[DaYooper]

Not sure if this is the right place for this request but I'll start anyway. You see I have recently reacquired a Dx200 this time with amp8. I keep reading about all these upgrades and mods on this thread and wonder if I should pursue them for myself. My concern is that being only moderately proficient in electronic/computer stuff do I risk screwing the thing up for unknown results to my ears which are far from "golden". The surest way to know the value of the results would be to hear them for myself. The question then is how to find someone near me who has them done and would be willing to let me listen to them with my own headphones?

I have managed to do the oreo thing but to be honest I really don't care for the android thing ( my phone is quit enough android thank you very much) and only listen to the dx200 and my dx120 in pure mango mode. I have no need for play store (or steaming of any kind) or other android player things for my mostly 16/44 flac and a couple hundred dsd files. But if the music can be better then....


Oh wait, how cool there is a whole thread about upcoming meets, maybe I'll get lucky!!

 

[Nayparm]

What do you do to get around the wife?

Erm, 'it's someone elses music player, i'm just upgrading it for them'

 

[gazzington]

Erm, 'it's someone elses music player, i'm just upgrading it for them'

Genius! Btw if you know anyone who has a mint dx200 for swap please tell them to get in touch

 

[wirefriend]

After 2 months I'm 99% sure the dx200Ti is my portable end game device. Dx200Ti amp4 and u18t = surrreal holographic image, perfect (to my ears) balance across all frequencies. Musical, forgiving -- yet with immense treble and almost unsurprassed analytical detail. Some say it's more detailed than the sp1000, yet the soundstage is a little smaller -- haven't had a long enough listen to sp1000, but seemed like that yeah. I'm gonna be moving on to a desktop setup now -- saving up for the Hugo tt2 for a couple of years.

Also, the dx200Ti amp 4 and u18 combo is so flawelss it's made all my aftermarket cables for the u18 simply obsolete. The perfect quality of the source (upgrading from dx200 to 200Ti) solved all the problems I'd been trying to solve with a cable: note weight, slightly unforgiving, would want more soundstage. Now I don't even long for a larger soundstage and literally everything sounds good, even mediocre and ****ty recordings. Of course there is no such thing as an endgame, but this is close enough to move on to full sized and desktops for me.

Gist of the post is: if you ever get the chance to listen to dx200Ti, amp4 and u18 -- as very few people have I'm afriad -- do. It's like being a sun, around which the planets and moons of instruments orbit.

PS The device is also quite gorgeous.

Could one of you rare DX200Ti owners do me a favor and compare the Ti with Hugo 2?
I want to upgrade from DX200 and keep saving for Hugo 2. Now, if one of DX200Ti is posted for sale should I jump for it? Does Ti sound better than Hugo2?

 

[AndrewH13]

Could one of you rare DX200Ti owners do me a favor and compare the Ti with Hugo 2?
I want to upgrade from DX200 and keep saving for Hugo 2. Now, if one of DX200Ti is posted for sale should I jump for it? Does Ti sound better than Hugo2?

Not better but different. As posted a little back, Hugo 2 is very natural and has superb detail. But Ti is special too and has a wider soundstage. Hugo 2 can be elevated further, at a price, with the m-scaler. But then looking at 3 times the price of DX200Ti.

 

[jamato8]

Could one of you rare DX200Ti owners do me a favor and compare the Ti with Hugo 2?
I want to upgrade from DX200 and keep saving for Hugo 2. Now, if one of DX200Ti is posted for sale should I jump for it? Does Ti sound better than Hugo2?

Have the Hugo, the Ti at a desk is better. While out and about the Ti destroys it. Hugo doesn't fit well in the pocket so doesn't travel. I haven't heard the Hugo II, I have read good things but would be left behind in the dust, wouldn't carry it. Plus the screen on the Hugo II isn't very good, from what I have seen. Seriously, one is a dac and one is a DAP. If you are only going to be using something at a desk, then you have a huge number of things to choose from.

 

[wirefriend]

Not better but different. As posted a little back, Hugo 2 is very natural and has superb detail. But Ti is special too and has a wider soundstage. Hugo 2 can be elevated further, at a price, with the m-scaler. But then looking at 3 times the price of DX200Ti.

Thank you for your thoughts, I appreciate it.
I own Ether C Flows and use it with DX200 + Amp8.
Do you prefer your ECF with DX200Ti or with Hugo2?

 

[Whitigir]

The question is...can u buy Dx200Ti anywhere ?

Remember , a DAC needs a sources and cables . Bad sources and bad interconnect cables will gimp down your DAC. Then USB is pretty pathetic as an interface for Audio. Except you have no choices if u need DSD512. However, Dx200Ti plays DSD512 straight from the MicroSD. That is another advantage that Hugo II would never had

 

[AndrewH13]

Thank you for your thoughts, I appreciate it.
I own Ether C Flows and use it with DX200 + Amp8.
Do you prefer your ECF with DX200Ti or with Hugo2?

I don’t have Flows, I actually preferred the non-flow version of the Ether Closed which seemed livelier. I use both Hugo 2 and DX200Ti indoors, transportable between rooms. Predominantly with Ethers but also with Katanas.

My Hugo 2 is practically an all-in-one, bound by Chord bands to a Fiio X5 and connected via 2inch 75ohm coax cable, so no problems of cables or two units. For on the go, I like Shanling m0 that weighs and measures like a matchbox!

Technically I would say Hugo 2 better, but something about the DX 200 Ti makes me use it as much. I’m not one that says this gear knocks that gear out of the ballpark. All I know is that both combinations match Ethers so well, and give exciting nonrolled off sound that I like. Please note I use Ti Amp1, which is tuned exactly to my taste.

 

[alan_g]

iminterested in getting my amp7 modded..hmu

 

[alan_g]

Give me a shout if your interested. Just ordering parts to mod my amp1 to an amp1ti.

im interested hit me up

 

[xnuthecaveman]

Give me a shout if your interested. Just ordering parts to mod my amp1 to an amp1ti.

Interested!

 

[Ryokan]

Could one of you rare DX200Ti owners do me a favor and compare the Ti with Hugo 2?
I want to upgrade from DX200 and keep saving for Hugo 2. Now, if one of DX200Ti is posted for sale should I jump for it? Does Ti sound better than Hugo2?

I was set to buy a Hugo 2 after reading so much praise for it. Took it home to try it out for a few hours and was expecting it to be night and day different when hooked up to my player (Opus#2) - it wasn't, I couldn't tell any difference. Maybe my hearing isn't so great? but I was happy to save some money.
I think at this level it's hard to tell a substantial difference, DX200, Opus#2 or Hugo 2 they're all very good.

 

[Nayparm]

I've confused myself with my post

Is this for amp7 upgrades or amp1 -> amp1ti

 

[twister6]

Let's get Cooking with some ROMs, straight from Tw6 review kitchen

Intro.

In the last few years Lurker's firmware updates became nearly synonymous with iBasso official releases, adding Google Play (to Android based DX200 and DX150), doing optimizations, and adding some apps. At the same, I noticed here in DX200 thread a discussion about Fidelizer ROMs which got my attention as well. Fidelizer ROM is offered in three versions, a free Purist ROM, Enhanced ROM ($49), and Advanced ROM ($99) which could be upgraded from Enhanced ROM. While I was thinking to try Purist ROM first, I figured it's not going to have all the features enabled to give me a full picture of Advanced ROM sound benefits.

In full transparent disclosure, I didn't buy Advanced ROM, only have their 1.01.006 version sent to me free for test purpose. If I'm not mistaken, when you buy the full version, you also get their support and lifetime updates aligned with iBasso firmware releases. During my testing I was using DX200Ti w/amp8, but also confirmed the same sound changes with DX200 w/amp1. Furthermore, I was using 64audio U18t and Campfire Audio Solaris for monitoring, and DX200 was set to digital filter 4. My findings are subjective, I just describe what I'm hearing, and I'm not going to be offended if you'll take my impressions with a grain of salt.

• iBasso original ROM link.
• @Lurker0 add-on update link.
• @WindowsX Fidelizer ROM link.

---

iBasso Android Oreo fw1.0:

This is my baseline sound where I took a note of soundstage expansion (width/depth), and sound dynamics (vertical expansion with layering/separation of sounds). Between Mango app (Android OS) and Mango player (Mango OS), I hear a similar soundstage, while in Mango OS the sound is a little more dynamic.

Lurker's add-on update:

In addition to other add-ons (visit the link above for more info), you get Google Play, and improvement in performance, like a more fluid transition between screens in Mango app (Android OS). I find soundstage to be the same, but the sound dynamics has some improvement (Mango app). In Mango player (Mango OS), I hear soundstage just a little bit wider, the rest sounds the same.

Fidelizer Advanced ROM w/PerfectDynamics 2.0 update:

In addition to other add-ons (visit the link above for more info), Google Play is removed (from Lurker's update), Mango app is updated (including visual updates), and I'm hearing a wider soundstage and better dynamics with an improvement in layering and separation between the sounds (more air between the layers). In Mango player (Mango OS), the improvements are the same as in Mango app.

Lurker's add-on update (2nd time):

I went back to install Lurker's add-on update again on top of Fidelizer ROM because I wanted to bring back Google Play. As an add-on, it didn't erase Fidelizer ROM updates. Everything was still there including updated Mango app. Going back and listening again, I didn't notice any changes in technical performance with the sound dynamics still being the same, but the soundstage got a little bit wider in Mango app (Android OS). In Mango player (Mango OS), all the sound changes remained the same (aligned with Mango app in Android OS).

Conclusion.

To make sure I'm hearing all the changes consistently, I did flash iBasso original ROM, Lurker's add-on update, Fidelizer Advanced ROM, and then Lurker's add-on - 3 times in the row, following the same order. iBasso and Fidelizer ROMs take a few minutes to flash, while Lurker's add-on takes about a minute. It's a short enough time where I don't have to go by a distant memory to compare the sound.

The bottom line, I do hear sound improvement, I can't quantify or measure it, it's not night'n'day, but it's noticeable enough for me to appreciate it without wanting to go back. I also noticed that while Fidelizer Advance ROM brings the maximum improvement in vertical dynamics of the sound expansion (feels less compressed, with more air between the layers), the maximum soundstage expansion was achieved after I installed Lurker's add-on the 2nd time after flashing Fidelizer Advanced ROM. So, I would suggest to use both of them, especially if you want Google Play. Btw, nothing is wrong with iBasso original ROM, it sounds good already. These custom ROMs and add-ons just refine the sound and performance, and add some functionality, like Google Play which is a big deal.

Last, but not least, while Fidelizer offers you different ROM versions, from a Free to Paid ones, Lurker's ROMs are free so I hope you'll support him with donations (just my personal opinion, and I know he hates when I bring this up).