Ok so my DX160 arrived this afternoon. I have only messed around with it for a couple hours. This is not a formal review but here are my immediate observations:
The good:
- The player itself is gorgeous and is the perfect size. I am not careful enough to use it full time without the clear case but even with that it just fits in the hand perfectly. The large size of the M11 is one of the reasons I went for the DX160.
- This is my first dedicated DAP so I really have no context outside of using my smartphone or my dedicated desktop amp/DAC setup. That said it sounds wonderful out of my TRN V90s and it drives my Focal Elexs with authority. I am actually pretty impressed how well it drives the full size cans. This is all through the 3.5mm jack.
- Screen is phenomenal. Honestly its more than you need on a device that's main purpose is listening not viewing.
The bad
- The scratching sound that has been mentioned throughout this thread is far and away the most annoying thing and it is very real. After a bunch of trial and error I have confidently narrowed down the source of this scratching sound to the wifi radio. If the wifi is on regardless of whether you are playing music or not, regardless of whether Mango is open or not, there is an inconsistent scratching sound that is greatly affected by the wifi activity. It is very much there even when nothing is open but Mango. I can still hear it when I turn the music way down. Turning off wifi completely eliminated the sound.
- System speed- After watching review videos of the Hiby R5 and M11 and then trying to quickly switch apps and fly through menus it is clear system navigation is not as snappy as the R5 or M11. There is just a very slight lag whenever you select something in the settings menu for instance. There is also a very slight lag when you hit the play button or next track button. The music does pause immediately when pause is pressed. Aside from that Mango player navigation is actually pretty quick and smooth. I would not call the device snappy overall though.
- Bluetooth- I probably would never have even checked this is not for all the feedback in this thread. I bought this device as a dedicated hifi music player and never intended on using a BT headset with it. That said I did some testing and I can say that the performance falls short of my PIxel 2 range but far exceeds most of the extreme issues I have read in this thread. I was able to use my Jabra Evolve 75e succesfuly with the DX160. I was able to walk around the corner of a room and still had solid streaming. I was able to create short range interference when I put my hand over the BT radio portion of my neckband ear buds. It is clear the range is much weaker than my Pixel 2 but I found it acceptable for short range usage. I am confident that the variability in people's experience with the BT performance has to do with the wide range of BT headsets people are using and how sensitive they are to obstruction and interference. True wireless earbuds are notoriously susceptible to this.
- Power button- This is very minor but I wish it was on the side not the top for easier access.
Overall I love the device's form factor and its performance as a music player playing files loaded locally. The wifi noise is a major annoyance and would be a deal breaker if I planned to use this device for music streaming or regular internet usage. I am afraid this issue is something that is unlikely to be fixed by a firmware update as it seems like it is nothing more than wifi radio interference making its way into the audio path. I am debating ordering a Hiby R5 just to see if sacrificing some screen quality is worth the improved system speed, battery life and turn-key Google Play access (for UAPP which still seems to be my preferred player).
I just picked one of these up, just to hear the new cirrus dacs. I think you may have a bad device, as it does happen sometimes.
In response to the bad points:
1) I don't have any wifi noise, processor noise using my home network, open wifi at work or on my mobile hotspot, using Tidal. I used a VPN on my network a d also turned the VPN off to see if that had any effect. No noise at all.
Have you tried to access your streaming service through USB Audio Player Pro? As it may be the app itself and not the player. Maybe some of the other user having issues with wifi noise can list the apps causing the issue.
2)System speed. Yes its terrible, imo. Multiple double taps required, slow menus, Mango mode helps, but I am firmly on the side that the soc needs to be upgraded. The Hiby and Fiio devices easily win this comparison.
3) Bluetooth has a very limited range. In my commute car (Honda Accord), I have to keep the device in the cubby beneath the dash for consistent playback. I have begun to use a lineout cable for more consistent playback.
Positives...At this price, the sound is down right fantastic!! The 4.4mm output does not exhibit any hiss, no emi noises, and the volume control is very linear, no major jumps as the dial rotates. Ibasso has done an EXCELLENT job fixing Tidal poor native app audio implementation. I download most of my Tidal music to the external micro sd card and it has never stalled, or sputtered. Audio is processed through the cirrus dacs properly. The highs have a tad more energy that other ibasso, fiio, hiby, sony devices I have used. Bass and mids are exceptional, a very delightful musical experience. Plug it in,sit back and you can enjoy for a long listening session. The screen is absolutely fantastic and thanks to Lurker, for Google Play access. Without it, and Neutron and USB Audio Player Pro, I don't think I could use this device with the native Mango App. Personal opinion, of course.
Well done Ibasso, well done.
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