[sensui123]

   
Mainly lacks the painful satisfaction to know I sank 4 digits into a freaking digital audio player... or the ability to bash i-devices with a snobby smile on my face at meets or show  

   /s
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On a more serious note, mids sound different in that AK120 has more body and sound fuller, while still maintaining the resolution/clarity.  Mid bass differs in a similar way but to lesser extend.  Treble seems to be more refined/lacks sparkle (glass half empty/half full).  Soundstage have more depth but may sound actually narrower on busy/complex tracks.  The difference isn't really night and day and has to listen intently to familiar tracks.  Many a time I "find" some "deficiency" and switched to the AK120 on the same track and well it wasn't really immediately better (e.g. "em... voice sounded thin..."  "oh nevermind it is like that on here too").   
 
They sound different for sure, but if I need to "squint" my ears to listen to different and struggle to decide which one I like better, it made the decision to sell it quite easy.  Afterall I gain the satisfaction of having 4 digits of cash back in my pocket now.   

 
Just hope the firmware will arrive at a point it is as stable.

 
Thanks for this, I hope for more feedback comparing the ak120 to this unit from others.  Sounds like I'm not missing much.  Meanwhile I'll try to do more listening between the DX100 and this bad boy to see how different they really are.  I appreciate your feedback since you and I are both using fitears as the main IEM.

 

[nihontoman]

hiss? what hiss?

 

[lin0003]

  hiss? what hiss?

 
Very very little hiss with sensitive IEMs. 

 

[shigzeo]

  hiss? what hiss?

 
Hiss exists in all sources. It is up to the final output device to render it or not. I love high Ω slightly low-sensitivity earphones for that reason. Today's DAPs have enough power that earphones need no longer be super sensitive. The DX100 had a tiny bit of hiss, almost not worth mentioning. 

 

[kkcc]

Very very little hiss with sensitive IEMs. 

Only for my Fitear 334 on high gain I can pick up faint hiss. And not really noticeable if playing music.

OTOH AK120 is completely dark, until maybe volume at 55 or so which is way too loud for anyone with 334 if playing music.

 

[sensui123]

Only for my Fitear 334 on high gain I can pick up faint hiss. And not really noticeable if playing music.

OTOH AK120 is completely dark, until maybe volume at 55 or so which is way too loud for anyone with 334 if playing music.

 
Hmmm, I'm listening to it with the TG334 right now with low gain at around 190-200 volume level.  Certainly anywhere from 50+ on the volume I can discern a very slight hiss but yes like you say, it's nothing you can hear/make out when listening to music.  The more I listen to this thing the more I'm loving it.  Once the firmwares start rolling out ironing the small UI bugs, this thing is going to sell like hotcakes offering this level of quality for so little $$....haven't seen gear like this for head fi in awhile.....been used to every company asking more and more throughout the last years.

 

[hellfire8888]

amping eat defeat the purpose of a Dac with powerful amp...but wait...Ibasso never claim the unit has powerful amp!

 

[GoldfishX]

  amping eat defeat the purpose of a Dac with powerful amp...but wait...Ibasso never claim the unit has powerful amp!

 
The amp drove my headphones just fine (AD2000x), but line out to my Leckerton UHA 6 Mk II sounded way better. Leckerton amp beats the DX50 amp, but DX50 DAC destroys Leckerton DAC (I tried the coax option as well). The only time I plan on using the amp by itself is when I have IEM's and none of my desktop gear handy.
 
Going to try lining into my Magni tomorrow at work and listen with Mad Dogs, then maybe my Lyr when I bring home my Y cable.
 
So nice having a reliable portable line-out.

 

[shigzeo]

  amping eat defeat the purpose of a Dac with powerful amp...but wait...Ibasso never claim the unit has powerful amp!

 
If you read the spec you will see that it has a powerful, industry-leading amp. The following spec is from iBasso's webpage:
 
Headphne out:
Frequency Response: 20Hz~20KHz +/-1dB 
THD+N: 0.004% (32ohm load)
Output Level: 1.2V(Low gain), 1.7V(Mid gain), 3.1V(High Gain)
S/N: -103dB +/-3dB(Low gain), -106dB +/-3dB(Mid gain), -108dB +/-3dB(High Gain) (32ohm Load)
Output Impedance: <0.5ohm

 

[nihontoman]

I'm hardly gonna use another amp besides what's already in DX50. defeats the whole purpose of portable one box solution. there's is a fine line for me in this hobby which I can't cross - buying expensive headphones and earphones along with good powerful DAPs is OK, but strapping that DAP with additional DAC/AMP and lugging around a brick is frigging ridiculous. that's just madness...
 
 
as for hiss. well that's not a problem if it is low enough...

 

[Deviltooth]

Is anyone else finding the DX50 a little bright?  After a few more hours of listening and cycling through different earphones (even warm sets like the Shure 215) I'm feeling some treble fatigue.

 

[spkrs01]

Listening to the DX50 with an Intruder balanced out to the ToGo334.

Sounds very good to me...very very good

 

[kkcc]

Dang Gavin you r dragging me back into a stack sooner or later!

Seems everyone love the dx50 sound and love it even more when paired with a good amp....

 

[Girls Generation]

  I'm hardly gonna use another amp besides what's already in DX50. defeats the whole purpose of portable one box solution. there's is a fine line for me in this hobby which I can't cross - buying expensive headphones and earphones along with good powerful DAPs is OK, but strapping that DAP with additional DAC/AMP and lugging around a brick is frigging ridiculous. that's just madness...
 
 
as for hiss. well that's not a problem if it is low enough...

 
To each his/her own. 

 

[Mimouille]

Dang Gavin you r dragging me back into a stack sooner or later!

Seems everyone love the dx50 sound and love it even more when paired with a good amp....

 
Beware of Gavin. He has been diagnosed with severe Stacknosia and it is very very contagious...and it is often combined with acute Upgraditis.