[Cotnijoe]

So a few interesting things I discovered.
 
First off, the D14 started off hissing quite a bit, which was strange to me since it was suppose to have a very low output impedance... of like 0.8 or so? Less than 1 for sure. After using it for some time though, the hiss disappeared. Its now almost as quiet as a DX90. Which is awesomely low, and basically means it wont hiss with ANYTHING except earwerkz IEMs.
 
Second thing which is nice is there is an "iBasso Control Panel" that gets downloaded along with the driver firmware. It allows you to what I'm assuming is the output of the DAC to the amp as well as change the balance of each channel. Nice feature since some IEMs are too sensitive to use with the D14. Being able to lower the volume with the control panel helped a lot.
 
Also, the D14 tends to get quite warm sometime while im using it... then 15 minutes later it's cooled off. Interesting o.o

 

[Cotnijoe]

Hey @HiFlight , I seem to have encounter some sort of glitch with the D14, and I was wondering if youve come across this at all. When im using the D14 as a USB device, sometime it would just stop outputting sound. The device would still be recognized, but no sound comes out. I would restart my computer but it doesnt get fixed. Then randomly it'll start working again...

 

[420204]

I use a Linux OS (Xubuntu 14.04) on my desktop computer and my D14 works perfectly with it. The sound opens up very nicely after about 20 hours.

Thank you!
now there's only two left, the D14 and the Q5 from FiiO, which isn't even out yet, but has three different amp modules...

 

[PChoon]

After considering my options... i'm thinking to get this to make my DX50 into a transport... and using D14 lineout into my ALO The National amp...
do you guys think it will make a difference in sound? as i was thinking now instead of a Wolfson dac in DX50 i'm gonna use D14's sabre DAC... and D14 can serve up as my mobile dac when i watch movies on my phone...

 

[Cotnijoe]

After considering my options... i'm thinking to get this to make my DX50 into a transport... and using D14 lineout into my ALO The National amp...
do you guys think it will make a difference in sound? as i was thinking now instead of a Wolfson dac in DX50 i'm gonna use D14's sabre DAC... and D14 can serve up as my mobile dac when i watch movies on my phone...

Yes itll improve sound... But thats one massive stack you got there...

 

[PChoon]

Yes itll improve sound... But thats one massive stack you got there...

Hahaha... Well I wanted higher resolution with my existing rig... But I do not want to spend AK series type of money and owning a dx50 I dun wanna buy a dx90... So just nice D14 step in...

 

[Cotnijoe]

I would just spend the money on a single dac/amp combo. The D14 is honestly a great dac/amp at its price. Unless you want better or to go balanced?

 

[PChoon]

I would just spend the money on a single dac/amp combo. The D14 is honestly a great dac/amp at its price. Unless you want better or to go balanced?

 
I was looking for a single dac and amp combo... but none caught my eyes... after the D14... i'm aiming for iBasso's P5 Falcon...

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

pcb pics please 

 

[Cotnijoe]

  pcb pics please 

 
For some reason... none of my torx screwdrivers fit the D14's screws... so I can't actually open mine.
 
Knowing that HiFlight has a lot of experience with iBasso amps... I'm hoping he'll post a pic of it as well

 

[HiFlight]

For some reason... none of my torx screwdrivers fit the D14's screws... so I can't actually open mine.

Knowing that HiFlight has a lot of experience with iBasso amps... I'm hoping he'll post a pic of it as well

The D14 screws require a T-5 Torx bit. The circuit board is very heavily populated and has some nice shielding for control of RF. I will post a photo when I have a chance to disassemble it again. The opamps used in the amplifier section have the lettering removed, so iBasso wishes them to be kept confidential.

EDIT:

Below are photos of the top and bottom of the D14 circuit board. As one can see, it is very densely populated on both sides. A very nicely designed double-sided board!

 

[all thumbs]

Can it be used while charging? I'm contemplating an affordable rig that will have a budget high rez portable DAC/AMP and a discreet desktop amp like a Magni 2 uber or Asgard 2. I'd like the DAC to charge while in use.

 

[Cotnijoe]

  Can it be used while charging? I'm contemplating an affordable rig that will have a budget high rez portable DAC/AMP and a discreet desktop amp like a Magni 2 uber or Asgard 2. I'd like the DAC to charge while in use.

 
It can indeed be used while charging!

 

[HiFlight]

I have put a lot of time on my D14 using both my K10 IEM's and Oppo PM-1 circumaurals and am amazed at the sound quality I am now hearing! Imaging is very accurate and the timbre and tonal balance is superb. I am amazed at how low the price is on such an impressive instrument!

 

[Anwer]

I have put a lot of time on my D14 using both my K10 IEM's and Oppo PM-1 circumaurals and am amazed at the sound quality I am now hearing! Imaging is very accurate and the timbre and tonal balance is superb. I am amazed at how low the price is on such an impressive instrument!

I hope you can give us a comparison with the DX90