[Whitigir]

Thanks to Whitigir’s generosity I had the opportunity to listen to the MaxW. To me it sounds better than the stock Max. The background appears a little blacker, there is more weight to the bass and the overall sound seem smoother, I don’t want to use term less grainy as I don’t think that the Max is grainy at all. The soundstage is similar in size with very good placement of vocals and instruments. I used Dr. Chesky’s Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc to check for the soundstage width, height and depth. The disc also has a track to see how low the bass goes. The difference in the bass can be clearly heard in "Solsbury Hill" on Peter Gabriel Plays Live album where the MaxW has clearer more impactful bass.
All my listening was done with my Fir Audio M5 CIEM using the balanced output as I currently don’t have a TOTL headphone. Music genres that I listened to included Jazz, Latin, Rock and Classical.
Anyone in the US who has a DX220Max should take up Whitigir’s generous offer to hear the MaxW. I plan to modify my DX220Max once the Audio Note capacitors are back in stock at Parts Connexion.

I am glad you are enjoying it! With your favorite capacitors, the Max can be elevated further. For an all in one with a compact form factor, there is nothing that can outperform MAX at the moment that I know of.

 

[gerelmx1986]

I am glad you are enjoying it! With your favorite capacitors, the Max can be elevated further. For an all in one with a compact form factor, there is nothing that can outperform MAX at the moment that I know of.

DMP-z1

 

[Whitigir]

DMP-z1

I am glad you are enjoying it! With your favorite capacitors, the Max can be elevated further. For an all in one with a compact form factor, there is nothing that can outperform MAX at the moment that I know of.

Compact form factor

 

[meomap]

Hi @Whitigir

I would like to audition your DX220MAX W.

Thanks.

 

[Whitigir]

Hi @Whitigir

I would like to audition your DX220MAX W.

Thanks.

Great to have you on board! I will let you know when it is shipped out.

 

[jamato8]

Great to have you on board! I will let you know when it is shipped out.

I am thinking about doing this with some non polar Black Gates.

 

[Maxx134]

Great to have you on board! I will let you know when it is shipped out.

Which "W" version mod is this? "W1", or "W2"? Does it also have the previous "EX" mod applied?
I am convinced of improvements to this and your other mods, so I am planning & preparing to do this and will report back.
I can compare to my friend's version once done. Just waiting for last caps and a "soldering station" to come in...
I already got the extra flux too.

I going to get accustomed to working with tiny SMD parts before attempt.
Will be a fun project to do

The soundstage is similar in size with very good placement of vocals and instruments

Can you elaborate more about any soundstage differences? So the "placement" was improved?

 

[Maxx134]

I am thinking about doing this with some non polar Black Gates.

Usually, non-polar is not as good, only if it's an electrolytic, as non-polar electrolytic types are basically two smaller cap sections placed in series.
But it may not matter depending on cap specs.

 

[Whitigir]

Which "W" version mod is this? "W1", or "W2"? Does it also have the previous "EX" mod applied?
I am convinced of improvements to this and your other mods, so I am planning & preparing to do this and will report back.
I can compare to my friend's version once done. Just waiting for last caps and a "soldering station" to come in...
I already got the extra flux too.

I going to get accustomed to working with tiny SMD parts before attempt.
Will be a fun project to do


Can you elaborate more about any soundstage differences? So the "placement" was improved?

This one I have is W2, and no EX was done to it. The EX application on MAX is crazily expensive, just parts alone, and the labors is also a killer

The W1/2 was meant for a much cheaper and easier approach to improve the MAX

We have @purk who has both W1 and EX with extensive comparisons. It would be nice to hear more from him

 

[rpade]

Hello guys!

What is this W & EX mod you all talking about? Does it make for substantial improvements for low impedance cIEMs?

 

[gerelmx1986]

Could sony miniaturize the SMP-z1 the same size of a Max while retaining that great SQ?

 

[Reima]

Can you elaborate more about any soundstage differences? So the "placement" was improved?

To me the width, height and depth of the soundstage were about the same for both the Max and the MaxW. Because of the slightly blacker background the placement / location cues were a bit better with the MaxW.

 

[wirefriend]

I have an issue with the latest Tidal (2.41.0.1035.2501) on MAX (1.01.123 firmware) - "Master" music plays fine, "Normal" doesn't play at all.
Anyone experiences something similar?

 

[behemothkat]

I have an issue with the latest Tidal (2.41.0.1035.2501) on MAX (1.01.123 firmware) - "Master" music plays fine, "Normal" doesn't play at all.
Anyone experiences something similar?

Yes, I have the same problem. Did not manage it.

 

[wirefriend]

Yes, I have the same problem. Did not manage it.

Did you try installing an older version of Tidal?