DX200/220 Amp8, MAX and other EX modifications

[Whitigir]

8-10 hours is pretty good for DAPs.

SP2k barely do 6-7 hours on FLAC...and that is being optimistic

 

[Whitigir]

With the release of MAX, a product from Ibasso line up, which has taken the flagship DX220 and pushed it further. It consists of all the favorite features from Ibasso flagship platform, including an upgraded Amp8 and Amp7 architectures. Then topping it off with independent charging circuitries, individual batteries packs, pure and direct voltage without being converted/regulated/bucked up/down voltages feeding the Amplification stages

Still fit well in the palm

I have the pleasure to have gotten a MAX to play with, and when I am enjoying it immensely. I always play my favorite albums.

One of the main reason why I love Ibasso so much is that it has a huge Supporting community together with Ibasso being so enthusiastic and friendly toward the modifications community, firmware and hardware alike.

Coming from my own experiences and tinkering with EX modifications, incoming MAX-EX or simply calling it MAXEX

 

[linux4ever]

With the release of MAX, a product from Ibasso line up, which has taken the flagship DX220 and pushed it further. It consists of all the favorite features from Ibasso flagship platform, including an upgraded Amp8 and Amp7 architectures. Then topping it off with independent charging circuitries, individual batteries packs, pure and direct voltage without being converted/regulated/bucked up/down voltages feeding the Amplification stages

Still fit well in the palm

I have the pleasure to have gotten a MAX to play with, and when I am enjoying it immensely. I always play my favorite albums.

One of the main reason why I love Ibasso so much is that it has a huge Supporting community together with Ibasso being so enthusiastic and friendly toward the modifications community, firmware and hardware alike.

Coming from my own experiences and tinkering with EX modifications, incoming MAX-EX or simply calling it MAXEX

How is the MAX compared to DX220ex + Amp - 8ex?

 

[DaYooper]

How is the MAX compared to DX220ex + Amp - 8ex?

Not different enough for ME to tell, both just really really good.

 

[Whitigir]

Before we begin with MAXEX, let me just rephrase some questions and answers from my point of views regarding MAX

1/ Do you have to Modify your MAX ?
No, you do not have to. No one is forcing you to do anything

2/ What about the performances of Stock MAX ?

It is Extremely good, as good as at $1899 pricing, I can not find anything to outperform it Stock to Stock, and that includes WM1Z/SP2K, with both devices easily 1.5-2X the prices. That is no easy feast

3/ Why do you Modify your MAX ?

Well, because everyone has a different point of views, personal preferences, experiences, and point of references. I will have to Emphasize the word “Personal Preferences”, and because of that, it is the reason why I publish my modifications and BOM (Bills of Materials), where to buy, so you can follow it and perform it yourself, hence I am a fan of DIY projects. If you are technically inclined, and understand your own preferences very well, then you should be able to modify your own, or tweak your own tuning. If that is the case, please don’t be shy, post it up and share with us all.

An additional point of references is that I use Sony DMP-Z1 as the point of references and tuning, also coming from my personal experiences with tinkering about stuff as well

 

[Nayparm]

Thanks to info from @Whitigir a Nayparm flavoured one will follow in the coming weeks too

 

[edwardsean]

Thanks to info from @Whitigir a Nayparm flavoured one will follow in the coming weeks too

Happy for you. Sad for me. I really dislike the idea of my soldering iron sitting by so cold and idle.

I'll be looking on just for the joy of it.

I will hope for the wind at your back, and every once in a while, that you can look up from the bench to feel the sun on your faces. Most of all may you have glorious music in your ears.

Best wishes fellas, as you guys take on this new challenge.

 

[rantng]

@Whitigir & @Nayparm you guys are the Ricks of head-fi

 

[Whitigir]

During the time I am modifying the device, I am very surprised to see the quality of the boards And the rest of the components. It is very good

The back is a thick Corning Glass, and you will need to have proper tools to take it off. Similar to how you would work on it from repairing smartphones screens, only that this is easier

Disclaimers: You are assuming all risks and responsibilities for your own device. Tampering with your device will void the warranty by any manufacturers standards, and I can not be held responsible for whatever damages your device

So, here we go. The primary reasons to modify the MAX for me is simply to get more “meat” . There are 2 parts that I am going to do

A/ Hardware tunings and upgrades
B/ Heat dissipation

Within the part [A/] we will have 2 parts: Main and Amp. The main is following Dx220 Main EX, and so the pictures is borrowed from @EggofSound . My thanks to you!

Hardware
MaxEX


You will need

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T543B107K010TE150

3x of those

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T543B227K6AHW35

2X of those

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T520A226M10ANE080

2X of those

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T520A107M006AT

4x of those

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T527I476M06ATE200

4x of those

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Rubycon/10ZLG100MEFC63X7?qs=T3oQrply3y9/QyWNcdIfTA==

2X

This is done similarly to the portable little brother Dx220, with the exception of 2 extra electrolytic capacitors. Please be sure to have battery clearances (picture shown the E-CAPs being upgraded before the rest due to progressing, I recommend to do it all at once)

The AmpMax will receive the Upgraded and improved buffering stages together with a different tuning to bring about the characteristics that in my own opinions and experiences are to be good. This buffer is upgraded for the amp-out parts only


It will improve 2 sections that I observed

Linearity which results in thinner timbres density, also the sub bass is too fast and fall down on it faces.

You will need

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/584-LT6203XS8PBF

2X

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T543B107K010TE150

8x

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Elna/RFS-10V470ME35?qs=/ha2pyFaduhr6IZ36xIzc1lr8hMSeC0PLnuOibKLJ/8264tYSkWq1b9mUTm6it%2B%2B

4x

https://www.hificollective.co.uk/catalog/330uf-16v-toshin-jovial.html

3x

https://www.hificollective.co.uk/catalog/neotech-gp-oag-26-gold-plated-silver-wire.html

1m


Small Tantalum caps are removed like Amp8EX at green lines

Purple lines are New Buffers for Amp Out



Blue wires are Power supplies and will be upgraded by Silver Goldplated wires with 2 wires per terminals. Please check continuity and make sure to have not messed up polarity


Black wires are Bus for charging, batteries informations to be displayed in the system. It will remain the same

To further improve the pitch black background.
Noises are radiated from the screen and directed back into the main board throughout, using copper foils with conductive adhesive and make sure to have a good grounding onto the chassis to shunt the interferences. Clear electrical tape on top for safety insulation


Batteries packs will also need TDK sheets to applied on in order to absorb strays noises, and shielded over with copper foils which is grounded to the chassis back plate, following with clear insulation tapes. The Black batteries body doesnt allow me to take clear picture, but it is underneath the copper foils


https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/810-IFM10M25BB300200

1 sheet

Heat dissipation

The next steps are to properly dissipate the heat generated from the DAC Chips ES9028Pros and the main CPU chip. I noticed while I was working on the Dx220EX, and also from collective firmwares inputs, the Dx220 Rockchip is capable, but because it gets hot, so it got the firmware to downclock it and make it slower. So helping to dissipate the heat will help, and possibly support the future more aggressive firmwares.



I used the thermal sheets 1000W/m-K After the applications, heats are being distributed toward the main big Chassis more even throughout



https://www.digikey.com/products/en?keywords=P14473-nd



These sheets were cuts carefully (it is easily damaged) with insulation on top of the components on the board to prevent “short” Kapton tapes would do. I used the one that comes with the main boards.
Please be careful that these sheets Remnants are conductive, make sure you don’t leave any debris around

 

[Whitigir]

The Line out are using dual DAC at all time and if using it as Single Ended toward SE Line input For SE amplifiers, the MAX is unique and will allow that to be possible due to an extra differential stage

This will also confirm a few questions that people have been asking about the Dual DAC being implemented inside the MAX/220. Is the dual DAC active at all time ? The answer is Yes, only the Amp module are using differential stages to output SE or stay true to the balanced architectures

So that also means that in order to fully enjoy your DAP, Balanced is the best way to go on MAX/220 as it stay true to the Original designs without extra conversions.

The Line Out can only be effected by the DAC volumes and won’t be effected by analog volumes

 

[Whitigir]

Enjoying MAXEX with Lordes . Godspeed to all who is going to perform the modifications !!

 

[linux4ever]

Enjoying MAXEX with Lordes . Godspeed to all who is going to perform the modifications !!

How is it sounding after the mod in comparison to the OEM version?

 

[Whitigir]

How is it sounding after the mod in comparison to the OEM version?

I would say that I achieved the primary goals and some more: Definitely better tonal body density or Meats, some very nice sub-bass too

The overall presentation is just like DX220EX and Amp8EX but is on a higher level with more controls, separations, imagines, staging. The scale of performances is the same scale up as moving from DX220 Stock and Amp8 stock Into DX220EX and Amp8EX

I am awaiting for @Nayparm to finish his builds and then modified AndroidOS or possibly MangoOS to further be taking advantage of the player

 

[jamato8]

I like the idea of dissipating the heat dissipation but doing all the changes at once, even though heard, to an extent, in the DX220, still doesn't show what each one does, though I doubt I would do each one, wait and then do another one. I would do them all at once as well. But, having near 600 hours on the Max, I can say it still changes and improves, so unless you have many hours on the Max, you aren't comparing apples to apples. IMO

 

[Whitigir]

I can tag @hshock76 for a references point view

He has DAC DX220 Stock

He also has DAC Dx220EX

He also has Amp8EX

He also has Amp8EX Final (this is the final tweaks and upgrades to further experiments and a collective tuning to do MAX justices). This version has never and will not be published

Anyways, What I would like for him to confirm in here is how important the main body or the main DAC of DX220 can benefit from the EX modifications

Please note that MAX is very good, the AMP section is hugely improved Amp7 and Amp8 all in one with upgraded capacitors and designs architecture together with the improved power rails from it independent batteries, and it isn’t necessary to modify the AMPMAX. But definitely the main DAC would need it

Then again, we all have very different point of views, experiences and preferences