iBasso is a staple brand here at Moon Audio - and for good reason too. They just released the latest flagship player, the DX320 – a follow-up to their previous flagship, the DX300. It was a popular music player, as it features one of, if not the, best screen on the market for a portable music player. We’ll get to that in a bit, but I like to call them the iPhones of the DAP world. They go aesthetically in the opposite direction that say, Astell&Kern does, with smoother edges and stunning colors.

So let’s not waste any time and see if the DX320 makes enough improvements over the previous flagship to warrant an upgrade for existing users or a must-buy for new ones.

I’m a big fan of the design of the DX320. They didn’t really change it much from the DX300, and they didn’t have to, to be honest.

These days I'm always a bit wary of a new flagship. In the age of annual device releases, it can sometimes be hard to tell if a new device is a true upgrade or if it's just an incremental new chip here or there packaged in a shiny new box. The DX320 music player does have a lot in common with the DX300 when it comes to hardware - same CPU, same battery life, same storage capacity, same design, and more. But there is one thing that is very, very different with the new DX320, and that is the DAC chip. The new flagship is configured with dual BD34301EKV ROHM DAC chips, rather than the previous quad-DAC Cirrus Logic setup in the DX300. This is the main event.

ROHM's high-grade MUS-ICTM series emphasizes "spatial reverberation", "quietness", and "dynamic range" when it comes to sound reproduction. In short, it's a pretty substantial upgrade in sonic fidelity over the Cirrus Logic chips. I'll get to more A/B testing between the two in the comparison section coming up.

The DX320 handles every genre I listened to with ease. The ROHM chip is very natural sounding, and with Rock, Jazz, Alternative, and Blues, it's the depth of the sound that stands out to me. I can really make out and feel the lower extension with bombastic movie soundtracks. The clarity in the mids and the slight roll-off on the higher frequencies make for a smooth listen. Whereas the DX300 was more analytical in signature, the DX320 is just that much more enjoyable to use. Again, the imaging is superb, and classical music combined with the soundstage and natural tonality of the DAC makes for livelier performances no matter what headphone you decide to pair with the DX320. Between both the Focal Celestee and the Meze Elite, there was more transparency and definition with the Elite, but that is to be expected given the driver technology and price difference.

There are some notable features of iBasso's flagship digital audio player that are exclusive only to iBasso. One of the most prominent ones is the patented dual battery supply. iBasso has designed the DX320 (like the DX300 before it - see our DX300 review for more) with separate amp and digital power supplies. The power system is one of the most significant parts of a player and has a decisive influence on sound quality. SoC, DAC, AMP, and other components all have strict requirements for transient power supply. When a single battery is powering the entire system, a large demand of current by the digital section and the analog section can affect each other, which can cause distortion degrading the sound quality. The DX320 utilizes a patented dual battery structure with the AMP and digital section being powered by independent batteries. The independent battery provides a sufficient power supply to ensure the stability of the AMP section and it isolates the digital section interference to achieve better overall sound quality.

A staple of iBasso music players is the design of removable amp modules, allowing you to switch out the amplifier section for various power and I/O configurations. A replaceable AMP Card Design provides for more variety, personalization, and enjoyment of your music. Currently, there are: the AMP11 MK2, and super-class A discrete balanced AMP card AMP12. In addition, the Nutube AMP card AMP13 was just released. There is no need to replace the player, just replace the amp card and you can freely switch between the transistor with sharpness and crispness based AMP and the vivid tube sound quality. The DX320 music player comes pre-configured with the AMP11 MK2.

The DX320 also comes equipped with the latest Android 11 operating system. The faster system response and smoothness rank the DX320 at the forefront of the HiFi players. You can freely install most apps and enjoy online streaming. A switch from previous iBasso players, the DX320 bypasses the SRC from the system level, whether it is the built-in Mango player or the third-party steaming APK, you can enjoy the system-level “Non-SRC” feature. At the same time, the DX320 has a Linux-based system specifically developed for pure audio playback, the Mango OS. With the powerful GPU acceleration of Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, the fluency of the Mango system is close to that of Android. This Mango OS has accumulated a lot of optimization results for music decoding and underlying driver algorithms. Also, Mango OS disables Bluetooth and WiFi to reduce EMI interference. It has also minimized the CPU and RAM usage to maintain the system purity to achieve excellent sound quality. You'll need to reboot to select which OS to boot in, which you can select on the power-off screen.

Comparisons with other DAPs

Astell&Kern KANN Max Music Player: The KANN Max is Astell&Kern's powerhouse of a DAP, offering an astounding 15Vrms of output in balanced mode on the max gain setting. That's the real draw with this music player: the power. The DX320 is nothing to sneeze at, offering 7.1Vrms, but the KANN Max is the most powerful music player on the market, being perfect for those with hard-to-drive headphones. The DX320 is more of an open-source OS, with Android 11, whereas the Max uses AK's overlaid UI. Both are great, but the DX320 is going to offer more customization options. However, it's worth noting that in terms of music streaming services and applications, both devices are the same.

Sound-wise, I personally prefer the more natural signature of the DX320's ROHM DAC, offering more lower extension than the KANN Max's quad-ES9038Q2M DAC chips. However, in the interest of the fact that everyone hears differently, the ES9038Q2M chips are incredibly dynamic and resolute, offering great layering, imaging, and soundstage. Both DAPs sound great, but I would divvy them up for the following genres if I had to pick between the two (of course there is some natural crossover):

Astell&Kern SE180 Music Player: The SE180 DAP shares a lot of comparisons with the DX320. Astell&Kern steals a play out of the iBasso book and designed their music player with removable DAC cards, like iBasso's players. Switching out DACs actually gives the user much more variation in sound signature than changing the amp section. So, if you're wanting multiple distinct sound signatures rather than cashing out for multiple devices, then the SE180 is a great choice. The amp sections do adjust the sound, especially in the case of the AMP13 and the nutube design, but not nearly as noticeable as the DAC section in my opinion. If you want a true signature change go with the SE180. If you want an already great and natural tone but want more nuances or I/O variation, go with the DX320.

Flagship vs. Flagship: Astell&Kern SP2000 Music Player: I'll keep this short. The SP2000 is one of, if not the best DAPs on the market. Its features are getting a little dated, as I suspect there's a 3000 just around the corner, but it's one of the fullest and dynamic music players I've heard. Of course, you pay a premium for that kind of sound too, and ultimately if you dont have the budget for it then the DX320 is an excellent flagship DAP in its own right. No, it doesn't sound as good, but you can also argue that at this level there are diminishing returns - if you're not the pickiest audiophile on the planet. Would I love to have a DX320? Absolutely. Would I love to have an SP2000? Absolutely. It depends on your wallet and level of fidelity you're willing to live with.

- CAUTION - Only download APK packages from well known sources. Please be aware that if any app is installed, the device may be damaged and personal data compromised. If you install an app from an unknown source, despite the warning, iBasso or Moon Audio is not responsible for any damages to the device and data resulting from the application's installation. Downloading and installing such applications may limit the scope of after-sales services provided by iBasso or Moon Audio. Installation of any application is under the discretion of the user.

AMP Cards

Let’s talk about the new AMP13 that just came out. iBasso has packed this card with a 6th gen Korg Nutube. A lot like what Astell&Kern did with their SP2000T music player, the vacuum tube sound might appeal to some out there who like a lot of warmth and toastiness in their music. I wouldn’t consider the vintage sound for everyone, but it would certainly be a good sonic option for Jazz, Blues, Folk, Classic Rock, and more. The AMP13 also has different I/O, adopting dual 3.5mm single-ended jacks, one designed with a low noise tube output and the other with maximized output, so that you can fluctuate between your preference of how strong you want the tube signature.

Generally, stock audio cables are manufactured with subpar materials, metals with impurities, poor geometries, and an overabundance of layers to make them look and feel like a fire hose. Inconsistency and lack of quality control in stock cables can lead to poor sound quality and a veiled sound vs what the musician intended for you to hear and feel from the music. Dragon cables are handcrafted with the highest standards and made to order according to your specific needs. At Moon Audio, we create a custom cable for you using the highest quality UP-OCC silver or copper conductors that can be manufactured. UP-OCC metals are void of impurities and are optimized for signal transfer and sound quality. We have one of the largest collections of audio and headphone connection options available online and we create limitless audio cable options depending on your specific gear and needs.

Specs (with amp11 MK2s)