Hi all,
I've had my DX100 for about 2 weeks now and it is the best sounding portable player I have ever listened to. I am using HD650 headphones and soon will have LCD-2 for increased bass response. Here are some of my experiences, thoughts:
1. Equalizer is not usable (at least for me). The DX100 sounds best when it it closed. I am coming from Cowon S9 and YES, I loved the various BBE effects and wonderful EQ though the sound cannot be compared with the DX100.
2. The wifi is not usable. I have tried to connect it to my Asus router and although it connects, about 2 seconds later it drops connection. I have tried close as a few feet from the router and as far as different rooms. My mobile phone and other electronics connect fine with the router and never had a problem.
3. My dap came with 1.3.5 firmware and yesterday I upgraded to the 1.3.7. I can verify that the user interface is more snappy and easier to use, BUT the sound quality has dropped significantly in comparison to the 1.3.5. 1.3.7 sounds muddy and not as clear as the previous firmware (to my ears using the HD650). It seems the sound magic is gone with 1.3.7. I will have to resort back to 1.3.5 or older firmware for better sound - it is a must as I have bought it for the ultimate sound quality in a portable player.
Has anyone else experienced the strange issue with the wifi and the reduced audio quality with 1.3.7? Also, does anyone know why the unit gets so hot? It is the amplifier chip and if so, is it connected thermally to the body to dissipate the heat?
From being an electrical engineer and have worked on reliability of devices due to thermal stress (I have also designed devices to have a 30 year operational life as required in MIL and Telecordia specs) - heat shortens the lifespan of electronics considerably. I often wonder if this expensive dap will work 2-3 years from now? I pray that it will as my Cowon that I purchased in 2009 has served me really well over the last 4 years and still looks / works as new. Anyhow, this is one great sounding player, and I hope that future firmware releases will fix issues and improve on sound quality and it will still be working years from now.
Thanks fellow audiophiles.