[Paul - iBasso]

I switched to amp8 after getting a new cable, but I'm getting alarming speed of battery depletion. I turned my device off and it drained about 20% battery. It runs very hot and even when it was off, was warm to the touch. I have the Lurker firmware installed. Any reason why this might be happening? I played music for about 10 minutes and lost 15% battery.

Please try the AMP6. If there is no problem, and after trying the AMP8 again, then the AMP8 needs to be serviced or exchanged.

 

[491326]

Please try the AMP6. If there is no problem, and after trying the AMP8 again, then the AMP8 needs to be serviced or exchanged.

Thanks! I am currently testing again with the AMP6. There seems to be no problem with the AMP6 so far so I believe the AMP8 is faulty. I purchased my unit at a store in Taiwan and have a Taiwan limited warranty. How should I tell the store about getting an exchange?

 

[skingg]

Just a heads up for those who wish to try Neutron music player with Android based ibasso daps; the latest update to Neutron player features the followings:

- Audio Hardware -> DSP Effect: support management of digital effects and gain on iBasso DX DAPs;
- Audio Hardware -> USB DAC: to enter DAC mode on iBasso DX DAPs

 

[Dobrescu George]

The absolute best way to improve your experience with DX150 is to add AMP 7 or AMP 8 to it

I'm just testing things now, but man, I love AMP7 to bits

 

[buonassi]

The absolute best way to improve your experience with DX150 is to add AMP 7 or AMP 8 to it

I'm just testing things now, but man, I love AMP7 to bits

Yep, it was a revelation for me as well. Treble layering and bass textures are very much improved.

 

[Arghavan]

If anyone else is having crackling noise while using DX150/200/220 as USB DAC, use another USB-C cable!
It might seem obvious but I thought the provided USB-C cable in the box is of high quality. But when I used it to connect to PC as a USB DAC there was a annoying crackling noise.
I tried everything from switching the USB port, to reinstalling drivers and even buying iFi iSilencer and iFi iDefender. I thought my motherboards ports are defective/ not properly shielded.
It turns out that the USB-C cable is not good at all and changing to an Anker USB-C cable solved the issue!

 

[cathee]

Does anyone know if there's an app to remotely control the DX150? TIA.

 

[wreedheid]

If anyone else is having crackling noise while using DX150/200/220 as USB DAC, use another USB-C cable!
It might seem obvious but I thought the provided USB-C cable in the box is of high quality. But when I used it to connect to PC as a USB DAC there was a annoying crackling noise.
I tried everything from switching the USB port, to reinstalling drivers and even buying iFi iSilencer and iFi iDefender. I thought my motherboards ports are defective/ not properly shielded.
It turns out that the USB-C cable is not good at all and changing to an Anker USB-C cable solved the issue!

Good tip, noticed this crackling-noise-behavior myself a few days back, will try another cable!
Another question, related to the USB-dac functionality, does your iBasso also drain battery when being used as USB-dac, even though it says 'charging'?

 

[Arghavan]

Good tip, noticed this crackling-noise-behavior myself a few days back, will try another cable!
Another question, related to the USB-dac functionality, does your iBasso also drain battery when being used as USB-dac, even though it says 'charging'?

I've not used the USB DAC function long enough to notice that, I'll keep you posted.
But I've read in DX220 thread that depending on the headphone load and playing format, the power consumption can be higher than the output current of USB port on your PC, hence the battery drain.

 

[Arghavan]

Good tip, noticed this crackling-noise-behavior myself a few days back, will try another cable!
Another question, related to the USB-dac functionality, does your iBasso also drain battery when being used as USB-dac, even though it says 'charging'?

I connected the DX150 (w/AMP7) as USB DAC to my PC (USB 3.1 Gen.2 port) and played mostly FLAC files for about 30minutes using fairly efficient planars (HEXv2). It first showed 0% drop but when I disconnected the cable it drained about 8% of the battery. Which is a little bit sad considering the power output of USB 3.1 Gen. 2 should be enough. (It was for my iFi Micro iDSD BL)
So in theory you can use DX150 as a USB DAC for about 6-6.5 hours, which is actually the same as using it independently. As if the DAP is not receiving power from the port AT ALL.

EDIT: I even tried it with iFi iDefender since it allows external USB power adapter. It drained 7% this time which is in margin of error.

@Paul - iBasso maybe a solution like firmware updates? maybe it refuses to drain power from USB port due to heat concerns?

 

[wreedheid]

I connected the DX150 (w/AMP7) as USB DAC to my PC (USB 3.1 Gen.2 port) and played mostly FLAC files for about 30minutes using fairly efficient planars (HEXv2). It first showed 0% drop but when I disconnected the cable it drained about 8% of the battery. Which is a little bit sad considering the power output of USB 3.1 Gen. 2 should be enough. (It was for my iFi Micro iDSD BL)
So in theory you can use DX150 as a USB DAC for about 6-6.5 hours, which is actually the same as using it independently. As if the DAP is not receiving power from the port AT ALL.

EDIT: I even tried it with iFi iDefender since it allows external USB power adapter. It drained 7% this time which is in margin of error.

@Paul - iBasso maybe a solution like firmware updates? maybe it refuses to drain power from USB port due to heat concerns?

All the above seems in line with my own findings: battery drain is around 7-10% per hour when connected to my desktop (usb 3.1 gen 2, usb-c to usb-c). Same happens when connecting it to my MacBook (usb 2.0, usb-a to usb-c).

@Paul - iBasso Is the drain on purpose, are you aware of this?

Hi @Paul - iBasso
I've got (not only me) problem with Tidal Master - sound is "choking". WiFi is ok, and Tidal soft without Master option is working perfect.
Are you guys working on new soft update for DX150?

Unfortunately, even though I replied earlier to you that this didn't happen on the version of TIDAL I was using back then in combination with my DX150, the exact same problem happened to me today.
The player was 'choking' / 'stuttering'. When not using the "Master" option, no problems are there.
(WiFi is connected to 5 GHz / DX150 is on the latest official firmware, no modifications / TIDAL version: 2.12.0.905.8)

@Paul - iBasso does this behavior have something to do with Androids samplerate conversion? I believe (not sure) I read that on the DX220 you, as a company, figured out how to bypass this limitation for other apps than the Mango player, without the app adressing specific hardware of the player / or needing specific drivers. (like UAPP or Neutron Player do at the moment)
If this is true, is it possible to bring this functionality to the DX150 aswell?

edit: source: http://ibasso.com/cp_xq_dy.php?id=8401#page10

The DX220 uses the open Android 8.1 system. The audio system has been reworked so it now allows third-party apps and the SRC issues has been eliminated.

If I did read or interpreted that incorrectly (which is more likely ), could you maybe explain the stuttering when using TIDAL with Master quality enabled from iBasso's point of view? (hardware or Android wise: what's actually happening with / on the device that causes this annoying behavior?)
Besides that, does it even make sense to use this option in TIDAL, at the moment, or will it be down-converted anyways with the current firmware / audio-system of the DX150 / Android?

...If samplerate conversion has nothing to do with this, could you look into this problem? I know that some similar stuttering problems, that were discussed on the FiiO forums, were solved by using the crossfade setting in TIDAL and setting it to 1 sec. However that option is gone, which limits my options on the client side.
However I'm not sure if it even is related and if this problem isn't caused by the TIDAL app itself, which makes it a lot harder to solve since we need to deal with TIDAL-support...
(To be fair: I noticed the same behavior on my previous device, FiiO X5 III, also when using TIDAL in combination with the Master setting, so no 'blame' to iBasso, it's probably an Android or TIDAL issue in the first place )

 

[Paul - iBasso]

All the above seems in line with my own findings: battery drain is around 7-10% per hour when connected to my desktop (usb 3.1 gen 2, usb-c to usb-c). Same happens when connecting it to my MacBook (usb 2.0, usb-a to usb-c).

@Paul - iBasso Is the drain on purpose, are you aware of this?



Unfortunately, even though I replied earlier to you that this didn't happen on the version of TIDAL I was using back then in combination with my DX150, the exact same problem happened to me today.
The player was 'choking' / 'stuttering'. When not using the "Master" option, no problems are there.
(WiFi is connected to 5 GHz / DX150 is on the latest official firmware, no modifications / TIDAL version: 2.12.0.905.8)

@Paul - iBasso does this behavior have something to do with Androids samplerate conversion? I believe (not sure) I read that on the DX220 you, as a company, figured out how to bypass this limitation for other apps than the Mango player, without the app adressing specific hardware of the player / or needing specific drivers. (like UAPP or Neutron Player do at the moment)
If this is true, is it possible to bring this functionality to the DX150 aswell?

edit: source: http://ibasso.com/cp_xq_dy.php?id=8401#page10
If I did read or interpreted that incorrectly (which is more likely ), could you maybe explain the stuttering when using TIDAL with Master quality enabled from iBasso's point of view? (hardware or Android wise: what's actually happening with / on the device that causes this annoying behavior?)
Besides that, does it even make sense to use this option in TIDAL, at the moment, or will it be down-converted anyways with the current firmware / audio-system of the DX150 / Android?

...If samplerate conversion has nothing to do with this, could you look into this problem? I know that some similar stuttering problems, that were discussed on the FiiO forums, were solved by using the crossfade setting in TIDAL and setting it to 1 sec. However that option is gone, which limits my options on the client side.
However I'm not sure if it even is related and if this problem isn't caused by the TIDAL app itself, which makes it a lot harder to solve since we need to deal with TIDAL-support...
(To be fair: I noticed the same behavior on my previous device, FiiO X5 III, also when using TIDAL in combination with the Master setting, so no 'blame' to iBasso, it's probably an Android or TIDAL issue in the first place )

1. When using the DX150 as a USB-DAC for smartphones it takes only a small amount of current. The DX150 drains only a small amount of power from the master device when using as a USB-DAC.

2. We will test the MQA again.

3."I read that on the DX220 you (as a company) figured out how to bypass this limitation for other apps than the Mango player. If this is true, could you also 'port' that to the DX150?"
The DX150 already has this.

 

[Arghavan]

1. When using the DX150 as a USB-DAC for smartphones it takes only a small amount of current. The DX150 drains only a small amount of power from the master device when using as a USB-DAC.

For a smartphone yes but we are talking about USB DAC with PC. Shouldn't it last longer than standard 6hrs battery life if it's draining any power from USB port at all?

 

[Dobrescu George]

Yep, it was a revelation for me as well. Treble layering and bass textures are very much improved.

It was like a totally new thing for me!

If anyone else is having crackling noise while using DX150/200/220 as USB DAC, use another USB-C cable!
It might seem obvious but I thought the provided USB-C cable in the box is of high quality. But when I used it to connect to PC as a USB DAC there was a annoying crackling noise.
I tried everything from switching the USB port, to reinstalling drivers and even buying iFi iSilencer and iFi iDefender. I thought my motherboards ports are defective/ not properly shielded.
It turns out that the USB-C cable is not good at all and changing to an Anker USB-C cable solved the issue!

Really good spot, I'll be checking multiple USB cables before doing more impressions / reviews on DX220

 

[davidmolliere]

The AMP9 is real. It is currently being worked on and will arrive very soon.

Soon ?

I want to order both DX220 and AMP9 at the same time