[twister6]

Hope your health issues ar not serious, we need you here to feed us great info, take care of yourself and we’ll read your reviews even if it takes more time to publish them.

If I may ask, the D16 being a dad/amp, not a DAP, it would be nice to know how it performs plugged into a computer (or phone) since I suspect this use case is the reality of a lot of us that buy DAC/AMP instead of DAPs. As well if we could have a comparison of the D16 DAC itself versus the DAC of others (DAP or DAC/AMP) using the same external amp so that we have a feel of the specific sound signature of this new type of DAC. Thanks much for considering it.

Just overcoming nasty vertigo condition which I got after ENT doctor cleaned my ears with a suction vac instead of my regular audiologist doing it with a scooper. One day you are healthy as a horse, and then get your ears cleaned, taking you out of commission for a few weeks because your inner-ear crystals got out of place But anyway...

 

[Smirk 24]

Just overcoming nasty vertigo condition which I got after ENT doctor cleaned my ears with a suction vac instead of my regular audiologist doing it with a scooper. One day you are healthy as a horse, and then get your ears cleaned, taking you out of commission for a few weeks because your inner-ear crystals got out of place But anyway...

That’s horrible dude, hope you get better quickly

 

[meomap]

Just overcoming nasty vertigo condition which I got after ENT doctor cleaned my ears with a suction vac instead of my regular audiologist doing it with a scooper. One day you are healthy as a horse, and then get your ears cleaned, taking you out of commission for a few weeks because your inner-ear crystals got out of place But anyway...

Never trust a doctor....

 

[Loftprojection]

Just overcoming nasty vertigo condition which I got after ENT doctor cleaned my ears with a suction vac instead of my regular audiologist doing it with a scooper. One day you are healthy as a horse, and then get your ears cleaned, taking you out of commission for a few weeks because your inner-ear crystals got out of place But anyway...

Man, your ears are precious, to you and us! You shoud sue that doctor, what an incompetent. Take care.

 

[slumberman]

Ok. After a couple of hours of listening I unfortunately decided to return it. The tube pinging / ringing is present even when lightly moving the device on a couch arm , let alone plugging IEMs headphones in.
There’s a constant crackling noise on both sides , always present but exponentially amplified by WiFi/streaming, with the DX320Max. I have to use it in mango system in order to minimize it.
Length of IC and distance from the device doesn’t seem to help much.
All this happens both if running on battery or charging.

The sound is great, but these cons are enough for me to send it back.

I contacted Paul to see if it’s a defective unit, but I encourage people to check for noise in silence or slow passages and let me know if I’m just unlucky with my unit.

Thank you, and regardless thanks to @Paul - iBasso for pushing the envelope.

 

[wazzupi]

Ok. After a couple of hours of listening I unfortunately decided to return it. The tube pinging / ringing is present even when lightly moving the device on a couch arm , let alone plugging IEMs headphones in.
There’s a constant crackling noise on both sides , always present but exponentially amplified by WiFi/streaming, with the DX320Max. I have to use it in mango system in order to minimize it.
Length of IC and distance from the device doesn’t seem to help much.
All this happens both if running on battery or charging.

The sound is great, but these cons are enough for me to send it back.

I contacted Paul to see if it’s a defective unit, but I encourage people to check for noise in silence or slow passages and let me know if I’m just unlucky with my unit.

Thank you, and regardless thanks to @Paul - iBasso for pushing the envelope.

I only get a slight ring when I plug it in last a few seconds moving doesn’t trigger ringing unless I’m violently moving around… you might have a defect. This crackling noise it’s always present? It’s not tube hiss is it ?

PS what gain setting are you on the 320max ?

 

[slumberman]

I only get a slight ring when I plug it in last a few seconds moving doesn’t trigger ringing unless I’m violently moving around… you might have a defect. This crackling noise it’s always present? It’s not tube hiss is it ?

PS what gain setting are you on the 320max ?

Noise is always present at higher volumes especially while streaming. I’m on gain II on the max. It’s not hiss.

 

[wazzupi]

Noise is always present at higher volumes especially while streaming. I’m on gain II on the max. It’s not hiss.

the volume knob is seated correctly and not inbeteeen steps ? I don’t have this issue otherwise.

 

[slumberman]

the volume knob is seated correctly and not inbeteeen steps ? I don’t have this issue otherwise.

Yup. I’m used to iBasso ‘s knobs quirks

 

[hongky]

Can anyone compare D16+PB5 combo with Shanling M30 with A2 amp module in tube mode ?

Thanks

 

[swedishpat]

My new Dream Combo for the Composer.
iBasso DX320 MAX Ti + iBasso PB5

The warmer analog tuning is really good for the Composer. I've never heard it better than on this chain! Simply fantastic!

Full Review for the PB5 is coming this week!

How does it drive the susvara?

 

[rootsd]

Noise is always present at higher volumes especially while streaming. I’m on gain II on the max. It’s not hiss.

I am on gain I, but rest is in identical setup: streaming on 320max. Out of pb5 the background is as black as night when iems (rn6, fei wan) are attached. No hiss or any distortion. Seems like your unit is faulty. Hope you will get an exchange soon, as pb5 brings my max to a new shiny level.

 

[MN8372]

How does it drive the susvara?

I can’t speak for Trance_Gott but the PB5 works surprisingly well for me with the Susvaras. I didn’t even think to try until I saw your post.

With the Susvaras I tend to look out for a few key features that perform poorly on lower quality amplifiers 1/. Lack of mid-bass impact. 2/. Poor soundstage/2 dimensional imaging. 3/. Thin/weak sound. 4/. Lack of foundation/control. I’m not hearing any of that with the PB5/320MAX combo. Quite amazing for a (trans)portable option when compared to my desktop rig (300B pre-amp into CFA3). The desktop rig has more texture/power in the bass and the sound is thicker throughout the midrange too. It feels like there is a bit more foundation/control. Conversely the PB5 combo is a bit more ethereal (but still with good bass and timbre - it‘s not thin and weak by any means - it’s still a warm tubey sound). As such it sounds a bit more open. It strikes a nice balance and depending on preference I could see someone preferring the presentation of the PB5 which is quite remarkable really (although I still give the nod to my desktop which has a bit more solidity/refinement).

I’m currently using gain 2 on the 320MAX, high gain on the PB5 and volume turned up all the way (down one/two clicks from maximum depending on the album). It’s plenty loud enough for me.

These are only initial impressions (I’ve only had the PB5 for 24 hours) but if someone had handed this combo to me 8 years ago (320MAX/PB5/Susvara) I would have been blown away and may not have bothered going down the desktop route for that final few percent. Makes me wonder whether the D16 would close the gap even further. I just don’t want to go into full on hype mode (at least until I’ve spent a bit more time with it).

 

[Z_Showmaster]

The insane part is that there's still volume headroom if you increase your 320 Max to gain 3 or 4, though breaking the rules.

 

[swedishpat]

I can’t speak for Trance_Gott but the PB5 works surprisingly well for me with the Susvaras. I didn’t even think to try until I saw your post.

With the Susvaras I tend to look out for a few key features that perform poorly on lower quality amplifiers 1/. Lack of mid-bass impact. 2/. Poor soundstage/2 dimensional imaging. 3/. Thin/weak sound. 4/. Lack of foundation/control. I’m not hearing any of that with the PB5/320MAX combo. Quite amazing for a (trans)portable option when compared to my desktop rig (300B pre-amp into CFA3). The desktop rig has more texture/power in the bass and the sound is thicker throughout the midrange too. It feels like there is a bit more foundation/control. Conversely the PB5 combo is a bit more ethereal (but still with good bass and timbre - it‘s not thin and weak by any means - it’s still a warm tubey sound). As such it sounds a bit more open. It strikes a nice balance and depending on preference I could see someone preferring the presentation of the PB5 which is quite remarkable really (although I still give the nod to my desktop which has a bit more solidity/refinement).

I’m currently using gain 2 on the 320MAX, high gain on the PB5 and volume turned up all the way (down one/two clicks from maximum depending on the album). It’s plenty loud enough for me.

These are only initial impressions (I’ve only had the PB5 for 24 hours) but if someone had handed this combo to me 8 years ago (320MAX/PB5/Susvara) I would have been blown away and may not have bothered going down the desktop route for that final few percent. Makes me wonder whether the D16 would close the gap even further. I just don’t want to go into full on hype mode (at least until I’ve spent a bit more time with it).

Thank you for the thorough explanation! Makes me exited to try with my hard to drive headphones when I receive my unit! Been looking for a portable system that can do this for years!!