As I’ve said time and time again Hi-Res audio is the way of the future, especially when it comes to portable players, and listening to your favourite song as it was intended to sound makes so much sense it almost hurts…
With that in mind in steps the Pioneer XDP100R, Pioneer’s first foray into Hi-Res portable players and the world’s first player with MQA compatibility.
Although it may be the first offering that technology, at the time of writing it isn’t quite there with MQA compatibility which is coming via a firmware update in early 2016, but even though that groundbreaking feature isn’t there just yet the XDP100R still has a lot to offer.
Running on the Android operating system Lollipop 5.1.1 means it comes with the ability to download all relevant music apps you could need (Tidal, Spotify, Quboz) and already has the Onkyo music app pre installed. Also like most Android units it also has Bluetooth and the ability to connect to your network to allow music to be shared from any computers on the same network.
If you’re not into streaming and prefer to store your files direct to the unit then the XDP100R has got your back, the initial 32GB of storage may not be much but once you take into account it has two microSd card slots both capable of taking 200GB you get a much more respectable size of 432GB, more than enough for even a Hi-Res audio library.
Sound wise the XDP100R won’t hold back either boosting a ESS Sabre DAC ES9018K2M, meaning that digital to analogue conversion is done with all the precision you’d need. The headphone amp being a Sabre 9061K means you can get just the right level of volume for your preferred listening. Also file wise it hits almost every file type in terms of playback, (DSD,FLAC,WAV etc.) and can even play up to 24bit/384khz quality – commonly considered the holy grail of Hi-Res audio.
As well as this great sound ability, the XDP100R also uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 giving the unit an ability to run at 2.2GHZ. This is getting a bit techy but this essentially offers enough processing power to allow for minimal latency, giving a responsive overall feel as you scroll through your catalogue within the unit. It also has a 4.7 inch touch screen that makes navigation a breeze.
While we wait for MQA audio compatibility to take full effect we’ll have to wait to give it a full review as that functionality is what will really set this player apart from all the others. Until then why not pop into your local Richer Sounds store to give it a listen for yourself, simply call ahead to make sure it’s in stock, or you can speak to our friendly telesales team on 0333 900 0093 for more information.
To find out more about the Pioneer XDP100R, click here.
Author – Hal, Plymouth store
