Sound Analysis.

I analyzed DX180 sound performance with Aroma Jewel while playing a variety of test tracks, such as Agnes Obel’s “The Curse”, Sandro Cavazza’s “So much better” (Avicii remix), C-Bool “Never go away”, Ed Sheeran “Shape of you”, Alan Walker “Darkside”, Galantis “Hunter”, Iggy Azalea “Black widow”, Indila “Boite en argent”, Dua Lipa “Love Again”, Counting Crows “Big yellow taxi”, Bob Marley “Jamming”, David Elias “Vision of her”, and Michael Jackson “Dirty Diana”.  As recommended by the manufacturer, I kept DX180 on burn-in for 200 hours using iBasso’s burn-in cable before I started the sound analysis.

I prefer to describe the DAP sound based on the comparison to other DAPs and pair-ups with different IEMs/headphones since the DAP by itself doesn’t have a “sound”.  What we hear is how it sounds through connected IEMs/headphones or the difference in sound relative to other sources using the same pair of IEMs/headphones.  As a result, this section of the review usually has a shorter summary of what I find in the follow-up Comparison and Pair-up sections.  Of course, this is my subjective opinion, describing how and what I hear.

DX180 has a neutral tuning with a slightly revealing tonality.  The reason why I find it neutral is because I don’t hear any exaggerated enhancements relative to the frequency response of IEMs I tested it with.  So, for example, I don’t hear it boosting the bass, but I do hear the enhancement in the texture of the sub-bass rumble, especially when switching to high gain.  With mids, the tonality is relatively transparent, and I don’t hear too much coloring.  But with treble it is where the revealing part of the tonality comes out.  It is not boosted or bright, just airier, and more revealing up top which makes the upper mids sound more micro-detailed without actually being brighter.  Thus, the overall timbre of instruments wasn’t as organic or too revealing, but rather natural, detailed, and transparent (less colored).

Thanks to a super-black background of DX180 with an almost undetectable noise floor, the sound is more open and expanded in dynamics.  I think its black background and the low noise floor were the first things I noticed when I started listening to DX180 and right away switched to my sensitive IEMs to see if I could detect any waterfall hissing.  It was almost undetectable.  With such a black background and the improvement in vertical dynamics, you can hear details pop out faster out of the blackness, with cleaner on/off transition of notes and faster movement in transient changes of sound peaks.  The sound never felt flat or compressed.  It always sounded dynamic and layered.

The soundstage expansion is naturally spacious in all 3 directions, though I do find more depth and height over width which is not the widest I heard.  The imaging is holographic and quite precise in how instruments and vocals were placed and separated in space.  Of course, the soundstage and the imaging are the properties of your IEMs/headphone’s technical performance, but the source plays a very important role in how it showcases the technical performance to its full potential or if it either limits or exaggerates it.  With most of the IEMs and headphones I tried, I didn’t find DX180 to limit the soundstage or imaging.  I also didn’t notice too much of the holographic exaggeration either.  The imaging does have 3D placement of instruments and vocals, and the soundstage was nicely expanded, making you feel like you are right in front of the artist on stage.

3.5mm (SE) vs 4.4mm (BAL).

The tonality and the sound signature are nearly identical.  There is a difference in soundstage expansion with BAL output being noticeably wider relative to SE.  Also, BAL has a higher output power, so while using the same pair of IEMs I had to adjust the volume going between these ports by about 8-9 clicks.  Otherwise, performance is very similar.

Pair up.

In this section of my review, I will go over how various earphones and headphones pair up and sound with DX180.  In each pair-up, DX180 was set at high gain, D3 digital filter, and I noted the volume level (v#) out of max 100.  Also, every pair-up was tested from a balanced output.  These are short analysis notes to give you a basic idea of what to expect.

Pair up with Headphones.

Audio-Technica ATH-R70x (v48) – R70x are open-back 470ohm headphones and not every source can make them feel like you are sitting in an open space room surrounded by sound, and that’s how it felt in this pair up.  I hear R70x with DX180 to have a natural smooth organic tonality with a laidback presentation of the sound.  Bass has a deeper rumble and mid-bass has a softer punch; mids/vocals sound a bit warmer, natural, and still clear and detailed, and so does treble with a natural airy sparkle.  I was especially impressed with the tonality and presentation of the vocals in this pair-up.

Beyerdynamic T5p 2nd (v34) – the soundstage here has more depth/height than width and I also found the imaging to be a bit more center-focused.  The sound is very smooth, organic, warmer, and has a laid-back presentation. The bass has a deep textured rumble, while the mid-bass is rather rounded and soft.  Mids/vocals are natural, and organic, with a fuller body and warmer tonality.  The treble is smooth and a bit attenuated.  I wasn’t a big fan of this pair-up since it made the sound of T5p2 a bit too warm and laidback for my taste.

MEZE Audio Empyrean (v40) – the soundstage in this pair-up has a more spherical shape, not too exaggerated, but the imaging is full-on 3D holographic.  The sound is balanced, clean, and clear, with a more natural tonality.  I do hear a deeper sub-bass rumble, well-controlled soft mid-bass punch, natural and detailed mids/vocals, and crisper airy treble.  In this pair-up, Empyrean still sounds natural, but the retrieval of details is on a higher level.

Pair up with IEMs.

Aroma Jewel w/FT (v25) – The soundstage is wide open and evenly expanded in all 3 directions with nearly holographic imaging. The sound signature is balanced, while tonality is more neutral with a slightly more mid-forward revealing presentation of the sound.  The bass goes deep, with a textured sub-bass rumble and a punchy mid-bass; the bass is tight and articulate.  Lower mids are neutral which gives upper mids more transparency, and less coloring, making them more revealing and still natural.  The treble is crisp and detailed, not splashy or harsh, and quite natural.

Empire Ears Odin (v21) – holographic soundstage expansion; more mid-forward sound tuning.  Non-elevated yet still deep sub-bass with a tight fast mid-bass punch, closer to neutral quantity with sub-bass and mid-bass being nicely balanced.  Mids are very detailed, layered, revealing, not analytical but naturally revealing, definitely on a leaner and more revealing side, and treble is also crisp and relatively natural.

FiR Audio RN6 (v19) – Another example of a holographic soundstage expansion and imaging, with the sound pushed more out of my head.  A mildly L-shaped signature with a strong deep analog bass with a textured deep rumble and elevated mid-bass punch. Then, you have smooth organic detailed mids/vocals which are a bit recessed relative to the bass and positioned more out of your head, and crisp detailed treble.  The RN6 kinetic bass here feels like it is coming from a separate sub-woofer.

Campfire Audio Solaris 2020 (v8) – wide soundstage expansion with more depth and height; balanced sound sig with a little more emphasis on mids, closer to neutral bass with a decent extension and softer mid-bass punch.  Mids/vocals are the shining stars of this pair up, being clear, detailed, natural, and layered; treble is bright, with extra sparkle, airy, not harsh but it does have an extra bite.  Since it is Campfire IEMs, I tested and can reassure you that no hissing was detected.

iBasso IT07 (v18) – I heard a holographic soundstage and imaging and was pleasantly surprised by the enhanced width of the sound spreading more to the left/right.  The bass goes deep with a textured sub-bass rumble, and the mid-bass punch packs an extra weight.  Mids/vocals are smooth, natural, detailed, especially vocals sound very organic, and I’m also hearing a clear, natural treble sparkle.  Very clear, smooth, natural sound with tight and punchy bass.

iBasso 3T-154 (v19) – Another surprise with a big soundstage expansion, including a wide left/right spread, and nearly holographic level of imaging.  The overall tuning is more neutral and has a slightly more forward presentation of the mids.  The sound has a clean, detailed, natural tonality.  The bass is tight and fast, not as elevated, but very precise and articulate.  Mids have a more forward presentation with a very clean, detailed, natural tonality.  Treble also has a natural airy sparkle.

Overall, while I quite enjoyed the DX180 pair-up with IEMs, a few pairs of harder-to-drive full-size headphones I use in my testing didn’t impress me as much.  Perhaps my expectations were higher, or maybe because I still remember how these pair up with DX320 and DX320Max, but I know that it would be unfair to compare DX180 to these iBasso flagships.

Page 4 – Comparison, Wired/Wireless connection, and Conclusion.