I thought for a long time how to avoid the standard entry to the review, but could not come up with anything original, so I'll have to start quite trivial. The company iBasso with its players DX50 and DX90 deservedly gained considerable popularity among connoisseurs of high-quality sound. Since time requires innovations, the developers decided to update the line, first releasing a new model, which received the DX80 index. It is about her today and will be discussed.
Already enough years have passed since the first player iBasso with the DX100 index saw the light. In addition to the sound close to the reference, it was the first player with an open Android OS. Also it was notable for its size and huge price for those times, $ 830, which put it in line with another "legendary brick" HiFiMan 801.
Realizing that the top-end players do not end with the market, iBasso product managers decided to compete for the budget segment by releasing the DX50. It featured a much smaller size, the Wolfson WM8740 as a codec and a light detailed sound that became the company's trademark. For "half-ruble" followed by DX90, which housed two ESS Saber 9018K2M, which led to its higher price. The cases for both models were virtually identical, which was not entirely logical given the price difference, although it did not seriously hinder the popularity of the devices.
By the time junior models came out iBasso had declared the DX100 obsolete and removed it from production, leaving only 50 and 90. This went on for more than a year, but it became clear that it was time to update the line.
DX80 appeared quite suddenly, iBasso themselves posted his photos on Facebook and stated that the details would follow "later". Within a couple of weeks they fulfilled their promise, giving out a grain of information. It became known that the new player will be positioned as something between the 50 and 90 models, which are removed from production. Inside, the device will receive a pair of CS4398 DACs, perhaps the most popular chips in the modern portable (starting with the mid-budget Fiio X3-2 and ending with the super-expensive Astell-Kern AK240). Not spared and the rest of the stuffing, there was a place and quality capacitors from Nichicon, and two generators MEMS from Si Time, and a USB interface for the DAC function, using a chip from Xmos and the driver Thesycon. As USB-DAC player supports up to 192 kHz / 24 bit resolution and has "native" support for DSD64 and DSD128. The amplifier uses OPA1602 and two chips with erased marking as a buffer (presumably LMH65 or BUF634).
As usual, iBasso's careful approach to development was applied: a 6-layer board with gold-plated tracks, special screening to protect against interference, in general, everything was done very qualitatively.
The interface, as before, is built on the basis of the touch screen, which has grown, now it is a 3.2-inch IPS-screen with a resolution of 480 × 800. It feeds all this splendor battery to 3600 mAh.
A separate pleasant bonus was that iBasso rated DX80 cheaper than the previous top in the face of DX90, the cost of the eighty is 26,900 rubles in Russia ( ) and (also the site of official representatives). Naturally, prices may change due to fluctuations in the exchange rate.
Specifications
- DAC: 2 × CS4398
- SoC: RockChip RK3128
Headphone output (at 32Ω load)
- Frequency range: 17 Hz - 20 kHz ± 0.1 dB
- Output power: 260 mW
- Output voltage: 2.9 Vrms
- Signal to noise ratio: 114 ± 1 dB
- Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise: 0.002%
- Channel separation: 70 dB
Linear output
- Frequency range: 17 Hz - 20 kHz ± 0.1 dB
- Output voltage: 1.6 Vrms (1 kHz, 0 dB)
- Signal to noise ratio: 116 ± 1 dB
- Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise: 0.001%
- Channel separation: 107 dB (1 kHz)
Miscellaneous
- Supported formats: APE, FLAC, ALAC, WMA, WAV, AAC, AIFF, OGG, MP3, DFF, DSD, DXD
- Resolution Support: up to 192 kHz / 24 bit
- Screen: 3.2 "IPS, 480 × 800
- Battery: 3600 mAh, 3.8 V
- Operating time from one charge: up to 13 hours
- Charging time from 2A charger: 3 hours
- Inputs: Micro USB
- Outputs: Headphone, Line, Optical / Coaxial SPDIF
- Memory Cards: 2 × MicroSD to 2 TB
- Dimensions: 120 mm × 63.2 mm × 16.8 mm
- Weight: 178g
Packing and delivery kit
Above the box in iBasso worked just fine, despite the lack of premium materials, it looks interesting. Packaging DX80 is made of solid black cardboard with a cardboard jacket. It opens diagonally, the player is lying on the inclined pedestal. Under this pedestal, all accessories are hidden. Such a presentation immediately captivates, setting up a serious attitude to the device.
In addition to the DX80 itself, you will also receive a pair of protective films on the screen, a black silicone case, an adapter cable for coaxial output and know-how of iBasso - a cable with a load for warming up the player.
By the way, the protective film was not stuck from the factory, I was never strong in this operation, so the first time I did not get away traditionally - a few dust particles along the edges of the film were provided by air bubbles. Fortunately, they cover the edges of the cover and they are not particularly noticeable.
Design and management
Appearance DX80 marks the departure of iBasso from simple forms, the simple parallelepipeds of previous models are replaced by a complex and multifaceted DX80. A lot of bevels and chamfers in the player's design give it a very futuristic look, unlike any other model. The black body is mostly made of metal, except for plastic inserts on the side faces.
The basis of the interface is the touch screen, now it has become higher, which has benefited the interface. Playback / pause and track navigation is traditionally for iBasso duplicated with buttons under the screen. In the right panel, there are volume buttons, the adjustment is digital and has 150 steps. On the left side is the power button and the screen on. The bottom end contains headphone and line outputs. On the top there is an S / PDIF output, a MicroUSB connector and a compartment cover with two memory card slots. The connectors are located close to each other and are recessed into the case, so to manipulate them you will need to slightly adjust.
The build quality is very high, nothing lyuftit, the buttons are pressed with a clear click.
Worked in the DX80 and over the interface, it is built on the active use of svaypov on the screen. Svayp to the right opens access to the library, there are playlists, which, incidentally, can be created directly on the device, browsing by genre / album and artist, as well as navigator folders. For the correct operation of the media library, it is required to rescan the memory card, this is a fairly protracted process (although not as long as the first firmware 901 HiFiMan). Swipe to the left brings up the settings screen. There is everything you expect from the player: sleep and turn-off timers, time and brightness settings, gain level selection, digital filter switch, playback mode, equalizer and much more. In the firmware there is official Russification, but by tradition the Russian font is very ugly, so I stayed with the English language.
Svayp from the top edge of the screen down shows a drop-down menu with quick settings, allowing you to quickly change the most important parameters.
The screen is very high-quality, viewing angles and behavior in the sun are decent, as is the color rendering, although the sensor is a little slow, but you quickly get used to it. I think the problem is software, so it can be corrected.
The time of work on one charge was 11 hours and 50 minutes when playing FLAC files from Lear LHD-AE1d to low gain, charging from scratch required a little more than 3 hours.
Sound
To listen to the player, the following headphones were used:
- ZMF Omni
- Oppo PM-3
- Dunu DN-2000J, Titan 1, Titan 3 and Titan 5
- Lear LHF-AE1d
- Ambient Acoustics AM10
In the opinion of iBasso developers, before listening to the player it is necessary to connect to it a complete "warm" posting and leave it playing for hours for two hundred. It's unlikely that this action has any meaning, so I did not do it, but since the player has already been in use for a long time, the total "operating time" has long exceeded 200 hours, so I can safely consider my player ready for the final evaluation sound.
In DX80, developers continue their own approach to sound, which is the most neutral and impersonal (in a good sense of the word) pitch. The player does a maximum to not bring into the sound anything from himself, sometimes, for my taste, overdoing it. Slightly exaggerating, we can say that on some tracks the player tries to play so neutrally that the sound even seems a little muddy because of the "cutting off" accents. I can not say that the player submits music completely emotionless, all the emotions of the recording on the spot, but are perceived as something from the side. As if you're not playing the game yourself, but sitting next to a friend who is playing (sorry for such a strange analogy, but it's really difficult to describe the whole feeling).
Some reviews on the Internet say about the coloration of the sound, but in my hearing this is not just a coloring, but some kind of its opposite, like the coloring with a minus sign, the player does not add anything from itself, but, on the contrary, removes what you expect . In general, how to call it - more depends on the point of view on the question and personal preferences. This effect is small and does not manifest itself on all tracks, but it definitely takes place.
I want to emphasize that this is not so much a disadvantage as a "feature", the player was clearly designed to get a similar sound, and this makes it in its own flavor. Connoisseurs of such a sound are clearly there, and there are pluses in such a presentation (about them below).
The bass is pleased with the resolution, it is well-designed and very clearly controlled. He has a good depth, but he sometimes lacks physicality and shock density. This is manifested mainly in heavy genres, on jazz or, for example, classics, there are no such problems. From the positive sides - speed and control allows the player to transfer complex bass parts very well, dividing them into separate instruments. The bass always remains in its place and does not try to crawl on the MF.
The midrange range is very good, it pleases with detail and refinement, although emotions are also partially smoothed out. First of all, it concerns aggressive genres: vocal with growl, guitars with distortion and zubodrobitelnye blast-bits - not a path of DX80. The end of this player is a wide imaginary scene with detailed elaboration in depth, separation of instruments, their positioning by ear, transfer of individual features.
The upper frequencies are clearly tuned so as to avoid the slightest hints of brightness and sharpness. They are good enough in detail and speed, but specially reduced in the pitch so as not to tire even on bright headphones. This slightly reduces the perceived pesvdetal'nost sound, but, getting used a little to the manner of the DX80, you begin to understand that this does not concern the detail of the real.
Compatibility
One of the main advantages of this player - it does not tire your sound with almost any headphones. Even very bright and shock Titan 5 from Dunu, which have a strong V-shaped AFC, sound with the DX80 without kinks. In fact, you can use the player with any headphones, the main thing is that you like their submission and they are not excessively neutral. The power reserve of the player is good, and problems even with overhead headphones do not arise (except for the most tight models).
The genre player is not very suitable for my hearing for heavy metal and other brutal genres, where aggression is needed. Although, if you get used to his presentation, of course, you can listen to the "burden". But it excellently reveals itself on more calm styles such as jazz and classics, where it is important to build a scene and volume. To the quality of recording DX80 is very tolerant, somewhere on 6 points out of 10.
Traditional sample tracks
Arena - Painted Man. The case when "two loneliness" met. British neo-progressive geniuses in themselves play quite detached music, the main dominant in which is the infinite skill of the performers, and then this is added to the same impassive player. The result is like a classic: "Believed. I am algebra of harmony. " Music appears in the form of a perfect crystal, which is interesting to turn on the light, marveling at the complex play of reflections in its faces.
Art Zoyd - A drum, a drum. Another case of synergy of the player and music. Creativity Art Zoyd is full of schizophrenic roughness, sharpness and unexpected transitions. If you love this band the same way as I do, and think that insanity and genius are closely intertwined, then the DX80 is able to amplify the psychedelicity of what's happening. He brings the listener slightly away from the band's musical madness, allowing you to see the whole picture in a complex, assessing its scale.
David Gilmour - Dancing Right In Front of Me. For me it is absolutely clear who in Pink Floyd was responsible for the best musical finds, and who was for promoting socialist ideas. Of course, I'm joking, but Gilmour's solo work published this year is a rare diamond in the heap of modern musical slag. After paying tribute to the memory of Rick Wright in Pink Floyd's latest album "Endless River" and dissolving the band, David said he was not going to look back. Indeed, there are a lot of unusual in this album, for example, noticeable flirting with jazz in this track. Of course, to describe in words the game of Gilmour - the lesson is useless, you have to listen to it. The DX80 is very suitable for this music, allowing you to assess its depth and complexity to the fullest.
conclusions
iBasso remain true to their sound. This is bad news for those who do not like it, and good for connoisseurs of corporate detachment. DX80 with sniper accuracy falls precisely between the DX50 and DX90, being the first swallow in the company's restarted lineup. The stylish appearance is combined in it with convenience in use, and the characteristic corporate sound is revealed in full measure, pleasing the fans of the company. The price tag is definitely good for a player of this level, but before buying, you should make sure that this kind of presentation of musical material appeals to you.
The article is based on materials .
Comments
Post a Comment