Yo Yo Yo Yo, this is the first experience from China (my English is not good enough to support me in describing my listening experience, the following is translated by deepl).
Due to the low discussion of the D16 in China (it's strange that the D16 was marketed a year later in mainland China than the rest of the world), I often go on this thread to read people's discussion, and I'm likewise a fan of the D16.
At the show in Guangzhou, Ibasso showed the D17 prototype for the first time, and after auditioning and comparing it to the D16, I came to the conclusion:
D17 is warmer, provides more but not excessive ambience, and will be softer than D16; D16 is more neutral and cohesive, and has an advantage in treble. It is worth mentioning that the soundstage and sound Imaging performance of the two are similar, and it is hard to imagine that this is from two different configurations of 1BIT DAC+transistors/multi-bit DAC+tubes if it is not mentioned at all, which makes me feel that Ibasso was making their own interpretation of the two hardware pairings with a fixed sonic aesthetic as a starting point, and it's clear they did.
Some additions to the D17:
①DAC MODE, there seems to be three modes: NOS, OS and SD, but there is no sound in SD mode (probably because it is still in the engineering stage).
② The D17 is a bit thicker than the D16, and the IO is the same for both.
Some additions to the D16:
The DX340 (with the latest AMP15) was also on display at the show, and the 340, compared to the D16, has a larger longitudinal soundstage, more powerful low frequencies, and a more pronounced sense of separation on some tracks, with a slightly reduced sense of speed to create a more refreshing sense of atmosphere, however, the cohesion of the D16 has always been the soul of the D16, and the 340's sound, especially in the midrange, lacked the distinct and detail-laden shape carving of, say, the D16; the 340 was farther away and more ethereal.
All in all, is it an upgraded or downgraded version of the D16? Not really, in my opinion, it presents the D16's sonic identity in a more “modern” way and adds a lot of pleasing features (wider soundstage, dynamic bass and more power baby!), which is what a flagship player should be in today's demanding HIFI market! But the D16 is the D16, and it's the only one that sounds like it, even if both players are from the same manufacturer and they share the secrets of the dac and fpga.
(Which also makes me wonder if the D16's magic may still be in its amplification section)