[MilhouseV]

Correct, SDXC should be ExFAT. I had an issue with a 64GB card which was reformatted on Windows with ExFAT. After the same card was erased in a digital camera with SDXC support, P90 read it just fine, and Windows can read and write the same card correctly as well.

 

[all999]

Do not use PC to format it to FAT32, I had the same problem. Use any digital camera.

Thank You, it works now, 200GB seems to work flawless.

 

[dacari]

I am a bit afraid about the behavior with iems.
Like all you discribe it seems a bit weird, so for resume, iems with poor soundstage the Teac doens't help it is even worse? Is it due some bad measurements, output impedance...etc?
 
Another thing I don't understand is about the USB changing, if it only charges when is off, what's the point to have an option: USB charger on/off?

 

[MilhouseV]

  I am a bit afraid about the behavior with iems.
Like all you discribe it seems a bit weird, so for resume, iems with poor soundstage the Teac doens't help it is even worse? Is it due some bad measurements, output impedance...etc?
 
Another thing I don't understand is about the USB changing, if it only charges when is off, what's the point to have an option: USB charger on/off?

A soundstage is not something most IEMs support.  P90 won't help in making it larger if you happen to have one of the few IEM models that are capable of creating  a large soundstage - but will not eliminate it completely either.
 
As far as USB charging - the setting disables charging when the device is turned off but still connected via USB cable - in case you don't want to bother disconnecting the device (or may leave it and have it enter power saving mode on its own), and yet don't want it to drain your laptop's battery charging off of it.

 

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

I am a bit afraid about the behavior with iems.
Like all you discribe it seems a bit weird, so for resume, iems with poor soundstage the Teac doens't help it is even worse? Is it due some bad measurements, output impedance...etc?

Another thing I don't understand is about the USB changing, if it only charges when is off, what's the point to have an option: USB charger on/off?

P90SD actually has very low output impedance. Soundstage is created from a combination of many factors, I've found that better solid state implementations can often have smaller soundstages, in lower SQ implementations worse crosstalk, higher THD and higher jitter can give larger soundstage. Beside the specs, the implementation design plays the biggest role in determining sound stage and has nothing to do with specs. Hardware can have perfect specs but still have small soundtage or rubbish specs and have large soundstage, or vice versa, simply down to implementation design traits.

My highest SQ daps and desktop Dac's have smaller than average soundstage: P90SD, NAD M51, etc.

But there is also other aspects to consider that stem from sound stage and stereo image. For example, N6 has one of the largest soundstages, but compared to the P90SD it sounds stretched and weak in stereo image (but not in isolation). P90SD has rock solid 3D stereo image even though it only projects small inside head image, P90SD has a great deal of heft, solidity and timbre to its bass, meatiness and texture to its mids, while daps with larger soundstages have trouble replicating these traights due to stretched/weaker stereo images even though their sound stages are bigger, the P90SD soundstage is not a regular small soundstage imo, it is packing so much detail and texture into a smaller space coupled with a blacker backround and solid stereo imaging, so it definitely has pros and cons, a trade-off, when you pair the P90SD with the right headphones it can end up sounding more true to life than other daps. Of course the flip side is that this means P90SD needs the right pairings to shine and can sound bad with certain pairings.

For example headphones with big soundstage are amazing with P90SD because P90SD has so much composure and solidity, or one of my favorite setups is P90SD connected to my Fostex Monitor speakers, it wipes the floor with other daps regardless of price in a setup like this. P90SD has the best digital out I've ever heard, period, much more impact, texture and pace than other daps.
.

 

[dacari]

Thank you both answers, very detailed.
 
One last question...Which are the differences between Power Mode High/Low? Not related with attenuator or gain?

 

[MilhouseV]

  One last question...Which are the differences between Power Mode High/Low? Not related with attenuator or gain?

It controls power consumption of the unit, in "low" mode you will get a bit more time on a single battery charge, however, it does affect sound quality.  The difference is not as noticeable with easy to drive headphones and IEMs, but very pronounced with hard to drive cans and armatures / hybrids.

 

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

^ What he said. It is a power supply voltage/current setting, different to gain settings which contrary to popular belief do not affect battery life in daps. Low power mode feeds less power to the circuit (I think it is limited to amp circuit) and thus achieves longer battery life (I haven't tested how much longer, but I think it is something small like 1 hour extra), however P90 will also have less power output as result, basically you wan't to keep it high power mode for best SQ regardless of what your driving imo, but the SQ change with iems is very small, more of an issue for more power hungry hp/iem.
 

Another thing I don't understand is about the USB changing, if it only charges when is off, what's the point to have an option: USB charger on/off?

 
It seems the P90 does utilize usb power when on, I haven't tested usb charging while on, but I did test and found that the P90 when on does not use battery when connected to a usb power source such as a phone, and the phone's battery is drained instead, so the usb charge option is valid.

 

[dacari]

Ok, 1 hour not makes difference so I agree better leave in high mode.
 
Charging right now my red unit I updated to latest firmware, I loaded 40GB and I took several minutes about 20 more or less to build the library, I think I will leave the AUTOrescan OFF, because every time I turn it on, it tooks long time rescaning maybe not like the first one but so long.
 
I hope in next firmwares we can navigate with folders because altought I have correct tags it plays alphabetically or I miss something?

 

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

^ Yes leave autorescan off. The tags need to be done in a specific way, I haven't done it, but in the first few pages of this thread someone explained how to tag files so P90 organizes them properly.
 
I don't think they will add folder browse, the P90 doesn't use a traditional OS, it uses a simple chip embedded OS so that the CPU isn't utilized, meaning the CPU is only processing audio instead of trying to balance running OS and audio processing at the same time  this should reduce timing jitter, compared to some other daps, example ibasso DX90, which is using the CPU for audio processing and OS management, even when not using the screen the OS still has to run in the background taking up CPU resources, which does affect the audio. Each new firmware for DX90 has noticeably different sound, imo it goes to show instability in the digital implementation because the software is affecting the audio so much, which shouldn't really be happening, but it does happen to most daps not just ibasso. The P90 hasn't changed with new firmwares (at least not in very obvious ways like other daps seem to), so it's a good thing! The software should try as best possible to be transparent to the hardware. It is scary that ibasso and other companies say themselves that they never try to change the sound of each firmware, they only try to optimize the firmware from software perspective and remove bugs etc, and the sound morphs as a result with unforeseen changes to the sound, a bit worrying when we are talking high fidelity daps! 
.

 

[dacari]

Yes, but folder navigation should (or it seems to) be the easier/less complicated way for a device without proper OS.

 

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

^ My theory is that only one or the other can be implemented for best SQ, for example only folder browse or only tag sort, but when combining both into the OS it possibly creates some kind of detrimental processing/jitter possibility, but it's only a guess. Pono, is another great dap that is imo best at it's price point, has no folder browse, and is less affected by new firmwares than my other daps (except P90), probably just a coincidence though heh.

 

[dacari]

  ^ Yes leave autorescan off. The tags need to be done in a specific way, I haven't done it, but in the first few pages of this thread someone explained how to tag files so P90 organizes them properly..

 
Yes, I've been reading it but he explains the problems reading long file names and the mix of albums/artist not exactly the problems of playing the tracks in alphabetical order. In my case I have short file names, only track/title.
 
01 Opening
02 Sun
03...

 

[MilhouseV]

   
Yes, I've been reading it but he explains the problems reading long file names and the mix of albums/artist not exactly the problems of playing the tracks in alphabetical order. In my case I have short file names, only track/title.
 
01 Opening
02 Sun
03...

The order of playback is determined by the selection made in settings (play All - Album - ...) and the actual album or sond selected within navigation.  For example, if the playback order setting is "Album", and you select a song in a playlist, the next song will be chosen based on the album, not the playlist.  It is inconvenient and somewhat backwards - but that's what you get with an "add-on" player option in what is effectively a DAC/amp.  The most practical way to ensure everything plays back in a particular order is to either create playlists for all of your content, or clean up album tags, making sure that Album and Artist remain consistent for all of the songs in a given album.

 

[dacari]

  The order of playback is determined by the selection made in settings (play All - Album - ...) and the actual album or sond selected within navigation.  For example, if the playback order setting is "Album", and you select a song in a playlist, the next song will be chosen based on the album, not the playlist.  It is inconvenient and somewhat backwards - but that's what you get with an "add-on" player option in what is effectively a DAC/amp.  The most practical way to ensure everything plays back in a particular order is to either create playlists for all of your content, or clean up album tags, making sure that Album and Artist remain consistent for all of the songs in a given album.

 
I imagined it has to be related with this selection. I'll try creating playlists, rebuild tags will be painful.