I'm looking to purchase a DAC + amp solution to use with laptop and desktop PC's for up to ~$300, and I'm currently leaning towards the iBasso D4 (mostly thanks to Skylab's review). The newer D6 is within my budget however; I wonder if I should get that instead. I need to clarify a few things:
1. How do the sound signatures of the two compare? Impressions on the D6 thread (and a few other sites) range from it being smoother than the D4 to it being colder and more analytical. Some say its soundstage is narrower, others say it's wider.
2. The D6 seems to suffer from noise and static when plugged into certain USB ports. Have D4 owners experienced similar issues?
3. The D6 has almost 3x more output power (650 vs 230 mW per ch, IIRC). How much of a difference does this make in practice? That is, would the D4 really sound inadequate with somewhat-hard-to-drive cans like Senn HD6xx? And would the D6 sound significantly better?
Also, a D6 question:
The D6's amp section is said to be much better when running on battery power instead of USB. Can I connect it as a USB DAC but run it from battery power?
Thanks in advance for your help!
