iBasso DX300

The TL;DR: This is the most feature-rich DAP I have used till date (and I have used quite a few). The best screen among all – yes ALL DAPs in my view. Should you buy it? If you are into clean reproduction of music and the smoothest UI experience (and watch Netflix on a DAP)? Then yes – this is the only one in the market right now that does all that.



Intro

Let’s start with the typical disclaimer – I bought the iBasso DX300 w/ Amp 11 mk2 from @MoonAudio at full retail price, hence I have no incentive in saying anything good or bad about it. The evaluations here are presented based on Amp 11 mk2 only. If you want to know the differences in the different amp modules – of which only one came out after the mk2, which is the Amp 12, you should check out the DX300 thread here. There are lots of good discussions there. Another point to note is that I have thrown money at iBasso the most among all DAP makers because I had bought the DX160, DX220 w/ all the amps available In the past. So, I will try to draw some comparisons among those here as well.

In this review, I will talk about my “subjective impressions” on DX300 with Amp 11 mk 2, share overall tonality, pairing sound impressions using Sony QDC Anole VX, IER-M9, Campfire Andromeda S, Empire Ears Legend X, and UM MEST. As for comparisons, I will compare it with Shanling M8 (I have a full review on that where there is a comparison with the DX300 as well), Fiio M11 pro, and Chord Hugo2 since those are the ones I have in hand simultaneously but for other comparisons (like the iBasso DX160, DX220 w/ amps 1 and 8), I will have to dig down in memory lane and can portray some picture which would be hard to defend but I specifically can speak to the similarities with the DX228 (which is street term for DX220 with Amp 8 – which was a champ of a DAP for a year for me). Finally, when listening to DAPs,I do not use full sized headphones. I think that defeats the purpose of a portable DAP. If you want to drive demanding planars, it’s best to get a strong desktop gear, and at these prices, you will get a pretty good one.


If you want to see great photography of the device, scroll to the other reviews (they are great) or head over to Youtube because this ain’t it bro. I write reviews under the assumption that you are either considering buying something or have already bought it and looking to reinforce your love for the gear and expecting to hear praises. If you are in either of the camps, there's something for you here about the DX300.

Unboxing and Accessories

It’s very similar to the iBasso DX220 except I can say the DX220’s packaging was a bit more flamboyant with a bigger box and slightly better material. Maybe iBasso went with a “greener” route this time but I cannot tell for sure. That said, the goodies are unlike any other in my experience. You get a nice blue case (unlike the gawdy tallow one from DX220) which really compliments the device. The best of all they give you this 2.5mm balanced burn-in cable which is a regular small cable with a load at the end to mimic an IEM so you can burn it in for like a week as prescribed. I don’t know how it helps though but I did it nonetheless. I am not here to debate burn in (and cables). I am a person of science and see small validity in this in solid state devices but I have seen in 1 in 30 devices (including IEMs) where things did have an audible difference. Did it work for the DX300? No idea. Maybe. I just did it to rule out the argument about, “hey, you need to burn that stuff in.” Last point to make here is that they give you two flimsy screen protectors that are quite useless in my view. But the saving grace is that one tempered glass screen protector – and boy is it useful. I put it on the very first day and it was all nice and dandy. I love it when companies don’t cheap out on accessories, not something I can say for some premium players (you should know which one).

What’s the schtick?

In the marketing jargons, it looks like iBasso clearly marked it as a successor of the DX220 which was very slow and boy did they deliver on the performance, and I mean user-performance. Will come to sound later. Already, the DX160 (the original one, not the 2020 one where they supposedly put an inferior screen) was my favorite screen among all DAPs. They sure topped that screen with this edge to edge large display. You should be asking, why is this guy talking about a screen on a DAP of all things. It’s because it is THAT good. If you go through the discussion threads, you will see many Netflix users there who have used this for streaming visual content. So yeah, it is a digital “media” player – something not many DAPs can boast. The colors are vivid and you need no external app to make it landscape. Thus, Netflix and Youtube are built right in.

Next is the array of quat Cirrus Logic DAC chips. I was quite skeptical of this initially because these chips are not exactly up there with the AKM 4499 or the ESS 9038 families – until you hear them. In an A/B test I would not be able to tell a well implemented ESS 9038 or ESS 9028 (which the DX220 had) and this array of CS chips. They really did good on this. I was further skeptical because the last DAP iBasso did with Cirrus Logic chips was the DX160 which was one of the mid-tier or even budget segment DAPs and to use something similar in their flagship “portable” DAP (discounting the MAX line with is not portable) was questionable. But once I heard it, I could easily tell it was the bigger brother of the DX220 and not the DX160. What a relief.

And as alluded above, the Android version is Android 9 – so you’re all set for future proofing if that matters to you. The UI/UX is as smooth as you could imagine. Yes, even Netflix movies have great framerates considering the powerful SoC it sports.

Then there is of course replaceable amp modules. Although I am reviewing it on Amp 11 mk2, the Amp 12 has only 4.4mm balanced output but has a true line out which is great to bypass the amp and feed to external amps.

Ergonomics



This is big. It is 6.5” edge to edge and some might be intimated by its size – until you pick it up. It is surprisingly light at only 300g. This is at least 15% lighter than the Shanling M8 (which is my go-to nowadays) which has a smaller and more prehistoric screen.

One might call to question if it is pocketable. Well, that depends on your pocket size. Frankly it is more for a jacket pocket than a jeans pocket. Did I put it in my pant’s pocket though? Yet, because you’ll feel that it is very well built. I have seen some taking issues with the volume wheel but I found it to be awesome and sturdy. Never did I think it can come off in any way. The control was precise as well.


“Seven … Seven .. Seven” – Monica Geller (Sound Signature and Pairing)

Enough foreplay, now the climax. How does this thing sound?

It sounds clean, airy, and very reminiscent of the iBasso DX220 with Amp 8.

Tonality

In tonality, I’d a highly resolving, transparent sounding, airy DAP with a touch of bump on the low end (which keeps things interesting and not as sterile as the original DX200 with stock amp). Now don’t confuse this with uber resolving like that of a Chord Dave or something because it is not. It is “almost” at the level of the Chord Hugo2 but maybe 5% less but more enjoyable because of the airy presentation. The treble is well extended and has amazing sparkle without being sibilant (although that means different things to different people). If you like the Audeze treble, this is not for you. Also, the last say in resolution is dictated by the earphone/headphone you pair it with. So, it is indeed up there with the big boys with something like the Anole VX but if you are using your freebie AKGs you got with your Samsung phone, don’t expect miracles.

Now let’s talk about note weight. IBasso’s house sound was never really into note weight like that of Sony and Shanling. iBasso goes for more of that light, delicate macaroon than your chunky cookies. If that’s your thing (which it was for me for a long time), look no further, get this. But if you want a dense midrange and warmth like that of the Chord Mojo – this ain’t it. I will use an analogy I use quite a bit. It leans further from something that has the warmth of the Chord Mojo but closer to the technical prowess of the Hugo2. That’s exactly where I’d put it in the spectrum.

Speaking of bass, mids and treble is sort of pointless when talking about playback gear (to some degree) in my humble opinion because most of that would be dictated by the transducer/driver (which is fancy talk for IEMs and headphones). That said, I would say the bass presentation is accurate (with a minor shelf), and given somewhat transparent and flat sounding DAP, some might call it reference; and I’d agree. Both Shanling and Fiio markets their (more expensive and now discontinued M8 and M15 respectively) as reference players but that is far from what they are in my view. If there is one truly sterile reference sounding DAP, it is the iBasso DX200 which is not much fun. However, the DX300 can be called a reference DAP without any reservation because it inherits all the reference-ness of the DX200/220 line and adds more air and instrument separation to it. The mids are extremely detailed but for the discerning ears, one could call it out to be on the thinnish side (compared to the likes of WM1Z or M8). This isn’t a knock, rather this character brings a lot of cleanliness to the reference quality of the sound. The treble is neither laid back nor in your face. It is just right. I feel this is something iBasso should be very proud of. This reminds me of some of the earlier Astell & Kern like the AK70 mk2, that had a similar top end and I loved it.

That said if you want the source to have in-your-face detail, just plug in an IEM that does that and the player will happily oblige. This is one of the most versatile players I have ever owned. The soundstage is very wide (but most DAPs are these days). I’d call the depth good but not exceptional. The airiness is one of the most defining characteristics of the DAP.

To summarize, it is a neutral sounding DAP with a tiny bass shelf to keep it interesting (but no added warmth). The reason why one would buy it is for the cleanliness and versatility (user experience – and I mentioned Netflix right, like 3 times in the review?). If you don’t an airy presentation with honest true to life representation of music, this is an excellent DAP. If you want a DAP to last for years, yes, this checks that box too. But if you want tubelike character or dense note weight to your music, then maybe it would serve you better to look elsewhere like the M8 or WM1Z.

Pairings with different IEMs

I believe this section gives the best illustration of the sonic characteristics of a DAP.

w/ UM MEST: The MEST is a chameleon of a beast and to me it transforms quite a bit with sources. A longtime favorite of mine, the MEST has exceptional imaging capabilities and extreme clarity. The imaging is better on the DX300 than it was on other DAPs I will present later. The bass is just right and not overpronounced. One gripe is that, the mids might sometimes come off as thin in some recordings and the upper mids can exhibit some peaky characteristics. I prefer the MEST with warmer sources to be perfectly frank. The DX300 is honest. It will not tame the upper registers of thee MEST.

w/ Campfire Andromeda S: This is one of those amazingly pairings. Everything is so crystal clear. Those who roll their eyes on BA bass, the DX300 does some very nice voodoo with the Andro (of which I have the S version) and makes a tastefully layered bass region. The mids are detailed and fun. If you ever owned an Andro, then you know the highlight of the show is the upper mid/lower treble and the DX300 augments that with more air and cleanliness – giving a rather “wow” factor. I just love this pairing.

w/ Empire Ears Legend X: This bass monster played really well with the DX300 and trust me, it is hard to satiate the LX when it comes to sources. LX does not like warm sources because of its already warm presentation. This adds to the marriage in synergy of the two gadgets. If you have the LX and looking for a DAP to get push it to its full potential with great control, DX300 should be on your shortlist and you should simply steer away from warmer sources.

w/ Sony IER-M9: This is similar to that of what I wrote about the Andromeda S pairing except it was a bit duller and less exciting in the upper registers. But if you are listening to heavy metal/hard rock exclusively, this is the pairing to go with. However, it does not have the wow-factor of the Andromeda but this is usually the case. The Andro, while being more exciting has its own place whereas with the M9, paired with the DX300, you can have hours and hours of non-fatiguing listen. I fare that to be one of the best compliments I can give.

w/ QDC Anole VX: This is my favorite IEM. Crinacle scores its technicalities in the S+ tier. I have the same idea but I thought it was because of the extreme detail retrieval capabilities of it from its treble presentation. Some call it bright of sorts and fatiguing but even with all the switches turned up, I find this to be the most enjoyable IEM to date. The DX300 keeps it true to its attributes without adding any warmth or taking away any of the details. I refer to Ian Anderson’s flute playing quite a bit for discussion of detail, and this won’t be any different. Every breath of Ian Anderson was retrieved from Jethro Tull’s Aqualung and Live in Montreux (2003) with huge amount of air and separation. This could only be rivaled by the Hugo2 among the gears I have – which is saying a lot. Unlike some very good colored sources, this one kept things true to the sources yet rolled nothing off. Excellent synergy if you ask me.

Comparisons



w/ Shanling M8: A reverse comparison of this is present in my M8 review but I’ll still present it in brief here. I love the DX300 and I plan to keep both. However, if I had to choose one over the other, the decision would not hard but I’d take the M8. Why? The “colored” sound signature. Yes, I know the ‘color’ is lying to me, but I love that lie. If you want the truth, the DX300 excels. The DX300 has a massive soundstage but the width is not as deep as the M8. However, I would not disqualify the DX300 for staging at all, rather, the DX300 has a larger stage (albeit marginally), but DX300 is more neutral. These days, I love a bit of ‘character’ in my music, and the M8 brings that in copious amounts. The weight of the guitar riffs and the warm tinge – takes the cake for me to pick up the M8 seven out of ten times. That said, the DX300 has a better chipset, a larger screen, Android 9 and an SoC that has the capability for Android 10 even, which the M8 does not (and never will because the SoC will not support it). If you want the best screen on a DAP, watch Netflix/Youtube, DX300 is the one to get. It’s cheaper too. Moreover, the Amp12 has true line-out to bypass the amp. So, if you plan to use it with uber powerful portable/transportable amps like the Cayin c9, the DX300 wins.
If I were to keep one, which one?
The DX300 can run circles around the M8 in terms of functionality, software stability, and neutrality. Yet, I would pick the M8. Why? The ‘character’, the ‘color’ – which is ohh so addictive. So, the M8.

w/ Fiio M11 pro: Easy, the DX300 is better. This is no contest because not only does it sound better but it has a better UI, faster Android, larger screen and a stellar sound signature. I don’t want to downplay how good the M11 pro was but still, thee DX300 is just better on all fronts. For that price point the M11 pro is possibly the best DAP Fiio has ever made – a neutral sounding player with dead silent amp stage (THX – in case you are into that kind of stuff) with a slight midrange bump. If there’s a bump/dip (which I term as ‘character’), I prefer them on the lower mids and lower treble respectively; hence, subjectively it was not exactly in the places where I like them – whereas the DX300 is neutral and airy. That airy quality would have me reach for the DX300 over the M11 pro every time.
If I were to keep one, which one?
Sold the m11pro – but still a fantastic DAP.




w/ Chord Hugo2: Although this is not exactly a DAP but I find it an outstanding device for IEM listening. Thus, I find it fair to put it in the comparison.

To me, the Hugo2 is the most transparent and resolving transportable I have and I wish to hold on to it just for the sheer transparency. That said, it is quite unforgiving, which is problematic for metalheads like me. Still, the redeeming character that outshines the overly sharp picture the Hugo2 portrays is the sheer resolution, which pairs amazingly with relaxing sets like the IER-M9.

On first listen, one would be wowed by the amount of detail it pushes through the IEMs. But after living with it for over a year, one can spot how it can be sometimes a bit too much. To this end, the DX300 is not so different. The Hugo2 and DX300 are very close in their transparency and airy qualities (when used with IEEMs). The Hugo2 outresolves the DX300 slightly but hey, you can’t watch Netflix on the Hugo2, nor does it have a screen since it is not a full-fledged player. So, if you want a DAP that sounds a lot like Hugo2 at half the price, DX300 is the one. I cannot emphasize thie enough when I say that even though it is half the price, the sound is not at all half of what the Hugo2 does. The DX300 is 90% of what the Hugo2 does, has replaceable amp module options, and a stellar screen; now beat that.
If I were to keep one, which one?
Only one? The DX300. Why? That last sentence in the previous section sums it all up

Would I sell it (and if I do, why?):

Unfortunately, I sold it recently. Now this is a point of contention. You should be asking, with all the good things you wrote, why did you sell this? Well, I wish I could keep it but I already have a colored DAP that is the M8 and the Hugo2 (which is close to what the DX300 offers). Since I realized, I don’t watch movies or Youtube on my DAP, I realized even though it has all those potentials, I was not reaching for the gear as much as I wished I did. Hence, it had to go. Furthermore, I am trying to build a desktop setup, so needed some funds towards that.

Final thoughts

One thing I have missed in the whole writeup is the factor of value. Coming in at around $1250, the DX300 is an absolute winner. Whereas the other flagships are starting at no less than $1500, iBasso has my respect because it plays ball with all of them and wins in most departments. If I you had the option of picking up the DAPs I have discussed, like that you can with phones at a Verizon store or Best Buy, I am over 80% confident, you would be walking out of the store with the DX300.

IBasso DX300 Review​

A truly modern dap, Light, low noise, long battery life, fast ui, great wifi, swappable amp modules, excellent sound….the list goes on.

The iBasso DX300
Where do i begin? I have stacks of notes, blog posts, forum posts and user experience of this device - all i really need is to stitch it all together really.

I have used a lot of daps and demoed and reviewed plenty. The iBasso is one of the first really modern daps (i have not tried its present competitors the Shanling M8 or Hiby R8).
It truly is a marvelous device with its snappy ui, fast wifi, battery life (12-15 hours or so).

Its a pleasure to use.

More information here:
http://ibasso.com/product/dx300/

Early specifications info:
https://www.headpie.net/2020/12/ibasso-dx300-no-amp-modules-and-recent.html?m=1

Contents:
- my general blurb.
- unboxing, build, ui, wifi etc
- Amp11mark2 and amp11mark1
- Amp12
- Noise (no noise).
- versus amp8EX




When i first got the iBasso DX300 i wanted to get the usual hours on it based on past experience of other iBasso daps.

I also had some time off work so burn in mixed with watching seamless streaming tv shows and movies. I caught up with all my shows and then some.

The big screen was a plus over my aged iphone SE and also served as a good test of its wifi capabilities.

Others experiences may differ depending on their countries wifi speed, router, router settings etc - but on no holds barred Japan speedy internet it worked like a dream.

Battery life is quite astounding - with its two batteries for a cleaner presentation and also to divert the power where it is needed is a great addition. The batteries will drain at different speeds depending on usage.

I found I preferred amp11mark2 (which i ordered and bought) over the earlier amp11mark1 - see later notes.

Amp11mark2 versus amp12 is matter of taste.
Both are quiet noise wise, amp11mark2 i would say is more for on the go or music immersion whereas amp12 with its super quiet line out is more for connecting to an external amp and with its more subtle sonic signature better for home listening. Both are stellar.

I am mostly a play from Micro sd card person. So in some ways the modern totl potential of a perfect streaming machine is a bit wasted on me.
On head-fi the reports of streamers are largely positive - some had to use an early version of tidal at one stage. Though now they recommend using the hiby app or uapp for it. Some other services seem to work better than others across daps as a whole.

Apps there are apkpure and coolapk already installed and from there you can also download the google play store etc

You have android side and pure mango player (hold down the power/volume wheel).

The ui whilst scrolling through artist and albums is a bit fast - but a change from too slow. Just a minor threat.

The earlier blue case was a bit off the buttons and slightly loose, this was rectified in blue case v2, and even more so with the black case that came with Amp12. I can operate the buttons from within my jeans pocket. I set both sides so the bottom button is fast forward.

I also turned off double touch to wake - not my thing.

The gold-ish button looks fragile but id really solid and ‘clicks’ well. Plenty of volume steps. I would prefer a more sunken black one. But it grows on me.

Priced at around $1,199 with its nearest competitors at around $1500 - $2000 makes it a good deal.

I dont really have much to add - just the minutiae further on.
If you are looking for a dap that is truly a dap of today
I can fully recommend the DX300. Others in my possession have pretty much fallen into disuse since it arrived. It does it all and with the exception of competitors daps i have not heard yet - it really does it all and is the dap we have been waiting for, and at a decent price market wise also.

Excellent everything - sound, battery life, ui, wifi, customer service etc etc
.


Size seems large at first, but later shrinks to comfort.
I put it in my front jeans pocket when i commute.

IBasso DX300 Build, Ui And Wifi Speed Check, Unboxing Etc​

The iBasso DX300 has arrived with mass speculation and high expectations and specifications.

Does it measure up to its elder siblings? This will not be the post to enter into any ramblings about sonics and sound impressions. Thats my weary friends will come later.

This post is a data dump of build, videos, photos galore, user interface and all sorts of details your brain and curiosity might be wondering about.

More details here:
https://ibasso.com/product/dx300/

Full specifications at the end of this post or use the link above to skip to the iBasso site.

Manual:
https://ibasso.com/uploadfiles/download/DX300userguide.pdf

Earlier collected info here;
https://www.headpie.net/2020/12/ibasso-dx300-no-amp-modules-and-recent.html?m=1


iBasso DX300 with iBasso IT07 and CB16 cable


On with the show....







General build whereupon we leave the usual colorful Head pie tableau shots for a more uniform and perhaps tiresome on the eyes format.

Its build time!





The toasted egg and ham sandwich i had for lunch is rewarding me greasy fingermarks. Timing is everything.

The sticker below over the FF play buttons is to be removed.





All self explanatory really





Note one side is slanted. This makes operating the multipurpose volume wheel easy.
There were some earlier online concerns about the wheel, i can safely assure readers it is firmly connected.

One can also see the amp module and how it is fitted





Accessories



Warranty and starter guide



Coaxial and a burn in cable



Two thin and one thick screen protectors.
Is one preinstalled? I am not sure and will check as i have installed a second screen protector by mistake previously. Hard to tell sometimes...



Usual charge and data cable. Although i ave often found i needed to use a different usb-c cable for data transfer with several usb c daps.



The case







Lets get this party started already

Gorgeous screen. My pitiful iphone SE camera does not do it justice.



AKPpure and CoolApk enable you to download your usual apps and the Google play store etc



Several backgrounds to choose from



Main Settings overview







5G and 2G wifi test





















Developer mode for extra tweaking





















The Android Mango music player

The basic screen before music is added and one chooses the background. I chose album art eventually.



General User Interface scroll speed test





Various filters

So far i like D3, D4 & D5 the most.











Scanning is fairly fast... ooh so close.



I highlighted every option below as it was more clearer in the photograph. Then turned them back off.



Advanced menu in the Android Mango player



Loving the marbled paper look



Playing with album art which colors the wider edges of the screen



Size comparisons

iBasso DX220 Max, DX300 & DX220





iBasso DX160, DX300 & iphone SE






Some background options



One can choose a traditional square album art or circular



To EQ or not to EQ...



Mmm, smexy.



Photo below says six hours to charge which is not my experience. It charges quite rapidly.

I probably need to do two or three full battery discharges to calibrate the batteries.





Amp module 11 close ups

IBasso Amp11mark2 And Amp11mark1 Impressions​

I stuck mostly to Campfire Audio MW10 at this point for consistency.

iBasso DX300

Amp11 Mark2

Random notes:
0 to 60 hours.

*I purchased the amp11mark2 to satisfy my curiosity and to enjoy some tinkering.

out of the box is good. Gets a bit ill defined after 10-20 hours but returns ok after 30 - 50 hours.

it needs less burn in, or is not as noticeable as amp11mark1. This could be the amp or a combination of the DX300 having 500+ hours on it.


Its nice. It delivers the goods
Quite a different beast.

That niggling feeling of there could be ‘something more’ or ‘what isnt quite right’ isnt disturbing my mind anymore.

Flying, airy and satisfying.
Separation is exquisite.
Larger staging. Gets more closer to spherical also.

Mark 1 was mostly just wide with some height (of course thats a lot to do with the earphones- but earphones which would portray a holographic or expansive sound stage werent doing it).

Bass is still there. Just faster. Succinct.
Sweet sound.

Not much changed (component wise). But it is a different beast.

I liked mark1, but it seemed like an everyman amp (of course first amp had to be an all rounder)

Amp11mark1 - it seemed a mix of dx160, max and amp8EX.
But not its own defining thing as amp11mark2 is.

Mark 2 is very good i think
Both amps are good. Just a different flavor perhaps...perhaps...

Maybe mk1 makes it more of an Ak / wolfson dac dap?
And Mk2 makes it more of an ess dac dap?
To put another angle/description on it...

But yeah
Noticing the filters differently now
The other ones seem an option - whereas with amp11mark1 it was d3 or nos only really.

Last night (Friday two nights back) i listened from 11pm to 2am to it.
I di the same on Saturday night, and i DO like my sleep.

I dont think it’s a case of it maybe matching my preferred signature either - as it doesnt seem to be that.
I do feel more drawn to use the dx300 with the new amp module.

Whereas before i was stuck between using/choosing either dx220/amp8EX or the dx300.

Now the new amp coupled with battery life and the ui and multi media usage of the dx300 seems to complete it as a unit in my mind

Also now at around 35 hours burn time. But would like to wait until 100 hours at least to make a lasting opinion....but so far so good

It seems to require less burn in. Could be that the dx300 has a lot of hours is helping.
——————





—————————————-

I think most listeners would be happy with the initial amp in the way most are happy with their AKM dac daps and low to upper mid fi earphones.

I think if your earphones are capable of more the mark 2 is probably the better choice
I do prefer the mark 2 (obviously) of course.
———————
Repeating an earlier post for continuity:

I have some notes up to 50 hours so far on amp11mark2 - pretty much echoing @whitiger

DX300/amp11mark1
- love this ui and battery life of this multimedia device - ends up using it mostly to catch up on movies and tv.

DX300/amp11mark2
- ...stays up to 2am two nights in a row listening to music on shuffle after the kids went to sleep. And i like my sleep...

———————————-
Its like the music equivalent of one of those youtube having your haircut 3d recordings

————————————-
The separations and layering keep getting better - whitiger

In the while the tonal balances is so accurately presenting - whitiger

The resonances is freakin good - whitiger
———————————-

So much happening in the middle, so dense with lovely details tinkering around the outside

Realistic is right
I keep going back to D5 filter still

But it still has soul, colored without coloring - if that makes sense

Definitely not dry.

At 60 hours and enjoying it with a variety of music.

looking forward to a/b amp11mark1 versus amp11mark2, dx220 stock amp and amp8EX and Max. Maybe dx160 - although that comparison boat may have sailed now.

I do imagine iBasso initially set out just to replace unavailable parts and recreate the same sonic sound, but in the end created something else when it went from the hand soldering to the full oven cooking. Magic.

At this point amp11mark1 owners/users might be thinking ‘do i have a lesser amp module?’

Hard to say until i do another a/b at 100 hours. But as i have written i think amp11mark2 completes the DX300 for me as a release unit.

Others also have amp11mark2 on the way and their opinion may differ.
So lets not get ahead of ourselves just yet and wait for contrasting or agreeable opinions.

*Often the first opinions get written in as gospel - but @whitiger and myself might be completely off in our findings so far.


Looking forward to others impressions


————————————————-




Hot swapping iBasso DX300 amp11 mark 1&2.

*Amp11mark2 at over 100 hours now

Amp11mark2

Tighter faster bass
‘Still lingers where required
Bass still goes deep

More coherent

Layering is great
Timbre is great

More micro detailing

Faster, tighter..just more coherent.

Instruments well separated.

More an even true presentation with the vocals floating just on top or above of the music.

Amp11mark1

Bass is a but bloomy and bleeds
Bass can be woolly
Some sounds are a bit distant
Feels more closed in, not in an intimate way.

Vocals a bit more forward.

More strident at times.

Can be a V shaped with forward vocals

Not as soaring as mark2, a bit duller.

Summary

They are very close
Amp11mark2 edges ahead overall

It just does it better

—————————————


Amp11mark1 on top

Amp11mark2 on the bottom







Bonus shots of the needed screwdriver as it is unlisted and not included in this package.

CRV T4 Torx





Head-fier whitiger early impressions >>





The DX300 amp11mark2 can be ordered by emailing iBasso

Further On The DX300 Amp 12​

Yeah echoing what @Whitigir wrote https://www.head-fi.org/threads/iba...rmware-2-6-2021.943221/page-412#post-16388007
regarding PO (i havent tried the LO except with iems accidentally at first - no hiss and volume is lower than PO).

At around 36 hours now. Aiming for around 75 hours for proper impressions and quick comparisons to Amp11mark2 and DX220/amp8EX- maybe Max also.

development seems to be Amp8 - Amp8EX- DXMax based on Amp8 - Amp11 - Amp12. All retaining a certain Amp8 flavor but developed and getting cleaner each time.

Clear is how i describe it, another person i message chatted with said Clean with no prompting.

No hiss on the LO. Very black. PO has some Minor hiss. Initially more but decreased after 24 hours. Not an amount that gets in the way, hardly noticeable imho. This is t

Flicking through the Filters. Mostly using the Slow roll off 2 & 4 with some NOS. Needs more hours to settle just like other amp modules. At least we have data that shows the general sweet spots as one edges to 200 hours or so. @jamato8 thanks parallel journier.

its very listenable. Neutral, not neutral. It does not have that slight coloring that amp11 has.

iBasso wrote: ‘ Quiet with a large sound stage. Dynamic and transparent’

agreed

Next up is to get some more hours on it and then comparisons.

Its a tricky amp module to discuss...because it just ‘is’. In it clean presentation. Its not one to gush about...rich this, wow that...the wow factor is more subtle.

Using CA MW10 constantly as a base point of sonic continuity up to 75 hours.



Nothing to report
At around maaaybe 65 hours

a few sonic changes have happened and stayed or moved on, less refinement then back to refinement, more low end then less then medium. Quite the adventure.

its maturing well would be the right angle to view it.

i think 100 hours rather than my initial usual 75 hours would be a better time to report more fully and accurately.

I’ll be back.

Update:

200 - 300 is about right, 300 is the sweet spot where it comes alive properly.

I jumped the gun on it too soon.

Amp12 is excellent for its clean line out, and phone out i would use at home for its subtleties.

DX300 Amp12 - Noise Testing​

Spolier - After 150 Plus Hours Its Nice And Quiet.


Update: june 24th

EDIT EDIT!!
After further burn in and more hours on the amp12 it has become more balanced/even and the earlier slight water fall hiss has pretty much disappeared to nothing. Good stuff.

Aim for 250 - 300 hours is my recommendation.
——————————————-

Amp11mark2 vs amp12

mids, body and slight coloration vs slight v and clean sound.
*Both a tad north or south of neutral as a base.
perhaps.

Hiss. It is largely (using IEMS) dependent on ones choice. Less on the module i think as there are variations across the board.

At around 70-80 hours i am guessing most extreme sonic changes will have passed and its mostly maturing and fine tuning from here on in. So i can depart from using a benchmark continuity of using the same IEM for testing. In this case the CA MW10.


Black or near black background

iBasso IT07
Dita Project 71
Fir Audio VxV
CA Solaris
Final Audio A8000
CA Atlas

Slight (waterfall? hiss).
EDIT EDIT. !!After 200 hours or so has pretty much disappeared to near non noticable.

Ando 2020
Andro Gold
Andro MW10


Using Diana Krall ‘lets fall in love’ first 45 seconds - which is only vocals and piano. (Krall, Adele and Eagles one must have on their dap for audio showcomparisons ‘wink’)

IBasso DX220 Amp8EX Versus IBasso DX300 Amp11mark2​

very close. Amp8EX is a bit more organic whereas Amp11mark2 is more precise. But they seem to share an overall similar close enough signature (dacs aside sum of parts and teh whole etc etc...).

I found with the right filter on the DX300 & amp11mark2 i could get close enough to the amp8EX sound that i am selling the one i bought.





As written earlier, i dont really have anything to add.

This is a modern dap. One of the first of this new generation. Others like myself who went through the years of early daps where there was always some wrong…bad ui, terrible wifi, bad battery life, few outputs, low power etc the list goes on. Everything was a compromise- it was tiring. I myself skipped the first dew generations and stayed with an ipod touch/iphone 4 as transport and external dac/amp for ages…

But here we are - a well executed dap with all the bells and whistles we wanted.

Light, low noise, long battery life, fast ui, great wifi, excellent sound….the list goes on.

I expect the iBasso DX300 will be a current totl dap for sometime and is a line in the sand between the old gen and next gen.

Well done iBasso and lucky us.






Thank you to iBasso for sending the DX300 to Head pie for review.

Go Big or Go Home!​

If you are unfamiliar with the name “iBasso”, here is an excerpt from my iBasso SR2 review (read here) that vaguely goes into the company’s history:

“In 2006 the company stayed loyal to producing headphone amplifiers, portable amplifiers, and DACs. However, it was 2011 that would become the most important year for iBasso. DX100 would become the product that completely changed iBasso’s future. It was the company’s greatest success and was the greatest accomplishment — making it the world’s first digital audio player that could play DSD while utilizing Android OS. But this wasn’t enough for iBasso, as though the DX100 was also the first true high-resolution (24bit/192kHz) digital audio player. The DX100 was able to accomplish this by successfully bypassing the ASLA driver on Android and using two EX9018 DAC chips. This would go on to be an industry-changing achievement, but also the company’s biggest commercial success.

In the later years, iBasso would go on to release a number of digital audio players. Finally, in 2016 the company would enter the field of earphones. This can be considered the point when iBasso entered the field of Head-Fi. It would only be a year later that it would release their flagship digital audio player, the DX200 — a reference-grade DAP that would be the next big step for the company. The DX200 was released as a 10-year anniversary of the DX100.

Then the year 2018 came — the same year that the SR1 headphone came out. iBasso followed their tradition of being a step ahead of itself, they couldn’t help but utilize some innovative technology (silicone suspension drivers). They would finally follow up with two industry-leading digital audio players in 2019 and 2020 - the DX220 (2019) and DX220 Max (2020). Not only are these two product the flagships, but are also the long-awaited follow up to the previous DX220.”

We’ve finally seen iBasso release the much anticipated DX300 in late 2020. Before I get into the small details, I just want to tell you that this, in my opinion, is the most successful device iBasso ever released. To say that the DX300 is an improvement over the DX220 would be an understatement. This is a whole different league.

The brand-new 300 series feels like a start to something great. A beginning of a new chapter, a new era.



Design & Build Quality

While some have been surprised by the size of the DX300, to me it feels pretty natural. This is probably because I am used to smartphones and am looking at it as a smartphone-like device. From my understanding, this is the closest we have seen a DAP get to a smartphone… and that’s a huge step forward.

iBasso is known to keep the design of their DAPs fairly simple. Never too flashy, always minimalist and elegant. In this case, the body is made of anodized aluminum which both looks great and feels great. As a matter of fact, it matches the anodized aluminum that Apple uses (e.g. on their MacBook series). Though large, it’s quite a sleek DAP — 3mm thinner than the HiBy R8 and the Shanling M8, 1mm thinner than the Fiio M15 and the Lotoo PAW 6000, and 1.2mm thicker than the Astell & Kern SE200. Pretty neat, right?

With either of the colorways (obsidian-black, starry-blue), the color scheme is quite high-contrast. In my hands is the starry-blue version, and the blue on its own looks very unique. It can heavily change its appearance depending on the lighting. For example, it can look like a dark grey, but can also look like a midnight blue. The accent color is gold. The 4.4mm and 3.5mm outputs have gold textured rings around them that match the volume wheel. In my opinion, the contrast is a bit too out there, and perhaps it would’ve been nice to see a silver or a dark grey accent color on the obsidian black version. Color schemes are definitely a field that’s always open for experimentation.

On the top side of the device, you have the coaxial output and the USB-C port, both of which have laser-etched labels below them. The latter is used for charging (supports QC3.0 and PD2.0 quick charging), data transfer (USB 3.1) and can also be used as a USB sound card. On the bottom-side are located the SE (single-ended) 3.5mm and BAL (balanced) 4.4mm and 2.5mm outputs. While there are only three physical outputs, they double as PHONE Out (aka headphone out) and LINE Out. It should be noted that the mentioned outputs are the ones that come with the stock AMP11 card. iBasso’s DAP line-up stands out on the market for its replaceable and exchangeable amp card feature, which in my opinion is one of the most significant features that a DAP can have. Most people are okay with keeping the overall device the same, but they like to play with sound. What’s the only way to achieve that? To change the amplifier. In iBasso’s case, all you need to do is change the amp card. Since iBasso chose to change its amp card design with the DX300, we are yet to see what will be offered in the future.

The right side is where people have split opinions. What am I talking about? The knob. Oh, yes, the volume knob. While it is designed well, I am personally not the biggest fan of it. Though the whole design has a purpose – the ridged design for grip, the indented side for pressing in – the design doesn’t necessarily look attractive. I personally don’t think it fits with the elegant design of the whole DAP. I would’ve much preferred a redesign of the DX220’s robust and uniform wheel. Due to the shiny finish, I found myself leaving fingerprints on the inside of the indented part. Besides the wheel, there are also three media buttons: Play/Pause, and Next and Previous. They are slim in design and have tactile feedback. One thing I noticed is that when the DX300 is slipped into the case, all three buttons can lose the tactile feel, making it very difficult to distinguish whether you have pressed them. It is possible that my [leather] case is not tailored well and is causing this, but I had to push really hard and above the case imprints for the buttons, making it quite inconvenient. Again, in my opinion, I believe that a round design of the buttons (like on the DX220) would’ve been much more appropriate. Slim buttons come in handy for things such as the power button, but for media buttons, a larger surface that is easier to press is much more useful.

On the back, you will find what I consider the most gorgeous part of the DX300 — a curved satin-like glass panel, or as Mr. Paul describes it: “a special type of glass”. Upon taking a closer look, I noticed that beneath the glass panel there is what you call an “engraving texture”. I still don’t understand how every reviewer failed to mention this… perhaps they were too focused on the music? On the upper part of the panel there is a silver iBasso logo, while on the bottom portion of it, you have the model name (DX300) and some text. All of these are in a silver finish. However, here’s where things get interesting. The engraving texture fades to a matte black finish on the lower third of the panel. Without any exaggeration, this is by far the most stunning and gorgeous-looking surface I’ve seen on the back of any device. It is incredibly smooth, which is probably why we haven’t seen it on smartphones. This is why I strongly suggest that you do not use it without a case that will provide you the needed grip. I can say that this is my favorite design element of the DX300.


Display

The DX300 takes the crown with its 6.5” LTPS IPS. If I am not mistaken, it is the largest DAP screen and also the one with the highest resolution (2340x1080) on the market. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 has a resolution of 2400x1080. The DX300 has a display with 397ppi, while the Note 20 has 393ppi. To give you a better idea about the display size and device dimensions (in millimeters):


It’s safe to say that the Note20 is the closest to the DX300 in terms of vertical length. My phone is the Samsung Galaxy S8, and here is how the the DX300 compares in terms of the bezels:


Should you not forget, the S8 comes with the Edge display. This being said, iBasso went far more than the extra mile to ensure an industry-leading display in the DAP space.

Internal Hardware​

Where do I even begin?



SoC

Holding it all together is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC (system on a chip) with 128GB of internal storage, 6GB of LPDDR4X-3733 RAM that operates at a frequency of 1866 MHz, an octa-core processor (four Kryo 260 Silver cores operating at 1.84 GHz and four Kryo 260 Gold cores operating at 2.2 GHz), and an Adreno 512 integrated GPU. That’s a lot of technical details, right?

It has to be said that the DX300 currently has the industry-leading SoC and that no other digital-audio-player can match it. Yes, the HiBy R8 also has the Snapdragon 660, but it neither has 6GB of RAM nor 128GB of internal storage. The above-mentioned specifications are on par with Samsung’s 2018 Galaxy A9, which also has the Snapdragon 660, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage.

This is a breakthrough in the DAP space, as though all players — with the exception of the HiBy R8 — come with 4GB or less of LPDD3 RAM, and feature processors that operate at slower clock speeds. iBasso’s “no other SoC in the field of digital audio players can match it!” claim lives to be true. And yes, this means that even the most expensive DAP on the market can’t match the Snapdragon 660 that is in the DX300.

DAC

Featuring four flagship Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC chips, the iBasso DX300 is the first and only DAP with a quad DAC — with the exclusion of some LG smartphones. Each CS43198 chip has 2 channel outs, hence why iBasso said there is a total of 8 DAC channels. Each of the 8 channels has a low pass filter. The DX300 features double-paralleled DAC chips which allow the DX300 to have a fully balanced output. What does “double-paralleled” mean? The visual below should give you a visual representation of the double-paralleled design. Usually, there is a DAC chip per channel, the DX300 has two chips per channel. In stereo audio, you have two channels: Left (L+, L-) and Right (R+, R-).



L1 = L-, L-
L2 = L+, L+
R1 = R-, R-
R2 = R+, R+

Helps a little? So, you can look at it as though there are 8 channels in total, or as though there are 4 that are in parallel.

Unsatisfied with how the average DAPs don’t prioritize audio playback and instead let the SoC and the OS process multiple tasks at the same time, iBasso implemented a FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) in Master mode. The FPGA works between the Soc and the DAC. It basically requests data from the SoC and then sends that data to the DAC. The FPGA works in Master mode using two Accusilicone Fentosecond oscillators as the clocks while synchronizing all audio clocks. This way any jitter is reduced and minimized in order to achieve the cleanest audio processing.

In terms of supported audio formats, here is what the DX300’s DAC is capable of:
MQA (X8), APE, FLAC, WAV, WMA, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, OGG, MP3, DFF, DSF, DXD
PCM: 384 kHz / 32-Bit, DSD256: 11.2 MHz / 1-Bit

The decoding ability of DSD is lower (DSD256) than the supported DSD512 on the DX220. Also, most of the DAPs in the competing price range of the DX300 support decoding PCM 768kHz/32-Bit, but if I am not mistaken, that would be oversampling. Whether this is important to you or not entirely depends on your needs and average use. Do you listen to your music in these formats or not? If not, then it definitely shouldn’t be a deal-breaker. 384kHz/32-Bit is the highest PCM resolution, everything above is in the oversampling category. The whole format wars have become more and more controversial, especially with the recent MQA backlash, but that’s something that I will not get into. Just enjoy your music, don’t overthink it =)



AMP

The following are the specifications of the stock AMP11 module:

Software & Interface​

iBasso’s dual-boot OS has been getting perfected ever since it was introduced in their DX200. On one end you have an optimized Android 9.0, while on the other end you have the 5th generation of the Linux-based Mango OS.



Android (9.0)

The Android OS is slightly different from the usual Android OS. There are some visual differences and some limitations, but the overall experience will feel homelike if you are coming from an Android smartphone. The only thing that bothered me a lot is that the settings aren’t displayed on the first swipe of the notification bar. This is easily fixable through a software update, and I really hope iBasso proceeds to add it in the right corner like in the usual Android OS. Also, due to the large physical size of the DX300, I find the notification buttons (located on the bottom of the screen) to be too low. I think that the buttons should be moved 0.5-1 cm higher up. This is another thing that can be easily fixed through a software update. Besides these two, the Android system is extremely smooth and fast. I couldn’t find a difference in speed and responsiveness in comparison to my S8. The DAPs are really catching up to the performance of smartphones, aren’t they?

There are quite a lot of Android features. One of the notable ones is the flexible homepage. Once you long press on the homepage, you can change whether you want all the apps displayed on the homepage or whether you want the Android standard app drawer. I cleaned up my homepage and am using the app drawer option. You can also change the icon shape (square, squircle, circle, teardrop). To make it feel more like home, there are also widgets that you can place on the homepage. I used the time widget and the Google search widget.

When you swipe left on the homepage, you access a kind of a shortcut desktop that has the Mango Player on the top and the audio settings on the bottom. This is more or less an audio-focused desktop. Besides in the Mango App, this is the only place in the Android OS where you will find the option to switch the DX300 to the DAC mode. This mode allows you to use the DX300 as a USB DAC.

There are three main audio settings: Digital Filter, Gain, Output. All three can be changed through either the notification bar, the settings menu or the swipe-left menu (accessed from the homepage).

With the new Cirrus Logic DAC, there are 5 digital filters:
D1: Fast Roll-Off
D2: Short Delay, Slow Roll-Off
D3: Short Delay, Fast Roll-Off
D4: Slow Roll-Off
D5: NOS (non-oversampling)

I had mine set to NOS, but you can play around and see if you notice any difference and find what suits you.

The gain options are quite standard. No surprises can be found here. There are three gain modes: Low, Medium, High.

And finally, the output setting. This is the setting that allows you to change how the three physical outputs behave as. You can only change the output through software! There are two options: LO (Line Out) and PO (Phone Out). Make sure not to accidentally set it to LO when you are using your headphones/IEMs on the DX300.

Secret tip: To enter the developer mode, go to Settings > System > About device > Press “Build Number” 7 times. Voile, now you have unlocked developer settings (which you should not mess around with if you do not know exactly what you are doing).

Mango App

The interface of this app is quite simple and minimalist, making it easy to navigate through. On the top-left corner, you can go to a menu in which you can search through your music, or browse your internal/external storage for music. In the top-right corner are located all the audio settings: Gapless, Gain, Play mode, Equalizer (graphic with visual representation, parametric), L/R balance, Digital Filter, Media Scan, and Advanced. In Advanced you can choose: Unplug Pause, Indicator, USB DAC, Bluetooth DAC, Display settings, Sleep Timer, System Info.

In level with the above-mentioned settings, if playing an album, the track number will be displayed (e.g. “4/10”). Everything below looks exactly the same as in the Mango OS. There is a large track/album cover art, file format, track’s timeline, track info, playback options.

I’d like to mention that both the parametric equalizer and the graphic equalizer are quite refined. With the graphic equalizer, you can adjust 10 frequency bands — 33Hz, 63Hz, 100Hz, 330Hz, 630Hz, 1kHz, 3.3kHz, 6.3kHz, 10kHz, 16kHz — with 24 stops (+12, -12) of which each stop alters +/- 0.5dB. On the other hand, the parametric equalizer is much more capable and allows you to adjust make incredibly precise adjustments. Besides being able to play around with the visual graphic, you can put number values to pinpoint the adjustments. There are a total of 6 filters, each can be turned on/off individually, or all can be turned on at the same time. Each filter comes with 4 options:

Filter Type (8 total): low pass, high pass, band pass, notch, all pass, peaking, low shelf, high shelf
Fc: any value (no decimals) between 33Hz - 16kHz
Gain: +/- 20dB (no decimals)
Q Factor: any value between 0.3 - 20 (infinite amount of decimals supported)

I know that there are a lot of technical terms mentioned here, but they are not rocket science. Visit this link to gain a basic level of understanding of common types of equalizers and filter types: https://iconcollective.edu/types-of-eq/
Or read iBasso's own DX300 manual where its explained how each filter affects the frequency spectrum: https://ibasso.com/uploadfiles/download/DX300userguide.pdf

Mango OS (5th gen, V 1.02.204)

This is iBasso’s pure audio-focused OS. Unlike the Android operating system, here there are no animation or transition effects, which means everything is snappy and instant when it comes to interaction. This even affects the power on/off animation — there is no animation. You enter the Mango OS by holding the volume knob and selecting “Switch to Mango”.

You will notice that the whole OS is visually quite similar to the Mango App, hence why they share the same name. The OS is quite simple. On the very top (where the notification bar would usually be), the volume and two battery percentages are displayed on the right side. Right below, on the left side, there is a “My Music” menu, in which you can browse, well…. your music. You can see what’s currently playing, all your music files, you can browse the DX300’s directory, browse by albums, artists, genre, or playlists. On the right side, you have the settings menu, in which you will find all the audio settings: Gapless, Gain, Output, Play mode, L/R balance, Equalizer (graphic without visual representation), Digital Filter, Advanced, and also the option to switch back to Android. Once you go into Advanced, there are the following options: DAC, Media Scan, Languages, Display, Power Management, System Info, MTP (media transfer protocol). Then you have the large song/album cover art, and below it, you have the file format information. Finally, right below there is the track’s timeline and underneath it you have the track name, artist, and album. In level, on the left side, there is an icon of sound waves. Once you press it, all the track info (artist, album, duration, path, delete) is shown, and you also have the option to add that track to a playlist. Last but not least, on the right side, you can change the playback options.


Note: "Not for Sale" is only displayed on my sample DX300 unit. This area is otherwise plain, unless iBasso personalizes it specifically for you.

Bluetooth & WiFi

The DX220 was the first DAP to support two-way Bluetooth 5.0, which provides native support for LDAC and aptx. The DX300 inherited this feature. When it comes to WiFi, the DX300 is equipped with two antennas (2x2 MIMO), which allows it to support up to two streams of data. It also has the dual-band 2.4Ghz/5Ghz ability. The WiFi standard that is implemented is the 802.11b/g/n/ac. On the other side of things, the fairly up-to-date Bluetooth 5.0 is used.

Besides being a transmitter, the DX300 also acts as a Bluetooth receiver. This allows it to have the Bluetooth DAC function, which basically means that the DAP receives digital data from a source and converts it into analogue electrical signal. However, when using it as a Bluetooth DAC, you are limited to AAC and SBC codecs.

Battery

Something’s got to be powering all this craziness, right? Yup, a patented dual power supply structure. iBasso pursued this innovation in the DAP space because they believe that the usual single battery powering the whole system causes distortion that negatively affects audio quality. To be more specific, the DC from the analog section interferes with the DC from the digital section. This is why the battery design is separated into two sections, one 4000mAh battery for the digital section, and one 2000mAh battery for the analog (AMP) section.

The DX300 has THE SoC, THE DAC, THE amp, THE display, so the battery life must be short, right? Nope. I’m sorry to say, but iBasso simply took care of everything. A lot of thought and hard work was put into this device, and the battery definitely wasn’t something that disappointed. It is marketed that the battery can last up to 15 hours and people have found it to be performing pretty close to this number. However, this is just an average, the battery life will be affected by factors such as screen brightness, volume, which format you are listening to, how power demanding your IEMs/headphones are, etc. Not only do the batteries last long, but they also do not take long to charge — only 2.5 hours. iBasso went the right path (imo) with the dual battery structure and it is something that they should perfect and stick to in future models.

Pairings​

Note: The tables below are highly subjective and had no controlled variables. The volume values (%) are purely based on feel and what volume felt "right". I tried to get each headphone/IEM on what I perceived to be the correct listening level. I did try to get them to a similar level, but without direct comparison between them, the values represent nothing more but a vague numerical representation of how much power is needed to get each headphone/IEM on what I would consider a comfortable listening level.

SE (3.5mm):


Balanced:


I can confidently say that there was no headphone or IEM that made me push the DX300 to the limits. When it comes to sources and amplifiers, I like them to be transparent and I don’t like when they significantly alter the sound. If I prefer any alteration to the sound, it is a slight extension on the bottom and upper frequencies.

It is worthy of noting that you usually want to use the lowest gain setting possible. As the gain is increased, so is the noise. I'd say that you should only increase the gain if you are 75%-90% on your current gain setting. For example, when I was using the Jade Audio EA3 through the balanced output on high gain — which I know is insane since I can listen to them on low gain at 35% — I could absolutely hear the noise floor. This is completely normal, as though the high gain setting is there for power hungry IEMs and headphones, so make sure to use the lowest gain setting!

Conclusion​

Priced at $1249, the more you look into this DAP, the more it fascinates you. It has features that match DAPs that are priced north of $2000. Besides that, it has industry-leading features that even the most expensive DAPs don’t have. After doing some thinking, I think that iBasso introduced a new category of DAPs with the DX300, a category that is more smartphone-like than what we have seen up until now. This includes the large display, slimmer but taller form-factor, an almost edge-to-edge display, fast CPU & RAM, and other specifications that you would seek in a smartphone. Maybe we can call it a "smart digital audio player"? I know that there are people who would like to completely replace their phone with a DAP, but we have yet to see that... it probably requires strict licenses and a lot of legal work, so we might have to wait for quite a while to see that.

When it comes to the sub-$2000 market, I might as well go on to say that the DX300 is the best DAP under 2000 bucks. It has the largest screen with the highest resolution, a flagship quad DAC array, the best CPU in the market, the most RAM in a DAP, the interchangeable AMP module, latest Android software. What else could you ask for at $1200? However, I don’t want you to walk away from this review and thinking that all the competing DAPs are bad. If there is one thing I learned about this hobby, it’s that it is not about technicalities and specifications, though those don’t lie. Once you reach the $1k market, everything from this price point on must have a feature that sets it apart from the rest. Now, depending on what you are looking for, this feature may be more or less important to you. Perhaps you don't care about the CPU, the RAM, the display, and similar specifications. Maybe you care more about extraordinary design or are looking for a smaller form factor. What I’m trying to say is that you must have a clear vision of which features you are looking for and how important they are to you. How much are you willing to pay for those features? These are the things you want to have a straight answer to.

I don’t know, I’ve never been a brand loyal individual, I always look for the best in the specific area that I am looking at. For example, I might have a MacBook laptop, but I have an Android smartphone and a custom desktop PC. I couldn’t care less about a brand name. After my positive experience with the SR2, some may think that I am fanboying the company, but that’s not the case. I did my research, and iBasso always proved to be working on industry-leading products. The company on its own can be seen as rebellious in a way — it’s almost as though they are flipping off the industry and the competition and saying “Level up!”. Pushing boundaries is one thing, but to push boundaries and not overprice your products is something completely different. When it comes to the mentioned specifications, there is no other DAP in this price range that comes close to the DX300. There is no DAP that packs all of these flagship features all-in-one.

I tend to get emotional because I know that there is a team of people behind all this success, behind these industry-leading features, yet so many forget this. There are humans behind all of this. And it’s not as though this is the first time iBasso did something of this nature, it has been doing so since 2011 when the DX100 was launched. I would like to dedicate this segment to thank the engineers, the R&D team, and all others who were involved in the development of this DAP. A lot of dedication and hard work has been put into making this a reality. We are, slowly but surely, catching up with the smartphone world, and it’s because of people like the ones over at iBasso. The DX300 is a huge move forward, a truly significant and important move forward!

Don’t think that your effort is being overlooked, because I know that I am not the only person who appreciates your efforts for the substantial progress of DAPs. Keep working hard and stay being on the edge of the industry.

Thank you for your hard work all these years.

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Comparison chart: