I'm working on some more extended thoughts, but here are some first impressions:
- Build is great. It's thick as a brick, but doesn't seem quite as heavy as previous iterations.
- The hardware controls feel great.
- I really dig the 4 position gain knob, but the volume uses an analog stepped attenuator so there's a small "blip" with each adjustment as a downside.
I listened side-by-side between N8ii, SP3000, and DX320MAX using some reference tracks (N8ii and SP3000 are well burned in, and I ran the DX320MAX though most of the day yesterday and overnight for burn-in):
- SQ and general tuning is super close between the three. I felt like with high-res Qobuz tracks I was straining to hear the small differences.
- Overall though, DX320MAX had the widest soundstage, and I thought the most natural overall tuning and timbre (N8ii in tube mode was close).
- DX320MAX had the best bass texture as well, but and N8ii has the best resolution in the highs (it felt like with instruments like saxophone, N8ii held the breath out a millisecond longer than the other two.
- SP3000 seemed the most relaxed of the three. The treble is slightly smoother, the bass has great texture but doesn't hit quite as hard.
- DX320MAX seemed the best for hard to drive headphones. We don't have a ton of really hard to drive stuff in the office at the moment, but with the ZMF Auteur Classic and HIFIMAN Arya, DX320MAX had more headroom and slammed a bit more than the other two.
Soundwise DX320MAX is definitely shoulder to shoulder with the big boys in the price range. In terms of who it's for, I'd say if you want a flagship level DAP with an open Android OS, you like the limited edition nature of the device, and you're looking for something that's more "transportable" than truly "portable." Also, the case seems like an upgrade over the previous MAX versions I've handled (not sure I ever got to play with a DX300MAX Ti).
I'll try to pop into this thread to answer any questions while I have the device handy and can test things out.
