[Bosk]

Quick iBasso newbie question please - why is my DX300's analog battery still draining in Line Out mode, isn't it supposed to bypass the internal amp entirely?

FYI I have volume maxxed as that's how A&K DAPs have always worked.

 

[jamato8]

Quick iBasso newbie question please - why is my DX300's analog battery still draining in Line Out mode, isn't it supposed to bypass the internal amp entirely?

FYI I have volume maxxed as that's how A&K DAPs have always worked.

Digital to Analog converter. There is analog battery being used by the converter.

 

[hshock76]

Thank you.
When you say mids coloration does that mean se200 has an upper mid boost?
I was really surprised when you said treble sparkle is better on dx300. I always imagined that se200 would have quite pronounced trable..

Maybe I should have termed the coloration as the so called unique AK tuning which to me is the one of the key points why I love the SE200 so much. It works some magic to my vocal tracks which I really appreciate esp when I do comparisons with players from other makes. Solely comparing product specifications, I am not surprised that the ibasso is performing at a higher level technically. I believe the 2 power supplies concept contribute to a cleaner sound and darker background. However, apart from taking into account technical specs, we too need to consider the unique tuning and signature of each make and to a certain group, this may be key deciding factor vs technical capabilities. I am also happy that ibasso make a slight deviation from their tuning philosophy of a neutral reference signature (MAX). I will not say that the DX300 is a warm player but that added body and weights in the mids makes a significant difference to me.

Again these are very early impressions based on 1 night of listening. The SE200 AKM does have very good treble extension but the 300 gives that added a sparkle which is a detail that I hear when I switch between players listening to limited tracks.

I plan to keep both players at this point of time. I can see myself using the Noir, Odin and Erlk LE on the SE200 & DX220+Amp8EX and the Rhapsodios Infinity2 and Supreme2 on the DX300 as both Rhapsodios need quite a fair bit of power to optimize their performance. The MAX-EX is predominantly driving the HD800S.

 

[gLer]

It will depend on downsides and extra price that comes in with multimedia daps.
Somethink like dx300 has little negative trade off. Price is competetive, life is not compromised by larger, sharper screen so why not have it along with good SQ. Thats if i write off size of it which hopefully so oversized due to internal parts.

But if you will have to pay extra 1k for pretty screen or have larger battery or shorter battery life just so its netflix ready etc. etc., than yes many includong me would not be buying it.

But i think it will simply branch out to differnt models.

If there will be purist dap demand, there will also be supply.

The good thing about the DX300, for me, is that it sets a new (lower) price bar for a high-end media player. Another vendor releasing a similar player would need to at least match the price and specs to stay competitive. And as consumers we all win, whichever player we choose to buy.

 

[gonzfi]

The good thing about the DX300, for me, is that it sets a new (lower) price bar for a high-end media player. Another vendor releasing a similar player would need to at least match the price and specs to stay competitive. And as consumers we all win, whichever player we choose to buy.

Other manufacturers are probably a tad annoyed by this!

 

[gLer]

Other manufacturers are probably a tad annoyed by this!

Good! Disruption moves the market forward.

 

[dandon]

The good thing about the DX300, for me, is that it sets a new (lower) price bar for a high-end media player. Another vendor releasing a similar player would need to at least match the price and specs to stay competitive. And as consumers we all win, whichever player we choose to buy.

I think what will happen is that ibasso will take advantage of the sales and launch more expensive flagship next time. The strategy would be the same as that used by Xiaomi or Oneplus on smartphones.
No company aims to maintain a low cost-benefit.

 

[Bosk]

Another vendor releasing a similar player would need to at least match the price and specs to stay competitive. And as consumers we all win, whichever player we choose to buy.

Any effect on the DAP market could be complicated or magnified by the AKM fire.

 

[DarginMahkum]

I saw that YinLuvMe W1 I think. It is a little lame to be honest, running Windows 10 with so little processing power and RAM, let alone not properly cooling down the IC chips

I was actually seriously considering the M1 due to Windows - although I don't like Windows and use Linux 98% of the time. The twist is, I have a virtualised Windows running under Linux for the excellent FabFilter Pro-Q 3 plugin (yes, for some applications wine is also fine). There is the PulseEffects under Linux but I like the more visual VST UI that I can tweak faster, than the text input based PulseEffects PEQ. Anyway, there is no pure Linux DAP on which I can run PulseEffects. JRiver player can install itself as a driver and all the system audio passes through it and in effect the VST plug-ins.

So, this unit might, in theory, give me the possibility of running a Windows based media player application like JRiver with a VST plug-in on a DAP. But I don't know how it performs as there are no reviews or anything about it.

 

[smallcaps]

I was actually seriously considering the M1 due to Windows - although I don't like Windows and use Linux 98% of the time. The twist is, I have a virtualised Windows running under Linux for the excellent FabFilter Pro-Q 3 plugin (yes, for some applications wine is also fine). There is the PulseEffects under Linux but I like the more visual VST UI that I can tweak faster, than the text input based PulseEffects PEQ. Anyway, there is no pure Linux DAP on which I can run PulseEffects. JRiver player can install itself as a driver and all the system audio passes through it and in effect the VST plug-ins.

So, this unit might, in theory, give me the possibility of running a Windows based media player application like JRiver with a VST plug-in on a DAP. But I don't know how it performs as there are no reviews or anything about it.

There's so much overhead just to run windows for such a device. At that point I would almost want to just run a Raspberry Pi with a custom-built case, DAC hat, a batterypack, and touchscreen. Would be cheaper and just as buggy lol!

 

[Infoseeker]

But you would get Reveal plug-in for Audeze users. lol

Best scenario I can think of. And maybe EQing with Roon streams cleanly.

 

[DarginMahkum]

There's so much overhead just to run windows for such a device. At that point I would almost want to just run a Raspberry Pi with a custom-built case, DAC hat, a batterypack, and touchscreen. Would be cheaper and just as buggy lol!

I don't want to hijack the thread but it also features 3 microSD card slots, 2 USB 3.0 connections for harddisk connection, has separated batteries (each 7000 mAh) for analog and digital sections and the batteries as replaceable. Again, I don't know how it performs but it is no joke.

https://gizaudio.com/yinlvmei-w1-windows-10-flagship-dap-released/

Price is also not bad:

https://hifigo.com/products/yinlvmei-w1-windows10-portable-music-player-dap-dual-ak4499-usb-dac

 

[gLer]

I think what will happen is that ibasso will take advantage of the sales and launch more expensive flagship next time. The strategy would be the same as that used by Xiaomi or Oneplus on smartphones.
No company aims to maintain a low cost-benefit.

An all-metal build with a flagship DAC and flush volume button would be worth a premium to me. But we're getting ahead of ourselves...

 

[goodvibes]

I suspect many audio 'purists' who want barebone DAPs optimised for music playback are not going to like it, if it indeed becomes a trend among the major DAP vendors.

I fit that description but like the other response. care ore about performance at a given price. I think that many have shied away from multifunction units because they weren't yet as good. That's changed to a large extent though the megabuck players still aren't andriod.

 

[subguy812]

I think it's time we create a new category of device, starting with the DX300: Digital Media Player (DMP). Not that any of the other flagships can't do what the DX300 does, but a true DMP is really about screen size as much as it is audio chops.

As an aside, I'm sure you'll be comparing the DX300 with the R8 in your upcoming review. Look forward to that. A few too many superlatives flying around here (which makes sense given its the DX300 thread), so I'm waiting for a level-headed comparison between the two to better understand their relative strengths.

I own the DX300 and reading all of this makes me wonder if it is the same player I own. I wish my R8 wasn't defective, I would love to compare R8, DX300, M8 and the SP2000. So frustrating for folks trying decide what to buy.