[seanwee]

I looked at Hiby R6 Pro II, I like it better than dx260. bigger screen, better cpu-less consumption, android 12 instead of 11 and, as I read, better sound quality.

There are a few notable caveats for the R6 Pro II:

Power: I find the balanced output to be JUST enough for planars if you listen at louder volumes.

Battery life: 5-7 hours depending on how much output power you need, for me it was just shy of 5 hours.

Sound wise it's overall better but I do find that it lacks the last bit of bass extension. But otherwise it's strengths more than compensate for its shortcomings.

 

[dgjl]

In my opinion, the FiiO M15S and Hiby R6 Pro II are better sounding, mainly in the dynamics and soundstage department.

Software should be fine, it's been a long time since any android dap has bothered me with slow UI or glaring bugs.

The three are quite different. FiiO M15s has the fullest and warmest sound, but is big and heavy. The DX260 is bright, highly detailed and musical, and also small and light, but can be fatiguing with revealing IEMs. The R6Pro is technically adept and sprightly with a lovely screen, but has a rather dry sound (IMO) and is also quite big. Trade offs everywhere...

 

[rosci]

I plan to buy a dx260 device. but before that, I'll ask if you have any annoying problems with either the sw or hw part. how would you describe his voice? what are your strongest competitors from other manufacturers?

got mine last week and still in the process of listening and familiarizing myself with it.

so far only a minor issue with mango OS: albums that consist of multiple "discs" are sorted the wrong way (disc 1 song 1, then disc 2 song 1, then disc 1 song 2 etc). mango player on android doesn't have these issues.

then there's the issue with roon remote that can't change the player's sampling rate (which i believe is a common issue with all or most android based DAPs).

still in the process of testing out all the features but these are the issues i found so far.

sound quality is staggeringly good! wonderful rich colors and texture, extreme resolution and excellent staging, excellent dynamics. captivating musicality. i think it's really totally neutral in the sense that it doesn't omit or exagerate anything. if it's there you hear it. i really love the sound quality of this player. i do find that it truly rivals much more expensive offerings. in fact, it may be the best sounding dap or mobile dac i've heard, period. it really is THAT good.

i do believe that this is a product of some very clever design choices and excellent engineering. in a way this player is groundbreaking as i've never heard anything as good - especially not with a similarly compact footprint and relatively affordable price point.

i think synergy is important (as always). i use it with VE8 which are more on the darker side and this is a combo made in heaven! i don't know how well it pairs with other IEMs or headphones.

(some contenders could be hiby r6 pro ii, shanling m6 ultra, fiio m23, maybe ak sr35 although i do believe this falls short by a margin - in fact i've compared the dx260 even with SP3000T and chose the dx260 for its superior sq; these daps all have their specific tuning; make sure to test for synergy with your IEMs, and of course, as always, ymmv.)

 

[Paul - iBasso]

got mine last week.

so far only a minor issue with mango OS: albums that consist of multiple "discs" are sorted the wrong way (disc 1 song 1, then disc 2 song 1, then disc 1 song 2 etc) and gapless doesn't work. mango player on android doesn't have these issues.

then there's the issue with roon remote that can't change the player's sampling rate.

still in the process of testing out all the features but these are the issues i found so far.

sound quality is staggeringly good! wonderful rich colors and texture, extreme resolution and excellent staging, excellent dynamics. i think it's really totally neutral in the sense that it doesn't omit or exagerate anything. if it's there you hear it. i really love the sound quality of this player. i do find that it truly rivals much more expensive offerings.

i think synergy is important (as always). i use it with VE8 which are more on the darker side and this is a combo made in heaven! i could imagine that it doesn't pair equally well with brighter IEMs but haven't tried - just guessing.

(i think obvious contenders would be hiby r6 pro ii, shanling m6 ultra, fiio m23, maybe ak sr35; they all have their specific tuning; make sure to test for synergy with your IEMs.)

Can you send me the albums that are not working correctly, or a couple of them? I can have our software team look at this. WeTransfer can be used sending the files to service@ibasso.com and paul@ibasso.com. Please state the issue with the files.

 

[simaab]

Hello @Paul - iBasso

Will there be system wide PEQ in any future updates for dx260?

 

[Audiofilobrpt]

Even though I already have the DX300 amp11mkII, I had to try the dx260.
I like the possibility of having the mango OS available whenever I need it. In the long term, if Android starts to crash or no longer has updates, I can just keep my music on Mango OS and use the DAP a little more. This is a positive point for Ibasso DAPs, in my opinion.

I received the DX260 yesterday and found it very well built and the form factor is a very important point.
Not being a big brick like the dx300 is a positive point for the dx260.
The fact that we can replace the battery is also a factor that influenced my decision to get a dx260.
In terms of sound, to my ears, in a few hours of A/B, they showed small differences.
The DX300 seemed to me to have more body and weight.
The DX260, with its neutrality and transparency, makes my life easier by not worrying about synergy with my IEMs. I tested almost all of them yesterday and they all seemed to sound good.
I really want to keep the DX260 because it is more “all rounder” and the two important points: replaceable battery and the form factor.

But, I wonder whether or not to sell the DX300.
I feel like I would pick up the dx300 a lot less than the dx260 to listen to.
Size and synergy would influence this.

Would I be stupid to sell the dx300 to keep the dx260?

I would probably sell the dx300 for less than what I paid for the dx260.
The dx300, even though it was launched a few years ago, still has 2GB more RAM and a little more power. The difference in power wouldn't make that much of a difference, as I use them more with IEMs and of the 3 headphones I have, 2 of them aren't that difficult to drive and the HD800s I think are exceptional over the Lyr+.

Are the FPGA master 2.0 and the 4 cirrus logic giving points in favor of the dx260 or do they not make that much of a difference?

Anyway, I can keep both, but in my place, would you keep both?
Or is it redundant to have two Ibassos Cirrus logic?

Is it stupid to keep the dx260 and sell the dx300, knowing that I will sell it for less than what I paid for the dx260?

In terms of form factor, I prefer the dx260, but in terms of sound and technology, would I be downgrading by keeping the dx260 and selling the dx300?

 

[sechsterangriff]

Finally just got my DX260. I have two major issues with it but they are not related to sound.
1. The volume wheel that also serves as the power button when pressed, is so flimsy that it seems it will break off if I look at it the wrong way.
2. MTP file transfer is borked and makes my music managers (such as MediaMonkey) crash when attempting to sync.

Sound quality-wise I have no complaints. I'm upgrading from the original Hiby R5 and I can say the improvement is clearly perceptible. It's just a shame the software it's still not there yet.

 

[Zabizabo]

Hi there,

Which IEM and headphones seem to be the best paired with the DX260? I use the Dunu Titan S as IEM and the sound is too bright for my taste. To a lesser extent, it's the same for my Hifiman Sundara.
It can be fixed with the use of the equalizer but I would prefer, at least for my IEM, not use it.

Thanks and good day

 

[dgjl]

In terms of sound, to my ears, in a few hours of A/B, they showed small differences.
The DX300 seemed to me to have more body and weight.
The DX260, with its neutrality and transparency, makes my life easier by not worrying about synergy with my IEMs. I tested almost all of them yesterday and they all seemed to sound good.
I really want to keep the DX260 because it is more “all rounder” and the two important points: replaceable battery and the form factor.

The Dx260 improves in body and weight after 100 hours or so. The difference will probably still be there, but might be less...

 

[dgjl]

Hi there,

Which IEM and headphones seem to be the best paired with the DX260? I use the Dunu Titan S as IEM and the sound is too bright for my taste. To a lesser extent, it's the same for my Hifiman Sundara.
It can be fixed with the use of the equalizer but I would prefer, at least for my IEM, not use it.

Thanks and good day

You could also try tip rolling to tame the brightness. Definitely works with my Ie900. Too bright and fatiguing with AZLA SednaEarfit MAX, but spot on with Spiral Dots.

 

[Zabizabo]

Thanks, I will have a look at the different tips on the market. I can see there is plenty of them

 

[Zabizabo]

You could also try tip rolling to tame the brightness. Definitely works with my Ie900. Too bright and fatiguing with AZLA SednaEarfit MAX, but spot on with Spiral Dots.

Thanks, I will have a look at the different tips on the market. I can see there is plenty of them

 

[RIGATIO]

Even though I already have the DX300 amp11mkII, I had to try the dx260.
I like the possibility of having the mango OS available whenever I need it. In the long term, if Android starts to crash or no longer has updates, I can just keep my music on Mango OS and use the DAP a little more. This is a positive point for Ibasso DAPs, in my opinion.

I received the DX260 yesterday and found it very well built and the form factor is a very important point.
Not being a big brick like the dx300 is a positive point for the dx260.
The fact that we can replace the battery is also a factor that influenced my decision to get a dx260.
In terms of sound, to my ears, in a few hours of A/B, they showed small differences.
The DX300 seemed to me to have more body and weight.
The DX260, with its neutrality and transparency, makes my life easier by not worrying about synergy with my IEMs. I tested almost all of them yesterday and they all seemed to sound good.
I really want to keep the DX260 because it is more “all rounder” and the two important points: replaceable battery and the form factor.

But, I wonder whether or not to sell the DX300.
I feel like I would pick up the dx300 a lot less than the dx260 to listen to.
Size and synergy would influence this.

Would I be stupid to sell the dx300 to keep the dx260?

I would probably sell the dx300 for less than what I paid for the dx260.
The dx300, even though it was launched a few years ago, still has 2GB more RAM and a little more power. The difference in power wouldn't make that much of a difference, as I use them more with IEMs and of the 3 headphones I have, 2 of them aren't that difficult to drive and the HD800s I think are exceptional over the Lyr+.

Are the FPGA master 2.0 and the 4 cirrus logic giving points in favor of the dx260 or do they not make that much of a difference?

Anyway, I can keep both, but in my place, would you keep both?
Or is it redundant to have two Ibassos Cirrus logic?

Is it stupid to keep the dx260 and sell the dx300, knowing that I will sell it for less than what I paid for the dx260?

In terms of form factor, I prefer the dx260, but in terms of sound and technology, would I be downgrading by keeping the dx260 and selling the dx300?

Did you try other amps with the dx300? I remember that the amp12 improved the sound even more, giving it more controll, dynamics, clarity, stage and separation. It was less colored but more like a typical class A sound (well the amp12 is a class A amp). I remember not liking the dx320 with stock amp but the amp12 changed everything for me. The stock amp sounded loose, muddy and sharp at the same time. With the amp12, the overall sound matured a lot and it was very very close to the dx320 but bit warmer.

 

[jamato8]

Finally just got my DX260. I have two major issues with it but they are not related to sound.
1. The volume wheel that also serves as the power button when pressed, is so flimsy that it seems it will break off if I look at it the wrong way.
2. MTP file transfer is borked and makes my music managers (such as MediaMonkey) crash when attempting to sync.

Sound quality-wise I have no complaints. I'm upgrading from the original Hiby R5 and I can say the improvement is clearly perceptible. It's just a shame the software it's still not there yet.

I have taken the DX260 apart. The volume wheel is solid metal with a thick shaft that goes through a milled hole in the case. It is anything but flimsy and I used to do metal refinishing for industrial parts (years ago). I was actually surprised at how well it is made and much better than some other brands I have. The shaft goes into the volume module internally in the 260, so everything is really well protected. Maybe I will photograph it one of these days as I am very impressed with the build.

 

[sechsterangriff]

I have taken the DX260 apart. The volume wheel is solid metal with a thick shaft that goes through a milled hole in the case. It is anything but flimsy and I used to do metal refinishing for industrial parts (years ago). I was actually surprised at how well it is made and much better than some other brands I have. The shaft goes into the volume module internally in the 260, so everything is really well protected. Maybe I will photograph it one of these days as I am very impressed with the build.

Mine seems to have a bit wider gap between the shaft and the body than ideally it would be. So when I turn the wheel with my thumb it seems to wobble slightly and grinds a bit against the body. But knowing that just how it is and that I shouldn't worry bout it is a bit more reassuring.