amazon iBasso DX220 reviews
In 2017, iBasso released DX200, the best-rated music player in the under $ 1,000 range at the time. Although not the first company to apply disassembled AMP module design, iBasso DX200 is better than competitors in the market because of the good performance and price of AMP modules of iBasso. Nothing is perfect, since the Hiby R6 model was launched, iBasso DX200 is rarely referred to as the early days anymore.
In early 2019, iBasso gave an answer for loyal audio lovers, the latest flagship player named DX220.
DX220 is not just a mere upgrade of the DX200 elder. It was completely redesigned from the inside to the outside with great improvements but still has the inheritance characteristics from the old version.
Appearence
The screen is bigger, which is the most noticeable point on the iBasso DX220. The screen takes up almost the entire front in the same way that Hiby R6 Pro does. This makes DX220 much more sexy when compared to its two predecessors, DX150 and DX200.
The screen is protected by 2.5D glass from Gorilla, so it makes the iBasso DX220 beautiful.
Mango Gen 2
The DX220 upgrade to Android Oreo 8 is not new (both DX150 and DX200 have been updated). It is worth mentioning that DX220 not only supports 1 but 2 different operating systems. With dual-boot mode, you can choose the normal Android interface mode or the dedicated Mango OS interface for playing music.
In addition, iBasso also introduces the Parametric EQ system on Mango OS for the first time for the ability to deeply customize the music playback interface on DX220.
Support MQA
A notable feature on the new iBasso DX220 is the ability to support MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) formats. Not merely supporting software decoding, iBasso DX220 supports direct decoding on hardware with Streaming MQA capability via Tidal up to 72kHz.
Bluetooth 5.0
The wireless features on the iBasso DX220 have been significantly upgraded, including the fact that the old Bluetooth 4.1 has been upgraded to the latest Bluetooth 5.0.
This means the ability to stream music via Bluetooth will be upgraded. The theoretical bandwidth can reach 1.4MB / s. Therefore iBasso will take advantage of the LDAC standard available on Android Oreo, which will lead to wireless lossless music.
Module AMP1 MKII
iBasso DX220 will be sold with the new AMP module which is an upgraded version of AMP1 on the previous DX200. The noise and distortion indicators on this new module are much better than the old version.
Inheritance
The decoding layer on the iBasso DX220 has the same ES9028PRO decoder configuration. The CPU retains the 8-core 64-bit ARMv8 architecture. The only difference is that the RAM on DX220 is raised to 4GB instead of 2GB as before, making iBasso DX220 the most RAM player on the market today.
Fortunately, iBasso’s ecosystem of modules can still be used on the latest DX220. You can use the previous AMP modules of DX200 on DX220.
PACKING AND ACCESSORIES
The boxing method of iBasso DX220 is very similar to DX200, featured only on the Flagship products of iBasso. The box is opened vertically with diagonal lines across the body. The DX220 proudly shows up and the black compartment beside it comes with accessories.
Accessories include:
1x Quick start guide
1x Warranty card
1x Cable turns 3.5mm into Coaxial
1x USB Type-C charging cable Wrap the umbrella
1x Burn-in cable
1x Leather case
Accessories on iBasso DX220 have been upgraded quite a lot compared to DX200. All connecting cables are solid metal and are well finished. On its music player products, iBasso always comes with a Burn-in cable and recommends that users plug it in for 100-200 hours to give the best sound quality.
iBasso is also very thoughtful when it comes with a genuine leather protective case. The case is completed well with light skin, matching the gunmetal color of the camera body quite well. Leather is also softer and more advanced than the holster that came with the previous DX200.
DESIGN AND FINISHING
iBasso DX220 has been changed a lot in terms of physical design is very significant compared to the old DX200 version. The entire body is CNC from aluminum monolithic seamless and tidy. There will be no more frame control knob and volumeless control like DX200 anymore, DX220 places physical buttons directly on the right edge of the chassis. The edges are also beveled smooth for a better grip feel than the previous version.
The screen on iBasso DX220 is a highlight that cannot be ignored. Design ultra-thin screen border is the trend not only in the smartphone world anymore. The screen of iBasso is 5 ”in size with Full-HD (1920×1080) pixel density of 455 ppi. Using IPS panels from Sharp for extremely detailed and vivid colors.
DESIGN AND FINISHING
iBasso DX220 has been changed a lot in terms of physical design is very significant compared to the old DX200 version. The entire body is CNC from aluminum monolithic seamless and tidy. There will be no more frame control knob and volumeless control like DX200 anymore, DX220 places physical buttons directly on the right edge of the chassis. The edges are also beveled smooth for a better grip feel than the previous version.
The screen on iBasso DX220 is a highlight that cannot be ignored. Design ultra-thin screen border is the trend not only in the smartphone world anymore. The screen of iBasso is 5 ”in size with Full-HD (1920×1080) pixel density of 455 ppi. Using IPS panels from Sharp for extremely detailed and vivid colors.
In addition, the nearly borderless design and 2.5D Gorilla Cornering protection make the front of the iBasso more attractive and eye-catching.
Compared to the screen of Hiby R6 PRO, which only stops at 4.2 ”HD and AK SP1000 5” HD, the screen of iBasso DX220 is probably the most beautiful in the current music player world.
The finishing part of iBasso DX220 reaches the level of Flagship smartphones today. There is no significant gap between the contiguous parts between the back and the chassis. The connection between the AMP1 MKII module and the body is also very seamless and firm, much better than the previous DX200. Notice a little on the back of the iBasso DX220 has become completely polished and smooth. Even the back of the AMP1 MKII Module is the same. It is this combined with the overall design that enhances the luxury and high level on iBasso DX220. However, with such a back design, when installing the old AMP modules on DX200, it will look quite out of place. Hopefully iBasso will release upgrades or replace the back of the AMP module as well.
HARDWARE AND CONTROL
The decoding floor of DX220 retains the same pair of ES9028PRO decoder chips as those on DX200. However, also decoding chip does not mean that DX220 will sound exactly the same as on the old version. There are several upgrades to the clock system to make the system work more accurately. There are up to 5 Femtosecond Oscillators high precision oscillators and 2 of them have super low noise.
iBasso has a remarkable decoding ability up to DSD512, one of the 2 portable music players in the world that can decode DSD Native at this record high. The other is also an extraordinarily high-priced Flagship player, the Lotoo PAW Gold Touch. PC220 decoding ability of DX220 is similar to AK380 at 32bit / 384kHz.
The AMP Module system on the new iBasso DX220 is exactly the same as on the DX150 or DX200 so using the old modules is possible. The AMP1 MKII module that came with DX220 is an upgrade of the old AMP1 Module on DX200 with far more impressive specifications. The output power at the balanced 2.5 lane is theoretically at 1200mW at 32Ohm and 320mW at 32Ohm. This figure is even more impressive than the Hiby R6 Pro when only reaching 750mW at 32Ohm Lane Balanced. Unfortunately, this module still does not have the 4.4mm Balanced port. If you want to use this lane, you must use AMP8 module instead.
The type-C port, in addition to charging the 4400mAh battery, is also responsible for data transmission and USB DAC. SPDIF port is responsible for outputting Digital signal to external DAC.
The memory card slot on iBasso DX220 supports up to 1TB, supports SDXC and SDHC high-speed cards.
As for control, there are 3 ways to control iBasso DX220. Touch, physical and remote buttons.
DX220’s large touch screen will do everything you need except control the volume, power on and off the screen.
The physical buttons on the DX220 have been made larger and more streamlined on the DX200.
An interesting point is that iBasso allows reversing the position of the buttons forward and backward depending on the habit of using each person. The East-West debate over the layout of the back and forward keys was resolved by iBasso with a simple operation on DX220.
where can you get a iBasso DX220 online
iBasso DX220 Reference Digital Audio Player: Buy it now
SOFTWARE
No wonder iBasso gives DX220 the ability to run in two operating systems, Android and Mango OS in parallel.
Android on iBasso DX220 has been upgraded to the new version of Oreo 8.1. In the Bluetooth settings we will have a Bluetooth DAC / AMP Mode option that will turn DX220 into a wireless DAC / AMP.
Unfortunately iBasso DX220 like Hiby R6 PRO does not display codec when connected. You can still check by going into developer settings but this is not very convenient.
A remarkable point on DX220 that DX200 has never been before. The first is the Android audio system that has been reworked for DX220 to stream bit-perfect music from playback software to DAC without going through the resample process of the operating system. This approach is similar to the DTA architecture on Hiby R6 PRO.
The second is MQA support for Tidal lovers. DX220 supports MQA in X4 mode as well as hardware support for MQA playback via TIDAL up to 72kHz.
The remaining operating system is Mango OS, an iBasso exclusive developed operating system for its music player devices based on the Linux kernel. With this operating system, the optimization for audio is better in theory because there is no longer having to bypass via SRC of Android anymore. Music playing, browsing, as well as advanced music playback features are streamlined and scientific, easy to use and get started with, even for beginners.
EXPERIENCE
The Antutu comparison between DX220 and DX200 does not have a big difference. This proves that the DX220 CPU seems to remain the same, only the RAM is upgraded. However, the experience used on iBasso DX220 is quite smooth enough for light tasks such as listening to music or surfing the web. Of course, iBasso DX220 was not born for gaming, so having a strong chip is redundant and wasteful.
Operation of the Mango OS experience seems smoother and more responsive when running Mango Player on Android platform. The battery life on Mango OS is also better when you use Android because Mango OS does not have excessive applications running in the background. The battery life on Android according to my experience ranges from 6-7 hours while Mango OS is up to 8 hours, quite close to the 8-10 hours figure as announced by iBasso.
So if you are an Audiophile, I recommend you boot into Mango OS for a better audio experience.
SOUND QUALITY
Once you’ve used the DX200 and switched to the new DX220, what you feel is not only an improvement in performance as well as sound quality, but also a technical difference. Here are 3 new gain levels along with the AMP1 MKII Module combo.
The difference that transcends the extremely low, extremely clean background noise on the DX220 is the separation of the instrument and the clarity due to that quiet background. The sound on the AMP1 MKII module is more balanced and more reference than the previous AMP1. The sound is wider, more uplifting and is more linear and accurate than before.
Many of you will be asking whether the static and clean background on DX220 is only available on the new AMP1 MKII module, but what about the other modules. I’m sure the result will be the same when you plug in other modules on DX220, background sound cleaner, less hiss and darker when plugged into DX200 or DX150.
The previous DX200 / AMP1 combo had a bit of warmth and hit low-mid, not much but enough to soften the sound of the DX200 a bit. With DX220, the sound becomes more neutral with his ears, neither soft nor warm. I will describe the sound slightly technical.
The ability to control the treb band of AMP1 MKII on DX220 is very excellent when the sound is tidy, more accurate and more balanced than the old version. Treble sound has also been expanded to combine with the dark and static background to create a better 3D effect. The sound that DX220 recreates with the AMP1 MKII gives the stage space very well, the sound of the instrument and the exact position in the space. You will find the sound becomes more spacious.
The depth of DX220 seems similar to that of DX200 but the low-end band on DX220 is more open and linear with his ears. Neat bass and better body.
The sound on the Balanced port is clearer than the Single-End port on the AMP1 MKII. A quieter background even with highly sensitive IEMs headphones proves the iBasso engineers’ ability to design and optimize hardware. The energetic sound makes this port’s bass sound more responsive and smoother. In addition, the soundstage is also clearly widened.
In USB DAC mode. iBasso DX220 shows that their ability has not diminished. This feature makes the iBasso DX220 an incredibly formidable mobile DAC / AMP.
CONCLUDE
iBasso DX220 really brought the name iBasso back to the world’s famous audio forums and magazines. With powerful hardware, the AMP Module ecosystem from the previous generation along with excellent sound quality, this will be one of the most valuable players to buy in the price range below $ 1,000 and become a rival to Hiby R6 PRO.