Another new EX mod: Amp8EX-P v2 (The Elna-edition)
More Confessions from a Modder
I know there is some interest in the various EX mods of the 220 and the amps. The deeper I get into working on them the more I appreciate the difficulty of making genuine gains on iBasso's brilliant design. Their engineering team really did a wonderfully complete job in selecting the best components for their design at the price point they had to meet. Every choice is so carefully calibrated to work together as a whole that improving on one sonic aspect often comes at the cost of another–as it should. These mods are only possible because Whitigir has gained an understanding of the whole system, even without having access to schematics. The simple truth is that the mods can only sound good because the stock designs are so good, as they only alter component parts.
Nevertheless, modding does have its unique advantages. There are advanced parts that simply weren't available when the designs were being made. Also, the modder can choose components that are too expensive to practically bring to market at an affordable price. You can also bring in components that cannot be readily sourced like discontinued parts.
So all this to say, the stock units are hugely satisfying and have come to point where they don't lack for much of anything. But, the nature of DIYers is that you can't really stop modding. If you could you would be a LTDIer (Let Them Do It). Modders can't hear that plain sensible voice that says, "For heaven's sake, it's awesome, leave it alone already." So, for anyone curious as to what more these designs can do, I wanted to share what I consider a special amp8EX version: the amp8EX-P. The ‘P’ stands for “pure.”
This is my version of Whitigir’s amp8EX v2 mod. It is based entirely on his mod design but some key alterations have been made to render, what I think is, a dramatically different sound. I have to say, the results smashed though my expectations and delivered a level of SQ that is shockingly good. Here is a sense of what it's about.
Whitigir's EX mods in general capitalize on the improved performance of high grade polymer tantalum caps made by Kemet (some of which just came off the line in recent months). They are implemented as widescale replacements for the stock tantalums in amp8. This mod centers around further strategic replacements of stock caps with Elna capacitors. In choosing these critical caps I settled on Elnas because they have garnered a legendary reputation as the heirs to Black Gates as the best capacitors for audio. Many feel that they have even surpassed BGs, and, unlike BGs, they have the benefit of currently being in production (mostly). I've come to classify all the components I've tried into two categories: 1) Elnas, 2) everything else. I think Elnas may simply provide the single biggest gain in sound quality of any of the component upgrades in these mods. They represent the best of audiophile caps that are just in a different world than the rest of the small general purpose parts that fit into DAPs. The problem is that these dedicated audio parts aren't available in the small sizes at the required values (hence the size of the upcoming DX220 Max). However, recent changes to amp8 by iBasso made it possible to track down Elnas that might squeeze into the diminutive casing of these amp modules.
The Elna Silmic IIs in this mod are quieter, richer, cleaner, more detailed with a vastly, vastly larger stage (vastly). They perform far and away better in every conceivable dimension except maybe speed. The Silmics are simply the best sounding and most musical component I have ever heard. They have the sound of the very highest performing tube. And, you figure that for all this analog gorgeousness you would sacrifice accuracy but it’s quite the opposite. The word that keeps coming to mind is:
control. The Silmics dominate every sonic element in the music with a precise rule. They can make even the best of standard components sound undisciplined: muddy, noisy, blurry, and closed by comparison.
Then the Elna Cerafines, ah sweet Cerafine. That's a song right? It should be. They immediately hit you with a wave of clarity. It is very much like a window was opened and you are no longer looking at the performers through glass. They image so well they make you feel blind. "Why can't I see the vocalist, she sounds like she's right there?" The Cerafines are simply the most transparent component I have ever heard with absolutely crystalline highs. It is true that the Silmics alone can sound so pretty that the sound seems slightly air-brushed. I could bliss out on them, but with the Cerafine it is like the picture popped right out of the magazine cover. The Cerafines are the mirror twin of the Silmics, because you figure all their accuracy would come tethered to coldness and sterility, but it is also quite the opposite. They have the sound of the richest solid state amp. Instead of a dry thin rendering there is actually a sweet and dense mid.
Nevertheless, the Cerafines require a controlled dosage as too much will invite noisy ceramic sibilance. So just one cap is perfect, and beautifully mates with the bi-capped polymer Chemi-con, chosen for its liquidity and density. The result is is a fluid clarity without edginess or grain. ECHU film caps have also been brought in earlier by Vince, and their delicacy and extended reverb tails synergize rapturously with the overall increased resolution and refinement. The Elna configuration also exploits the high fidelity smoothness of the ECHUs while dissolving any of their congestion, esp. in the low-mids.
All the pieces drop into place. Everything is full and weighty, analog, but with a vast, clear, open, and controlled sound. Tone extends from basement to chimney and timbres are fulsome, fleshy and life-like. Dynamics hit hard and micro-details swim in a sea of iridescent plankton. Moreover, if the transparency is like someone opened a window, then the staging is like they also knocked out all the walls as well.
It is as close to perfect as I’ve heard from headphones. I would put this iBasso DX228EX-P up against, I don't know, anything. It’s reference without sterility; analog without haziness: a creamy-clarity, dreamy-reality. The sound is… pure.
If you are interested, the full build notes are in the 200/220/amp8 modification thread.
