Mobileaudiophile

iBasso DX180 Review

Chris Love
DX180

IBasso DX180 Review 

Intro

This review and feature is covering one of iBasso Audio‘s latest digital audio players which goes by the name of… iBasso DX180. I was sent this dap from iBasso as part of the Audio Geeks United States Tour. So, thank you to Audio Geeks and thank you to iBasso. I have somewhat of a history with iBasso daps and audio devices as I’ve purchased a few of them over the years. However, I’ve never actually reviewed any of their products, oddly enough. So I am very pleased to be doing that now and thankful for the opportunity.

IBasso

IBasso has been around since 2006 and so they’ve been around the block for quite some time. In fact, I’d say that is a very telling sign that they’ve been such a fixture in the audio community for as long as they have. IBasso has specialized in audio devices like amps, dac/amps, daps, dongle dacs, and even quite a few iems over the years. This is a brand that has made its mark on the industry and is embedded in the Audioverse as a solid brand to turn to for audio enthusiasts like me. Truly a very nice outfit, one that I’m always excited to see what they are doing next and what new product will come to market bearing their name. 

I’ve had a few

I personally have owned a number of iBasso in ear monitors and have purchased the iBasso DX240 with Amp8 MK2, as well as the iBasso DX160 back in the day and even spent good quality time with their older DX90 model. All very good devices for their time. Now, I still adore my DX240 even to this day and conduct many reviews using it. Also, the DX160 was a very nice budget-oriented dap at the time. I’ve purchased many of their older iems like the IT01, IT00, etc. I can’t even remember them all now, but the point is that they were all well done. Usually bass heavy, clean sounding, fun. So, I do have some understanding of their devices and products. Usually very well made, usually built like tanks, usually very sleek in design. I have to give it to the people at iBasso for staying relevant for all of these years, keeping their brand fresh and never losing public interest.

Daps

I’ve always been a fan of the digital audio player. I’ve always loved the idea of having my whole collection inside of one music making device. When I was younger, I had a new mp3 player every couple months. Panasonic, Sony Walkman, Creative Zen players, JBL, iPods. Really it was anything I could get my hands on. A total geek over the whole idea of a music player. Turns out nothing has changed. However, it wasn’t until the full blown dap revelation came upon me that I was hooked on some of what many Americans would think of as obscure brands. The Fiio’s, Shanlings, iBasso’s, Hiby, Hidizs and any other eastern brands which we (in the States) wouldn’t consider big market brands. Well, turns out some of the best audio gear on the planet comes out of those regions. I fell in love with my old Fiio M11, iBasso DX160, Hiby R6, and the list goes on and on. Just like the old days I’m purchasing daps like it’s going out of style. So, this review holds a very special place within me. I love that I can have a whole terabyte of music, full albums, album art and all the tools that come with a dap right at my fingertips. Just press the screen and my whole library, every Playlist, the entirety of my collection that I’ve spent years compiling right in front of my eyes. I think many audio enthusiasts feel the same way.

Ready to check it out…

Now, the DX180 comes in at right around $479 for the lesser memory version (3/32) or at $529 for the larger memory capacity (4/128). This puts the DX180 squarely in the middle of some very nice devices. I suppose my one question would be if the DX180 has what it takes to peel some attention away from some other brands mid-tier devices? There is competition everywhere ladies and gents. No doubt about it, nowadays competition is at an all-time high within the audio world. At any rate, I’m ready to check out the DX180. The iBasso DX180 everyone…. 

Non-Affiliated Purchasing:

–iBasso.com

–Bloom Audio

–HiFiGo

Disclaimer:

I received the iBasso DX180 from iBasso as a United States Audio Geeks tour review sample and in exchange I will conduct a full review and feature at Mobileaudiophile.com. I have not received any payment or any other form of compensation for this review. This set is a review sample iem. iBasso has not requested to pre-read any review and doesn’t have any control over “what” or “when” anything gets published to mobileaudiophile.com. All thoughts within this review are my own, though please take note that I will always have my own biases. This is impossible to get around. I try to be as objective as my subjective self can be, but this is an opinion piece folks. Thank you to Audio Geeks & iBasso, and thanks for reading.

The Fiio FH9 and the iBasso DX180 is a very nice pairing.

DX180 Pros

-Excellent all around for the cost

-Build Quality 

-Design is very nice 

-Sound quality is great for a mid-level dap

-Small and easy to use and handle 

-Awesome iBasso screen for the price  (all iBasso screens are nice) 

-Android 13

-For the price it has a good amount of driving power

-Black background

-Replaceable battery

-Battery lasts very long

-Clean sound across the board 

-Bass has good density 

-Midrange is nicely detailed, somewhat airy, natural

-Treble adds some levity to the mix, clean and open 

-Technically the DX180 will help your iems/headphones

DX180 Cons 

-Difficult to find Cons with this one

Gear used for testing 

-Fiio FH9

-Simgot EA1000 

-Dunu X-Gizaudio DaVinci 

-Softears Studio 4

Packaging / Accessories 

Unboxing

Well, being that this was a tour unit, I have zero idea if I actually have all of the accessories in the packaging so forgive me if I miss some things. Also, I have no idea if the order of unboxing is correct as it appeared not everything came to me in the correct placement within the box. Oh well, anyways, the iBasso DX180 came to me in a good-sized box with a light blue sleeve covering. On the sleeve is the name “DX180” and some specs on the back. Take off the sleeve and you are presented with a dark blue box. Take off the box lid and the 1st thing you see is the awesome looking DX180 sitting pretty in foam cut-outs. Underneath the DX180 you’ll find the silicone case, the type-c charging cable, a bunch of screen protectors and manuals. Like any unboxing of an actual audio device, there isn’t much to it. However, it isn’t bad at all and hey, at least they offer a case. 

Carrying case

Inside the packaging iBasso was good enough and thoughtful enough to supply an actual case. Of course, they provide them with all of their daps but not every dap maker does this, trust me. Usually, you’ll have to spend an extra $35 to $60 for a case which fits. Nobody wants their brand-new dap naked. At least I don’t. Anyways, the case that comes with the DX180 is a clear silicone case. Perfectly fitted, hard to get on, hard to take off, fits like a glove. Not the best case in the world as I’m sure a leather case would look better but at least it’s something to protect the DX180. I’m not complaining. 

Specifications

4.4mm BAL Headphone Out:

3.5mm SE Headphone Out:

4.4mm BAL Line Out:

3.5mm SE Line Out:

In the Box

Build / Aesthetic / Internals 

Build Quality 

One thing you don’t have to wonder is if iBasso is going to give the $500 dap you just paid for a good build quality or not. Folks, they are all built well. My DX240 is so robust and streamlined and the DX180 isn’t very far behind. Anyways, the DX180 is made 100% from CNC machined/milled aluminum. In fact, it was milled from one single block of aluminum. Weighing in at only 206 grams it is actually not too heavy on the hand. So, the build is exquisite to my eyes and actually looks very similar to their latest line of daps. One cool feature about the DX180 is that you can take off the back panel and get to the battery to swap it out if your battery dies. I thought that was a cool feature. I’m telling you right now, the DX180 looks and feels like it should cost much more. I’ve had my fair share of daps in my hands, and I was especially impressed by the DX180 and most notably the build. Truly a tank which doesn’t weigh like a tank. The DX180 is just small enough for. Most people can use it with one hand as it isn’t large. Roughly the same size as the DX240. So, it isn’t big which makes the DX180 just about perfectly sized. 

Buttons / Ports

Okay so on the right side is the volume wheel which also acts as an all-purpose button in which you can obviously turn the volume both up and down. But aslo, it can be used to play/pause, scroll up and down on some apps. It’s a nice wheel, good finger grip, corrugated so you can easily turn it and colored gold which contrasts the color very well. On the same side as the wheel are the three buttons which help you to play/pause, track forward and track backward too. Somewhat indiscrete. You’ll notice that on the bottom side is the 3.5 single handed and 4.4 balanced ports while on top is the usb-c charging port and micro-sd card holder. I’m sure some of you will take issue with where these ports are located but I can assure you that you get used to them. Usually, I prefer all headphone ports on the top but, oh well. And that’s about it. This is not some crazy complicated piece of technology folks. IBasso makes everything very simple to use which to me is a feature in and of itself. Now, besides the 3.5 & 4.4 phone out iBasso also gives you both 3.5 & 4.4 line-out, 3.5 coaxial-out, and usb-otg output as well. Each of these can be changed in the settings. 

Design

I won’t talk much about the design because in truth it’s kind of vanilla in this dap. I’m not saying it isn’t super dope either because I definitely feel it is. The DX180 actually comes in many different colorways in black, blue, and green. Obviously the one I have with me is the green version, which I am partial to anyways. This is a slick device folks. IBasso knows a few things and they’ve collected some knowledge along the way and in my eyes, I feel that design is one thing they’ve mastered. The straight lines, sleek, slightly diagonal lines running the side, the soft green back panel creating a slight differential in color tone. Just very nice folks and you see that when it’s in your hands and you’re twisting it around. So yes, the design may be vanilla, but also, I wouldn’t want anything different. This dap looks awesome. 

Screen

One thing you can count on is that iBasso will provide their daps with the best screen in the business. I’m convinced of that. The DX180 has a Sharp 1080P LCD 5.0” inch screen and I’m telling you folks… the colors absolutely POP! No screens get brighter, no other daps have more contrast and visually appealing colors. My DX240 is stunning and so I expected something less stunning on its little bro. Boy was I wrong. There’s nothing like looking at your album colors on a good screen. Let’s put it this way, use a dap with dull colors, faded, not as crisp and then use this dap and tell me how much better that is. You don’t even know you need it until you have to use something inferior. The DX180’s screen is a selling point! All of their screens are. Also, they used an actual Sharp branded screen. Hello! One of the best in the business for handheld devices. Really a beauty. 

Under the Hood

So, what is a dap without some good Internals? I’ll answer that, it’s not good. IBasso knew they had to compete against the Fiio’s, & the Shanling’s of the mid-tier scene and they knew they had to BRING IT. What did they do? Well, they first decided to use some of the most well regarded and widely used dac chips available in the Cirrus Logic CS43131 chips. However, they didn’t just use one, no sir. They instead decided upon a four dac array using four CS43131 dac chips. There is so much advantage to using more than one chip, let alone four. These chips allow the DX180 to reach audio nirvana that much easier. Also, the audio world has mastered these chips by now. I mean, five out of ten dongle dacs from the last 2-3 years have the CS43131 chip inside. I made that up, but the sentiment remains. Also, using the FPGA Master 2.0 algorithm in tandem with the iBasso DX180 truly enhances this little beast to truly exceed my expectations. This is able to make each dac chip independently adjustable giving perfect control and ability to adjust on the fly for each dac clock. 

It’s a beast

To further explain the beauty of the setup that the DX180 has I should also add that the DX180 is quite literally ranked second, out of all daps, in THD+N measurements. With a 133db SNR and – 121 dB THD+N it is truly a game changer at the $500 price point. Add to that the .079uV noise floor and what that translates to is an impressively black background for the price. The balanced port on high gain still only has a noise floor rating of 1.1uV. Go ahead and check other players and see where theirs are rated at. Check the $500 price point. The DX180 is a true contender. On top of that, the dynamic range is up to 130 dbs. Ya know, it may seem like this is a commercial or an add, but I am very impressed. Do you know how many +$500 daps I’ve had? Well, of course you don’t, but it’s a lot. I noticed right away the quality of the sound I was getting in this dap. However, I’m getting ahead of myself. I tend to do that when I get excited. 

Output Power

Another selling point is the actual power under the hood. The iBasso DX180 has some good measurements with a 3.5 single ended headphone out max of 3vrns & 280 mw as well as through the balanced port which provides a max of 6 vrms and 690mw on high gain and a cool 500mw on low gain. This device is a very capable performer. Basically, you can run any iem with relative ease. Even hard to drive over ears is easy enough. Obviously, there are some that only want that huge/mammoth desktop power, but for the most part there isn’t anything the DX180 cannot drive. I wish I had more difficult iems to drive on hand, but I honestly do not. However, 690mw on high gain is no joke type of performance for iems. The DX180 has more max output than many of its competitors. Namely the Fiio M11S which is a highly regarded dap. The M11S maxes out at 670mw. The Hiby R6 III maxes out at 429 mw. Of course, power isn’t everything, but I felt that was something worthy of pointing out. Now, there are devices like the Shanling M6 Ultra which max out at almost twice what the DX180 does at 1100mw but again, power isn’t everything and also, the M5 Ultra is also $60 more in price. So, there is quite a bit under the hood, and I was very happy to see that. 

SOC Chipset 

I was pleased to see that iBasso decided to go with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SOC for the DX180. Truthfully, there are only a few different SOC Chipset used regularly in these daps anymore. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 is used a lot. Many devices have it. However, I haven’t seen many using it at this price point. For instance, the Fiio M11S uses the slightly less powerful Qualcomm 660. In fact, there’s daps much more expensive using older SOC Chipsets. Then again, we are beginning to see mid-tier daps begin to roll out with the 665 instead so it isn’t so crazy. Anyways, this is a very good chipset folks. Phones are still using this chipset. Granted they aren’t the best phones on earth, but they are still using it. Also, you really don’t need much better than this chipset for a dap anyways. I’ll explain a little bit later in the UI section how scrolling, functionality, etc works because of this chipset. The 665 is an 8-core chip with fairly good Antutu 10 scores, along with decent GeekBench6 scores, and even 3DMark scores. They are middle of the road for a smartphone but very good for a dap. For instance, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T uses this chip. Basically, you can do just about everything on this device, and it’ll do it smoothly. Changing screens, and everyday functions will be smooth, no hiccups, no jumping. It’s a nice chip to have on the DX180 and I’m glad to see they went this route. Nice one iBasso. 

USB Reciever

IBasso announced that with the DX180 they will also provide a dedicated USB receiver for USB dac mode. On top of that the DX180 comes equipped with USB 3.1 which is a very nice thing to see. Beyond that, the USB dac mode will incorporate a low latency usb dac which is great for videos, movies, games (if you play them and a whole host of use cases. It has support for both ASIO and Wasapi output. Very nice. 

Bluetooth 

IBasso states that the DX180 operates using Bluetooth 5.0 which isn’t the latest Bluetooth that’s out there, but I found that the Bluetooth range was actually quite good. As far as Bluetooth audio codecs they have SBC, AAC, Aptx, Aptx Adaptive and LDAC on tap. This device can also be used as a transmitter of Bluetooth or a receiver. Which is very nice to have. Now, I don’t know how often you’ll use Bluetooth with your dap but if you plan to then iBasso has you covered. 

Battery

Once again, the battery is actually removable which harkens back to the days of old when daps came with this ability. How nice is it to be able to extend the life expectancy of your prized dap by simply swapping batteries? It’s literally everything. Always it’s the battery that dies out on us folks. It’s the battery which doesn’t stand the test of time as easily as other parts and pieces. Now, the actual battery itself is 3200 mah with what iBasso states will give you roughly 13 hours of battery life on 3.5 single ended listening and about 13 hours using low gain and around 13 hours on high gain. These are some great numbers. However, they also report that you can get upwards of 30 hours using line-out. Now, I have zero idea how true this is and it’s very difficult to quantify this. You literally have to just let the thing play and leave it alone. You can’t go checking the device constantly or leaving Bluetooth on, screen on, volume super high, streaming constantly. There’s a ton of variables to how long the battery will “actually” last.

Long enough for me

That said, I did notice the battery didn’t drain as fast as my Fiio M11 Plus ESS did, or as fast as my Shanling M6 Ultra, iBasso DX240 as well. These are the ways I quantify it. I watch my battery. It’s a habit I will always be plagued with, and I most certainly noticed that the DX180 didn’t drop in battery as much as these devices that I know like the back of my hand. So, there ya go, its Chris Love’s battery checking at its finest. Lol. Also, the DX180 does have fast charging using either PD 3.0 or QC 3.0. Friends, I can tell you that without question, battery life is phenomenal on this device. 

Memory / Storage

Another selling point is the on-board storage capacity. Now, there’s a couple options that you have here. You can purchase the lesser model with 3gb of ram and 32 gb of storage space for $479. Or you can spend a hair more and get the 4gb of ram and 128 gb of onboard storage for $529. Can I be frank with you? Folks, between 3 and 4 gigs of ram, there is almost no difference when we are talking about daps. Yes, for smartphones there’s a slightly more noticeable difference. However, these are music listening devices. You’ll only really ever be doing one or two things at once. 3 or 4 gbs aren’t going to be monumental differences. That’s random-access memory which the cpu uses to run apps and keep other functions running smoothly. Sure, the extra gig will help, but it isn’t world changing. 

Onboard storage

Also, they offer you 32 gbs or 128 of onboard usable storage space. Now, I store all my music on an SD card. All of it. I use about 16 gbs for apps on every dap I own. So, what in the world would I need 112 more gbs for? I have 1tb SD cards which hold all of my music, and even some apps too. So, I don’t know how important it is to get the more expensive unit for you. Perhaps if you stream music from different apps, you’d need a bit more. Some of those apps get very large. You may watch videos, go on social media, I don’t know. Maybe in your mind… the extra $50 is a no brainer. I’m just trying to talk you through it. I wouldn’t need the bigger memory unit. It would make no sense and it’s a waste of cash. Having said that, (this is where I get weird) I guarantee I would buy the more expensive unit. Yes, I make zero sense. It’s like dangling fruit. Also, 32 gb to 128 gb! Why such a huge chasm of a difference? They should’ve gone with 64 gb for the lesser model and 128 for the more expensive. There, I gave you my two cents, and yes, I realize I make ridiculous choices. 

UI Functionality / Software 

Android 13

I was very surprised to see that iBasso went with such a new Android platform for this dap. Android 13 is one of the latest Android OS and to have it in my dap is better than it isn’t. Couple that Android 13 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 and you have a fine running machine. Having said that, Android 13 issues improvements in many areas like better wifi, more privacy, and a slew of other features and abilities too boring to list here which makes little to no difference for a dap. Honestly, it’s simply the latest OS for Android and it’s pretty polished. IBasso has a slightly altered version that is very close to straight up Android 13 which is also pretty cool. You can do all the things on your dap as you would with a smartphone. Having 8-cores working simultaneously to keep your device running smoothly as well as allow you to modify your home screens to your liking is nice to have. That said, you have everything that comes with a full. Android experience and the Google Play Store comes already loaded on the device. This is not the same as other iBasso daps in the past where you can go from the Mango player and back to Android OS. This is 100% Android, and they do bypass the SRC at the system level. Which is great in my opinion. 

Bypass SRC

Real quick, one thing that iBasso made sure to feature on the DX180 is the system wide bypass of the Android SRC. It used to only be Mango Player which bypassed the Android SRC. Now Android typically will sample everything to 48kHz which has always been a problem for audiophiles or audio fans in general. There are a few apps which have this capability but how nice is it to have a system-wide bypass. This is a nice luxury to have for us audio Geeks who want the best possible audio as the non-SRC is equivalent to bit-perfect. 

UI

I find the actual UI (user interface) to be very fluid on the DX180. Really, it’s very much comparable to the DX240 in this sense. Like any recent Android interface, the DX180 also uses drop down menus and everything else you are used to. To be honest, there really isn’t much to explain here. If you’ve used an Android, then you know what to expect. Nothing is different. Now, the Mango Player looks very sharp on this device, but I mainly use my favorite UAPP (USB Audio Player Pro) by downloading from the Google Play app store. However, I did use Mango Player quite a bit as well and without question iBasso freshened up the look. Granted, it’s been a while since I’ve used Mango Player. Anyways, the interface is just the same as any other Android smartphone, for the most part. Very fluid in my opinion folks. That Snapdragon 665 is putting in good work. 

It’s an Android… 

Using the swipe-down on the homescreen will pull down the notification bar which has many options including PO/LO toggle, Internet source (wifi), Bluetooth, Gain toggle, SPDIF on/off, digital filters, the new Fir settings, as well as the light or dark theme. Of course, like any Android you can change what you see in this notification bar using the edit button. In the settings menu you have all the usual settings which any Android device would plus the Audio settings which includes many of the same features that the pull-down notification bar has. Once again there is gain toggle, SPDIF on/off, LO or PO output, Digital sound filters, volume limitation etc. I won’t go through every setting as that is a little cumbersome, but I will say that the DX180 isn’t missing anything from the regular Android experience. My whole point is to tell you that if you’ve spent any time with an Android device then the IBasso DX180 will be very comfortable for you. 

Sound Impressions 

Now we get to the part that I want to talk about the most. Now, it isn’t the easiest thing for a reviewer to describe the sound of a digital audio player. After all, so much has to do with the earphones that I’m listening through. The only real thing I can tell you is how a certain iem or set of headphones sounds attached to the device. Or how they sound in relation to other daps in the market. I can tell you this, the DX180 sounds to me like it’s about as transparent as daps come. Especially at the price listed. I used too many iems to name here during my time, but I used a handful the majority of the time critical listening. Nights spent chilling in my bed or favorite chair just jamming out, eyes closed, trying to explain to myself what I hear. It’s not as easy as it seems. I can’t exactly go through “bass”, “mids”, and “treble” as I would with an iem for instance. Though I will try. I go through this with every source device review. However, I will try my best at explaining what I hear and hopefully that resonates with you. 

How does it sound? 

So, friends please hear me out. I’ve reviewed or owned too many audio dac/amps, dongle dacs & daps to list here, and one thing I can say about this $529 mid-tier dap is that it is flat-out excellent. I don’t need you to believe me as I know for myself, I heard it, spent good quality time with too. That time spent has caused a solid conclusion for me… that I am utterly impressed by the DX180. So much so that I do want to own one soon. So much so that I dread sending it on its way to the next in line of the tour. The DX180 to me is a mostly neutral and transparent sounding device with just a touch of added warmth. Just a hair. Just enough to be a light blanket for each note. A little low-end energy in an otherwise neutral world. There’s a smoothness to the sound that doesn’t forget to be crisp when needed. The DX180 also has this air about it, this organic flavoring, yet doused in controlled dynamism. I hear extra warmth, but I don’t hear it changing the complexion of the entire tuning. Just a very vivid sounding unit. Who would’ve known that iBasso could take four of the most common dac chips and truly make them shine. In fact, I’ve never heard the CS43131 sound so good. Something I didn’t expect to say. 

I wanted to know… 

I wanted to know, will the DX180 bring a hair more low-end muscle to the Softears Studio 4’s? How about the Dunu X-Gizaudio DaVinci, will the DX180 pronounce the highs a bit more adding zest and vigor to an amazing set? The answer to both of those questions is… Yes. Yes, the Studio 4 sounded a hair puncher, slightly more impactful, and weighted. Also, the DaVinci had that subtle lift up top, that pinch of vibrance which made this a wonderful pairing for me. I could go down my list of notes and a similar storyline will begin to appear. One after the other I felt compelled to listen longer no matter what set I had in my ears. Knowing full well that I have to listen to as many as I can & get as many notes as I can because I have to send the damn thing away in a week. It’s a troubling place to be and very difficult on a reviewer. Especially me, who needs at least 3 weeks to properly analyze any audio device. Couple that with the vast amount of sets I have to review, backlogs for days. Yet here I am struggling to take the Simgot EA1000 out of my ears, or the Fiio FH9 (actually I never want the FH9 out of my ears), the Penon 10th. All of them were crisp yet smooth, low-end was tight yet full, dense, and punchy in relation to some other source devices. They were all a hair more forward in the mids, notes had better presence against similarly priced daps. At any rate, I’ll do my best to go through the bass, mids, and treble in the coming sections. 

Bass Region 

For me, the low-end can be characterized as being punchy first. What does it take to be punchy? And what is “punchy”? To have punch, you need a bit of muscle, some snap, you need some quick blunt force, some actual palpable texture, some density, it’s punchy. I liken it to that fast-twitch muscle reflex. If you hear me calling anything punchy, I mean these things. In fact, “punchy” is a true compliment. It’s quick, not slow. Yet with that punchiness, I’d also say there is some definite sub-bass elevation, some depth. However, I don’t feel that the mid-bass is lifted in the same way. It’s definitely a very precise and more direct sound. Mid-bass comes across clean, not stuffy in the slightest, fast, textured. But it’s the sub-bass which tailors this sound. The EA1000 for instance most certainly had an added low droning pitch to the sound over something like the Fiio M11 Plus ESS. It’s slightly deeper than with other sources. Not much, but enough to add to the EA1000’s overall tuning. The bass is quick too. You won’t hear your iems or headphones with laghing resonance down low. It’s quicker, tighter, yet punchier and slightly more robust. Remember, just a pinch over neutral. I find it addicting because even a set like the DaVinci, which is bass heavy, didn’t come across more emphasized. This is the beauty of the DX180. Its sub-bass focused and so the DaVinci rather came across tighter and more rigid, more dense, deeper. I truly hope this makes sense to you. It does to my ears and in my notes. All of it makes perfect sense. Without question this is a snappy bass region, but also a slightly emphasized bass region. It’s fun yet mature, it slams yet never muddies. Nicely done iBasso. 

Midrange

You cannot have a good sounding… well… anything… without a good midrange. Unless you’re a treble head or basshead, but I digress. Midrange is key. How does the midrange incorporate itself into the overarching sound as a whole on the DX180? So, the DX180 has this almost moist layer added to the mids of my iems. There’s this added edge, this tackiness, it’s something you can almost feel. The mids aren’t dry or analytical in the least, nothing papery. Instead, there’s some humidity, slightly damp, but tactile. The mids have body, they have a skim milk style note solidity and density that doesn’t clog the air between instruments. Rather I feel there’s even more separation. Notes are tighter than any other CS43131 dac I’ve heard. They are also more bodied, and there is actual texture to the outline of each note. Of course, different tracks will possibly make me a liar, but generally speaking the DX180 adds this neutral, very transparent, black background and note tackiness, which is rendered smooth like glass, not smooth like velvet. If that makes no sense to you then I’m sorry. Basically, the DX180 midrange is very clean yet at the same time it isn’t clean as in “dry” and “clinical”. It’s clean with some all-natural sounding vibrance. Which brings me to vibrance. The DX180 has just enough upper-mids energy added to give a sense of sparkle, a touch of glitter, some forwardness. Listening to a vocal centric iem with the DX180 is wonderful. Listening to a recessed midrange iem with the DX180 improves the sound of that recessed iem. Also, separation is improved, detail retrieval is improved, and there is a stage depth that does provide some layering. The mids are nice. 

Treble Region 

This brings us to the treble. One thing I needed was for a touch more energy in the DaVinci. I love that set quite a lot. But if I had my way, I’d want just a titch more in the highs. Well, that is exactly what the DX180 affords a set like the DaVinci. I’m not saying world changing, and it doesn’t change the overall tuning. But it does give a spritz of clean and airy shimmer and sparkle which does give a grander sense of space to the sound as a whole. Again, we aren’t talking mega tons of treble vivaciousness here. It’s just enough. Another thing, the DX180 treble is actually quite smooth. It isn’t some crunchy style treble. Yes, it has some edge to it and yes there’s some crispness, but it isn’t a treble-head crunch fest. Let’s put it this way, the Simgot EA1000 went from somewhat shouty at times to slightly more palatable and just smoother to my ears. It didn’t lose any energy; it just produced that energy differently. To add to that, the DX180 has good extension in the upper treble region. There is a sense of air that does expand the stage to a degree. Beyond that, detail retrieval does seem to get better with some sets. A set like the FH9 does come across a bit more technically proficient. Again, this isn’t going to change your life folks. However, the sound is very good for the price point and against what I’ve heard in the price point. 

Technicalities 

It’s difficult to truly get a gauge on how well a source device performs technically. Especially when it’s the iems/headphones that do the brunt of the sound detail, transparency, separation, transient response, the little micro-dynamics. No doubt that the source device can and will alter how that sound is perceived. Tonal changes, warm, cool, bright, dark. Also, emphasis in different regions like more bass, less bass, forward mids, rolled-off treble etc. However, the fine-lined detail and articulate note definition, the clarity and space provided by the subtle micro-dynamic transient shifts and any other descriptor alluding to the technical aspect of my music isn’t perfectly cut n’ dry. Still, all source devices absolutely have their own flavor, and without question they aren’t all created equal. I know some folks who oddly don’t believe in this. I know, it’s weird. Anyways, without question source devices will tug the sound in a certain direction. It may be a little tug, a subtle difference, or a full-on change. It depends on the dac, the implementation of that dac as well as all of the other Internals and how those pieces and parts react with the sound tuning of your iems. Having said that, I also feel that it’s pretty easy to tell what effect a source device has when you compare between devices. Thankfully I’ve been able to listen to a few in my time. Of course, I’m not the end-all-be-all of source device knowledge and understanding. But I tell it like I see it, and I’ve heard a few. So, what actual differences does the iBasso DX180 really make when we are talking about Technicalities? I’d actually say… a lot. 

Black background helps

One thing which really helps the DX180 to come across very clean is the pitch-black background. Nothing helps right away more than not hearing the faint white noise clouding the sound field. However, i definitely also hear good detail retrieval for the DX180. Good technical sets remained good technical sets. For instance, the EA1000 didn’t lose any of its ability to resolve details. Furthermore, sets not known for amazing detail retrieval actually became a bit more transparent. Now, the DX180 isn’t going to turn the Aful Explorer into a detail monster. That won’t happen. But there is improved clarity and edge detail. Less stuffy, compressed and congested. Like I said, the iems and headphones mostly determine the level of transparency. Though the DX180 really does have a silent background which is very evident and very nice for the price. 

More precise… 

Having said all of that, let me be frank, when you hear a cleaner sounding dap or source device, it will jump out at you and there is a difference between devices. Some sources will take that cleaner sound all the way down to that fine-lined note definition. The DX180 is definitely in the clean sounding camp. There is a level of transparency that the DX180 has that some other sources in that $500 range don’t necessarily have… to the degree that the DX180 has it. Another thing which is fairly noticeable with the DX180 on a few of my iems is transient speed and on/off note recovery, or the ability to formulate the stop and go dynamic fluctuations of each note with better than average note contour. Basically, those fluctuations don’t come across blurred or compressed like some source devices can. Also, the spacing, separation, the additional bite to notes, the overall compactness of those notes, airiness, layering ability, and the stereoscopic dimension of the stage elements. These attributes all serve to help make a source seem better resolved and basically more articulate. Depending on your iem this can make a large difference. I feel the DX180 does a fantastic job for the price at promoting a cleaner and more precise sound. 

Soundstage 

So, we know that the DX180 is a cleaner sounding source but another thing the DX180 excels in is the soundstage. Please remember that I haven’t heard every dap out there, not even close actually, so do keep that in mind. Also, so much of the “soundstage” comes from the iems I was using. Once again, it is very difficult to pin down where the dap comes into play when referring to something like the soundstage. It really all comes down to… does the source device expound upon the stage? Or does the source device congest the sound field further? There are multiple levels here and nailing down how much is contributed from the source isn’t always the easiest thing to do. However, with all of that said, the DX180 does seem to promote a larger field of sound than other daps that I’ve used near this price point. The DX180 seems to have a more 3d, more rounded and dimensional stage, with a sense of depth. I’d say that width and height are roughly average, but the depth does bring another element to my music. That much I am absolutely sold on. 

Is it worth the asking price? 

Now this is where I wish I could hear every dap within the “under $600” price point. Granted, I’ve owned or spent a good long while with many of them. In fact, for about two years I was stuck in the $500 price point for my daps. However, the tech has evolved since then and getting a gauge for how well a device is worth its asking price is very difficult for me to do in a way that helps you. That’s what this whole review is about after all. Helping you. So please hear me out, I speak for me right now. Folks, there is no world that I could imagine me not taking the plunge and spending $529 on this device if I already didn’t own a few daps. Let me reword that… I think the DX180 is well worth the asking price. There are only so many different devices to choose from anymore. You have your Hiby’s, the Shanling’s, the Fiio’s and some older daps from a few years ago which are now marked down. However, the DX180 is so stacked with tech that it’s almost future proof for quite a while and hopefully iBasso keeps up with firmware updates. Beyond that, you can swap batteries which further extends its life expectancy. At any rate, not only do I feel the DX180 is well worth the price, but I also feel that it may just be the best you can get in that price range. 

The Why… 

Because the iBasso DX180 has the build and form function of a much more expensive dap. Let’s not kid ourselves, iBasso pulls out all the stops as the DX180 is figuratively dressed to the nines. I said the same for the DX240 as well. The DX180 is outfitted nicely with not only a beautiful chassis but also outfitted with cutting edge technology housed within that chassis. It has Android 13, Fir 2X output, Snapdragon 665, quad CS43131 dac chips, FPGA Master 2.0, 1080p Sharp screen with vivid and deep coloration, excellent battery life (removable battery), 690mw of max power on tap as well as some of the best audio circuitry available at this price. However, as with anything it’s about the sound. What I love and so many others love about the DX180 is that all of that circuitry and pieces/parts are implemented in a way that brings upon some of the best sound that $529 can afford you. Punchy bass, deep and low droning when needed, snappy, and the low-end adds its own density to my earphones. The midrange is clean, transparent, with precise control over transients while keeping an organically neutral sound and a pitch-black background. The treble is extended, smooth, precise, with some added crispness. Also, the DX180 helps in the details department, helps with separation of instruments, helps to provide a more 3d experience. Just a very clean and very vivid sound from this device folks. Without a doubt in my mind the $529 that iBasso is asking for is worth every penny and it’s a very good buy. 

Conclusion 

To conclude my full written review of the iBasso DX180 I first must say a big thank you to iBasso Audio and to Audio Geek United States Tour for putting this together and allowing me the ability and fortune to test out the DX180. I greatly appreciate it. I’ve had an absolute blast discovering this device and have come away jealous of anyone who owns one. Ha. So, thank you to both outfits, from myself and from mobileaudiophile.com. Also, I want to thank you, the reader, for taking the time to click the link to get here and for spending time at the website. These two things mean everything to us. Thank you. 

Different perspectives 

This hobby is the single most subjective hobby on planet earth. I’m convinced of that. Moreover, the reviewer is equally subjective. We can try to be as objective as possible, but the truth is, there is no “objective truth” in this hobby. There is no right and there is no wrong. There’s no true north to gauge our reviews after and there’s no standard by which reviewers can objectively look towards to say, “this is good, and this is bad”. It’s all subjective. So, it is my request that you, the consumer, the audio fan, read, listen to, or watch other reviews on the iBasso DX180. This is all for you folks. Yes, I love writing and sharing but in the end these reviews are for you. At least if I’m involved in it, they are. I would suggest doing your due diligence and hearing some other people out. Maybe they will explain better, maybe they will speak in a more eloquent way than I do. The point is, we are all different and my greatest hope is that you find your own true north in this audio game. I also love to hear about it because I know all too well that perfect feeling you get when your music hits you just right. With that I’m done folks, I hope this helped. Take good care, stay as safe as possible and always… God Bless! 

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