DAC Review, Other

iBasso DC01

Sound Analysis.

I analyzed DC01 sound performance across pair ups with different smartphones, laptops, other DAPs, and with different headphones while playing a variety of my favorite test tracks, such as Agnes Obel “The curse”, Sandro Cavazza “So much better” (Avicii remix), C-Bool “Never go away”, Ariana Grande “Break up with your girlfriend”, Ed Sheeran “Shape of you”, Galantis “Hunter”, Iggy Azalea “Black widow”, Indila “Boite en argent”, Robin Schultz “Oh child”, David Elias “Vision of her”, and Michael Jackson “Dirty Diana”.

The sound analysis was based on comparison between headphones beings connected directly to various source vs being connected to DC01 paired up with those sources, or just A/B comparison between other USB DACs and/or portable DAPs.

In the following sections of my reviews I will go into more details for each comparison, but overall, I found DC01 to stand out with a very wide soundstage expansion (the first thing that captures your attention), a neutral natural tonality with a fuller body, great sound dynamics (vertical expansion, the sound never felt compressed), and a decent layering and separation of the sounds (keeping everything uncongested).

I do have to admit there was some slight “waterfall” hissing with lower impedance sensitive IEMs where you can hear it either when idling or in quiet passages of the songs.  But it wasn’t too distracting, and not noticeable with full size headphones, dynamic driver IEMs, or higher impedance IEMs.

In a few more specific examples (S9 refers to my Samsung Galaxy S9 phone):

S9 vs S9+DC01 w/iBasso IT04 – with DC01 soundstage is wider, the sound is more transparent, noticeably less coloring in comparison to warmer direct output of S9, improved layering and separation of sounds, and improved dynamics.

ibasso_dc01-16

S9 vs S9+DC01 w/iBasso SR1 – with DC01 I hear a wider soundstage, a better pair up synergy with a more natural tonality vs when connected directly to the phone the volume is still loud but the sound is brighter, rougher, and not as coherent as with DC01.

ibasso_dc01-18

S9 vs S9+DC01 w/Meze Empyrean – directly from a phone the soundstage is narrower, tonality is brighter, not as natural, and the overall tuning doesn’t sound as coherent.  With DC01 the soundstage is wider, the sound is smoother, more natural, with more expanded dynamics, and improved layering and separation.

ibasso_dc01-19

With both of the full-size headphones above, you can drive them directly from my phone, but the tonality was off, being brighter, brittle, and not as coherent.  With DC01, the soundstage expands wider, the tuning is more coherent, and the sound is smoother and more natural.  I’m not saying DC01 will drive them to their full potential, you have to be more realistic since both cans would benefit from a more powerful source, but DC01 can definitely improve the sound of my smartphone even when driving more demanding full-size headphones.

ThinkPad T480s laptop vs T480s+DC01 w/iBasso IT01s – connected directly, T480s has a more compressed sound with a narrower soundstage, while T480s+DC01 yield a much wider soundstage expansion and better sound dynamics (vertical expansion) with improved layering and separation.

ibasso_dc01-12

Comparison.

Unfortunately, most of my usb-OTG DAC devices are from 4 years ago, and many are probably not as relevant.  In this comparison I will go down a memory lane with two Cozoy devices.  But before I do that, let me take a quick look at a comparison to Shanling M0 and VE Odyssey.  I know M0 is just a portable micro-DAP, but a few people already asked me about this comparison.  And Odyssey is the only new usb-OTG DAC dongle I have.

Shanling M0 vs S9+DC01 – DC01 has a wider soundstage expansion, but the tonality is nearly identical, maybe with DC01 being just a touch more transparent, but it’s hard to notice.  I was actually surprised about how close was the tonality and technical sound performance considering DC01 has AK4493 and M0 has ES9218 DACs.

iBasso DC01 vs VE Odyssey (each one with S9) – Both devices are under $50, with Odyssey actually priced at $30 (per 2.5mm balanced config).  They both connect to smartphone (usb-c) and PC (with included USB adaptor).  But when it comes to performance, DC01 has a truly balanced design while Odyssey is single ended with a built-in converter.  Also, DC01 has a wider soundstage expansion, fuller body more natural sound (Odyssey is brighter in tonality), and better dynamics expansion.  Furthermore, I find Odyssey to have a bit more hissing with sensitive IEMs.

ibasso_dc01-17

With Cozoy usb-OTG DACs (connected to Galaxy S9):

S9+DC01 vs S9+Aegis ($299) – Aegis has a lot higher current drain (drains phone battery faster), has higher output power, stronger hissing, thinner sound (especially mids are brighter and leaner).  In comparison, DC01 soundstage is wider (though Aegis has a decent width as well) and tonality is more natural (especially in mids, having fuller body).

S9+DC01 vs S9+Astrapi ($129) – Astrapi has a thinner more congested sound, while DC01 has a wider soundstage, more natural tonality, better dynamics expansion, better sound layering, and noticeably better sound resolution.

ibasso_dc01-21

Page 3 – Pair-up, and Conclusion.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

39 thoughts on “iBasso DC01”

  1. How come your S9’s battery got drained by only 9%/hour whereas my S10 plus saw a drop of nearly 20%/hour when using Apple music and that too when played downloaded songs! Not even FLACs!

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    1. I wasn’t steaming anything, only playing Neutron, and my phone is quite optimized with not too much stuff running in the background. You got some other stuff draining your battery, bud.

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      2. Dc01 is like an external sound card, as long as it’s compatible with your phone or tablet, it should be compatible with anything that produces sound on them. Of course, in theory 😉

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      1. not familiar with usb audio pro, but I think it’s popular with Tidal users, somehow you can listen to Tidal through it, or maybe I’m wrong. Regarding other audio apps, I like Neutron cause it’s very powerful (oversampling, parametric eq, every rate support, and it actually makes sound better), but its interface I still can’t get used to. Other one is HibyMusic, that one is free. Love the interface and MSEB effects, those are very good.

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    1. The soundstage is very wide/expanded. But from my experience when it comes to vocals (upper mids part of the spectrum), that’s usually a function of your IEMs/headphones and how they position and handle the imaging of the vocals and sounds. The source could be a bottleneck, limiting the soundstage. Here, DC01 will not limit it, so the rest will be up to a technical ability of your transducers.

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  4. Hi twister .
    Can I use my 3.5 single ended earphones with 2.5 balanced adapter instead of purchasing new earphone with 2.5 balanced jack (I’m afraid this will hurt the DAC ) ?
    I am looking forward to hear your answer. Thanks

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    1. You can’t convert 3.5mm single ended to 2.5mm balanced because in single ended L/R grounds are tied together and you can’t split them. You can either go from balanced to balanced or balanced to single ended. I think in your case you need DC02, it’s their 3.5mm version of DC01.

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  5. I’m grabbing this feom my mailbox on the way to work this morning to try on my LG V30. Looking forward to trying it out.

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    1. high res files will drain your phones battery faster, but there are other variables to contribute because it will depend on the app you are using on your phone and if it downsamples or sends a bit perfect stream. If you are playing locally stored files or streaming your MQA using Tidal, etc. Sorry, I don’t have that data.

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  8. Great review with so many devices you owned.
    I only have 1 iem hybrid driver (5 balance & 1 dynamic driver) and jack connector using 3.5mm with replaceable cable.
    Can I just replace cable with 2.5mm balanced Trrs dan put DC01 as my dac
    without damage it?
    I know ibasso have option for DC02 but i preferred ak4493 over ak4490 since 4493 is newer & upgraded from 4490.
    In their website has acclaim that compatibility issues with samsung s9 and s10 maybe my phone (note 10+) have same issues, did UAC volume control resolve that issues?
    Thanks

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  11. Hi!
    I have a cayin n3 and have the ibasso it01, but I am finding the bass too much.

    I wanted to get the ibasso it01s , but unfortunately my Cayn n3 don’t have a balanced output and the dc01 wouldn’t let me control the sound on the go 😦 you think they will sound good, just with the unbalanced output? Till I get a better dap later?
    Also, will the it01s, fix the problem of too much bass of the ibasso it01?

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    1. Don’t know your bass tolerance, you could find it01s bassy as well. Maybe get something like Hiby R3 Pro dap, it has balanced output and great EQ and also dsp effects (MSEB) to reduce the bass.

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      1. Thank you!

        And while I don’t upgrade my DAP can you tell me how the IT01s pair up with the unbalanced Cayin n3?

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    1. I guess, at some point will look into this usb dac. I recieved DC03, definitely an improvement in sound quality over dc01/02. Dc04 is probably similar to DC03 but with 4.4mm jack.

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  14. Hi,
    I just receive dc01 from my friend for test.
    Unfortunately didn’t work with iphone!
    I used cck cable+dc01 with usb dongle (type C to A)+ ios 14.5.
    Actually dc01 hiiiis a lot and little blue led turns on but there is no sound.
    Is it competitive with ios ?

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    1. I wish I can comment, but I don’t use iPhone. Did you try gong on Head-fi and asking people in ibasso threads? And even with android phone, I had to install iBasso UAC app to control the volume.

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      1. Tnx.
        I just email Ibasso and…

        I just buy dc03 hope you will review it as soon as possible.

        DC03 adopts type-C interface and uses standard UAC2.0 sound card chip, which is not only compatible with most Android phones and tablets in the market, but also can connect to Apple /Windows computers through the C-A adapter, easily realizing external decoding. Plug and play, get up anytime, anywhere.

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      2. Sorry, I can’t get to every review. I get dozens of products coming in every month, but can only get to one every other week. Too busy with work, kids online school, taking care of grandparents. But with this said, I have DC03 and it is fantastic! A big step up from dc01, big soundstage, better retrieval of details, more layered sound. You will enjoy it!

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