I'm a big fan of the P2. I can't hear any treble beyond 13KHz, so none of the glare from those frequencies are audible to me. That, and the fact that I listen to these with desktop sources is probably why I'm a big fan.

@InvisibleInk I think that the P2 definitely requires some serious juice. I was using the DX300 MAX which is a desktop-grade portable player.

I wouldn't recommend using it with something that doesn't provide that level of power.

I had the original P2 and I wasn't impressed...the mids sounded smeary and dark...just sayin'.

@szore Thank you for sharing. It's still widely unclear whether the P2+ is only a cosmetic update. It's possible that they altered the tuning, but I cannot say.

Also, because it is so source picky, I can imagine it sounding completely different on something that isn't from iBasso. iBasso has its house sound, and other companies' devices sound different from it, so I only shared my experience with iBasso's DAPs.

This was an enjoyable review and on a side note - absolutely stellar photos.
My phone camera can't come even come close to the quality of these photos.

@SteveK27 Thank you!
If it makes you feel any better, all my photography is done with the Nikon D3300...
The majority of the magic comes from Capture One

my question is does a '+' sign and change of color warrant over 80% jump in price

@Fatdoi That's a question the buyer has to answer. If it's just a cosmetic change, then it would not be the first time that a change of finish would skyrocket the price.

However, as I said, it's not just the change of color. It's electroplated with 18K real gold. It's not a cheap finish and that is extremely apparent! It's also the cable and the whole unboxing experience.

Many people said that the normal P2 is shouty, and I didn't hear that in the P2+, which only makes me more confident that the "+" indicates also a change in sound.


As always, those who want to pay for luxury will pay for it.