Review and Measurements of iBasso DX200 DAP

[Merkurio]

@amirm Any hint of why the output level is so low compared with the official AMP1 specs (3V in single end and 6V in balanced)?

 

[Nathan Raymond]

You guys are complaining but what you want was actually available. Fiio m11 has a smartphone midtier soc. It's locked android though. Hiby R5 has low end smartphone but still snappy for music. Shanling m6 also came out.

It's coming. The devices that are new are better. This one reviewed is the worst of them soc wise.

Thanks for mentioning them, I've been meaning to check them out. Hiby R5 and Shanling M6 are non-starters for me because they only have one MicroSD slot, which is just silly, especially at their price points. Fiio M11 has two, so I'll look into it, though it doesn't seem to be serviceable at all (and thus destined to be a paperweight someday).

 

[duo8]

Thanks for mentioning them, I've been meaning to check them out. Hiby R5 and Shanling M6 are non-starters for me because they only have one MicroSD slot, which is just silly, especially at their price points. Fiio M11 has two, so I'll look into it, though it doesn't seem to be serviceable at all (and thus destined to be a paperweight someday).

Nothing has to be paperweight if you're handy enough.
Also none of these DAPs are meant to be user serviceable anyway, they don't even have replaceable batteries.

 

[Nathan Raymond]

Nothing has to be paperweight if you're handy enough.
Also none of these DAPs are meant to be user serviceable anyway, they don't even have replaceable batteries.

That depends. I also have the XDuoo X3 DAP and it has a back held in place by four screws. The lithium polymer battery is held in place by double sided sticky tape to the back, and attached by a simple cable/connector to the mainboard. When my battery failed, sourcing a replacement took a month of searching (I wanted something that both fit and was the same capacity, which was a tall order) until I contacted Penon Audio who was able to sell me an exact replacement battery, at which point getting the battery replaced was truly trivial.

I have devices from 15+ years ago that work great because batteries are standard/easily replaceable. Devices without easily replaceable batteries make me very sad because I don't like putting in a lot of work to replace them when they fail (I have a full time job and kids so spare time is hard to come by) and I don't like contributing to landfills (or pollution and environmental/human harm if they end up recycled in overseas countries, which I have very little control over if I hand it over to an e-waste recycling company).

 

[Simon fred]

I currently use the FiiO m6 it represents great value and usability. I have had other DAPs and agree software is often glitchy. I also use IPhone with FiiO Q1 mk2 dac/amp. This set up works well - very good sound and very slick software. I am thinking of adding the Q5s anybody using this with their phone?

 

[tential]

The hiby r6 pro has pride drooped to $550. Hopefully amir reviews it soon... It's supposed to have a strong amp.

 

[tential]

I currently use the FiiO m6 it represents great value and usability. I have had other DAPs and agree software is often glitchy. I also use IPhone with FiiO Q1 mk2 dac/amp. This set up works well - very good sound and very slick software. I am thinking of adding the Q5s anybody using this with their phone?

If you're an apple user, I'd rather use a fiio m11, for $50 more, and get bit perfect airplay, than bluetooth. I think it's a good deal. Or any of the fiio, but I don't like the lower end ones because the processor is so slow the user experience is terrible.
For me, the q5s would make sense, because I'm not an apple user. But, then why not pay $50 more and get android os? Unless you really want the thx amp. And I'd say we should given the hiby r6 pro price drop (it's made from aluminum though and not the other material.), if amir has an actual favorable review of a dap then we should consider that. After all, it can still bluetooth receive but has full android for any other music playback needs..

For an apple user, I think hifi music is probably best through airplay. I currently use an es100 while I wait for amir to review more daps.

 

[JJB70]

Sealed non-user replaceable batteries put me off spending much on devices such as DAPs and wireless headphones. My experience with battery life hasn't been positive after a couple of years, and in the case devices such as DAPs and headphones they don't stop being good devices just because they are a couple of years old. I still have a pair of Sennheiser HD580's which I bought about 25 years ago and which are still excellent headphones. I did break this habit to buy a pair of AKG N90Qs but sent them back after a couple of months.
I have a DAP, although I initially bought it primarily because the battery in my smartphone was dying I have found that there is something to be said for a standalone music player with no telephony, Internet etc. The headphone output is also a bit more powerful than my phone which makes a noticeable difference to volume available. However, I paid £170 for my DAP and see no reason to spend more given that it is audibly transparent and has sufficient output power. I read some of the subjective reviews of expensive DAPs trying to convince the world that these expensive devices sound so much better when the reality is that audible transparency is available for peanuts. Companies like Astell and Kern have done a splendid job of marketing and massaging shill reviewers. If you want a stylish and nicely packaged device I can why people want these high end DAPs but the flowery prose used by reviewers is just nonsense and the usual audiophile snake oil.

 

[nadavnaz]

I have a Hiby R6 Pro on hand for testing.

Will you be testing the R6 pro soon? Considering it...

 

[tential]

Will you be testing the R6 pro soon? Considering it...

The hiby r6 pro is supposed to be the dap with the most power on tap, so I want to see it verified before putting hard earned money on it. After the price drop.... I really wish he'd prioritize that dap.

It's $550 for the aluminum version currently. No difference other than enclosure. So very curious....

 

[Sinquito]

I currently use the FiiO m6 it represents great value and usability. I have had other DAPs and agree software is often glitchy. I also use IPhone with FiiO Q1 mk2 dac/amp. This set up works well - very good sound and very slick software. I am thinking of adding the Q5s anybody using this with their phone?

I have the Q5s, using it with a Galaxy S10. Since I use only spotify I don't care if bluetooth is lossy. The Q5s is nicely made, but it heats up, and the single end 3.5mm jack is not very loud for its size. I haven't tried the balanced outputs, but I assume that those are sufficient for high impedance headphones. Bluetooth works flawlessly and I haven't really tested the battery life, but I think that 8 hrs should be feasible. The thing that I like about the Q5s is that you can change the amp module (just bought a AM5 for more power with single ended phones) and that besides being a USB DAC, when using a smartphone via bluetooth, you can update the smartphone part and the thing will keep sounding the same.

 

[tential]

I have the Q5s, using it with a Galaxy S10. Since I use only spotify I don't care if bluetooth is lossy. The Q5s is nicely made, but it heats up, and the single end 3.5mm jack is not very loud for its size. I haven't tried the balanced outputs, but I assume that those are sufficient for high impedance headphones. Bluetooth works flawlessly and I haven't really tested the battery life, but I think that 8 hrs should be feasible. The thing that I like about the Q5s is that you can change the amp module (just bought a AM5 for more power with single ended phones) and that besides being a USB DAC, when using a smartphone via bluetooth, you can update the smartphone part and the thing will keep sounding the same.

I hope the q5s is tested here soon

 

[g_t_j]

I would love to see an analysis of the DX160.
For what it's worth here are some measurements carried out by Hifigo:
https://hifigo.com/blogs/news/ibasso-dx160-player-testing-report-beat-even-himself

 

[50°F=Hellfire]

I would love to see an analysis of the DX160.
For what it's worth here are some measurements carried out by Hifigo:
https://hifigo.com/blogs/news/ibasso-dx160-player-testing-report-beat-even-himself

I'm confused by what they wrote about the THD+N spec. The First dashboard shows ~-93dB, which they claim to equal 0.00029%, but with the conversion formula I always use (20log(x/100), 0.00029% should equal ~-113dB. Did they accidentaly add another zero?

 

[JohnYang1997]

I'm confused by what they wrote about the THD+N spec. The First dashboard shows ~-93dB, which they claim to equal 0.00029%, but with the conversion formula I always use (20log(x/100), 0.00029% should equal ~-113dB. Did they accidentaly add another zero?

Bruh. That's IMD showing -93dB. They were not even measuring IMD. It is indeed 0.0002x%. No question about it.

 

[50°F=Hellfire]

Bruh. That's IMD showing -93dB. They were not even measuring IMD. It is indeed 0.0002x%. No question about it.

Oh, my bad, didn't read the columns
But .0002x is indeed an absolutely amazing spec.
You work at Topping, right? If so, are you guys planning on ever releasing a portable player?

 

[JohnYang1997]

Oh, my bad, didn't read the columns
But .0002x is indeed an absolutely amazing spec.
You work at Topping, right? If so, are you guys planning on ever releasing a portable player?

It is wierd that they put IMD there. It's not like it's a default thing. They obviously put that in there.
In terms of portable player, not in the near future. Portable amp yes.
Ibasso makes good stuff so is Colorful. Both U8 and U6 are really good.

 

[Fishie]

Would love to see more reviews and measurements of DAPs in order to prove my view that the DAPs are all a waste of money.

 

[Blunote]

'Not everything that counts can be counted (music?) and not everything that can be counted counts'

Albert Einstein -