StereoNET: Pioneer XDP-300R Digital Audio Player Review

MAY 2017

PIONEER

XDP-300R

DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER REVIEW / PIONEER / XDP-300R DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER

PIONEER

XDP-300R

DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER Distributor: Powermove Distribution $1,199 RRP

Ever since I was first introduced to music, I’ve

With streaming services being more popular

always been a keen fan of portable audio. The

than ever, huge leaps being made in

idea of being able to pack up my music and

portable processing, and rapid advances in

take it with me appeals to me.

smartphone operating systems, there has

I have fond memories of sitting in the back seat of my parent’s Volvo during road trips

never been a more convenient time to listen to music away from your home.

to the beach and jamming out with a Sony

Whilst many are satisfied using the

Walkman and Philip earbuds.

smartphone in their pocket to drive their

When the Minidisc player was first introduced, it felt like a rude awakening. It almost offended me. “That’s not possible, how could there

headphones, there are still those of us who thirst for more flexibility, more options, higher quality, and more power.

be improvements over my Walkman? How

DAPs (Digital Audio Players) have been a hot

could portable audio get any better than my

topic amongst audiophiles for a few years

cassette rig?”

now, and many manufacturers have jumped

Little did I realise at the time that this was just the beginning of a revolution for portable audio.

Today, it is very different from where it once was. The portable audio market has exploded.

More and more people are interested in having high quality music on-the-go, and manufacturers are becoming increasingly competitive with offerings, features, and pricing.

on board.

They can almost be divided into two distinct categories; dirt cheap, or brutally expensive.

This can be a source of frustration for enthusiasts like myself, as I find I’m either disappointed with the features of a lower end player, or balking at the idea of shelling out over $3,000 for a DAP just to get the functionality I’m after.

“a sleek looking package and boasts some hefty internal specs”

Pioneering Pioneer is an undisputed

their car audio, DJ, and home

With this review, it seems Pioneer

ambitious? The discerning

household name when it comes

theatre products.

have released a successor to

Japanese domestic market

their XDP-100R. It comes in a

would likely argue ‘not’. But Is the

sleek looking package and boasts

new XDP-300R the bold device

some hefty internal specs.

that our local market is currently

to domestic audio. It originated as a Japanese radio and speaker repair shop back in 1938, and in the decades since have become highly revered for both

They dipped their toes into the portable player pool in 2015, with the XDP-100R we reviewed previously along with the flagship

Is a higher-spec’ and higher

Master SE-1 headphones.

priced successor a tad

yearning for? Time will tell.

The Outside Physically speaking, the Pioneer XDP-100R

button, and a healthy-sized power button.

from 2015 is very similar to the 300R I am

These are mechanical buttons – meaning they

looking at today. Which is great, because the

give a nice satisfying “click” when pressed.

100R was one of the better built DAPs that I played with in 2015.

The display appears to be the same 4.7 inch, 1280 x 720 resolution LCD screen

The XDP-300R is one solid, unibody slab

as the 100R. It’s not a poor display by any

of metal, weighing in at a hefty 200 grams

means, but it’s still a far cry from the AMOLED

– meaning that It weighs more than your

displays we are blessed with in some

average flagship smartphone (for comparison,

smartphones these days.

the iPhone 7 is a mere 138 grams).

Still, with its contrast ratio, viewing angle

With its sleek bevelled edges, gold highlights,

and visibility in direct sunlight, the display is

and black brushed metal, it’s a product that

leagues ahead of a lot of other DAPs.

quite clearly means business. The aesthetic is subtle, smooth, well built, and elegant. Not too flashy, and not a hint of tackiness.

Like the 100R, the 300R sports two Micro SD slots on one side (with a theoretical maximum of 512GB of external storage), and a volume knob on the other.

The physical dimensions and weight are the same, too.

But that is where the aesthetic similarities end.

The 300R has done away with the awkward removable bumper. They’ve upgraded to a gold-plated and sturdier headphone jack, and they’ve added balanced output options.

The words “Twin DAC” are neatly engraved on the side of the device as a cute little reminder of the prowess it boasts under the hood.

The volume knob is a digital controller for the system volume (not an analogue knob for the inbuilt amplifier). It has smooth physical turning steps.

Buttons are well placed and are intuitive.

There are track skip buttons, a play/pause

On the Inside The XDP-300R sports two Sabre ES9018K2M DAC chips, two Sabre 9601K op amps, a choice of either balanced (via 2.5mm 4-pole jack) or unbalanced (via regular 3.5mm jack) output options – all being driven by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor.

A 1630mAH battery should give you around 14-16 hours of usage, and the usual suspects are here for connectivity: 802.11b/g/n/AC, Bluetooth AD2P, SBC/apt-X. Like many DAPs today, it also runs a custom skinned version of Android 5.1, which takes up a portion of the meagre 32GB inbuilt storage.

The chips and specs might seem a little familiar to some readers; the 300R shares a lot of components with the highly acclaimed Onkyo DPX1 which back in 2015, was the result of a collaborative effort between Pioneer and Onkyo.

Many viewed the Onkyo as the “bigger brother” to the Pioneer XDP-100R due to its higher price point, expanded functionality and dual DAC setup.

Interestingly the Onkyo DP-X1 was never released in Australia. This was fairly devastating to our local Head-Fi community who yearned to join the hordes of happy users in both Japan and the US who were singing praises for the Onkyo player at the time.

The Pioneer XDP-300R looks set to finally please the Australian audience.

“The aesthetic is subtle, smooth, well built, and elegant”

The Interface

VS the Humble Smartphone

Whilst devout Android fans (like myself)

As a headphone amplifier and portable DAC,

would consider Android 5.1 to be ancient, it’s

the Mojo from U. K’s Chord Electronics needs

forgivable in this case, as the skin that Pioneer

no introduction to Head-Fi enthusiasts. It’s

have designed is clean, sleek, and simple.

still top-of-the-class for portable source gear

The native music player app is neat, contains excellent EQ options (11 band), and is very intuitive to pick up and start using. Even

not only because of its great looks and build quality, but also because of its flexibility with a huge number of headphones.

those who do not use an Android device as

Tonally, the two are quite similar, but with a

a smartphone will have no trouble learning to

few key differences. The Mojo has the slight

use this player; the learning curve should only

edge when it comes to speed and detail,

take a few minutes.

and the XDP-300R has a slightly stronger

There are plenty of audio options to choose from – ranging from simple bass-boost options, to full on digital filter choices, up-

response in the lower frequencies. I wouldn’t quite say one of these is better than the other; just slightly different.

sampling, as well as native support for the

The argument for using a smartphone with the

emerging MQA format, and full DSD support.

Mojo as opposed to the dedicated XDP-300R

Playlists can be created and stored on-the-fly, and your existing M3U/ PLS/ WPL playlists are all happily supported.

might also be made depending on your use.

Many smartphones don’t have a Micro SD slot, let alone two! Not to mention that using a dedicated DAP is also a little more relaxing

Interestingly, Pioneer have also included

with no need to worry about incoming calls or

full support for USB – both OTG (for using

notifications popping up.

portable USB drives) and audio (for using an external DAC).

In terms of power output, they’re both capable of powering a similar range of headphones,

Of course, if you’re more into streaming, the

but the Pioneer’s selectable gain might be a

Google Play Store comes pre-installed. In no

bit more comforting if you’re the type to be

time, I had streaming platforms Spotify and

constantly changing headphones.

Tidal installed with no hassle at all.

Whilst XDP-300R does have Wi-Fi, the Mojo

Despite only having 2GB of RAM, I rarely

will often be connected to a device with 4G

found the unit to stutter or lag. Most of the

capability which ultimately makes it arguably a

animations were smooth, and the device

better streaming partner.

never locked up or froze. I guess without the need to install or use too many third-party applications, the RAM requirements are far lower than the average Android device.

If you’re having a tough time deciding between these two devices, I think it’s worth having a good think about your usual usage scenario before taking the plunge.

Considering its extensive I/O possibilities, the DAC would be just at home in a high-end HiFi systems as it is in a dedicated Head-Fi rig.

“the learning curve should only take a few minutes”

The Sound A compelling feature of the XDP-

“high-gain” mode and using the

Being a relatively low impedance

300R is the ability to scale and

necessary adapters, it’s easy

headphone (32ohms), the Grado

transform the audio signature.

to hear how easily the 300R

SR80i headphones can be a little

This is thanks to a combination

could drive the fussy German

fussy with amplification. Selecting

of deep EQ settings, digital filter

flagship headphones.

the “Low 1” setting on the 300R

options, and having four gain stages to select.

Bass still retained its signature tight rumble, whilst

In terms of volume, the older

midrange was effortlessly and

XDP-100R struggled to pull its

accurately reproduced.

weight with the Beyerdynamic DT880 600 ohm headphones.

I’m happy to report that the 300R cuts through them like butter.

Even on “low-gain” mode, there is more than enough volume headroom to play with.

Perhaps not surprisingly then, it’s a similar story when playing with the Sennheiser HD800S. After locking the device into

It seems that doubling down on the specs has turned the Pioneer portable into a capable powerhouse. This is a welcome change, as this was an issue with previous releases from Pioneer.

This all may be great for big thirsty headphones – but how does the XDP-300R cope with something a little more delicate?

transformed the player into a more sensible, delicate output and a great match for the Grados.

Tonally, the output was quite similar to the 100R; a neutral, flat, uncoloured, and analytical signature. Some may find this to be a little boring or dry, so thankfully there are the bass boost and EQ settings to compensate for this if you prefer.

IEM users will be pleased to note that output impedance seems very low, and there is no detectable background hiss.

SPECIFICATIONS

Conclusion

OS / / Android™ OS 5.1

Pioneer’s XDP-300R Digital Audio Player is a clear step up from

Display / / 4.7 inch (1280 x 720) capacitive

the older XDP-100R. It is a more

touch screen

refined and fleshed-out offering

Internal Memory / / 32GB (including system area) Expansion Memory / / microSD (SDXC) slot x2

for portable audio enthusiasts.

Max. Output Power / / 75 mW + 75 mW (Unbalanced) 150 mW + 150mW (Balanced)

Wi-Fi

THD

/ / 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (Wi-Fi Direct / WPS)

/ / less than 0.006%

Bluetooth® Profiles

Sensitivity

/ / A2DP / AVRCP / HSP / OPP / HID / PAN

/ / greater than 115dB

Codecs

Frequency Response

/ / SBC / aptX”

/ / 20 Hz – 80,000 Hz

Supported Audio formats

Impedance Response

/ / DSD (DSF/DSDIFF) / FLAC / ALAC / WAV

/ / Unbalanced:

/ AIFF / MQA / Ogg-Vorbis / MP3 / AAC

With a wide variety of audio options, shedloads of power, one of the best EQ applications I have ever seen in a DAP, combined with stunning good looks, the XDP-300R does a great job of being a jack-of-all-trades.

Highly Recommended.

16 – 300 Ω Balanced: 32 – 600 Ω WORDS/IMAGES: Mathew ‘Jensy’ Jens