DX260 Digital Audio Player, a New avenue to your music. Preorders have started. Easily replaceable battery. NEW Firmware Update! 2.02

[Bengkia369]

Thank you, dear friend!
I took this information from reviews and comments + also from the fact that the DAC there is entry-level))

Ibasso DX260 uses 8 X CS43198, I don't think it's entry level.
DAC is one thing, it's about how manufacturers implementation of the chip.
So far, I like the sound of my Ibasso DX260 and I don't feel it's inferior even compared to my other high end flagship level DAPs : Sony WM1ZM2 & Ibasso D300Max Ti.

 

[323HJK]

Ibasso DX260 uses 8 X CS43198, I don't think it's entry level.
DAC is one thing, it's about how manufacturers implementation of the chip.
So far, I like the sound of my Ibasso DX260 and I don't feel it's inferior even compared to my other high end flagship level DAPs : Sony WM1ZM2 & Ibasso D300Max Ti.

What do you think about these words?
http://ozvuke.pro/index.php?showtopic=3002

 

[Bondipix]

Ibasso DX260 uses 8 X CS43198, I don't think it's entry level.
DAC is one thing, it's about how manufacturers implementation of the chip.
So far, I like the sound of my Ibasso DX260 and I don't feel it's inferior even compared to my other high end flagship level DAPs : Sony WM1ZM2 & Ibasso D300Max Ti.

I get the impression from all the reviews and thoughts on the DX260 compared to others from shanling, AK, Hiby etc. that it, along with the DX180, are the best sounding Daps at their respective price points; so much so that I am not interested in the current crop of alternatives. Happy with my 260 and may indulge in a 180 down the road..

 

[323HJK]

I get the impression from all the reviews and thoughts on the DX260 compared to others from shanling, AK, Hiby etc. that it, along with the DX180, are the best sounding Daps at their respective price points; so much so that I am not interested in the current crop of alternatives. Happy with my 260 and may indulge in a 180 down the road..

I'm also wondering whether it's worth overpaying for the DX260 or buying the DX180 and not losing anything

 

[Bengkia369]

What do you think about these words?
http://ozvuke.pro/index.php?showtopic=3002

Of course, if you compared to higher ends and more expensive DAPs DX260 will not be as good but not too bad and lack behind too much either. Fair comparation would be comparation between DAPs of the similar price, don't you think so?
For me, DX260 is good for its price and performance it offers.

 

[Bondipix]

I'm also wondering whether it's worth overpaying for the DX260 or buying the DX180 and not losing anything

This is really a case of what you’re looking for in a dap; the 260 does sound slightly more refined to my ears. I had (qc) issues with my 180 but these have now been resolved apparently. So I would be happy with the 180 as well. If cost is an issue, you can’t go wrong with the 180. Curiously the 128gb internal storage is a nice bonus in the 180 and makes the paltry 64gb in the 260 somewhat annoying. I just ordered a new 1tb card for my 260 so I’ll live with it..

 

[cagix]

I think my head explode. I buy fiio m11 ess plus 2 after few isues with astell sr 25. Much isues fiio already fixed. Like touch warmer more organic sound with even better details more wide more 3d aspect in sound is allaround better upgrade. But rigt now i want even better in some ways iam posed in wide efect sound can be touch smoother but nothing dramatical. Old sony wm1a what they say about it is probably not for me isnt have wide sound etc. Dx 180 in reviews isnt have wider sound it is opposite. My candidates is dx 260, shanling m7 and this have wide sound and dc elite. But right now is ultra hard to go and buy it for try. I even buy not that costly phone. I have money to spent for it but like i say ultra hard. Hardest decision ever.

 

[rickywck]

Hello, friends! I want to ask you.
1) They write that DX260 sounds muddy and lacks detail and energy. It seems like it is not trying. Is this true?
2) Before it, I liked the Shanling M6 Pro 21 player on ESS. Will this player be worse in sound? I listen on Ananda Nano.
Thank you.

I just got mine and still burning, but I can tell you DX260 never sounds muddy. It is a very detail, clean sound DAP with some degree of warm (but not too much). There are too much sparkles in treble with some IEM perhaps it is still being burnt in but it can be compensated with some IEM, e.g. it sounds almost perfect with my Softear Twilight and it’s treble does not have the problem I mentioned above (well, Twilight can never sound with too much treble sparkle anyway). Same with Madoo 512 it sounds excellent (again, 512 is an IEM with slightly less treble). If I have to say some drawbacks I would say it may not be warm enough for some people, in fact I prefer even warmer sound sometimes for certain songs but you can’t have everything in one device.

 

[323HJK]

Я только что получил свой и все еще горит, но могу сказать, что DX260 никогда не звучит мутно. Это очень подробный, чистый звук DAP с некоторой степенью теплоты (но не слишком). Слишком много искр на высоких частотах с некоторыми IEM, возможно, он все еще прогревается, но это можно компенсировать некоторыми IEM, например, он звучит почти идеально с моим Softear Twilight, и его высокие частоты не имеют проблемы, о которой я упоминал выше (ну, Twilight в любом случае никогда не могут звучать со слишком большим количеством искр на высоких частотах). То же самое с Madoo 512, он звучит превосходно (опять же, 512 — это IEM с немного меньшими высокими частотами). Если бы мне пришлось назвать некоторые недостатки, я бы сказал, что он может быть недостаточно теплым для некоторых людей, на самом деле я предпочитаю даже более теплый звук иногда для определенных песен, но вы не можете иметь все в одном устройстве

Thank you. Your words are very valuable to me and help me make a choice in favor of DX260

 

[rickywck]

I think my head explode. I buy fiio m11 ess plus 2 after few isues with astell sr 25. Much isues fiio already fixed. Like touch warmer more organic sound with even better details more wide more 3d aspect in sound is allaround better upgrade. But rigt now i want even better in some ways iam posed in wide efect sound can be touch smoother but nothing dramatical. Old sony wm1a what they say about it is probably not for me isnt have wide sound etc. Dx 180 in reviews isnt have wider sound it is opposite. My candidates is dx 260, shanling m7 and this have wide sound and dc elite. But right now is ultra hard to go and buy it for try. I even buy not that costly phone. I have money to spent for it but like i say ultra hard. Hardest decision ever.

Could give DX260 a try, it is very detail and some warm touch (but not too much). It has wide soundstage (but may not have enough depth), and soundstage can be further expanded with external amplifier. There are warmer or sweeter DAP or amp but it is hard for them to have very high resolution at the same time.

 

[cagix]

Yes another problem is. When you use iem first device which is better is gustard a26. Even chord qutest isnt realy better than fiio for iems. So 10, 15 percent better devices isnt justifable not for that money. Gustard a 26 is King device. Ultra big, ultra wide space sound. Best sets i have ever heard is brother set. For one moment gsx mini with gustard a26 and hifiman he 1000se, now with sennheiser hd 800.

 

[jamato8]

Thank you, dear friend!
I took this information from reviews and comments + also from the fact that the DAC there is entry-level))

Not sure where you're getting your information from but the dac used is not entry level and I have never heard this the DX 260 as being muddy and never sounds that way. Not we're sure where you read this, but it doesn't sound like they've actually used or heard the DX 260.

 

[Delta9K]

I'm also wondering whether it's worth overpaying for the DX260 or buying the DX180 and not losing anything

I have both the DX180 and DX260. I picked the DX260 up after being wowed off my feet by the DX180. I bought the iBasso DX180 based on that it had the newest open Android version I've seen on modern DAPs and that it supported streaming. I was apprehensive regarding the sound signature thinking from what I had read that it could be a little more analytical than I prefer but the price point and features won over and I took a chance and I am glad that I did.

I was knocked off my feet when I heard the dx180. I was seriously genuinely surprised at how much I was enjoying it. I decided to pick up the dx260 and have been just as pleased with it. It also has this amazing sound that I now call the "iBasso Sound" and I dig it. I use them both for different use cases and they do each have a different seasoning to the sound and synergize differently with some of my IEMs and headphones - but that is why I bought the dx260 for added variety. Also, as others have mentioned it (dx260) is a bit more refined maybe more mature is a better descriptor, and I wanted that added refinement in a DAP but also wanted to keep the price point close to $1K USD and the dx260 hit all the marks for me.

I feel the dx180 hold its own with the dx260, perhaps more than some dx260 owners might want to admit, and if I only had the dx180 I would be content, but it should be noted that I'm very happy I have the dx260 too. I know that's not much help but like some others have said, it comes down to what you want from a DAP and are willing to spend to get it. The dx180 and dx260 are each solid options IMO.

 

[rickywck]

I'm also wondering whether it's worth overpaying for the DX260 or buying the DX180 and not losing anything

I own only DX260 but not DX180, but I did do extensive research before pulling the trigger, and based on all the reviews/comments read so far I would say it is not extremely hard to decide between these two 'in my opinion':
- If you are looking for one DAP which you can carry around and sounds good, and would like to have the best price performance ratio, then DX180 is probably the one to go.
- DX260 should have more detail than DX180 but some said it is less accommodating, i.e. for poor recordings DX180 could sound "better", which is quite reasonable. To be honest, this is true for most, if not all, entry level DAPs, because they are supposed to sound good for most variety of music in most situations.
- As one of the reviewer pointed out, DX260 is a kind of diminishing return when comparing with DX180, i.e. it won't sound 'better' for the percentage of price delta.
- Another consideration is how much power do you need. For DX260, I was surprised to find that it can drive my Hifiman Arya Stealth pretty well. However, if you are mainly IEM users, DX180's power should be more than enough.
- For me, there is another consideration to choose DX260. To be honest, DX260 is not my end game, but I want to have a transport with very good DAC so that I can upgrade by adding external amplifier in future. DX260 seems to be one of the best options because of its excellent resolution, low noise and relatively neutral sound (but not boring at all, still fun to listen itself). I found that it is easier for me to get target sound profile by adjusting the "downstream" component (e.g. amp, IEM, cables) and the transport/DAC simply performs its best to give the most accurate & precise digital to analog conversion. From my experience, those more expensive DAPs could sound "better" but most of them have its own sound characteristic, i.e. they are not neutral.

 

[323HJK]

I own only DX260 but not DX180, but I did do extensive research before pulling the trigger, and based on all the reviews/comments read so far I would say it is not extremely hard to decide between these two 'in my opinion':
- If you are looking for one DAP which you can carry around and sounds good, and would like to have the best price performance ratio, then DX180 is probably the one to go.
- DX260 should have more detail than DX180 but some said it is less accommodating, i.e. for poor recordings DX180 could sound "better", which is quite reasonable. To be honest, this is true for most, if not all, entry level DAPs, because they are supposed to sound good for most variety of music in most situations.
- As one of the reviewer pointed out, DX260 is a kind of diminishing return when comparing with DX180, i.e. it won't sound 'better' for the percentage of price delta.
- Another consideration is how much power do you need. For DX260, I was surprised to find that it can drive my Hifiman Arya Stealth pretty well. However, if you are mainly IEM users, DX180's power should be more than enough.
- For me, there is another consideration to choose DX260. To be honest, DX260 is not my end game, but I want to have a transport with very good DAC so that I can upgrade by adding external amplifier in future. DX260 seems to be one of the best options because of its excellent resolution, low noise and relatively neutral sound (but not boring at all, still fun to listen itself). I found that it is easier for me to get target sound profile by adjusting the "downstream" component (e.g. amp, IEM, cables) and the transport/DAC simply performs its best to give the most accurate & precise digital to analog conversion. From my experience, those more expensive DAPs could sound "better" but most of them have its own sound characteristic, i.e. they are not neutral.

I have both the DX180 and DX260. I picked the DX260 up after being wowed off my feet by the DX180. I bought the iBasso DX180 based on that it had the newest open Android version I've seen on modern DAPs and that it supported streaming. I was apprehensive regarding the sound signature thinking from what I had read that it could be a little more analytical than I prefer but the price point and features won over and I took a chance and I am glad that I did.

I was knocked off my feet when I heard the dx180. I was seriously genuinely surprised at how much I was enjoying it. I decided to pick up the dx260 and have been just as pleased with it. It also has this amazing sound that I now call the "iBasso Sound" and I dig it. I use them both for different use cases and they do each have a different seasoning to the sound and synergize differently with some of my IEMs and headphones - but that is why I bought the dx260 for added variety. Also, as others have mentioned it (dx260) is a bit more refined maybe more mature is a better descriptor, and I wanted that added refinement in a DAP but also wanted to keep the price point close to $1K USD and the dx260 hit all the marks for me.

I feel the dx180 hold its own with the dx260, perhaps more than some dx260 owners might want to admit, and if I only had the dx180 I would be content, but it should be noted that I'm very happy I have the dx260 too. I know that's not much help but like some others have said, it comes down to what you want from a DAP and are willing to spend to get it. The dx180 and dx260 are each solid options IMO.

Thank you both very much! The whole point, apparently, is that I am switching from the ESS 9068AS DAC to the CS43198 or CS43131 DACs and I am afraid of being disappointed. Although I used to have a player with a CS4398 DAC. And I am wondering, is the CS43198 really a flagship or some kind of entry-level? It even has only 256 DSD, not 512. My headphones are Ananda Nano