StereoNET: Pioneer XDP-30R Digital Audio Player

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