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  1. stephenkostas

    iBasso DX180 Got your music? Enjoy the concert! Released and ready to play.

    Yes - the volume wheel has a similar feeling to most iBasso devices subtle, tactile click with each change. It's not actually "stepped" though, like the DX320 Max/DC Elite/PB5.
  2. stephenkostas

    iBasso DX180 Got your music? Enjoy the concert! Released and ready to play.

    I hear you, but while DAPs have gotten way better, dongles have gotten better too, so I think part of the question comes down to exactly what kind of experience works best for you. For a lot of people using, it makes more sense to have their phone function as the player, and then to get the best...
  3. stephenkostas

    iBasso DX180 Got your music? Enjoy the concert! Released and ready to play.

    DC04Pro sounded a little more grainy to me and not as dynamic in the bass as DX180. I think a lot of the difference between the two comes down to the pre-DAC digital processing (XMOS/FPGA Master) and the amplification stage.
  4. stephenkostas

    iBasso DX180 Got your music? Enjoy the concert! Released and ready to play.

    I think it's mostly a matter of not noticing the differences in the detail unless I'm actively listening, while DX180 has a little more punch in the bass and maybe a little extra subbass by comparison, which I enjoy more when I'm listening to music while doing something else (work...
  5. stephenkostas

    iBasso DX180 Got your music? Enjoy the concert! Released and ready to play.

    Pure sound quality is better with DC-Elite. Stronger detail and better resolution and extension. I think I like the tuning on DX180 better personally, but we'll see if burn-in impacts that at all.
  6. stephenkostas

    iBasso DX180 Got your music? Enjoy the concert! Released and ready to play.

    It's just Android OS with the Mango App. There's no way to boot into Mango OS. Honestly, it does seem like they should add that feature to the DX100 series at this point, since the DX180 doesn't have the performance constraints of previous DAPs that might have made it impractical to add the full...
  7. stephenkostas

    iBasso DX180 Got your music? Enjoy the concert! Released and ready to play.

    We were pleasantly surprised by the low-end. @DiFazio commented that it didn't feel like there was extra bass emphasis, but that it had really good weight and impact, and I felt similarly. My first impressions were with DITA Project M, which can sound bass-lite with some sources, and it had...
  8. stephenkostas

    iBasso DX180 Got your music? Enjoy the concert! Released and ready to play.

    It's similar to the cases that came with the DX160 and DX170.
  9. stephenkostas

    iBasso DX180 Got your music? Enjoy the concert! Released and ready to play.

    It comes with the basic rubber case, but there are no plans for an official leather/upgraded case. I had a nice Miter one for my DX170 though, so hopefully they'll make an upgraded case for this as well.
  10. stephenkostas

    iBasso DX180 Got your music? Enjoy the concert! Released and ready to play.

    Been playing around with the DX180 this afternoon. Big takeaways so far: 1. It's lightning fast - possibly faster than the DX260 2. They installed Google Play store out of the box - no more APKPure (there's also a Chinese App Store on there) 3. Sound quality is excellent - seems a little more...
  11. stephenkostas

    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    We haven't done exhaustive scientific testing, but it seems to be related to either 5ghz WiFi or routers than can combine the 2.4ghz and 5ghz channels to a single network (5 has faster speeds and 2.4 has better range) where the device autoconnects to whichever is better. So, for example, the...
  12. stephenkostas

    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    So I'd kind of out it like this: with Susvara, it's not even the same headphone on the KANN Ultra or Diablo 2 as it is even with something on the level of a Burson Soloist Performance (let alone using something like the Enleum or the EF1000). However, with Expanse and Stealth, it's the same...
  13. stephenkostas

    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    KANN Ultra is noticeably faster/more responsive than SE300. I didn't do any particularly scientific testing, but I found that SE300 lagged behind SP3000 slightly, while KANN Ultra is at least as fast as SP3000, and may have actually been faster for some things. There's a clear difference between...
  14. stephenkostas

    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    I address this in the video – and the simple fact that even the highest capacity portable sized battery would be instantly depleted trying to match the potential of household current – but I'd still say that Expanse and Stealth are on the edge of the need for current where one listener might...
  15. stephenkostas

    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    I think at it's best (OS DAC + Class A Amp) SE300 provides more detail and better imaging than KANN Ultra, but SE300 can also skew a little bright. Ultra's delivery sounds more natural to me, but the imaging is not as holographic. So it partly depends on what sort of realism you're looking for...
  16. stephenkostas

    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    I'm working on a video right now, and I'd say that Expanse and Stealth are going to come down to your listening preferences and genres. If you like to listen to EDM really loud, you're probably going to get some clipping in the bass. If you listen primarily to rock, classic pop, jazz, funk, etc...
  17. stephenkostas

    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    Purely on SQ, I'd say it's neck and neck with SE300. SE300 might provide a little more detail, but Ultra sounds fuller and richer. I used the preamp and line out settings a bit with an iCAN Phantom. We're not Audio Science Review with all the tools to properly measure the differences, but as...
  18. stephenkostas

    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    Our review was delayed because we received a preproduction demo and we were unable to run the firmware update, but once we received a replacement demo, I was able to give it a good evaluation. Regrettably I don't have a Fiio M17 on hand to test it, but hopefully it's helpful...
  19. stephenkostas

    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    Bloom will have one in Dallas on the main show floor.
  20. stephenkostas

    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    Something I learned today is that it's surprisingly hard to find out which Bluetooth versions a device supports. Most devices don't advertise which specs they support over the connection (and it's not easy to find in the system information), so, outside of the manufacturer provided specs, you...
  21. stephenkostas

    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    So we just got our demo unit this afternoon. Initial verdict is that Bluetooth is fine, and WiFi is very good. I walked around the office alternating the FoKus Mystique and UW100mk2, and the sound quality was better than my iPhone. I went and I stood in the back corner of our office (3...
  22. stephenkostas

    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    We should have our demo before the launch, but I don't have exact dates. Based on the feedback, here are some things I'm planning on putting some extra focus on for the KANN Ultra review right now: General speed of operation: SP3000 is A&K's benchmark right now. SE300 was good, but not as good...
  23. stephenkostas

    Astell&Kern Launches KANN Ultra DAP and AK HB1 Bluetooth Amp/DAC

    Honestly, when we were building the product pages, we thought the Bluetooth 4.2 might be a typo, but alas it was not. I'm about to ramble a bit here... I think A&K could just as well have dropped Bluetooth altogether from the KANN Ultra. I know lots of folks are using DAPs from brands like...
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