NOVEMBER 2017
PIONEER
XDP-30R REVIEW / PIONEER / XDP-30R DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER
PIONEER
XDP-30R DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER
Distributed by: Powermove $799 AUD RRP
“it does have some features that are unique to the line-up, and some sleek aesthetics to boot”
It’s getting increasingly fierce out there in the portable Digital Audio Player (DAP) market. With Astell&Kern recently releasing the new KANN DAP ($1349 RRP), and FiiO pumping out the new X7-II flagship DAP ($869 RRP), there is no shortage of high-end releases to satisfy even the most featurehungry audiophiles. Pioneer is no stranger to this war either, with the Twin DAC XDP-100R and the battle-hardened XDP-300R. But what about those of us who don’t want to go all out with the budget? Must we succumb to a stripped down, featureless and dull player? Fortunately, Pioneer doesn’t seem to think so, and they’re arguably shaking things up in the market with their new Pioneer XDP-30R DAP. While it doesn’t boast the same features that some of its fellow flagships do, it does have some features that are unique to the line-up, and some sleek aesthetics to boot. Coming in with an RRP of $799, its main competitors are the Fiio X7 II ($869 RRP), the A&K AK70 MKII ($899 RRP). Marketed as “Pioneer Private” in Japan, it was also released as an Onkyo DP-S1 Rubato, which isn’t available in Australia.
“The UI of the XDP-30R is insanely intuitive”
Hardware Pioneer’s XDP-30R sports a sleek aluminium
Each of those amplifiers is driving the output
frame with a plastic rear cover.
options: a standard 3.5mm jack, and a fully
From a distance, it’s quite easy to see the physical similarities between the XDP-30R,
balanced 2.5mm jack. Each of these can also be used as a lineout.
and its flagship parents. With a polished metal
For wireless connectivity, there is Wi-Fi
border, a notched volume wheel on the side,
and Bluetooth – which uses A2DP with an
and dual Micro SD card slots, it’s almost as
SBC Codec.
if the XDP-100R and XDP-300R had a cute little baby.
The screen is a 2.4” display, with a resolution of 320 x 240. The screen seemed fine for
That is where the familiar feelings end,
the purpose but is a little on the small side.
however. The XDP-30R has a considerably
The interface makes up for this neatly, but I
smaller body to screen ratio, a much smaller
experienced some jarring screen-tearing when
form factor, and is a much more pocket-
scrolling. Hopefully, a future firmware update
friendly package.
fixes this.
Under the hood, there is some gnarly audio
There are the usual playback buttons dotted
prowess being displayed in this little pocket
along the side, as well as a unique lock
rocket. For starters, on DAC duty are two
switch which worked incredibly well when I
SABRE ES9018C2M chips, being fed into
was out and about on Melbourne streets with
two SABRE ESS9601K amplifiers, with each
this player in my pocket.
channel sharing its own individual circuit path and capacitors.
Interface Pioneer has had incredible
TuneIn online streaming services.
For the most part, the smaller
success in their vehicle
Apparently, Tidal is being added
display doesn’t cause too
entertainment pursuits, and that
in a later update, along with other
many issues when selecting
prowess shows here. The UI of
potential streaming services.
menu options.
If you absolutely can’t stand
However, I ran into some issues
the simplicity of the UI, you can
when selecting tracks. Due to not
control the DAP over Bluetooth
having a vast amount of screen
using the companion app. The
real estate, longer file and song
the XDP-30R is insanely intuitive. Every software button is huge, every function is obvious, and for the entirety of the review period, it rarely ever crashed or locked up.
functionality of this app is very
names wouldn’t be displayed
I’m personally accustomed to
basic – simple music controls
in full. Longer file names are
Android being the OS backbone
(play/pause, track skipping,
truncated and shortened. So, for
of DAPs, and initially, I was
and volume adjustments) are
example, I had an entire album
disappointed that it wasn’t
the only available options. I
of Angus and Julia Stone, and
present here. However, I’m now
would have loved to see some
the entire choice of tracks was
very confident that all the extra
form of a streaming option here
“01_Angus_And_Julia_St…” and
bells and whistles of Android
though. If it was available, it
so on. It makes for a challenging
aren’t necessary here. The entire
would mean that the XDP-30R
listening session when I don’t
UI is a serious, no-fuss and no-
would be rubbing shoulders with
know what track I’m looking at.
frills audiophile experience.
portable powerhouses such as
Hopefully, this is addressed in a
the Mojo/Poly combination from
future update.
Despite not running a traditional operating system, it still allows for
Chord Electronics.
Fortunately, the XDP-30R is said to be receiving an update which makes it happy to talk to external DACs in the future. However, with a seemingly undocumented method, this is already possible: turning the player off, plugging it into your DAC, then switching it back on. This makes for a very neat little standalone package for listening to audio on the go. Despite my best efforts though, I couldn’t seem to get this to work with my Chord Mojo. Battery life is rated at a healthy fifteen hours on the packaging, however with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in use; I was struggling to make it up to ten. The only real issue I had with this player was that it refused to accept any of my .M3U playlists. Instead, it would crash the player and would require not only a reset but also the removal and reinsertion of the Micro SD card.
Sound The XDP-30R is capable of an entire swag
When using the unbalanced Unique Melody
of playback options, including DSD (5.6
Merlin (Custom IEM), the Pioneer XDP-30R
MHz/2.8 MHz), DSD-IFF, FLAC, ALAC, WAV,
indeed played its strong hand. Even with very
AIFF, MP3, and AAC (Maximum 192 kHz/32-
sensitive IEMs, there was no hiss, no output
bit) with MQA capability reported as coming in
impedance issues causing distortion, and there
a future update.
was plenty of volume headroom available.
It also features some advanced tuning
Despite only needing around 30% of the
capabilities, including a respectable 10-band
available volume on “low-gain” mode to
EQ, five levels of bass boost, up-sampling
achieve decent volume, there are still plenty
options, and digital filter adjustments. All of
of steps to play with to dial in the exact
this can be adjusted on-the-fly while listening
volume required.
to music.
Bass reproduction is deep and punchy, with
For those who venture into the balanced
absolutely no roll off detected. It’s a similar
domain, Pioneer provides the option between
story across the spectrum – no colouration,
ACL (Active Control Ground) and BTL (Bridge-
no distortion, and absolutely plenty of
Tied Load) modes. Technical details on
detail available.
these modes proved to be scarce. However, Pioneer say that: “Formerly the domain of desktop headphone setups, balanced output is set free by a 2.5 mm (3/32˝) 4-pole jack. You can choose BTL, which boosts driving power, or ACG, a stable mode that results in taut and clearly defined low-frequency sound. ACG enhances overall clarity and spatial dimensionality. Balanced output eliminates crosstalk and improves stereo separation.” When using the Pioneer SE-Monitor 5 headphones with the balanced cable, the differences between the two modes were subtle but present. Switching between the two modes is a simple option on the main menu screen, and can be done instantaneously to compare them easily. ACG mode had a slightly cooler tone, with forward and pronounced midrange – great for vocal and acoustic tracks. The bass sits back in the mix, and the listening experience becomes a little livelier, giving more of a “concert” type feel. BTL mode seems to have slightly higher gain and is comparatively flat in frequency response. The response was far more neutral and uncoloured. This mode sounds much more like a traditional balanced output.
Even with a fussy, sensitive IEM, the XDP put on a stellar performance. But things took a slightly different turn when I tried out the Sennheiser HD800S in unbalanced mode. The XDP-30R put up an excellent fight and could push the 56mm drivers to acceptable volume levels. However, it was just unable to compete with desktop amplification when it came to full-range frequency response, and the sound seems to lack body on either end of the spectrum.
Conclusion While there are a few bugs that should easily be addressed in future firmware updates and a few features the head-fi community is still patiently holding out for, this player is still a great option. If you’re not a fan of Android, or perhaps you aren’t quite ready to splash out and consider Pioneer’s flagship offerings, the XDP-30R offers high-performance at a much more wallet-friendly price.
SPECIFICATIONS
// Twin Premium-grade SABRE (ES9018C2M) DACs // Twin SABRE (ES9601K) High-Output Amplifiers // Symmetrical Channel Layout // Powerful 32-bit DSP // Bridge-Tied Load (BTL) and Active Control Ground (ACG) // Balanced Audio Output via 2.5 mm (3/32˝) Headphone/ Balanced Line Output // 176.4 kHz/32-bit and 192 kHz/32-bit Upsampling Modes // Two Precision Clocks (44.1 kHz or 48 kHz) for Enhanced Signal Clarity // Seven-step Lock Range Adjustment (Wide/Normal/Narrow) // Three Selectable Digital Output Filters (Sharp/Short/Slow) // Precision 10-band EQ with 6 Presets and 3 Customizable Presets // Adjustable Gain (Low/Normal/High) to suit Different Headphones // DSD (5.6 MHz/2.8 MHz), DSD-IFF, FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, MP3, and AAC (Maximum 192 kHz/32-bit) // MQA Support with Future Firmware Update Output Power // 75 mW + 75 mW (Unbalanced, 32 Ohms) 150 mW + 150 mW (BTL Mode, 32 Ohms) Frequency Response // 20 Hz–80,000 Hz Total Harmonic Distortion // 0.006% Signal-to-Noise Ratio // More than 115 dB Supported Headphone Impedance // 16–300 Ohms Unbalanced, 32–600 Ohms (BTL Mode)
WORDS/IMAGES: Matthew ‘Jensy’ Jens