I am sorry to hear that you have Battery issues. I hope you get it shorted out soon
After owning Dx320Max Ti for a while since it first date of release. I have always been loving the unit. After all that I have been through and gone through, I couldnt find anything to outperforming this little power house with such performances
First thing first, it is Titanium baby !!!! Titanium !!! Yes, many people google it up and think that it is "Cheap to make", and it is an Abundant resources, which is true. But I will have to clarify this. Titanium is not cheap to make. A good quality Titanium is not easy to make, and there are only a couple countries on the world that truly own the patents, rights to produce it. It is very desirable in Space technology, including Missiles, ICBM, Space Station, to Fighter Jets, but because it is so very expensive to make and to fabricate, you dont typically see it everywhere.
Since then, Titanium is known to be a Luxury level of Materials. Yes, everything that is made from Titanium will carry a hefty price tag to it name. Ibasso, as a small Audio company in comparison to other bigger brands, in my opinion, is the most enthusiastic about producing something that will last, innovative, that is totally dedicated to music. Ibasso was the very first company out of the bunch to have produced a "Pure Titanium chassis" it was back all the way to Dx200Titanium. Yet, was still very competitive toward other products. As the Brand stand, it doesn't generate much noises, and was easily lost during the influxes of supplies and new products from competitors. However, Ibasso kept on with it, and later on we had DX300Max Titanium, Dx300 edition X as a whole new Liquid formed Titanium, and then Dx320Max Titanium.
So, for all that said, how is the sound quality ? what is the differences ? why Fancy with luxurious materials ? why does it matter ?
From my experiences, Titanium VS the other materials for Chassis always have the differences that I found, better clarity, more high extensions, better textures vividity. This was back when I did extensive comparison between 200 and 200Ti. It does stand similary even for 300max and 300Max Ti. But in contrast, the body density is thinner, which trades off for the airiness that you get. Ibasso received the feedbacks, and always strive to improve it further.
At this moment, we have Dx320Max Ti, which, as a crazy DIY modder myself, I have found Zero reason. Absolutely Zero reason to Tinker with this DX320Max Titanium. This Zero desire to open it up, and peak inside, and or modifying it, has always been with me since I opened the box, listened to the little monster.
Yes, I know burn in, and I also was readily to accept it burn in to change, to may be to the point where I may need to break out my Iron, my madness to start tinkering and tweaking ? The answer is that, Nope, It has always been improving, and become more lovely every month passed by, to the point that nowadays, I am just gravitated toward it, like a moth drawn toward a flame.
I had a cousin who visited me, an engineer working for Rolls Royce, took a quick listen. He isnt into music, but he enjoy listening to it, not in a way that I do, but as a casual listener, he was stunned at the level of clarity, airiness, spaciousness. It didnt trigger him to follow the path that I am following, as his hobby is something else, related toward Space Science. Therefore, I took the chance and asked him about Titanium as a material. I was confirmed that Titanium is indeed a very hard and very expensive to use. That the fact of this little monster is using Pure Titanium, surprised him, he was entertained by it.
Now, back to the sound quality of Dx320Max, The Body tonality is so accurately spotted on! Thick, Dense, Punchy, still very well controlled. It yields an amazing spaciousness, Dynamic feelings, together with amazing depth, wide staging. It doesnt have the Vertical axis presentation that is exaggerated as some Sony walkmans and it products. I enjoy it being this way as it is more realistic to me in a perspective of being there, in the concert theater enjoying a live performances up on the stages. Once it is perceived this way, everything else just started falling into place, logically so. From the well controlled Dynamic an amazing detailed clarity, it is very easy to have great imagines of different instruments coming from all over the stage, in different directions, positions, even if it is just a bit deeper and behind, or more frontal, a little to the side ? You call it, you will be able to tell each instruments so clearly, it positions, it harmonic contents, and what it is trying to tell you. Matter of fact is that, this Portable player is the only that I can eagerly be following one specific instruments in the bunch, trailing it, and get lost in the moment enjoying the whole musical presentation, then refocused right away and onto this specific instrument. It is very unique, in a sense that I would brand it for being The best portable music Player at the moment in my own experiences
Before you get all so excited with all the Best performer, Best presentation of a portable, allow me to make a very very important impression. The pairing and matching will matter a lot. I am using it to pair with my Sennheiser HD800s. Many people call it being too neutral, too bright, artificial staging....etc.... you name it. But I have came and gone through different systems, including the most revered DIY projects of Stax amplifiers, DAC, Tube amps, Dynamic amp, of all kinds....I will have to say that this HD800s is down right Legendary, with the right pairing which has enough Power to drive it correctly. Sadly, there are not many players that can do it this amazingly, the way the Dx320Max Titanium do. I call DX320Max Titanium to be the best, pairing with this Full Size Headphones. Now, I do pair this Dx320Max Ti to my IER Z1R, my MDR Z1R, and it changes vastly, which again will depend on your preferences. Therefore, do keep in mind that what is the best for my preferences, is not necessarily your. This is why the hobby is so enjoyable. Also, using In ears, the 320Max may be too over power, too loud, that you may find yourself having a hard time adjusting the volume output. If you are an in ear fan, please Demo it as much as possible before laying down your cash, and for full size ? you wont find any other that can outperforming Dx320Max Ti technically, but personally is a different matter.
Now, I am always curious, and Fancying myself an answer, to what and how such achievements were achieved !!! I am an electronic lover, tinkerer at heart. So, before I jump into something like this, I always try to find what innovative elements, piece of technologies, that I should be pulling out my wallet for. The 320Max was said to be Titanium, with Polystyrene film capacitors, Analog stepped attenuator, Analog gain functions, 4X ROHM Flagship DAC chips and with 16X Oversampling, Super Class A amplifications, Dedicated battery packs which is 5 packs, with 2x2 packs for both L/R channel which takes 4 packs in total, together with a huge pack for DAC digital processor and conversions itself.
Just like any other modern Ibasso products, it sports DUAL operation sysems, and Android OS and MagoOS. You can have 16x MQA using Android OS, and Mango OS is dedicated toward the original files sample rates, without any influences from external factors, such as MQA. So, no MQA in MangoOS
The dedicated batteries require 2 separated chargers, a 12V standard barrel DC, and a USB C charger. The 12V is for Amplifier and USB C is for DAC/digital charger. I bought myself a powerbank and a USB-12VDC cable to take care of this job
One huge Fact that surprises me is how IBASSO is implementing ROHM Chips 4X this way, and up to this moment, may be perhaps is the only player to use 4x without cooking you a dinner due to generated heat. The very first player that brought love from the ROHM to me was Cayin N8ii. I love it performances, but the C9 always feel dangerously hot!! When Ibasso mentioned about 320Max, I was head over heels with it. I was expecting it to be possibly only heating up about 80% of the C9 for the best scenarios. But no!! using Ultimate mode, all 4 chips, and it is heating up just about 20-30% of what a C9 would do. It is so very cool to the touch, and totally comfortable to wrap it in on the bed with you!! Amazing little monster!!
I can now enjoy my 800S with desktop satisfaction, right on my bed, with the signatures and references, preferences that I love, with nothing to worry about.
Turning the volume knob of stepped attenuations may give people a mixed feeling, the people who is familiar with it, love it!!! I love it, with every knot, is a precise volume adjustment, not in the loudness but in the performances, no oddities of imagines, textures, or positioning shifts, collapsed staging due to very slight channel imbalances. Everything is so Linearly adjusted, it is Amazing!!! though, it may be curiously so that at some step, a channel may be cutoff. This is due to the physics of the attenuator! It has to take steps before it can fit into it designated grooves. Because it is to very little, it results in this, but it isnt a defect, it is how it works. Just keep turning and once it get to the grooves, it works!
Not to mention that using Analog attenuator, we lose Zero bits from the conversion of digital info, and digital attenuations. Even if it was electronically an analog volume with electrical values to allow you to adjust it freely, and smoothly, your signal chains are still not as direct, as pure, as original and as straight forward as Stepped analog attenuator. Simply saying that, Stepped attenuator is the Best for Precise adjustments!! Who would have thought that we may have it in a pocketable player ? I couldnt eve dare dreaming of it. Yet, here it is, by Ibasso!!!
The same as Digital gain being done by the DAC chips itself as a feature. It is best to have analog gain rather than the digital gain, and here it is, cramped on into DX320 MAX, an amazing Device. I have got many repeated question about which is the best to use. After using it for a while, I love the lowest gain !!! previously, out of the box, I enjoyed 2nd gain, as I found that it had the best Dynamic to staging performances and 1st was a little lacking. Not anymore, and if you asked me from when I had that impressions ? It started around 600+ hours.
I was about not to keep writing follow up review or a "long term" review, but the Dx320Max deserves everything that I posted about!!
Thanks for sparing your time and read through my wall of texts
PS: That back plate with easily replaceable battery packs ? it is more than a winner in my book as well
. I have not been following Cayin for a while now, and everything else. Thanks to 320Max here