Introduction
I am with you with the review of iBasso’s latest entry-level DAP, the DX180. iBasso DX180, which stands out with its up-to-date features, eye-catching build quality and functionality, let’s see what it can do with its sound. I purchased the iBasso DX180 myself to write an independent review.
This review is based on the latest version v1.02 firmware.

Package
The DX180 comes in a very stylish and full box. They used the space well. It comes with some papers, a great quality type c to type a cable, a transparent case and some screen protectors. It’s especially nice to have more than one screen protector.

Build & Design
The overall material quality is very good and the design is impressively modern, compact and charismatic. Available in 3 different unique colors, we have it in night black. Below the now familiar rotary volume knob are the forward, pause and reverse buttons. The charging port and SD card slot are on the top, while the 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs are on the bottom. With the transparent case on, all these things can be accessed without any problems. The feel of the buttons is fine, and the sockets feel solid.
With its relatively small dimensions and 206g weight, the iBasso Dx180 feels quite compact. The back cover feels and looks like treated glass to the touch. It can be removed by unscrewing the screws on the top left and the battery inside can be easily replaced. This is a really innovative feature.

Technology & OS
The 5-inch sharp LCD display is pretty decent for this dap, with 128gb storage and 4gb RAM (I don’t take the 3/32 seriously). iBasso Dx180 Android 13 with Snapdragon 665 SoC offers a great UI and freedom. Fast charging technology and usb 3.1 support are supported. There is sd card support up to 2TB. When we add all these up, we can say that it is a very current and fast dap for 530 dollars.

It uses 4 CS43131 chips. Although I don’t like this chip, I have seen good examples of it, we will see how they are in the sound part. The nice thing is that the 3200mAh battery is quite sufficient with these chips. iBasso DX180 easily lasts a day and obviously has great battery performance.
The FPGA-Master 2.0 works great and I think the FIR filter improves the sound of the 43131s. Moreover, the DX180 is more powerful than you would expect from its size and relatively small battery, producing 690mW at 32ohm out of 4.4mm and a maximum power output of 6Vrms (in high gain mode). Even for a dap, this is amazing power at this size and price.

Usage
I respect the fact that they optimized and tweaked Android 13 a bit instead of installing it in its pure form. The small touches have significantly improved usability. The final version of Mango was an average experience for me. The graphic eq is the same as in previous versions. The 3 buttons on the right, which are configured to forward pause and reverse, are very useful for changing the music without taking the handle out of your pocket. iBasso Dx180’s battery performance is high enough to last you an entire day of listening to music.

All Technical Specs
- Display: 5.0-inch IPS screen, 1080*1920 resolution, with on-cell capacitive touchscreen
- USB connection: Type-C USB 3.1 (high-speed data transmission and fast charging)
- Storage: 4G RAM + 128G ROM, 3G RAM + 32G ROM, expandable Mirco SD (TF) card slot
- Battery: 3200mAh 3.8V lithium-ion polymer battery
- Bluetooth: V5.0
- WiFi: 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4Ghz/5Ghz)
- Charging time: about 1.5 hours
- Playing time: low-gain balanced output 15.5 hours, high-gain balanced output 13 hours, Line Out 30 hours
- Output: 4.4mm balanced headphone output, 3.5mm single-ended headphone output; 4.4mm linear output; 3.5mm linear output; 3.5mm coaxial output
- Size: 123*75*16mm
- Weight: 206g
3.5mm single-ended headphone output
- Output power: 281mW + 281mW@32ohm, distortion <0.1%
- Output level: 2Vrms (Low Gain) 3Vrms (High Gain)
- Frequency response: 10Hz~75kHz-10 dB
- THD+N: -116dB (A-wt, 600ohm load)
- Separation: -118 dB
- Impedance: 0.6Ω
- Dynamic range: 127 dB
- Signal to noise ratio: 127 dB
4.4mm balanced headphone output
- Output power: 690mW + 690mW@32Ω, distortion <0.1%
- Output level: 4Vrms (Low Gain) 6Vrms (High Gain)
- Frequency response: 10Hz~75kHz 1dB
- THD+N: -121dB (A-wt, 600ohm load)
- Separation: -144 dB
- Impedance: 1.1Ω
- Dynamic range: 133 dB
- Signal to noise ratio: 133 dB

Synergy
In my tests with 3 iems and an over-ear, unfortunately I didn’t find the DX180 to be very good in terms of synergy. Even though it’s a bit more balanced with the latest firmupdate, the tonality of iBasso DX180 overlaps with most headphones on the market. I realize that this is partly due to the iBasso’s sound signature. However, I think that despite paying so much attention to the digital filters, the amplifier stage and the overall structure, they don’t focus enough on this issue. It’s a minus point for me that they let this issue go, knowing that they are using CS series dacs (especially CS43131).

DX180 With Yanyin Moonlight Ultra
Listening in H gain mode over 3.5mm, I found the upper mids and lower trebles to be too prominent. Although not uncomfortable, the fact that it brought the female vocals and guitar closer together negatively affected my hearing. Otherwise the sound was dynamic and crisp. As expected, this pairing did not technically reach the microdetail reproduction potential of Moonlight Ultra.

DX180 With Sennheiser IE900
Listening through the 3.5mm in H gain mode, the upper treble was sharp and overall the treble was a bit too high. Other than that, I found the mids to be good compared to the IE900’s own tone, and I can even say that the mids sounded natural in places. But of course, as with the Moonlight Ultra, I couldn’t hear the full potential of the IE900.
Listening to the 4.4mm in H gain mode, I found the sound more high-pitched and synthetic. Of course, technically it was a bit better, but in terms of listenability, the 3.5mm is much better.

DX180 With Dita Project M
When I listened to the Project M with the stock cable, I found the upper treble too high, but I won’t emphasize this too much, because in the previous Dita Project M review, I said that the stock cable was not good, not enough, and that it negatively affected the tone. When I made this match with the 6n copper QoA Rum cable, the result was much better, and I will review it as it is.
Listening through 4.4mm in H gain mode and using QoA Rum cable, I found this match quite nice. At least it has a stable treble as the brightness at different points does not overwhelm each other. The treble is still in the foreground, but it’s a more harmonious pairing than its predecessors. The bass is well-bodied and emphasized, the feel is good and the technique is standard. The mids are a bit recessive due to the nature of the Project M, but still transparent and pleasant.

DX180 With Focal Celestee
Listening through 3.5mm high gain, the lower frequencies were controlled and natural. I have positive things to say about the mid frequencies. They are not that recessive. But the treble is too much, so much that I had to turn down the volume. At this point, the Fiio K11 R2R is clearly a better match. The Celestee is clearly not the right match for such a neutral-bright device. Still, on some tracks it wasn’t bad, but mostly when the hype kicks in and the track ramps up, the lower treble is ear-splitting.

Sound
My comments in this section cover my listening via Qobuz, local archive and usb dac. The files I listened to were mainly 16/24bit flacs.
Tonality
It has an amazingly quiet background. The balanced 4.4mm output is wider and slightly more contrasting, but otherwise performs similarly to the 3.5mm output. It is colorless except for a slight sparkle in the upper frequencies. The neutral tonality has a slight iBasso touch in the treble, which brings out some of the female vocals and strings. It’s technically supportive and offers a more detailed sound. However, on some tracks it brings the instruments in that range closer to each other and to the front of the soundstage.
Technics
It has a decent resolution, the soundstage is average in terms of width but the depth is good. In the lower frequencies, the amount of speed is impressive but the texture is poor. Microdetail reproduction in the mids and trebles is not very labeling but the presentation is generally detailed. The dynamism of the sound is great despite the neutral tonality.
The DX180 is instrumentally consistent regardless of tonality. The guitar timbre is not bad and the violin timbre is quite accurate and nice. The drums have a good punch and the diaphragm tension is well felt. However, despite a good body, the bass is a bit dry in terms of emotion transfer. The upper frequencies are high resolution and detailed from a technical point of view but average in terms of separation.

Last Words
I listened to iBasso’s DX80, DX160, DX300, DX260, DX320 (amp11mk2, amp13, amp14), DX320max and DX180 Daps. When it comes to buying a dap, I am a person who finds it sensible not to go cheap. Honestly, I think it makes sense to buy a good dongle instead of buying a dap for 500 dollars. When we look only in the Dap class, the DX180 has great features. Android 13, great battery life, two powerful outputs, one balanced, 128gb storage. These are extremely well worth the 530 dollars. In pure audio terms, the iBasso DX180 is still a good device, but there are two small issues. The first is the weak matches due to the slightly bright treble despite the neutral structure. The other is the fact that the $250-300 dongles sound better. Ignoring the second one, the DX180 is a good device if you are definitely going to buy a DAP.