[VishnuKare]

Still waiting for a direct comparison of dx260 vs dx240 amp8mk2s

Have to wait a bit more as it looks like not many of have got them yet.

 

[goodvibes]

As an aside, sure looks like there's plenty of profit margin, if one unauthorized vendor can sell to the public at a huge discount, and he even has another vendor, an authorized one, selling to it at obviously even *lower* price.

Sheesh. How much did that unit cost the original authorized vendor buying from the company? I don't even want to think about it.

LOL. Better make everything yourself. See if you can and what it would cost that way. Joke but just the case work is crazy until amortized.

I know that iBasso offer less profit than some others. If it were any less, they wouldn't have nearly as many outlets and by association, less support for consumers.

 

[Onurb8690]

Anyone who has already purchased the Reader who can give feedback on the Sound?

 

[Hobgoblinpie]

Just had an update from AMP3, order has been picked/shipped, so hopefully should receive it in the next few days. Won't be able to give a comparison to anything besides the DX160 I currently have, but looking forward to it either way.

Edit: Apparently it'll be delivered tomorrow - at least that wait is condensed...

 

[vikinguy]

I went through a ton of desktop dac/amps this summer. Woo wa7 gen 3 and the RME fs to name a couple. I found that for my favorite planar Arya V2 the dang IFi Signature IDSD Signature Finale at a max of 4,000 something mw drives it the best. I mean, this thing is a nuke.

I’m wondering if anyone has used the dx260 to power not so efficient Planars and if it has enough under the hood. Looks like it goes a bit over 1,000mw balanced. But as we all know numbers and real world experience can be two VERY different things. I’d love for the dx260 to be my single go-to piece of kit.

I’d really appreciate some feedback on this.

 

[Hobgoblinpie]

Had a chance to play around with and listen to the DX260 now. It feels much snappier than the DX160 I was using before. Media scanning is much quicker (probably 10x quicker or more, to be honest - on a library of roughly 140GB), generally snappier and easier to use. Not a huge fan of the ghosting (at least it seems like a bit of ghosting) on the screen, but it's a DAP and not a phone so I'll give it a pass. One mild criticism of the screen is that after you get to roughly 20% brightness, it doesn't get any darker. To my eyes it's slightly brighter than I'd like when using in a dark room. Build quality is very good though, definitely feels like a nice solid chunk to hold onto.

In terms of sound it's wonderful. My main headphones are a pair of LCD-X and Fostex TH-X00 (purpleheart) It's clearly more refined than the DX160 (as you'd hope for the price difference). Easily enough to power both - but they aren't high impedance so can't give any feedback on that. Certain tracks which I've hated listening to before because of poor mastering (Bring Me The Horizon - Avalanche) definitely seem much more listenable via headphones. I haven't given much detail in this comment since I haven't had a real chance to do some deep listening, but overall I'm very happy with it.

 

[RIGATIO]

Hi, has anyone had a chance to compare the dx260 to the dc-Elite? How is the soundstage and dynamics in comparison to the Elite?
And also dx320 vs 260 would be very appreciated!
Im blasting the Elite for almost two weeks now and cant believe how great it sounds. I even prefer it to the dx320 with a stock amp.

 

[llysender]

Hi, has anyone had a chance to compare the dx260 to the dc-Elite? How is the soundstage and dynamics in comparison to the Elite?
And also dx320 vs 260 would be very appreciated!
Im blasting the Elite for almost two weeks now and cant believe how great it sounds. I even prefer it to the dx320 with a stock amp.

I think you will like it. From my breef testing at zep it's even more dynamic than DC elite at the cost of abit of soundstage with a mild focus on vocals.

Personally after you get over the boosted dynamics even set to Filter 5(NOS) the fine microdetails that can be heard easily on the DX311mk2 is gone much to my surprise considering it has 2X the CS chips.

That being said I understand not that many people are chasing that 7th layer and as a fun sounding dap that is detailed enough for the price it accels.

 

[llysender]

Delete double post.

 

[mbirand]

That being said I understand not that many people are chasing that 7th layer and as a fun sounding dap that is detailed enough for the price it accels.

in my case, for the sake of more portability, i was thinking of going from 320max to 260. perhaps it will be a noticable downgrade that i won’t be satisfied. therefore, i should reconsider my decision.

 

[RIGATIO]

I think you will like it. From my breef testing at zep it's even more dynamic than DC elite at the cost of abit of soundstage with a mild focus on vocals.

Personally after you get over the boosted dynamics even set to Filter 5(NOS) the fine microdetails that can be heard easily on the DX311mk2 is gone much to my surprise considering it has 2X the CS chips.

That being said I understand not that many people are chasing that 7th layer and as a fun sounding dap that is detailed enough for the price it accels.

Thanx! Tbh i wouldnt like to trade any more soundstage for more dynamics as the Elite already sounds dynamic enough to me.
My main dap for a more critical listening is the ak sp1k which i pair with the ak pa10 amp. These give me even more soundstage than the Elite but the Elite has amazing spaciousness anyway. Im using the Elite when im outside and the sound is just amazing but was wondering if the dx260 would be a step above.

 

[goodvibes]

Hi, has anyone had a chance to compare the dx260 to the dc-Elite? How is the soundstage and dynamics in comparison to the Elite?
And also dx320 vs 260 would be very appreciated!
Im blasting the Elite for almost two weeks now and cant believe how great it sounds. I even prefer it to the dx320 with a stock amp.

Awesome. What's your source for that?

 

[RIGATIO]

Awesome. What's your source for that?

Samsung s20. I don't hear any difference with any other source, sounds great straight from the smartphone.

 

[pwaustin]

I've had the dx260 for a couple of days now, here are some initial thoughts in random order.

I've been trying to compare it to the dx240 (AMP8 MK2S) and to my ears the two are very similar. I think I detect a bit more mid-bass in the dx260, but if so, it's a very subtle difference. It's really hard to say if the 260 sounds better than the 240, but time may tell on this. I even tried comparing the two iBasso DAPs to my Shanling M6 Ultra, the Shanling seems a bit darker, but once again the difference seems subtle, if not just in my head because I want to like the 260 better. In a blind test between the 3, I don't think I would be able to tell them apart at the moment.

As far as power goes, I listen with my Solitaire T headphones and there is much more power with the 260 vs 240. On the 260 I can listen on low gain with the volume around 40, whereas on the 240 on medium gain the volume is around 60. That said, I never had any problems powering with the 240, but just that there is a difference.

Using Roon Remote and Roon Arc, the 260 is faster and more responsive than the 240, I'm guessing because of the faster processor.

The 260 is slightly wider than the 240 and slightly shorter, and apparently is lighter, even though my hands tell me that the 240 is the lighter one. I think I prefer the size of the 240 as it just fits well in my hand, but this is not a deal breaker. Also, the volume wheel on the 260 feels flimsy and cheap compared to the 240, again not a deal breaker though. Other than that, like the 240, the build is excellent.

I'll keep listening to see if I notice any other differences and post back if anything changes.

 

[goodvibes]

I've had the dx260 for a couple of days now, here are some initial thoughts in random order.

I've been trying to compare it to the dx240 (AMP8 MK2S) and to my ears the two are very similar. I think I detect a bit more mid-bass in the dx260, but if so, it's a very subtle difference. It's really hard to say if the 260 sounds better than the 240, but time may tell on this. I even tried comparing the two iBasso DAPs to my Shanling M6 Ultra, the Shanling seems a bit darker, but once again the difference seems subtle, if not just in my head because I want to like the 260 better. In a blind test between the 3, I don't think I would be able to tell them apart at the moment.

As far as power goes, I listen with my Solitaire T headphones and there is much more power with the 260 vs 240. On the 260 I can listen on low gain with the volume around 40, whereas on the 240 on medium gain the volume is around 60. That said, I never had any problems powering with the 240, but just that there is a difference.

Using Roon Remote and Roon Arc, the 260 is faster and more responsive than the 240, I'm guessing because of the faster processor.

The 260 is slightly wider than the 240 and slightly shorter, and apparently is lighter, even though my hands tell me that the 240 is the lighter one. I think I prefer the size of the 240 as it just fits well in my hand, but this is not a deal breaker. Also, the volume wheel on the 260 feels flimsy and cheap compared to the 240, again not a deal breaker though. Other than that, like the 240, the build is excellent.

I'll keep listening to see if I notice any other differences and post back if anything changes.

That’s actually a positive for the 260. Amp8 mk2s is considered the pinnacle of the dx240 factory configs at an extra cost and here it’s right there iut of the box.