Great review but for your last sentence I believe there is a better value for money proposition, the ifi go link.

However, I also believe (because I have also the dc03 pro and i can compare directly my other dongles) that it probably needs this 39$ cable to deploy all its virtues but this cable is not very cheap like the dongle. I might get it at some point. I suspect the device sounds much better with this cable and right now I am not getting its full potential.

In any case, is worth keeping the dc03 pro only even only for its discrete steps and buttons. Only for this is well worth having it. I just wish the extra cable was a bit cheaper.

The CB18 is a great cable but isn't a must. The DC03PRO is excellent on its own and surprised me with the sound. Then with the side volume controls, super easy to plug and play with my phone or computer. The CB18 is a nice plus if you want it. I haven't heard anything that can compare to the sound at 5 times the price, and I have tried.

If we put aside the go link for the moment you can try the KA3 from fiio with 6£ more. No need to go 5x the price. According to my opinion I prefer vastly the KA3 almost in other planet for me from balanced to 58x. What the KA3 miss is the volume steps of ibasso and the smoothness of go bar. It also consumes the battery like crazy.

To each his or her own but I do not agree at all about the KA3. Nice but the DC03PRO really stands apart in use and sound and has a low battery consumption.

Maybe it depends on headphones. Currently I do not use iems for reviews or easy to drive headphones like mezes. I find the 58x and 6xx to play considerably better with a balanced configuration and op-amps. The op-amps in KA3 makes all the difference but it is possible in other headphone the opposite to be true if they do not need this power. Sensitive iems is a completely different story and not my focus at the moment.

No MQA is a plus!

Thank you!

ORT

Have you done your reviews with ibasso on iPhone or in android???

If you done it with an iPhone can you change the volume from the iPhone buttons or only through the buttons from the device?

rafaelo Only Android (everything is indicated in the text). I do not use iOS devices, but I believe that everything should work there as well.

OK thanks. I used it both with android and iPhone and in ios in my case it takes over the whole process as for example in my xdsd with usb. It means you cannot change volume from the volume buttons of the phone only from the buttons from the device and this is for me a good thing. This probably happens because the ibasso has volume buttons the other dongles cannot do that. In my case, sounded much better from my iPhone in comparison to my 2 samsung phones. In samsung I need to put the volume of the phone to maximum and then play with the buttons of the device. Maybe is different with usb audio Pro but I have no tidal currently so I did not use it. These buttons make a lot of difference in such a devise.

Experienced occasional loud digital static with mine. Returned it and got another. None experienced on the new one.

Does your DC03Pro have slightly loose USB port connection when plugged in? Wonder if it is QC problem or it is normal for this device.