[twister6]

Using the DX320 with wireless iem's and headphones.

I believe that usually there isn't much of an advantage in using a superior DAP when using wireless than when using wired iems and headphones. I'm told that much circuitry is bypassed, and so we don't get so much difference (I'm not referring to the obvious reduction in quality caused by wireless--that is a constant, and assuming the same procotol is used, should not vary between daps).

Is this true for the DX320? For example, using an excellent wireless headphone like the PX8, can one expect as much of a difference between using the DX320 and, say, the DX170 or even an old FIIO M11, than the difference when using a wired headphone?

That is correct, with wireless you are bypassing most of the ckt in the DAP that differentiates it from your smartphone since you don't need digital to analog conversion, amplification, filtering, etc. For the best wireless performance, especially tws, if it is a priority to you - use your smartphone. They are optimized for that specific functionality, including more powerful wireless signal to cover bigger area. With most of the DAPs I tested, wireless distance is shorter in comparison to my Galaxy S22. DAP will offer a better power supply filtering since it has more room for the components, but in a digital domain with all the error correction not sure if that has much benefit since the conversion to analog is done in your wireless headphones/earphones.

 

[NAD Fi]

The quality of the wireless transmitter is always beneficial to the sound but as long that the sources have the same Bluetooth chip or something equally good then I don't think that there is an audible difference.

This is true for Android phones/DAP with APTX HD.

iPhone users will find that Apple’s wireless codec while very good is no match for APTX-HD. I use a Creative usb APTX-HD encoder with an iPad to get decent streaming from IOS and it is noticeable better than iPhone’s native Bluetooth AAC codec when streaming in lossless and high bit depth.

 

[hartphoto]

The battery life of the DX320 is rather amazing when using locally played music streamed to a Bluetooth device. I've easily gotten 12 hours (and wasn't paying attention to where battery % ended up) when using the FiiO UTWS5 paired with the 7hz Timeless. Last weekend streaming BT to a BT transceiver/speaker 2.1 setup in my camper trailer, it was over 18 hours with battery still to go.

Have never had anywhere near this battery life using an Android or iOS phone. YMMV.

 

[dmphile]

That is correct, with wireless you are bypassing most of the ckt in the DAP that differentiates it from your smartphone since you don't need digital to analog conversion, amplification, filtering, etc. For the best wireless performance, especially tws, if it is a priority to you - use your smartphone. They are optimized for that specific functionality, including more powerful wireless signal to cover bigger area. With most of the DAPs I tested, wireless distance is shorter in comparison to my Galaxy S22. DAP will offer a better power supply filtering since it has more room for the components, but in a digital domain with all the error correction not sure if that has much benefit since the conversion to analog is done in your wireless headphones/earphones.

I know mechanically this is what happens but I can absolutely tell the quality and difference in BT from my phone to the DX320's BT. I don't know how to explain it but when I connect my Indigo's to the UTWS5 with phone and DX320 there is a significant audible difference.

 

[goodvibes]

That is correct, with wireless you are bypassing most of the ckt in the DAP that differentiates it from your smartphone since you don't need digital to analog conversion, amplification, filtering, etc. For the best wireless performance, especially tws, if it is a priority to you - use your smartphone. They are optimized for that specific functionality, including more powerful wireless signal to cover bigger area. With most of the DAPs I tested, wireless distance is shorter in comparison to my Galaxy S22. DAP will offer a better power supply filtering since it has more room for the components, but in a digital domain with all the error correction not sure if that has much benefit since the conversion to analog is done in your wireless headphones/earphones.

With the ibasso dx240 and I'm sure with this model, it sounds significantly better streaming Qobuz to an LDAC capable device (like my CMA15) via Bluetooth than my Iphone. I suspect the iBasso FW that allows HiDef within android helps here as well.

 

[Ichos]

Depends on the phone, not all phones have the latest dedicated flagship Bluetooth chips as the DX320 or the DX240 have.
Then it is the power supply which is better on a DAP than a phone.
But normally the transmitted sound quality should be the same between let's say the DX320 and the DX240.

 

[goodvibes]

Depends on the phone, not all phones have the latest dedicated flagship Bluetooth chips as the DX320 or the DX240 have.
Then it is the power supply which is better on a DAP than a phone.
But normally the transmitted sound quality should be the same between let's say the DX320 and the DX240.

No Iphone/IOS supports LDAC. I believe android phones 8 and above can but 8 and 9 would at least need an app to work around the audio core res for HiDef and not certain that would still be in effect for Bluetooth. I suspect it works on the DX240 since they bypass the Android 9 SRC system wide. DX320 is Android 11 so should work either way but they also bypass the SRC for better performance than standard Android.

 

[Ichos]

No Iphone/IOS supports LDAC. I believe android phones 8 and above can but 8 and 9 would at least need an app to work around the audio core res for HiDef and not certain that would still be in effect for Bluetooth. I suspect it works on the DX240 since they bypass the Android 9 SRC system wide. DX320 is Android 11 so should work either way but they also bypass the SRC for better performance than standard Android.

Yes I know, generally speaking and not for iphones that are unknown territory to me.

 

[Altes]

I know mechanically this is what happens but I can absolutely tell the quality and difference in BT from my phone to the DX320's BT. I don't know how to explain it but when I connect my Indigo's to the UTWS5 with phone and DX320 there is a significant audible difference.

which did you find to have better quality?

 

[maceto]

No Iphone/IOS supports LDAC. I believe android phones 8 and above can but 8 and 9 would at least need an app to work around the audio core res for HiDef and not certain that would still be in effect for Bluetooth. I suspect it works on the DX240 since they bypass the Android 9 SRC system wide. DX320 is Android 11 so should work either way but they also bypass the SRC for better performance than standard Android.

Some android phones you have to enable the better codecs - not on by default

 

[dmphile]

which did you find to have better quality?

The 320 was better quality.

 

[goodvibes]

I don't listen to local files that way but I find LDAC to a DAC good enough for streaming services. I play local files from a Naim uniti core server, great dig out, and LDAC via the DX240 as it would on the DX320, makes having a local streamer for music services moot.

 

[bflat]

Any word on when next firmware with hopefully the double tap wake feature fully working? At the moment it works sometimes.

 

[samandhi]

Any word on when next firmware with hopefully the double tap wake feature fully working? At the moment it works sometimes.

Considering it hasn't been fixed in the lifetime of the DX300, and now since the DX320 has come out, I sort of doubt it will even be addressed, but I have been very wrong about this sort of thing before.

 

[samandhi]

Considering it hasn't been fixed in the lifetime of the DX300, and now since the DX320 has come out, I sort of doubt it will even be addressed, but I have been very wrong about this sort of thing before.

Also, other stuff that should be working from the beginning has also not been fixed yet (though they aren't/haven't been deal breakers for me). For instance, reverse BT. It has never worked properly. Anything that requires a code to be entered (or at least acknowledged) will not work when trying to pair (e.g. PC, Smart TV, etc...). It works (for me) only with an android phone, which is rather pointless IMO....

This is one feature that has surprised me from iBasso (they are normally all over issues that are SUPPOSED to work), because I have a $100 Shanling M0 that does this flawlessly with all my BT devices I might want to use in this manner. But I digress, as I am not complaining, just throwing that out there as another example of "unfixed issues".