DX320MAX Ti The musical event worth the wait. ROHM X 4. !! NEW Firmware: 2.03 !!

Jun 3, 2023 at 1:35 PM Post #646 of 1,736
Any more IEM impressions besides Mentor for which I was told DX320 Max is like the pinnacle of sources?
How about Jewel, FIR XE6, Odyssey to name others I am owning?

Regarding Full Size anyone tried Atrium Closed, DCA Stealth, Caldera?
 
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Jun 3, 2023 at 1:53 PM Post #647 of 1,736
Checking in as well. Doing a Sunday morning rock seesion :grin:
320Max certainly has an excellent grip for a dap!

ps. Excuse my screen bubbles ... I figured I'd keep it for image fingerprinting 🤭

I have a feeling when I receive the 320 from @aaf evo I am going to have a bubble festival. When I bought his 300 I had to give him a hard time because of his adeptness at putting on a screen protector. :dt880smile:
 
Jun 3, 2023 at 2:12 PM Post #648 of 1,736
I have a feeling when I receive the 320 from @aaf evo I am going to have a bubble festival. When I bought his 300 I had to give him a hard time because of his adeptness at putting on a screen protector. :dt880smile:
Good luck! At least I got to apply it straight out of the box so it wasn't bad for the most part. The bottom part was left with few particles after I had to realign for better fit and picking up a few spots in the middle. Like its always mentioned, try it in the bathroom after shower for best results :wink:
 
Jun 3, 2023 at 2:13 PM Post #649 of 1,736
I have a feeling when I receive the 320 from @aaf evo I am going to have a bubble festival. When I bought his 300 I had to give him a hard time because of his adeptness at putting on a screen protector. :dt880smile:

There’s more in the box, they’re cheap and flimsy screen protectors. Probably because anything thicker will make the display even less responsive/more hiccups than it already is.
 
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Jun 3, 2023 at 2:20 PM Post #650 of 1,736
There’s more in the box, they’re cheap and flimsy screen protectors. Probably because anything thicker will make the display even less responsive/more hiccups than it already is.
I am joking, I really am only wanting to protect the screen as long as I own it, probably not long...bubbles or not it is fulfilling its job!
 
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Jun 3, 2023 at 2:40 PM Post #651 of 1,736
Any more IEM impressions besides Mentor for which I was told DX320 Max is like the pinnacle of sources?
How about Jewel, FIR XE6, Odyssey to name others I am owning?

Regarding Full Size anyone tried Atrium Closed, DCA Stealth, Caldera?
20230603_140705.jpg

Still trying to get acquainted with 320 max versus 300 max as none of my stuff is burned in based on the boards 100 of hours regime...with the ode to Laura cable and odyssey there is certainly an amazing airness and all... But not sure if I could validate the upgrade.. 300max sounded to me warmer.. And deeper... I think 320 Max has the technical chops.. But i wonder if my listening preference is akm chips? Or will my new gadget be warmer... In sound... What I want though is a headphone... An Utopia....🙏🙏 To try...
 
Jun 3, 2023 at 2:42 PM Post #652 of 1,736
I have another question.
How's the DAC mode?
Still same limitations as on DX320 OG?
That means only regular PCM up to 368khz and no MQA support due to standard XMOS Bios running rather than the Ibasso firmware?
That's relevant as I tend to connect non Roon Endpoint DAPs to my IPad or Ifi Zen Stream running as a Roon Endpoint and streaming from there to the subsequent DAP
 
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Jun 3, 2023 at 3:04 PM Post #653 of 1,736
I have another question.
How's the DAC mode?
Still same limitations as on DX320 OG?
That means only regular PCM up to 368khz and no MQA support due to standard XMOS Bios running rather than the Ibasso firmware?
That's relevant as I tend to connect non Roon Endpoint DAPs to my IPad or Ifi Zen Stream running as a Roon Endpoint and streaming from there to the subsequent DAP
MQA is out of business. They filed for bankruptcy and no one wants to take over the business. A bust.
 
Jun 3, 2023 at 3:44 PM Post #654 of 1,736
I have a feeling when I receive the 320 from @aaf evo I am going to have a bubble festival. When I bought his 300 I had to give him a hard time because of his adeptness at putting on a screen protector. :dt880smile:
I am pretty sure if I can have a bubbles festival, then many of us will do too 😂😂
 
Jun 3, 2023 at 10:15 PM Post #655 of 1,736
@Paul - iBasso
Regarding the PCM DSD Volume Match, does it reduce the volume difference between PCM and DSD by decreasing the PCM volume? Is it the same as setting the DAC volume (PCM digital volume) to 88 (-6dB), for example?

If so, does it mean that the sound quality is more ideal when DAC volume is set to 100 than when PCM DSD Volume Match is on? (Assuming the music library is PCM only.)
 
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Jun 4, 2023 at 5:55 AM Post #656 of 1,736
It is better to rollback the firmware to the original that had the values calibrated as a mean to disable digital gains and volume. Setting it to max also works, but the DAC will still function as it is, which trades the calibrated values for those features
There is nothing like disabling digital gain and there is no calibration related to volume. "Enabling digital gain" means exposing the volume control registers to users, that is it. By the way, this is most probably how L/R channel balance setting is implemented. It is also not a gain, but attenuation. As mentioned by iBasso, it is "For PCM Mode". From the datasheet:

1685872095210.png
 
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Jun 4, 2023 at 6:19 AM Post #657 of 1,736
@Paul - iBasso
Regarding the PCM DSD Volume Match, does it reduce the volume difference between PCM and DSD by decreasing the PCM volume? Is it the same as setting the DAC volume (PCM digital volume) to 88 (-6dB), for example?

If so, does it mean that the sound quality is more ideal when DAC volume is set to 100 than when PCM DSD Volume Match is on? (Assuming the music library is PCM only.)
I for sure don't want to get too much hooked in this, but digital attenuation does not reduce signal quality, not in any audible way. I would even go one more step and say that digital attenuation is much more precise compared to analog one. The problem with digital attenuation is not that it decreases the quality of the signal, but it does not attenuate any noise in the signal path but only the source signal (DAC output). With an analog volume control, you also also attenuate the noise level. So you might "theoretically" have cleaner signal for low volume levels.

So, you can use the digital gain with no worries about the signal quality.
 
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Jun 4, 2023 at 7:36 AM Post #658 of 1,736
There is nothing like disabling digital gain and there is no calibration related to volume. "Enabling digital gain" means exposing the volume control registers to users, that is it. By the way, this is most probably how L/R channel balance setting is implemented. It is also not a gain, but attenuation. As mentioned by iBasso, it is "For PCM Mode". From the datasheet:

Yes, I do agree, and as posted previously, it only appears to be flipping a switch, but it is more complicated than that. I am glad that Ibasso is giving options :)
 
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Jun 4, 2023 at 8:29 AM Post #659 of 1,736
Yes, I do agree, and as posted previously, it only appears to be flipping a switch, but it is more complicated than that. I am glad that Ibasso is giving options :)
It is in the end all about the implementation of the DAC chip algorithms. If they are implemented properly, there should not be any issues - I would expect it to be the case with the state of the art DAC chips. And, yes, I also think it is a good thing that both options are provided here. Here is a small article from a manufacturer (Benchmark) I highly respect, which basically says both methods have the potential to reduce the performance.

1685881580841.png


1685881674506.png

OK, I am out of the discussion. :wink:
 
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Jun 4, 2023 at 8:57 AM Post #660 of 1,736
It is in the end all about the implementation of the DAC chip algorithms. If they are implemented properly, there should not be any issues - I would expect it to be the case with the state of the art DAC chips. And, yes, I also think it is a good thing that both options are provided here. Here is a small article from a manufacturer (Benchmark) I highly respect, which basically says both methods have the potential to reduce the performance.




OK, I am out of the discussion. :wink:
If you are interested, take a look at this. Companies may publish just enough to cover marketing purposes and agendas
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...hould-i-set-my-dac-to.8956/page-4#post-255104

it will all come down to, whether or not, human can tell the differences. The answer is that, human can not tell. This is another side of the rabbit holes that many people ignores.

So, does it work ? Yes, it does
is it right ? No! But it is close
can we tell the differences ? definitely not! It was engineered with that intentions

it is a can of worms, which I didn’t want to dissect into.

State of the arts or not, it is all about the math, and Full-scales will always be the limits. Informations and bits will have to be traded for one to compromise for another, and they have to be multi bits to adjust. The reason why DSD 1 bit can not be adjusted. So, then again, is it right ? No! But it is close

The least the original signals are being manipulated, is the closer the end results will be. The end result of having something as close as possible to the original is the ultimate goal of this hobby. The so called “As the artist intended“ a vast marketing term that flies everywhere. Anyways, that also doesn’t mean analogue signals can not be manipulated either. There are analog tuning, the so called “acoustic tuning”, and there are also “analog equalizer”

In the end, it is all about, whatever float your boat. The rest of the stuff is just “can of worms”. The real question is, Will the DAP makers give the options to choose ? The answer is that, most of them “Do Not”, but with Ibasso, you have the options
 
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