My local audio enthusiast community prefer Woo Audio WA11 over Hugo2, WA11 has richer sound and bass texture compared to Hugo2 dryer and brighter sound.
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iBasso DX220Max ****************** New FW! 1.01 for download! 1st Page.
- Thread starter Paul - iBasso
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Well, I love my MAXEX! The only devices since forever to be able to drive my 800s NUT, yet portable enough to stay in the pocket or shoulder straps on. I love Taking it on the bike trips with my Hd800S or just taking a walk in a beautiful day
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And just to avoid the confusion
we are talking about DX220 MAX being able to drive HD800s without a problem. You don't need "EX" to make stock MAX powerful enough to drive HDs 
But, perhaps, EX mod will fine tune the tonality to your personal pair up liking?
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By all mean, MAX is a very capable device, and I have told this before when it just came out, I love MAX when driving my HD800S. The EX mod is as @twister6 said, I applied the EX to It because due to my opinions, preferences, experiences, this is what I love. It could be said to be an upgrade or just being different, it doesn’t matter.And just to avoid the confusion
the real fact here is that without Ibasso, there is no MAX, a portable player that can drive 800S without stacking and still perform in a crazily good way. There are no other devices like MAX which has 5 batteries packs and different charging, regulated rails dedicated to each section of the hardware, except stacking it up with Sources and external amp which is never my goal.
Now, why do I love modifying IBasso devices ? Because Ibasso is the only Company in the world who also support us, the tinkerer of the community, who strives for differences or upgrades to cater to their own personal liking. Every company out there should understand this much, and started to support us more...there are different artists , genres, and people love different things....there is no way that they can personally cater to all and each one of us with unique preferences, the best mass products can be is to be catering toward the mass. Therefore the tinkerers exist, and therefore modifications exists. We, the tinkerers are different, and not necessarily better or superior, but and however, given most of the inventions and creations are accidental, the tinkerers and the hardcore enthusiasms is also yet another motivation for the Hobby. We tinker not only with Hardware, but also Firmware
and as we all already have known, @Lurker0 is our main guy. Then there is also Fidelizer, which you have the option to (pay) for. Anyways, not everyone would love modified firmwares just the same as Hardware. So, the one main question is that.......How good is MAX ? It is the best of any All in One Stock Player that I have ever used, finesses, performances, power output! It leaves many TOTL players behind, including WM1Z, SP2000 as the latest that I have had time playing around with. Yes, it may have been heavier, and more chunky, but it is the only player that I can Bike around with, walk around with and bring my 800s everywhere with me, and at a much cheaper price, with the best customer services on earth
to me, Max is a dream come true, and MAXEX is my personally unique dirty little desires .
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By all mean, MAX is a very capable device, and I have told this before when it just came out, I love MAX when driving my HD800S. The EX mod is as @twister6 said, I applied the EX to It because due to my opinions, preferences, experiences, this is what I love. It could be said to be an upgrade or just being different, it doesn’t matter.
the real fact here is that without Ibasso, there is no MAX, a portable player that can drive 800S without stacking and still perform in a crazily good way. There are no other devices like MAX which has 5 batteries packs and different charging, regulated rails dedicated to each section of the hardware, except stacking it up with Sources and external amp which is never my goal.
Now, why do I love modifying IBasso devices ? Because Ibasso is the only Company in the world who also support us, the tinkerer of the community, who strives for differences or upgrades to cater to their own personal liking. Every company out there should understand this much, and started to support us more...there are different artists , genres, and people love different things....there is no way that they can personally cater to all and each one of us with unique preferences, the best mass products can be is to be catering toward the mass. Therefore the tinkerers exist, and therefore modifications exists. We, the tinkerers are different, and not necessarily better or superior, but and however, given most of the inventions and creations are accidental, the tinkerers and the hardcore enthusiasms is also yet another motivation for the Hobby. We tinker not only with Hardware, but also Firmware
How good is MAX ? It is the best of any All in One Stock Player that I have ever used, finesses, performances, power output! It leaves many TOTL players behind, including WM1Z, SP2000 as the latest that I have had time playing around with. Yes, it may have been heavier, and more chunky, but it is the only player that I can Bike around with, walk around with and bring my 800s everywhere with me, and at a much cheaper price, with the best customer services on earth
to me, Max is a dream come true, and MAXEX is my personally unique dirty little desires .
I believe only 2 units of MAXEX exists at the moment now. Apart from @Whitigir 's unit, I have the privilege of owning the 2nd unit and it has been a blast for the last month since I got it in my hands. I wish to reiterate that the stock MAX is indeed an extremely capable unit. In normal circumstances, there would never have been a need to further modify it to EX standards. I remember when I first listened to it, I was floored by the size of the sound stage and how well it performed in the areas of imaging, separation and layering. On top of that, I simply loved the amount of power it has, it's size and form factor, plus that rotary volume dial. Suddenly, my IEMs sounded better with that much power on tap.
After about 250-300hrs of burning it, performance further improved. However, it was not perfect and there were some areas which I was looking to improve; mainly a more analog signature, warmth, density, timber accuracy and sub-bass. Those who have followed my posts know that I am a Sony NW-WM1Z fanboy who owned the Music Sanctuary Ultimate Mod Proto 1Z and then the @Whitigir 's extensively modded 1ZEM. I have had the opportunity to audition a fair bit of TOTL DAPs in the last 6-9 mths, mainly the A&Ks, Lotoo & Cayin players and my final choice was the Sony. The 1ZEM was to me the pinnacle of a portable DAP for the genres I listen which I mainly focused on Vocals. I simply love how vocals sounded out of it; lush smooth and dense.
After understanding from @Whitigir the goals and details of the EX modifications to the MAX plus the confidence gained from the 1ZEM unit, I sent my MAX for the mod and never looked back. I will say the MAXEX is akin the combining the best of the Sony 1Z (warmth density and analog signature) and the strengths which the stock MAX original had. Sub Bass is much deeper and density of sound stage AKA "presence" is an area I noticed has improved as well. String, wind and percussion instruments sound very "real" and Jazz at the Pawnshop begs to be listened. After listening to the MAXEX for a period of time, I am not able to go back to my DX220+AMP8EX as this combination has suddenly become too "cold" and intimate sounding vs the MAXEX. The MAXEX drives my IEMs, Universal Demo 18S, Elysium Uni and Fourte Noir plus my 800S wonderfully and I look forward to my listening sessions every single night. The 1ZEM still has a slight edge in the mids department but the gap has closed tremendously.
On a final note, the EX mod may not be for everyone; but if you are like me who craves for warm, lush, smooth and buttery mids plus a huge dense sound stage, strong separation, imaging and layering performance, the MAXEX could be the only DAP you will ever need.
S Crowther
500+ Head-Fier
Does anyone know whether the MAX will run Roon?
TheNameIsGerald
100+ Head-Fier
it runs the Android Roon app (aka Roon Remote) but it does not function as a fully capable (high-res, MQA-rendering) Roon endpoint (according to Roon support "you'll be limited to 48kHz").
TheNameIsGerald
100+ Head-Fier
agreed that it being a fully-featured Roon endpoint would be really welcome. But I don't know of any DAP that can do that (though I'd love to be corrected!)
DaYooper
Headphoneus Supremus
The Chord Poly/Mojo is a Roon endpoint but it's not a full on DAP. It does fit in a pocket though. I guess if one is willing to fuss with the phone app you could play your music from a microsd card but what's the point? It's Roon capacity is the only reason I have it and if not for that I would get rid of it.
TheNameIsGerald
100+ Head-Fier
nope, that doesn't count
but thank you
Yes! It works with my iPad Pro 12.9(2018) and iPhone X.
As for the connection cable, I'm using FiiO LT-C1 for iPad Pro.
https://www.fiio.com/productinfo/354074.html
And for iPhone, I'm using short(15cm) Lightning to Type-C OTG cable below.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33009721024.html
But when I try with the Lotoo OTG cable for PAW S1, it doesn't work. (iPhone doesn't recognize DX220Max as USB-DAC.)
https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/lotoo/products/lotoo-paw-s1-type-c-to-lightning-cable
Thanks so much for the detailed response! I currently have an OTG and non-OTG USB-C cable, so I’ll see if I can get one of those to work with my 2018 iPad Pro. If not, I may just pickup the cables you linked above.
My DX220 Max shipped from Bloom today, and I should have it Wednesday. I can’t wait!
My DX220 Max shipped from Bloom today, and I should have it Wednesday. I can’t wait!
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Welcome to the club!!! Enjoy MAX
Hi everyone quick question how you activate mango pure mode, I can't find it.
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