iBasso DX240 Review

UI & Usage

By a small margin, the iBasso DX240 offers a similar experience to the DX300: fast.

Android 9.0 + Qualcomm 660

Like every modern player, the iBasso DX240 comes with android, the most popular OS, with iOS.

This makes a big difference in terms of UI and usage, even more with APK Pure installed as standard. Still, no Google Play Store out of the box, but since APK Pure gives you the same options (and more…) that’s no big deal. In a few seconds, you’ll have all your usual apps up and running, like most modern smartphones

Thanks to the new Qualcomm 660 CPU and 4Gb of Ram (2 gigs less than the DX300) the player feels snappy. Obviously, it isn’t as fast as the DX300 – and that must be due to the screen – but it’d be unfair to call the DX240 slow. Everything open/close in the blink of an eye and downloading tracks from Apple Music/Amazon didn’t take much time as it could be with some players.

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It doesn’t look like the DX240 enjoys the same WiFi chipset as the DX300, but you get dual/band WiFi and no CPU bottleneck. Again, it’s not as staggering as the DX300 but it really feels like a nice upgrade from the previous model. You can just download all your files before you leave the house, and… pouf, all is here.

I tried Amazon Music, Spotify and everything went well. Yet, if you’re a purist, you can switch to Mango Player, the iBasso player, and OS.

Mango Player

Now available in its 5th generation, Mango player is both a third-party app and a separate OS made by iBasso.

Once the player is turned on, you really can’t miss the app, safely docked in the lower half of the screen. A black icon, displaying the brand logo, the mighty white triangle. It’s still the main app for music playback, but if you want to completely turn off the Android experience, this isn’t an option anymore.

The app is fast, well-designed, and it really feels like the brand took time to improve the UI and fix various bugs: it’s much easier to use than before. The sorting options are numerous, the equalizer settings are awesome, and after a few software updates, everything seems flawless now.

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Audio Setting menu

  • Gapless: off/on
  • Gain: low/medium/high
  • Playback mode: normal/repeat/shuffle/repeat one
  • Equalizer: graphic equalizer / parametric equalizer
  • Balance: Left -10-0 / Right -10-0 // if you have an auditive deficiency, this might help
  • Filters roll-off: fast / short delay slow / short delay fast / slow / NOS // I like the way each one of them is represented by a small graphic.

USB-C and SD Card

All iBasso players use the future-proof USB-C connector and the iBasso DX240 makes no exception. The transfer rate is great, thanks to USB3 and transferring big chunks of music takes 10 times less time, with the right cable. Also, the DAP supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, Power Delivery 2.0, and MTK PE Plus Quick charge.

The DX240 offers 64Gb of internal memory, as much as some Astell&Kern players, and relies on micro-SD cards for any additional storage. Every type and size are supported, from micro-SDHC to micro-SDXC up to 2Tb. Also, I can’t stress enough about how many fake and counterfeit micro-SD cards selling out there now, so check twice before you get one.

Again, the USB-C port supports two-way transfers and the player can be used as a DAC on a computer, or as a source once paired with a DAC.

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Airplay / DNLA / WIFI

Unsurprisingly, the iBasso DX240 supports almost every major streaming provider!

You can download your favorites apps through APK Pure, or the Google Play Store (if you install it afterward), and every app worked well. Even Apple Music worked flawlessly, to my own surprise! 

Mango player doesn’t support DNLA, but if you install a third-party app like HiBy, you’ll have no issue connecting the DAP to your local server.

Battery Life and Charging

The iBasso DX240 embeds a classic 4400mAh battery, that should give around 10 to 12h of continuous playback. Charging is fast, but you still have to wait almost 40 minutes to refill 80%. Charging through a classic USB port can be painfully long, but on a modern USB-C port, it will be almost 5 times faster. 

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Bluetooth

Apt-X, AAC/SBC, and LDAC, the iBasso DX240 now supports Bluetooth 5.0. Also, if LDAC, AAC, and SBC get bidirectional support, apt-X (HD) can only send music to a headphone/speaker, no reception. If your source supports LDAC, no worries, if not you’ll be stuck in AAC or SBC.

Apart from that, it works perfectly well, and it’s a great option if your smartphone doesn’t have a headphone output anymore. Compared to DNLA, you get controls directly on the player but lose album covers, your call.

Time for specs !

The review continues on page four, after the click HERE or by using the jump below.

Page 1: iBasso, iBasso DAP series

Page 2: Design, bundle

Page 3: UI, Usage

Page 4: Technical specifications

Page 5: Sound performances 

4.1/5 - (185 votes)
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A nerdy guy with a passion for audio and gadgets, he likes to combine his DAC and his swiss knife. Even after more than 10 years of experience, Nanotechnos still collects all gear he gets, even his first MPMAN MP3 player. He likes spreadsheets, technical specs and all this amazing(ly boring) numbers. But most of all, he loves music: electro, classical, dubstep, Debussy : the daily playlist.

8 Comments

  • Reply November 11, 2021

    adam

    I have the Shanling m6 pro (21) . is this a step up in sound quality ? .

  • Reply November 11, 2021

    Ben

    At this moment I can not find any dealer to purchase additional dx240 face plates for amp8, it is a big shame that these are not included in general dx240 package. So what is the point of changing amps if you don’t have face plates to adapt them? Nonsense…

    Price is very similar to dx300 so I hope it sounds near the same level….

  • Reply November 11, 2021

    Rodrigo

    Can you tell me your opinion comparing with an sp1000 or a n8? Is it in the same level?

  • Reply November 11, 2021

    Matias Rubilar

    Is it worth the update from the fiio m11 pro? Specially considering that I want something more sharp and musical specially for rock metal and symphonic music.

  • Reply November 21, 2021

    Gustavo

    Great reviews. A lot of players. What do you recommend on this range? M6 pro 21, M11 plus ltd., Kann Alpha or this?

  • Reply November 29, 2021

    Hiko Olarte

    Which is better overall ibasso dx240 or fiio m11 plus ltd? Thank you

  • Reply January 6, 2022

    scott m

    Awaiting your impending review of what looks looks to be the awesome Fiio M17 before i decide-a steal of a price for everything it offers as it’s near desktop performance (and heft). i’m guessing you will have that for review soon….

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