-3.5mm coaxial input, supports PCM768kHz/DoP256
-3.5mm optical input, supports PCM192kHz/DoP128
-4.4mm balanced output
-3.5mm single-ended output
-4.4mm LO output
-3.5mm LO output
(Output specs in review)
-Charging interface: USB–C (Charge), supports 5V/2A and QC3.0 quick charging
-Charging time: 2.5 hours
-Battery life: 9 hours
-Size: 139mm * 82mm * 28mm
Weight: 312g
Total Score
Introduction
Hello dear Hifitopia readers. Today we will review one of the most up-to-date and upper segment members of 1 bit resistor dacs, one of the favorites of analog lovers. Introducing the iBasso D16 Taipan.
Let’s see what this bold device that says I am the best offers us.
I bought the product myself with the purpose of writing an independent review. I am writing my review after spending about 400 hours with it.
Design & Build
Package
It comes with a great box and a lot of stuff. When I opened the box, I felt like I was opening an ultra-luxury watch box. The material of both the box and the content feels heavy and full. This is exactly what comes out of the box:
- Protective / wrap-around leather case
- 1 × USB-C to Lightning OTG cable
- Warranty card
- Pleather pouch (for device)
- Quick Start Guide / print materials
- Soft cable pouch (to store the cables)
- 1 × USB-C to USB-C cable (OTG / data)
- 1 × Digital coaxial / optical cable (mini coax / mini-opt)
- 1 × USB-A to USB-C cable (for charging / data)
The carrying pouch that comes in the box is of high quality, as is the box itself. The D16 Taipan comes with plenty of cables, including coax for stereo.
The iBasso D16 Taipan
My first impressions of the iBasso D16 Taipan are that although it is big, it is quite light, only 312g. That’s lighter than the average DAP. The cover that comes with it is very pleasant and of high quality. I think it adds a more sympathetic look to the cold and dark style of the device. Unusually, this device has two volume pots. One is really the volume pot and the other is the gain pot which gives you an adjustable gain range. I like that because it adds precision. The device has a small display. From this screen you can adjust the gain settings of the dac and amp stages and set the output options. The D16 Taipan does not offer any adjustable digital filter options.
The device has 3.5mm, 4.4mm and coax outputs and two usb-c ports. In this way, data and charge transfer are separated from each other and signal cleaning is provided. In addition to these two type-c ports, there is also an on-off switch.
Technology
iBasso D16 Taipan reduces noise by reorganizing digital audio signals with FPGA-MASTER 2.0. The 128 PMW-DAC architecture acts as a hardware FIR filter, reducing THD to very low levels for a 1bit resistor dac. These are the technologies iBasso has created to ensure flawless signal quality.
The D16 A class has a massive amplifier stage and can go up to 2x1125mW at 32ohm.
Full Output Specs Of D16 Taipan
| Output | Output Level | Output Power | THD+N | DNR | SNR | Crosstalk | Frequency Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.4mm LO | 3.3Vrms (DAC Low Gain)4Vrms (DAC High Gain) | – | -120.4dB (0.000095%) @1kHz AES17–20K A–wt | 123dB AES17–20K A–wt | 123dB AES17–20K A–wt | 135dB | 15Hz–40kHz ±1dB |
| 3.5mm LO | 1.65Vrms (DAC Low Gain)2Vrms (DAC High Gain) | – | -118dB (0.00012%) @1kHz AES17–20K A–wt | 120dB AES17–20K A–wt | 120dB AES17–20K A–wt | 133dB | 15Hz–40kHz ±1dB |
| 4.4mm PO | 4.2Vrms (AMP L Gain + DAC H Gain)6.8Vrms (AMP H Gain + DAC H Gain) | 1125mW+1125mW @32Ω (THD+N <0.5%) | -117dB (0.00014%) @1kHz AES17–20K A–wt 600Ω Load | 123dB AES17–20K A–wt | 123dB AES17–20K A–wt | 131dB | 15Hz–40kHz ±1dB |
| 3.5mm PO | 2.1Vrms (AMP L Gain + DAC H Gain)3.4Vrms (AMP H Gain + DAC H Gain) | 640mW+640mW @16Ω (THD+N <0.5%) | -114dB (0.00019%) @1kHz AES17–20K A–wt 600Ω Load | 118dB AES17–20K A–wt | 118dB AES17–20K A–wt | 130dB | 15Hz–40kHz ±1dB |
Usability
Audiophile equipment is divided into two categories from a collective point of view with which I agree. The first is products manufactured with every scenario in mind, emphasizing comfort, ease of use and functional design. The second is products produced with nothing but pure sound quality with a burning passion. iBasso D16 Taipan is in the second group. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a terrible product with a bad design, but there are parts I would criticize:
The fact that such a large device is so light inevitably raised the question in my mind, couldn’t it be smaller? There is no problem when I use the D16 by putting it on the table, but what about the portable part of this device? I need a small handbag to carry it around and it’s not easy to listen to something while carrying it around. I connect it to my phone with a wired connection and I’m not comfortable unless I have a table in front of me. You may say “but this is already a device like this”. But you don’t buy a device with a battery just to put it on the table and listen to it, friends. The purpose of my insistence on this issue is to push iBasso to make more compact devices. Because the sound value of this device is exceptional, I would like to pay more if necessary and use such a device comfortably outside.
Another criticism is that the standby time is the same as the runtime. It drains the battery in 9-10 hours, whether I listen to music or not. I found this very frustrating as I often left the device on. It shouldn’t be difficult to add an automatic shutdown when music is not playing to such a high-end device.
Synergy
Campfire Audio Moon Rover With iBasso D16 Taipan
Good match good sound. That’s what synergy is all about. When Campfire Moon Rover is combined with D16 Taipan, the resulting synergy takes away some things and adds others. In a nutshell, the iBasoo D16 Taipan reins in more of the Moon Rover’s upper treble, while maintaining the timbre, resulting in a more pleasing top end. On the other hand, it adds more midbass and body to the already midbass-oriented Moon Rover, which has a tiny peak around 2khz. The result is still very good because you still have mid-push. From these two different pairings two different sounds emerge: open-bright-micentric and full-bodied-warm-midcentric. I leave it to you to choose, let’s meet in the comments.
Plussound Volta With iBasso D16 Taipan
This match reminds me of an old relationship. Sometimes you and she are good enough, but together you are not good enough. Two great partners don’t always make a great relationship. Such is the story of Plussound Volta and iBasso D16 Taipan. The Volta is an exquisite W-shape iem with an impressive note weight. The D16 Taipan is a great 1bit dac that produces a warm, analog and technical sound at the same time. When they are combined, the result is a half U-shape and half V-shape sound. In this pairing the Volta sounds warmer. Female vocals are further behind, but in terms of field emotional timbre. There’s more midbass and a darker sound. Of course, it’s different if you’re a high end basshead, it works well with edm and hiphop. The resulting sound is not bad, still very good, but not great. I think this relationship is suffocating Volta. My score for this pairing is 6/10.
Hifiman Arya Organic With iBasso D16 Taipan
The computer volume is at the end, the gain is H and the gain pot is around 60%. The volume pot is at 85. Under these conditions, Arya Organic is easily driven. But I don’t get the same performance on the phone and the result is not good. Thinking that this might be related to the volume limitation on the phones, I continue my test using the computer.
I can say that this pairing improves the brightness of the Hifiman Arya Organic. More tamed trebles and vocals pushed a step forward were the first details that struck my ears. It’s good in that respect because in this version of the sound there’s more body in the instruments and there’s no loss of airiness. I try to keep the volume pot high and the gain pot low, otherwise there can be a very small bottom noise. Other than that, it adds a very slight midbass gain to the sound, a very, very minimal gain. I like it when I listen to Petra Magoni’s Fever, but it’s not something I would prefer on metal tracks. Other than that, this duo uses all the technical achievements of Organic and unleashes the potential. I have to say, an iBasso PB5 Osprey would look great here. Imagine how much better the sound would be with a better amp stage.
iBasso D16 Taipan With Oriolus Monachaa
The iBasso D16 Taipan adds extra body and an analog timbre to the sound while keeping the Monachaa’s upper highs in control. This is great, because a natural, u-shaped, slightly cold-sounding iem with superior technique like the Monachaa needs to be fun. Moreover, this pairing captures a great imaging with both devices being very strong in terms of soundstage. Without further ado, my score for this pairing is 9.7/10.
Sound
The iBasso D16 Taipan is a portable dac-amp with an analog character and a huge soundstage. Its blend of analog sound with good technique makes it special. It has a very soft tone and is a great remedy for harsh-sounding headphones. But it doesn’t pair well with warm and dark headphones.
Tonality
The sub is slightly more prominent in the lower frequencies and generally has a neutral interpretation in this part. In the midrange, it produces a holographic and realistic sound that is both transparent and has a slight analog timbre. Moving upwards, the sound becomes neutral in the upper mid to lower treble range, gradually softening towards the mid to upper treble and revealing velvet-smooth trebles in the air frequencies.
Overall, the sound has a soft character with neutral areas and warm areas with an analog timbre. This soft character is subtly neutralized in certain places so it doesn’t have a dark or dark effect. This is a very special and unique tonality. You can think of it as the opposite of Hugo2 in character and a close version in technical terms.
Technique Of iBasso D16 Taipan
The first thing that stands out technically is the huge soundstage. It has a very wide stage, especially in the mid-range, which is also related to its unique timbre. D16 has huge breathing spaces, legendary separation, very good layering and holographically well-constructed positioning. It does this with a very quiet and dark background. The resolution is very good but not endgame, and the detail reproduction is quite ambitious. The perfect space around the vocals and the depth of the stage across the entire spectrum is very impressive.
With all these capabilities, the iBasso D16 Taipan is a very impressive DAC/AMP. It’s rare to find a device with both such good technique and a softened neutral-analog timbre. Only in the high-end over-ears you may feel the need for an additional amplifier. The overall sound performance can be a bit harsh with very powerful headphones, and the perfect soundstaging can be compromised. When you hear this, you think of one device: PB5
Last Words
The iBasso D16 Taipan is a solid sounding device for the price, but I think other aspects need to be improved. You can see this device as a path to great sound for headphones with a harsh character. With its soft character and analog-neutral natural timbre and great technique, it’s a hard device to find. I think there are very few devices that can do what it achieves.
