iBasso DC03 Pro portable DAC review - style and sound

Video review of the updated version of the popular iBasso DAC, named DC03 Pro, offering lots of improvements
Official site: ibasso.com/product/dc03pro/
Tracks, mentioned in the review
Daft Punk - Doin' it Right
Marillion - White Paper
Pink Floyd - Terminal Frost
Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

[@BarRYK333]

Thanks for the reviews!

[@PortaFi]

My pleasure!

[@dinnerwithdan5356]

Love these reviews ^_^

[@PortaFi]

Glad you like them!

[@Jacob1451_Kapnobatai]

This is my second Dongle DAC. Really excited to try it!

[@PortaFi]

congratulations on your purchase! I'm sure you'll like it

[@Jacob1451_Kapnobatai]

@PortaFi 2nd dongle. Coming Tuesday super excited

[@C4yne]

Hey! How do you think it compares to the regular dc03 in terms on sound signature and technicality? I really like the slightly bass boosted factor on mine as well as the soundstage, though both my dc03 and my past owned dc02 have cablel fraying problem which just disconnects when bent. Which is why I'm glad they chose to move to a removable type-c cable. Also love your reviews, been my go-to review before I buy things (:

[@PortaFi]

Hello, thank you so much! As for "old" DC03 it's more "forward" and more highlighting emotions, DC03 Pro is closer to neutrality and thus sound more balanced. So by my perception it's a step forward :)

[@frederf69]

Good review, thank you ✌😎👍 BTW if you want super low sub bass I recommend 'Winter Songs' by Terje Isungset.

[@PortaFi]

I'll check it out, thanks!

[@oppje6188]

My first step past the apple dongle, worth it for the external volume control with memory which prevents my volume being at max occasionally with the apple dongle.

[@PortaFi]

nice choice, indeed

[@wanaboed]

I am very late to this. Is iBasso DC03 Pro capable of driving planar IEMs? Something like Letshuoer S12 Pro, 7Hz Timeless, KZ PR2, Hidizs MP145, and so on. Or are there better alternative dongles with the same price as this DC03 Pro now which I should consider looking?

[@PortaFi]

Sensitive ones will be ok. For the ones that are tough to drive - consider balanced DC04 Pro Also FiiO's new KA13 is really powerful, if source is capable of delivering enough power

[@usmanmansoor1998]

Great review, I have studied this product in detail few questions before purchasing; 1. Is it fully compatible with Samsung devices? 2. Some reviews have come up with a situation of moving usb c connector. Does it gets into reconnect because of this? Please guide on this. Appreciate!

[@PortaFi]

Thank you! 1. As far as I know, it doesn't. I've seen some mentions of incompatibility. It works with some Samsungs and doesn't with others. But I'm an iPhone user, so I didn't dig into details. 2. No, my USB-C connector sit tight

[@usmanmansoor1998]

@@PortaFi thank you.

[@EIsMCQuadrat]

i watched so many reviews about this device. i finally got me one. what i found out is that you guys that reviewed it all have effin small hands xD the dac appears relatively big in every review. i expected a much bigger device. its freakin small. the other thing i found out is that i never in my life have heard music propperly with headphones. for the first time in my life i am satisfied with music on headphones. combined with usb audioplayer pro and qobuz im having a blast. my question now is, what the heck do i have to expect if i pay some more money for such a device??? will it get even better?

[@PortaFi]

Hello, always thought that I have an average sized hands. Maybe I was wrong :) As for sound quality, you can get a viable improvements with dongles, but you'll have to go to the top segment of dongles, like Lotoo Paw S2, Cayin RU6, etc

[@lordlopes2424]

The DC03 pro and DC04 pro are a good touch on the budget dacs Kudos to ibasso

[@JohnSmith-ho8up]

Which is the best one ?

[@lordlopes2424]

@@JohnSmith-ho8up DC03 pro is good if you don't want to spend too much money on one but also want a strong dongle DC04 pro is good if you have something that is really hard to drive because of the balanced output but also cost more

[@JohnSmith-ho8up]

@@lordlopes2424 Galaxy 22 with shure846... what do u suggest?

[@lordlopes2424]

@@JohnSmith-ho8up DC03 pro is more than enough As I said DC04 pro is only a go if you have a more hungry iem and want more power

[@JohnSmith-ho8up]

@@lordlopes2424 many thanks

[@whatisthepoint814]

Hello. How are the bass hits? Is it hard and deep enough?

[@PortaFi]

it will depend on your earphones. if they are capable of doing that, DC03 Pro will make then do that

[@azharislam4288]

hi there! i'm currently using shanling ua2, will dc03 pro be an upgrade over ua2? cheers!

[@PortaFi]

No, it won't be an upgrade, but it'll give you a different signature, so the main question is whether you want a different sound or not

[@AishaMansion]

I was using ua2 for a long time before switching to DC03 pro, I liked the later more as i think DC03 pro is more balanced tuning doesn't heat at all battery drain is almost not there if compared to Ua2.

[@rastislavdanko7196]

Hello ,is possible connect this to hidisz ap80 pro x to digital transport ?,i want change sound signature and mor bass thanks

[@PortaFi]

I didn't text exactly this pairing in practice, but in theory it should work

[@muhammadali.8170]

Between this and the DC05, which one would you consider to be the superior dac?

[@PortaFi]

You know, I'd prefer this one because of buttons. It's such a great feature to have that it removes a bunch of problems. "By memory" DC05 is more emotion-forward and has a bit better treble, but I'd still go for DC03 Pro (or maybe 04 Pro, but I didn't test one yet)

[@muhammadali.8170]

@@PortaFi I feel the same way. ibasso knocked it out of the park with this one. Great video btw

[@patrykszczepan]

How would you compare these to the FiiO KA3?

[@PortaFi]

To my ears, KA3 sounds more "firm", with slightly more accent on punch and dynamic

[@mrkomis]

Hi! I would like to connect this one to tablet. Does it make big impact on battery in standby mode/ turn on?

[@PortaFi]

Hello, impact isn't big, but still it's noticeable when its working.

[@mrkomis]

@@PortaFi does this automatically turn off when not in use?

[@PortaFi]

@@mrkomis as far as I remember yes, but I'm not 100% confident, so it's better to clarify with iBasso support

[@stormieo4252]

Can I use this in my car? I have a new pixel phone with no headphone jack and the Apple USB c to 3.5mm dongle reduced my audio volume significantly. Will this help with that issue?

[@PortaFi]

yes, you can. TBH not sure about volume, but this has more power, so it should be louder, but I never test such scenarios in practice another option is to get a bluetooth receiver like BTR5 for this role

[@stormieo4252]

@@PortaFi I hadn't considered a Bluetooth receiver, that's a good idea. Is the btr5 the best budget one you'd recommend? Thanks for your advice.:)

[@PortaFi]

@@stormieo4252 yes, overall, BTR5 has a good price/quality ratio. BTR7 is better, but I don't thing it will give a huge difference in car audio setup

[@joelo5164]

Does this iBasso APP bypass resampling of Android/

[@PortaFi]

you mean thier Mango player? Yes, it does. But actually for external DACs I recommend UAPP, it gives much more features and control

[@karantrehan7710]

Will it pair well with Tin HIFI T3 Plus?

[@PortaFi]

I haven't tested in practice, but it's a good DAC and good IEMs, so most likely their pairing will be great too

[@karantrehan7710]

@@PortaFi Thanks, By the way, do you think it will be able to drive Sennheiser HD660S fully. And if not this, what about DC04 Pro which also has 4.4 balanced output?

[@PortaFi]

@@karantrehan7710 haven't test this Senns too, but based on specs, they require more power. Maybe DC04 Pro can drive them, but I'm not sure too

[@karantrehan7710]

@@PortaFi Thanks a lot, appreciate it

[@sleepless_shin]

Is this good enough for KZ PR2?

[@PortaFi]

I didn't test KZ PR2, but most likely it should be fine

[@sleepless_shin]

@@PortaFi alright thanks a lot mate! Wish u luck Anyway, thanks for the video

[@PortaFi]

@@sleepless_shin thank you! all the best to you too

[@mohammadmg2015]

This one is better or hiby fc3 pro?

[@PortaFi]

haven't test this HiBy model, unfortunately

[@mohammadmg2015]

@@PortaFi i have dt700 i already have clean sound with headphone itself .. i just want to have more clean punch .. do i need this dac ?

[@PortaFi]

@@mohammadmg2015 well, I'd said that for DT700 it's better to get something with batteries. It will be a better solution in terms of control, and will give more punch for the full-size cans

[@thesihab6420]

Does it work in iPhone?

[@PortaFi]

yes, if you'll get a proper cable

[@Jubeihong]

Will this dongle move well planar iems such letshouer s12 pro? Thx

[@PortaFi]

unfortunately I didn't test that in practice. Hypothetically it should be Ok, but it's just an assumption. To be 100% safe, you can consider some DAC with higher output power

[@Jubeihong]

@@PortaFi Thanks man, I love your channel , regards from Spain.

[@PortaFi]

thanks! greetings from Ukraine!

[@KiranKumar-uv6kd]

This or Fiio KA3?

[@PortaFi]

KA3 is better to my ears

[@KiranKumar-uv6kd]

@@PortaFi planning to go with KA3 or KA5

[@PortaFi]

@@KiranKumar-uv6kd you can also consider KA13, newer version of KA3

[@amokinkla3777]

Slava Ukraini ❤️

[@PortaFi]

Героям слава!