I can honestly say. I don't want to spend any more money on iBasso products. I'm totally disappointed that the sound was messed up with the current firmware. And with the original firmware, amp 13 does not work. If nothing changes there, I will no longer buy Dap from China. Then I tend to stick to the Japanese and Koreans. Not that you misunderstand me. The sound with the DX320 in its original state was stunning. The updates screwed up. The Chinese seem to like the emphasis on the upper-midrange. I hate it, personally I don't like it at all. That's why I'll refrain from buying anything from China for now. I wasn't very happy with all things. Fiio was particularly bad for me. With DX 300 I was only happy thanks to Whitigir with Amp 12W .That's why I don't buy anything anymore. I am now waiting for amp 12 EXN Special. If I don't like it either, I've spent enough money on China crap. I know that others don't see it that way and that I'm pilloried, but I've always been happier with AK and Sony in terms of the sound. Although not everything was perfect. But what iBasso did with the sound through the updates really sucks. This is only my opinion.
I agree absolutely on your actual complain. However, the rant is just a detriment to your very good point, the very good point being that the core aspect of a product should not change (and be expected to keep changing) after the product has been released/purchased (unless it's bug fixes).
But the rant isn't quite accurate, so it detracts from it. Afaik each brand has a general known sound signature and A&K from Korea has more of a reputation for the bright sound as far as I recall. iBasso usually is less bright than A&K, whereas Sony from Japan is known for a warm sound signature. I'm sure each company might have a brighter/warmer product too.
PS: Just remembered the EM5 from the Chinese company FiiO is waaarrrm and that's their flagship earbud.
Then I recall other companies from China and remembered ThieAudio and 64Audio, and the ThieAudio flagships (Monarch MkII & MkI, V16 Divinity) have been known to focus less on the treble compared to the US company 64Audio where products beyond their most famous U12t can be even brighter and sharper than it.
I don't feel Chinese companies are to blame for the bright sound basically. I know over a decade ago the higher-end audiophile equipment tended to be bright for perception of soundstage and detail, and at that point, chi-fi was not even considered mid-fi by anyone. Basically, this illusion that Chinese companies are responsible for bright sound is the illusion caused by the fact that they are producing more new products frequently, but in fact they are simply following an existing trend that they did not create.
But back to your main point, I totally agree if it's not a bug fix, companies should not change the core aspect of a product, since people buy it after researching the sound and changing the sound changes the product.
, but this is the thing I also do not like. From all of China origin products, I stick to and love Ibasso a lot, because it is so versatile, with parts always available and Paul is awesome!
