iBasso DC04U DC 04 Ultra Portable DAC AMP – HIFI Favorite Sonic Piercer
iBasso DC04U is a $149 USD Dongle DAC AMP with a Type-C input, dual headphone output, and a Dual CS Cirrus Logic DAC Combo at the heart and will be the star of our review today.
Introduction
iBasso is at the center of any audiophile discussion once you’re in their price range, as they create some amazing products, have outstanding warranty, to the point where 3-4 generations old products are still fully supported, fully repairable and still working for music lovers. iBasso products can be purchased from HIFI Speciality shops, Aliexpress, Amazon and other outlets too.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4aIcp6d
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3CIcyoX
Build Quality – Design
iBasso DC04U is built around the Dual Cirrus Logic CS43198 Heart, with two flagship DACs singing in sync, and has support for hi-res PCM signals up to 32 Bit / 768 kHz, and DSD512 data rates. The full official name is iBasso DC04 Ultra because it is ultra-grade, with a powerful output of 980 mW + 980 mW, for a 32 OHM impedance, and has both a 4.4mm balanced output, and a 3.5mm output which can be used to take calls.
With a stainless steel shell, DC04U is a huge upgrade over the DC04Pro that we’ve reviewed in the past, without being much larger or heavier. While the full driving power increased 2.5 times, the power consumption has not increased more than 3.6%. A watt per channel from a dongle DAC AMP is quite insane if you think about it, as it has no internal battery but consumes very little from the host smartphone.
To further improve your listening experience, DC04U uses a DRE dynamic enhancement circuit, and it relies on an FPGA + Femtosecond Oscillator for the clock generation. With a 0.96″ display, DC04U looks pretty cool, has physical buttons for volume adjustment and menu browsing, and you can access and set all functions using the Android APK, including DSP, with 7 presets of EQ and 3 customizable EQ options.
Technically, DC04 has a THD of -119 dB, output voltage in 3 stages that cycles between 1.5 Vrms, 4.2 Vrms and 6.1 Vrms for low, mid and high gain for the 4.4mm balanced output. With a SNR of 132 dB and dynamic range of 132 dB too, and an output impedance of lower than 0.1 OHMs, DC04 is ready for fun. In fact, I decided to lay it in a more easily readable format for you.
4.4 Balanced Output
THD+N – -119dB(0.00011%)@1kHz 300 ohms load
Output Voltage – 1.5Vrms (Low Gain), 4.2Vrms (Mid Gain), 6.1Vrms (High Gain)
Output Power – 980mW + 980mW @32 ohms
Frequency Response – 10Hz-80kHz -0.5dB
S/N – 132dB
Dynamic Range – 132dB
Output Impedance – <0.1 ohms
Crosstalk – 148dB
3.5mm Single-Ended Output
THD+N – -113dB(0.00022%)@1kHz 300 ohms load
Output Voltage – 0.76Vrms (Low Gain), 2.1Vrms (Mid Gain), 3.0Vrms (High Gain)
Output Power – 280mW + 280mW @32 ohms
Frequency Response – 5Hz-75kHz -0.5dB
S/N – 126dB
Dynamic Range – 129dB
Output Impedance – <0.1 ohms
Crosstalk – 136dB
Subjective Usage
While dongle DAC AMPs have long been a favorite for music lovers trying to enjoy music on-the-go, I personally never felt too compelled as they provide a bit too little power and are cumbersome in general. That opinion seems to be ended by iBasso and their DC04U, as I really like the stainless steel casing, how it feels in hand and that whopping crazy amount of driving power. This is actually an insanely powerful DAC AMP, and beyond that, it is easy to use, set up, and basically works without installing any drivers on Android or Windows.
For Windows, I can confirm that there is no USB DAC delay, it is snappy and works instantly. Not only that, but it stays nice and very warm during operation if you turn on Class AB and High Gain, but that is how it sounds best. You can manually set the AMP voltage, which I believe should do something and help with the sound, but I feel like it does not change much with most IEMs and Headphones in terms of sound.
There are two themes available, one static and one named motion which shows a little VU Meter on the tiny display. Multiple filters are also available, and it feels very well programmed and designed. The ergonomic shape is currently my favorite, it feels edgy and fun without being over-the-top.
Sound Quality
Pairings – For testing it as a headphone amplifier, have paired the iBasso DC04U with a selection of headphones and IEMS, including Lily Audio Genesis One, Raptgo LEAF D01, Palma DHS-1, KBEar Cepheus, Crosszone CZ-10 Enhanced, Erzetich Thalia, TinHIFI T7, NFAudio NE4, Sivga Peng, Crosszone CZ-8a Enhanced, Tangzu TianPeng, Soundz Flame, YanYin Canon PRO, Dunu Vulkan 2, Letshuoer Mystic 8, Moritz Aura, HarmonicDyne Romantic, HIFIAN HE600, HIFIMAN Audivina LE, HIFIMAN Ananda Unveiled, Westne Mach 80, BQEYZ Winter II, Fosi Audio IM4, Aune AC55, Oriveti Bleqk PureCaster and Noble Knight.
Background noise is basically non-existent with IEMS, even sensitive ones like Campfire Ara and Moritz Audio Enzo. Headphones are driven super well, and you can set the voltage for a different loudness saturation curve. This means that you can set the DC04U to deliver less voltage and more power, or more voltage early on, which allows you to get the most out of all driver technologies, as some prefer more voltage, some prefer a higher power output to move the driver with control.
Overall Signature – I can’t believe that iBasso did it again, but it feels like PB5 Osprey vibes whenever I turn on the DC04U, it has a unique sound, different from all dongle DAC AMPs, and it is hard to pinpoint whether it is the interesting class A AMP, extremely high driving power, Dynamic algorithm iBasso is using or just the way DC04U simply sounds like. It is incredibly dynamic, crisp, detailed, sharp, but has a full and deep bass, sound moves fast, and can put the backbone power into any pair of headphones and IEMs that are relatively natural to drive. This includes all IEMS in my collection and it simply creates a sharper, more defined sound with all of them, which is immediately obvious, even models like Moritz Audio Enzo sound better with DC04U than with desktop DAC AMPs like FiiO K17 or Luxsin X9.
Bass – Low-End is full, deep and offers a strong kick, powerful punch, with a rounded, controlled bass presentation. DC04U is quite powerful, with both headphones and IEMS, and if you ever feel like control isn’t ideal, you can either increase the voltage for high impedance headphones and IEMS, or decrease the voltage for lower impedance, to match the way each headphone and IEM sounds best from a loudness saturation gradient perspective.
Midrange – Midrange is crisp, detailed and vocals are ideal for both male and female voices. If anything, DC04U is a bit sharp, with a slight upper midrange emphasis, but I would consider it to be perfectly neutral, spot-on for all music. It is rich, fluid, and playful, sounds open and engaging, with the incredible dynamic range being the most obvious characteristic of the sound. DC04U is perfect for all music styles, versatile, but it shines most with modern music, pop, EDM, Electronic, Rock and Metal.
Treble – Top end is very sharp, extended, airy, and adds strong definition, crispness and sharpness to the sound. DC04U is basically one of the most detailed, cleanest, but also sharpest and crispest sounding dongle DAC AMP in this range. It has a powerful, present treble that keeps rock and edm interesting, it is not relaxed and instead walks the path of being engaging, bright and open sounding.
Dynamics And Textures – While iBasso did not publish a lot about the Dynamic Enhancement Circuit or DRe, it is quite obvious that DC04U has a much higher dynamic range and overall impact than any of the previous DAC AMPs that I reviewed. Not only does it enhance the DR, it creates a vivid, realistic sound that’s actually above many desktop DAC AMPs, giving music a direct, powerful sound. To be fair, I did not know that a dynamic range enhancer existed, but not only it does, it is made by Texas Instruments, the same company that makes the DAC AMPs that we use in general. Furthermore, DC04U has sharp, defined textures, revealing details and micro bits of information really nicely. It is quite forward and reveals synth transients, creating a good presentation for all styles, from rock to edm to pop to classical.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – While many DAC AMPs can try to have a great volume delivery, iBasso did something even better, it allows the user to select the current voltage, and gain level, so you can select how much power and how much voltage you’re driving in your IEMs or Headphones, so it can ideally have the perfect loudness saturation gradient, matching virtually any Headphone or IEM you may throw at it. This is beyond perfect, it actually allows for customizability and fine tuning. IEMs are less sensitive to voltage level but will likely prefer high gain with more power, while headphones change often, with high impedance liking more voltage and low impedance liking less voltage, so they get loud with more power, sounding more controlled.
Soundstage – You can expect a wide, holographic soundstage, with excellent impact and separation using the DC04U. It is the kind of DAC AMP that emphasizes depth, width and lateral separation with instrument separation being excellent too. Very few DAc AMPs in the entry levels can deliver such a wide image with such a low scattering, further increasing how realistic, vivid and engaging it sounds.
Value – Conclusion
With a price tag of 149 USD, iBasso DC04U sounds darn perfect, and it is a really good product. In fact, nothing comes quite as far as DC04U value-wise in this price range, provided you like the sharper, more detailed sound it renders.
While iBasso delivers good products in general, DC04U is brilliant, it is currently the most interesting DAC AMP you can purchase, since it is the only one I know of that offers you the option to set the voltage, set the power, good EQ, zero DAC delay, and a vivid, engaging sound with excellent resolution. Including the stainless steel case, and nice display that you can set to show a mini VU meter for L R channels, DC04U is an excellent choice regardless of the price range.
PROs
- Portable and looks excellent
- Vivid and engaging sound with a wide dynamic range
- Very low noise, inaudible hissing with IEMs, and lots of driving power
- You can manually set the voltage and driving power
- Exceptional impact and bass depth
- Superb midrange
- Sharp and bright treble with outstanding resolution
- No USB DAC delay
- Multiple AMP modes
- Does not consume much more than DC04Pro
Cons
- Runs really hot in class AB operation
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4aIcp6d
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3CIcyoX
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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