? I was thinking of a getting the 2020 one but I want to use the Amp 8 in one and the Amp 9 in the other. Thanks to anyone who answers.
Lacas
Hi, DX160 has built in amp, does not support amp modules.
Introduction
Simphonio (formerly Sunrise Audio) is not a new player in the earphone market. It is a small Chinese company founded by some engineers and audiophiles, who are experts in earphone design and tuning. Their SW Dragon and SW Dragon II earbuds were quite popular choices, and their higher end earbud from last year, the Dragon 2+ was greeted with wide acclaim. I have read Nathan’s very positive review on Headfonia about the Dragon 2+, and I got interested in it.
Checking out the Simphonio homepage I found that a new flagship is in the works. The previews on their Asian store were very enthusiastic about the Dragon 3, so I took a deep breath, pushed the trigger – ordered the Dragon 3 for the introductory price of 450 USD.
The Dragon 3 can be purchased here: https://justearbud.com/
This review will show if I am happy with that decision.
Specification
Driver: 15.8mm Dynamic Neodymium magnet
Frequency Response：20-25000 Hz
Impedance: 150Ω
Output Sound Pressure Level：108±3dB/mW
Maximum Input Power：3mW
Cable: 1.3 meter 6N OCC 8 cores
Weight: 14g
The specification is very similar to those of the Dragon 2+, but there are some key differences. Impedance has been elevated from 16 Ω to 150Ω, and the cable is of much better quality OCC 8 cores instead of the original 6N OFC cable. Output Sound Pressure Level is slightly lower at 108dB (from 110dB of Dragon 2+).
Unboxing
The Dragon 3 arrived in a very elegant dark brown box, which was covered with an opalescent plastic shell. The box is wrapped in a paper ring showing front and side view photos of the Dragon 3 and specification on the back, while the company logo and product logo are printed onto the plastic cover. Really nice, elegant design.
The interior of the box is of orange color – nice contrast to the brown box, and a small reference to the Sunrise Audio roots. The earbud is contained in a light brown colored leather pouch.
Accessories
The accessories are packed into a small paper box. The following things are included:
Tech Inside
Case, Driver Configuration, Design, Finishing
The Dragon 3 is built around a standard Yuin style case. It is a good choice, since it has much more ergonomic form than the other, widely used MX500 cases.
The case is plastic with a soft metallic shine. It has a very nice velvety touch, and feels robust in the hands. The material choice may seem interesting for some in case of a higher end product, but a plastic case is lighter, and may also have acoustic benefits (lower resonance) – for example also the Periodic Audio Be uses plastic case for the same reasons.
The Dragon 3 has a new, 150 Ω 15.8mm Dynamic driver. The sensitivity is a little lower 108dB vs. 110dB (Dragon 2+), but it is still a quite sensitive earphone.
Cable
First the bad news: the cable is not removable. There are long chats in several earphone oriented forums about the quality, usability, reliability of the recently used removable cable connection types (mmcx and 2 pin). There is no consensus yet on this topic, but one thing is sure: in case the fixed cable is broken, also the earphone becomes unusable.
All the other aspects of the cable are great. It is a wonderful, blue colored braided balanced cable, with audiophile quality 6N 8 core OCC lead. The cable is quite slim and thickly braided – it has a very nice rubbery touch, and it is not prone to tangling. I did not encounter any cable noise using the Dragon 3. The cable strain relief is chrome (quite heavy), and there is no chin slider used.
The plug is a chrome plated 2,5” balanced jack with gold plated contact, Simphonio engraved. The quality of the cable is on par with high end aftermarket balanced cables like the Oriveti Affinity.
Comfort and fit
Case
Yuin style cases are famous for their high level of comfort, and it is true also in case of the Dragon 3. Everybody who tried liked the fit and comfort of the Dragon 3 except for one of my friends, who has a very small place behind the tragus. The Dragon 3 smoothed into my ear, so I could listen to music hours long without noticing that the earbud is in my ear.
Cushions
From the included cushions I have settled with the donut version. Thanks to its wide bore I could reach the best bass response without ruining the quality and quantity of the midrange and treble.
Isolation, noise leakage
Isolation is quite good, but just against classic earbud standards. Thanks to the shallow insertion some noise can get through the ear channel. The other handicap of the classic earbud design is noise leakage, and the Dragon 3 is no exception. However most of the time, at low to moderate volume it is not distracting for others nearby.
Sounds impressions
All listening was done through the following chain: Lenovo ThinkPad (Foobar 2000 – ASIO drivers) – Kácsa Audio KCO-U-Ag USB cable – iFi Audio iPurifier 3 – Chord Mojo
When I first listened to the earbud I was disappointed – the sound was blooming with blurred bass and harsh highs. I followed the instructions of Tuan (one of the founders): the Dragon 3 needs minimum 50 hours of burn in listening to favored music at moderate volume in maximum 8 hours bursts. Fortunately it worked. The sound changed considerably in the first 10 hours of listening (bass tightened up, midrange cleaned up, harsh highs have been tamed, soundstage became larger with more focus). Later on the changes were more and more subtle. The result was worth the efforts. Based on the listening the Dragon 3 was tuned to have a balanced, slightly U-shaped sound. The below impressions reflect listening with the Chord Mojo as a source.
Bass
With the right source (later about that in detail) the Dragon 3’s bass response is fantastic from a classic earbud, and great in general.
The Dragon 3 can go deep – I listened to ascending frequency, generated sines waves, and I could hear something starting from 25Hz, and hear the signal well from around 30Hz. In practice it means that there is very controlled sub bass with no/minimal rumble in The Angel – Massive Attack, and James Blake – Limit to your love (from around 1 min). It is a great feature, because at listening to the latter song most earbuds (and many IEM-s) collapse – the subbass part completely disappears, or just a blob of sound can be heard.
I have to admit one thing – this earbud needs volume. The bass response at low level listening is just good, but at higher volume levels it becomes great – I became accustomed to listening at higher volume than before, because it’s worth
Another option to be able to listen at lower volume without compromises to bass quantity and quality is to use a source or an amplifier with a good quality extra bass option, like the iFi XDSD or xCan – the Dragon 3 responds well to good analog domain EQ, quantity rises without distortion. Perspective is important. Limits of earbud design cannot be avoided completely – the Dragon 3 could not achieve the sub bass reach, fullness, strength of my Aiaiai TMA-1, Sennheiser HD650 or a higher level IEM with elevated bass (for example IE800) in Uni Sub – Alva Noto, Rain – Madonna, etc.
In exchange the bass is tight, detailed, with great texture and layering – it never bleeds into the mids, and can be easily followed even in complex songs. Midbass is represented with nice slam, resolving very naturally and realistically – all the small resonances, nuances and licks can be heard. The bass riff starting at 1:31 in Talk Talk’s Happiness is easy is very enjoyable, and the whole resonance of the bass can be heard at 2:48. Some other highlights of great acoustic and electric bass representation to be mentioned:
Mids were always the strength of Sunrise Audio/Simphonio products, and fortunately it did not change with the Dragon 3 – its midrange is extremely clean, detailed, dynamic and realistic. Both male and female voices are represented true to life, intelligibility is excellent.
Some songs that sounded great containing other string instruments, piano, brass instruments:
Treble
The treble is well extended, very detailed, enough sparkling and airy. Simphonio voiced the highs perfectly – open sounding, natural and detailed without getting too much. I am very sensitive to piercing highs, but only with some definitely brigth sources and some songs found the Dragon 3’s highs becoming hot. Following the burnin I did not face any harshness, sibilance issues when I paired the Dragon 3 with the Mojo.
First Aid Kit – My silver lining can easily become hot on sibilance prone earphones – not the case here. The same can be said about the Celtic Woman rendition of Over the rainbow. The synth pads in Unfold from Gabor Lazar cut through the air like sharp blades with mesmerizing dynamics and impact. The clocks in Pink Floyd – Time sound realistic, detailed and live without becoming piercing (what I experienced many times on other earphones).
Soundstage, timbre, dynamics, genres
There is a common view that classic earbuds have good to great sound staging capabilities. With some exceptions (primarily budget earbuds of non-earbud specialist brands) this statement is true. The Dragon 3 goes beyond that, and creates a fantastic soundstage – its wideness and depth are huge, somewhere I read the expression cavernous – how true to it.
The level of instrument separation is fantastic – the individual instruments can be localized very precisely in the soundstage, and the Dragon 3 depicts very realistically the movement of sound – where and how did the sound appear in space, and what is the direction and speed it travels towards or around the listener, how it dissolves. The transient response is great, the Dragon 3 has the speed required for such realistic depiction of sound. Dez Williams – Familiar Circumstances is a very good example of it. From 3:37 a huge soundcloud descends onto and around the listener, and at the same time the analog synthesizer sounds bounce around with strong bite. It is also worth to note the song Masse from the great new album (Echo) of Brandt Brauer Frick. The instruments (Cello, Piano, Electric piano, Harps, Trombone, Horns, Violin, Percussions, Drums, Xylophone) timbre is very realistic; they are easily identified and are thrown far away from each following the mix accurately.
Fantastic feature of the Dragon 3 that the sound is very natural and cohesive – the listener can decide any time to enjoy the music as a whole or focus on just one or more instruments. There is also a nice video clip for this song https://masse.video/ that makes it possible to select any of the instruments to play solo. I would also suggest to listen to the new track called LesAlpx from Floating Points and the complete Dark Side of the Moon album from Pink Floyd to test how nicely the earbud represents complex arrangements.
Because the end is really the beginning from The Comet is coming shows how realistically can the Dragon 3 represent diverse timbre of unique instruments in a song. Listening to Bach: “Evolutionary” Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565′ played by Cameron Carpenter shows how true to life this earbud can relive huge dynamic changes and space in classic organ works. In the complex arrangement of 15 steps from Radiohead and Max Roach’s Onomatopoeia all parallel flowing themes can be followed and enjoyed. I almost forgot to mention one of my favorite songs (also for testing): Happiness is easy by Talk Talk. All the drums, guitar, piano, singing, child chorus, etc. sound very dynamic, like listening to live music. Other prime example of the dynamic capabilities of Dragon 3: China Hok-man Yim: Poem of Chinese drum – all the drums and percussion instruments can be heard during intense dynamic changes: .
Music with many distorted sounding instruments (for exaple Rage against the machine – Killing in the name of, Rammstein – Puppe) does not fall apart, but sounds a bit hollow. I have heard much better, more aggressive renditions of these (type of) songs.
Note: These findings were valid only with the Mojo. With the Ibasso DC01 also these genres are great on the Dragon 3. Details see below in the update.
Matchability, scalability
Efficiency
The Dragon 3 is rated at 150Ω and 108dB SPL. It needs grunt from the amplifier to show all of its inner strengths, fantastic dynamic and resolving capabilities.
Synergy
All listening was done through the following chain: Lenovo Thinkpad (Foobar 2000 – ASIO drivers) – Kácsa Audio KCO-U-Ag USB cable – iFi Audio iPurifier 3 – DAC
Shanling M0
First I tried to use it on low gain – the results were suboptimal. The sound was balanced, but very intimate (almost in the head feeling). Dynamics was restricted, the sound became very polite, hollow describes it best. Changing to high gain had beneficial effects: soundstage became larger, dynamics were much better; the sound was more alive with stronger and tighter bass. These were the good news – on the other hand the treble became harsh – the M0 lost its grip here. Now it was listenable, but far from desired. The softness of the M0 pulled back the Dragon 3 considerably.
iFi xDSD
I did all my listening with the Measure filter setting selected. Listening through the xDSD I immediately noticed the more fleshed out midrange (Rain – Madonna). The BurrBrown chipset is famous for its warmish delivery, that is intact here. This was beneficial for male voices, but I felt, that female voices became a bit more muscular than in real life. Midrange body gain and the strong, controlled bass was a welcome effect. With the XBass+ turned on even some sub bass rumble could be achieved in Angel – Massive Attack. Soundstage was quite wide and deep, instruments were placed correctly in space, with air around them. Dynamics were good, but not class leading – the combo sounded like listening to a well mastered recording, with limited liveliness. It is a very listenable combination. Thanks for the test xDSD to Peter Györfi (Pixel).
Chord Mojo
This pairing was magical. The soundstage is huge, and the sound is effortless, airy with fantastic dynamics and very natural, realistic timbre. My sound impressions are detailed above. After listening to this combo for more than a month I came to the conclusion that the Mojo’s perfect bass grip, open midrange / airy voices / realistic decay and smooth highs strengthen each other with the detailed, nicely textured, layered bass, crystal clear midrange, huge soundstage and extended, very detailed highs of the Dragon 3.
Select Comparisons
Tracks used for the comparison:
It is a very popular 30 USD earbud, that is cone formed, and is made from metal. It is pretty wide, so in a smaller ear (like mine) it is moderately comfortable with foam cushions on. The braided cable nothing special – did not encounter microphonic problems, but it is easily getting tangled. Sensitivity is: 103dB, and Impedance rating is: 150Ω.
Highlight of the earbud is the bass response. The bass is elevated, it has stronger bass than the Dragon 3 with proper sub bass rumble, and it is tight and nicely textured with Hiegi donut cushions. Bass does not bleed into the mids. Beyond the bass it is quite balanced, with natural and nicely detailed midrange, and a bit edgy highs. The soundstage is wide, depth is OK. The quality of bass is sensational, not just for the price, and as a whole it offers a nice hifi sound. The Dragon 3 plays in a different league in compliance with the more than 10x price.
Shozy BK balanced – liquid soul
It was my reference earbud until now, but I still like it a lot. It uses a 14,2mm diameter Japan imported NOS driver (according to rumors a Docomo driver) in a Yuin style case. The cable is non removable, densely braided with high quality leads (8-core imported single crystal copper, a core containing 26pcs 0.06occ). It is very similar also in touch and diameter to the cable of the Dragon 3.
The Shozy BK is very nice sounding earbud with slightly elevated, detailed, nicely textured tight bass, organic mids and detailed treble. Subbase is just present, and midbass has nice slam. Soundstage is not huge, but avoids becoming intimate sounding. Midrange reproduction has very realistic timbre, with nice body to the notes, and enjoyable clarity. Treble is a bit recessed due to the roll-off at high frequencies. As a result the sound of the BK is less airy and much less dynamic than the Dragon 3. Due to the slight warmth of the midrange it is smoother, more of an easy listening earbud. The greatest advantage of the Dragon 3 over the BK is their fantastic imaging capabilities, and immediate, lively sound. For around 180USD, the BK is still a great choice, but not in the same league as the Dragon 3.
Sennheiser IE800 – high end bassy IEM with soul
I could listen briefly to the IE800. My impressions: Realistic, detailed, tight bass with strong sub bass presence and real slam, without bleeding into the midrange. Realistic, nicely detailed, full sounding midrange and a bit metallic treble (affecting mostly the drums and percussions). The soundstage was smaller; I felt it sounded a bit ’in da head’. Beyond that the sound was very organic, enjoyable. A liked a lot the powerful but controlled bass, but preferred the Dragon 3 because of its imaging and lively sound presentation. Both earphones are equally great with their strength and weaknesses, and just personal preference is the deciding factor between them.
Sennheiser HD650 – a tale of David and Goliath
The same is true to the HD650. I have read in Vietnamese forums, that the sound of the Dragon 3 is very close to the legendary HD650. I wanted to check these rumors, and fortunately my colleague Gömbi helped me out, brought his HD650 into our office for a brief listening session. The results were interesting: the HD650 had a much stronger, high quality bass with great sub bass extension and rumble, and nice realistic midbass slam. The midrange had much fuller (warmer) body that was in some songs a desirable change.
However the soundstage of the Dragon 3 was much bigger, and while the imaging was on par, the presentation was much airier, more organic, more effortless and lively to my ears. Midrange detail, treble extension and detail was equally good on these ear/headphones. If somebody prefers more bass and more full-bodied midrange, should go for the HD650. If these are not so important factors for you, then the Dragon 3 has its charm.
Verdict
The Dragon 3 is a fantastic piece of audio kit. With a matching source like the Mojo (enhanced, tight bass, airy midrange, and extended, detailed but slightly tamed treble) it offers a very realistic, natural, live sound with exemplary dynamics. The sound representation of the Dragon 3 stays true to / can authentically reproduce the sound of the original venue, performer, musical instrument and equipment used for recording and mixing. If somebody can live with the just slightly elevated, but fantastic, elastic bass, and his/her genre preference meets the ones below, for them the Dragon 3 can serve up huge aural enjoyment almost everywhere. I think it is the new reference among earbuds. Highly recommended.
*UPDATE
Since the finishing of the review I received the Periodic Audio Be and the Ibasso DC01. Following burning in the Be I compared it with the Dragon 3, and I prefer the Dragon 3 over the Be. The bass of the Be is stronger, but the Dragon 3 has more realistic, elastic bass, midrange is clearer, and the Dragon 3's highs do not become metallic, are extended but remain always very natural. Soundstage size is similar but imaging is more realistic on the Dragon3. It is enough to listen to the Musica Nuda rendition of Come together, to feel the difference. I found that on the daily use I have chosen the Dragon 3 over the Be. And then the Ibasso DC01 - it is a fantastic balanced DAC, and great pairing with Dragon 3. You lose some of the airiness of the Mojo, but the soundstage remains huge, and most of the imaging qualities of the Dragon 3 - Mojo pairing remain intact. I do not know if it is the result of the balanced amp, the AKM 4493 DAC or both, but it is fantastic. Two of my concerns with the Dragon3 - Mojo duo has been handled with the use of the DC01.The strong and detailed subbass presence of the DC01 makes the Dragon3 sounding really nice with subbass heavy electronic music, and the added warmth eliminates my note about the missing bite in Killing in the name of, or similar music. The Dragon 3 paired with the 50 USD DC01 is a fabulous pairing to listen to music from all genres. I showed this pairing to one of my friends (Tamás) having such headphones and earphones like Sennheiser IE800, Sennheiser HD800, Massdrop X Fostex TR-X00, etc, and his jaws were dropped (same as mine. The Dragon 3 combined with the Ibasso DC01 is a reasonably priced, high end mobile listening solution. Based on these findings I change the rating to 5 stars.
Original review: http://www.futureware.hu/?p=656&lang=en (on my new site)
Lacas
Simphonio (formerly Sunrise Audio) is not a new player in the earphone market. It is a small Chinese company founded by some engineers and audiophiles, who are experts in earphone design and tuning. Their SW Dragon and SW Dragon II earbuds were quite popular choices, and their higher end earbud from last year, the Dragon 2+ was greeted with wide acclaim. I have read Nathan’s very positive review on Headfonia about the Dragon 2+, and I got interested in it.
Checking out the Simphonio homepage I found that a new flagship is in the works. The previews on their Asian store were very enthusiastic about the Dragon 3, so I took a deep breath, pushed the trigger – ordered the Dragon 3 for the introductory price of 450 USD.
The Dragon 3 can be purchased here: https://justearbud.com/
This review will show if I am happy with that decision.
Specification
Driver: 15.8mm Dynamic Neodymium magnet
Frequency Response：20-25000 Hz
Impedance: 150Ω
Output Sound Pressure Level：108±3dB/mW
Maximum Input Power：3mW
Cable: 1.3 meter 6N OCC 8 cores
Weight: 14g
The specification is very similar to those of the Dragon 2+, but there are some key differences. Impedance has been elevated from 16 Ω to 150Ω, and the cable is of much better quality OCC 8 cores instead of the original 6N OFC cable. Output Sound Pressure Level is slightly lower at 108dB (from 110dB of Dragon 2+).
Unboxing
The Dragon 3 arrived in a very elegant dark brown box, which was covered with an opalescent plastic shell. The box is wrapped in a paper ring showing front and side view photos of the Dragon 3 and specification on the back, while the company logo and product logo are printed onto the plastic cover. Really nice, elegant design.
The interior of the box is of orange color – nice contrast to the brown box, and a small reference to the Sunrise Audio roots. The earbud is contained in a light brown colored leather pouch.
Accessories
The accessories are packed into a small paper box. The following things are included:
- A 2,5” balanced (TRRS) female to 3,5” single ended (TRS) male adapter cable using the same wire as the earbud itself. The female plug is cubical, what is very nice, but not so ergonomic.
- 1-1 pair of full and donut foam cushions
- Plastic ring (to ensure a fixed fit in case somebody does not want to use any of the foam covers). The foam cushions are of high quality – Hiegi or Hiegi like material and thickness, and the donut foam cushion has a wide bore.
Tech Inside
Case, Driver Configuration, Design, Finishing
The Dragon 3 is built around a standard Yuin style case. It is a good choice, since it has much more ergonomic form than the other, widely used MX500 cases.
The case is plastic with a soft metallic shine. It has a very nice velvety touch, and feels robust in the hands. The material choice may seem interesting for some in case of a higher end product, but a plastic case is lighter, and may also have acoustic benefits (lower resonance) – for example also the Periodic Audio Be uses plastic case for the same reasons.
The Dragon 3 has a new, 150 Ω 15.8mm Dynamic driver. The sensitivity is a little lower 108dB vs. 110dB (Dragon 2+), but it is still a quite sensitive earphone.
Cable
First the bad news: the cable is not removable. There are long chats in several earphone oriented forums about the quality, usability, reliability of the recently used removable cable connection types (mmcx and 2 pin). There is no consensus yet on this topic, but one thing is sure: in case the fixed cable is broken, also the earphone becomes unusable.
All the other aspects of the cable are great. It is a wonderful, blue colored braided balanced cable, with audiophile quality 6N 8 core OCC lead. The cable is quite slim and thickly braided – it has a very nice rubbery touch, and it is not prone to tangling. I did not encounter any cable noise using the Dragon 3. The cable strain relief is chrome (quite heavy), and there is no chin slider used.
The plug is a chrome plated 2,5” balanced jack with gold plated contact, Simphonio engraved. The quality of the cable is on par with high end aftermarket balanced cables like the Oriveti Affinity.
Comfort and fit
Case
Yuin style cases are famous for their high level of comfort, and it is true also in case of the Dragon 3. Everybody who tried liked the fit and comfort of the Dragon 3 except for one of my friends, who has a very small place behind the tragus. The Dragon 3 smoothed into my ear, so I could listen to music hours long without noticing that the earbud is in my ear.
Cushions
From the included cushions I have settled with the donut version. Thanks to its wide bore I could reach the best bass response without ruining the quality and quantity of the midrange and treble.
Isolation, noise leakage
Isolation is quite good, but just against classic earbud standards. Thanks to the shallow insertion some noise can get through the ear channel. The other handicap of the classic earbud design is noise leakage, and the Dragon 3 is no exception. However most of the time, at low to moderate volume it is not distracting for others nearby.
Sounds impressions
All listening was done through the following chain: Lenovo ThinkPad (Foobar 2000 – ASIO drivers) – Kácsa Audio KCO-U-Ag USB cable – iFi Audio iPurifier 3 – Chord Mojo
When I first listened to the earbud I was disappointed – the sound was blooming with blurred bass and harsh highs. I followed the instructions of Tuan (one of the founders): the Dragon 3 needs minimum 50 hours of burn in listening to favored music at moderate volume in maximum 8 hours bursts. Fortunately it worked. The sound changed considerably in the first 10 hours of listening (bass tightened up, midrange cleaned up, harsh highs have been tamed, soundstage became larger with more focus). Later on the changes were more and more subtle. The result was worth the efforts. Based on the listening the Dragon 3 was tuned to have a balanced, slightly U-shaped sound. The below impressions reflect listening with the Chord Mojo as a source.
Bass
With the right source (later about that in detail) the Dragon 3’s bass response is fantastic from a classic earbud, and great in general.
The Dragon 3 can go deep – I listened to ascending frequency, generated sines waves, and I could hear something starting from 25Hz, and hear the signal well from around 30Hz. In practice it means that there is very controlled sub bass with no/minimal rumble in The Angel – Massive Attack, and James Blake – Limit to your love (from around 1 min). It is a great feature, because at listening to the latter song most earbuds (and many IEM-s) collapse – the subbass part completely disappears, or just a blob of sound can be heard.
I have to admit one thing – this earbud needs volume. The bass response at low level listening is just good, but at higher volume levels it becomes great – I became accustomed to listening at higher volume than before, because it’s worth
Another option to be able to listen at lower volume without compromises to bass quantity and quality is to use a source or an amplifier with a good quality extra bass option, like the iFi XDSD or xCan – the Dragon 3 responds well to good analog domain EQ, quantity rises without distortion. Perspective is important. Limits of earbud design cannot be avoided completely – the Dragon 3 could not achieve the sub bass reach, fullness, strength of my Aiaiai TMA-1, Sennheiser HD650 or a higher level IEM with elevated bass (for example IE800) in Uni Sub – Alva Noto, Rain – Madonna, etc.In exchange the bass is tight, detailed, with great texture and layering – it never bleeds into the mids, and can be easily followed even in complex songs. Midbass is represented with nice slam, resolving very naturally and realistically – all the small resonances, nuances and licks can be heard. The bass riff starting at 1:31 in Talk Talk’s Happiness is easy is very enjoyable, and the whole resonance of the bass can be heard at 2:48. Some other highlights of great acoustic and electric bass representation to be mentioned:
- Marcus Miller – Redemption
- Laura Marling – Soothing
- Dobie Gray – Drift away
- Daft Punk – Get Lucky
- Moodymann – Downtown
- Musica Nuda – Come together
- Orlando Cachaito Lopez – Tumbao Number 5.
- Bruce Cockburn – Rise and fall
Mids were always the strength of Sunrise Audio/Simphonio products, and fortunately it did not change with the Dragon 3 – its midrange is extremely clean, detailed, dynamic and realistic. Both male and female voices are represented true to life, intelligibility is excellent.
- Examples for great quality female voice reproduction: the chorus of live and synthetic female voices in Canaan – Holly Herndon from her great album Proto, Angelique – Xeno & Oaklander, Karen O & Danger Mouse – Ministry, Rome wasn’t built in a day – Morcheeba, Nothing breaks like a heart – Miley Cyrus and Mark Ronson, Jamila Woods – BASQUIAT, Alice Phoebe Lou – Walking in the garden,
- and male voice reproduction: Circuit de Yeux – Brainshift, Prince – Noon Rendezvous, Depeche Mode – Personal Jesus, Johnny Cash – Personal Jesus, James Taylor – Line em up, Leonard Cohen – Tower of a song, Nirvana – The Man who sold the world, The Beach boys – In my room,
- Bill Frisell – Pipeline
- Liquid Tension Experiment – Acid rain
- Black Sabbath – Wicked world
- Fleetwood Mac – The chain,
Some songs that sounded great containing other string instruments, piano, brass instruments:
- Yo-Yo Ma – Cockeye’s theme from Once upon a time in America (Cello)
- Cimbiózis – Act 1. (Cymbalo)
- Santa Diver – Stormy weather (violin, violin with effects sounding like electric guitar)
- Guillame Perret – Walk (Saxophone)
- Kamasi Washington – Fists of fury (Piano)
- Hiromi – Move (Piano)
Treble
The treble is well extended, very detailed, enough sparkling and airy. Simphonio voiced the highs perfectly – open sounding, natural and detailed without getting too much. I am very sensitive to piercing highs, but only with some definitely brigth sources and some songs found the Dragon 3’s highs becoming hot. Following the burnin I did not face any harshness, sibilance issues when I paired the Dragon 3 with the Mojo.
First Aid Kit – My silver lining can easily become hot on sibilance prone earphones – not the case here. The same can be said about the Celtic Woman rendition of Over the rainbow. The synth pads in Unfold from Gabor Lazar cut through the air like sharp blades with mesmerizing dynamics and impact. The clocks in Pink Floyd – Time sound realistic, detailed and live without becoming piercing (what I experienced many times on other earphones).
Soundstage, timbre, dynamics, genres
There is a common view that classic earbuds have good to great sound staging capabilities. With some exceptions (primarily budget earbuds of non-earbud specialist brands) this statement is true. The Dragon 3 goes beyond that, and creates a fantastic soundstage – its wideness and depth are huge, somewhere I read the expression cavernous – how true to it.
The level of instrument separation is fantastic – the individual instruments can be localized very precisely in the soundstage, and the Dragon 3 depicts very realistically the movement of sound – where and how did the sound appear in space, and what is the direction and speed it travels towards or around the listener, how it dissolves. The transient response is great, the Dragon 3 has the speed required for such realistic depiction of sound. Dez Williams – Familiar Circumstances is a very good example of it. From 3:37 a huge soundcloud descends onto and around the listener, and at the same time the analog synthesizer sounds bounce around with strong bite. It is also worth to note the song Masse from the great new album (Echo) of Brandt Brauer Frick. The instruments (Cello, Piano, Electric piano, Harps, Trombone, Horns, Violin, Percussions, Drums, Xylophone) timbre is very realistic; they are easily identified and are thrown far away from each following the mix accurately.
Fantastic feature of the Dragon 3 that the sound is very natural and cohesive – the listener can decide any time to enjoy the music as a whole or focus on just one or more instruments. There is also a nice video clip for this song https://masse.video/ that makes it possible to select any of the instruments to play solo. I would also suggest to listen to the new track called LesAlpx from Floating Points and the complete Dark Side of the Moon album from Pink Floyd to test how nicely the earbud represents complex arrangements.
Because the end is really the beginning from The Comet is coming shows how realistically can the Dragon 3 represent diverse timbre of unique instruments in a song. Listening to Bach: “Evolutionary” Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565′ played by Cameron Carpenter shows how true to life this earbud can relive huge dynamic changes and space in classic organ works. In the complex arrangement of 15 steps from Radiohead and Max Roach’s Onomatopoeia all parallel flowing themes can be followed and enjoyed. I almost forgot to mention one of my favorite songs (also for testing): Happiness is easy by Talk Talk. All the drums, guitar, piano, singing, child chorus, etc. sound very dynamic, like listening to live music. Other prime example of the dynamic capabilities of Dragon 3: China Hok-man Yim: Poem of Chinese drum – all the drums and percussion instruments can be heard during intense dynamic changes: .
Music with many distorted sounding instruments (for exaple Rage against the machine – Killing in the name of, Rammstein – Puppe) does not fall apart, but sounds a bit hollow. I have heard much better, more aggressive renditions of these (type of) songs.
Note: These findings were valid only with the Mojo. With the Ibasso DC01 also these genres are great on the Dragon 3. Details see below in the update.
Matchability, scalability
Efficiency
The Dragon 3 is rated at 150Ω and 108dB SPL. It needs grunt from the amplifier to show all of its inner strengths, fantastic dynamic and resolving capabilities.
Synergy
All listening was done through the following chain: Lenovo Thinkpad (Foobar 2000 – ASIO drivers) – Kácsa Audio KCO-U-Ag USB cable – iFi Audio iPurifier 3 – DAC
Shanling M0
First I tried to use it on low gain – the results were suboptimal. The sound was balanced, but very intimate (almost in the head feeling). Dynamics was restricted, the sound became very polite, hollow describes it best. Changing to high gain had beneficial effects: soundstage became larger, dynamics were much better; the sound was more alive with stronger and tighter bass. These were the good news – on the other hand the treble became harsh – the M0 lost its grip here. Now it was listenable, but far from desired. The softness of the M0 pulled back the Dragon 3 considerably.
iFi xDSD
I did all my listening with the Measure filter setting selected. Listening through the xDSD I immediately noticed the more fleshed out midrange (Rain – Madonna). The BurrBrown chipset is famous for its warmish delivery, that is intact here. This was beneficial for male voices, but I felt, that female voices became a bit more muscular than in real life. Midrange body gain and the strong, controlled bass was a welcome effect. With the XBass+ turned on even some sub bass rumble could be achieved in Angel – Massive Attack. Soundstage was quite wide and deep, instruments were placed correctly in space, with air around them. Dynamics were good, but not class leading – the combo sounded like listening to a well mastered recording, with limited liveliness. It is a very listenable combination. Thanks for the test xDSD to Peter Györfi (Pixel).
Chord Mojo
This pairing was magical. The soundstage is huge, and the sound is effortless, airy with fantastic dynamics and very natural, realistic timbre. My sound impressions are detailed above. After listening to this combo for more than a month I came to the conclusion that the Mojo’s perfect bass grip, open midrange / airy voices / realistic decay and smooth highs strengthen each other with the detailed, nicely textured, layered bass, crystal clear midrange, huge soundstage and extended, very detailed highs of the Dragon 3.
Select Comparisons
Tracks used for the comparison:
- Happiness is easy – Talk Talk,
- Angel – Massive Attack,
- Familiar Circumstances – Dez Williams.
It is a very popular 30 USD earbud, that is cone formed, and is made from metal. It is pretty wide, so in a smaller ear (like mine) it is moderately comfortable with foam cushions on. The braided cable nothing special – did not encounter microphonic problems, but it is easily getting tangled. Sensitivity is: 103dB, and Impedance rating is: 150Ω.
Highlight of the earbud is the bass response. The bass is elevated, it has stronger bass than the Dragon 3 with proper sub bass rumble, and it is tight and nicely textured with Hiegi donut cushions. Bass does not bleed into the mids. Beyond the bass it is quite balanced, with natural and nicely detailed midrange, and a bit edgy highs. The soundstage is wide, depth is OK. The quality of bass is sensational, not just for the price, and as a whole it offers a nice hifi sound. The Dragon 3 plays in a different league in compliance with the more than 10x price.
Shozy BK balanced – liquid soul
It was my reference earbud until now, but I still like it a lot. It uses a 14,2mm diameter Japan imported NOS driver (according to rumors a Docomo driver) in a Yuin style case. The cable is non removable, densely braided with high quality leads (8-core imported single crystal copper, a core containing 26pcs 0.06occ). It is very similar also in touch and diameter to the cable of the Dragon 3.
The Shozy BK is very nice sounding earbud with slightly elevated, detailed, nicely textured tight bass, organic mids and detailed treble. Subbase is just present, and midbass has nice slam. Soundstage is not huge, but avoids becoming intimate sounding. Midrange reproduction has very realistic timbre, with nice body to the notes, and enjoyable clarity. Treble is a bit recessed due to the roll-off at high frequencies. As a result the sound of the BK is less airy and much less dynamic than the Dragon 3. Due to the slight warmth of the midrange it is smoother, more of an easy listening earbud. The greatest advantage of the Dragon 3 over the BK is their fantastic imaging capabilities, and immediate, lively sound. For around 180USD, the BK is still a great choice, but not in the same league as the Dragon 3.
Sennheiser IE800 – high end bassy IEM with soul
I could listen briefly to the IE800. My impressions: Realistic, detailed, tight bass with strong sub bass presence and real slam, without bleeding into the midrange. Realistic, nicely detailed, full sounding midrange and a bit metallic treble (affecting mostly the drums and percussions). The soundstage was smaller; I felt it sounded a bit ’in da head’. Beyond that the sound was very organic, enjoyable. A liked a lot the powerful but controlled bass, but preferred the Dragon 3 because of its imaging and lively sound presentation. Both earphones are equally great with their strength and weaknesses, and just personal preference is the deciding factor between them.
Sennheiser HD650 – a tale of David and Goliath
The same is true to the HD650. I have read in Vietnamese forums, that the sound of the Dragon 3 is very close to the legendary HD650. I wanted to check these rumors, and fortunately my colleague Gömbi helped me out, brought his HD650 into our office for a brief listening session. The results were interesting: the HD650 had a much stronger, high quality bass with great sub bass extension and rumble, and nice realistic midbass slam. The midrange had much fuller (warmer) body that was in some songs a desirable change.
However the soundstage of the Dragon 3 was much bigger, and while the imaging was on par, the presentation was much airier, more organic, more effortless and lively to my ears. Midrange detail, treble extension and detail was equally good on these ear/headphones. If somebody prefers more bass and more full-bodied midrange, should go for the HD650. If these are not so important factors for you, then the Dragon 3 has its charm.
Verdict
The Dragon 3 is a fantastic piece of audio kit. With a matching source like the Mojo (enhanced, tight bass, airy midrange, and extended, detailed but slightly tamed treble) it offers a very realistic, natural, live sound with exemplary dynamics. The sound representation of the Dragon 3 stays true to / can authentically reproduce the sound of the original venue, performer, musical instrument and equipment used for recording and mixing. If somebody can live with the just slightly elevated, but fantastic, elastic bass, and his/her genre preference meets the ones below, for them the Dragon 3 can serve up huge aural enjoyment almost everywhere. I think it is the new reference among earbuds. Highly recommended.
*UPDATE
Since the finishing of the review I received the Periodic Audio Be and the Ibasso DC01. Following burning in the Be I compared it with the Dragon 3, and I prefer the Dragon 3 over the Be. The bass of the Be is stronger, but the Dragon 3 has more realistic, elastic bass, midrange is clearer, and the Dragon 3's highs do not become metallic, are extended but remain always very natural. Soundstage size is similar but imaging is more realistic on the Dragon3. It is enough to listen to the Musica Nuda rendition of Come together, to feel the difference. I found that on the daily use I have chosen the Dragon 3 over the Be. And then the Ibasso DC01 - it is a fantastic balanced DAC, and great pairing with Dragon 3. You lose some of the airiness of the Mojo, but the soundstage remains huge, and most of the imaging qualities of the Dragon 3 - Mojo pairing remain intact. I do not know if it is the result of the balanced amp, the AKM 4493 DAC or both, but it is fantastic. Two of my concerns with the Dragon3 - Mojo duo has been handled with the use of the DC01.The strong and detailed subbass presence of the DC01 makes the Dragon3 sounding really nice with subbass heavy electronic music, and the added warmth eliminates my note about the missing bite in Killing in the name of, or similar music. The Dragon 3 paired with the 50 USD DC01 is a fabulous pairing to listen to music from all genres. I showed this pairing to one of my friends (Tamás) having such headphones and earphones like Sennheiser IE800, Sennheiser HD800, Massdrop X Fostex TR-X00, etc, and his jaws were dropped (same as mine
. The Dragon 3 combined with the Ibasso DC01 is a reasonably priced, high end mobile listening solution. Based on these findings I change the rating to 5 stars. Original review: http://www.futureware.hu/?p=656&lang=en (on my new site)
Lacas
F700
Great review and pictures. I want one now! 
NoggintheNog
Using the Dragon 3 with the Fiio M15, what a wonderful combination (I can't use IEM's). Very wide soundstage and immerses you in the music. I was using the Shoozy BK Stardust balanced previously and the Dragons are on a another level. Expensive, but for earbud users, these are very much TOTL and worth it for the sound. Just make sure you burn in for at least 10 hours.
innocentblood
how does this compare to the FiiO EM5? And how does this compare to the D3+ model?
