[bellor]

People can get accustomed to really crappy things and start to consider them great. I am of the opinion that if something sounds great the first time you use it, then it's great. If it takes time for it to start sounding good, then you just got used to the bad sound. It is, however, true that after you get gear that has real specifications which bring noise and artifacts low enough and with an FR flat enough, you cannot observe any differences between different products. As far as sources go anyway.
Still, it is also true that people tend to argue about "house sounds" and gear personality, but this is all extremely personal. It depends completely on what you are prepared to believe, how much you trust other people in general and how impressionable you are. It is not a bad thing. Hey, if it makes you enjoy your stuff more, good on ya! But the only real way to compare stuff is to measure it with things which do not ignore any issue or characteristic.
And the human brain and ear are not such devices. Brains flatten frequency responses because they know what a sound sounds like when it is reflected. Ears do not hear everything in the same way and usually, music is a very personal experience.
Therefore, UI aside, the way I see gear comparisons being valid is to only compare stuff based on objective measurements.
 
This is what I am looking for.

 

[chee006]

  People can get accustomed to really crappy things and start to consider them great. I am of the opinion that if something sounds great the first time you use it, then it's great. If it takes time for it to start sounding good, then you just got used to the bad sound. It is, however, true that after you get gear that has real specifications which bring noise and artifacts low enough and with an FR flat enough, you cannot observe any differences between different products. As far as sources go anyway.
Still, it is also true that people tend to argue about "house sounds" and gear personality, but this is all extremely personal. It depends completely on what you are prepared to believe, how much you trust other people in general and how impressionable you are. It is not a bad thing. Hey, if it makes you enjoy your stuff more, good on ya! But the only real way to compare stuff is to measure it with things which do not ignore any issue or characteristic.
And the human brain and ear are not such devices. Brains flatten frequency responses because they know what a sound sounds like when it is reflected. Ears do not hear everything in the same way and usually, music is a very personal experience.
Therefore, UI aside, the way I see gear comparisons being valid is to only compare stuff based on objective measurements.
 
This is what I am looking for.

 
That is true but you have to also remember when it comes to audio grade at our range, it's not so easy to just pick up a pair of cans and tell the immediate difference between the two since some of them are really similar in sound signature and quality and it takes time to realize if a pair of cans is good. An amateur audiophile may think a pair of cans sound real nice the first time he picks it up mainly because it's louder than most other cans but that doesn't mean it's better.
 
Anyway just  got a call that my DX 50 DAP has arrived in just few days (WOW that was fast) I am going to collect it from the shop and fully test it out although I have tried a test unit in the shop before purchasing it. I;'ll try to give a first impression on the DX 50 with my own songs.

 

[spiritbuu]

How does it compare to an ipod classic? which for an extra $20 gets you 160gb worth of space or are they world's apart?

 

[goodvibes]

I haven't hear the x3 or dx50 yet but the current Ipod classic doesn't compare well to their own touch. The classic is rather blah.

 

[chee006]

  How does it compare to an ipod classic? which for an extra $20 gets you 160gb worth of space or are they world's apart?

 
If you have alot of songs and don't mind the lower quality then the Ipod classic would be the best value DAP you can get, but if you're an audiophile then you may want to get a proper dedicated high performance DAP like Dx50 , Fiio X3 or Ak100 or 120.
 
Are they world apart? That depends on you really, music is different to everyone's ears but if you have good equipment then you should be able to tell a significant difference between these two devices. 

 

[spiritbuu]

If you have alot of songs and don't mind the lower quality then the Ipod classic would be the best value DAP you can get, but if you're an audiophile then you may want to get a proper dedicated high performance DAP like Dx50 , Fiio X3 or Ak100 or 120.

Are they world apart? That depends on you really, music is different to everyone's ears but if you have good equipment then you should be able to tell a significant difference between these two devices. 

Lets say I pair the iBasso DX50 to a Fiio E17 and V-Moda M80 for every now and then music listening...how would this compare to the Ipod Classic? Quality easily detectable?

 

[chee006]

Lets say I pair the iBasso DX50 to a Fiio E17 and V-Moda M80 for every now and then music listening...how would this compare to the Ipod Classic? Quality easily detectable?

IMHO the Dx 50 by itself is already good enough in terms of DAC quality and amplifier, your v-moda 80 has low impedance requirement meaning you don't need an extra amp to boost the power, I myself use HD 558 which has double the impedance and it still plays well. If you believe there is not enough power just set the Dx 50 to high impedance. 
 
If you get a low quality amp and pair it up with the Dx 50 it will really diminish the quality of the Dx 50. The only reason why you need an extra amp at this point is if you are going to play though higher grade headphones like the HD 650.

 

[spiritbuu]

Thanks for clearing that up! might also look up some headphones. Does the Fiio E17 qualify to be paired with DX50 with the right headphones or is a higher end AMP ideal?
 
Just ordered myself a DX50 after days and days of reading and looking up. For me the deciding factor was the aesthetics, I'm a big sucker for good looking things that are well made Other DAP such as Cowon and Fiio X3 resemble too much like a smartphone. The DX50 looks classy as hell with its simple design. 
 
Now the waiting game begins... 

 

[Levanter]

Thanks for clearing that up! might also look up some headphones. Does the Fiio E17 qualify to be paired with DX50 with the right headphones or is a higher end AMP ideal?

Just ordered myself a DX50 after days and days of reading and looking up. For me the deciding factor was the aesthetics, I'm a big sucker for good looking things that are well made Other DAP such as Cowon and Fiio X3 resemble too much like a smartphone. The DX50 looks classy as hell with its simple design. 

Now the waiting game begins... 

Lol one of the main reason why I decided to go for ak100 instead of dx50 too

 

[Makaan]

Last week I pre-ordered DX50 from mp4nation.com and waiting for dispatch. Wish to send mine from 5th dispacth.

 

[chengsta]

I wanted to buy the dx50 for comparison with the x3.  But man, the dx50 is not portable at all, that thing is HUGE.  No way am I going to be able to work/travel comfortably with that.  Won't even fit in my pocket. 

 

[frankrondaniel]

Wow - are you sure you're not thinking of the DX100? I find the DX50 to be very portable - not an issue at all in that respect.

 

[chengsta]

sorry my mistake haha, that was the dx100.  For some reason I was thinking dx50

 

[frankrondaniel]

Ok - that makes more sense to me. The DX100 is definitely more of a "brick' than the DX50.

 

[bogus1]

My X3 is a little longer and thinner than my DX50.  My DX50 has a bit more open sound than the X3.  With everything taken into account, I think the X3 and the DX50 are equal with sound.  I might be inclined to recommend the DX50 because it looks nicer, has better ergonomics (even though I'm not a big fan of touch screen interfaces) and because the line-out on the DX50 bypasses the volume control.