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The DX90 by iBasso . . . Sound impressions . . . . . . . New Firmware, 2.5.1 . . .
May 6, 2014 at 9:44 PM Post #766 of 3,155
jimobo said:
anyone pairing the dx90 with Fiio E18? i am thinking of getting one (both for my Note3 and dx90).
Click to expand...


I dont find an external amp rly that necessary with the DX90's fantastic amp. I didnt find the algorhythm duet single ended's improvement to be worth the extra bulk. Idk how DX90 pairs with the E18 but i doubt it rly that much of an improvement if at all
 
May 7, 2014 at 2:43 AM Post #767 of 3,155
mython said:
   
 
Read onwards from this post:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/697035/ibasso-dx90-dual-sabre-es9018k2m-new-amp-section-review-imforation-1st-page/4500#post_10514557
Click to expand...


So I can gather from this that the general consensus is that there's not much difference. I got burned by all the (unjustified) hype around the DX100 (and the Hisound 3rd Anniversary player), I don't want to get sucked in again.
 
May 7, 2014 at 3:30 AM Post #768 of 3,155
Sound wise, you won't be upgrading moving from the DX100 to the DX90. However the 90 wins on cost, size, and UI.

But if you didn't like the sound of the 100, you likely won't be too happy with the 90.
 
May 7, 2014 at 6:09 AM Post #769 of 3,155
pudu said:
Sound wise, you won't be upgrading moving from the DX100 to the DX90. However the 90 wins on cost, size, and UI.

But if you didn't like the sound of the 100, you likely won't be too happy with the 90.
Click to expand...


Thanks for that.. It's not that I didn't like the sound of the 100, but my 2 box solutions pretty much all sound better. If I'm gonna spend $400-$900 on a DAP, I want the sound to be better than 2 box solutions, and I want the UI to be slicker than Apple....seriously, why shouldn't one expect that for that amount of money?
 
May 7, 2014 at 6:38 AM Post #770 of 3,155
Mostly because of economies of scale.

The appeal of these daps is that of moving away from two/three box approaches. But you'll probably always be able to get better sound from a multi-box approach. However you cannot get it, along with Apple's interface for this price.
 
May 7, 2014 at 6:40 AM Post #771 of 3,155
In these comparisons between DX-50 DX-90 DX-100 I take it the main gap between the 50 and 90 is the headphone amp. After that (LO and digi out) there is more a question of preference between the implentation of the Wolfson and Sabre base and it's overall sound yes?
 
May 7, 2014 at 6:46 AM Post #772 of 3,155
pudu said:
Mostly because of economies of scale.

The appeal of these daps is that of moving away from two/three box approaches. But you'll probably always be able to get better sound from a multi-box approach. However you cannot get it, along with Apple's interface for this price.
Click to expand...


Exactly, and with these iBasso products you get neither.
 
May 7, 2014 at 7:10 AM Post #773 of 3,155
dcfac73 said:
 
Thanks for that.. It's not that I didn't like the sound of the 100, but my 2 box solutions pretty much all sound better. If I'm gonna spend $400-$900 on a DAP, I want the sound to be better than 2 box solutions, and I want the UI to be slicker than Apple....seriously, why shouldn't one expect that for that amount of money?
Click to expand...

 
for me, because I can do away with the bulk, interconnects, and charging multiple items.....
 
but I fully understand if these are not important than a stacks will usually provide more value/options.  Not unlike a fullsize PC where you can tweak your components for cheaper than a decent laptop (or tablet!) of similar performance.
 
May 7, 2014 at 7:40 AM Post #775 of 3,155
kkcc said:
   
for me, because I can do away with the bulk, interconnects, and charging multiple items.....
 
but I fully understand if these are not important than a stacks will usually provide more value/options.  Not unlike a fullsize PC where you can tweak your components for cheaper than a decent laptop (or tablet!) of similar performance.
Click to expand...

I got my Galaxy S3 for around $300, and all my DAC/Amps for $300 or less. All the combos sound better than any of my so-called "high-end" daps (the DX100 cost me around $850). Also all of the music playing apps I use have a better user interface than the iBasso and Hisound as well. I just feel a bit ripped off...and sucked in by the Head-fi hype machine. Anyways, you live and learn.
 
For heaven's sake, I read earlier some guy compared the sound of the DX90 to that of a $1000 rig he owned....really!!!???
 
May 7, 2014 at 7:53 AM Post #777 of 3,155
borrego said:
   
You don't understand, do you?
 
Using the DAC volume control at any volume setting but max will decrease the S/N ratio from the point of the OPA1602, making it more susceptible to the "dirty" external PS. Using DAC built-in volume control is never a "Hi-Fi" circuit design. You can ask people at the Dedicated Source Components forum.
 
DAC built-in volume control is NOT equal to the implementation of using a dedicated digital volume control chip at later (pre-amp) section of the circuit.
 
Using external AMP, I can max out the DAC volume to maximize S/N, making it much less susceptible to "dirty" PS.
 
I suppose you do use shielded coaxle or twisted pair interconnect cables, don't you? Why don't you use straight bare wire interconnects, and say it is the dirty electromagnetic environment which causes the noise?
Click to expand...

I understand completely...that you don't. You're the one using that unshielded cable by crapping up the supply and introducing noise. You called the noise current induced which was complete nonsense and shows your lack of understanding.
 
An amplifier is a controlled way to connect a power supply to a transducer. It's like a faucet for the energy. Screw up the power supply and you can't get a good result. If you want to know why the O2 amp was successful, that's it and it's ICs have much worse sig to noise ratios. 
 
In this case, using the volume control in the DAC is better than using an outboard dig control upstream because the inboard one is extremely well engineered, bit perfect and avoids an additional a2d-d2a conversion processes of a later one upstream. Using a later analog control may be preferred but it's no slam dunk that there's benefit. In this case, it would be difficult to incorporate and in your scenario it would see large signal at it's input so low level tracking could be an issue.
 
The noise isn't coming from the DAC. The larger signal level of full on is masking the noise of the opamps when the PS is dirty or there is a ground loop etc. The noise is not a product of the DAC V control. 
 
May 7, 2014 at 7:56 AM Post #778 of 3,155
dcfac73 said:
  I got my Galaxy S3 for around $300, and all my DAC/Amps for $300 or less. All the combos sound better than any of my so-called "high-end" daps (the DX100 cost me around $850). Also all of the music playing apps I use have a better user interface than the iBasso and Hisound as well. I just feel a bit ripped off...and sucked in by the Head-fi hype machine. Anyways, you live and learn.
 
For heaven's sake, I read earlier some guy compared the sound of the DX90 to that of a $1000 rig he owned....really!!!???
Click to expand...

 
The lesson there my friend is don't blindly follow impressions when making a purchase decision. Always do a demo and comparison.
 
One man's rubbish is another man's treasure. the guy's opinion you mentioned who compared DX90 to a 1K rig is as valid as your opinion that DX90/DX100 is crap.
 
May 7, 2014 at 8:06 AM Post #779 of 3,155
headwhacker said:
The lesson there my friend is don't blindly follow impressions when making a purchase decision. Always do a demo and comparison.

One man's rubbish is another man's treasure. the guy's opinion you mentioned who compared DX90 to a 1K rig is as valid as your opinion that DX90/DX100 is crap.
Click to expand...


Amen...

For me, audio is always a system and the SQ you got is only as good as the weakest link. I m trying my best to make the weakest link to be my ears.
 
May 7, 2014 at 8:12 AM Post #780 of 3,155
goodvibes said:
  I understand completely...that you don't. You're the one using that unshielded cable by crapping up the supply and introducing noise. You called the noise current induced which was complete nonsense and shows your lack of understanding.
 
An amplifier is a controlled way to connect a power supply to a transducer. It's like a faucet for the energy. Screw up the power supply and you can't get a good result. If you want to know why the O2 amp was successful, that's it and it's ICs have much worse sig to noise ratios. 
 
In this case, using the volume control in the DAC is better than using an outboard dig control upstream because the inboard one is extremely well engineered, bit perfect and avoids an additional a2d-d2a conversion processes of a later one upstream. Using a later analog control may be preferred but it's no slam dunk that there's benefit. In this case, it would be difficult to incorporate and in your scenario it would see large signal at it's input so low level tracking could be an issue.
 
The noise isn't coming from the DAC. The larger signal level of full on is masking the noise of the opamps when the PS is dirty or there is a ground loop etc. The noise is not a product of the DAC V control. 
Click to expand...

 
Ok. Can you explain why I don't hear current noise through my IPAD 4 powered by the same "sub standard" Apple 5V power supply? Or you are implying the DX90 digital volume control is superior, and yet being easily affected by a dirty PS?
 
I admit I don't understand: the very huge difference of belief and "knowledge" between the "Portable Source Gear" and "Dedicated Source Components" of head-fi
 
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