iBasso DX320 Max Ti

Dual batteries – including a separate one for the analog section working at 8.4 volts, exactly DX320 Max TI's operating voltage – respond instantly to reproduce even the most demanding musical passages you ask of it. 

The softest voice, on to the loudest passages, effortlessly rendered with the most aplomb regardless of how you choose to listen.

Because, it's easy to play it loud, but everyone knows it's in playing back tiny sounds that is the litmus test of a powerhouse capable of outputting as much volume as DX320 Max TI.

Without resting on the laurels of previous MAX attempts to increase and decrease both signal and noise levels together at the same time – as only an analog volume control can – iBasso went for the jugular with DX320 Max TI.

After years of work, Head-Fi's analog specialists staved off launch till they could perfect their own, proprietary, stepped analog volume control.

The results are impressive and a triumph for all Head-Fi to see – the first fully balanced, four-channel stepped attenuator of 0201 resistors miniaturised to work with full performance and reliability in something of DX320 Max TI's size.

Transparent at any volume setting down low as much as up high, with virtually perfect +/-0.1dB channel-matching, this iBasso behemoth exposes detail buried deep around the noise floor of your music.

The reason is simple: making use of the eight-channel output from four ROHM BD34301EKV DACs leashed to I2S supplied by iBasso's FPGA – the stereo redundancy yielding massive dynamic range and lowest distortion at the start of the chain. 

Crucially, DX320 Max TI's BD34301EKVs output analog in current, as demanded by a DAP that claims to be of flagship status. iBasso are therefore afforded the opportunity to tailor the DAP's sonic profile as they wish with their extensive current-to-voltage I/V converter.

That brings the added measure of ensuring that small-signal is of highest quality to begin with, with conversion errors manifesting as a DC offset that's easy to filter out – not more sinister total harmonic distortion. And fast optocouplers and I2C isolators ensure iBasso's digital section is galvanically isolated from its analog section, for purer performance still.

So begins DX320 Max TI's fully-balanced, true differential analog circuit that runs at a massive 16.8 volt operating voltage for linear open-loop operation. Its power stage is fully discrete and boasts buffers capable of outputting more amperes of current than is needed in reality.

Said power stage is another call for iBasso's Super Class A to appear. Current mirrors ensure DX320 Max TI's push-pull operation works without crossover distortion, yielding Class A-like performance at all power output levels. That makes for extremely linear open-loop operation before negative feedback is applied ... yet mostly avoids the heat and inefficiency typically associated with Class A designs.

Certainly, the quantity of output power has been discussed, but the quality's not yet mentioned. DX320 Max TI's dual battery power supply component is split into one for the digital sub-system, and a separate 8.4 volt unit exactly for the afore-mentioned analog circuit's rails that avoids boost conversion and power supply ripple distortion along with it.

All the above would mean little if DX320 Max TI wasn't built with the future of music consumption in mind. But thankfully Android 11 makes its appearance to be at the cutting-edge of DAP UI, processed by the speedy Snapdragon 660 SOC plus 6GB of RAM for smooth operation. 

Tidal and Apple Music will be streamed at bit-perfect level via Direct Transport Authority (DTA), bypassing otherwise mandatory and detrimental Android re-sampling. 

And to top all that digital and analog wizardry off, lavish your prized IEMs and headphones with the cherry on the cake they deserve, that is DX320 Max TI's expertly designed volume control – released to much fanfare and designed to tackle every one of the modern audiophile's desktop needs.

Also shop iBasso's other releases here, or all our other music players here.