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Apr 1, 2015 at 12:23 PM Post #11,701 of 14,084
Paul any ETA for the new firmware?
 
Apr 1, 2015 at 12:55 PM Post #11,702 of 14,084
reinstalled the mango driver, worked for like 20 seconds now not working again.  I am going to roll back to 2.1.5L2... =\
 
Apr 1, 2015 at 12:58 PM Post #11,703 of 14,084
Here goes -
 
Around 3 weeks ago I posted my initial out-of-the-box impressions of the DX90. Since then I've spent quite a bit of time listening and evaluating the player. I decided to post a review although I may regret it. I don't usually post reviews of audio stuff because I usually manage to ruffle some feathers when I do. I'm not real good with all the current buzzwords and jargon that seem to be part of most of the reviews I read. I have to confess that when I read some of the reviews here I'm often not real sure of the author's conclusion when I finish. I always appreciate the time and effort it takes to do a good review and this is not meant to diminish those efforts. I'm also aware that it's tough to put into words what you're hearing - good or bad. As I have read the entire DX90 thread, the passion and enthusiasm have been contagious. Reading discussions about nuances in staging and imaging - I believe there was one post regarding micro-dynamics - it reminds me of exchanges we use to have on the old CE forum on Compuserve in the '90s. Of course we were discussing $5000 amps and $500 cables. Just assume I'm not as a sophisticated listener as others who have reviewed the DX90. I'll try not to be confusing in my simple assessments. What follows is just my opinion and my perception of how things sound to me. There is probably not another aspect of audio that is more subjective than headphone listening. And I have a tendency to digress.
 
My Biases: Since I have not posted any reviews before, it might help to know something about my approach and attitude when it comes to audio. My education and background is in electronic engineering. Before I retired, I worked for a semiconductor company that is well known for it's data conversion and analog products. I'm a 80% objectivist and a 20% subjectivist kind of guy. The engineering part of me says you should be able to quantify and measure any differences - my experience though says another thing. Sometimes there just isn't a good explanation for differences in the way things sound. As I've gotten older, I accept it and have stopped worrying about it.
 
I don't like IEMs period. Not due to any sound issues - I don't like things in my ear. I don't really care for on-the-ear (supraural - think Grado) headphones. I like those big ol' fluffy around-the-ear (circumaural) headphones. I like open back phones in general. I like the dynamic sound of high impedance phones driven by a good amp with wide rails. I didn't start out that way, that's just how I evolved.
 
My approach: The DX90 was designed and is marketed as a portable music player - probably best paired with a set of high efficency ear buds. What I'm after is a high quality portable source. Something that will be used most often with an outboard amplifier and large power sucking headphones. I'm looking for something that will allow me to go into any room in the house, plug into an amp and enjoy my music as close to my reference system as possible. As such, my review and my evaluation is based heavily in that direction. Since I have the Fiio X5, comparisons may show up throughout the text. The DX90 was fully charged prior to a listening session and allowed to "warm up" around 20 minutes before I slipped the phones on. The firmware version was 2.1.5 and the equalizer was off or flat. Anyway, that's how I looked at the DX90. Since "burn-in" is mentioned quite a bit, I logged 120 hours on the DX90 before beginning critical listening.
 
Associated equipment - see below. In addition, I used the DX90 with my main system in the den. It consists of some older equipment - McIntosh C712 SS preamp, a pair of Classe CA-101 amplifiers biamping a pair of PSB Stratus Goldi floorstanding speakers. The digital front end is comprised of a couple of CD transports, a variety of DACs - old and new and a Win8 laptop. The TT is an older VPI HW-19 MkIII, an SME 309 tonearm and a Benz 1mV Glider. A VPI motor conditioner is used to fine tune the speed.
 
For this review, the reference for digital is the Theta Digital Pearl transport, the Win8 laptop, a Counterpoint DA-10A 16 bit converter and a Nuforce DAC-100 24 bit converter. The grading that follows is based on my comparison to these components.
 
Headphones

L - R: Beyer DT-880 (250 Ohm), Beyer DT-990 (600 Ohm), Audeze LCD-3 (pre-fazor contraption), Sony MDR-7520, vintage Sony MDR-CD1700, Audio Technica ATH-50x, HiFiMan HE-560, Shure SRH-1840
Down front - vintage Senn HD580s
 
Amps

 
L - R, bottom: Violectric V281 (no dac), Oppo HA-1, Musical Paradise MP-301, Teac HA-501
L - R, middle: Schiit Mjolnir, Nuforce DAC-100
L - R, top: Schiit Valhalla, older Earmax tube amp, vintage Audio Alchemy HPA v1.0
 
Despite how you may feel about Chi-fi products, the MP-301 is probably the most fun you can have for $400. It's not really for IEMs, but if you have high impedance phones or planars, you can't beat it at that price. Winged C 6L6GCs are the most neutral-sounding tubes and I used those with the DX90.
 
Portables

 
L - R: iBasso DX90, Fiio X5, Fiio X3, Sony D-335 Discman, Realistic SCP-27 cassette "Walkman"
 
Down front: Fiio E12 portable amp
 
I included the old players to contrast the huge difference and advanced nature of these new players. I paid around $200 for the Sony 25 or so years ago. I also want to comment on the E12. Once and a while you find a true bargain where performance, features and design far exceed the price. I evaluated several portable amps (many costing 6 or 8 times more) before settling on the E12. While it won't bring out the best in your planars, it handles everything else really well. At least, that's my opinion.
 
The music is mostly CD rips with a few HDTracks downloads and a few digitized LPs
.
I auditioned the DX90 with a variety of amp/headphone combinations.
 
OK, the preliminaries are done. Whenever I check out anything new, I usually start with my go-to songs. These are the ones I've probably heard 500 to 1000 times and never get tired of them. These are the ones that have nothing to do with sonic memory. It's all about expectations. It may be the vocals, drums, who knows. But when it's done right, you know it. A good example for me is "Amanda" by Amanda McBroom (Sheffield). When it's right, I get chilly bumps - when it's really right, I can't shake them till the song is over. This is the toughest group. I can't really explain the why or how, I just know when it's right. With these, I'll give the DX90 a C.
 
Next come the songs with varying degrees of nuances. The finger snaps and stand up bass on "Ode To Billy Joe" by Patricia Barber (Cafe Blue, Premonition). Do they sound like finger snaps or two plastic blocks clapping together? (maybe these are microdynamics). The strings being plucked on the stand up bass - can the actual finger movement on the string be heard? The bass segue on "Anticipation" by Carly Simon - how distinct is it? How much force does it have? The "breathiness" on the flute in "El Condor Pasa" by Simon and Garfunkel (Sony/Mastersound) is something I listen for. The light rim tapping and the delicate cymbal-edge work on "Nardis" is another example. (Cafe Blue) For the most part, the DX90 did fairly well. It rendered most of the small details accurately. It lacked a little force on some things but never got lost or failed to produce what was there. Here I'll give the DX90 a B.
 
Next is vocals. Out comes the Tom Jones, Sinatra, Three Dog Night, Simon and Garfunkel, more Carly Simon and Linda Ronstadt. There's more of course, but that should give you an idea. Do they sound natural, big when they should, soft and articulate when they should? Generally, there was a sense of accuracy with the male and female vocalists, but lacking at times in power and impact. This was most evident on RVZ's vocals on "Freebird" on Lynyrd Skynyrd's One More From The Road (digitized LP, MCA). I expect this to be out front with considerable impact. Also certain female voices could get a little edgy. The DX90 seemed somewhat restrained overall. Here the DX90 rates a B-.
 
Instruments. Basically, do they sound right? Chicago Transit Authority, the first album by Chicago can sound pretty crappy via digital. The first 2 CD issue was not too good. Sony/Columbia later released a single disc version under their Legacy/Mastersound label. This one is very good. It could give the LP a run. The horns, the horns... The DX90 had some problems with the horns. They could get edgy, almost shrill. This was evident on South California Purples and Beginnings. I recently downloaded the Henry Mancini Peter Gunn theme from HDTracks (Harmonie Ensemble). It's still 16/44 and has some pretty hot horns. The DX90 had a little trouble, again with a certain edginess. Stand up bass, acoustic guitar and random percussion did much better. It held up well with excellent articulation on kick drums. It handled Cat Stevens' Teaser and the Firecat acoustic feast pretty well. The DX90 gets a B on this one.
Then it's on to general listening - is it something I could comfortably listen to for hours? I know what digital fatigue is. I caught it in the early '80s with the first CD players and early CD releases. I didn't know what it was then - I just knew that after about an hour or so of listening to those CDs, I felt beat. Anyway, it's one of those things that I am sensitive to with digital products. It's still around today - more so in some respects with the "loudness wars" still in effect. There's no real evaluation here, just listening to good tunes. Does the music engage me? Is it generally something I look forward to doing? The DX90 gets a B- here. There were times it sounded just a little bit gritty. I don't know if this is due to it's limited line out voltage or not.
 
 
Sound staging and imaging. These seem to be really big for a lot of folks. I guess it's important if you're listening to classical music. Staging for rock records is manufactured so I don't really worry about it unless the whole thing sounds compressed in on itself. Besides, with headphone listening, the soundstage will have just as much to do with the type of headphones you are using and your actual bone structure. Imaging is not something I get too hung up on. I'm less interested in where an instrument is and more about how it sounds and how it's being played. Again, you classical guys may have a better fix on this than I do. Sorting out details is something I do when I'm listening in a hyper-critical mode. That just wears me out, so I don't do it much. The DX90 gets an A.
 
I conducted two more listening sessions at the end through my main system and speakers to ensure there were not any headphone-specific anomalies.
 
General usage - As I mentioned in my original post, the touchscreen seems like it's two iterations from being right. Over the four weeks I've used it the frustration level has not abated. It still may take an extra 10 or 12 taps to get where I want to go. The line out level being tied to the headphone volume seems like a disaster waiting to happen - especially since there is no "Turn On" volume level setting in the set up menu. The Fiio X5 gets the nod in overall ease of use compared to the DX90. My wife tried to use the DX90 a couple of times, put it down and said she was keeping the X5. She's pretty nimble with a phone or tablet too.
 
 
Summary - In general, with the headphones I have, the DX90 sounded better through an amp than it did direct. It did sound pretty good direct through the Sony MDR-7520s. For me the Fiio X5 gets a slight nod in terms of sound quality. Getting the DX90 has been part of a process. I originally got the Fiio X3 as an experiment. I wanted to see if these small players could really deliver decent sound. It wasn't too bad, so I got the X5. The X5 was a big improvement and impressed me. Now I was getting greedy. Maybe another player in the same price range would deliver in the areas where the X5 was lacking. So I got the DX90. Unfortunately, for me, it's not the answer. The A & K stuff is just too pricey for something that's likely to be superceded in 8 -10 months. Maybe the new Sony ZX2 might be an option. I'll just have to wait and see. As I noted earlier, the DX90 and others of its ilk weren't really designed for my intended use. As an upgrade from a phone or just as a portable player, the DX90 is really a fine device and I don't think in that context anyone with the DX90 or X5 can go wrong. A note on battery life - during the burn-in period the DX90 came in just under 8 hours driving the ATH-50s and in line-out mode it hit 8 hours and 45 minutes. Anyway, if know someone in the market for a slightly used DX90, let me know
 
Apr 1, 2015 at 1:00 PM Post #11,704 of 14,084
  On April 1, people like to play jokes. I was getting ready to buy one.
smile.gif

Without the 1st of April, I must to give you some compliments... I had some times to directly wrotes to iBasso and even received some parcels directly for me. Many thanks to your (not just personal for you - at all) attention! Not for answer course.
 
Apr 1, 2015 at 2:13 PM Post #11,705 of 14,084
  Without the 1st of April, I must to give you some compliments... I had some times to directly wrotes to iBasso and even received some parcels directly for me. Many thanks to your (not just personal for you - at all) attention! Not for answer course.


You are welcome. I am glad we are helping with your music enjoyment. I will pass your post to everyone here at iBasso.
 
iBasso Stay updated on iBasso at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
http://www.ibasso.com/ paul@ibasso.com
Apr 1, 2015 at 2:58 PM Post #11,706 of 14,084
Just wondering if anyone else had anything similar to this and if they were able to find a resolution.
 
First, the dx90 works fine stand alone.  The issue is only when connecting to a computer, both as a DAC and as Storage.  It seems my computer is losing connection to the DX90 after a few seconds in both modes.  In storage,  I can  no longer access the files in the unit after those few seconds and when I open them, it shows as empty.   It wont let me put a firmware image on the DX90 as it loses connection before the upload is complete.  
 
So I did factory resets, I tried different USB cables, I did this and that but now its even worse.  Now it doesnt even recognize that it is plugged in, at all.  It still charges though.  If I plug it in as storage mode with a mSD card in, it will recognize the mSD card but not the DX90 but it will soon behave the same way, losing connection after a few seconds.  
 
Any ideas?
 
Apr 1, 2015 at 10:24 PM Post #11,709 of 14,084
Here goes -

 
Thorough and well written review.  However, you've missed a key point.  Nowhere in your review do you state which firmware you were running when you evaluated the player.  More so than any other DAP on the market, the sound of the iBasso players varies greatly depending on the firmware you're running.  You can sift through the previous 780 pages of this thread for more details. 

I would suggest you listen to your DX90 running Rockbox or Lurker0's modified version of the stock Mango firmware (2.1.5L is recommended) before you reach any conclusions. 
 
Apr 2, 2015 at 12:38 AM Post #11,711 of 14,084
  Can anyone please recommend a seller for a decent battery? The one i got off ebay a few months ago is lasting about 2 hours.
 
does the Anker one work well?
 
thanks

I have this set: http://www.ebay.de/itm/Set-aus-Ladegerat-und-Jubatec-Akku-fur-Samsung-GT-i9300-Galaxy-S3-III-EB-L1G6LLU-/181024169317?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item2a25e19d65
 
Highly recommended
 
Apr 2, 2015 at 12:52 AM Post #11,712 of 14,084
  Can anyone please recommend a seller for a decent battery? The one i got off ebay a few months ago is lasting about 2 hours.
 
does the Anker one work well?
 
thanks


Yes, the Anker battery works well. I have several of them I keep charged. 
 
Apr 2, 2015 at 12:54 AM Post #11,713 of 14,084
For genuine samsung batteries I buy the samsung accessory pack's to avoid fakes, I've gotten genuine Japan made and Korea made from here, they ship worldwide:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-Samsung-Essential-Accessory-Gift-Pack-for-Galaxy-S3-I9300-ETC-K1G6CEGSTD-/361000363788?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item540d4c670c
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Genuine-Samsung-Essential-Accessory-Gift-Pack-for-Galaxy-S3-I9300-ETC-K1G6CEGSTD-/191259200539?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item2c87efcc1b
 
Apr 2, 2015 at 2:09 AM Post #11,714 of 14,084
Thorough and well written review.  However, you've missed a key point.  Nowhere in your review do you state which firmware you were running when you evaluated the player.  More so than any other DAP on the market, the sound of the iBasso players varies greatly depending on the firmware you're running.  You can sift through the previous 780 pages of this thread for more details. 


I would suggest you listen to your DX90 running Rockbox or Lurker0's modified version of the stock Mango firmware (2.1.5L is recommended) before you reach any conclusions. 


He stated "The firmware version was 2.1.5 and the equalizer was off or flat."
 

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