We all seem to feel the same about the DX320MAX—the best of the best. I said it in my official review, it's arguably the best portable DAP to have been released.
I've never been more inspired to listen to music, and that says a lot. I don't have a constant drive or need to listen to music, which makes me kind of an oddball in this hobby.
For anyone who hasn't tried already, if you have headphones that won't get unbearably loud, max out your volume wheel and decrease the gain to the "desirable" level. By doing this, you unlock a hidden gem that I've yet to see anyone else bring up; at the maxed out position, you are listening to the unrestricted signal path. In other words, it's the purest audio signal you can get out of the DX320MAX, as there are no active resistors in the signal path. The only way to achieve this is by maxing out the volume wheel, as it's an analog design "feature". It has magical powers, I've never heard a setting that changes the sound by this much!!
If anyone is still in doubt, take a look at the illustration I've made for iBasso's in-house developed stepped attenuator (position 1 = maxed out volume wheel):
I've never been more inspired to listen to music, and that says a lot. I don't have a constant drive or need to listen to music, which makes me kind of an oddball in this hobby.
For anyone who hasn't tried already, if you have headphones that won't get unbearably loud, max out your volume wheel and decrease the gain to the "desirable" level. By doing this, you unlock a hidden gem that I've yet to see anyone else bring up; at the maxed out position, you are listening to the unrestricted signal path. In other words, it's the purest audio signal you can get out of the DX320MAX, as there are no active resistors in the signal path. The only way to achieve this is by maxing out the volume wheel, as it's an analog design "feature". It has magical powers, I've never heard a setting that changes the sound by this much!!
If anyone is still in doubt, take a look at the illustration I've made for iBasso's in-house developed stepped attenuator (position 1 = maxed out volume wheel):