BudgetDAC/AMPReview

iBasso DC-05 DAC/Amp Review – Something Wicked This Way Comes

These days you can find a perfectly serviceable dongle for <$15, which might reasonably inhibit you from spending exponentially more.  The $59 iBasso DC-05 does, however, have certain distinguishing features. For one thing, it decodes MQA, which is typically the province of pricier DACs. For another, it has an accompanying app which ostensibly allows for 64-step internal volume control. (I found it tedious to use the app, but it will benefit very sensitive IEMs).

The DC-05 also claims “Time Domain Jitter Eliminator and HyperStream III Architecture” to reduce signal noise and distortion, and I did find it to be extremely quiet and hiss-free. Finally, and most critically, it has substantially above-average driving power and pairs much better with planars and lower-efficiency IEMs than its cheaper rivals. It does run warm, but doesn’t seem to be a battery hog.

Said driving power really defines the DC-05’s sonic character—it has a rich, slightly warm tone which deepens the low end and makes drums and percussion sound larger-than-life, all of which has the effect of enlivening poorer recordings and lower-quality files.

High end is a bit smoothed over and some high-level details are missing; on better recordings, the DC-05 can sound a bit blunt, albeit never shrill or peaky.  The dirt-cheap Conexant CX31993 actually sounds more transparent and less colored than the DC-05, but significantly trails the DC-05’s dynamic slam and bass control.

Fairly compared to a price peer like the ($70) Hidisz S-3 (which on its own terms is quite energetic and bassy), the DC-05 sounds deeper, louder and fuller, while the more analog-sounding S-3 is truer-to-source and presents more high-end resolution.  The S-3 also places more air between instruments. I preferred the brawnier DC-05 for rock and the more nuanced S-3 for jazz and acoustic fare.

Moving up the foodchain to the $110 Cozoy Takt-C gives you a more neutral presentation, with much less bass boost and more treble detail, although the DC-05 worked better and sounded less reserved and more impactful with less efficient (>150 Ohm) buds and cans.

Ultimately, I probably wouldn’t be content with the DC-05 as my only dongle, as less adrenalized pieces pair better with certain sources and genres. That said, it is a step up from entry-level and the point at which diminishing returns starts to kick in. Recommended.

Non-disclaimer: bought it myself

Specifications iBasso DC-05

Chipset: Sabre ES9219C
Impedance: 0.5 ohm
Power: 2 VRMS (@300 ohm), 13 mW; 1.73 VRMS (@32 ohm), 93 mW, 1.5 VRMS (@16 ohm), 140 mW
SNR: 121 dB
THD+N: -105 dBA (@32 ohm)
Frequency Range: 20 – 40 000Hz
PCM: 32 bit/384 Hz
DSD: native DSD64, DSD128, DSD256
MQA: 16X
Socket: USB-C
Tested at: $59

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Author

  • Loomis T. Johnson (Chicago, USA)

    Head-Fier since 2014. Based in Chicago, Loomis T. Johnson is a practicing attorney, failed musician, and lifelong music fanatic and record collector. He has frequently contributed to such review sites as Headfi, Sound Advocate, and Asian Provocative Ear (as well as many other far less interesting non-musical periodicals). A former two-channel and vintage gear obsessive, he has sheepishly succumbed to current trends in home theater and portable audio. He’s a firm believer that the equipment should serve the music and that good sound is attainable at any budget level.

Loomis T. Johnson (Chicago, USA)

Head-Fier since 2014. Based in Chicago, Loomis T. Johnson is a practicing attorney, failed musician, and lifelong music fanatic and record collector. He has frequently contributed to such review sites as Headfi, Sound Advocate, and Asian Provocative Ear (as well as many other far less interesting non-musical periodicals). A former two-channel and vintage gear obsessive, he has sheepishly succumbed to current trends in home theater and portable audio. He’s a firm believer that the equipment should serve the music and that good sound is attainable at any budget level.

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