This is the official thread for the iBasso DX160
This thread is for discussion and reviews.
- 4.4BAL, 3.5PO, 3.5LO, SPDIF, USB, BT
- 2xCS43198
- Android 8.0
Hifiguides Amazon Link
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One thing for sure, the measurements of this DAP is outstanding.
https://hifigo.com/blogs/news/ibasso-dx160-player-testing-report-beat-even-himself
Even M15 can’t reach DX160.
M15 THD: 0.0004%
DX160 THD: 0.0002%
So… double the performance?
I know measurement isn’t the only thing that matters, but considering the price difference of these two, iBasso did a great job here.
If you’re looking for measurements, DX160 is your only choice.
Also, the noise floor is almost as good as Benchmark HPA4.
SNR:
HPA4: 133db
DX160: 130db
50mw SNR:
HPA4: 88db
DX160: 86db
People have said theycouldn’t hear any noise with Andromeda, which verify the measurements.
Waiting for Z video review
Well, I’m not supposed to share the video, but if you go to his patreon page, you can watch it even if you’re not a patron.
Too bad that it has a digital volume control. It has enough bit depth and all but that’s still worse than analog.
You’re going to lose SNR by lowering the bits, anyway. They could add an analog volume control IC and it would be perfect.
It’s still hiss-free but why did they decide to use digital volume when it’s worse in general as far as I know.
I search a lot for the cons of analog volume control and didn’t find anything.
Well, it’s dependant on pot quality (if you use a volume pot), which can affect channel balance at low volume (important to be good for iems), you can have scratchiness or noise if the pot isn’t clean, and having a poor quality pot in line can degrade the signal, but all of these downsides can be overcome in one way or another. Also in a dap, smaller pots have a larger chance of breaking or having issues if the player gets handled poorly, also they take up more space in the device. Ideally in a device like this I would like to see digitally controlled analog volume but it would probably add cost (if the fact that it’s using digital volume is true)
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The usual issue assuming they aren’t just noisy is channel imbalance.
A volume pot is actually either 2 or in some cases 4 variable resistors attached back to back to a single main shaft. Variable resistor have none linearity’s, and at lower volumes those can translate to fairly obvious volume imbalances between the channels.
If the manufacturer pays for a decent Pot these issues are usually moot, but for small pots in particular there aren’t a lot of high quality options.
You’ll see the use of DACT (or similar switched attenuators) and even Relay based volume controls on very high end gear because it removes any issues the Pot can introduce.
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I contacted Paul from iBasso at head-fi.org about analog volume control for the headphone out and line-out.
He replied, “It is all digital but starts high enough that the bits are not compromised.”
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I guess I know why iBasso didn’t use analog volume IC (hopefully I got it right).
M11 Pro uses NJW1195 for volume control.
https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/294/NJW1195_E-69285.pdf
According to the datasheet:
THD: 0.0003%
SNR: -120db
But DX160 measures significantly better. It wouln’t makes sense for them to make the measurements worse, or use a much more expensive volume control IC for better measurements.
And from what I’m seeing, M11 Pro never gets SNR better than 119db.
https://www.fiio.com/m11pro_parameters
Wasn’t sure whether to post this in the Amazon HD thread or here. Last night I downloaded and installed the Amazon Music app on my DX160. This is the regular/Prime version, NOT the Ultra HD subscription. Yes, I’m ok streaming mp3s every now and then - if I really like something I’ll buy the lossless version from the Qobuz shop.
I’m sending digital coax from the DX160 to an external DAC. Either the DAP or Amazon seems to think it’s a good idea to upsample mp3s to 192 kHz. Should this even be possible? It sure doesn’t sound like 192 kHz. It does this on every track. The desktop version of Amazon Music doesn’t do this. What the H is going on here? Is there any way to fix this? Settings in the DAP or the app? I’ve tried the “Music settings” in Amazon, but instead of showing settings it just gives me a message saying my music unlimited subscription has expired. The “Streaming quality” option I guess affects the WiFi quality and not the actual content quality.
I’m pretty suspicious of upsampling, especially for lossy content - it’s just the hardware or software making guesses and screwing around with the signal. I just want the pure, original, unadulterated bitstream, even if it is lossy - it’s already been messed with enough during compression. Maybe I should have posted this in the rant thread???
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Hi guys, does anyone know the output power of the dx160 in Watts or mW? I see its listed as 3.2 Vrms and 6.4 Vrms I’m trying to see if it’s worth getting a separate portable dac amp to drive sth like the elegia or HD6xx.
you’ll have no problems driving either of these with dx160, I would obviously rec to use the player balanced if possible but should still be able to drive these with no issues SE.
source; I own the dx160 and 6xx, and used to own the elegia 
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P = V2/R
LowGain@300ohms=(3.2)^2/300=34mW
HighGain@300ohms=(6.4)^2/300=136mW
For Elegia, I guess the voltage is limited since the impedance is 35 ohms.
It’s been years since I’ve studied these so someone corrects me if I’m wrong.