iBasso DX180 4GB/128GB. Got your music? Enjoy the concert! Manual download on the 1st page of FW 1.02 NEW FW!

[stephenkostas]

Anyone know if volume adjustment is digital or analog?

It's all digital in this one.

 

[FooFighter]

This is a downside of niche markets. Manufacturers purchase DAC chips in bulk and then keep churning out new devices with the same chips until they run out of inventory. Only few brands are bold enough to adopt to the latest stuff as they are released and these brands are usually much more expensive (which I personally don’t mind).

I partly agree
On the other hand Ibasso for me is also brining out TOTL tech for affordable money talking about DC Elite, D16 and PB5.
I am personally not expecting DX180 to rival these but being a decent performer plus a lightweight digital transport into D16

 

[stephenkostas]

Been playing around with the DX180 this afternoon. Big takeaways so far:
1. It's lightning fast - possibly faster than the DX260
2. They installed Google Play store out of the box - no more APKPure (there's also a Chinese App Store on there)
3. Sound quality is excellent - seems a little more warm/musical than DX260, but still very much an iBasso reference sort of sound.
4. I was never able to pair the DX170 with an OTG cable and my phone in USB DAC mode, but it seems to work perfectly with DX180
5. We did have a couple issues, one with the USB DAC mode and laptops, but it seems like it just comes down to it liking some cables and not others.
Will have more thoughts as they come.

 

[quimbo]

Will there be a case available?

 

[stephenkostas]

Will there be a case available?

It comes with the basic rubber case, but there are no plans for an official leather/upgraded case. I had a nice Miter one for my DX170 though, so hopefully they'll make an upgraded case for this as well.

 

[laleeee]

It comes with the basic rubber case, but there are no plans for an official leather/upgraded case. I had a nice Miter one for my DX170 though, so hopefully they'll make an upgraded case for this as well.

Can you show the basic rubber case ?

 

[stephenkostas]

Can you show the basic rubber case ?

It's similar to the cases that came with the DX160 and DX170.

 

[laleeee]

It's similar to the cases that came with the DX160 and DX170.

I like these cases.
What about the bass punch of the dx180 ? I sent back the fiio m23 because the thin weightless bass response

 

[stephenkostas]

I like these cases.
What about the bass punch of the dx180 ? I sent back the fiio m23 because the thin weightless bass response

We were pleasantly surprised by the low-end. @DiFazio commented that it didn't feel like there was extra bass emphasis, but that it had really good weight and impact, and I felt similarly. My first impressions were with DITA Project M, which can sound bass-lite with some sources, and it had plenty of bass with DX180.

 

[alwass89]

Just got the email that the DX180 was up for pre-order at Bloom. Very much looking forward to this DAP. I was a fan of both the 160 and 170, but for both the slow processor held me back of using it as an everyday carry DAP. The 4GB RAM/128GB seems like a huge upgrade over the DX170, especially with the SD665. Plus the newest (on a DAP) Android 13 and removable battery, keep this device pretty future proof. Always loved the screen and form factor of the mid-range DX series.

@stephenkostas, does this device have an android mode and a mango OS mode? Or just Android with the Mango app?

Now to decide between the green or the blue...

 

[stephenkostas]

Just got the email that the DX180 was up for pre-order at Bloom. Very much looking forward to this DAP. I was a fan of both the 160 and 170, but for both the slow processor held me back of using it as an everyday carry DAP. The 4GB RAM/128GB seems like a huge upgrade over the DX170, especially with the SD665. Plus the newest (on a DAP) Android 13 and removable battery, keep this device pretty future proof. Always loved the screen and form factor of the mid-range DX series.

@stephenkostas, does this device have an android mode and a mango OS mode? Or just Android with the Mango app?

Now to decide between the green or the blue...

It's just Android OS with the Mango App. There's no way to boot into Mango OS. Honestly, it does seem like they should add that feature to the DX100 series at this point, since the DX180 doesn't have the performance constraints of previous DAPs that might have made it impractical to add the full Mango Mode.

 

[Turbodub]

Any thoughts / early reactions on the performance of dx180 vs DC Elite?

 

[smirks_audio]

Any thoughts / early reactions on the performance of dx180 vs DC Elite?

Yeah, DX180 looks cuter

 

[stephenkostas]

Any thoughts / early reactions on the performance of dx180 vs DC Elite?

Pure sound quality is better with DC-Elite. Stronger detail and better resolution and extension. I think I like the tuning on DX180 better personally, but we'll see if burn-in impacts that at all.

 

[Yari]

Nice looking device, and still fairly portable at this size? Currently have a M300 and was also looking at an R4 which looks nice too. But having ran into battery issues with my M300 already, the battery being replaceable here is very appealing. So you can just unplug it and swap in a new one? Or is it still soldered in.

Also I've seen talks of how brands have their own sounds, not sure how much of a factor that will be. Will I enjoy the iBasso "sound"? Or are these things very minor. The only thing I'd miss with Hiby is the system wide EQ they have going on, thats a cool feature.