[TheRH]

Did it just show up? Or did you receive tracking? Mine has been sitting with USPS; I live in the US, for a week now.

 

[javahut]

Has anyone received the MOD Amp?

What is the MOD amp?

 

[TheRH]

A select few (30) amps were made for reviewers with performance specs.

 

[ExpatinJapan]

Another picture post for this quiet thread…

Has anyone received the MOD Amp?

Yes

See above

I received mine today and will post my thoughts here after letting it burn in. Early impressions are hugely positive... I don't want to stop listening.

Agreed

Its seems slightly apart from the amp8 family tree



I got it on Tuesday and immediately did some comparisons with amp1mkiii, amp8mk2,, amp8EX and amp8.

Now i am at about 70 hours on it.

I will redo the comparisons at 100 hours and add the original amp3 into the mix just for fun.

- no impressions just yet. Sorry.

 

[Bosk]

Did it just show up? Or did you receive tracking? Mine has been sitting with USPS; I live in the US, for a week now.

I did receive tracking information for mine.

I got it on Tuesday and immediately did some comparisons with amp1mkiii, amp8mk2,, amp8EX and amp8.

Now i am at about 70 hours on it.

I will redo the comparisons at 100 hours and add the original amp3 into the mix just for fun.

- no impressions just yet. Sorry.

Acquiring AMP3MOD has made me even more curious about AMP8MK2. I hadn't planned on purchasing one and there feels absolutely no need after hearing AMP3MOD, but I'm interested to read your thoughts on how they compare.

All I'm willing to say about AMP3MOD at this stage is hypothetically if iBasso had've included this as the stock DX240 amp (likely impossible due to bespoke caps used) DX240's would be flying off the shelves.

Now please excuse me, I have more listening to do.

 

[TheRH]

Wow, it must be pretty sweet. By the way, which IEMs are you using?

 

[Bosk]

Wow, it must be pretty sweet. By the way, which IEMs are you using?

Andromeda 2020's with Penon Leo Plus cable. Haven't tried any others with it yet, so I don't know how much of what I'm hearing is ungodly-good Andro synergy.

 

[TheRH]

I have a pair of 64 Audio U6ts.

 

[ExpatinJapan]

I did receive tracking information for mine.



Acquiring AMP3MOD has made me even more curious about AMP8MK2. I hadn't planned on purchasing one and there feels absolutely no need after hearing AMP3MOD, but I'm interested to read your thoughts on how they compare.

All I'm willing to say about AMP3MOD at this stage is hypothetically if iBasso had've included this as the stock DX240 amp (likely impossible due to bespoke caps used) DX240's would be flying off the shelves.

Now please excuse me, I have more listening to do.

Stock amp1mkiii is a good allrounder, which is what a stock amp should be (i guess). But brillance from day one would great. Maybe a different tuned all rounder? Possible? Impossible?

But yes, as you say perhaps impossible to do due to price restrictions - future idea of levels of iBasso releases? Different amp modules. I do remember a post where you could buy the DX240 as just a dap with no amp a while back.

Ah found a pic:


With the amp8mkii firmware update i think it tamed it (amp1mkiii) a bit in the highs.

But yes, enjoying the amp3MOD for sure.

Andromeda 2020's with Penon Leo Plus cable. Haven't tried any others with it yet, so I don't know how much of what I'm hearing is ungodly-good Andro synergy.

Sorry for the double quote - its just easier. #teamAndro2020

I will be heading into approximately 100 hours on the amp3MOD later tonight.
But the weekend and my kids beckon…so probably more burn in time than listening for me?


Yes, as i put in my tree graphic - the amp3MOD seems apart from the other recent amps which are mostly built upon on the Amp8 design.

Started with Andromeda Gold, then Andromeda MW10 and now like yourself now on Andromeda 2020 (with spiral tips++).

I dont think a review of these is particularly useful as there are only 30 slated to be released into the wild as an incentive for individuals to review their already owned DX240 - buuuut it may be seen as a test device/test amp for what may work well with the DX240 and be released in the future.
And impressions are fun to read regardless by fellow enthusiasts, myself included as i suck up any information on whatever i am interested in.

So if the 30 recipients of the Amp3MOD give ‘yea or nay’ feedback on the amp3MOD …if ‘yea’ we may see future release tuned this way perhaps.

This morning it sounds a bit more mature and a few of the niggling sonic quirks that i expected to go away have gone away and some of the usual fine tuning happening.

But again, until i go back and compare by naughtily hot swapping amps then i cant say its either amp burn in, brain burn in or my imagination….

I did enjoy the DX220/amp8EX combination. So hopefully something that approaches that will please my own particular sonic preference. Dense,
natural with detail.

I am not so into strict reference these days, nor anything too heavy and thick in the low end, v shaped can be a bit meh, nor nothing too hot in the high end that has excess treble masquerading as detail. I can stomach a bit of heavy mids still though

At around 80+ hours i would say it (amp3MOD) starts taking form.

But again, not writing anything too specific until i do my due diligence and proper listening and comparisons and make sure each amp is volume matched with a spl meter (pita but the brain can fool our ears and vice versa rather easily with a slight change in volume making an earphone or dap appear better).

Buuuut….like @Bosk feeling rather positive and thats after going through about 7 or 8?…9? amps with the DX240, that was enough - too much hassle to strip em all down - skipped amp 2,3,5(?), 7 and of course amp9 which doesnt fit. So yeah, feeling good about this one as it seems to match my peculiarities of music choice, iem signature choice and general sonic signature preferences.

Whether it is ‘better’ in an overall objective sense for all is another question.

‘Until next time!’

Anyway - i will go get some exercise on the bicycle before the family wakes up and then listen some more whilst breakfast is being eaten slowly by my children with Saturday kids cartoons.

 

[ExpatinJapan]

Playing the same ten tracks off the internal memory and not a micro sd card.

I was using Filter D4 (slow roll off- minimum) always. But now find myself playing more with the filters with amp3MOD.

Low gain.


- for burn in - playing ‘all music’ on shuffle from the micro sd card

 

[TheRH]

Has anyone had luck using the 240 as a soundcard? If so, what is the process?

 

[lithrai]

Basically you can't use DX240 as a soundcard because there is a noticeable audio lag due to some kind of processing of the signal as Paul told me.

 

[TheRH]

Good to know.

 

[Cecala]

I'm finding that my player after a mere 20 minutes of use playing mp3s gets quite warm, is this normal?

 

[Bosk]

I'm finding that my player after a mere 20 minutes of use playing mp3s gets quite warm, is this normal?

I'd tell you if I had any experience abusing my DX240 by feeding it MP3s or other inferior file formats.