[jamweiser]

I think of the sound DX80 offers compared to some of the competition out there in this price range I'm happy to have some patience.

your statement here, and few others that have picked this up, has me intrigued on buying one... qp1r is the other dap i'm looking at, but not sure i want to drop that much on a portable... choices & decisions...

 

[Richsvt]

Ok, I've calmed down a bit. Just got back from an hour hike listening the DX80 the entire time. This thing can definitely play. It really rivals my AK Jr for resolution and has a better amp on it as well. I could really hear some decent separation in instrumentality. I think I'll keep it around for a while to see how the FW hammers out...

 

[Richsvt]

Is there a better sd card format it likes better?

 

[alchemical]

No sorry, no idea. Your best bet is tagging Paul iBasso or sending him a PM. I assume it won't be long.

I noticed Paul replied to a FB comment saying Monday, so imminently.

 

[jamato8]

Is there a better sd card format it likes better?

I format to fat32 but it says it takes all the new formatting. I am trying out the beta FW and I can scan both slots now and many little things are fixed. I scanned one card that has hi resolution, normal FLAC, WAV and it all scanned in and then did a second card and it worked fine. The drive and energy of the DX80 really gets with the music. 

 

[alchemical]

I format to fat32 but it says it takes all the new formatting. I am trying out the beta FW and I can scan both slots now and many little things are fixed. I scanned one card that has hi resolution, normal FLAC, WAV and it all scanned in and then did a second card and it worked fine. The drive and energy of the DX80 really gets with the music. 

That's great to hear. Excited for the release.

 

[HiFlight]

Several important points regarding the DX80...

The Gain memory issue will be fixed prior to the formal release of the new firmware. Previous issues seem to have been addressed satisfactorily by the beta firmware.

Random play will access music from both cards. No need to select one or the other.

There is NO user-available memory, so all firmware updates are done by putting the update file on a card rather than copying it to the internal root drive. When plugged into one's computer, only the 2 cards will be seen, no internal memory! The internal memory is only used by the player, not for music files as before. Once a firmware file is loaded to a card and inserted into the player, the update option will show in the Advanced menu.

One can use custom wallpaper as in DX50 and 90.

Personally, I would suggest doing a "wipe and factory reset" after any firmware change just to make sure there are no leftovers from the previous firmware. These leftovers, if not removed, can cause unwanted behavior and/or new bugs.

 

[jamato8]

  Anybody finding the DX80 sound to be dynamic/punchy...but a little fatiguing?  I'm listening with my normally very smooth ESW9LTD and I feel like I've been listening to Grados for three hours.

Ok, I can understand what you are saying. Some music comes across and nicely separated and great spacial cues that didn't have it much on other daps and really dynamic music, is more dynamic than in the past. I am not so sure this is the fault of the player but its ability to render the recording. Time will tell. This is using my ESW10 Japan. I had to send off my JH13 Pros for repair and am getting them upgraded at the same time so hopefully I will have them back soon. Otherwise I have a few other IEM's that work well. 

 

[sandalaudio]

  Anybody finding the DX80 sound to be dynamic/punchy...but a little fatiguing?  I'm listening with my normally very smooth ESW9LTD and I feel like I've been listening to Grados for three hours.

 
I've tried using my ATH-ESW9LTD with the DX80 just now, and it does sound very energetic. DX80 brings out more of the mid-bass and less harsh bright treble than other DAPs, so that might make you turn up the volume a bit higher than usual, which might lead to fatigue. (because most people adjust the volume based on the treble irritation).
 

I have installed the beta v.1.1.0 firmware and found that it has resolved most of the issues I had previously noted. Both my cards scan properly, random play display issue on restart has been fixed and all settings that I have tried have been remembered except for the Gain setting which still defaults to High.

 
I'm really looking forward to the V. 1.1.0 firmware. I think we are all going around in circles complaining about the firmware issues, and not having the chance to discuss properly about the subtle sound qualities of this fantastic DAP.
 

Is there a better sd card format it likes better?

 
I tried the standard formatting on Windows (exFAT with default custer size) and Mac (FAT MS-DOS) and both worked very well. It would be nice if DX80 had a built-in formatting tool but I'm happy that it works with exFAT, so that people don't have to go looking around for a particular formatting tool like HP USB Formatting Tool.
 
FYI the USB "storage mode" caps out at USB2.0 speed (obviously), so it's best to use an external USB3.0 card reader for big transfers.
The readings below are with my Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB.
 

 

[alchemical]

I'm really looking forward to the V. 1.1.0 firmware. I think we are all going around in circles complaining about the firmware issues, and not having the chance to discuss properly about the subtle sound qualities of this fantastic DAP.

I agree. I've actually put mine aside for now, eager as I am to get some hours on it. I'd rather wait until the scanning issue is sorted - which sounds like it has been on the next FW - to put it property through its paces.

 

[sandalaudio]

I agree. I've actually put mine aside for now, eager as I am to get some hours on it. I'd rather wait until the scanning issue is sorted - which sounds like it has been on the next FW - to put it property through its paces.

 
You could spend this time burning in the unit as iBasso recommends 100+ hours for things to settle down. They even include the burn-in cable.
 
I've been playing my DX80 for around 50 hours now, but can't really say if burn-in makes a difference or not. (I can't remember how it sounded like out of the box).

 

[alchemical]

You could spend this time burning in the unit as iBasso recommends 100+ hours for things to settle down. They even include the burn-in cable.

I've been playing my DX80 for around 50 hours now, but can't really say if burn-in makes a difference or not. (I can't remember how it sounded like out of the box).

Oh definitely, it's been burning in on the side, just desperate to put some serious listening hours on it! Sounds like I won't have to wait long though.

 

[HiFlight]

I'm deceived because:
- initial bugs got never corrected ( sometimes it skip 1 second of music randomly with no reasons )
- gapless does not work correctly
- screen going yellow ( have to restart to correct it.

And just look at dx90 thread, yes a lot of users still complain like dx50 users about crappy sdcard scan and various bugs.

I have test some dap since my dx50 purchase : shanling, Sony, cowon... All are fast with no evident bugs.

And yes they are daps that are able to sound as good as ibasso ones or even more natural, more respectful of recording.

Have you tried a shanling m2? M3? This is worth a try, especially for their prices.

And at last but not least: like all folks here I'm spending lots of time to find the device that feet my needs, so how should we feel when sq is changing with every firmware, huh? Basically I have now to choose between some bugs or the sound I like...
My avr amplifier at home has never changed sq by flashing firmware... ;- I to have a DX50,for about six months, in that time I have had not one if the issues that you are talking about other than when I updated the FW I got a bad download. I didn't figure that out until I dealt with " Paul Ibasso" who was quite generous with his time and help. This alone merits NY loyalty.

I'm not sure I understand why you are quoting previous posts without adding any comments of your own.

 

[sandalaudio]

I'm not sure I understand why you are quoting previous posts without adding any comments of your own.

 
I think it's best to ignore it. Spammers just want attention. The complaints listed were for the previous DAPs like DX50/90, so it's somewhat irrelevant to DX80 at this point.

 

[Jeff Y]

Tried the DX80 today.
Time to say goodbye to my DX50.
DX80 + Hugo was also good, even better than DX50 + Hugo.
I'll order it on Tuesday.