[Hotmama]

111 is here!

I got #112!

 

[SabreToothBunny]

So after having some issues with my unit suddenly switching off randomly, I opened up my unit to find that the digital battery MOLEX connector was loosely plugged in. The digital battery pack is the one on its own, the analogue battery pack has dual MOLEX connectors onto it's board. Aside from this the work inside this unit is absolutely top tier.

If you need to open up the unit for any reason be careful removing the digital MOLEX connector as there is an SMD resistor which you risk tearing off if you're a roughneck.
Similarly the analogue MOLEX connectors can catch on the circuit board above. ALWAYS use tweezers on the grooves of the MOLEX connector when removing. NEVER pull the wires.
Additionally the wires for the button controls (multiple black wires on another larger MOLEX) are quite long. I found they were pushing down on one of the silver capacitors inside the unit, from install. You'll want to tease this with tweezers when putting the back, back on. I don't like wires putting pressure on solder points. You'll know if it is because the backplate will be springy when trying to secure it.

While I was doing that, I tried disconnecting both batteries to see whether you could power on the unit via PSUs (I don't want to leave the packs plugged in for burn in) but unfortunately Android will not come on without a battery pack connected. The amp section will. I'm at around 80 hours of listening but I'll do it organically while playing it, not leaving it running. For the most part I have not noticed huge changes between 20 and 80 hours so after a day you'll pretty much know what you're dealing with.

The screen sensitivity is a little inconsistent and got worse with my first stock protector install. I've noticed my case touching the screen contributes to this but having switched to a scratch resistent polymer protector (thin), I've not encountered that since.
Incidentally, if you don't have access to a clean room, install screen protectors in a bathroom after having run hot taps for a bit. Humidity in the air will reduce the number of particles you risk getting underneath the protector when installing.

Is there no way to swipe up to close an app? No on screen volume levels?

- In android, I am able to swipe up to close apps, no problem.
On the bottom controls, hit the right (square button) to bring up screenshots of running apps, swipe left/right to find a specific app to close and swipe up.
If you can't do this, you might want to check your screen protector isn't the problem.
- No onscreen volume controls because the analogue section (ie the gain/amp stage) is completely separate from the digital section of the unit. This avoids interference and cross talk and is also why the volume cannot be controlled from within Android or Mango

Hi, is there an option to limit battery charging to 80% like there is on the standard 320dx? Or does the replacable battery make that obsolete now and we can charge to 100%?
I didn't see an owners manual on the ibasso site.

- No intelligent switch off at a certain percentage. Paul from IBasso has confirmed that the unit will switch to trickle charge when batteries are at 100%. I'd prefer if there was an option to limit charging too. I'll ask if this is a possibility in future firmwares but I know this was not implemented for previous MAX versions so I suspect it won't be an option for this.

It would be nice if you could change from PO to LO in Android as easy as in Mango.

- Unless I'm misunderstanding what you are asking; In android, swipe down to display the taskbar. On there you should see a round button with either PO or LO on it. Hit this to switch between the two (unless I'm mistaken)

I tried a bunch of Bluetooth remotes to control playback and it's been hit and miss. I found that the above ring (which I got from a failed Kickstarter campaign a couple of years ago and has sat in a box) works great for play/pause and skip controls for Android. I don't know where you can get these from now as the majority of the ones I've now seen online are clones and don't have the same functionality or compatability.

Bought this to have a more transportable source for Dan Clark Stealth headphones. I currently use a HM1000 Gold + Romi Audio BX-2 Pro amp.

The DX320MAX is actually longer than the BX-2 Pro and as weighty as the solid copper Romi chassis but it is so much more convenient to carry and setup without having to have an interconnect and (unfortunately, due to the lack of decent local MicroSD playback on the HM1000) a digital transport connected via USB.

Power wise the BX-2 Pro has always impressed me and can output 5900mW (10.7Vrms) at 32ohms so considerably more power than the DX320MAX but for my quiet listening habits, Gain IV at around 12 (out of 24) clicks volume is plenty enough without any sense of clipping or lack of peak overheads and even with low level recordings, I can't push this to full volume without it becoming uncomfortably loud for me.

Tonally I love the sound of the HM1000+BX-2 Pro combo, which has a very wide and layered presentation with a classic liquid but raw R2R sound and a lot of nuance and depth in the low frequency regions. This is what I was most worried about switching to the DX320MAX.
Luckily I have found the ROHM DAC presentation to be one of the least digital sounding implementations of a delta-sigma chip with no digital veil present to my ears and an extremely transparent but detailed presentation.
Having tried the line-out into some amps, this isn't the same as the HM1000 as it is slightly more incisive compared to the more R2-R liquid treble while still being quite organic. If I were to compare it to other DACs, I'd say it has similarities to the Chord Hugo TT2 (which I no longer have). It might be somewhere between the TT2 and Dave (which is my most used desktop DAC) in terms of fidelity. Very impressive.

The soundstage and layering of the DX320MAX is about as large as presentations go, without sounding artificially wide. It is very holographic but also has a dense presentation which gives weight and mass to instruments, filling that space with nuance and texture. Transparency is from low to high frequencies with no significant shelving or troughs. It is a full frequency presentation.

Additionally my one worry was the potential reference presentation lacking some of the lowest frequency colouring which the BX-2 Pro has. This is not the case and the DX320MAX has (to my ears) slightly elevated emphasis in the sub 150Hz region which I welcome for my preferences. I have zero desire to EQ or boost anything. Subbass depth and power is exceptional and aside from the Romi amp, is the only other true portable Class A amplification I've experienced with a vice like grip on lower frequencies at high output power levels while maintaining clarity.

The amp section doesn't make me forget the Stealth driven by a Wells Audio Reference Headtrip II but I'd say it is on a par with my Auralic Taurus Mk II. That said, for my tastes, I consider the Wells Audio into a custom Abyss headphone to be on a par with my Sennheiser HE-1, albeit a different presentation. We're talking factors more price here and a 50kg amp so expectations need to be tempered. Lows and lower mids are a highlight for me with excellent extension into the highs.

One other thing I am very happy about is that there are a number of high powered portable sources I use (also some desktop components) which require a warm up before reaching optimum performance. The Romi Audio BX-2 Pro needs about 30-40 minutes. It usually manifests itself in the dynamics and extension but the DX320MAX just sounds great within a minute or so. I don't notice any change or improvement with any warm up and that in itself is huge for me. Exceptional implementation.

My only gripes so far are;
- Touchscreen sensitivity
- Weak WiFi. Possibly the titanium chassis acting like a Faraday cage. I'll be using this for pure local playback anyway but something to consider if streaming
- The back of the leather case is a bit of a cheese grater

Overall it is impossible to compare the DX320MAX to any portable DAP I've experienced. It has to be compared to top tier, carefully curated components in a transportable setup or mid-fi tier ($1-1.5k per component) in a pure desktop setup.

The HM1000+BX-2 Pro combo and DX320MAX Ti are on a par except for pure output power but in terms of fidelity, this is pretty peerless as far as portable audio is concerned. I am amazed Ibasso managed to fit all of that into this chassis and to boot, it doesn't get hot! Very impressive stuff here.

 

[Shawnb]

- In android, I am able to swipe up to close apps, no problem.
On the bottom controls, hit the right (square button) to bring up screenshots of running apps, swipe left/right to find a specific app to close and swipe up.
If you can't do this, you might want to check your screen protector isn't the problem.
- No onscreen volume controls because the analogue section (ie the gain/amp stage) is completely separate from the digital section of the unit. This avoids interference and cross talk and is also why the volume cannot be controlled from within Android or Mango

- No intelligent switch off at a certain percentage. Paul from IBasso has confirmed that the unit will switch to trickle charge when batteries are at 100%. I'd prefer if there was an option to limit charging too. I'll ask if this is a possibility in future firmwares but I know this was not implemented for previous MAX versions so I suspect it won't be an option for this.

- Unless I'm misunderstanding what you are asking; In android, swipe down to display the taskbar. On there you should see a round button with either PO or LO on it. Hit this to switch between the two.

Thanks. I figured it out. It was an option to enable swipe actions vs the buttons. I'm hoping they will add the battery switch off option, it's a nice feature.

 

[Reima]

- Unless I'm misunderstanding what you are asking; In android, swipe down to display the taskbar. On there you should see a round button with either PO or LO on it. Hit this to switch between the two (unless I'm mistaken)

Thanks, I did not know that.

 

[Shawnb]

I haven't had a chance to compare with the N8ii, plus listening on Mango so wouldn't be a fair comparison anyways but WOW.

 

[immortalsoul]

So after having some issues with my unit suddenly switching off randomly, I opened up my unit to find that the digital battery MOLEX connector was loosely plugged in. The digital battery pack is the one on its own, the analogue battery pack has dual MOLEX connectors onto it's board. Aside from this the work inside this unit is absolutely top tier.

If you need to open up the unit for any reason be careful removing the digital MOLEX connector as there is an SMD resistor which you risk tearing off if you're a roughneck.
Similarly the analogue MOLEX connectors can catch on the circuit board above. ALWAYS use tweezers on the grooves of the MOLEX connector when removing. NEVER pull the wires.
Additionally the wires for the button controls (multiple black wires on another larger MOLEX) are quite long. I found they were pushing down on one of the silver capacitors inside the unit, from install. You'll want to tease this with tweezers when putting the back, back on. I don't like wires putting pressure on solder points. You'll know if it is because the backplate will be springy when trying to secure it.

While I was doing that, I tried disconnecting both batteries to see whether you could power on the unit via PSUs (I don't want to leave the packs plugged in for burn in) but unfortunately Android will not come on without a battery pack connected. The amp section will. I'm at around 80 hours of listening but I'll do it organically while playing it, not leaving it running. For the most part I have not noticed huge changes between 20 and 80 hours so after a day you'll pretty much know what you're dealing with.

The screen sensitivity is a little inconsistent and got worse with my first stock protector install. I've noticed my case touching the screen contributes to this but having switched to a scratch resistent polymer protector (thin), I've not encountered that since.
Incidentally, if you don't have access to a clean room, install screen protectors in a bathroom after having run hot taps for a bit. Humidity in the air will reduce the number of particles you risk getting underneath the protector when installing.


- In android, I am able to swipe up to close apps, no problem.
On the bottom controls, hit the right (square button) to bring up screenshots of running apps, swipe left/right to find a specific app to close and swipe up.
If you can't do this, you might want to check your screen protector isn't the problem.
- No onscreen volume controls because the analogue section (ie the gain/amp stage) is completely separate from the digital section of the unit. This avoids interference and cross talk and is also why the volume cannot be controlled from within Android or Mango

- No intelligent switch off at a certain percentage. Paul from IBasso has confirmed that the unit will switch to trickle charge when batteries are at 100%. I'd prefer if there was an option to limit charging too. I'll ask if this is a possibility in future firmwares but I know this was not implemented for previous MAX versions so I suspect it won't be an option for this.

- Unless I'm misunderstanding what you are asking; In android, swipe down to display the taskbar. On there you should see a round button with either PO or LO on it. Hit this to switch between the two (unless I'm mistaken)



I tried a bunch of Bluetooth remotes to control playback and it's been hit and miss. I found that the above ring (which I got from a failed Kickstarter campaign a couple of years ago and has sat in a box) works great for play/pause and skip controls for Android. I don't know where you can get these from now as the majority of the ones I've now seen online are clones and don't have the same functionality or compatability.



Bought this to have a more transportable source for Dan Clark Stealth headphones. I currently use a HM1000 Gold + Romi Audio BX-2 Pro amp.

The DX320MAX is actually longer than the BX-2 Pro and as weighty as the solid copper Romi chassis but it is so much more convenient to carry and setup without having to have an interconnect and (unfortunately, due to the lack of decent local MicroSD playback on the HM1000) a digital transport connected via USB.

Power wise the BX-2 Pro has always impressed me and can output 5900mW (10.7Vrms) at 32ohms so considerably more power than the DX320MAX but for my quiet listening habits, Gain IV at around 12 (out of 24) clicks volume is plenty enough without any sense of clipping or lack of peak overheads and even with low level recordings, I can't push this to full volume without it becoming uncomfortably loud for me.

Tonally I love the sound of the HM1000+BX-2 Pro combo, which has a very wide and layered presentation with a classic liquid but raw R2R sound and a lot of nuance and depth in the low frequency regions. This is what I was most worried about switching to the DX320MAX.
Luckily I have found the ROHM DAC presentation to be one of the least digital sounding implementations of a delta-sigma chip with no digital veil present to my ears and an extremely transparent but detailed presentation.
Having tried the line-out into some amps, this isn't the same as the HM1000 as it is slightly more incisive compared to the more R2-R liquid treble while still being quite organic. If I were to compare it to other DACs, I'd say it has similarities to the Chord Hugo TT2 (which I no longer have). It might be somewhere between the TT2 and Dave (which is my most used desktop DAC) in terms of fidelity. Very impressive.

The soundstage and layering of the DX320MAX is about as large as presentations go, without sounding artificially wide. It is very holographic but also has a dense presentation which gives weight and mass to instruments, filling that space with nuance and texture. Transparency is from low to high frequencies with no significant shelving or troughs. It is a full frequency presentation.

Additionally my one worry was the potential reference presentation lacking some of the lowest frequency colouring which the BX-2 Pro has. This is not the case and the DX320MAX has (to my ears) slightly elevated emphasis in the sub 150Hz region which I welcome for my preferences. I have zero desire to EQ or boost anything. Subbass depth and power is exceptional and aside from the Romi amp, is the only other true portable Class A amplification I've experienced with a vice like grip on lower frequencies at high output power levels while maintaining clarity.

The amp section doesn't make me forget the Stealth driven by a Wells Audio Reference Headtrip II but I'd say it is on a par with my Auralic Taurus Mk II. That said, for my tastes, I consider the Wells Audio into a custom Abyss headphone to be on a par with my Sennheiser HE-1, albeit a different presentation. We're talking factors more price here and a 50kg amp so expectations need to be tempered. Lows and lower mids are a highlight for me with excellent extension into the highs.

One other thing I am very happy about is that there are a number of high powered portable sources I use (also some desktop components) which require a warm up before reaching optimum performance. The Romi Audio BX-2 Pro needs about 30-40 minutes. It usually manifests itself in the dynamics and extension but the DX320MAX just sounds great within a minute or so. I don't notice any change or improvement with any warm up and that in itself is huge for me. Exceptional implementation.

My only gripes so far are;
- Touchscreen sensitivity
- Weak WiFi. Possibly the titanium chassis acting like a Faraday cage. I'll be using this for pure local playback anyway but something to consider if streaming

Overall it is impossible to compare the DX320MAX to any portable DAP I've experienced. It has to be compared to top tier, carefully curated components in a transportable setup or mid-fi tier ($1-1.5k per component) in a pure desktop setup.

The HM1000+BX-2 Pro combo and DX320MAX Ti are on a par except for pure output power but in terms of fidelity, this is pretty peerless as far as portable audio is concerned. I am amazed Ibasso managed to fit all of that into this chassis and to boot, it doesn't get hot! Very impressive stuff here.

Man, you are the only person that has the Romi BX2 pro. Please give us your feedback about it in the Romi thread. It would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[jamato8]

After 200 hours I still notice positive changes with the 320MAX. There are subtle things, like the transparency and air and impressive impression of space/air behind instruments and especially voices. The body of the person seems present, not just the voice coming out of a space. The texture of voice, with what is normal in multiple frequencies in a good singing or speaking voice. The MAX brings this to the forefront and contextualizes this into a believable presence, which helps break down the wall between the musical event and what is often there, but not in this case, that this is just a recording. The MAX wipes away the feels/sounds like reality rather than a facsimile. Good stuff!

It sings with the Utopia and the SR3. The slight metallic edge of the original Utopia is gone, so fluid and analog. Too much fun. :^

On screen protectors, in all these years, I never use them. I use them on my phones because they get knocked about and I hike with a phone and have broken screens but never on a DAP and I like the glass. :^)

 

[Whitigir]

encountered some congestions and bloominess around 125-175 hours, but after that it went away.

 

[jamato8]

encountered some congestions and bloominess around 125-175 hours, but after that it went away.

Yes. I still notice some up and down pulse in the overall sound. There is so much to burn in and some of the caps, which are really unheard of in a small device like this, take time to truly form. The exceptional sound of the MAX for me, is really a revelation.

 

[aaf evo]

This thing already sounds unreal out of the box, if it’s gets better with burn in then that’s just an added bonus

 

[Netforce]

I feel that. I need like a class 100 cleanroom environment to properly apply screen protectors hah.

I always manage to get a piece of dust on the screen when I apply any screen protector. I have resulted to bringing my DAPs to local cellphone repair centers and paying them to apply it for me

Been rocking the DX320 with Amp12 since March been wanting to compare it with the DX320MAX Ti.

 

[jamato8]

I always manage to get a piece of dust on the screen when I apply any screen protector. I have resulted to bringing my DAPs to local cellphone repair centers and paying them to apply it for me

Been rocking the DX320 with Amp12 since March been wanting to compare it with the DX320MAX Ti.

I put protectors on my phones only but I go in the bathroom and turn the shower on. Humidify the air and it pulls the gust down and have no issues. Also wipe down the screen good before applying, once in the room with the dust knocked down.

 

[Whitigir]

The 320 max is a but strange that if you applied the screen protetc or, you will have some touch sensitivity problem. For now, I use it bare

 

[bmichels]

Sorry to Ask if already answered,, but does it has streaming built-in ? Tidal ? QOBUZ ? Thanks

 

[Auricon]

Sorry to Ask if already answered,, but does it has streaming built-in ? Tidal ? QOBUZ ? Thanks

You'll need to download your favorite streaming apps, Tidal / Qobuz / Spotify, etc, via APKPure or download Google Play Store from APKPure first and then streaming apps from Google Play.