The iBasso DX50 Thread - Latest firmware: 1.9.5 - June 30, 2016

[7S Cameron]

I dont know, but im sure im not alone, even with SU 1.3.3 or any other stock fw

@7S Cameron I did everything on the instruction, i've read in older post that 5s gapless option is the only solution but since i'm in flac only mode so the gapless function doesnt work, any idea?

I'm not sure. @CoiL might have some ideas for you. If @medmitry is still around he could probably help as well.

 

[CoiL]

I dont know, but im sure im not alone, even with SU 1.3.3 or any other stock fw

@7S Cameron I did everything on the instruction, i've read in older post that 5s gapless option is the only solution but since i'm in flac only mode so the gapless function doesnt work, any idea?

Firstly make sure that after every time You add/delete music on Your mSD card - delete DX50 created folders and do rescan library (not same thing as scan SD card).
With SU 1.3.3 @ FLAC-only mode gapless is not working and won`t be possible to make work. Only option would be single flac file rips + cue sheet file.
I`m using the latter option and everything is great. Btw, never had any cutoffs with SU 1.3.3. You can try re-formatting mSD card to fat32 or exfat (with my unit both work without problems btw) and if this doesn`t help try another mSD card. Some Sandisk cards seem to have problems with DX50. I`m using 2x 64GB ADATA Premier SDXC UHS-I CL10 cards.

 

[dragonsan16]

@CoiL Great, i try with single flac and it was flawless.. B̶u̶t̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶c̶u̶e̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶e̶t̶ ̶f̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶i̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶y̶ ̶i̶n̶d̶i̶v̶i̶d̶u̶a̶l̶ ̶t̶r̶a̶c̶k̶s̶?̶
 
Edit: when i play music from directory there is only 1 single flac file, but when i play from Artist category the all tracks is there........... BUT, its a huge but, when i select music or after pause the music and then play the other music i noticed a cut off maybe 0,7 s in the beginning of track. The good is, its not happen when i press next button (or play the other music) without pause the music.

 

[CoiL]

Weird, no cuts here. At least I haven`t noticed anything like that yet. I usually play from directory (from folder where I have put 1 single flac file + same named cue sheet) and I can select next, previous, shuffle, repeat... all work and gapless transition also mostly works (with some "faulty" cue sheets it might leave slight gap during play). Yes You can`t see song list when selected from directory but I don`t care about it.
 
Oh, btw, did You delete firmware .img file after install and did factory reset?

 

[dragonsan16]

@CoiL yeah, if i don't pause the music so there no cut off, it only happen when i pause the music first
 
Of course i delete the .img and then did factory reset as the instructions said.
 
For me, the sound quality is the most important than gapless or whatever.. and i noticed the instrument sound in DX50 is not as sounds real as my past Hidizs AP100, the SU 1.3.3 is more detail than the stock fw, but i feel the music instrument sound not very clear, ex: the guitar strumming is not sound real. Will try mod my DX50 next week, hope this work.. wish me luck!

 

[ph0n6]

@CoiL yeah, if i don't pause the music so there no cut off, it only happen when i pause the music first


 


Of course i delete the .img and then did factory reset as the instructions said.


 


For me, the sound quality is the most important than gapless or whatever.. and i noticed the instrument sound in DX50 is not as sounds real as my past Hidizs AP100, the SU 1.3.3 is more detail than the stock fw, but i feel the music instrument sound not very clear, ex: the guitar strumming is not sound real. Will try mod my DX50 next week, hope this work.. wish me luck!

 


The DX50 does have a treble roll-off. While I don't know how the Ap sounds, I can say that compare to the X3K the DX50 may lacks some sparkle in the treble range. Personally I like the of the DX more as it sounds relaxing and less fatigue thanks to the inoffensive treble, but I can understand if some one wants more treble. If that's the case maybe DOC firmware may works out nicely as they seems to boost the treble up (though I found it kinda too harsh), or you can try out rockbox which have amazing EQ. Just my 2 cent before trying out any Hardware changes, as they are completely irreversible Also I do want to note that the LO seems to have better quality than the HO, as even through a cheap amp like the Topping NX1 the sounds from LO seems to be clearer while HO sounds muffled and lost some detail in comparison.

 

[dragonsan16]

ok you make me think twice, i hope got a sample of dx50 mod version or an amp to try before make decision..

 

[CoiL]

  ...but i feel the music instrument sound not very clear, ex: the guitar strumming is not sound real. Will try mod my DX50 next week, hope this work.. wish me luck!

Yeah, stock caps lack guitar(bass)/drums/percussion punch/kick/tightness. This is the weakest point of DX50, even with SU 1.3.3. Capacitor change will improve those things greatly imho. Good luck with modding! Be patient and calm when opening DX50 and think every move through carefully so You don`t brake anything. Once You get PCB out, it`s easy to desolder old caps (use desoldering wick) and solder new ones.
 
If help needed, ask from iBasso DX50 MODS thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/720776/ibasso-dx50-mods/180
 
Edit:

  Just my 2 cent before trying out any Hardware changes, as they are completely irreversible 

I don`t agree... capacitors are easily reversible mod imo Though, guarantee sticker on one screw will brake and You`ll lose it if You want to remove whole PCB. But if You are skilled, it can be done without removing PCB  
I still recommend to remove whole PCB.

Also I do want to note that the LO seems to have better quality than the HO, as even through a cheap amp like the Topping NX1 the sounds from LO seems to be clearer while HO sounds muffled and lost some detail in comparison.

That`s because LO has Nichicon FW caps by stock, which are good  Stock HO caps are Jovial TK UTSJ "audio caps" - they are the cause of that muffled/hazed/less detailed sound. Despite they are hyped in Japan by some audio companies, IMHO, they are pretty crappy sounding. I can`t understand why iBasso didn`t go with Nichicon FW for HO also - they are almost same good sounding as Panasonic FC that I highly recommend in case of DX50.
 
I tested all those following caps on my DX50 HO (with quick-change breadboard, all had at least 50h "burn-in" before comparing):
 
* Nichicon FG 100uF 10V
* Nichicon FW 220uF 10V 
* Nichicon KW 220uF 10V 
* Panasonic FM 220uF 10V
* Panasonic FC 220uF 10V 
* Panasonic FR 220uF 10V
* VISHAY BC 220uF 10V
* Panasonic AM 330uF 10V
* Nichicon KA 220uF 10V
* Nichicon SW 220uF 6.3V
 
Some pics I took (some are in camera) for short follow-up review I haven`t had time to write yet:


 
This is by memory atm but here is the list from best to worst (my subjective opinion):
1. Panasonic FC
2. Vishay BC 038RSU
3. Nichicon FG  
4. Nichicon FW
5. Panasonic AM
6. Nichicon KA
7. Nichicon KW
8. Jovial TK UTSJ
9. Panasonic FR
10. Nichicon SW
11. Panasonic FM
 
First 3 are almost same good and one should decide by his own taste/gear synergy. Recommend to try out all those three!
Nichicon FW is also solid choice. But I think You can`t go wrong with FC. 
Nichicon KA and Panasonic AM were quite same sounding to me (didn`t bother to find differences since others sounded better). Despite FR, FM and SW had better detail/clarity than Jovial, I thought they lacked in dynamics/musicality(mids?) and soundstage wasn`t also so good.

 

[dwayniac]

I have had my DX50 for three weeks and it is a definite step up from the Fiio X1 for me. Build quality to UI. I didn't use a portable amp with it 'til today and my amp gives it a touch of brightness that I like but it ain't essential for me to use it. My one critique of the DX50 is the eq. I say get rid of the presets and have an option to save custom eq settings.


And it plays WMA files that I haven't heard in a while. The WMA files I ignorantly created when ripping CD for the first time several years ago.

 

[CyberJuanito]

Less than a week to recieve my DX50 (along with the ATH-M50X headphones) and I´ve been reading this thread as much as possible! I´m a music lover (eclectic in general, but into Hip Hop right now), but also a complete beginner in the audio world. I just seized an opportunity and acquire some audio gear in the US, after a little research ofcourse.
 
Thanks for all the interesting info presented here! For now I´ll just continue learning and "keep it simple" with my iBasso and headphones once they arrive. And maybe in the near future try that SU 1.3.3 FW that @Coil and others are so in love with lol.
 
Cheers!

 

[7S Cameron]

Less than a week to recieve my DX50 (along with the ATH-M50X headphones) and I´ve been reading this thread as much as possible! I´m a music lover (eclectic in general, but into Hip Hop right now), but also a complete beginner in the audio world. I just seized an opportunity and acquire some audio gear in the US, after a little research ofcourse.

Thanks for all the interesting info presented here! For now I´ll just continue learning and "keep it simple" with my iBasso and headphones once they arrive. And maybe in the near future try that SU 1.3.3 FW that @Coil and others are so in love with lol.

Cheers!

The DX50 is a little light in the bass department. I know the M50 has enough bass to remedy that, but I haven't heard the M50X. Just to give you a heads up!

 

[CyberJuanito]

The DX50 is a little light in the bass department. I know the M50 has enough bass to remedy that, but I haven't heard the M50X. Just to give you a heads up!

Thanks man! I appreciate it. All sort of info or recommendation is very welcome.

 

[Reima]

@ CoiL have you ever tried Blackgates?

 

[CoiL]

Not yet. BG`s are very hard to get, not to mention in correct values needed. All the gear I have changed caps in - Nichicon FG/FW, Panasonic FC/FR and ELNA SilmicII have had best positive outcome. FR`s mostly great in power filtering section, FC, FG/FW and SilmicII better in decoupling/coupling/amp section. 
Actually I don`t care about those Black Gates because they are hard to get and expensive and I doubt they can be so much better to want them. From certain level differences in caps SQ gets very small and my experience shows that In different applications/gear capacitors have different affect and outcome to sound. Also different brand caps in chain can have better outcome than only choosing "one best cap" for everything.
Imho there aren`t one "best" capacitor to go for. And what`s the point in chasing those BG`s? What if capacitor "playtime" is over, gets worse after some intensive playtime or other faults will occur? Again to go with painful BG search?
Nichicon, Panasonic, Vishay and SilmicII caps are widely available, quite cheap and have large value range. I will prefer to get widely available solution which is also useful for others. 
If I happen to get my hands/ears on BG`s one day, then will try to compare differences with other caps but I doubt this day will come in near future.

 

[CyberJuanito]

Just to share some interesting info found here and there, maybe you already know about it.
 
http://www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.aspx?from=fr&to=en&a=http:%2F%2Fwww.owendia.com%2Fforum%2Fbaladeurs-ibasso%2F(test)-le-match-dx50-contre-dx90-les-2-freros-de-chez-ibasso