[Whitigir]

Damn.. If this is true it would be a deal breaker. I owned WM1A and i sold it within 2 week due to tonality. And reading M8 reviews did not impress me at all.

Seems like SE200 gets another point at this moment. That would mean that all my 4.4mm cables are rendered useless lol.
Besides i need to audition se200 first too.
Another option would be sp1000 as they are similar priced as se200 and has 9038pros in it. But i have read its bass is on a lean side.

And then again, i wonder what people really call warm..

I personally dont mind if treble is on smoother side. But i cant stand signatures with bloated lower mids a scooped out upper midrange. I also like good subbass presence without midbass bloat.

Some people say dx228 is warm so it is a bit confusing. But i think its due to elevated lower end from amp8.

How does dx160 compare to dx228 tonally?

Max may be what you want then ? Have you tried it ? The Dx160 is warmer than dx228 and with it upper frequencies being rolled off earlier than DX228, it may not be your cup of tea.

The DX228 is only warmer when compared to Dx220 Amp1 MkII....heck, even the Max stock with an Improved Amp8 still sound analytical but a little more musical and fluid than the Amp1 MKII

 

[HeyManslowdown97]

will wait for analysis.

Wise!

Seems like SE200 gets another point at this moment. That would mean that all my 4.4mm cables are rendered useless lol.
Besides i need to audition se200 first too.
Another option would be sp1000 as they are similar priced as se200 and has 9038pros in it. But i have read its bass is on a lean side.

And then again, i wonder what people really call warm..

I personally dont mind if treble is on smoother side. But i cant stand signatures with bloated lower mids a scooped out upper midrange. I also like good subbass presence without midbass bloat.

I have a similar sound palette liking and am leaning towards the se200 myself. I would add for me I like a really dark, dark background, tons of (micro) details and an awesome (studio) soundstage.

The only “advantage” that the ibasso dx300 would have is if you have interchangeable Amps (speculation + additional costs) this would give you more sound signatures and the digital filters would make a huge difference in tonality but this would take some tinkering per track or album to “get right” which could also be a major headache. Some daps can sound great with eq and other dsp but it should (in a perfect world) sound great as is sans those tweaks and features.

As for 4.4mm cables, just grab some of these: https://www.amazon.com/DD-Headphone-Converter-Connector-Resolution/dp/B088WVNB4F

Or specifically for A&K: https://www.amazon.com/Linsoul-Bala...ds=DD+hifi+astell+kern&qid=1609238470&sr=8-14

Nice to know these adaptors exist! Too bad A&K refuses to implement 4.4. Ugh

 

[Whitigir]

Yes, amp Modular designs allow the signature to be tailored further by amplifications, same as digital filters and Lowpass filters, and especially when CL chips are so effectively be having the Differences between filters much clearer than other DAC (observed on Dx160)

 

[HeyManslowdown97]

Yes, amp Modular designs allow the signature to be tailored further by amplifications, same as digital filters and Lowpass filters, and especially when CL chips are so effectively be having the Differences between filters much clearer than other DAC (observed on Dx160)

True but at this point it’s all speculative if they will unveil the Amp modular(s) or if the modded community (you) makes them and based on timing this would be available only until you get motivated to make them and ibasso fabricates them...we are talking months or years even.

That’s a long wait in this hobby for wandering eyes....

 

[subguy812]

Nice to know these adaptors exist! Too bad A&K refuses to implement 4.4. Ugh

Kann Alpha is 4.4mm

 

[Whitigir]

True but at this point it’s all speculative if they will unveil the Amp modular(s) or if the modded community (you) makes them and based on timing this would be available only until you get motivated to make them and ibasso fabricates them...we are talking months or years even.

That’s a long wait in this hobby for wandering eyes....

LOL! It doesn’t have to be me, Ibasso supports the mod community in a huge way, the way that I have never seen any other companies to have done, or even tried to. I was just an example that Ibasso is really being supportive to the community.

But that is something like talking about a comet hitting the earth or whatever.....I am so sure that Ibasso have plan to roll out the next amp module Soon. If it was anything like Dx200 platform, it wouldn’t take too long

 

[Skullar]

I think most if not all the colouration should come from the IEMs/headphones, NOT the dap. Sure pairing is important, so a brighter IEM on a brighter-tuned dap may not be ideal, and vice versa

Thats a thing - synergy! Even pure reference neutral dap will not work with all iems dependong on your preference.

And im not parting woth my Legend X any time soon so i have to adapt dap to hit my sweetspot.

Or specifically for A&K: https://www.amazon.com/Linsoul-Bala...ds=DD+hifi+astell+kern&qid=1609238470&sr=8-14

Is 3.5mm just a dummy jack for extra support? Because i think balanced to SE adapter can damage amp, right? Or am i missing something here.
Other than that its actually a neat gadget and might work for me.

Max may be what you want then ?

Max would be direct upgrade to dx228. Unfortunately i need something portable.

only “advantage” that the ibasso dx300 would have is if you have interchangeable Amps (speculation + additional costs) this would give you more sound signatures and the digital filters would make a huge difference in tonality

This is just extra headache for me as it might eventually have a have amp module that actually works for me.
But then if it does not offer anything extra over se200 there is no point waiting for uncertain. Just start stocing on 2.5mm cables lol.

There is also a third option - just dont upgrade lol. My dx220 + modded amp8 is still a beast. Its just that the urge to buy a new toy is strong within me.

 

[goodvibes]

Here’s two ... look for #DX300, use your favorite translator

https://twitter.com/fortis_musica/status/1343143843756081152?s=21

https://twitter.com/leouila/status/1343408132345589762?s=21

Thanks. You know this board is going to run with those sonic impressions like they are a given when the unit was likely preproduction and only using one of the available (warmest NOS) DAC filters. The (not as) slow filter will like be less warm and may sound better to others. Others may prefer the 3.5mm output. It's early. https://statics.cirrus.com/pubs/proDatasheet/CS43198_F1.pdf

 

[Whitigir]

Thanks. You know this board is going to run with those sonic impressions like they are a given when the unit was likely preproduction and only using one of the available (warmest NOS) DAC filters. The (not as) slow filter will like be less warm and may sound better to others. https://statics.cirrus.com/pubs/proDatasheet/CS43198_F1.pdf

It would for now, and until production unit samples arrived at @twister6 and then some early bird purchases impressions and so on and so forth. I still think that this Dx300 may be less warmth than the Dx160. It is just a feeling that usually Ibasso stick to the house sound with top tier devices

 

[Skullar]

It would for now, and until production unit samples arrived at @twister6 and then some early bird purchases impressions and so on and so forth. I still think that this Dx300 may be less warmth than the Dx160. It is just a feeling that usually Ibasso stick to the house sound with top tier devices

I really hope so!

 

[Xinlisupreme]

@Skullar Why don't you consider R6 2020?

 

[goodvibes]

It would for now, and until production unit samples arrived at @twister6 and then some early bird purchases impressions and so on and so forth. I still think that this Dx300 may be less warmth than the Dx160. It is just a feeling that usually Ibasso stick to the house sound with top tier devices

Is the 160 that warm? I was just reading reviews and they don't describe it as such. The what HiFi review is a real outlier. Probably didn't try the filters or let it run in. Who knows but he sort of describes it the opposite. I just recalled which Ibasso i had in the past. DX90 and it was good but I preferred my then AK100 (more natural) and upgraded to the ak120 at the time. Had an LPG for a bit and am now holding with a QP1 but have the bug for a $1k ish player. This, the se200 (though I find the 2 dac thing superfluous) and the PAW 6000 are on the list right now.
So hard when you can't hear them 1st. I could choose in few minutes if I had warm and run in units side by side.

 

[twister6]

I guess we all hear things differently. To my ears, original DX160 was more neutral while revised 2020 DX160 version was brighter (in mids/vocals) due to opamp changes - another point that amp stage will color the sound, so don't draw any conclusion between DX160 and DX300. Never heard M8, but based of some impressions it sounds like that one is warm. But as we all know, the sound we hear is the synergy between the DAP and the sound sig of whatever IEM/headphones you are listening to. So calling something warm, neutral, bright, etc. is meaningless until we put it in a perspective of what you are listening to and what you are comparing it too. Hopefully will start getting more meaningful bits'n'pieces of impressions when DX300 is out in the open, soon. Personally, I don't have it, yet.

 

[Whitigir]

Is the 160 that warm? I was just reading reviews and they don't describe it as such. The what HiFi review is a real outlier. Probably didn't try the filters or let it run in. Who knows but he sort of describes it the opposite. I just recalled which Ibasso i had in the past. DX90 and it was good but I preferred my then AK100 (more natural) and upgraded to the ak120 at the time. Had an LPG for a bit and am now holding with a QP1 but have the bug for a $1k ish player.

No, it was only warmer when compared to Dx220 and Amp8 . The definition of warmth, neutral, are better used in references to which. The dx160 certainly isn’t anywhere close to WM1A/Z in that regard...

 

[Skullar]

@Skullar Why don't you consider R6 2020?

Well then why not R8 i thought they are both warm too? Though its all my impression from reviews i have read, i did not audition neither of those lol. So might be wrong. Can you compare it to dx228?