What I'd be interested in are impressions also about handling.
E.g. how can filters be changed?
On the device or via software on the source?
For DC Elite that software was only available on Android and not IOS and that wasn't a big deal for only 2 filter options.
For more fancy configuration options that'll be a bigger deal though as these want to be changed on the go continously...
There is a small OLED screen on it , not touch screen. There is a small knob on the front plate: when turned on, Push 1, you will enable the screen to wake. Push and hold for 3 seconds for features and options
There is no Filter to change, because there is only 2 Stages of Filters, once is Digital and that was built in with the FPGA chips Fir 7th order. The second stage of filtering is a hardware built in Discrete Resistors array.
Firmware will logically change the sound performances. Not sure if it can roll back on firmware, we will need @Paul - iBasso here for official disclosure
DC Elite uses ROHM chips which only has 2 digital filters from ROHM
I agree to disagree with this statement. I meant, who wouldnt love more options ? However, from my experiences, options dont really matter if the performances is not up to par. In fact, the more simple a device is, but the better the performances, is more desireable.
Why did I say that ? Because the D16 is the most impressive DAC I have ever heard, even compared to Desktop systems. It is the most analogues converter I have experienced. It has the ability to retrieve the body density and housing resonances from hi hat that I have never heard from any systems. The D16 Totally changed the way of what was possible or impossible to my thought. I thought that I would never and ever witness a Digital Converter that can be as analog as analog systems can be but without the physical floor noises. Even though from mathematical standpoints, it is possible and was why Digital music were such a life changing technology to humanity.
The D16 proven me wrong completely.
I was very desperate for analog sounds. Even if it has it negatives such as Hisses, pops/crackles and the safe keeping of the LP/tapes or the recording of it. I was willing to deal with it, collecting my own LP even the records I have never heard of, or thought I would enjoy, because finding a real A-A-A were never easy!
For years, I read book, studied Digital music book, it topology, just for this hobby out of curiosity. Everything made a lot of senses, and that Digital music by mathematical systems, can perfectly reconstruct what Analog system can give. However, Why have I not witnessed it ? Regardless of whatever systems and how much money I tossed at it ?
Now, what exactly is it missing ? Every digital systems i have gone through in my subjective opinions and experiences, have lacking the housing resonances body, the overtone harmonics, which results in a losses of liquidity, density, fluidity of a real AAA systems. This is very easy to observer, If you listen to EMD and Modern Pops such as TaylorSwift, and you have a hard time distinguishing between synthetic beats VS Organic instruments. Or, Flutes as a Wind instruments dont bring you the emotional feelings that you should feel from a real one. These are just some small examples. The most complex genres that you would have a hard time would be Rocks, classic Rocks. Lets take AC/DC for example, if many of the instruments can not be recognized, but only making sound instead, then it is digital.
The more expensive a digital system would be is just that it is more correct in it computations, you get more detailed beats, but you dont get the Nuances dynamic of an instruments housing bodies. Different Housing bodies will conducts and produce different sounds. No 2 Guitars of different housing can sound the same, but playing back on Digital, they are almost identical, you realized the differences by the Tempo and Beats between them, and not from the Tonal body of them
That brings us back to the D16 and why I said it is the most analogues devices of a converter that I have ever never heard. It must have something to do with Ibasso innovations, and there are other much more recent expensive systems that is doing similar such as DCs systems. Though, I dont want to ever go there. First, They are out of my budget, then I only want portability.
The D16 can convey very very well of the analogues feeling of an instrument Nunes Dynamic which were generated by it own housing bodies. For example, Taylor Swift, I have never had such feelings and the clear ability to tell the parts between her organic instruments in the Mix VS the synthetic beats as Vividly, as detailed, as clearly as with the D16. It has far exceeded my expectations.
I have tried different connections from D16 between Digital USB or Coax input. Thanks to Ibasso supplying all the accessories. In my opinions, the D16 perform the best with Coax input. The file formats just have to be minimum of FLAC or higher (again, Nyquist was right). You dont have to worry about degrading the sound or not getting the best of it either. For the longest of time, I was into Offline conversion and to convert all PCM into DSD for the best performances toward Portable players. Well, with the D16, you don't need it anymore. There are a couple reasons of limitations that at this moment, even using DSD, you would not get the best of D16 as I have tried it. I brainstormed a few reasons listed below
1/ Coax vs Usb interfaces limitations: There are several limitations between the 2 interfaces in general for every devices. Honestly, one of the main feature I was looking toward the D16 was it ability to conduct Coax signals.
Bandwidth limitations: For Coax, it can only conduct DOP and not pure DSD, because it has bandwidth limitations, also is multi bit and not single bit. Though the D16 features 768Khz, I have no authentic 768Khz to try yet. I will have to do offline upsampling conversions for such files, and I will update later about this.
Additionally, the D16 technically convert all DSD single bit into DXD anyways, and that is processed multibit stage. It defeats the purposes of using Pure DSD by whatever meanings
USB limitations: This is a Universal interfaces for everything, it does not focused on music reproduction by any means, and it only focus onto the features and options that it can be. The receiving chip and it interfaces will hugely be effecting the music, regardless of signals integrity (aka your Digital transport or Cables...etc...it does have some effects which can be positives or negatives), the interfaces will still does a lot of error corrections which result in a losses of Fidelity. This was observed by me many years ago when I built different systems to chase the analog performances and for my curiosity. Usb as an interfaces is behind Coax, the trebles is more grainy and more harsh for example. I have been since Longed for a DAC that could use Coax, but it doesnt end there, I wanted more.
Now, here is where it gets interesting, with the D16, you dont have to spend all the time and finances that I did to build different systems to compare between COAX/USB. You can compare directly here! The differences is huge ! You will hear that Trebles energy are more vivid, with better airiness, better dynamic and extensions with Coax VS USB. It doesnt stop here, for Bass and Mid performances, you will observer that everything have it own space, with amazing Nuances dynamic fidelity between instruments, you will be able to tell the part of organic instruments vs synthetic. You will hear that with COAX, your music become "alive" where as with USB, it is "2 Dimensional" in comparison.
It reaffirmed my findings from years ago and far exceeded my expectations. The performances of the D16 will further be elevated with your External amplifiers, the better your amplifier, the better the D16 will sing to you.
So, between PB5 and D16, which one I value the most ? It definitely the D16. However, for my use cases, I found that the PB5 is a must have. Because I want portability, analog performances from digital sources, I want the ability to drive my 800S to my heart contents. This will bring us toward the discussion about PB5 in it own thread later
Since you are here, you must be curious as of beside Coax as a feature I would want from a portable DAC, what else ?
So, from my knowledges, all digital computations can be done with low voltages, such as 3.3-3.5V and straight out of batteries. Lets skips all the differences between a Linear supplies Vs a batteries supplies, as both of them need regulations anyways. However, for Pure DC low voltages, you can not beat Pure Batteries systems.
Hence, I want a dedicated portable DAC that only uses low voltage as a base of it technical. Every other systems up until now, uses off the shelves IC chips, which requires multiples voltages, especially for digital stages of low voltages then analog stages with higher voltages (where desktop DAC shines because they can run off a better high voltages with all the spaces it needs). Again, for portable, this is a must for me, just pure Digital to analog conversions with pure batteries supplies, and with a separate circuitry for amplifications, buffering, with different voltages.
I also dont want any other attached features such as "microSD and simple OS on it...etc..." Because it would further complicating the Direct and pure power supplies toward dedicated conversion as mentioned above.
I also want a dedicated DSP chips away from the Conversion chips: You can see AKM4499EX is using this
The D16 did just this and a bit further: The AKM4499EX still uses AKM4499EQ for conversions, which has a built in analog filter. The D16 has Discrete R2R Analog filter as we have all known
1/ A discrete DAC design with FPGA separately from DSP chips which separate from discrete analog filters, the pure energy motto stay until the very end of the chain
2/ The amplifications is similar to Max, which is Super class A and barely generate any heat. Speaking of this, lets get to why I love D16 with PB5, and or D16 with my large stereos systems, desktop systems later on.
Now, is the D16 underpowered for a DAC/Amp solution ? It isn't exactly underpowered, lets say "Power is never enough". Especially when you have an amazing Analog line sources. Therefore, the D16 logically and reasonably so is powerful enough for being portable. I wouldn't expect it to be able to drive all of the harder to drive gears to it fullest potentials, andI wouldn't expect to compare between D16 VS DMP-Z1 for the output for example. I would compare it so with a dedicated amp. It will drive my IER Z1R, and MDR Z1R, even Hd800S just fine. However, there is more to gain when I paired it with Desktop amp, and PB5. This simply means that PB5 is welcome into my chain. I will get to why it is a must have for my personal usages later.
Finally, The D16 performances is pretty Amazing in my experiences and subjective opinions, lets cast aside preferences on signatures, just speaking of the ability to be so analog like. The fidelity can be observed even if you dont normally able to tell the differences between DAC. You will obviously feel it here with D16 and Coax sources. Please, witness it yourself, and judge it for yourself. I believe you will love it, and be happy that your pockets are not damaged much by playing around with different systems after years over years to seek for that Analog performances from a digital system like me
For now I will continue to enjoy the stack that I have and burning it in together, a more detailed review about it signatures performances later
Thanks great info, very intriguing that it sounds so « analog ». will be fun to read more. If you don’t mind me asking, did you compare it to any R2R DACs, which ones? Thanks
I am in awe of this stack. Using DX260 as the source of music -> COAX into D16 -> 4.4mm LO into PB5.
The sound density is fantastic. It feels so analogue and organic, very real. Top class resolution and detail, layering/imaging, textures, dynamics etc, you name it. It is incredible.
Thanks great info, very intriguing that it sounds so « analog ». will be fun to read more. If you don’t mind me asking, did you compare it to any R2R DACs, which ones? Thanks
I used to own a couple R2R desktop from AudioGD back then when I did all the comparison. You can check them out from here. I moved on for the previous reasons, and I am loving the D16 here as said previously. I have not yet compared the D16 to other portable systems because I am not a fan of R2R in digital stages.
Additionally, I was actually tired of moving around, spending money, for about 5% more. I honestly didn’t expect D16 to be such a wonderful performer this way. It not only exceeded my expectations but far and beyond that.
I am in awe of this stack. Using DX260 as the source of music -> COAX into D16 -> 4.4mm LO into PB5.
The sound density is fantastic. It feels so analogue and organic, very real. Top class resolution and detail, layering/imaging, textures, dynamics etc, you name it. It is incredible.
Exactly !! It is a stark contrast in differences compared to any other systems I have ever owned.
How analog is it ? I hunted down AAA vinyl from the 70 in mint conditions, and recorded it back onto Reel 2 Reel for the best of it, and preserving my LP. This is exactly the feelings, but you don’t have to hunt down AAA anymore, just Digital files and you will get it!!
Again , the math was perfect and NyQuist was absolutely right. It was just that I have never witnessed this, even from my Older DAT Decks 75ES from Sony. For a while, I thought it was impossible (to get analogues out of digital files) . Ibasso proved to me that it is possible now. I can not stop listening. Especially ACDC!!!! So organic and so emotional
Thank you for your detail impression @Whitigir , I hope ibasso looks at your feedback closely and take them onboard.
do you see the possibility of separating the d16 dac, feeding it directly to a more powerful AMP, like Sound tiger Sound tiger sinfonia?
How big the news MAX needs to be inorder to incooperate D16 DAC and MAX amp side?
Thank you for your detail impression @Whitigir , I hope ibasso looks at your feedback closely and take them onboard.
do you see the possibility of separating the d16 dac, feeding it directly to a more powerful AMP, like Sound tiger Sound tiger sinfonia?
How big the news MAX needs to be inorder to incooperate D16 DAC and MAX amp side?
Yep, definitely too cheap for the price so they fixed that for the UK market and made it £1,399 GBP which equates to $1,778 USD at today's conversion rates
Yep, definitely too cheap for the price so they fixed that for the UK market and made it £1,399 GBP which equates to $1,778 USD at today's conversion rates
I am looking forward to D16 impressions compared to Hiby RS8. If it's close enough I will get it to stack with n8ii. I really don't need another dap, but I took a listen to Hiby RS8, I liked it and now can't unhear it.
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but nobody should take my words for it. Please do try it out at your convenience and decide later
