No, I get your point, for sure. It's not that design is immaterial to me, it's that I like a robust, bulky look, like the DX300Max (or the older A&K Kahn Cube), rather than a look like a smartphone (e.g., like the Fiios or the regular DX300). Likewise with the Max's plain industrial lines. Of course, as you say, tastes are subjective there, so each to their own. Having said that, I do see design as secondary to function, for a DAP. If a DAP is divine-sounding (plus has some other technological features), I'd go for it even if it looked like a milk carton.
You have to consider what is used. 4 ROHM desktop chips, which are expensive, CNC titanium, and most likely all the other parts are high grade. Can't make it out of paper mache. :^)
You have to consider what is used. 4 ROHM desktop chips, which are expensive, CNC titanium, and most likely all the other parts are high grade. Can't make it out of paper mache. :^)
That argument holds true for all the other Maxs as well for their highest end stuff thus far, and they've never made anything out of paper mache
I'm not beating a dead horse nor even complaining about their decision to follow the rest of the market - just sad to me I guess. Maybe they had to given ludicrous pricing elsewhere and or other reasons, and just simply that they can price it however they want and folks will buy regardless so why the hell not - it's a business after all.
And I'm sure the next argument could be something along the lines of "well they're still a value cause the others cost $7k". At the end of the day $3.5k to me is absurd and ultimately follows the exponential pricing we allow this industry to attain, but more than anything I guess it just sucks to me cause now I'm priced out of it. That's a me problem though, I'm sure the 320 Max will sound awesome
That argument true for all the other Maxs as well for their highest end stuff thus far, and they've never made anything out of paper mache
I'm not beating a dead horse nor even complaining about their decision to follow the rest of the market - just sad to me I guess. Maybe they had to given ludicrous pricing elsewhere and or other reasons, and just simply that they can price it however they want and folks will buy regardless so why the hell not - it's a business after all.
And I'm sure the next argument could be something along the lines of "well they're still a value cause the others cost $7k". At the end of the day $3.5k to me is absurd and ultimately follows the exponential pricing we allow this industry to attain, but more than anything I guess it just sucks to me cause now I'm priced out of it. That's a me problem though, I'm sure the 320 Max will sound awesome
I understand what you are saying but if something costs X amount, you have to charge based on that. I have seen expensive audio that I opened and it was garbage and people are being ripped off. I haven't seen that with ibasso.
If you want to see ludicrous pricing, go straight to 'high-end' IEM cables. That you can buy a 320 MAX for the same or less than some so-called TOTL cables is the height of lunacy, and yet, they sell. Rationality has very little merit at this end of the market I'm afraid, and there are plenty for whom these sticker prices don't raise an eyelid.
I get this feeling that something with an AK4499EX will be released by iBasso in the future. With both 220Max and 300Max Ti with me, I'm more than satisfied at the moment.
Some very brief impressions I read on Weibo:
320MAX has a thicker sound than both 220/330 Max
That dial is gain level switch (1 to 4), for some reason I was thinking about the 4 ROHM chips and though that dial was switching between 4 sound profiles or something crazy. Turns out it's just a gain switch.
I get this feeling that something with an AK4499EX will be released by iBasso in the future. With both 220Max and 300Max Ti with me, I'm more than satisfied at the moment.
Some very brief impressions I read on Weibo:
320MAX has a thicker sound than both 220/330 Max
That dial is gain level switch (1 to 4), for some reason I was thinking about the 4 ROHM chips and though that dial was switching between 4 sound profiles or something crazy. Turns out it's just a gain switch.
That argument true for all the other Maxs as well for their highest end stuff thus far, and they've never made anything out of paper mache
I'm not beating a dead horse nor even complaining about their decision to follow the rest of the market - just sad to me I guess. Maybe they had to given ludicrous pricing elsewhere and or other reasons, and just simply that they can price it however they want and folks will buy regardless so why the hell not - it's a business after all.
And I'm sure the next argument could be something along the lines of "well they're still a value cause the others cost $7k". At the end of the day $3.5k to me is absurd and ultimately follows the exponential pricing we allow this industry to attain, but more than anything I guess it just sucks to me cause now I'm priced out of it. That's a me problem though, I'm sure the 320 Max will sound awesome
Wasn't the DX300Max Ti also around the same price (if memory serves)? Regardless, I do also think prices for DAPs, iems, etc. (in fact, high-end audio in general, i.e. desktop systems too) have become pretty much unaffordable, esp. if you can't get credit to buy them. But then so have other electronic components: try buying, for instance, a decent laptop for anything less than a couple of grand (if you want to study/work processing datasets with it, I mean, not just browse social media or watch movies). And laptops are staple stuff these days, with a massive buyer base, not a passtime for a small minority of people like audiophile equipment. I'm also afraid we haven't seen the end of it yet, quite the contrary. If rare earths (used in components) do become a victim of geopolitical tensions we may yet have seen the peak.
I do think the best strategy, for those with less than bottomless wallets, is to lag purchases and go for second hand. This is given that with a new flagship DAP from, e.g., the likes of iBasso, coming less than 2 years after the DX300Max, second-hand prices for the SS version are now around 1500-1600, around 40% less than when it first came out (the Ti version seems less available and better priced still, with around $2600 second hand it has only lost about 25%). So, like, get a flagship DAP second-hand to have and use as your baseline (after you've done your research and are pleased with specs/sound quality) and then wait around for at least 1-2 years after your next target has been released. By that time, you'll have enough official and user reviews (possibly, a chance to trial it somewhere near you or borrow it from a user) to satisfy yourself it's worth being your next possession. By that time prices should also have come down significantly (and you can probably still sell your older flagship DAP for a cut price, should you choose, to further eat into the purchase cost). To me, this makes more sense than trying that wild goose chase of hype and hope that is being whipped into frenzy in here with every new flagship (or alleged flagship) that gets announced, which is almost all the time. Unless of course you are one of the lucky few who can afford this sport.
For myself, I'll wait for at least 1-2 years, see what else is coming out in the flagship country and what reviewers and users are saying. Very happy with DX300Max Ti atm, so looking forward to comparisons with the "newborn". Also, reckon DX320Max price will go down to $2000-2500 in around 2 years' time (DX300Max SS was 400 pieces and is now found at around $1500). So, bait and wait is the name of the game here.
Nah, content with current 3MAX SS. My experience with ROHMs, owned both N8ii and DX320X, have been too spicy for my tastes – couldn't imagine 4x ROHMs and Ti
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