[shagrathborgir]

ok,so I have tested the dx50 for a few days and I have chosen the Sound Unlock 1.4 over the NDFFF,because the later one has more highs than sound unlocked and it does not sound good to me!
I have tested some Flac files and my favorite setting is FLAC + irr off + default.by the way,what is irr bandwidth????
For the mp3 files here comes the problem,cant really decide what to use irr on + default or 312 ???
 
IRR ON + DEFAULT: there's no bass,no drums,no kick,no music.....I almost like the rest of the sound,but its to much as live concert,voice is kind of far behind you,sound is to much wide and everything is so noisy.Can't listen to music more than 2 hours at 205 volume + max gain,and after that I can't hear a thing.it's only sssssss in my head
 
IRR ON + 312 CPU: better bass,drums,I can feel the kick,but the sound is to flat,its like I'm listening to music in a very small room.voice is somehow near you...I like it,but it does not sound right,it should me more wide,open.
 
So,I really thought that I'll be so happy with the dx50,but for the money it cost,it just does not sound right.this should be amazing with stock firmware,instead there are so many costum fw,but nothing perfect (for me)!
As a perfect combination...I would take the irr on +default sound add the bass and kick from the 312cpu and increase it,lower the highs a little bit,bring the voice closer,cut a little bit from the "live" and widespace effect,and do something with that noise....that noise is just horrible.guitars are way to loud that smash you're brains.
Well,I think it's to much to ask...since there is no firmware that does what I want,and this dx50 is on the market for a while,I assume that it will never be perfect for me.
I was thinking of getting the dx90,but I'm really afraid it will sound almost the same,so maybe ibasso is just not for me.I will try to test a Fiio X5,maybe the sound signature fiio has suites me better than ibasso which everyone say that it has a neutral sound,and I really want to fell the music,not just hear it!I really liked the touch screen on ibasso,rather than buttons and other stuff fiio has.
Another option is to mod it,maybe it will sound different,but I've decided to do this after I test the fiio x5.if fiio is the bomb,than I'll sell the dx50,but if it's not so much difference,then I'll choose to mod my dx50.
I was told to change my earphones,I'm using denon ahc-300,200 euro in my country,but what really made me think about this is testing Creative ep-830 on ibasso dx50.I have used ep830 for 2-3 years on phones,and cretive x-fi mp3 players and they sounded so good,but on ibasso they are terrible,awful,there's just hisss and sss and a blasphemy of sound.so it seems that not every headphone will work on ibasso,and I can't buy them every week,so I have to test them,and there's no chance you can test headphones,only if you're friends have them,but I don't hae frinads that spend money on this!
 
I have also played Coldplay - In My Place just for the test,and yes,there is tons of details in sound,but the rest could have been better.I also noticed the noisy part here to!But even it was brilliant,this is not what I'm listening to,all the time!
As an idea,I was making the tests playing:

Belphegor - Blood Magick Necromance (between min 1 and min 2 you can see how complex this music is)

Shining - Vilseledda Barnasjälars Hemvist

Shining - Eradication of the Condition
Marily Manson  - Putting Holes In Happiness (a lot of noise.manson sounds different in dx50,not the way it should sound)
Obituary - Killing Time ( god,death metal does not sound as death metal on ibasso and Obituary is one of my favorite bands,I have listened their albums thousands of time)
Watain - All That May Bleed 
 
In coclusion,metal should be more punchy and not the way dx50 delivers the sound to you.without drums,death/black metal is no metal at all.guitars are way to loud and voice sits in the back of you,the to much open/wide/live sound and the noise just ruins it,but I really liked the way Flac files sounded.we'll,if I go on flac way,I'll need more than 64 gb,but still a lot of music is in mp3,and I really can't get it in flac.
There was a person here stated that you have to use the EQ on dx50,as with the eq off,everything is to loud and noisy and you can't listen to music that way.another person said that using sound unlocked with the eq on,you'll ruin the soun.so this applies only for the stock fw?
I hope I can test the fiio x5 and get back with some opinions,but it's kind of hard to find a store where you can test it

 

[H20Fidelity]

^^ Consider adding an amp before you give up or go all out on another player. You can get better potential using the line out and lose that restricted unmusical compressed digital sound.

.

 

[CoiL]

  ok,so I have tested the dx50 for a few days and I have chosen the Sound Unlock 1.4 over the NDFFF,because the later one has more highs than sound unlocked and it does not sound good to me!
I have tested some Flac files and my favorite setting is FLAC + irr off + default.by the way,what is irr bandwidth????
For the mp3 files here comes the problem,cant really decide what to use irr on + default or 312 ???
 
IRR ON + DEFAULT: there's no bass,no drums,no kick,no music.....I almost like the rest of the sound,but its to much as live concert,voice is kind of far behind you,sound is to much wide and everything is so noisy.Can't listen to music more than 2 hours at 205 volume + max gain,and after that I can't hear a thing.it's only sssssss in my head
 
IRR ON + 312 CPU: better bass,drums,I can feel the kick,but the sound is to flat,its like I'm listening to music in a very small room.voice is somehow near you...I like it,but it does not sound right,it should me more wide,open.
 
So,I really thought that I'll be so happy with the dx50,but for the money it cost,it just does not sound right.this should be amazing with stock firmware,instead there are so many costum fw,but nothing perfect (for me)!
As a perfect combination...I would take the irr on +default sound add the bass and kick from the 312cpu and increase it,lower the highs a little bit,bring the voice closer,cut a little bit from the "live" and widespace effect,and do something with that noise....that noise is just horrible.guitars are way to loud that smash you're brains.
Well,I think it's to much to ask...since there is no firmware that does what I want,and this dx50 is on the market for a while,I assume that it will never be perfect for me.
I was thinking of getting the dx90,but I'm really afraid it will sound almost the same,so maybe ibasso is just not for me.I will try to test a Fiio X5,maybe the sound signature fiio has suites me better than ibasso which everyone say that it has a neutral sound,and I really want to fell the music,not just hear it!I really liked the touch screen on ibasso,rather than buttons and other stuff fiio has.
Another option is to mod it,maybe it will sound different,but I've decided to do this after I test the fiio x5.if fiio is the bomb,than I'll sell the dx50,but if it's not so much difference,then I'll choose to mod my dx50.
I was told to change my earphones,I'm using denon ahc-300,200 euro in my country,but what really made me think about this is testing Creative ep-830 on ibasso dx50.I have used ep830 for 2-3 years on phones,and cretive x-fi mp3 players and they sounded so good,but on ibasso they are terrible,awful,there's just hisss and sss and a blasphemy of sound.so it seems that not every headphone will work on ibasso,and I can't buy them every week,so I have to test them,and there's no chance you can test headphones,only if you're friends have them,but I don't hae frinads that spend money on this!
 
I have also played Coldplay - In My Place just for the test,and yes,there is tons of details in sound,but the rest could have been better.I also noticed the noisy part here to!But even it was brilliant,this is not what I'm listening to,all the time!
As an idea,I was making the tests playing:

Belphegor - Blood Magick Necromance (between min 1 and min 2 you can see how complex this music is)

Shining - Vilseledda Barnasjälars Hemvist

Shining - Eradication of the Condition
Marily Manson  - Putting Holes In Happiness (a lot of noise.manson sounds different in dx50,not the way it should sound)
Obituary - Killing Time ( god,death metal does not sound as death metal on ibasso and Obituary is one of my favorite bands,I have listened their albums thousands of time)
Watain - All That May Bleed 
 
In coclusion,metal should be more punchy and not the way dx50 delivers the sound to you.without drums,death/black metal is no metal at all.guitars are way to loud and voice sits in the back of you,the to much open/wide/live sound and the noise just ruins it,but I really liked the way Flac files sounded.we'll,if I go on flac way,I'll need more than 64 gb,but still a lot of music is in mp3,and I really can't get it in flac.
There was a person here stated that you have to use the EQ on dx50,as with the eq off,everything is to loud and noisy and you can't listen to music that way.another person said that using sound unlocked with the eq on,you'll ruin the soun.so this applies only for the stock fw?
I hope I can test the fiio x5 and get back with some opinions,but it's kind of hard to find a store where you can test it

1st - try Sound Unlocked 1.3.3 @ flac/irr off/cpu default. It`s one of the most neutral and balanced sounding FW. Makes easier to understand how things should sound in the right way.
2nd - Your sound reference point seems to be totally leaned to "basshead" and ruined by EQ using with an smartphone.
3rd - get other "basshead" HPs or IEM`s.
4th - I listened all those songs You mentioned and everything sounds as it should be! Sorry but again - You have ruined Your reference point with those headphones, EQ and smartphone and have no idea how things should actually sound, as they were meant to be!
5th - Just sell Your DX50, live with Your smartphone setup and move on. Hi-fi gear/sound seems not to be for You. Seriously.
 
Anyone reading this user comments about DX50 should take it as VERY salty opinion... no hard feelings but that`s the way it is. Sorry.
 

 

 

[Kenntak]

I have been interested in the iBasso products because I need more memory than my 64GB iPod touch holds, and I like the idea of a pure music player. Unfortunately, in reading the threads on this forum, it appears that so many people are having problems with the DX50 and DX90. I don't want to spend money just to buy headaches and grief. I don't know if the problem posts on the forum are the rare exception, or the norm, but it has made be very reluctant to buy any of the iBasso or Fiio products. I am a point where I might just wait to see if Apple releases a 128GB Touch--something I preferred not to do.

 

[Hellkitchen]

 
In coclusion,metal should be more punchy and not the way dx50 delivers the sound to you.without drums,death/black metal is no metal at all.guitars are way to loud and voice sits in the back of you,the to much open/wide/live sound and the noise just ruins it,but I really liked the way Flac files sounded.we'll,if I go on flac way,I'll need more than 64 gb,but still a lot of music is in mp3,and I really can't get it in flac.
There was a person here stated that you have to use the EQ on dx50,as with the eq off,everything is to loud and noisy and you can't listen to music that way.another person said that using sound unlocked with the eq on,you'll ruin the soun.so this applies only for the stock fw?
I hope I can test the fiio x5 and get back with some opinions,but it's kind of hard to find a store where you can test it

 
 
LOL what are you saying? I've got the DX 50 like you and I listen mainly metal (like lamb of god, insomnium, kalmah, degradead, disarmonia mundi, metallica, killswitch engage, Five finger death punch etc) of varius sub-genres and this DAP provides me really hard kick bass and drums... I've paired it with Hifiman HE400 and with Westone UM Pro 30 and I've never had a similar good match with metal before... guitars, voices, drums are all perfect... 

 

[Hellkitchen]

  I have been interested in the iBasso products because I need more memory than my 64GB iPod touch holds, and I like the idea of a pure music player. Unfortunately, in reading the threads on this forum, it appears that so many people are having problems with the DX50 and DX90. I don't want to spend money just to buy headaches and grief. I don't know if the problem posts on the forum are the rare exception, or the norm, but it has made be very reluctant to buy any of the iBasso or Fiio products. I am a point where I might just wait to see if Apple releases a 128GB Touch--something I preferred not to do.

 
Yes they have problems sometimes but nothing that not allows you to enjoy your music with them. My most boring issue is sound stuttering at the beginning of some tracks when stored on the external memory but it is a problem of the memory and not of the player (off course the compatibility could be better).. So don't belive to all you read: people tend to write about problems rather than for the good things..

 

[shagrathborgir]

1st - I will try that to,but like I've said,there's no such big problem with flac files,as I like the sound.for little adjustments changing caps should make it perfect,but the mp3 are the problem here
3rd - I will try,but there's no place I can test headphones.these things you just buy and feel happy or angry with them,just like at roulette 
2nd and 4th - I used my smartphone as a player few times,but not all the time.I had creative zen x-fi and then x-fi2 for almost 2 years,after that I got the Cowon j3,used that for about a year,or more,than got the ibasso dx50,so I'm not thinking at the smartphone when I wrote my opinions,as I listened to music few times on my phone.I just got the feeling that something is not write.For example,the obituary track,does not sound like obituary at all,and as I said before,I'm listening to this band for more than 10 years,and the dx50 just does not impress me at all when I listen to obituary from it.Changig different fw show me that I see some good in every setting,but don't find the one who has all I want.dx50 has some strong points,but maybe it's sound signature does not suites me.also,it's the first time when I can't play music more than 2 hours,and after that,my years are garbage.this never happened to me,and maybe I don't have the best years in the world,but there is terrible noise in this dx50,and if I raise the volume from 200 and up,guitars are way to loud and I can't hear the drums no more.this is another argument that makes me wanna change the ibasso.if I can't listen to music from it,why should I keep it?or maybe I have to use the eq for calming it down.
Buying and amp....thought of that,but I really don't want to take with me all my living room.
Also,I had all my life listening to music from Yamaha + JBL combination,yamaha uses burr brown dac and maybe I don't like the wolfson dac!I'm not crazy,but it just not sounds right with my kind of music.House,club music sounds amazing,yes,maybe this is a good piece of art,but I think it depends on what kind of music you listen,and metal does not sound so good,in mp3
5th - I'm not going to sell it,not now.I'm really not happy with it,most with the mp3 part,so I'll go with FLAC,where I can.I have some 3 sdxc of 64gb so it will be enough fo now.I want to test fiio first,x3 or x5 and see how fiio sounds over the ibasso,and I will test them with the same headphones,otherwise there's no point.from what I've read fiio is more bass,and not so much open space soundstage!

 

[shagrathborgir]

are you listening in mp3 or flac?what fw and what headphones do you use?
Maybe I'm crazy,but I don't like how mp3 sounds on ibasso.maybe my headphones are bad,but how is that they were good till ibasso?changing them maybe will make me change my mind about ibasso,but what if I'm changing my headphones and the new ones will sound like creative ep-830 or sony mdr-v500 on ibasso?thse headpnoes were tested on all my music players I had,and on ibasso just sound so baaaaad.why does my years hurt after almost 2 hours of listening to music with ibasso?I had other players and I was listening to music even 6 hours when I traveled,with the same headphones...something is not write.I will test fiio,this is my nr 1 on the list right now,and see how fiio sounds.
listening to music from my yamaha a730 + jbl 7.1 sistem just make thins right,put every sound where it should be,but in ibasso the voice is way in the back,sounstage to wide,every track is like a live concert one and others!

 

[CoiL]

Both, mp3 and FLAC are fine with those genres and obituary sounds great (though I don`t like it anymore). Seriously, Your sound reference point has gone bad or You are just hearing things totally different from others. Look at the stuff I listen in my profile (lot of metal too) and what gear I use. What You are saying about DX50 is quite absurd! 
 
You just keep bashing iBasso DX50 without understanding that problem is probably YOU not the player. 
 
Your comments tend to turn into insult to all the DX50 owners and their ears. Of course DX50 is not ideal for everyone and may have some tiny imperfections but Your constant bashing how baaaaaaaad it sounds is just stupid. Please stop this, for Your own reputation.

 

[Hellkitchen]

  are you listening in mp3 or flac?what fw and what headphones do you use?
Maybe I'm crazy,but I don't like how mp3 sounds on ibasso.maybe my headphones are bad,but how is that they were good till ibasso?changing them maybe will make me change my mind about ibasso,but what if I'm changing my headphones and the new ones will sound like creative ep-830 or sony mdr-v500 on ibasso?thse headpnoes were tested on all my music players I had,and on ibasso just sound so baaaaad.why does my years hurt after almost 2 hours of listening to music with ibasso?I had other players and I was listening to music even 6 hours when I traveled,with the same headphones...something is not write.I will test fiio,this is my nr 1 on the list right now,and see how fiio sounds.
listening to music from my yamaha a730 + jbl 7.1 sistem just make thins right,put every sound where it should be,but in ibasso the voice is way in the back,sounstage to wide,every track is like a live concert one and others!

 
I suppose this reply was to me; I use Westone UM Pro 30 + FiiO E12 + FLAC 16/44.1. Try to listen for istance Lamb of God - Hourglass with my setting... at the beginning of the tracks it kick SO hard
 
The same for DX 50 without E12.. In these years what I've learned is that the most important thing for metal is to choose the right headphones... in fact I've chose UM Pro 30 + Hifiman HE 400... 

 

[shagrathborgir]

well,until I'll test a fiio product,I'll try to load my sd cards,with flac only.it seems that these sound really good for me.also,I know you're so happy with the Panasonic FC caps,maybe you can describe the gain in sound quality.I'm really into you're caps testing,and in the end I'll do the same,who knows,maybe I'll love it after that.also,please try also Nichicon KW,if you can

 

[Nicholasheadfi2]

  1st - try Sound Unlocked 1.3.3 @ flac/irr off/cpu default. It`s one of the most neutral and balanced sounding FW. Makes easier to understand how things should sound in the right way.
2nd - Your sound reference point seems to be totally leaned to "basshead" and ruined by EQ using with an smartphone.
3rd - get other "basshead" HPs or IEM`s.
4th - I listened all those songs You mentioned and everything sounds as it should be! Sorry but again - You have ruined Your reference point with those headphones, EQ and smartphone and have no idea how things should actually sound, as they were meant to be!
5th - Just sell Your DX50, live with Your smartphone setup and move on. Hi-fi gear/sound seems not to be for You. Seriously.
 
Anyone reading this user comments about DX50 should take it as VERY salty opinion... no hard feelings but that`s the way it is. Sorry.
 

 

i totally agree the comments that were made were a complete waste of my reading time , keep
your smartphone or whatever it is you use and as was said move on , we as users want to move
on not take backwards steps .

 

[shagrathborgir]

What with this smartphone idea?I've just stated that it doesn't have that kick like on the xperia z3,never said I am listening to music from my smartphone.I just wrote all my music players I had.I have listened to music from a phone when I had sony ericssson satio,but that was years ago!
You're like this is a 25000 euro unit,and you get it with 250,and you like it so much,that you can;t accept others don't.I've payed 700 euro for the yamaha a730,and I'm really happy with it.I've payed 180 for the ibasso,and I'm not that happy with some points,I did not say that this is a piece of crap.I have to consider everything all of you say.I'll try and test different headphones...if I had only the creative ep-830,I really wrote that this is a crap,as those headphones sounds good on any device so why doesn't someone recommend something,like should I go for 10 ohm,16,32,what will the diffference be?nobody told what is irr bandwidth and what is the point of it!
At the moment I'm just confused about mp3 playing on dx50.I just prefer more and deep bass,I like to feel the drums and I don't find the sound so perfect like you.
Just loaded with some hip-hop and club music,and yes,it's sounds so good,even with mp3,but my problem is with what I'm listening,and I don't like it's signature with rock music.
Also,people will not understand another thing,you just can't compare a track from Deftones from the latest album with a Burzum track (let's pick Dunkelheit).it's not the same thing!Some bands used the worst amp,and the worst effect and worst line,just to achieve a sound that is dark,that it will represent the band,a sound like no other.if you listen to that track,you'll get it
Listening to mp3 from new albums,sounds good,but still,some improvements are welcome,but listening to first bands releases is not so comfortable,there is lack in some instruments,and to much of other!
Mybe I'm crazy about bass and drums,maybe I'm nuts as I'm using a jbl es250pw in my 20 square m room,maybe some will tell it's to much,but it's almost at half of the power,and I REALLY LIKE THE PUNCH/KICK that small feeling that punch you in the chest,not the boom booom sound!
I will try a fiio first of all,don't want to die before I know how it sounds like.I'll try to test other headphones,if it's possible,I'll go more int-o flac for now and going to keep an eye on the mods about dx50.maybe some small changes will make me reconsider.it's just about harder drums,closer voice,and maybe not so wide open sound.once again,I'm not considering ibasso a waste of money,or a crap!

 

[jjacq]

  I have been interested in the iBasso products because I need more memory than my 64GB iPod touch holds, and I like the idea of a pure music player. Unfortunately, in reading the threads on this forum, it appears that so many people are having problems with the DX50 and DX90. I don't want to spend money just to buy headaches and grief. I don't know if the problem posts on the forum are the rare exception, or the norm, but it has made be very reluctant to buy any of the iBasso or Fiio products. I am a point where I might just wait to see if Apple releases a 128GB Touch--something I preferred not to do.

 
What "problems" are you worried about? I use my DX50 a lot and I installed a DOC firmware and use it as is. It's been a month now and all I plug it in for is charging and adding new music. IMO, if you're looking for a player that you'd use on the go on a daily basis, the DX50 or any of the Fiio's are pretty good. I had the X1 but I didn't like the sound signature so I sold it. Out of the box, you'd probably just update the firmware or use a modded one then drag and drop the music files. I follow this thread just to keep up with any new offerings but it's doing just fine after I installed the custom firmware. I hope this helps somehow.

 

[jjacq]

  What with this smartphone idea?I've just stated that it doesn't have that kick like on the xperia z3,never said I am listening to music from my smartphone.I just wrote all my music players I had.I have listened to music from a phone when I had sony ericssson satio,but that was years ago!
You're like this is a 25000 euro unit,and you get it with 250,and you like it so much,that you can;t accept others don't.I've payed 700 euro for the yamaha a730,and I'm really happy with it.I've payed 180 for the ibasso,and I'm not that happy with some points,I did not say that this is a piece of crap.I have to consider everything all of you say.I'll try and test different headphones...if I had only the creative ep-830,I really wrote that this is a crap,as those headphones sounds good on any device so why doesn't someone recommend something,like should I go for 10 ohm,16,32,what will the diffference be?nobody told what is irr bandwidth and what is the point of it!
At the moment I'm just confused about mp3 playing on dx50.I just prefer more and deep bass,I like to feel the drums and I don't find the sound so perfect like you.
Just loaded with some hip-hop and club music,and yes,it's sounds so good,even with mp3,but my problem is with what I'm listening,and I don't like it's signature with rock music.
Also,people will not understand another thing,you just can't compare a track from Deftones from the latest album with a Burzum track (let's pick Dunkelheit).it's not the same thing!Some bands used the worst amp,and the worst effect and worst line,just to achieve a sound that is dark,that it will represent the band,a sound like no other.if you listen to that track,you'll get it
Listening to mp3 from new albums,sounds good,but still,some improvements are welcome,but listening to first bands releases is not so comfortable,there is lack in some instruments,and to much of other!
Mybe I'm crazy about bass and drums,maybe I'm nuts as I'm using a jbl es250pw in my 20 square m room,maybe some will tell it's to much,but it's almost at half of the power,and I REALLY LIKE THE PUNCH/KICK that small feeling that punch you in the chest,not the boom booom sound!
I will try a fiio first of all,don't want to die before I know how it sounds like.I'll try to test other headphones,if it's possible,I'll go more int-o flac for now and going to keep an eye on the mods about dx50.maybe some small changes will make me reconsider.it's just about harder drums,closer voice,and maybe not so wide open sound.once again,I'm not considering ibasso a waste of money,or a crap!

 
Simple answer would be just sell your DX50 and buy something else obviously you don't like it...