Introduction
The Pioneer XDP-100R comes into the Digital Audio Player (DAP) market at a very odd price point and offering an odd design when compared to other DAP’s in the market above and below this price point.
Pioneer launched the XDP-100R in partnership with Onkyo who also released the DP-X1 which essentially is the same as the XDP-100R except for a few different features.
Throughout my quest to find my portable audio endgame, I have tried and reviewed several different devices for portable audio from the iBasso DX50 & Fiio X5 to the OPPO HA-2 & Fiio A3. I have been on a quest to really find my end game and without spoiling the rest of this review, I think I have officially found my end game portable setup.
Reason
I decided on getting the XDP-100R based on many different points. Starting with the beginning, I was originally listening to my music using my Samsung S6 Edge Plus with a Micro SD OTG adapter. The S6 Edge Plus to me had a cleaner and more detailed output compared to my iPod Video + Fiio A3 but the big problem I had was storage, my music collection is 200GB+ in size and that is MP3 320 files and not CD FLAC. So I first decided to try streaming back at the end of January and while for last few months I had been very happy, another issue arise where by while I was streaming, was data usage and network coverage, I was streaming at MP3 320 and it was using a lot of data every data. Now I could of gone with Three and unlimited data but network coverage was the issue, I traveled one time from Swindon to Reading and I could not count how many times tracks kept buffering or not playing. So in the end I needed a dap with dual micro sd cards to store all my music, and the only reason I got the XDP-100R is the Android 5.1.1 OS, the 4.7" screen and the dual Micro SD Cards, the sound quality was simply a bonus for me.
Build & Design
First thing you notice when you unbox the XDP-100R is the cold metal build of the device, the XDP-100R is made from Aluminium with a plastic bumper at the bottom and a plastic guard at the top. Immediately you get the feel of a premium product, there is nothing here to suggest that the device was cheaply made.
Unlike quite a few other DAP’s on the market, the XDP-100R has a 4.7” 1280x720 touch screen. This is a very welcomed site amongst other players like the Colorfly C10, Fiio X5ii & Questyle QP-1r. But it isn’t the first time we seen a player with a full touch screen, players like; Cowon Plenue 1 & M, Calyx M & A&K Series. However these players are priced well ahead of the XDP-100R, with the exception of the AK Jr.
You do get physical buttons, on the right side of the player you get; Power Button, Track Forward, Track Back & Play/Pause. On the left hand side you get a smooth and tactile volume wheel which operates a digital volume control with 160 steps.
Moving back to the right hand side we find, below the physical buttons, two Micro SD card slots which is something that you do not see enough in the DAP market and is something that I think makes this player stand out from a lot of other DAP’s on the market.
UX/UI
The user experience/interface is very familiar but at the same time a very welcomed site.
We see too often a lot DAP manufacturers using Android but building their own custom OS over the stock Android Kernel. While this can be a good thing is some areas, in a lot of cases it results in a buggy and clunky UX/UI. Which ultimately turns people away from these players.
The great part about the XDP-100R is the fact that is uses stock Android 5.1.1. This means you don’t have any clunky UX or buggy UI. Loaded 10’s of thousands of songs does not result in slow UI.
Overall the UX/UI is very good and probably one of the best you will find in a DAP at this price point.
Additional Features:
One of the best parts of Android 5.1.1 stock is that you basically have access to all the apps that you would normally get on your Android phone, this means you can install streaming services like Spotify & Tidal plus you can install 3rd party players like Neutron or PowerAmp. You can also install games, I did test but installing Plague and the Adreno 330 GPU did a perfect job of running the game with no lab or stutter. You also get Wi-Fi & Bluetooth with Apt-X built in, so you can connect to a Wi-Fi network for streaming or downloading and then you can use the Bluetooth to connect a set of Bluetooth headphones if you like or you can connect it to your car to stream music in your car.
Sound
Now the sound, I have said many times when reviewing other devices that their sound is fantastic but again the one thing to remember is they sound fantastic at that price point but the XDP-100R for me just sounds amazing, period.
For this I used the follow:
Files:
MP3 320Kbps
Hi-Res - 24Bit 88.2/96Khz
IEM’s:
Fidue A83
Bass:
The bass is strong and impactful, but don’t for one moment think it is overpowering. In fact it is tight and detailed with fantastic extension. The best part is that when there is strong bass in a track, it never overpowered the mids or treble and in fact made for a very amazing listening experience as usually when you put enough bass in, it will at some point bleed and overpower the mids & treble but not here.
Mids:
Fantastically airy and detailed, not sure I would say the mids are forward but indeed they are neutral with a touch of forwardness to them. There is a lot of space for vocals to breath which gives a nice touch of life to them and also gives a nice airiness to them as well. Overall vocals are portrayed very well.
Treble:
Sparkly, detailed but not harsh. This is something that I haven’t found a device manage to do with my bright Fidue A83 without making the overall sonic characteristics seem dark. But the XDP-100R manages to provide a sparkly & detailed treble without too much harshness with can be difficult with the Fidue A83 as they are a fairly sparkly IEM.
Soundstage:
The soundstage is very well portrayed, with the track being given to you in a nice wide and open stage with a nice black background and zero background noise.
Separation:
Instrument separation is very well done on the XDP-100R, I am able to pick out each instrument clearly even when the track overpowers some instruments.
MP3/FLAC/Hi-Res:
Now I played both MP3 320 & Hi Res, both played really well on the XDP-100R. But again as I have done before, comparing MP3 320 to FLAC gave no difference for me and so hence why I only used MP3 320 instead of CD FLAC. Then I also used Hi-Res, while I have always been a skeptic to Hi-Res, I can know sort of hear a subtle difference between Hi-Res and MP3 320 but overall the difference is not night and day but more or less like early morning to mid morning. Overall MP3 320 for me is more than sufficient for playback on the XDP-100R and Hi-Res is audibly different but not a lot and it really is a minimal audible difference overall.
Compared to OPPO HA-2 (With Note 4):
Now I wanted to quickly compared the XDP-100R to the OPPO HA-2, as they both use the same DAC which is the trusted ESS Sabre 9018K2M. I find that the XDP-100R has more airy, detailed and slightly wider soundstage that what I experienced on the HA-2. The HA-2 is an amazing device but whether it is the way Pioneer implemented the DAC or the accompanying ESS 9601 amplifier chip, I just find the XDP-100R to be a bit more details and airy when compared to the HA-2.
Final Thoughts
I guess the only thing I can say about the player is the following; It is the first portable setup that has not given me fatigue and it is the first to make me simply play music for a whole day straight. No other setup I have had the pleasure of using has made me feel this way or do this. The funny part is I am not surprised by the sound quality coming from the XDP-100R but I more or less just find the sound to be perfect for me, it doesn't really amaze in any particular area like having super thumping bass or super sparkly highs but simply performs fantastically across the frequency range.
Overall I am surprised at the lack of attention that the XDP-100R is getting, especially considering its price and performance. I highly recommend you try this is if you are in the market for a DAP at this price point or even if you budget is £1000/$1000 or less.
