iBasso D4 HELP!

the iBasso D4 should be an awesome little amp. I have a D2 and love it.  What is the bit rate of the files on your mp3 player? minimum should be 256kbps. Lower of course will sound like garbage. Of course the term with .mp3 files is "Garbage in, garbage out" So, if they are 128kbps its going to sound like poop no matter what. Then, when using with iTouch you are not using your Amp/DACs full capability. The DAC is being unused, therefore it cannot change the digital signal back to analog to improve sound quality. If you use it via your computer you will use the DAC. Try that and you will notice the difference.

I see you are using AKG K702s. Ummm... Not the ideal headphone for rock and the D4 will probably not help the headphone out. K702's are very hard to drive and to get any warmth out of them you should be using with a Tube amp. I borrowed a buddies set of K701s (same as 702 - just white) and ran them through my 3 headphone amps and setups. They woke up via my Bravo Audio tube amp. But, i would never buy these phones as they would never work for me. K702s are great for reference or to hear lots of detail, but they are not going to satisfy the rock ear at all. You should probably be using a set of Denon D2000s, Grados, Sennheiser HD600s or something else.

So, there is nothing wrong with your D4. They biggest problem I see is the headphones.

are you using the line out?  whats the bit rate and what phones you driving?

also try diff opamps they can make big differencces

You dont need to change opamp yet. The D4 is 10x the cost because it has a DAC and more power etc. The problem is your headphones - get rid of the K702. They are bass shy and are really for listening to detail such as classic music. Thats the problem in your setup. Get a good old set of cheap Grado SR60s or SR80s first. I tried K701 with my iBasso D2, Firestone iCute and Bravo. iBasso - just wooden and no warmth, iCute had more power and the Fubar DAC helped, but still not warm enough. But, via Bravo tube amp it woke them up and gave them warmth, but still not a headphone I would own. My Denon D2000s sound good through all, maybe not good through the Bravo as the D2000s are naturally bass heavy and warm. My ATH-AD700s only sound good via Bravo as they are bass shy and the tube warms them up.

Ok - why little improvement in sound? Its an amplifier - it amplifies or strengthens the signal thus creating a stronger output that can bring out different details in the recorded music. An amplifier in general will not improve sound quality - it will boost it. Its like if you bought a bass or guitar amplifier and set the EQ flat. One brand/size configuration of speaker cabinets will sound different from the other and some dont sound good with certain amps.

Different headphones have different construction and have different sound qualities. You should try hooking to you computer and using it as a headphone amp & DAC. You will really notice the difference.

Keep the D4 - dont get rid of it yet.

I would sell the K702s and go from from there.

Well, better headphones better amp and DAC too. Yes, give the amp time to burn in too. The sound will change over time too and get better. I would have recommended the D2+ Boa as its cheaper.

get some new headphones ASAP. Say bye to the K702s!

I think the real surprise is that you would hear any difference between the ipod alone against the ipod + FiiO E5.  I owned the E5 and found it to be an utterly worthless addition.  There are lots of reasons you might not hear a difference, but the headphones are probably the main culprit.

The D4 is an amazing little device, and if anything, it's well UNDERpriced for what it delivers.  Many think it's almost identical to a Pico DAC + RSA P-51 setup once the topkit is installed, and that's over $700.  I do think the topkit makes a big addition to the bass fullness, at least on my Sennheiser 580s and JH-13 pros.  It comes very close to my Audio-Gd A-/B+ Sparrow home amp, which is a bit of an unfair comparison given that the latter has ACSS, wall power, 

isn't portable and is about 10x the size. 

Also, in the realm of partly kidding, partly not: 

Quote:

Originally Posted by rarebear 

I have a pretty good ear I think.. I seen 500-600 live rock shows I worked for bands most of my life

 

 

That right there may be your problem.  Nothing beats a live show - but they do destroy your hearing over time.  

Sure, there's a member of the forum who makes them who goes by "HiFlight" - pm him for the details.  

Also see here:

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/450260/hey-hey-the-ibasso-d4-mamba-with-dual-dacs/360#post_6238748

yeah, Ive seen about the same amount of concerts  am a musician as well. My hearing is trashed from the last band I was in. The guitar player loved to play and practice as loud as he possibly could. For chris sakes for a while he was using a Mesa Boogie 400+ bass amp for a head. 400 watts for guitar is insane and that particular amp was super powerful. But, I can still hear the difference between headphone amps, DACs and headphones.

Just my last 2 cents is the D4 is a wonderful amp and there are quite a few people that can attest to it. I dont know, maybe you got a bad unit? There is no way a FiiO can compare to a D4. The Fiio E5 is ultra entry level. Like I said - its the headphones dude!

Portable amps improve the sound, but just a little. That is why I have not bought a more expensive one.

I have done head to head comparison with the P51, Headsix, Tomahawk, Predator. I also compared the Pico Slim. They are nice and pretty, but don't expect a huge improvement in sound, even with other phones. It will drive them to a louder volume, with better sound stage and better bass. But huge difference? Not IMHO.

Thats why they are portable amps. Thats why most of us have a desktop setup and a portable setup. And of course i prefer my desktop setup!