[gentzen]

@gentzen @denis1976 hey brothers. While you both have this argument, can any of you please tell me if there is any compromise on sound over SP3K? For some people, mids on SP3K are also a bit dry and don't have enough weight, but I find it just enough.

I am not making any argument as concerns SP3K. I don't own it, haven't listened to it. I've said that right at the start. I can only speak for the 320Max and query or correct what I deem as inaccurate/opaque statements in this regard, but cannot speak comparatively. Sorry, I really wish I could help more.

Plus, it also depends on synergy with iems/cans.

 

[denis1976]

@gentzen @denis1976 hey brothers. While you both have this argument, can any of you please tell me if there is any compromise on sound over SP3K? For some people, mids on SP3K are also a bit dry and don't have enough weight, but I find it just enough.

I cannot discuss the awsome sound that the sp3000 has in this thread, to much sponsors
P.S. LOL

 

[dandon]

I had the sp2000 Vegas Gold and sold it because no noticed much difference with Ibasso DX300 , couple of thousand dollars cheaper. The UI was a bit laggy compared to Ibasso, seems that it has been fixed in sp3000.
When I bought SP2000 all people was talking about its incredible 3D soundstage…for my inexperienced ears , almost like dx300.
When I tried the Fiio M17 my head almost exploded because it was a real difference in soundstage and expansiveness compared with the DAPs I’ve owned/tested.
With Max I have similar sensation but not as exaggerated and with more refined sound because the Fiio sounded to me too analitical.
Hope it helps.

 

[voja]

Ahh, here we go again.

I understand where the hatred towards iBasso enthusiasts comes from, as most of the time, they are disapproving of other devices. They are strongly and harshly in favor of iBasso deviced compared to the "competition". However, if someone who is experienced and owns/owned other devices which he could directly compare their iBasso devices to, I don't see how anyone can label them as a "fanboy".

After all, iBasso is praised for all the right reasons, it baffles me that people are trying to take this away from it. It brings so much innovation to the industry, it introduces so many technically advanced and pure designs and features—quite literally things that provide advantages and performance based on their analog design—without focusing on marketing bs. iBasso has arguably the best customer support in the DAP space, yet here are people who are trying to dismiss all of these things it gets complimented for. The list goes on and on.

Don't get me wrong, I get the psychological aspect of it, some people purchase other DAPs and in order to justify the money they spent on their device, they claim it as the better one.

For those who this is not the case for, you HAVE the right to like something because of personal preference. Taste is subjective, and more importantly, hearing is subjective. I have repeated this so many times when arguments like this break out in iBasso threads:
You ARE allowed to speak against iBasso's favor in these threads. This isn't a sponsored thread, the manufacturer doesn't own it (regardless of whether they created it or not) or have any rights to moderate it and censor anyone. The problem people have is when they share this, and an experienced member shares their opinion why iBasso is better than that device, they pull the "oh, iBasso fan" card. I'm getting tired of it. There are people in this thread who have spent tens of thousands of dollars seeking the best out there, they have no reason to be biased spending that sort of money. They tried everything there is to try, the most highly-acclaimed device ever created in the DAP space, and they still put DX320MAX Ti above them. There are levels to this, there are people with money, and there are true enthusiast who have genuine knowledge to assess how good something is. Behind the musical performance [subjective], there is hardware design [objective]. The behavior is explained and backed up by hardware design. Things don't happen for magical reasons as some claim.

Feel free to enjoy what you have, but please stop trying to sabotage people who recognize iBasso's qualities. That's what's unfair and messed up.


--
voja

P.S. LOL

 

[gentzen]

Ahh, here we go again.

I understand where the hatred towards iBasso enthusiasts comes from, as most of the time, they are disapproving of other devices. They are strongly and harshly in favor of iBasso deviced compared to the "competition". However, if someone who is experienced and owns/owned other devices which he could directly compare their iBasso devices to, I don't see how anyone can label them as a "fanboy".

After all, iBasso is praised for all the right reasons, it baffles me that people are trying to take this away from it. It brings so much innovation to the industry, it introduces so many technically advanced and pure designs and features—quite literally things that provide advantages and performance based on their analog design—without focusing on marketing bs. iBasso has arguably the best customer support in the DAP space, yet here are people who are trying to dismiss all of these things it gets complimented for. The list goes on and on.

Don't get me wrong, I get the psychological aspect of it, some people purchase other DAPs and in order to justify the money they spent on their device, they claim it as the better one.

For those who this is not the case for, you HAVE the right to like something because of personal preference. Taste is subjective, and more importantly, hearing is subjective. I have repeated this so many times when arguments like this break out in iBasso threads:
You ARE allowed to speak against iBasso's favor in these threads. This isn't a sponsored thread, the manufacturer doesn't own it (regardless of whether they created it or not) or have any rights to moderate it and censor anyone. The problem people have is when they share this, and an experienced member shares their opinion why iBasso is better than that device, they pull the "oh, iBasso fan" card. I'm getting tired of it. There are people in this thread who have spent tens of thousands of dollars seeking the best out there, they have no reason to be biased spending that sort of money. They tried everything there is to try, the most highly-acclaimed device ever created in the DAP space, and they still put DX320MAX Ti above them. There are levels to this, there are people with money, and there are true enthusiast who have genuine knowledge to assess how good something is. Behind the musical performance [subjective], there is hardware design [objective]. The behavior is explained and backed up by hardware design. Things don't happen for magical reasons as some claim.

Feel free to enjoy what you have, but please stop trying to sabotage people who recognize iBasso's qualities. That's what's unfair and messed up.


--
voja

P.S. LOL

While you are right in what you're saying in general, you're wrong, in this particular instance, on how this verbal spat arose. Pls. allow me to say so, as I was in the middle of it. I do not own or have listened to A&K DAPs, so that's one thing. Hence, I totally refrained from making any comparisons with DX320Max, let alone saying it's superior in one or another aspect. However, I do take exception with comments like "UI is messy" when offered without examples or specification. Likewise I must call out comments that start with pre-empting any objections/discussion by splitting people into "Ibasso fans vs. music lovers" when wanting to say something positive about another brand. When you say something like "I can't speak in favour of A&K (or any other brand) in here, cos ibasso fans will pounce on me" you are in fact committing what is known as "straw-man fallacy": caricaturing your critics/opposite view to preempt objections when you offer your opinions. From this, two things should be taken away: first, when you say a brand's DAP has some drawbacks, you better describe something concrete (that others can understand, relate to their own experiences and/or reproduce), and, second, you are certainly allowed to make a point of comparison against an Ibasso DAP and/or in favour of another brand's DAP but, equally, others (Ibasso fans or whatever) can reply to your point. You can't, a priori, anticipate and neutralize any objection by saying something like "my points are valid but I won't say them in here cos others will object and those are fanboys".

These are the things I identified and criticized. Nothing to do with a favourable comparison of an Ibasso DAP to an A&K DAP (which, as I said earlier, I am not in a position to make).

 

[jamato8]

If someone favors a DAP, so be it. Especially in the realm of personal audio, since that is very subjective though there are some things that come out in the "wash" over time. That the DX line now seems to be very easy to change the battery on, which is exceptional, have a very decent OS and sound, well for the people enjoying music, iBasso does seem to tick a number of boxes. I also have some AK and enjoy them. For the big stuff, I don't invest in the SP series as I only have so much money I want to spend and I have a friend who buys everything so I can compare and that works well for me. :^) Having said this, for me, the DX320MAX is a little different league compared to the SP3000, which for me, is a bit of a step down. The MAX has a big open soundstage, and the 3000 has a very good one as well but I find more realism and a little larger size to the MAX and dynamics are top notch with the MAX. The mids are extremely realistic on the MAX, which gets me to the music or the music to me and that is a wonderful experience.

 

[dandon]

In my specific case, when I bought the DX320Max I spent €2999.
I could have exchanged my LPGT and WM1Z for an SP3000, or bought second-handed one in my area for €2,300, but I decided to go blind with the Ibasso.
My reasons were my "meh" experience with the SP2000 and that all the Ibasso devices I have had, had a superior sound than their price tag.
Not so the quality control of their devices, which in my opinion is not very good.
At this level of equipment, I think the sound difference between DAP can be 5%-10% maximum. In the end, the decision between one or the other comes more from the confidence that a manufacturer inspires in you due to previous experiences, tuning preferences, how accustomed you are to its interface or even the size of the device.

 

[nihalsharma]

the DX320MAX is a little different league compared to the SP3000, which for me, is a bit of a step down. The MAX has a big open soundstage, and the 3000 has a very good one as well but I find more realism and a little larger size to the MAX and dynamics are top notch with the MAX. The mids are extremely realistic on the MAX, which gets me to the music or the music to me and that is a wonderful experience.

This is really helpful. Coming from LPGT, I found the SP3K an upgrade because of the its super-wide soundstage and a better clarity/resolution in sound. I think this tells that the Max is better than SP3K in the areas I am interested in.

 

[jamato8]

This is really helpful. Coming from LPGT, I found the SP3K an upgrade because of the its super-wide soundstage and a better clarity/resolution in sound. I think this tells that the Max is better than SP3K in the areas I am interested in.

I think it is also depends on synergism to a point. I use the SR3, the Expanse and the Sony R-10 a lot. I get a very black background, no noise at all, even with sensitive headphones or IEMs and excellent layering and imaging with the sense of air in the acoustical space.

 

[tfenton02]

@gentzen @denis1976 hey brothers. While you both have this argument, can any of you please tell me if there is any compromise on sound over SP3K? For some people, mids on SP3K are also a bit dry and don't have enough weight, but I find it just enough.

Similar to you I don’t find the mids dry, to the contrary I find them lush. I always gravitate toward gear that is slightly warm/lush, so if there is a better DAP for this I would be very interested. The N30LE in classic tube mode delivers incredible mids but you sacrifice some detail.

 

[Whitigir]

If we all have the same tastes in music, then how would you think about a world with only hip-hop ? No offenses, but…. I can not imagine that myself. The same as woman/man

 

[MichRT]

Hello friends,

Can someone please guide me to a post comparing the SP3000 to the DX320Max TI? I am basically looking for comparisons on the UI, software, and sound (of course). From what I have gathered, they are quite close when it comes to sound, with Max being a little better. And from the UI perspective, SP3000 has a better edge because of the closed Android on it. The replaceable battery on the Max is quite a good feature.

Let me know your thoughts.

Cheers and happy new year!

I’m curious, what makes “closed” Android a better proposition for you?

“Perks” of modern A&K devices:

1. Juvenile app restrictions (a white list in framework.res? Really A&K? ) which leads to:
2. Incomplete music service options. Do you like YTMusic? Apple Classical? A bitperfect version of Tidal? Tough
3. A borked, incomplete android build that prevents using certain usb devices (including every iOS device)
4. No proper app switcher. Get ready to either slide from the left or directly tap the app list, wait for it to load, and then choose. If you hit the “Home” (native music app) button, you get to do it all over again. And again. And again
5. Questionable tuning decisions. Guess the number of active resamplers

There’s more to this of course, but as the owner of a semi-rooted Kann Alpha and previous user of both SE300 and SP3k - A&K can do much, much better. I hope they do - starting with transparency. Maybe more on that later

 

[nihalsharma]

I’m curious, what makes “closed” Android a better proposition for you?

“Perks” of modern A&K devices:

1. Juvenile app restrictions (a white list in framework.res? Really A&K? ) which leads to:
2. Incomplete music service options. Do you like YTMusic? Apple Classical? A bitperfect version of Tidal? Tough
3. A borked, incomplete android build that prevents using certain usb devices (including every iOS device)
4. No proper app switcher. Get ready to either slide from the left or directly tap the app list, wait for it to load, and then choose. If you hit the “Home” (native music app) button, you get to do it all over again. And again. And again
5. Questionable tuning decisions. Guess the number of active resamplers

There’s more to this of course, but as the owner of a semi-rooted Kann Alpha and previous user of both SE300 and SP3k - A&K can do much, much better. I hope they do - starting with transparency. Maybe more on that later

For me, closed Android helps a lot keeping away from unnecessary distractions. The apps I want are there and I don’t want to keep on downloading multiple apps. I just need Tidal ans Apple Music. It can surely be not so useful for people who want more from their dap. I have used Lotoo daps for more than 2-3 years, so coming from them, SP3K is just enough for me.

 

[Zeppo19]

Still enjoying my 320ti, mostly with some Meze cans… I also really enjoy the Cayin N8ii, the N7 with C9, the RS8 is also a fave DAP of mine and I also dig the heck out of the beast that is the M17… I am a fan of none and an enjoyer of all

The android experience is different on all of m, all good and bad. I put up the music and fiddle with the volume, not with much else (do some EQ on the RS8 sometimes) so the android experience is not really relevant as long as it starts up, I’m good

 

[Shawnb]

For me, closed Android helps a lot keeping away from unnecessary distractions. The apps I want are there and I don’t want to keep on downloading multiple apps. I just need Tidal ans Apple Music. It can surely be not so useful for people who want more from their dap. I have used Lotoo daps for more than 2-3 years, so coming from them, SP3K is just enough for me.

I'm confused. Why would you need to keep on downloading apps? You find a player you like and stick with it.
If you use only Tidal and Apple Music why would you need to download anything else? Closed system or not.