[goodvibes]

OK guys, I need to make a decision so help me out here. I have the the AK120 and I am seriously considering a move to the DX90.

I appreciate I will lose out on storage and battery life, but as I understand it there will be a little improvement in SQ which is what it is all about at the end of the day.

Would the general consensus be that this is a good move?

I'm also curious about DSD playback. My AK120 plays DSD but it eats the battery like nobody's business and makes the device incredibly sluggish whilst doing so. What is DSD playback like on the DX90?

Also Sorensiim, I know you have been using the PB2 with the DX90. I have been thinking about getting a portable balanced amp and I was just wondering whether you would recommend this pairing, or is the improvement negligible?

Cheers

The AK120 still navigates and handles 24/192 files a bit better. I need to restart a song every so often on my dx90 though I don't plan on using 24/192 all that often here. I don't ever recall the AK120 getting caught out. The sound difference could easily fall into the preference range. I personally prefer both to the X5. You should probably expect the DX90 to comparably eat battery on DSD playback because it's also converting on the fly, just like the AK120. I'm very happy with my DX90 purchase but was happy with my AK120 when I had it as well. From memory of the AK120 which I haven't now had for over a month, I suspect the DX90 is a bit more neutral and has slightly better contrast. The AK120 had a nice sweetness about it that is probably not as correct overall. I certainly never missed any differences when comparing files or res on the AK120. If you already have the AK120, I'd make sure to hear and use a DX90 before making a switch. I'd be very interested in your thoughts on an A/B.

 

[Nirmalanow]

   
Thank make sense. Just to contrast your setup, this is what I have been using at home now.

 

That is the opposite route....big headphones and small electronics. All roads hopefully lead to Rome.

 

[Tobias89]

Any idea how to put an order in with Ibasso right now?  It's currently listed on their website as $9,999.00. What do they think it is? A Terra player?

I'm presuming this is just a bug, due to it being out of stock.

I emailed them and they said it would be readjusted when stock is in as they are out if stock atm. So i guys its to discourage people from buying it for now?

 

[Tobias89]

Anyone paired it with the shure s846s?

 

[Cotnijoe]

Hey guys,
 
So after using the DX90 for a few days, I've find the amp section pretty crazy good. Comparing to my Duet (running single ended), it seems to have better accuracy in imaging, a bit more dynamic sound, though lacking a bit in soundstage. Overall i just find the DX90 amp more fun and engaging, so now I'm considering a new amp.
 
I was considering maybe trying the Intruder and running it balanced, but considering how well the DX90 amp performs, I'm a bit weary of just dropping 700 dollars to find the upgrade wasnt worth it. I'm also interested in what some of you guys have been running with the DX90 and how much of an upgrade the amp is compared to the DX90 amp.
 
Any help would be appreciated!

 

[wolfen68]

  I was considering maybe trying the Intruder and running it balanced, but considering how well the DX90 amp performs, I'm a bit weary of just dropping 700 dollars to find the upgrade wasnt worth it. I'm also interested in what some of you guys have been running with the DX90 and how much of an upgrade the amp is compared to the DX90 amp.
 
Any help would be appreciated!

 
I have a DX100 and DX90 in the house and both see a nice improvement when I use an external DAC and SR71B.  However, on the DX100 (which I still prefer very slightly to the DX90), using an SR71B via line out alone doesn't really seem worth it compared to the DX100's onboard capabilities.  I suppose the exception to this would be if you had some demanding headphones that needed more power to shine...the SR71B would resolve that issue and provide a nice performance increase. 

 

[Cotnijoe]

 
 
I have a DX100 and DX90 in the house and both see a nice improvement when I use an external DAC and SR71B.  However, on the DX100 (which I still prefer very slightly to the DX90), using an SR71B via line out alone doesn't really seem worth it compared to the DX100's onboard capabilities.  I suppose the exception to this would be if you had some demanding headphones that needed more power to shine...the SR71B would resolve that issue and provide a nice performance increase. 

 
Did you find much of an improvement running balanced VS single ended with dynamic iems?

 

[SDBiotek]

Hey guys,

So after using the DX90 for a few days, I've find the amp section pretty crazy good. Comparing to my Duet (running single ended), it seems to have better accuracy in imaging, a bit more dynamic sound, though lacking a bit in soundstage. Overall i just find the DX90 amp more fun and engaging, so now I'm considering a new amp.

I was considering maybe trying the Intruder and running it balanced, but considering how well the DX90 amp performs, I'm a bit weary of just dropping 700 dollars to find the upgrade wasnt worth it. I'm also interested in what some of you guys have been running with the DX90 and how much of an upgrade the amp is compared to the DX90 amp.

Any help would be appreciated!

I'm probably missing something, but why not try the Duet balanced first, before looking into a different balanced portable amp? What headphones are you using? At least for me, using my Noble K10 ciems and Audeze XCs balanced, is a bit hit or miss in terms of any audible improvement or changes. The RSA SR-71B is darker and smoother sounding than the DX90. I haven't tried the Duet.

 

[nc8000]

I've been using the SR71-B almost since it came out and the last near year the upgraded version. All my phones are balanced for it. I'm now seriously debating if I can be bothered to keep using it or just go DX90 on it's own. Yes the balanced SR71-B is better (and almost required with the HE-500) but the DX90 really is very good on it's own with both JH13 and Signature Pro.

 

[Cotnijoe]

I'm probably missing something, but why not try the Duet balanced first, before looking into a different balanced portable amp? What headphones are you using? At least for me, using my Noble K10 ciems and Audeze XCs balanced, is a bit hit or miss in terms of any audible improvement or changes. The RSA SR-71B is darker and smoother sounding than the DX90. I haven't tried the Duet.

 
I dont have a balanced DAC to run with the duet. My original plan was to get duet and start saving up for a solo dB but that fell through a little, and DX90 SE > Duet SE to my ears. So now the decision is, just use DX90 on its own, get a really nice single ended amp, or get a balanced amp with a signal splitter in it like RSA balanced amps.
 
I'm currently using ASG-2 but I have a new dynamic driver iem on my way.

 

[HiFlight]

I dont have a balanced DAC to run with the duet. My original plan was to get duet and start saving up for a solo dB but that fell through a little, and DX90 SE > Duet SE to my ears. So now the decision is, just use DX90 on its own, get a really nice single ended amp, or get a balanced amp with a signal splitter in it like RSA balanced amps.

I'm currently using ASG-2 but I have a new dynamic driver iem on my way.

Don't overlook the iBasso PB2 as it is considerably less expensive than many other balanced choices. It also has a SE output in addition to the balanced output. If you like to experiment, you can also roll the L/R opamps and buffers to suit your personal and equipment preferences. Even with a SE input, it will deliver a balanced output.

 

[Cotnijoe]

 

Don't overlook the iBasso PB2 as it is considerably less expensive than many other balanced choices. It also has a SE output in addition to the balanced output. If you like to experiment, you can also roll the L/R opamps and buffers to suit your personal and equipment preferences. Even with a SE input, it will deliver a balanced output.

 
I'm very much open to trying out the PB2. Soren seems to be in a similar situation though, where he feels like the amp alone is already good enough that the PB2 isnt really needed for on the go use, which is a little bit of why im on the fence about the PB2 as well.
 
Its not a requirement i go balanced though, its a good option since i'll be using a dynamic driver iem, but by no means necessary.

 

[wickson]

The sr-71b/intruder with se input will deliver balanced output too.

Pb2 is considerably cheaper though.

 

[Cotnijoe]

The sr-71b/intruder with se input will deliver balanced output too.

Pb2 is considerably cheaper though.

 
I'm aware but i also dont think the single ended output will be much better than the DX90 considering how well the DX90 performs

 

[SDBiotek]

   
I dont have a balanced DAC to run with the duet. My original plan was to get duet and start saving up for a solo dB but that fell through a little, and DX90 SE > Duet SE to my ears. So now the decision is, just use DX90 on its own, get a really nice single ended amp, or get a balanced amp with a signal splitter in it like RSA balanced amps.
 
I'm currently using ASG-2 but I have a new dynamic driver iem on my way.

Thanks for the clarification. I have no experience with the Solo dB, but DAC section in the DX50 is already fantastic, so I'm not sure it would be worth it. Maybe a good single ended amp would be better for you, if you're looking for more power. Maybe some others will chime in with amp recommendations. I love my Leckerton UHA-6SMk2, but it doesn't seem to offer any real advantages sound-wise compared to using the DX90 headphone out.
Some say you need to have your whole audio chain balanced to realize the benefit of using your headphones/earphones balanced, but in my experience  that is not always true. Just my opinion, but it shouldn't matter too much if the signal is balanced coming out of the DAC, or goes through a phase splitter in the amp. You may still hear an improvement using the single ended input on a balanced amp. For the RSA balanced amps I have tried (Protector and SR-71B), the sound is pretty similar running single ended or balanced, but balanced seems to generally create a wider soundstage for me. Most likely the warmer and darker RSA house sound isn't the best for my taste. I don't like dealing with my balanced cables and 4-pin XLR-to-RSA adapters, and prefer the convenience of single-ended for portability.