It's time to write something about DX160
If a DAP was done right both hardware and software wise, its sound quality is more subject of personal preferences, regardless of price difference. It is especially applicable to devices made by iBasso, because they always try to squeeze the maximum, and are limited only by the final cost set. DX200 was huge step forward. DX150 was cheaper, but I know many people who prefer it over DX200. DX220 is considered as an improvement over both for no surprise, but now we have DX160 after DX220...
Soon you'll see comprehensive reviews, and I'm not the person who writes them. It is well known that
@Paul - iBasso sends me new devices for free, and I'm free to choose the one to listen to. For a long time it was DX200CuAu #13 with either its AMP1CuAu, or, recently, with AMP9. DX160 has impressed me as much that I think it will make DX200CuAu to retire. It impressed me out of the box, without burning in. Impressed as much that, unlike with DX150 and DX220 (when I simply re-used the experience from DX200 firmware), I decided to spend some days for making it even better... as I believe
So, here it is:
add-on for DX160 firmware version 1.00.055 (which I found out of the box).
Highlights:
- Google Play Market.
- Less power consumption during music playback.
- New: Performance tweak for most popular music players (Neutron, UAPP, Tidal, Spotify).
- New: Mango OS (taken from DX220, there are some restrictions).
- New: based on Magisk 19.3, which is more efficient than older versions.
- Full list of changes is here.
It does not void you warranty. I provide a way to revert back to the official firmware, if you decide to. Come on and give it a try!