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amazon iBasso DX300 reviews
iBasso DX300 is the most anticipated top-of-the-line music player from iBasso ever. Not merely an upgraded version of the previous iBasso DX220, the iBasso DX300 is expected to set a new milestone, a new generation high-end music player standard with a complete change from hardware to software. Whether iBasso DX300 will satisfy the expectations of the devout, we will find the answer through this detailed review.
BOXING AND ACCESSORIES
The iBasso DX300’s boxed design is as high-end and luxurious as I expected.
The accessories that iBasso equip you with almost nothing missing. That is a plus compared to some other brands; you must buy a few more items separately.
– USB Type-C charging and data transfer cord
– Coaxial RCA cable to 3.5mm chuyển
– Cable Burn-in machine
– Protective leather case
– Glass screen protector.
– User manual
Burn-in cable has been around since the DX150 era; on the DX300; it has been upgraded to the 2.5mm Balanced standard. The manufacturer recommends that you let the machine burn in for about 100 hours to achieve the best performance of the internal components and produce the best sound.
The blue leather case is very well finished for a premium feel.
A small minus point in this packaging is that the machine does not have protective glass pre-glued, and I am not very skillful. Maybe you’ll be more expert than me, or you’ll have to hire a more professional glaze.
DESIGN AND FINISHING
The first thing that you will be impressed by the iBasso DX300 is its size – very massive indeed. Owning a 6.5-inch touch screen with a sexy edge-to-edge design that is about the same size as the iPhone 12 Pro Max, but iBasso is twice as thick.
The machine weighs 300g, so it feels extremely compact. People with small hands will have a hard time trying to manipulate the iBasso with one hand.
iBasso DX300 is available in 2 color versions: mysterious black and turquoise. Both have very nice 3D textures.
The machine is fully equipped with physical buttons on the right side of the device, including a versatile volume knob and a cluster of 3 music control buttons.
The right side is the location of the memory card slot. iBasso DX300 supports memory cards up to 1TB comfortably to store high-quality music.
On the top of the machine are the location of the Type-C port and the 3.5mm Coaxial output port.
The bottom edge is the location of the audio output ports. iBasso still retains its specialty, which can replace the discrete AMP Module from the DX150 era. By default, iBasso DX300 will come with AMP11 Module, fully supporting three audio output standards: Balanced 4.4mm, Balanced 2.5mm, and Single End 3.5mm. It also promotes Line-Out output through these ports.
However, due to design changes, all the old AMP Modules from the DX150 era, such as AMP8, AMP9, AMP1 …. will no longer be mountable on the iBasso DX300.
You will have to wait a little longer until iBasso releases new AMP Modules specifically for iBasso DX300.
The perfection of the machine, besides the plus point, is still the minus point. Overall, the finished device is comparable to Samsung or LG phone models but still cannot reach the level of high-end phones.
There is an asymmetrical bevel on the right side of the machine that makes the overall a bit unbalanced. Although to the naked eye, it is insignificant, when holding it, it causes the device to lose points.
The physical controls are nice, but the volume knob is not worthy of a thousand-dollar discount.
It’s only slightly better designed than the knob on the DX160, but it’s still subtle and fits into the overall design. Would you mind taking a look at what Shanling did with their M8 for reference?
Going deep into the internal hardware, the most noticeable point in the design of the iBasso DX300 lies in the power source. This machine has two separate batteries, 1 for the digital signal processing stage and 1 for the Analog signal processing stage. This design aims to reduce noise and improve sound quality by preventing input noise from affecting the terminal signal. This design was first used on the iBasso DX220 MAX and has been patented.
Both batteries are charged simultaneously via a single USB Type-C port, but there will be funny situations because these two batteries are consumed differently. For example, there will be times when the Analog battery is 90%, but the Digital stage battery is only 20% left.
To overcome this weakness, iBasso equips the DX300 with the ability to quickly charge QuickCharge 3.0 and PowerDelivery 2.0 for fast charging speed.
The decoding layer is taken care of by not 2 but 4 CS43198 DAC chips. Although not as popular as ESS or Asahi Kasei, CS43198 is the current flagship DAC chip of Cirrus Logic. That ensures the iBasso DX300’s decoding circuit is fully Balanced for maximum dynamics and separation. In addition, four separate DAC chips will give much cooler operating temperatures when compared to machines using one multi-channel DAC chip. Less heat means less noise and signals distortion when used for a long time, increasing the life of the device and making the sound cleaner.
As for connectivity, iBasso DX300 is equipped with two separate Wifi antennas in a 2×2 MIMO design. It supports two bands of 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz simultaneously for a stable and smooth online music streaming experience on par with top smartphone models. In addition, iBasso DX300 is also equipped with two-way Bluetooth 5.0 that allows the device to play music to headphones and Bluetooth speakers and can be used as a high-end Bluetooth DAC.
iBasso DX300 can also be turned into a USB DAC via the machine’s Type-C connector. Supports all popular operating systems from Windows, macOS to iOS or Android.
Full Specifications
Screen: 6.5 inch IPS full touch screen
Resolution: 2340×1080 pixels
Supported formats: MQA, APE, FLAC, WAV, WMA, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, OGG, MP3, DFF, DSF, DXD
USB-C: USB 3.1
Output: 4.4mm Balanced Headphone/Line Out
2.5mm Balanced Headphone/Line Out
3.5mm Single-ended Headphone/Line Out
WiFi : 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4Ghz/5Ghz) 2x2MIMO
Bluetooth: v5.0
Weight: 10.6 oz (300g)
RAM+ROM: 6GB LPDDR4X + 128GB ROM
Battery: 3.8V 4000mAh Li-Polymer for digital signal stage
3.8V 2000mAh Li-polymer battery for analog amplifier stage
Full charge time: About 2.5h
Average battery life: 15h*
*Depends on the input port and headphone impedance
Dimensions: 162mm x 77mm x 17mm
Balanced output capacity 4.4mm/2.5mm
Peak power level: 7.1Vrms
Power: 1240mW@32ohm, 168mW@300ohm
Frequency response: 10Hz-40kHz ±0.3dB
S/N : 125dB
Dynamic Range : 125dB
THD+N : -113dB (no Load, 3Vrms)
-109dB (300 Ohms Load)
-101dB (32 Ohms Load)
Crosstalk : -120dB
Internal resistance : 0.39ohm
Single-ended output 3.5mm
Peak power level : 3.5Vrms
Power: 350mW@32ohm, 34mW@300ohm
Response frequency: 10Hz-40kHz ±0.3dB
S/N : 123dB
Dynamic Range: 123dB
THD+N : -111dB (no Load, 2Vrms)
-107dB (300 Ohms Load)
-95dB (32 Ohms Load)
Crosstalk : -103dB
Internal Resistance : 0.43 Ohms
Line-out Output Power Balanced 4.4mm/2.5mm
Peak power level: 7.1Vrms
Frequency response : 10Hz-40kHz ±0.3dB
S/N : 125dB
Dynamic Range : 125dB
THD+N : -111dB (no Load, 3Vrms)
Crosstalk : -119dB
Line-out Single-ended output 3.5mm
Peak power level: 3.5Vrms
Frequency response : 10Hz-40kHz ±0.3dB
S/N : 123dB
Dynamic Range: 123dB
THD+N : -111dB (no Load, 2Vrms)
Crosstalk : -103dB
where can you get a iBasso DX300 online
iBasso DX300 Digital Audio Player, Hi-Res Audio and Media Player with Dual-Battery Power Supply, 8-Core Processor, 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB (Starry Blue): Buy it now
iBasso Audio Digital Audio Player (DAP) DX300 (Black) DX300 BK【Japan Domestic Genuine Products】【Ships from Japan】: Buy it now
iBasso Audio Digital Audio Player (DAP) DX300 (Blue) DX300 BL【Japan Domestic Genuine Products】【Ships from Japan】: Buy it now
SOFTWARE AND USER EXPERIENCE
While the design and finishing have a few small grains, the user experience and features on the iBasso DX300 are top-notch. The Android interface is more versatile than ever. Control operation and application settings for fast and smooth response thanks to the included Snapdragon 660 chip and 6GB of RAM. IPS screen resolution 2340×1080 displays extremely sharp and vivid.
iBasso has customized Android on the DX300, cutting out redundant features to focus on optimizing the sound like it did on previous models of music players. You can change the DAC filter, adjust Gain quickly and conveniently right on the drag and drop menu bar.
Although the iBasso DX300 does not come with Google Plays, music streaming software like TIDAL works extremely smoothly and without errors. You can completely install additional 3rd party software through the pre-installed APK file or APKPure application.
In addition to Android, iBasso also offers users another operating system developed by the company called MangoOS. This operating system, which appeared on the DX200 before, has now been expanded to version 5. MangoOS runs on the Linux kernel, focusing entirely on the machine’s music playback capabilities. Theoretically will give better sound quality when running on Android. So if you want to listen to music offline and are not too interested in other streaming or entertainment features, then MangoOS is an operating system worth using.
Another bright point when talking about the software on iBasso’s music players is that they are always supported and supported by the company. There will be regular firmware updates to increase the performance and stability of the device. That is also one of the reasons that iBasso users become loyal to this company.
As for the physical buttons, I find the music player control buttons to be a bit small compared to the overall, so the feeling of pressing is not very good. There is nothing left to complain about in this part. The buttons are firm and responsive.
SOUND QUALITY OF IBASSO DX300
For the most accurate description of the iBasso DX300, I have A/B tested with various headphones compared with other top DAP models such as Lotoo PAW 6000, DX220 (AMP7) DX220 MAX, FiiO M11PRO.
Out of all the DAP models I have, the iBasso DX300 is the cleanest and quietest background music. The overall sound of the iBasso DX300 can be described as extremely natural, clean, clear, and crisp. Textures are smoothed while the level of detail is always at the peak of the tip, which is impressive. It also exhibits great dynamics, encompassing stage, expanding in both breadth and depth.
Start with the Bass range: You will be blown away by its naturalness and stocky texture. No trace of distortion, no trace of hesitation. When the bass hits down, it goes down. When the bass stops, it will stop. Firm and determined like a gentleman. The texture and detail of the bass range are superb when you listen to fast-paced, powerful tracks like Post-Hardcore. For example, in the song Rise Against – Savior, the depth and vibrance reverberated before each chorus. Every track produced by the iBasso DX300 has depth, thanks to the natural bass that helps. There is a little secret in the upper-bass and sub-bass that makes the entire bass range sweet and powerful. Even music like AFI – Miss Murder can feel the vibration every time the DX300 reaches the low range, even when opened at a low volume.
Mid-range: Natural and makes every track when listening to the iBasso DX300 fit and detailed. The iBasso DX300 achieves this tone due to its ability to reproduce slightly textured sounds. The space in the music is extremely airy; even with Pierce The Veil – King For A Day, you can see a clear difference between the recording in the auditorium and the music recorded in the studio. iBasso DX300 makes sense of stage space clear and has good dynamics. The level of detail of the iBasso DX300’s sound is as high as that of the Panic! At The Disco: The Ballad Of Mona Lisa, we can feel the very light notes far away from the soundstage but at the same time hear the echoes of those notes from the back left, exactly as they are. The chorus has a sweet guitar sound, and everything seems to be exposed by the iBasso DX300 intact without us having to try to mull over anything.
Treble range: Expanded, very high. The sound is a jingle, smooth, and does not experience dry glare instead of roughness. I like this sound very much because the real-life cymbal doesn’t have any roughness, and the iBasso DX300 shows just the same naturalness and detail.
The ability to separate layers of iBasso DX300 is very good. In tracks with complex textures like EDM, Dubstep, or even Classical music, the iBasso DX300 makes me feel like they have as much detail as possible.
EPILOGUE
Sleek, distinctive design, superb sound quality, and user-friendly, the iBasso DX300 truly takes the audio benchmark of this budget player to the next level. It deserves praise from all the headlines around the world.