The entry-level to a high performance!
PROS: neutral tuning with a slightly revealing tonality, super black background with a very low noise floor, solid build, user replaceable battery, hi-res 5” display, quad CS43131, FPGA-Master 2.0, Snapdragon 665 w/optimized Android 13, 4GB RAM/128GB Storage, 4.4mm/3.5mm LO and PO, 3.5mm coax, excellent battery life, and fast charging.
CONS: at this level of price/performance ratio, I can’t think of any.
The product was provided to me free of charge for review purposes in exchange for my honest opinion.
Manufacturer website: iBasso. Available for sale directly or through authorized retailers like Bloom Audio.
Intro.
Back in the day, many DAP manufacturers used to offer entry, mid-fi, and summit-fi audio players with a clear upgrade path in audio performance as you step through each level. Today, these lines are blurred, and often we have to accept the law of diminishing returns when paying extra for flagship models relative to their mid-fi siblings. At the other end of the price spectrum, I also noticed more manufacturers pushing the envelope of the entry-level models which makes you question if you can even call it an “entry” level.
Typically, the entry-level should be a budget-priced cutdown version of an audio player with a performance suitable for less picky audiophiles. But when iBasso refers to its DAP as the entry-level, it usually means a budget-priced audio player packed with enough features to elevate its price/performance ratio to a much higher level. Their DX160 and DX170 followed that route, and now with the availability of DX180, I will be taking a closer look at this latest DAP release from iBasso to see if it followed the same footsteps.
Unboxing and Accessories.
The packaging box DX180 arrived in was rather compact, typical of their IEMs. I guess, it has to be scaled down to let you know this is not a flagship model. Inside you will find all the essentials, like several screen protectors, a warranty card, and a quick start guide. Also included was a high-quality USB-A to USB-C charging/data cable, and I do appreciate it having a USB-A connector since I still have a ton of older chargers.
You will also find a clear TPU case which I like because you can see all the details of the chassis design, especially the back panel. The case has a generous opening for 4.4mm and 3.5mm ports at the bottom. Then, raised covers for Play/Pause and Skip buttons on the right that are easy to locate and feel just by touch. There is also a generous opening for the volume wheel with easy thumb access all around it. And also, the opening for a spring-loaded microSD card and USB-C port at the top. Always a good idea to have access to a microSD card without the need to remove the case.
Design.
With exterior dimensions of 123mm x 75mm x 16mm and a weight of 206g, DX180 feels relatively light and also easy to handle and control in one hand. This solid-build pocket-friendly compact DAP has an alloy-aluminum chassis and nearly edge-to-edge Sharp 5.0” hi-res 1080x1920P screen with an on-cell capacitive touch panel. From the front, it looks like an ordinary rectangular DAP with a protruding side-volume wheel. But you can appreciate more unique design details of DX180 (relative to DX170) as you turn it around to take a closer look at the sides and the back.
DX180 vs DX170
The left side doesn’t have any controls. The right side has unique lines, hosting 3 identical skewed playback buttons with a precise tactile response and a volume/power wheel above it. The wheel sticks out a bit off the chassis for easier access and control with a thumb all around it and has a precise 100-step click action to adjust the volume. It also doubles as a power button when you press it, with a typical short press to turn the display on/off and a long press to bring up the power off/restart message window. The wheel did not wobble and felt solid during operation.
The top of the chassis has access to a spring-loaded microSD card to expand the internal storage, and a USB-C port next to it for charging and digital inputs and outputs. At the bottom, you will find 4.4mm BAL and 3.5mm SE ports, each one doubling as PO and LO selectable in the settings or directly from the notification bar. Plus, the 3.5mm port also triples with additional functionality of SPDIF output, selectable from settings. Each of these individual ports has a golden surrounding faceplate to add a more premium look to it.
The back panel which feels like a tempered glass, has a cool “industrial” asymmetric design with a metal insert piece in the upper left corner. You can remove that piece held down by two torq #5 screws, slide up and flip open the back panel, and access the battery underneath which is user replaceable. I assume you can purchase the replacement directly from iBasso, and the battery itself is connectorized and easy to remove if there is a need for it.
Page 2 – Under the hood, GUI, and EQ.
Page 3 – Sound Analysis and Pair up.
Page 4 – Comparison, Wired/Wireless Connection, and Conclusion.
Twister6 Reviews 
Great review thank you. A lot of times you explain the differences you here between the D filters. Did you notice any? Was D3 your preferred D filter? Did you notice any difference between the FIR filter being normal and X2?
Thank you, Don
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The changes are more subtle here. Also, it will depend on which IEMs you are using and how fast its drivers can respond to transient changes of the notes. I just went back and listened again and can summarize it as (though don’t expect that you might hear the same):
D1 (Fast Roll off) – the sound has a faster pace, sounds tighter
D2 (Short Delay, Slow Roll off) – the sound has a more laidback pace, sounds relaxed
D3 (Short Delay, Fast Roll off) – the sound has a more laidback pace, sounds tighter
D4 (Slow Roll off) – the sound is more laidback and has a slightly fuller body
D5 (NOS) – the sound is smoother, less articulate (not as tight), notes have longer attack and decay
FIR NOR vs 2x – 2x has notes tighter, snappier, with a faster transient response of notes on/off
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About the EQ In this DAP – It’s not a part of the system / It’s a part of the Mango Player app! In my use case, it’s important!
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yes, that is correct, it is not system wide EQ, but rather Mango app based. I have reviewed so many iBasso daps, and they are all the same, so I stopped mentioning it. But it is a good point, and I just added it back in the intro of my EQ section of the review 🙂
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Hi, thanks for the review. I saw a review on Head-Fi yesterday of the DX260. It said that it was better in every sonic respect than the Lotoo GPT. I know that you have heard both. Is the DX260 really better than a player 3x its price? Grateful for your thoughts.
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Not sure if I got out of that review that 260 is better than LGPT in every aspect. The reviewer was just describing pair up synergy of his favorite iems with a number of different DAPs, talking about his personal sound preference. Depending on how you reading into that, almost makes it sound like $400+ M11s is the same or better than $3.5k+ DX320Max Ti 😀 I only had 260 for a short period of time, and it is a nice warmer tuned analog quality DAP.
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Thanks for the very good review. I use the IEM FiiO FA9 on a FiiO Q3 DAC with my iPhone and I am actually satisfied with this combination. Do you think that the FA9 on the iBasso DX180 plays out its potential much better than on the Q3? I’m only concerned with the sound, not the differences in operation.
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It would be hard for me to answer this question since I don’t have FiiO products. But in general, FiiO products, especially the low end stuff like q3, are not considered to be of audiophile quality. DX180 performs on a high audiophile level where it can go up to the performance level of many DAPs up to $1k, so I have no doubt it will be an upgrade for you. Besides. it’s a standalone fast android DAP with unlimited access to apps, so you don’t even have to bother with your iphone and external dac/amp.
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Great review. Do you consider the dx180 a huge upgrade coming from dx160 soundwise? I still love my dx160 but the ui is sluggish and battery life drains so fast even on standby mode.
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I would upgrade it without blinking an eye.
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What would be a viable upgrade to the dx180? Currently have the dx180 and n3 ultra.
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What do you think of the DX300 in 2024/2025?
Some of them used are going for prices as low as DX180. Both use 4 cirrus dacs, different models though. I wonder if the update in FPGA and Android version makes a noticable sonic difference.
And the 300 having 2 separate batteries for analog and digital, how does that fare against the newer DAPs, in particular their latest DX180.
Is the DX180 just like the DX300 for less than half the price?
Thanks for all the reviews.
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Haven’t touched dx300 in a long time, ibasso has new releases every year, multiple times a year. I might have to go through boxes to find it for this comparison. A few things to keep in mind, just because it uses similar dacs the amp design is still different and dx300 has modular design to switch between different amps. But the bigger problem here is aging battery, those won’t be easy to replace unlike in their upcoming dx340 or latest releases. I would be cautious about it. After 3+ yrs, these batteries are not in the best shape.
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Thanks for a swift reply.
The 300 has a much higher power output versus 180. Therefore I kinda thought that the 300 should accompany fullsized planar headphones such as Aryas better.
The quality of the battery certainly is an important factor for a used Dx300. If I do find one that is not used much for 400-500 USD. I wonder how it would compare to Dx180.
Please let me know if you are able to run it back with the 300 🙂 There is not much to find about the Dx300 in 2024
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and that brings us to another important point. They could sound similar while using easy to drive IEMs, but DX180 will fail to drive more demanding planar headphones (most likely it will) while DX300 won’t have a problem… Planar headphones need current, not just voltage. And some of these dap output power calculations are based on paper using voltage numbers without accounting for the need of a current source to drive planar cans to their full potential. So, yeah, if you find DX300 with “low mileage”, that could be a good deal. Plus, you will be able to upgrade with other amps, like their NuTube amp card.
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Hello thanks for the review. If I was going to upgarde my dx180 to something in the below 2k price range. What is a dap you would recommend. Currently considering the se300.
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why would you consider an old closed android slow SE300 when iBasso is about to release a new flagship DX340, open android (and dual boot OS switch to pure-audio Unix without android), high power output, fast performance, for around $1700 with a modular amp design and the same discrete DAC as in their D16 dac/amp. DX340 going to be a beast and probably the best upgrade path for you.
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Hello;
I follow your articles closely as a music lover. I am torn between Fiio m11 plus or Fiio M23 and Ibasso DX180. I mostly think of integrating it into my own hi-fi system. Of course, it will be used outside as well. The device structure, sound quality and ease of use are also important of course. What is your opinion when compared to these devices in general and as a whole?
Thank you, I wish you good work.
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sorry, not familiar with fiio products. Used to review them many years ago, but they only like to deal with reviewers who promote and praise their products, so… Plus, most of my readers never ask me about Fiio DAPs since they are usually not considered to be of a higher audiophile level. As far as DX180 goes, it’s a great little dap with a very impressive price/performance ratio.
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