iBasso DC01 DAC ( Roundup Review)
xtenik All Amp Review, Ibasso 0
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Following you can find all the reviews of iBasso DC01 , including the article review and Youtube video review.
Note: Xtenik just collected all the summary from other sites, if you want to read the full review, just click the button, it will redirect you to the original article.
Article Review
Twister 6
Design and Functionality.
DC01 main aluminum housing, kind of bulbous in shape, is about 38mm long, very lightweight, and hosts the 2.5mm balanced headphone jack, AK4493EQ DAC, dual ultra-low noise LDO voltage regulators, a blue led (to indicate the presence of power), and the rest of the circuit.
A matching aluminum housing USB-C connector plug is attached with a short 8-wire braided cable, the same premium hybrid cable (4 pure copper and 4 SPC conductors) iBasso uses with some of their IEMs.
This interconnect cable will carry only a digital signal from USB-C connector to the DAC, but since we have multiple conductors, it allows to separate power, ground, and data signals, keeping them apart and isolated.
Overall, this pigtail design looks very nice, especially when used with matching iBasso IEM cables. The total length of this pigtail adapter is about 120mm, and the total weight is about 10g.
Audio123reviews
Sound Analysis (Tested with Samsung Galaxy S10)
Lows
The DC01 has good sub-bass quantity with great extension The sub-bass reproduction provides an agile rumble. The bass decay is quick which contributes to a high engagement level. The bass texture is rendered with moderate smoothness. The mid-bass has an effective amount of body and the slam is delivered in a punchy manner. Each bass note is articulated with an impactful and bodied hit.
Mids
The midrange is expressed musically with body. The vocals reproduction has good details retrieval and emotions are conveyed well. The lower midrange has moderate amount of body and male vocals are expressed with presence. The upper midrange is elevated with a boost and female vocals are presented smoothly with a high intimacy level. There is an engaging vocals performance.
(Image Credit: audio123review)
Highs
The treble is extended well and there is a smooth presentation with body. The crisp has good definition and there is an apt amount of sparkle to liven up the top end. The treble expression is controlled and there is an airy feeling. Details are presented well with ease. The treble has a nice balance.
Soundstage
The DC01 has a natural soundstage expansion and there is a spacious presentation. The width magnitude is good. The depth is not closed in with sufficient space rendered. Positioning of vocals and instruments is accurate.
Porta.fi
Packaging and design
Despite the small size, the box of DC01 is beautiful — white cardboard, printing, specs on the back side — that’s what you call presentation. Inside the box there is a DAC and USB-A to USB-C adapter that will be handy when used with PC.
The design of DC01 is simple and accurate. The compact USB-C jack allows to connect to desired device even when there is almost no room for that. Next to it there is a short (around 10cm) cable and the main block that contains headphone input, led indicator and internals such as DAC and other things. The design is very accurate and build quality is good.
In order to make life more simple for Android users, iBasso developers have created the app called iBasso UAC that allows to control the device volume better, with more steps than the OS allows. However, most of audiophile software players, such as UAPP, can do it on their side.
Geektech
How convenient is it to use?
Using iBasso DC01 is very simple, but there isa couple of things worth mentioning. With Windows 10 (I suppose, as with Mac OS), the iBasso DC01 “starts up” without any problems. We connect to the USB Type-C or Type-A port via an adapter and select it in the list of playback devices. For older versions of Windows, you need to download the driver on the official website.
With a smartphone, the “Plug & Play” scheme also works,but it’s a little more complicated. Smartphones on Android 5.0 and higher support the USB audio class 2.0 (UAC2.0) protocol, but the default SRC protocol (downsampling) is used for compatibility with a large number of devices.
As a result, when connected to a smartphone, the hardware on iBasso DC01 is set to maximum volume, and adjustment occurs only in the music player of the smartphone. As a result, we have noise and distortion.
This problem is solved with the help of the proprietary iBasso UAC application: it adds the 64-step volume control of the iBasso DC01 itself.
( Image Credit ：Geektech)
Lower the volume in the application and get rid of noise. The application itself is extremely simple: there is, in fact, a volume control and several additional features.
Save the selected volume level, autostart the application when iBasso DC01 is connected and adjust the volume in the notification blind.
It is interesting that there is an application page on Google Play, but the installation is not available, so you have to download the APK from the official site:
Youtube Review
English
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l7ePzZbLiY （Have questions, please leave a comment on Porta.fi Channle, he is active in replying your questions.)
Russian
Thailand
Bahasa Indonesia
FAQ
How would you compare the sound of this dongle with the Fiio BT3 Bluetooth receiver?
DC01 is better, first of all on the treble, as Bluetooth codecs are spoiling the treble most noticeably.
Also, DC01 is more powerful, so with full-size cans it’ll behave betterwith sensitive IEMs when BTR3 is connected via USB, difference is smaller, but DC01 still offers a bit better control and a bit more resoulution
Would there be any benefit to connecting the DC01 to an LGV20 (Quad DAC) phone or FiiO M6? (Outside of being able to used a balanced cable.)
I didn’t test LG V20, so I can’t say about it. With FiiO M6 you’ll get a bit different representation (but tighter lows and a bit sharper treble) but I can’t call that “another level” DC01 is also a bit more powerful if I remember specs right, but I don’t think it’s a big dial in vast majority of situations
This or the DragonFly Cobalt? Which is better value for money?
I didn’t test new DragonFly, but if I remember right, it’s even more expensive, and most probably in price/quality comparison DC01 will win, as it offers a really good sound for $50. in “absolute” comparison DF could be better of course, but not sure how much.
FAQ Source from Porta.fi Youtube Channel.