Hi everyone new to the site
I have the jhaudio angie's and I am using the sony zx2, but I feel it lack some power to drive my iem
Someone recommended to me the Dp-X1
What is your take on this, and if possible can someone compare the zx2 to the DP-X1, also how is the bass on DP-x1?
Cheers
[warning: long post]
DPX1 v. ZX2 Review
I’ve owned both the ZX2 and DPX1 and spent some time A/Bing them. I compared the best that each had to offer, which, for me, meant the TRRS output from both. There are a lot of minor differences, and I can get a few of them out of the way. The DPX1 runs a newer version of Android (5.1.1) than the ZX2, and the update is welcome. The Sony has the better UI, but the Android portion is a little more polished on the DPX1 and, along with its processor, everything is a bit snappier than on the older ZX2. Battery life is—a lot—longer on the ZX2, by ~2-3 times. Functionally, this means having to mind power on the DPX1, whereas you just don’t think about it much on the ZX2. As for storage, the ZX2 has 128Gb internal compared to the paltry 32Gb you get with the DPX1. The DPX1 has a better larger screen. These and other sundry differences register when comparing the two, but none of them really sway you to one or the other. Here are four important differences for me:
1) Form Factor: This goes to the ZX2. Sony has always known how to do design, and it’s nice to have an attractive, original aesthetic that isn’t branded with an apple. A DAP is arguably a little more personal than a big desktop amp. From the moment you open the Sony box you want to make this your little portable audio pal. The ZX2 is not only beautiful to behold, it’s also wonderful to hold. It’s a good size with pleasing dimensions and feels really good in the hand. It’s heavier than the DPX1 but the weight doesn’t make it cumbersome but rather reassuring. It feels solid, and with the leather back, you can just leave it on a table or slip it into a pocket. It’s what you want a DAP/DAC/Amp to be: just grab and go.
The DPX1’s form factor can be summed up in one word: yuck. It’s large and gawky, and its lightness, rather than being welcome, makes it feel fragile, slight and slippery. The edges are all sharp and pointy. While not likely to cut your hand, it never feels comfortable however you shift it around. Aesthetically, it’s just a rectangular box with some arbitrary curves carved around a volume knob that turns easily by accident. I never appreciated the Sony’s up/down volume buttons so much as when I had to disable the DPX1’s volume knob (for inactive screen). In fact, all the buttons on the Sony fit its design, are nicely recessed, and sized well to be depressed with a thumb. There are also little “braille” markers so you can do it by feel. All the buttons on the DPX1 fit its design too, but again, the unified design aesthetic is: yuck. The buttons are stock, small, and feel cheap. (This is a lot to say about form factor, but this is the reason, why one reviewer didn’t even give the Onkyo a listen.) Critically: as much thoughtfulness as went into the ZX2, the design of the DPX1 is thoughtless. Charitably: if this was not laziness, it was because all the R&D finances went into the sound quality….
2) The DAC section: Okay, this is where you start to forgive everything above. You listen to it (reminder: in balanced mode) and you start to shift your hold on the casing some more and think to yourself, “maybe I can live with this thing.” The memory of your little Sony buddy starts getting muddy because the DPX1’s dual ES9018s (mobile) are simply decoding more information. There is more detail, layering, imaging, spatial cues, etc. Everything that you want the digital section to do, the Onkyo does better. In our audiophile world, things move quick, and the performance of the ZX2 and the price of the AK’s are getting dated by this new generation of DPX1, Fiio X7, and Questyle QP1R. Sorry, just like form factor, to me, this is no contest, this belongs to the DPX1.
3) The amp section is somewhat split. For the ZX2, the Oscon caps, and whatever else they crammed into that lower rear bulge of the unit, makes for punchy dynamic swings on the micro and macro level. If you like a more aggressive sound to “rock out” to, the Sony will pound in your face that it’s still alive and kicking. If you listen more to acoustic, jazz, classical, etc. and want a more refined and relaxed presentation, the Onkyo is smooth and soothing.
In the end, I would still give this to the DPX1 because, preferences aside, it also has more overall power and the balanced drive renders a superior soundstage (dimensions and imaging). The ZX2’s separated ground channels just can’t compete here. i don’t want to make too much of this as great results are designed with single-ended outputs, but as far as soundstage, a true balanced configuration has a lot of advantages. The Onkyo exploits them in their implementation. Also, combined with the dual DAC’s SNR, the DPX1 also has a much blacker background. You could say the ZX2 is just more rock and roll “hiss” and vinegar, and I wouldn’t argue that, but the higher noise floor cuts into the greater dynamic headroom of the ZX2.
4) Tonal presentation is a wash as it’s totally dependent on what you’re pairing it with. The ZX2 is warmer with a much bigger bottom end. The DPX1 is leaner from the bottom up through the mids with more high end. I would say that the Onkyo is by no means thin or sterile, it’s actually pretty sweet and lush, but that is with my Tralucent Ref. 1 Too + Uber Too cable. That IEM is already on the thick side of neutral with a huge low end. As far as tonal spectrum goes, if I were using a “leaner,” “cleaner” phone I would want to compliment it with the ZX2’s bass heavy “analog” sonic signature.
Finally, if you throw cost/value into the list of important factors I do think that the DPX1 bests the ZX2 overall. Even if you don’t, I would say that the DPX1 is a generation ahead of the ZX2 in sound quality. I just sold my much loved ZX2, which pained me no small amount. I also ordered a Dignis case just so I don’t resent it every time I hold the unit after the ZX2. For me, I’m committed to a fully open Android platform so the real contest will be with the Fiio X7 once the balanced module is released. I know this was long, but I wanted to get it down for anyone who wants to read, while the A/B was still fresh in my mind. Hope it helps.
