# DX200/220 Amp8, MAX and other EX modifications



## Whitigir (Aug 17, 2021)

How to disassemble 2Max
Simpler MAXW1-MAXW2 modifications is up

*New MAXEX recipe is up <== Click on Me*
MAXEX sound impressions and evaluation can be found here 

_*DX228EX Sound quality can be found here by @edwardsean :


Disclaimer*_:  by modifications and tinkering with your device, your warranty will be voided, and there are devastating risks of permanently damaging your device.  Only proceed if you are seeking for the performances with no boundaries, and that you can swallow the cost of it like a man wearing his pants.  You have been warned***

**Please, with due respects to any technician within the US or from other countries. If you follow this guide and perform labor, do not charge unreasonable pricing as the developments and tuning of this modifications belong to us, the enthusiasts here on the forum, and mainly the people mentioned in this article**

_Amp8-EX can be used on dx150 or also the upcoming dx220
**Also, for Titanium DX200, there is no need to upgrading the regulator** _

EX name was realized after observing the sound and the works that was done into it:  it stands for

EX-treme Fidelity and EX-treme Modifications

_There are 3 parts to this modification_

The parts needed for this

*Part* *1*: *hardware*


https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/595-LP5907MFX-3.3NPB
2x of these, buy 4x for spare

Special thanks to @bden59 for looking up for an upgraded regulator with better power dissipation, higher rejections and lower Noises (regular dx200)

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T543B107K010TE150
12x of these, you buy 14X if spares are needed.
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T527I476M10ATE200
7x of these , buy 10x or so for spares
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T527I226M10ATE200
10x of these, buy 12x for spares
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T543B227K6AHW35
3x of these, buy 4x for spares

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/647-RNE1C471MDN1PX
1x of this, 2 for spares

*Part 2: Noises suppression 

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

The noises suppression is applied to eliminate the digital noises that plagues us, the digital music world.  It can be widely used on other systems as well.  However, thanks to DX200 as a platform and a fellow member @chaiyuta , I found this a Vital modification not only for DX200, but for many other players out there.

*The processing:*

Please bare with me and my horrible hand drawing here.  Just have these pictures printed out or in front of you and follow it

On the Amp8 module, and the Main body, the ** takes a little more heat

*Main body Hardware*

To open up the shield on DAC-IC, please be very careful to lift up with tweezers and do not bend anything

Follow Alex guide to disassemble your Dx200, ribbon Cables connectors has a flip lock that need to be flipped up before you can pull out or insert it back in (then lock)

https://twister6.com/2017/07/05/inside-the-dx200-literally/

*updated first picture with regulator to update as in Blue indicators*






*Amp8 Hardware: *unlike Amp8W*, the EX, No MLCC will be used, and No Bi-Cap
*




*Main body Part 2: noises suppression *_cover main IC, DAC Chips is personal preferences (optional), I use it, and the WiFi antenna back

Do take notice that all trimming of the sheets have to be clean off and away from the pcb on both of the main body and the Amp.  If it is laying in between any thing, it could cause *short* *circuit*

_

*Amp8 noise suppression *

Apply the sheets at the square regulator before putting in 470uF Nichicon

The rest can be applied after the modification is done.  Coil inductors can be covered too, but optional, I left it out



**


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## Nayparm

Awesome work my friend


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## Whitigir (Jun 24, 2020)

Edited
Newest Edit with MAXEX Links <== click 

Updated with better pictures, and those pictures are meant for processing.  I did not take pictures of completed DAP, because there is nothing to look at lol....

**Tip** for the Amp8, the *Bicap* or Grey *Panasonic* HD and original AVX Tantalum can be removed with hot-air altogether, by taking out the Tantalum while grabbing onto it and not the main grey caps.  *(Do not use force, these pads are easily lifted and if it does, your module is trash) *Once the Tantalum came off, the big cap can be grabbed out.  If you slip, it could blew away resistors and caps above it.  But due to how sensitive this part of the board are, I recommend Hot-air and a very steady robot pair of arms


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## Whitigir

*Part 3: Ground path Return Mod
*
Due to the investigation of the Amp module chassis, I found out that the Ground path return could be more efficient by sanding down the Anodized layer of the chassis at the grounding screws.  Theoretically speaking these are steel screws, and steels isn’t the best of conductivity.  Therefore, in order to make it more efficient, we need to expose the bare Aluminum Chassis to make contacts with the Gold-plated ground plane on the PCB

_*Only sanding down on the chassis and not the PCB (**pictures are to shown the contacts point*)*, Do not sand down the PCB contact points.

The sanding can be done with finest grit sand paper available, take off enough of the layering to show the surfaces_
  

The improvements are that the clarity and vivid resolutions are improved a little bit under the EX modifications package.  However, @edwardsean still mentioned that his Dx208-EX still revealing some grains which is more observable after this step (But is not observable by me and Titanium version), which leads me to think of DX200 regular would also have _Anodized chassis_.  Sure enough that it was, according to Alex picture below, and what is worse ? The main PCB screws are Black-Anodized also, which further decrease the Ground-plane-conductivity-efficiency 

Therefore, thanks to @edwardsean and his great observations, the EX modifications receive (Part 3) for regular DX200.

The EX modifications were originally done for Titanium version, which chassis is not coated or Anodized, therefore the conductivity is exposed everywhere which made the Titanium has a very efficient GPR (Ground path return)

Picture courtesy of Alex, and red circle is to show the contact points that needs to be sanded down and expose the ground contact surfaces

*This is very important:  after the sanding, please brush and air blown the chassis clean off the metallic dust....we do not want them flying everywhere to cause potential shorts**


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## edwardsean

These four notes were the most essential parts of my experience getting to the EX. If you want to know more about how it sounded afterwards I’ve posted on the SQ in the main DX200 thread. I sincerely wish you all best with your modding.
*
The Build | notes
*
If you’re reading this you’ve probably already heard that the path to this upgrade is littered with the bodies of dead amp8 modules. Not one, but two of those modules are mine (RIP sweet departed 8s). My personal feeling on this is that modding is going "off-road." You don't start unless you're willing to accept the risks. There's no warranty, guarantee, or clear maps. If you're lucky you get someone who has hacked out a path in front of you. In our case, that’s Whitigir. Failure shouldn’t make you afraid but wiser. Unexpected problems are to be expected even as they take you by surprise. You keep trudging along and the last surprise is that you actually get to where you're going. Of course, whether that kind of investment is worth it for you is a personal decision. You should know from the outset though that this is–not–a paint by numbers, plug and play upgrade. The gains are great but the risks are real. You can maximize your chance for success by keeping a few things in mind. 

*1) Don’t do the mod yourself.* If you don’t have experience working on delicate surface mount boards find a professional to do the component replacement. I’ve already shared on this a couple of times before so I won’t go into detail here. Unfortunately, it may not be easy to find someone that really knows what they’re doing and the labor is expensive. I’ve talked with a few techs now and I think somewhere around 125USD per board is fair (1 amp, 1 main), or 250 for the whole job. I found one tech near me in the Chicago area that I think is extremely skilled and I talked with him about taking on this job for anyone interested at that price. If you want to send him your whole unit or amp, PM me and I can help set things up.

*2) Do the mod yourself.* This is the opposite of note number 1. If you can’t find an experienced tech, and you have soldering skills, and the time, you can do, at least, amp8 yourself. I didn’t think so before, but now I’m getting pretty comfortable working with the components on these boards and it’s actually become quite enjoyable. The mod on the main board is a bit trickier because some of the work is in densely packed locations and you have to be confident with switching out the two regulator ICs. Hot air is probably the best option here and if you aren’t skilled with SMD reflow do not do what I did. I bought a hot air station, watched a bunch of YouTube videos, and tackled it like man. Believe me you will end up crying like a little girl. 

However, I am convinced at this point that Jamoto is right, and that an iron is a completely viable option for amp8EX. I actually think the safest route for amp8 is with an iron and low temp solder (quikchip or fastchip). (Also, cut off the bicapped Panasonics before removing the tantalums.) If you work carefully and slowly, never forcing anything, you will not lift any pads. You can keep the temperature nice and low on those super sensitive output cap pads. I was down around 180C and didn’t have any problems. You can ramp up the temperature to 230-250 and get in and out of the larger caps near the opamps and the couple in the middle. This is advisable because those two middle caps are in a crowded location. If you were to work with lower heat the time necessary can cause the small resistors nearby to desolder before the caps. You may want to do these small caps under a magnifying glass or endoscopic cam. A key to ensuring a good outcome is to find an old SMD board that you can practice on. Don’t make the amp8 your practice board. I offer this specific note because, after seeing the work of gannjunior’s tech, I realized that a bunch of techs out there aren’t going to take as much care with your amp as you yourself. 

So, that’s the tricky part. Step three and four can be done by anyone regardless of skill. Step three is really more of a craft project so if you can’t find a qualified tech ask your mom to do it. I’m sure she won’t charge you too much (grin). 

*3) TDK and GRP.* Whit posted instructions for Chaiyuta’s TDK sheeting mod a while back, but just recently put up the Ground Return Path (GRP) mod. I would recommend doing these together because they both affect the final sound. When you do the GRP mod you will get improved performance and you will notice it right away in the increased treble energy. Unlike the transient intermodulation distortion you’re getting from noisy components, this is clean treble. So if you restricted the amount of TDK sheeting to retain a bright tonality the GRP mod will cause you to adjust this and use more of the sheeting. Basically, you can suppress more noisy energy with the TDK sheets as you reveal more clean energy with the GRP mod.

As for the disassembly, when you follow Twister’s excellent guide make sure to eject your SD card or the main board won’t come out. Also, for me, the one tricky part was the ribbon cable that connects the volume/power controls. I thought I had to get the white line on the ribbon to reach all the way to the edge of the housing. I pushed it in with a tweezer and ripped the ribbon at the right angle. You actually don’t need to force it in further, it will just slide into place. You shouldn’t have any problems, but the tight bend does it make possible to damage this thin ribbon. In this unlikely event you can contact Paul and get a replacement for cheap. IBasso is the best. 

*4) Digital EX (DSD).* This last note is not part of the EX mod, but for me the software enhancements are a substantial part of the upgraded sound. In order of descending importance to SQ they are: DSD upconversion, Fidelizer’s Advanced Rom with Lurker’s FW, UAPP, and the latest Oreo 8.1 release. The EX mod is all about fidelity and improving the SNR. These software modifications also accomplish this aim and the analog and digital sides synergize together. I would say, if you’re going to go through all the trouble of the hardware mods these far simpler and cheaper steps only make sense.


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## Whitigir (Feb 8, 2019)

Thanks @edwardsean for sharing the tips above , and yeah I agree about the software part.  Hardware is the body and software is the spirit.  Even in building or modifying a vehicle, without a good software tuner, the car would destroy itself and not running correctly.  In our hobby, without a good tuner and the software development, the sound would have been ruined and won’t be to it most performances.  This is exactly another reason why I love DX200 as a platform so much.

Also, thanks again for going out and look for a good tech who can tackles the Job of performing EX modifications for us all within the US !

I love both Lurker firmware and advanced Fidelizer ROM.


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## EggofSound (Feb 9, 2019)

Please tell me.
Since the parts ordered for EX have been shipped, we began removing capacitors.
(I tried to make it EX with AMP 7, but I made it to AMP 8 because it is denser than AMP 8)





And now I noticed the designation of 100uF x2 on the back of AMP8.
Is this capacitor also subject to replacement for KEMET COTS capacitor?
(Is the image before exchanging)




I am impatient as to whether the DX 200 main unit is running out.


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## Whitigir (Feb 9, 2019)

EggofSound said:


> Please tell me.
> Since the parts ordered for EX have been shipped, we began removing capacitors.
> (I tried to make it EX with AMP 7, but I made it to AMP 8 because it is denser than AMP 8)
> 
> ...



Yes, you are correct. 
These 2 need to be replaced with COTS KEMET
Yes, image was before the upgrades

Also, the blue MLcC will need to be taken out too (*removed*) for the EX application


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## EggofSound

Whitigir said:


> Yes, you are correct.
> These 2 need to be replaced with COTS KEMET
> Yes, image was before the upgrades
> 
> Also, the blue MLcC will need to be taken out too (*removed*) for the EX application



Thank you very much.
I missed it.
EX understand that exchanging all the analog part with the power supply line is correct.

Uh huh. Because ordering is strict with two CAPs, I think whether AMP 7 will also go with momentum


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## Whitigir (Feb 9, 2019)

EggofSound said:


> Thank you very much.
> I missed it.
> EX understand that exchanging all the analog part with the power supply line is correct.
> 
> Uh huh. Because ordering is strict with two CAPs, I think whether AMP 7 will also go with momentum



I would order some extras and perform some extra Amp8-EX and offer to our fellow members (with some fees) who need helps within Japan or else where ? , so that you can buy and have the parts shipping worth your while helping others too.

Amp8-EX will also work in dx220 ! Or dx150


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## EggofSound

Whitigir said:


> I would order some extras and perform some extra Amp8-EX and offer to our fellow members (with some fees) who need helps within Japan or else where ? , so that you can buy and have the parts shipping worth your while helping others too.
> 
> Amp8-EX will also work in dx220 ! Or dx150



That is a good idea.  But ...
That is ... It is possible because of my DX200, but it is difficult for other people because I can not take responsibility.
I use solder iron with silver and copper mixed solder without reflow.
When such a small girl (also called a cat) rampage at that time I will purchase several DX200


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## EggofSound

Just in case it is behind the AMP8 so as not to misunderstand like me


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## Whitigir (Feb 13, 2019)

EggofSound said:


> Just in case it is behind the AMP8 so as not to misunderstand like me



Woaaa! Cleanly done! Congratulation on Amp8-EX !! 

I am in love with your ironing skills ! Can you modify me another EX  ?


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## EggofSound

Whitigir said:


> Woaaa! Cleanly done! Congratulation on Amp8-EX !!
> 
> I am in love with your ironing skills ! Can you modify me another EX  ?



hank you very much!

Now I am struggling to remove 22uF of IV conversion part of DAC.
I will order a flat-head type iron to protect PPS Cap
It seems that it will take an endless time to make the DX200 EX, but I enjoy it.

I'm sorry. Endless time for your request ... very very very


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## Whitigir

Use a hot air station/gun instead


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## EggofSound

Whitigir said:


> Use a hot air station/gun instead



I am confident that I melt PPS! (I am an experienced person who melted with DAC)


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## EggofSound

Notes on DX208-EX conversion (It is almost a wasteful story)

People who first look at the board of the DX 200 and ask the experts have no difficulty.
Before summer, DX 220 will be sold and it is recommended to those who enjoy work, if they are ready to break.

If you look closely at the main body of the DX 200, there are several resistors that seem to be 0.6 mm (EIA 0201) size in the vicinity of the tantalum capacitor to be replaced.
These resistors float from the land and are on the solder.

Be careful not to blow it away with the hot air of the heat gun, as the solder may melt before the tantalum cap due to removal of the tantalum cap or due to heat of installation.
(Conversely, if the solder of the resistor melts first, reliability also improves when attached to the Land, but since it is a lot of solder for the size, if you press carelessly against the land it may short circuit)

Likewise, there is a place where tantalum Cap is sandwiched between film Cap (PPS), but since PPS is sensitive to heat, attention to temperature management is necessary.
Since it is a double-sided mounting board, when using a reflow device or heat gun, we directly warm the parts (board) so it is safe to ask the experts for work.

For DIY not asking experts in general, cream solder generally degrades more quickly than ordinary solder, so please choose high quality and reliable one.
(When asking the experts, of course, please specify the highest quality cream solder.)
Discount items are closer to the expiration date, I think that it is better not to purchase like you will not regret later.

When using a soldering iron it is relatively safe to work while confirming the condition, but Pad of KO-CAP 22uF has a dent and is attached to the inside.
In ordinary soldering irons, you can not affix solder unless you open it at an angle and diagonally. (There are several impossible places)

Even if the soldering tip is thin, it makes it oblique, so it will touch the next part so if you use a soldering iron tip of a flat head (like a precision minus screwdriver) with a width of about 1.6mm and a thickness of about 0.5mm I think work will be easier.
I felt the limit for the first time in my favorite "good 20W" soldering iron for nearly 20 years.

The DX200 main body EX conversion is required the highest difficulty which can not be compared with the normal kit.
In my case, I am planning to make a DUAL ES 9038 pro 8 para DAC if I go well, I will think about buying a DX 220 if I fail.

Do you want a very exciting experience? 
Do you enjoy the DX208-EX you received?
Good luck to you.

Thank you.


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## purk

You guys are superb!  I am listening to @Whitigir EX and it is indeed better than before.  Gotta love the increased in sense of dynamics on the EX now.  It can power my modded HD800 with room to spare.  Best portable DAP I have heard to date.  It more or less sound like a solid mid-end desktop system to my ears.


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## EggofSound

Long time no see.
The HOKKO tip(T18-S9) of the order we ordered arrived and it was able to be converted to EX.

T18-C1 (1mm x 60°) on top
The bottom is T18-S9 (1.2 x 0.4mm).






I need a tip thermometer for temperature calibration, but I used an affordable kit.
HAKKO's thermometer will $300, but you can buy this kit (HAN-ON) using this HAKKO sensor for $30.


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## MilesR

Does anybody know of a Canadian company or anyone that does this mod.


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## EggofSound

MilesR said:


> Does anybody know of a Canadian company or anyone that does this mod.



I think that it is good for 208EX to find and ask for a specialist (showing detailed technology).


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## EggofSound

It is AMP7.
I replaced the tantalum capacitor with KEMET (KO-CAP) and made it EX.
(A part of 100uF arrangement (polarity) differs from AMP8)
It is a finish by sticking the sheet for noise suppression of TDK.

I tried to replace the capacitor so that the pattern was peeled off the PCB, but KO-CAP seems to be the best.
(Manufacturers such as TOKIN also provide KEMET)

I'm looking forward to sounding with the DX220.


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## Whitigir

EggofSound said:


> It is AMP7.
> I replaced the tantalum capacitor with KEMET (KO-CAP) and made it EX.
> (A part of 100uF arrangement (polarity) differs from AMP8)
> It is a finish by sticking the sheet for noise suppression of TDK.
> ...


Awesome!! What can be better than an EX line out


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## EggofSound

Whitigir said:


> Awesome!! What can be better than an EX line out



Thank you very much.


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## EggofSound

The previous image has been used for testing and will be re-upped.
(There is an error in the polarity of some capacitors)








Finally, we check whether there is no problem with the condition at about 600x magnification.
(You can see the difference between cream solder and iron solder)
As it is mobile use, we use solder more than desktop to prevent coming off by vibration.


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## edwardsean

@EggofSound thanks for the pictures. I've been interested in cream solder (paste), because of its ease of use. I haven't tried it though because I'm concerned it doesn't work well for audio. How is the sound quality with cream solder?


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## Whitigir

Very nice! I love solder paste too! But I often mixed them up for better reliability.  What I do is

1/ solder paste for SMD components to helped attach the components, iron it so it solidify

2/ then I use regular SS47 to touch up with it for better reliability 

What I found out is that once the SS47 is solidified by iron, the cream grainy textures is no more.  It would be very shiny and every solder joins should be 

I never tried to observe and tell the differences from when I only use paste alone vs SS47.  It took me a lot of money/time/experiments to realized the SS47 is the signature that I wanted, so I always stick with it and never bothered to change up.


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## Whitigir (Apr 16, 2019)

And, for anyone who would love to achieve better extensions in Sub bass with a touchmore mid bass warmth and make it more articulated while more musical.  Everything else is very well preserved

ECHU upgrades here

These have no Polar, so no need to worry about it

You just need to pay attentions that the ECHU is plastic film and side casing.  You can not grab the ECHU on it side when it is hot, as you will deform it by pressure and ruin the caps.  Can only touch by the tinned plate and or top/bottom side

Advised to also use Hot-air station with super low fan speed, steady motions and heat up all of them, take out, and replace all.  For those who is more curious about ECHU and soldering techniques, check out the Data-sheets.  **no lifting pads** here, but ECHU can melt like chocolate if you grab them on the sides, and also is 1/2 the size of a rice**.  These is also a little larger than stock one, you just need to fit it right in on the marking and you are gold

_Also, secure your 4.4mm socket.  By heating up the whole Palace with hot gun throughout your 4.4mm socket will Fell out of it PCB.  I did also clean up the solder here and redone with SS47 as my favorite solder too! Slightly bend-in the legs a bit for better contact-joins too!_

**recommended** for people who performed EX on Amp8 and still crave for more musicality, liquidity and flows

Picture is Amp8-EX

ECHU-Links to Mouser


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## EggofSound

edwardsean said:


> @EggofSound thanks for the pictures. I've been interested in cream solder (paste), because of its ease of use. I haven't tried it though because I'm concerned it doesn't work well for audio. How is the sound quality with cream solder?



I have some cream solder but I can not evaluate it because I have never used it for audio equipment.
I used HAKKO FX-888D (Solder Iron) for the 208EX.
I may use "Good SD-62" etc. for spare solder, but finish uses Wako SR-4N, Oyaide SS-47.


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## EggofSound

Whitigir said:


> Very nice! I love solder paste too! But I often mixed them up for better reliability.  What I do is
> 
> 1/ solder paste for SMD components to helped attach the components, iron it so it solidify
> 
> ...



I broke two AMP7 to convince myself.
It takes time and money for trial and error


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## EggofSound

Whitigir said:


> And, for anyone who would love to achieve better extensions in Sub bass with a touchmore mid bass warmth and make it more articulated while more musical.  Everything else is very well preserved
> 
> ECHU upgrades here
> 
> ...



Panasonic PPS is a favorite I use with my DAI / DAC.
(Because the capacity is small, the available space is limited ...)


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## Whitigir

EggofSound said:


> Panasonic PPS is a favorite I use with my DAI / DAC.
> (Because the capacity is small, the available space is limited ...)


Absolutely ! Here you can further enhance your EX - Amp8 with it .  It also is my favorite too !


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## salavat

EggofSound said:


> I broke two AMP7 to convince myself.
> It takes time and money for trial and error


Seems that you use microscope, which can make SMD soldering way easier )) I recently swapped ES9018 to ES9028. The biggest difficulty was to place it properly for all 64 pads)), for soldering I used JBC tips (one 'spoon' type and another with 0.4 mm chisel tip).


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## Whitigir

salavat said:


> Seems that you use microscope, which can make SMD soldering way easier )) I recently swapped ES9018 to ES9028. The biggest difficulty was to place it properly for all 64 pads)), for soldering I used JBC tips (one 'spoon' type and another with 0.4 mm chisel tip).


Did you have to upgrade any firmware ? Or it is straight up compatible


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## salavat

Whitigir said:


> Did you have to upgrade any firmware ? Or it is straight up compatible



I basically followed up DimDim project on diyaudio on replacing ES9018 chip on Buffalo III DAC, 9018 and 9028 are pin-to-pin compatible, however more powerful AVCC and voltage regulators are required. As for firmware - I yet have to try B3 Pro firmware from Twisted Pear (to see whether it works with a new chip) otherwise Arduino Due board can be used with a firmware written by DimDim.


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## EggofSound

Whitigir said:


> Absolutely ! Here you can further enhance your EX - Amp8 with it .  It also is my favorite too !



Yes!
As I knew the capacity of the capacitor, I ordered immediately. Thank you


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## EggofSound

salavat said:


> Seems that you use microscope, which can make SMD soldering way easier )) I recently swapped ES9018 to ES9028. The biggest difficulty was to place it properly for all 64 pads)), for soldering I used JBC tips (one 'spoon' type and another with 0.4 mm chisel tip).








I'm using a cheap scope for status confirmation.
It is only useful to change the magnification by distance and adjust the focus, but it is useful to have it.

(When shooting with the scope, the shutter button connected to the cable went out to prevent vibration)

The image is a solder reinforcement so that the resistor does not float when replacing the laminated ceramic with ECHU.


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## GrigoryV (Apr 24, 2019)

Wow!!! Guys... You're great. Successfully Whitigir showed me this topic! Thank's Man! I don't have much time now. But on may 1-4 holidays are planned, I will try to carve out a little time and share my experience. And now I want to add my opinion. The capacity in the feed should be increased. I just simply added 200 uF and the bass become thicker and deeper. I removed tantalum without mercy. only electrolyte in the aisle!!! The best sound in amp6 of dx150 nichicon 100 uF 10v. But think 47uF, too, will well, think this not strongly fundamentally, imcho


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## GrigoryV (Apr 24, 2019)

Inet very slow(((


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## GrigoryV

Oh, yes... nichicon fine gold


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## EggofSound

We changed the capacitor of the output part of AMP7 from laminated ceramic to Panasonic ECHU (PPS).
The circle part peeled off Land and exposed the pattern with the cutter and connected it to resistance

The sound is good, but somehow I struggle with PPS


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## EggofSound

Since the DX 220 takes time to obtain the certification of conformance to technical standards in Japan.
We are constantly listening to modifications and auditions


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## EggofSound

ECHU is connected to the resistor in a red pattern.
(For reference when the Land was peeled)


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## EggofSound

The image of Whitigir has been uploaded here.
(Expectations are great and I have quoted it for myself)
You can see the refined and upgraded DX200 pattern.

(I changed the contrast to make it easy to see the pattern.
At this stage, the part only knows the capacity of tantalum CAP)

The complex patterns of the DX200 can be seen in the DX220 where the arrangement of parts is organized and the required signal lines are wider.

I think iBasso did a great job. Thank you.

And the Lord of this thread will try to improve it further
I can not wait for release in my country


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## Whitigir

Yes, the Low voltage rails and high voltage rails are also re-engineered with upgraded coils and architecture.  I will upload caps values and case sizes pictures soon


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## GrigoryV

As promised a bit of my experience. Well, firstly, the potential for improving amps is significantly limited and quite expensive. But the fact that mad craftsmen can significantly improve the sound of their ibasso devices is undeniable. Okey, let's go. So the capacitors were replaced in the power supply. It was 1000uF×2 6.3 v nichicon fw. It became 1500 uF×2 6.3 v organic electrolyte. And capacitors in the aisle. It was 22uF×4, became 47uF×4 16v (Elna silmic 2 or nichicon es nonpolar green)or 100uF×4 6.3 v nichicon fine gold. The power supply is considered you need to assign the capacity. Well, actually in the aisle will not interfere with 100uF, although 47 well. But I still might try 100uF silmic2. Soft absorber EMI I have not installed, expensive and nowhere to buy fast. Tried to bypass power and aisle. I believe that this is not appropriate. Although power can be shunted. A aisle does not need to be shunted and even probably harmful. And not fit all of these shunts there. Fine gold excellent capacitors if you like warmth deep and soft bass, not straining high frequency and high-medium frequency, low male vocals and soft female vocals. Silmic2 is good resolution, fine high frequencies but weak bass and bright high-mid frequencies. Nichicon es excellent resolution in all frequency ranges, faster and deeper bass than with silmic2, but less deep than with FG. I'm still on the ES. But now I am listening to the player more often with TFZ galaxy t2. T2 softer headphones and cable I have a hybrid copper-copper-silver plated 2.5 mm. But with Tfz tequila 1 player sounds a little bright. Most of all I liked the combination of tequila with FG. Or rather with tequila es is also good and very atmospheric, but a little bright. Bright also with tequila and silmic2.


----------



## GrigoryV (May 2, 2019)

The most difficult thing in the modifications - wait for the burning of capacitors. I did not burn silmic2 and jumped on the FG. And now I'm on ES. Silmic2 need to burn more than 100 hours. ES is burns too long. But at the moment I'm on ES.  If there are new modifications, I'll post them here. FG is fast burned. ES is very musically, even on cheap headphones. DX 150 and modification 156ES I was reminded of the sound of Sony's ES series. Musically, but with high resolution. But there are not many synthetics in 156ES, quite a bit. With Silmic2 such a not was, but on me with silmic2 bass was worse. Synthetics can be a consequence of the organic electrolyte in the power supply. Need to look for good capacitors in power supply.


----------



## EggofSound (May 3, 2019)

GrigoryV said:


> The most difficult thing in the modifications - wait for the burning of capacitors. I did not burn silmic2 and jumped on the FG. And now I'm on ES. Silmic2 need to burn more than 100 hours. ES is burns too long. But at the moment I'm on ES.  If there are new modifications, I'll post them here. FG is fast burned. ES is very musically, even on cheap headphones. DX 150 and modification 156ES I was reminded of the sound of Sony's ES series. Musically, but with high resolution. But there are not many synthetics in 156ES, quite a bit. With Silmic2 such a not was, but on me with silmic2 bass was worse. Synthetics can be a consequence of the organic electrolyte in the power supply. Need to look for good capacitors in power supply.



You are enjoying remodeling.  Great


----------



## tunes (May 8, 2019)

Whitigir said:


> Yes, the Low voltage rails and high voltage rails are also re-engineered with upgraded coils and architecture.  I will upload caps values and case sizes pictures soon


I have experience with this type of soldering desoldering and actually just purchased a great binocular microscope for circuit work.  It has a camera so can connect a laptop for recording digital images from the microscope. 

If I just mod the AMP 8 to EX for use with the DX220, would it sound as good as the AMP 8EX with the DX 208?  Wondering if it makes sense to get a used AMP8 to practice the mods then purchase a new one and sell the AMP8EX if successful on the first run.  Any chance there is a YouTuber to make a video of the mods or a step by step photo display?   What do the total parts BOM purchase cost including spares?

Great work!

Thanks for sharing this.


----------



## Whitigir

tunes said:


> I have experience with this type of soldering desoldering and actually just purchased a great binocular microscope for circuit work.  It has a camera so can connect a laptop for recording digital images from the microscope.
> 
> If I just mod the AMP 8 to EX for use with the DX220, would it sound as good as the AMP 8EX with the DX 208?  Wondering if it makes sense to get a used AMP8 to practice the mods then purchase a new one and sell the AMP8EX if successful on the first run.  Any chance there is a YouTuber to make a video of the mods or a step by step photo display?   What do the total parts BOM purchase cost including spares?
> 
> ...



I would think that it cost around $120 for BOM and spare parts.

The DX220 + Amp8EX is a wonderful combo.  It is beast like.  I saw you asking in the main thread for this, and here I can respond to you with more details.  The Amp8EX and DX200EX is a crazy combination to beat.  It outperform the Stock DX220 and Amp1 MKII by a huge margins.

Dynamic, balances, finesses, details, extensions, and soundstage width+depth, back ground blackness

Now, if you toss Amp8EX onto Stock DX220.  It becomes a Beast combo.  The only thing it lacks is the Soundstage depth and blackness of the background, but you gain more punches/dynamic, body, and musicality.  

The star here is really that Amp8EX.  Both DX200 and DX220 are excellent platforms.  The DX200 needed the EX applications to further enhance the performances, where as DX220, I don’t feel the need to modify it, beside the Amp8EX.  Then you can see me analyzing the build of DX220 vs the 200, the DX220 itself is a successor to DX200 but using the same DAC-IC. 

So, the answer here is that, if you have the ability to modify your Amp8 into EX, you will Jaw drop with DX220 stock, period.

Welcome to the modifications family of DIY, and hoping to see more successful EX Amp8, even if you list it for sell later, I am sure many people would love to buy it


----------



## tunes

Whitigir said:


> I would think that it cost around $120 for BOM and spare parts.
> 
> The DX220 + Amp8EX is a wonderful combo.  It is beast like.  I saw you asking in the main thread for this, and here I can respond to you with more details.  The Amp8EX and DX200EX is a crazy combination to beat.  It outperform the Stock DX220 and Amp1 MKII by a huge margins.
> 
> ...


Ok

Thanks for the detailed answer and your opinions.  You really motivated me to do this once my amp 8 arrives.  
1. Now is there one place to get all the exact BOM for the mod to place my parts order?
2. Is there an organized step by step photographic tutorial somewhere.  
3.  Does anyone have a dead AMP8 they can send me (will pay shipping) before throwing out to use as a mock trial soldering run?
4.  Once all is done, how do I know if there are any shorts or dead/ cold solder points?
5.  Has anyone done a video ala YouTube to demo the mod?
6. Does the burn in time differ between the stock and mod EX?

Thanks 

Dan


----------



## panasonicst60

I have no soldering skills, but why I'm I here?


----------



## EggofSound

tunes said:


> Ok
> 
> Thanks for the detailed answer and your opinions.  You really motivated me to do this once my amp 8 arrives.
> 1. Now is there one place to get all the exact BOM for the mod to place my parts order?
> ...



Nice to meet you.
This DIY is completely self-responsible, so I do not recommend it, but I would like you to get the wonderful sound of EX.

About your question....

1. At the beginning of this thread, there is an explanation of the parts and suppliers required in the image by Whitigir.
  Please extract only the part of AMP8.
2.I think that this thread is all about EX.
  I have not seen anything else.
3. ...
4.In the case of shorts, the battery may be exhausted in an instant, or it may damage the DX220.
  In the case of dead / cold, there is no sound or noise is generated so you can see immediately.
  Problem avoidance requires your skills, and problem resolution requires your knowledge.

Check the datasheets for each part and I think you will get success in temperature control.
AMP8 is small and the PCB heats up quickly at work.
I think that it is better to divide work several times without rushing work.

I hope you get an EX sound.


----------



## edwardsean

EggofSound said:


> Nice to meet you.
> This DIY is completely self-responsible, so I do not recommend it, but I would like you to get the wonderful sound of EX.
> 
> 4.In the case of shorts, the battery may be exhausted in an instant, or it may damage the DX220.
> ...



Yeah, I'm not sure how comfortable you are soldering small surface mount components but some of them are quite close together and easy to short. 

If you're not in the habit of checking your work under a scope, you should here. For amp8EX you can just use a magnifying glass, or zoom in with a cell phone or iPad. But, you should use some kind of magnification to make sure you don't have any accidental solder bridges. 

I hope you get the EX sound too. It is truly worth it.


----------



## EggofSound

panasonicst60 said:


> I have no soldering skills, but why I'm I here?



I think you are looking for a better sound
You have the best option to ask a technician


----------



## EggofSound

edwardsean said:


> Yeah, I'm not sure how comfortable you are soldering small surface mount components but some of them are quite close together and easy to short.
> 
> If you're not in the habit of checking your work under a scope, you should here. For amp8EX you can just use a magnifying glass, or zoom in with a cell phone or iPad. But, you should use some kind of magnification to make sure you don't have any accidental solder bridges.
> 
> I hope you get the EX sound too. It is truly worth it.







It may be an extra thing. . .
A few solder bridges can be removed with flux, and a clear bridge removal would be better with a thin Wick.
When removing it, the unnecessary solder of Land is removed, and installation becomes easy if the preparation for installation is well done.
I think that there is no problem if there is a tool that you are familiar with.

I feel like this.
Wick: 0.8mm (HOZAN is recommended if available)
Flux: good BS-95B
Flux cleaner: good BS-T20B
Spare solder: good SD-51(SD-62)
You do not need a cat.


----------



## tunes (May 11, 2019)

panasonicst60 said:


> I have no soldering skills, but why I'm I here?


My goal is to build the AMP8 EX.  I will first take


edwardsean said:


> These four notes were the most essential parts of my experience getting to the EX. If you want to know more about how it sounded afterwards I’ve posted on the SQ in the main DX200 thread. I sincerely wish you all best with your modding.
> *
> The Build | notes
> *
> ...




Are the software upgrades still pertinent for the DX 220?


----------



## tunes

In order of descending importance to SQ they are: DSD upconversion, Fidelizer’s Advanced Rom with Lurker’s FW, UAPP, and the latest Oreo 8.1 release.

Are these software mods needed for the DX220?


----------



## edwardsean

tunes said:


> In order of descending importance to SQ they are: DSD upconversion, Fidelizer’s Advanced Rom with Lurker’s FW, UAPP, and the latest Oreo 8.1 release.
> 
> Are these software mods needed for the DX220?



Hey @tunes, Definitely update 220 to the latest FW for 220, and use Lurker's add-on.

As for music player, I love UAPP, but for 220 forego Android and use Mango OS player for optimum sound quality. 

As for audio files, feed the 220 the highest quality files you can and it will reward you accordingly–especially since the 220 redesigned the power delivery to the DAC. 

So, yes, upconversion to DSD512 will give a wonderful boost to SQ.


----------



## tunes

edwardsean said:


> Hey @tunes, Definitely update 220 to the latest FW for 220, and use Lurker's add-on.
> 
> As for music player, I love UAPP, but for 220 forego Android and use Mango OS player for optimum sound quality.
> 
> ...


Where can I get the Lurker's add-on and how is it installed on the DX220?


----------



## EggofSound

tunes said:


> Where can I get the Lurker's add-on and how is it installed on the DX220?



Here you will.

https://lurker00.github.io/Firmware-for-iBasso-DAPs/


----------



## tunes

EggofSound said:


> Here you will.
> 
> https://lurker00.github.io/Firmware-for-iBasso-DAPs/


Thanks for directing me to the file. 

Is there a way to download and transfer from a Mac ?


----------



## edwardsean

tunes said:


> Thanks for directing me to the file.
> 
> Is there a way to download and transfer from a Mac ?



Check the link above. There are two options. The first is for Windows, the second allows you to make a bootable SDcard:


DX220-A8.1-L1.18b2-sdupdate.zip - to use with DX220-bootable SD-card, which can be prepared under any OS.


----------



## tunes

edwardsean said:


> Check the link above. There are two options. The first is for Windows, the second allows you to make a bootable SDcard:
> 
> 
> DX220-A8.1-L1.18b2-sdupdate.zip - to use with DX220-bootable SD-card, which can be prepared under any OS.


Is there also a way to do this via WiFi option without the SD card?


----------



## edwardsean

tunes said:


> Is there also a way to do this via WiFi option without the SD card?


 
No, that would probably have to be done by iBasso directly. This is an add on that Lurker creates out of goodwill to the community. We are fortunate to have it all. 

I also have a Mac, but I install it in Windows under Bootcamp. However, I know that many people use the SDcard method effectively.


----------



## EggofSound (May 11, 2019)

edwardsean said:


> No, that would probably have to be done by iBasso directly. This is an add on that Lurker creates out of goodwill to the community. We are fortunate to have it all.
> 
> I also have a Mac, but I install it in Windows under Bootcamp. However, I know that many people use the SDcard method effectively.



Using an SD-card is easier, but it is also possible on a Mac.
Please read it.

[DX220FirmwareUpdater] link->  [the description and instruction] link-> *An instruction for MacOS users*

After that, I think that the question of FW etc. is appropriate for the thread of DX220.

----
I'm sorry. I made a mistake in the quote destination.


----------



## tunes

EggofSound said:


> Using an SD-card is easier, but it is also possible on a Mac.
> Please read it.
> 
> [DX220FirmwareUpdater] link->  [the description and instruction] link-> *An instruction for MacOS users*
> ...


Thanks for the clarification.


----------



## EggofSound

It is an extreme example to EX but...
The removed parts can be used in a drastic (in some sense, safest) operation if they are not used.

The body of the tantalum cap is scraped little by little from the middle with a nipper, and removed with the pad attached to the Land.
Cut the foot of LDO (LP5907) from the base of the body.
Finally, heat is applied directly to the Land to remove the Pad (lead) of the Land.

I did this with the DX200.
It is a rough method, but you can work in less time without adding heat to other parts as much as possible.

About temperature
Since I use a soldering iron, I ignored the reflow temperature of the data sheet, but instead I soldered in a short time.
  In the case of SS-47 0.6mm, it melts at 210 degrees.
  The SMD 1206 (22uF, 72uF) was set at 220-240 depending on the location.
  The SMD 1311 (100uF, 220uF) was set to 260-280 degrees.
In the case of soldering irons, the temperature drops approximately 30-50 degrees from the set temperature during soldering.
The side where the wide pattern is drawn needs high temperature.

The spare solder is not the actual installation but points to the Pad of Land or Tantalum Cap.
In the image of the coating, it is a very thin 1 second (SMD 1206 is one touch) in a short time.

Temperature calibration is also required for heat guns and solder irons that can be set in temperature.
  In the case of soldering irons in particular, the temperature difference due to the used tip is severe.
  In addition, there are products that require temperature calibration such as HAKKO.
  (My FX-888D has a difference of 50 degrees by default)

After that, PPS (ECHU) is weak to heat and easily broken (deforms)
I think that tweezers should avoid using metal and use the tip of ceramic type.

In the case of AMP7 and AMP8, I think that some people use an electric tweezer.
The pattern of the power supply line is wide and the signal line is thin, so the signal line side is lifted first.
Stop using the tweezers that are separated (floated) on one side.
If you pull it, the Land may come off easily.

AMP7 and AMP8 are still good because of the thickness of the tantalum cap pattern.
AMP1 is different from AMP7 and AMP8, and it is not possible to recommend the tweezers because Land is peeled off easily because of the large number of circuits.
(The same may be true for AMP1 MkII)
It's too convenient and comes with risks...


----------



## tunes

GrigoryV said:


> As promised a bit of my experience. Well, firstly, the potential for improving amps is significantly limited and quite expensive. But the fact that mad craftsmen can significantly improve the sound of their ibasso devices is undeniable. Okey, let's go. So the capacitors were replaced in the power supply. It was 1000uF×2 6.3 v nichicon fw. It became 1500 uF×2 6.3 v organic electrolyte. And capacitors in the aisle. It was 22uF×4, became 47uF×4 16v (Elna silmic 2 or nichicon es nonpolar green)or 100uF×4 6.3 v nichiicon fine gold. The power supply is considered you need to assign the capacity. Well, actually in the aisle will not interfere with 100uF, although 47 well. But I still might try 100uF silmic2. Soft absorber EMI I have not installed, expensive and nowhere to buy fast. Tried to bypass power and aisle. I believe that this is not appropriate. Although power can be shunted. A aisle does not need to be shunted and even probably harmful. And not fit all of these shunts there. Fine gold excellent capacitors if you like warmth deep and soft bass, not straining high frequency and high-medium frequency, low male vocals and soft female vocals. Silmic2 is good resolution, fine high frequencies but weak bass and bright high-mid frequencies. Nichicon es excellent resolution in all frequency ranges, faster and deeper bass than with silmic2, but less deep than with FG. I'm still on the ES. But now I am listening to the player more often with TFZ galaxy t2. T2 softer headphones and cable I have a hybrid copper-copper-silver plated 2.5 mm. But with Tfz tequila 1 player sounds a little bright. Most of all I liked the combination of tequila with FG. Or rather with tequila es is also good and very atmospheric, but a little bright. Bright also with tequila and silmic2.


The Med

The Amp 8 Mod described by Whitgar appears to use only SMD caps for the replacement parts.  Why did you choose large electrolytic for your replacements?


EggofSound said:


> It is an extreme example to EX but...
> The removed parts can be used in a drastic (in some sense, safest) operation if they are not used.
> 
> The body of the tantalum cap is scraped little by little from the middle with a nipper, and removed with the pad attached to the Land.
> ...



Would you be kind enough to send high res photos of before and after the AMP8 EX Mod so I see exactly what is removed from the stock board and what is replaced from each side? 

I really need a step by step road map with photos then I know I can do it as I have the skills, microscope, tools and experience building kits with SMD components etc.  I like your approach of nipping off the native tantalum caps before desoldering the component pads. A few questions below:

Are parts listed below all that I will need?  How many of each do I actually need to cut costs or is just 1 spare for each enough in case one flys off the table and gets lost? Is the  first part listed by Vance (voltage regulator) used for the AMP8 or main SX200 pcb  “https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/595-LP5907MFX-3.3NPB 2x of these, buy 4x for spare” 
I know Whitigir responded to this before but for final clarification, are the parts listed below all that are needed for the AMP8EX mod?
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T543B107K010TE150
12x of these, you buy 14X if spares are needed.

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T527I476M10ATE200
7x of these , buy 10x or so for spares

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T527I226M10ATE200
10x of these, buy 12x for spares

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T543B227K6AHW35
3x of these, buy 4x for spares

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/647-RNE1C471MDN1PX
1x of this, 2 for spares

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

It looks like only one row of larger electrolytic caps on the native AMP8 board are just removed and only the prexeisting SMD caps just swapped out for new SMD caps except for the nichicon 470 uf?  Where is the nichicin 470 uf cap placed? I don’t have the amp to look at yet. 
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/810-IFM10M25BB30020    Is this film RFI shield also used on the AMP8 EX mod and where are they positioned?  Is the film tacky or glued on? A photo would be great as this is the most expensive mod part. 
Is Part 3: Ground path Return Mod really necessary for the EX mod?  What grit number sandpaper and what type is needed ?  From the photo it looks like only the mounting posts on the chassis are sanded not the screw holes on the Amp board pcb?
Thanks for the help

Dan


----------



## EggofSound

tunes said:


> The Med
> 
> The Amp 8 Mod described by Whitgar appears to use only SMD caps for the replacement parts.  Why did you choose large electrolytic for your replacements?
> 
> ...



In the case of AMP8EX, exchange of tantalum Cap is the main.
It is necessary number, but tantalum Cap (KO-CAP) is
100 uF x 10
22 uF x 8
Recognition of.
Please judge for yourself the number of spare Caps.
For AMP8EX, LP5907, 47uF and 220uF are not required.

About Nichicon and TKD sheets
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dx208-ex-modifications.898918/page-2
Please see.

There is no need to rush the work of EX.
There are not many threads, so please browse slowly.
It is important that you open the case of AMP8 and understand the explanation of Whitigir.
(It will be your property)

EX is your sense of achievement. And
I think that you can feel the forgiveness (of circuit design) that allows iBasso.

Music is there to enjoy.


----------



## EggofSound

tunes said:


> The Med
> 
> The Amp 8 Mod described by Whitgar appears to use only SMD caps for the replacement parts.  Why did you choose large electrolytic for your replacements?
> 
> Dan



Whitgar showed the index of DX200EX.
You also have the freedom to DIY the sounds you want.

Music (audio) is not perfect for everyone.


----------



## Whitigir

EggofSound said:


> Whitgar showed the index of DX200EX.
> You also have the freedom to DIY the sounds you want.
> 
> Music (audio) is not perfect for everyone.


Yes, the beauty of DIY ! The freedom to do whatever you want, and as long as you don’t loose the balls


----------



## EggofSound

Whitigir said:


> Yes, the beauty of DIY ! The freedom to do whatever you want, and as long as you don’t loose the balls



I think the relationship between sending and feedback and iBasso reflecting it is great.
I am not good at a community with many strong claims, but I am in this thread


----------



## salavat

EggofSound said:


> I feel like this.
> Wick: 0.8mm (HOZAN is recommended if available)
> Flux: good BS-95B
> Flux cleaner: good BS-T20B
> ...



I agree, I do not need a cat, since I have one, which looks almost the same as yours)).

Oayide is good solder wire, I've would have used WBT and Cardas as well.
Also to note (if anyone performs this upgrade) - clean off the flux completely with some FIux OFF cleaner and then with isopropyl.


----------



## tunes

salavat said:


> I agree, I do not need a cat, since I have one, which looks almost the same as yours)).
> 
> Oayide is good solder wire, I've would have used WBT and Cardas as well.
> Also to note (if anyone performs this upgrade) - clean off the flux completely with some FIux OFF cleaner and then with isopropyl.


Indeed. I like 99% pure isopropyl as it doesn’t leave stains.


----------



## edwardsean

I use 99% isopropyl too. Is there benefit in using Flux off in addition to the alcohol?


----------



## Whitigir

edwardsean said:


> I use 99% isopropyl too. Is there benefit in using Flux off in addition to the alcohol?



Not exactly, 99% Pure alcohol should do the job plenty


----------



## seanwee

I'm curious what op amps the AMP8 module uses, are they labelled?


----------



## bahamot

AMP8 supposed to be discrete module (no opamp) ...


----------



## seanwee

bahamot said:


> AMP8 supposed to be discrete module (no opamp) ...


Ah I see, are all amp modules discrete or do some use op amps?


----------



## bahamot

Only AMP7 and AMP8 are advertised as discrete amp module.


----------



## seanwee

bahamot said:


> Only AMP7 and AMP8 are advertised as discrete amp module.


Thats interesting, has anyone cracked open the amp 1 module and taken a look at its circuitry? 

If it uses op amps then maybe one can replace the built-in ones with the op amps of their preference.


----------



## EggofSound

seanwee said:


> Thats interesting, has anyone cracked open the amp 1 module and taken a look at its circuitry?
> 
> If it uses op amps then maybe one can replace the built-in ones with the op amps of their preference.



Hello.

iBasso is carefully implemented with OPamp and circuit review.
I do not exchange OPamps because I think it was decided after a lot of time and testing.

I have evaluated a lot of OPamps up to now, but to get good sound quality and performance, it is necessary to change the phase compensation and other appropriate circuits for each OPamp.
An OPamp with similar characteristics is only a success if it is a simple exchange.
(OPamp of the image is a part of it that I evaluated, but it took about 2 years for the individual)

I think exchange of OPamp is necessary separately from this EX thread.


----------



## seanwee

EggofSound said:


> Hello.
> 
> iBasso is carefully implemented with OPamp and circuit review.
> I do not exchange OPamps because I think it was decided after a lot of time and testing.
> ...


Dang, that's a mighty impressive collection you have there.

And yeah, it makes sense that ibasso would have picked what they though was best for the amp module. Being able to swap op amps would be kind of fun though. 

One question, would it be feasible to solder dip 8 sockets to the Soic 8 on the audio board? I may get an extra amp 1 MK2 to perform the mod if its possible.


----------



## EggofSound

seanwee said:


> Dang, that's a mighty impressive collection you have there.
> 
> And yeah, it makes sense that ibasso would have picked what they though was best for the amp module. Being able to swap op amps would be kind of fun though.
> 
> One question, would it be feasible to solder dip 8 sockets to the Soic 8 on the audio board? I may get an extra amp 1 MK2 to perform the mod if its possible.



AMP is a multilayer board very small and OPamp is mounted on both sides, so it is impossible to mount a socket.
There is no alternative but to replace directly, but it is technically difficult because other parts are densely packed.

(I am waiting for the arrival of DX220, so I do not know about the actual AMP1 MK2)
Please judge the PCB of AMP by yourself.


----------



## seanwee (May 15, 2019)

EggofSound said:


> AMP is a multilayer board very small and OPamp is mounted on both sides, so it is impossible to mount a socket.
> There is no alternative but to replace directly, but it is technically difficult because other parts are densely packed.
> 
> (I am waiting for the arrival of DX220, so I do not know about the actual AMP1 MK2)
> Please judge the PCB of AMP by yourself.


Yeah, that's why i was considering getting another AMP 1 MK2 module so I can drill holes in it for clearance.

Here's a few pic of the AMP 1 MK2 from the DX220 thread


----------



## Whitigir

Amp modules from Ibasso is 2 sided design.  Anything involving a drilling through will damage the amp.  Unless you understand the schematic and can read the traces well enough to avoid thrilling the top through the bottom without cutting off or shorting any traces.

Such ideas, even myself, and I understand both schematic and traces very well, with some experiences in amp making.....don’t even want to think about 

I am with @EggofSound here, the EX is to extract the most out of stock design under extreme modifications.  Rolling op amps should be on another thread, and even so, it would require lab equipments to make sure no funky and funny oscillations going on at any given sweep


----------



## seanwee

Whitigir said:


> Amp modules from Ibasso is 2 sided design.  Anything involving a drilling through will damage the amp.  Unless you understand the schematic and can read the traces well enough to avoid thrilling the top through the bottom without cutting off or shorting any traces.
> 
> Such ideas, even myself, and I understand both schematic and traces very well, with some experiences in amp making.....don’t even want to think about
> 
> I am with @EggofSound here, the EX is to extract the most out of stock design under extreme modifications.  Rolling op amps should be on another thread, and even so, it would require lab equipments to make sure no funky and funny oscillations going on at any given sweep


Yeah sorry for the OT 

What I intend to do is to use wires to connect the soic 8 socket to a dip 8 socket. No drilling through board. The only drilling involved would be on the housing of the amp module to make space. 

And since I can't measure oscillations and so on, I intend to go through numerous op amps and see how each of them sound. Hence why I wanted to go with sockets in the first place.


----------



## seanwee

Just to confirm, there is solder mask on the PCB right?


----------



## Whitigir (May 15, 2019)

seanwee said:


> Just to confirm, there is solder mask on the PCB right?



Uhm...depends on what you mean ? Specific valued ? Or components ID ? Not exactly.  As you can see in those pictures you posted, they are more like Grouped organizations instead.  The Mask itself is BLack as you see too


----------



## seanwee

Whitigir said:


> Uhm...depends on what you mean ? Specific valued ? Or components ID ? Not exactly.  As you can see in those pictures you posted, they are more like Grouped organizations instead.  The Mask itself is BLack as you see too


No, I meant solder mask that prevents solder from sticking everywhere and causing short circuits. 

In simplest terms, solder only sticks to the contact points and not the black parts right?


----------



## Whitigir

seanwee said:


> No, I meant solder mask that prevents solder from sticking everywhere and causing short circuits.
> 
> In simplest terms, solder only sticks to the contact points and not the black parts right?


Yes, that is correct.  However, small gaps will still make a bridge possible


----------



## seanwee

Whitigir said:


> Yes, that is correct.  However, small gaps will still make a bridge possible


Ok, it should be trivial then. Well, as long as I don't accidentally use too much solder.


----------



## lantian (May 16, 2019)

Thought I can share some progress on my amp1.So far have replaced the nichicon 470uf fw caps. First,just one fw for nichicon Fg, results where encouraging. But the cap was to big in physical size. Compared to stock it had nicer depth to it but base seemed muddy over emphasized, lacked treble.
After reading quite a bit found that panasonic fr should have better balance. First also just replaced one of the two caps to see if ill like how it changes. After listening to chrome sparks on my way to shop, immediately replaced the second one for panasonic fr as well. All the caps have same values as stock.

   
Afterwards curiosity got the better of me and I ordered some silmic 2 470uf 16v and the physical size is way to big, even bigger than nichicon fg of the same value. Perhaps next month gonna get my s*** together and order a 3d printed back cover that can fit all the parts I want.


----------



## EggofSound

Everyone seems to be entertaining ...

Today I finally got it on the Japanese release date of DX220.
Since the conversion adapter of 4.4 was changed from durability to Pentaconn, I would like to consider EX conversion after 300 hours.
Also, the protection sheet is Miyavix OverLay Magic.

Four new electrolytic capacitors are available.
I would like to listen to the combination of stock-cap and KO-CAP.


----------



## rutter

Can someone post a full length video with commentary of successfully completing this mod? I also need a list of tools and working conditions, anything I'd need to know assuming zero experience and knowledge. Amp8EX for dummies. Preferably the video would cover places where you can break the amp. Given iBasso's disinterest in providing maximum performance at a great price I'm considering attempting this mod myself. There was a mention earlier in the thread that the DX220 makes modding the dap itself unnecessary so the amp is the focus.


----------



## EggofSound

How did AMP1 MkII change from AMP1.
After opening the case, I replaced the capacitor for some reason.

The 300 hours was the cause of my mind
Well, it takes about 1000 hours in the end, so I think it is a short time ...


----------



## EggofSound

rutter said:


> Can someone post a full length video with commentary of successfully completing this mod? I also need a list of tools and working conditions, anything I'd need to know assuming zero experience and knowledge. Amp8EX for dummies. Preferably the video would cover places where you can break the amp. Given iBasso's disinterest in providing maximum performance at a great price I'm considering attempting this mod myself. There was a mention earlier in the thread that the DX220 makes modding the dap itself unnecessary so the amp is the focus.



Hello.

I think that there is no video for this thread at all for Amp8EX.
I do not know.

It's hard to start Amp8EX from scratch, so I think that asking for a reliable engineer is also an option.


----------



## rutter

Yea I know. I want to do this myself as I don't know any reliable audio engineers. Some modders claim they welcome the idea for anyone to partake in this. I guess the first question is is this mod doable for someone who has no idea?


----------



## EggofSound

rutter said:


> Yea I know. I want to do this myself as I don't know any reliable audio engineers. Some modders claim they welcome the idea for anyone to partake in this. I guess the first question is is this mod doable for someone who has no idea?



I think no one is against you to do any remodeling, and there is no right to deny anyone.
I think you are welcome.

I think it's great that you work from scratch, but at the same time, I'm worried because I can not count on the hardship involved.
There is no guarantee that anyone can get Amp8 EX by remodeling, and unexpected problems may occur.
But,
I think that's good if you can move forward with affirmation and enjoyment of everything that happens due to remodeling, without rush.


----------



## seanwee

Tl:dr
If you have the confidence to carry out the mod, by all means do so but be warned, not everything will go smoothly all the time. 

@Whitigir any warnings? Steps to really be careful on?


----------



## seanwee

rutter said:


> Yea I know. I want to do this myself as I don't know any reliable audio engineers. Some modders claim they welcome the idea for anyone to partake in this. I guess the first question is is this mod doable for someone who has no idea?


Well, this mod is somewhat of a tutorial in a way. And it's not like you're designing the mod but rather just tracing the steps of an already successful mod. 

Id say its like mapping everest for the first time vs climbing everest with a map.


----------



## rutter (May 18, 2019)

What I'm reading is very far from small steps that can be traced, and reading isn't seeing. It's barely an outline and clearly requires a good deal of knowledge, unless I've missed something. Edwardsean then refers to TDK and GRP that I do not see prior (if TDK is the sheets that limit noise I see that but uncertain what the application steps are, I also see now that the GRP acronym refers to the ground stuff, not sure why we needed an immediate reminder of what was already covered but ok). Overall there's very little information from the perspective of someone who is unfamiliar with everything. The only thing that might suffice is the ground part, and I'm not quite sure whether I'd only be sanding the things on the plastic cover. The good thing is the dap itself doesn't need to be touched so that portion is removed. With the information available there's no way I'm attempting this. I'd only screw up my amp or waste my time. I think a comprehensive full length youtube video would be best as writing and using images would be inefficient. I very much wonder how many functioning amp8EXes are out there.

With a good full length video maybe more people than myself decide to attempt this mod. Then we can happily wait for iBasso's amp15, if not 19.


----------



## EggofSound

rutter said:


> What I'm reading is very far from small steps that can be traced, and reading isn't seeing. It's barely an outline and clearly requires a good deal of knowledge, unless I've missed something. Edwardsean then refers to TDK and GRP that I do not see prior (if TDK is the sheets that limit noise I see that but uncertain what the application steps are). Overall there's very little information from the perspective of someone who is unfamiliar with everything. The only thing that might suffice is the ground part, and I'm not quite sure whether I'd only be sanding the things on the plastic cover. The good thing is the dap itself doesn't need to be touched so that portion is removed. With the information available there's no way I'm attempting this. I'd only screw up my amp or waste my time. I think a comprehensive full length youtube video would be best as writing and using images would be inefficient. I very much wonder how many functioning amp8EXes are out there.
> 
> With a good full length video maybe more people than myself decide to attempt this mod. Then we can happily wait for iBasso's amp15, if not 19.



What is in this thread is all of AMP8EX.

Just follow the instructions for AMP8EX presented by Whitigir at the beginning.
It is not a summary but a clear instruction.

You may be dissatisfied with it, but this thread is for people who can understand the instructions given.

It is your freedom to demand what you think is missing, but it is your freedom to respond.
If you have questions about specific parts, it will be easy to answer.
I think we can help each other with our know-how.

Since you are an AMP-related newbie, no one can respond if you complain that you are not satisfied because you do not have the information I need.
In the information you need
・ Soldering knowledge and experience
・ Knowledge of AMP to read PCB pattern
・ Understanding sound quality for parts
I think communication is easy if it is more specific.

At first everyone is a beginner and gain valuable experience and knowledge through failure and learning.
It's a way for everyone, with no shortcuts.

The necessary information about AMP8EX is in this thread.
You can ask questions to gain the necessary knowledge to run AMP8EX.
You may think that "you need something more systematic and easy for everyone to understand."
(It may be an explanatory video about remodeling)
If you need something that does not exist, it is your job.

DIY is free at the person's own risk.
Welcome to the world of AMP8EX.


----------



## rutter (May 18, 2019)

EggofSound said:


> At first everyone is a beginner and gain valuable experience and knowledge through failure and learning.
> It's a way for everyone, with no shortcuts.



Failure amounts to a loss of $200 with sufficient learning not guaranteed risking further loss. The shortcut is a comprehensive video as is common practice in DIY. Welcome to the bigger world of DIY projects, whether it is building something, modding something, or just putting together a computer. Can't say I understand the continuous promotion of this mod if no one wants to go through the trouble of making it accessible. Then it amounts to bragging. It also isn't free. The parts for the mod cost at least an additional $130.


----------



## seanwee (May 18, 2019)

rutter said:


> Failure amounts to a loss of $200 with sufficient learning not guaranteed risking further loss. The shortcut is a comprehensive video as is common practice in DYI. Welcome to the bigger world of DYI projects, whether it is building something, modding something, or just putting together a computer. Can't say I understand the continuous promotion of this mod if no one wants to go through the trouble of making it accessible. Then it amounts to bragging. It also isn't free. The parts for the mod cost at least an additional $130.


And so that is the risk of modding. Every DIYer knows that modding comes with a certain amount of risk.

If we screw up and fry the entire amp 8, so be it. We've accepted and understood the risk of modding the moment we held the soldering iron.

And about the "promoting", id say its justified. @Whitigir achieved something great after who knows how many hours and how many hundreds and maybe even thousands of dollars. It is his right to be proud of his achievement.


----------



## rutter

Do you have one?


----------



## seanwee

rutter said:


> Do you have one?


Absolutely not, I'm still waiting for a demo unit of the DX220 to arrive in my country. Then I'll see if I like the DX220 and if I do, I'll get one.


----------



## rutter

Then you wouldn't know if it's justified.  I'd like to give it a shot. If this is such a work of pride that came at a substantial cost you'd figure Whitigir would try to spread the fruits of his labor rather than bask in esotericism. It shouldn't be so painful to do a video of the creation of one amp8EX so that the vast majority of people outside of this thread can replicate the thing. Read the first few posts. In fact, look at Whitigir's first three posts. Those aren't amp8EX instructions. It's a helpful prompt Severus Snape would put on an exam for which he assigned several chapters to study from, and a chunk of it deals with modifying the DX200. No wonder this thread is so inactive and people think this is just a few audiobros doing their own little thing. Whitigir basically talks about the amp8EX in multiple threads across this forum and virtually no one has the slightest clue what he's talking about. You have to have an eye for the "sale", to put it in enticingly crude terms. We're already familiar with the rapturous sound impression at the very top.


----------



## seanwee

rutter said:


> Then you wouldn't know if it's justified.  I'd like to give it a shot. If this is such a work of pride that came at a substantial cost you'd figure Whitigir would try to spread the fruits of his labor rather than bask in esotericism. It shouldn't be so painful to do a video of the creation of one amp8EX so that the vast majority of people outside of this thread can replicate the thing. Read the first few posts. In fact, look at Whitigir's first three posts. Those aren't amp8EX instructions. It's a helpful prompt Severus Snape would put on an exam for which he assigned several chapters to study from, and a chunk of it deals with modifying the DX200. No wonder this thread is so inactive and people think this is just a few audiobros doing their own little thing. Whitigir basically talks about the amp8EX in multiple threads across this forum and virtually no one has the slightest clue what he's talking about. You have to have an eye for the "sale", to put it in enticingly crude terms. We're already familiar with the rapturous sound impression at the very top.


And you're right, I wouldn't know if it's justified. Heck, I haven't even decided if I like the DX220 yet.

And I believe @Whitigir stated that he isn't in this for the money so he won't be making another amp 8EX anytime soon. 

Sure, it'll be easy to take a video of the entire procedure but he likely isn't going to make an amp 8 EX from scratch again.


----------



## rutter

Not for the money, for the joy and pride of having more of us adopting the amp8EX. Edwardsean is reading this too. Maybe he can reclaim the manhood he claimed to have lost in that post at the top of this thread by finishing an amp8EX (echo effect) on tape.


----------



## seanwee

rutter said:


> Not for the money, for the joy and pride of having more of us adopting the amp8EX. Edwardsean is reading this too. Maybe he can reclaim the manhood he claimed to have lost in that post at the top of this thread by finishing an amp8EX (echo effect) on tape.


My point is that he has no reason to make another AMP8 EX. I doubt he wants to spend the time and effort to redo something he has already achieved. 

In addition to that and as you said before, it's not cheap to mod an amp 8. Not to mention that he will have to get another amp 8 module too.


----------



## rutter

Ok, if the people who care about this mod don't want to try to popularize it so be it. You just told me he spent thousands of dollars and who knows how many hours developing and perfecting it and now he won't spend another $350 and a few hours to demonstrate it so we can all make it. If that makes so much sense so be it. I don't know how to argue with that.


----------



## rutter (May 18, 2019)

seanwee said:


> My point is that he has no reason to make another AMP8 EX. I doubt he wants to spend the time and effort to redo something he has already achieved.
> 
> In addition to that and as you said before, it's not cheap to mod an amp 8. Not to mention that he will have to get another amp 8 module too.



You know what, how about this for a compromise? I'll send him my amp8, pay for USPS flat-rate small box shipping round-trip, pay $130 for the parts and $70 for labor, and he shows everyone how to make the amp8EX mod so that when he posts in threads time after time how great this mod is people can actually agree with and appreciate what he is saying.

I'll pay the $200 upfront as a Paypal gift. He may even have the parts lying around in the spares he has already purchased. Lol, I'll even agree to a conditional non-disclosure agreement. If I don't like the mod I'm not going to write my impressions of it. It's like I'm trying to appease the devil in a deal here. How confident are you in your mod?


----------



## McCol

Its worth remembering that a modder may not wish to make one for you, there is a risk they may mess it up and then your amp8 is history.  You may also not like the sound once you receive it back.  The modder may also not want to do it as then he may have dozens of others asking him for the same service.

I admire the DIY-modders but it's not something I would try myself, I know I'd be capable of frying either whatever I was working on or burning my house down!!! (slight exaggeration but you get the drift).  

I always consider Head-fi as a bit of a nerds hangout with varying degrees of nerds involved in various sections.  When I tell people of my hobby of buying various earphones, daps, dacs and amps they look at me in a funny kind of way, almost the way I might look at modders espicially one's who mod eartips with all manners of crazy modifications such as backward fitting tips stuffed inside symbio tips etc etc.

This is not a dig by the way just my own light hearted take on the whole headfi community.  We are despite what seems like a large number of people still a bunch of nerds and geeks in the larger scheme of real life!!


----------



## rutter

And I'll agree to if my amp8 is befallen with an unfortunate incident I won't ask for my money back. Paypal gift money isn't refundable and dependent on a return. Like I said, if I don't like the sound I won't even post an impression. He can pick just one person to do it for, and he is getting compensated regardless, plus he is doing what he supposedly wants- he increases the exposure of the mod, for the sake of others and/or for his own. The entirety of the mod being recorded on video with explanations may even make it possible for you to just copy what you see and Do It Yourself. Whitigir isn't shy about going in other threads and bringing this mod in particular up as the pinnacle of iBasso DX2** sound that favorably trades punches with the >$3000 Sony WM1Z. Why is he doing that if people can't do this mod for themselves? How are even technicians supposed to do this mod given the dearth of instruction?

Pick one or the other. Either go through the trouble of posting responsible and conscientious instructions on how to do this mod or stop teasing people constantly with it. I don't understand what pride is involved with this when the guy doesn't bother to properly document what he does in this mod. I've read his first three posts in this thread multiple times and it just doesn't make sense. It's either so simple he doesn't need to say or describe much or he's leaving a lot out.


----------



## McCol

I think whitigir has done all he needs to as a modder. He has no obligation or duty to do any more. He has posted and talked about his mod, there are instructions that if you know your stuff are probably ok to follow.  It's not his place to follow through with a step by step guide for novices like you or I.  
A few years ago I bought a few connectors from a member here who used to make them to order, started as a modder then he decided to sell to the likes of me who are clueless at modding!  I'd imagine this mod may be timely for whitigir or others to offer a service making them for people


----------



## rutter

You are correct that he has zero obligation or duty to do anything for anyone. But if he's going to leave things unexplained and beyond the understanding of most of us to follow in his footsteps then his repeated mentions of the superlative quality of this mod not only in iBasso threads but even in those of other daps is obnoxious. Why are you going in others threads posting about how great this mod is when in its own thread you don't spell out for the rest of the community how to do it? That's just frustrating for people like me who want to take this person seriously. I have sunk $3000 in iBasso and iems. Here comes this guy telling me that for $130 extra the ball is going to get smacked out of the park. Awesome. Well now what? The first post lists the components and is comprised of a bunch of pictures half of which have nothing to do with the DX220. I think the red markings are trying to communicate, but 220uF (maybe the letters are just in the wrong order) and a bunch of circles do not instill me with a lot of belief in my ability to divine the steps I should be following. The second post is comprised of one picture and something about hot air. There are five sentences, one of which is warning me that I'm going to trash my amp. The third post is the "Ground path Return Mod". I kid you not, go to the first page and try to follow these posts. Then click on the first thing at the start of the thread and read what you're missing out on. Unbelievable.


----------



## McCol

I do get where you are coming from however I don't really see an issue with it.  Any modder is quite entitled to talk about and praise their own mod, if I knew what I was doing then maybe the instructions would make sense to me, if I was that bothered then I would learn from other sites that give basic instructions in PCB and soldering and all that malarkey, as it is I'm fine with DX220 the way it is.  I always think it's worth remembering that this is a specialist community in a very niche market, where I live I see nobody with earphones that cost more that £50, no DAPs or dacs and amps just airpods and smartphones.  Puts into perspective how niche we are, this in turn then shows how niche modding is.


----------



## rutter (May 18, 2019)

McCol said:


> I do get where you are coming from however I don't really see an issue with it.  Any modder is quite entitled to talk about and praise their own mod



Right, no rules are broken. But it's an indecent thing to do. Now check this out. Read this full post from page 4, I've used formatting for emphasis.



Whitigir said:


> I would think that it cost around $120 for BOM and spare parts.
> 
> The DX220 + Amp8EX is a wonderful combo.  It is beast like.  I saw you asking in the main thread for this, and here I can respond to you with more details.  The Amp8EX and DX200EX is a crazy combination to beat.  It outperform the Stock DX220 and Amp1 MKII by a huge margins.
> 
> ...



Go to the start of the thread. The first part and the beginning of the second is a list of components. That's good. The process starts with the DX200, which we can ignore. This is literally the remainder of the post that applies to the amp8EX:



Whitigir said:


> *Amp8 Hardware: *unlike Amp8W*, the EX, No MLCC will be used, and No Bi-Cap
> 
> *
> 
> ...



What in the blue hell is even a technician supposed to do with this? If it's all common sense among these people to such an implicit extent I can only imagine what iBasso is doing with the stock amps.

Here is the totality of the second post:



Whitigir said:


> Edited
> 
> Updated with better pictures, and those pictures are meant for processing.  I did not take pictures of completed DAP, because there is nothing to look at lol....
> 
> **Tip** for the Amp8, the *Bicap* or Grey *Panasonic* HD and original AVX Tantalum can be removed with hot-air altogether, by taking out the Tantalum while grabbing onto it and not the main grey caps.  *(Do not use force, these pads are easily lifted and if it does, your module is trash) *Once the Tantalum came off, the big cap can be grabbed out.  If you slip, it could blew away resistors and caps above it.  But due to how sensitive this part of the board are, I recommend Hot-air and a very steady robot pair of arms



And the third post is a grounding mod, sanding a few things that he determined should be sanded incidentally. That's just an appendage, or an appendix.

What am I supposed to do? Prostrate myself before this person and try to wade through a highly inconvenient "exposition" of his mod hoping to glean things that would help me enough to get me to screw up my amp? When I ask for a standard DIY guide I should have every conceivable excuse thrown back at me? I don't understand the attitude. All I want to do is to avail myself of this man's mod. But you can't ask anything of this person. Why did he post this mod in the first place? You absolutely have to read that link at the very top he put up there. This whole thing is just bizarre. And he keeps just liking posts! lol Absolutely incredible. I'm sorry, but this is downright childish.


----------



## McCol

I really don't see an issue. 

He's posted the parts needed. 

Anybody wanting to mod would now need to know how to do it, when I read through the thread and other similar threads it's like a strange language but they all seem to know what they are doing!
If you or I wanted to do this I'm assuming we would need some level of modding knowledge that maybe a video on this mod wouldn't cover.

For all we know it might sound total garbage (only joking whitigir!!)


----------



## rutter (May 18, 2019)

Ok, so I'm just ignorant of the "etiquette"? It's pretty funny just looking at how little he actually posted pertaining to the mod which we have to assume is somehow packed with meaning. And at the same time he wishes the broader community would replicate and use his awesome mod. He can suit himself. I wish him luck. There's a word for this. Keep liking posts, buddy. Nice having a constructive dialogue with you.


----------



## EggofSound

rutter said:


> Failure amounts to a loss of $200 with sufficient learning not guaranteed risking further loss. The shortcut is a comprehensive video as is common practice in DIY. Welcome to the bigger world of DIY projects, whether it is building something, modding something, or just putting together a computer. Can't say I understand the continuous promotion of this mod if no one wants to go through the trouble of making it accessible. Then it amounts to bragging. It also isn't free. The parts for the mod cost at least an additional $130.



There are many ways to AMP8EX.
Parts removal is the same as the repair process, such as heat guns, soldering irons and cuts.
Parts can be installed in a variety of ways, including reflow machines, heat guns, soldering irons, or combinations thereof.
YouTube already has many such how-to videos.

It's up to you to choose the exchange method, and no one knows what exchange method you choose.
Does the AMP8EX video need to be produced a lot according to each person's style?
You also have written about expenses.

Usually, I think that one AMP8EX is good.
People who like the sound of AMP8EX and want to "get OK, buy AMP8 and shoot videos" are people who like photography.

This is the basic thing of DIY. . .
You can share knowledge in this thread, but you can not provide the technology you need.
Everyone does not have to remodel with the skills to AMP8EX from the beginning.
Prepare PCBs and SMDs for practice, learn the selection and use of necessary tools, temperature conditions, and gradually smaller SMD sizes
I think that it will challenge exchange. There are also things to learn from failure.
There is no shortcut in this process.
It is not recommended to remodel AMP8 EX if you feel that you are "bragging".


----------



## rutter

Forget it. I'll see myself out. Enjoy the amp.


----------



## seanwee

Ok so what other head-fiers have successfully completed the amp 8 Ex mod besides Whitigir?


----------



## Whitigir

seanwee said:


> Ok so what other head-fiers have successfully completed the amp 8 Ex mod besides Whitigir?


@edwardsean has had it done, and so is @EggofSound .  I believe @EggofSound also love the EX tuning so much that he applied it to Amp7 and his latest is Amp1


----------



## seanwee

Looking through the for sale/trade section I noticed this 

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/interests-test-dx200titanium-ex-modified-sold.906843/

@Whitigir so to clarify, DX200 TI mod > DX200 mod = DX220 stock? 

Referring to main body mod only


----------



## Whitigir

seanwee said:


> Looking through the for sale/trade section I noticed this
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/interests-test-dx200titanium-ex-modified-sold.906843/
> 
> ...



Dx200TI-EX is better than stock 200TITANIUM which is already better than Dx200.

Nope! DX220 pale in comparison to Dx200Ti-EX.  However, Dx220 is equally as good as DX200Ti stock, but both of them have different sound signatures, though same tier and performances wise


----------



## seanwee

Whitigir said:


> Dx200TI-EX is better than stock 200TITANIUM which is already better than Dx200.
> 
> Nope! DX220 pale in comparison to Dx200Ti-EX.  However, Dx220 is equally as good as DX200Ti stock, but both of them have different sound signatures, though same tier and performances wise


So would a DX220 EX mod be on the way? 

And how would you describe the  sound signatures of the DX220 vs DX200 TI?


----------



## rutter

I think he said modding the dap is unnecessary.



Whitigir said:


> The DX220 + Amp8EX is a wonderful combo.  It is beast like.  I saw you asking in the main thread for this, and here I can respond to you with more details.  The Amp8EX and DX200EX is a crazy combination to beat.  It outperform the Stock DX220 and Amp1 MKII by a huge margins.
> 
> Dynamic, balances, finesses, details, extensions, and soundstage width+depth, back ground blackness
> 
> ...



I don't know.


----------



## Whitigir

seanwee said:


> So would a DX220 EX mod be on the way?
> 
> And how would you describe the  sound signatures of the DX220 vs DX200 TI?



Yeah, I did post rough ideas about the differences there.


----------



## seanwee

Whitigir said:


> Yeah, I did post rough ideas about the differences there.


There?


----------



## EggofSound

As we have noticed about AMP ECHU (PPS) exchange, we will share it.
(There is no cat, because there is no image)

Compared to AMP1 (MkII), the pattern of tantalum Cap part of AMP7 and AMP8 is thicker.
The width of the pattern seems to be taken wider depending on the number of circuits.

AMP1MkII (V7.0) rises from AMP1 (V6.0), but there seems to be no change in pattern intensity.
Hereinafter, it will be described as AMP1.

Work with more care when replacing parts of AMP1.
I thought that the Land of the ceramic Cap part of the jack part after the output stage was the smallest and it was weak to heat, but there was not a big difference in the strength between the tantalum of the power supply part and the parallel part of the electrolytic Cap.
(The ceramic Cap part thinks that it is the same as AMP7 and AMP8)

Part removal of these parts seems to be high even at 260 degrees.
Even if I lift it with a slight force because I thought it was floating, the Land will peel off.
If it is lowered to 240, the earth side where the pattern is written for a long time does not float easily and as a result it will give a long heat.

In the exchange of AMP7 to ECHU, I removed 4 Lands.
After all, it was still better to heat the ceramic Cap situation by hitting the tip of the D-type (minus driver type) from the side.

It is hard to recover with a jumper later.
The Land part connected from the back of the PCB was soldered by opening the pin hole with tweezers and inserting the OFC wire a little.
(Although the solder bridge alone makes a sound ....)

In the case of a handa chopsticks, it may be easier to be prepared for failure, as the condition is the same for all AMPs in exchange of ECHU.
In this part, I think that it is safer to use solder and heat gun up to the tantalum body.
(The subsequent removal of the solder bridge may be troublesome ...)

As AMP8 has few ECHUs, I think it is the most comfortable.
However, I think that the registers of both ends are close and bridge by default.
(I think that one side is not a problem by leaving, but it is a neck that ECHU is a little bigger than ceramic)
If you are not concerned, you may be happy with a lot of flux and cream solder.


----------



## seanwee

EggofSound said:


> As we have noticed about AMP ECHU (PPS) exchange, we will share it.
> (There is no cat, because there is no image)
> 
> Compared to AMP1 (MkII), the pattern of tantalum Cap part of AMP7 and AMP8 is thicker.
> ...


Well that was a sorta hard to read 

Can't blame you, translation software is still a little iffy when it comes to technical terms. 

Do you have the original text in Japanese?


----------



## EggofSound

seanwee said:


> Well that was a sorta hard to read
> 
> Can't blame you, translation software is still a little iffy when it comes to technical terms.
> 
> Do you have the original text in Japanese?



I was sorry.
However, I chose the words carefully, so there is no Japanese original.
We will refrain from posting long sentences in the future

Please forget the previous post.
Instead, we will add 3 lines of summary and sound quality.
1. I removed the land of the pattern even though the ceramic cap was removed carefully.
2. I intended to replace it, but I enjoyed it for a long time by adding recovery time.
3. With ECHU, medium to high tones are smoother and clearer.

It is like this.


----------



## EggofSound

Hello.
I may not access this thread anymore, so I would like to briefly describe the process and opinion about DX28EX.

The sound quality of the DX200 lined high in Japan where I live.
On the other hand, I did not expect much about DAP.

The first DAP I used is the Pioneer XDP-30R.
The initial evaluation was the worst, and the reviews at that time were filled with bad reviews.
However, I continued to use it for a year, believing the specifications published by Pioneer.

Many people may laugh at me, but I like to make DACs and AMPs, and I'm one of my hobbies, I'm convinced that all the parts perform their performance, DAC, OPAMP, There is an order of the register, CAP, etc., but at least half a year to 1 year is required.

Although this is difficult to evaluate with auditory sound quality, it has been verified with visual equipment that can be recognized visually and precision measuring instruments.
(Discussion is beyond my category, so please refer to expert literature and verification papers)

I valued the XDP-30R from the easy price with satisfaction.
Then I asked for a sound quality of XDP-30R or higher at a place where I could audition in Japan.
And I learned about the possibilities of DX200 in June 2018.

However, since DX200 AMP1 was not my sound, I tried to replace the smoothing capacitor of the power supply.
So I learned about Amp8 / W remodeling by Whitigir.
The Cap selected by Whitigir is KZH, Toshin, and Organic Polymaer are parts common to my DIY, and I think that there is no big difference in the tendency of the sound quality I like.
And it came to DX208EX.

The results are very satisfying and thankful to him and I am looking for further improvements in sound quality.
As I am not good at speaking about sound quality because English is inconvenient, I have only posted the methods and tips I have implemented so far.
KSE1500 that I use as a main is SE, so I am searching for improvement of AMP7, AMP1 and sound quality.
It is the hint that DX208EX presented by Whitigir is the beginning.

There is Sohin SE and Panasonic PPS as the superlative sound quality that everyone in high-end audios admits.
Whilst Tantalum Cap was considered to be a compromise between capacity and price, Whitigir filled the gap between small and large volumes with KO-CAP.
It matches very well with the iBasso design (module amp).
I think that i love iBasso and EX and seek further improvement of the real sound unless it changes.

I'm sorry if I get confused by ugly English.
I tried to express my mind for the first time. Goodbye to one end.


----------



## Whitigir

@EggofSound , oh common, don’t leave us


----------



## rutter

Any familiarity with WindowsX' mods?


----------



## Whitigir (May 22, 2019)

Thank you to @bden59 for helping me to enable the EX modifications for DX220.  The goal is to preserve bass slam, timbres density, further enhance them in controls, dynamic and punches, improving clarity, details, trebles extensions.

There will be 2 parts of the EX just like Dx200.

_Disclaimer:_* by modifying your unit, you risk permanently damaging your dedicated player, and you are sure to void the warranty.  Only proceed when you are ready to lose your player and take all the risk as a man wearing his pants **. To anyone who can and will perform these modifications, please keep in mind that it was developed for enthusiasts and by enthusiasts, so please keep the labor reasonable.*

1/ part 1: Hardware Modifications

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

You will replace a total 15 capacitors and 5 different values

Layout is as in the pictures.  Ask if any questions

_Tips: _* in order to open up Dx220, you need to take out the Amp module.  There will be 2 screws with 1 under the warranty label.  Unscrew then, then use a sucker to split up the back from the side of the 2 screws.  It will be a bit tough to get it in and out.

*tape the side buttons up* or else they will come loose and give you some funky business.  Remember to take out the MicroSD

After unscrewing 4 screws, and remove ribbon cables (only 2) .... Lift the PCB from the bottom from side to side with a tweezer, be patient as there are cooling thermal plaster which keep it attached to the back chassis.  Then push in the SPDIF uptop and take out.


 
 
 
 
*
2/ Part 2 is TDK noise absorbing sheets.  You will apply it upon IC chips similar to DX200EX


----------



## artpiggo

rutter said:


> Any familiarity with WindowsX' mods?


Difference is whitigir shares idea for.modding for free.


----------



## rutter (May 22, 2019)

That's funny.  Unless you have a lot of background knowledge you can't replicate it, and paying a technician to do it is the same thing. Whitigir, as well any of the only three people who have done it, generally rejects requests to be paid to do it. So who are you kidding? WindowsX at least doesn't tease and acts like a professional. Talk to him sometime. Edwardsean recommended him to me and claimed he's a professional. Whitigir is free to give people better options, but this is just a little pet project for him. He can't even be bothered to detail the steps he takes.


----------



## artpiggo

Just teasing with him. We know each other in real life and he knows my personality.


----------



## WindowsX (May 22, 2019)

I'm fully supportive for people sharing ideas but my position is beyond the point I can share modding recipe like I used to when I was a university student.

Imagine someone took my recipe to mod and claim it sounds bad. That's not the same as he get the unit modded by me. And I'm not in position to risk my reputation on DIY recipe.

So when someone dedicate their time and effort to learn something and share with others, I always feel good to see this and I always make free solution for everyone whenever possible.

What Vince share will surely be very beneficial to DIY community and I encourage people who want to DIY to do it if they are capable to.

Regards,
Keetakawee


----------



## edwardsean

WindowsX said:


> I'm fully supportive for people sharing ideas but my position is beyond the point I can share modding recipe like I used to when I was a university student.
> 
> Imagine someone took my recipe to mod and claim it sounds bad. That's not the same as he get the unit modded by me. And I'm not in position to risk my reputation on DIY recipe.
> 
> ...



Yes, there are DIY modders and professionals. Some depend on it for their livelihood and others decidedly don’t do so. The community only benefits from having an array of options because the community also has a range of skill levels.  As someone on the low low side of those skills I’m grateful to everyone who contributes to us.


----------



## edwardsean

Congratulations Whit on another successful mod!


----------



## Whitigir (May 26, 2019)

Having done the main body of Dx220 into EX I found that the Amp1 MkII even with the simple modifications of Amp1-i Mkii.  That is to have an additional TK 330uf/16V to improve the bass and smoothness for the trebles.  The trebles still isn’t vivid enough for the main Dx220-EX, and at places it would be grainy.  Furthermore, the bass would be nicer to be even more controlled.  So why don’t I just find a way to apply the EX on the Amp1 MkII ?

You will need

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T543B107K010TE150
12x of these
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T520A226M10ANE080
8x of these
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/United-Chemi-Con/APSF160ETD331MH08S?qs=sGAEpiMZZMsIwzbKW1rlgSWQN9RXKYWUcFOkF6uObJg=
1x of these if you can not find TK 330uf/16V.  This one has pretty close signature

***disclaimer*** you are doing it at your own risk.  If messed up, you could trash your amp module with permanent damage

*Tips*: *_pay attentions to the caps polarity! Be careful with robotic arms as parts are densely packed, one wrong move can knock parts out of it place and you will have a hell of a time_

The goal of this is to get better details with more vivid trebles resolutions and smoothness.  Once again, the EX modifications has turned the Amp1 MKII into something that has surpassed my expectations.  It can drive HD800S pretty well, except my Aiva which need mini-Dynalo.

Ibasso and their amp designs are simply brilliant

 

_*Now, the dx220 with EX to it main body , has the capability to pump out bass/subbass/dynamic like a beast!*_ And I meant it is quality everywhere ! So, if you have performed this EX Amp1 _*and not enough of those ?* Only do this if you want more of those...***_ , you can further improve it with 47uF/16V TK capacitors.  If you do not have TK, once again, get your United Chemicon to the closest signature of TK, but Ofcourse you can go for your favorite Brands
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/United-Chemi-Con/ESMG160ELL470ME11D?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtZ1n0r9vR22VbXODVWNANWIhP4vJep068=


----------



## EggofSound




----------



## edwardsean (May 26, 2019)

EggofSound said:


>



Hey, what do you think of the sound?

Beautiful job as always.

My parts arrive next week.


----------



## EggofSound

edwardsean said:


> Hey, what do you think of the sound?
> 
> Beautiful job as always.
> 
> My parts arrive next week.



Hello.
I replaced 1311 the day the DX 220 arrived, and after that 1206 I do not understand the difference well

However, my KES1500 matches DX227EX more than DX207EX.


----------



## Whitigir

EggofSound said:


>



Lovely job done! Congratulation


----------



## EggofSound

Whitigir said:


> Lovely job done! Congratulation



iBasso has released DX220.

I only applied the DX208EX disclosed by Whitigir to the DX220.
(You already had DX228 released)

To enjoy the wonderful music more.
Toast to DIY


----------



## EggofSound (May 30, 2019)

I'm sorry. Removed duplicates.

----







It is perfect for the case if you replace it without thinking.
As the vibration is transmitted to Cap as it is, I cut the case

It is a sample that it is better to reattach it honestly

Because I wasted writing, I inserted it


----------



## EggofSound

As you have a question, it is an image after Ko-cap exchange.
Described the polarity and value.


----------



## Whitigir

You have such a clean, neat and nice work! Love it


----------



## EggofSound

Whitigir said:


> You have such a clean, neat and nice work! Love it



Thank you to everyone involved with you and EX.
Since it became easy from 200EX, it would be appreciated if many people could listen to the sound of 220EX.

Respect for iBasso.


----------



## Whitigir

Oh yes! Dx220EX is a force to reckon with.  Even the 200EX can easily keep you away from buying any other stock DAP by other manufacturers .  I respect Ibasso a lot for their DX200/220 platform too!

Again, I love your work .


----------



## EggofSound (Jun 4, 2019)

DX227EX
In my environment I wanted to reduce the Hi range a bit, so I added KZH 220uF to AMP7.
The capacity is gradually reduced to 100uF.

------ Appending
I changed it to 22uF, and removed the KZH Cap.
After all, it took 500 hours for burn-in before the sound settled down.






 Since the shield was strengthened with DX220, the induction noise of the smartphone cooler was not bothered at all.




It is comfortable even for 24 hours playing.


----------



## EggofSound

You can enjoy it anytime with iBaso.
How about EX?
Music is enough.


----------



## EggofSound

I tried to listen to SR1 with DX228EX ECHU exchanged.
(SR1 has 3 holes of about 2mm in the housing)
PT1 and cable are CB15.
The sound stage is wide and sounds very natural.
There is only a small amount of characteristic sweetness in the low to mid range.

When it changes to the cable of the silver coating, in the wide range, the afterglow of the high region is beautiful.
SR1 may be able to hear sensual sounds on AMP9 and DX220EX, which will be released in the future.


----------



## EggofSound

The resolution of DX227EX is further sublimated by ECHU.
The sound is as delicate as silk and captures even the subtle afterglow when the sound disappears.
With KO-Cap and ECHU, the bandwidth is straight in a wide range.

KO-Cap is a replacement for high-grade tantalum Cap, but ECHU is a replacement for ceramic Cap, so it is separate from iBaaso's sound design.

It takes time to evaluate ECHU in EX.
PPS Film Cap can easily check the change in sound quality when it is used directly for signal lines such as coupling, but it is often used, but EX is adopted for the jack part.

As it takes time to repair the damage caused by the added heat, depending on the situation, please give about 300 hours for evaluation.
(The sound gradually turns clear and delicate)





Finish of DX227EX
The sound is gradually adjusted with the passage of time, but the sound balance of the amazing resolution is as straight as a measuring instrument.
It's not a pyramidal music balance that gives you comfort, so it gives the test to the pair Hp/earphones.

At the same time, you will get the opportunity to maximize your knowledge of the sound quality of Cap obtained by DIY.
If you have the patience of EX's devil's DIY charm, you can stop at KO-Cap to save time and enjoy music.

The DX227EX pair is a capacitor type KSE1500, so it forms the necessary music balance.
I used Nichicon KA.

Nichicon has a very strong 1-point relief audio Muse series.
Audio Cap has a peculiarity in sound quality, but Muse is not all-arounder and is the most difficult class to use.

I think that I would like to make the low to mid range a natural music balance with KA.
I think 470μF is a little larger capacity, but also aims to expand the dynamics at the same time.
The only concern is the claim that the highs are clean.

In about 100 hours, the whole sound was quite well-set, and the high-range rundown arrived calmly.
From now on, electrolytic capacitors will show their abilities, so I would like to listen to them as they are.

So far the power supply smooth part
Nippon Chemi-Con APSF160ELL471MHB5S 16V 470μF
Toshin kogyo (TK) 1CUTSJ221M0 16V 220μF
Nichicon KA UKA1 C 471 MPD 16 V 470μF
Is a combination of three.

---
The first impression of KA is the worst.
It sounds like a white noise-like server with a mistuned radio that does not seem like a high grade audio product.
The noise disappears after about 24 hours, and the volume rises slightly, but in about 50 hours, the high-range EX and KA sounds can still be heard separately.


----------



## Whitigir

Yeah UKA is the newest line but also sound horrible when breaking in, and especially at the first 20 hours it sound very muddy, and boomy.  None the less, I love UKA just as much after burn in.


----------



## EggofSound

Whitigir said:


> Yeah UKA is the newest line but also sound horrible when breaking in, and especially at the first 20 hours it sound very muddy, and boomy.  None the less, I love UKA just as much after burn in.



When I use KA, I enjoy the special Bass from the second day to the third day


----------



## EggofSound

I tried to play AMP9 for 7 consecutive days.
I feel that there is a slight overtone over a general vacuum tube, but this sound is fun.
As 6P1 is good to listen while tilting brandy glass, I feel that EX conversion is not necessary.
Since hiss noise can be controlled by a cable, I think it is better to select an earphone for AMP9.

Certainly you may choose a genre.
Sometimes I think it's fun to listen to AMP9 as it changes the mood from AMP7, 8EX to enjoy the classic.

I would like to think about remodeling of AMP9 after the matching earphone is decided.


----------



## GrigoryV (Jul 13, 2019)

Back with 156Silmik2 on 156ES + Cerafine in the power supply. Had to drill into the Cabinet hole 2.8 mm for output Cerafine. I thought silmik 2 was the ultimate tweak. But buying on Ali a new cable by fully copper, without silver content. I again took a chance on a replacement. And. .. the power contacts fell off. But I was not discouraged... I soldered the power wires from the back side))) Cerafine was on the cabinet. And this is the last tweak. Because the ES gives maximum musicality, resolution, and atmosphere. Bipolar truly suited for music playback... I'm stuck on Emily Sande... Daddy(feat. Naughty Boy) was mind-blowing. Non nobis domine non nobis sed nomini tuo da gloriam.


----------



## Whitigir

GrigoryV said:


> Back with 156Silmik2 on 156ES + Cerafine in the power supply. Had to drill into the Cabinet hole 2.8 mm for output Cerafine. I thought silmik 2 was the ultimate tweak. But buying on Ali a new cable by fully copper, without silver content. I again took a chance on a replacement. And. .. the power contacts fell off. But I was not discouraged... I soldered the power wires from the back side))) Cerafine was on the cabinet. And this is the last tweak. Because the ES gives maximum musicality, resolution, and atmosphere. Bipolar truly suited for music playback... I'm stuck on Emily Sande... Daddy(feat. Naughty Boy) was mind-blowing. Non nobis domine non nobis sed nomini tuo da gloriam.


Pictures Please


----------



## GrigoryV




----------



## GrigoryV




----------



## GrigoryV

It looks ugly. But while I do not know where to hide Cerafine 3300 mF. But mostly I don't care what it looks like. Sound is important to me and what would not much interfere.


----------



## GrigoryV




----------



## GrigoryV

in deep pocket is placed. But I often wear it in my shoulder or waist bag.


----------



## edwardsean

GrigoryV said:


> in deep pocket is placed. But I often wear it in my shoulder or waist bag.



@GrigoryV, this is nuts, but just as you were posting, I was thinking of something of something similar. I'm also thinking of drilling holes into the case to fit Elna capacitors. So far, I want to try putting one Silmic and one Cerafine into amp8. 

How hard was it to drill the holes?

Where did you put the Cerafine 3300uF? 

How does it sound?


----------



## edwardsean (Jul 15, 2019)

*For anyone tackling the DX220EX mod, here are just a few pitfalls to watch out for. This is what I learned along the way that I wish I knew from the start:*

1) Getting the 220 open is somewhat different than the 200, and there is one "trick" that is kinda important.

When you pull off the back of the 220 with a sucker don't use the handle to pull. The sucker is designed with a handle so it seems intuitive to use it. However, if you pull from there, your elbow acts as the pivot. So the excursion is too big, and if you're not careful you'll yank out the battery contact and the wifi pin, possibly damaging them.

Once the sucker is attached, grab the sucker with your thumb and middle finger on either side. Gently work it up using your wrist as the pivot so the excursion is small and you have full control. Once there is a gap along the edge you can just work that with a plastic spudger. This way you will leave plenty of slack for the battery cable and wifi wire. You can then reach in with tweezers to safely disconnect both.

2) The ribbon connectors are simpler and easier by far than the DX200. There are only two, but one thing that you might miss is that the small ribbon connector attached to the volume knob now has a locking mechanism. There is a little black plastic lever that is behind the pins in the white plastic housing. You need to pull this up to release the ribbon. I thought it might have a lock when the ribbon wouldn't come out, but I thought the black piece was part of the housing so it was a frustrating struggle to get the ribbon out. Once you release the lock it's a snap.

3) The TDK sheeting that is part 2 of the mod is effective in suppressing noise, but this is a case of there being "no such thing as a free lunch." It also dampens energy especially in the brightness region around 4-7KHz. If your phones are already bright, thin, or glaring, like dynamics can be, this nicely smooths out the FR. In this case, along with blacker background, the TDK sheets are a double benefit.

However, planars can already sound overly smooth and warm, and my LCDi4s, in particular, are critiqued for being dull in almost exactly that frequency range (2-6KHz). Along with my other processing (convolution), the TDK sheets made things smooth to the point of sounding muffled.

The sheeting draws back the soundstage and can give a nice effect of depth, but it is not an actual expansion of soundstage but a veiling of tone. Your brain interprets clarity as an aural cue of proximity. Psychoacoustically, the more the sound is dampened the further away the sonic components seem. Having the musical background recede is a nice effect but the sheeting tends to pull back everything including elements that should pop out of the black.

Paul at iBasso let me know that the R&D team experimented with noise suppression sheeting and found similar mixed results.

Luckily, the sheeting is something that can be calibrated, i.e., you don't have to cover everything. You can adjust how many noise-generating components you want to cover in the internals. As with the DX200 the amount of sheeting you use can be a method of "tuning" the EX to fit your system. However, I personally think that, in contrast to the DX200, the out-of-the-box smoothness/musicality of the DX220 doesn't require as much coverage. I ended up removing all of it, but again, this is completely system dependent.

The best way to do this "tuning" is to apply the sheeting, listen, and add and remove to taste. This will require you to open up your unit multiple times. This is not a problem, but I would recommend removing only the battery cable and leaving the wifi wire attached to the pin. The pin is delicate and repeated stress can break it off and you can say goodbye to streaming audio. This happened to me on the DX200 mod which is why it didn't happen to me on the DX220 mod. Once, the battery lead is free, just use anything handy to prop up the back of the case at 90 degrees leaving the wifi connected. If you reattach the sucker and put something under it, it's pretty stable and you have two hands free to work.

4) During the desoldering process, whether you are using hot air or an iron, watch out that the tiny little suckers (0603 and smaller components) don't slip away. If you are using hot air, as Vince has said, you need to keep these small parts down so they don't blow away. They can readily desolder before the component your after because of their small mass.

If you are using low temp solder, you need to have a tip thin enough to heat up your target part without touching adjacent parts. You also need to practice gaining control of exactly how much low temp solder you are applying. I found the best method for myself was to not apply the low temp directly onto the component. It was too easy for too much to glob on and flow to nearby parts. If you gently brush the low temp with your iron you can wick off small bits and apply that precisely to where it needs to be. Too little of it and it will take too long to heat up the contacts, but always better than too much. The stuff is easy to clean up as it pools together in a mass in the flux. But, if your little 0603 component is swimming in it for any length of time, it'll come free of the board.

For me, I sucked one of these particle-sized parts up into my desoldering pump, and a project that should've taken up a nice evening at the most, stretched into days trying to track down what the heck I just lost.

I know this largely goes without saying for people experienced enough to attempt the EX mod in the first place, but these few notes are mostly for people, in my position, who are still learning their way.

Amazing, what you are willing to learn how to do when you are motivated enough to do it. And the EX is just such a motivation.


----------



## Whitigir (Jul 15, 2019)

Excellent write up Edward, thank you!


----------



## MilesR

Can someone point me towards any reviews of the amp 8ex mod. I read Twister6 review is there any others ?

Has anyone done any comparisons between Windows X mod and Whitigir's mod. I'm not trying to stir anything up I'm thinking of having my amp 8 modified and I'm looking at options.

Thanks


----------



## edwardsean (Jul 15, 2019)

MilesR said:


> Can someone point me towards any reviews of the amp 8ex mod. I read Twister6 review is there any others ?
> 
> Has anyone done any comparisons between Windows X mod and Whitigir's mod. I'm not trying to stir anything up I'm thinking of having my amp 8 modified and I'm looking at options.
> 
> Thanks



Miles, I wish we could help. But, I don’t know if there is anyone who has actually heard both amps. Unfortunately, that means doing some footwork and tracking down people on the main DX200/220 threads that have done Fidelizer’s mod for impressions. You’ll have to compare that yourself to what you’ve read about amp8EX.

They are both going to upgrade your sound significantly. Practicalities will come into play as well. Amp8EX is a DIY, so if you’re going to get it done you need to find someone reliable to do it, and the amp modules are actually trickier, even for experienced technicians, than the main board of the DX 200/220. WindowsX Is offering a ready-made package/service, but you’ll have to deal with the wait of shipping overseas.

 I know this is always a cold comfort, but you can’t really go wrong with either.


----------



## MilesR

edwardsean said:


> Miles, I wish we could help. But, I don’t know if there is anyone who has actually heard both amps. Unfortunately, that means doing some footwork and tracking down people on the main DX200/220 threads that have done Fidelizer’s mod for impressions. You’ll have to compare that yourself to what you’ve read about amp8EX.
> 
> They are both going to upgrade your sound significantly. Practicalities will come into play as well. Amp8EX is a DIY, so if you’re going to get it done you need to find someone reliable to do it, and the amp modules are actually trickier, even for experienced technicians, than the main board of the DX 200/220. WindowsX Is offering a ready-made package/service, but you’ll have to deal with the wait of shipping overseas.
> 
> I know this is always a cold comfort, but you can’t really go wrong with either.


Thank you. The thought of upgrading my dx200 and amp8 instead of buying a dx220 has also crossed my mind.


----------



## edwardsean

Miles, 

This is just my personal view, but if you the have the funds to get your DX200 upgraded, I think it’s a better value proposition to sell your DX200 and get the DX220. The cost difference shouldn’t be too bad. Personally, I think you will get better sound and you have all the advantages of the new screen, UI, quick charge, etc. 

Then as you go along you can always eventually upgrade the 220. If you invest a good sum more into the 200 you have no where further to go. You’ve closed down your options and wedded yourself to older tech. When you upgrade in the future, it’ll be a bigger net loss. 

Don’t get me wrong, the DX200 is a nice bit of kit, and you could happily stay there. But, if you’ve decided to upgrade, I think the 220 provides a better path.


----------



## MilesR

Thank you for


edwardsean said:


> Miles,
> 
> This is just my personal view, but if you the have the funds to get your DX200 upgraded, I think it’s a better value proposition to sell your DX200 and get the DX220. The cost difference shouldn’t be too bad. Personally, I think you will get better sound and you have all the advantages of the new screen, UI, quick charge, etc.
> 
> ...


you


edwardsean said:


> Miles,
> 
> This is just my personal view, but if you the have the funds to get your DX200 upgraded, I think it’s a better value proposition to sell your DX200 and get the DX220. The cost difference shouldn’t be too bad. Personally, I think you will get better sound and you have all the advantages of the new screen, UI, quick charge, etc.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your help. Great advice and I think I'll buy a dx220 and at some point i will get Windows X to upgrade my amp 8.


----------



## edwardsean

I do think you’ll really be happy with your choice. 
All the best to you.


----------



## Whitigir (Jul 17, 2019)

So, according to what I found out about the Amp8 V2 as the upgraded V1 versions.  It has improvements at the hardware level to improve the current delivery.  Therefore, the EX modifications is also changed in according to exploit the possibilities again on the V2.

I was asked if V1 modifications could be applied toward V2 directly or vice versa?  Please allow me to remind everyone that we are DIY, and so you can do whatever you seem fit.  I modified mine this way because it is my personal preferences and deemed fit IMO.  The improvements is that soundstage, dynamic, punches, musical and yet accurate still in comparison to V1 or the original EX.  Ofcourse both EX of V1 and V2 are the best of what both versions can do.

There are a few differences from V1 vs V2.

1/ first and fore most the important part.  The TDK sheetings on the main body.  If you are using the V2, you *do not need the Sheets on the ES9028Pros any longer*.  I still feel that keeping it on for V1 is a good idea as the V1 without it can still get harsh and grains at tricky places and complex trebles passages


2/ ECHU is now possible to be at line level and not the jacks

3/ all changes enable the usage of Electrolytic directly without bicaps and Tantalum.  All electrolytic will now be UKA

_*Tips to solder I’n the UKA at the 4 Tantalum, the ECHU:*_  put ECHU in as soon as you took out the original bicap as this will warrant the heat distribution to not be dissipated so ECHU stays in easier.  Then apply other KO caps upgrades afterward, then TDK sheets, and finally the UKA caps.  Bend the legs and cut to fit, do make sure everything will stay and fit nicely.  Prime the pads with a thin solder film, and solder in while pushing the legs inward instead of pressing the caps downward (please refer to the last pictures.  *I don’t mean to tell you how to solder, this is just a tip to make it work easier. We all have different techniques and experiences, please apply your soldering techniques as you seem fit*)

Parts needed

4x
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/647-UKA1C101MDD
1x
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/647-UKA1C471MPD
1x
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/647-UKA1C221MED1TD
10x
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T543B107K010TE150
4x
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T520A226M10ANE080
4x
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/667-ECH-U1C222JX5

For all the Tantalum KO Caps, are the same as original Amp8 EX, and also the TDK sheets for the V1 will remain the same.  Also V2 comes with glass back swap it in as you desire.  Also, do not forget about Ground return mod


----------



## edwardsean

Awesome. Thanks Vince! Especially for the pro tips!


----------



## panasonicst60 (Jul 18, 2019)

I'm soon to be part of this group 

I just mailed off my subpar, stock, crappy, trash and so on dx220 to get it turned into a beast. Kind of like Bruce banner into the hulk.

I also mailed out my amp8 to WindowsX for his ultimate mod. His highest mod available. It'll be weeks till I get everything back. And the dreadful burn in..

Will you guys welcome me in this exclusive group with open arms.. please?

But seriously, I am very excited for this. I also want to give thanks to chaiyuta, edwardsean, WindowsX and Whitigir. Without you guys I wouldn't be able to pursue this project. You guys are unbelievable! Especially edwardsean for being the most helpful person I have ever meant online.

Edit: On second thought, I guess I'm not really part of this group. But at least I can experience what you guys are experiencing soon


----------



## edwardsean

panasonicst60 said:


> I'm soon to be part of this group
> 
> I just mailed off my subpar, stock, crappy, trash and so on dx220 to get it turn into a breast. Kind of like Bruce banner into the hulk.
> 
> ...




Awesome! Truly.

But, just one question.... If you read back your post, can you tell me what exactly that you think your DX220 is going to become when it returns? (mm...)

Also here is how I've found burn in to go--roughly;

1) Base burn in @100hr. mark: You get an idea of where it is headed
2) Established burn in @200hr. mark: You're through the woods and the bulk of the burn in is done
3) Refined burn in @ 300hr. mark: Remaining percentage points of sonic polish here and there
4) Complete enjoyment @ +300hr. mark: You forget about the mod, the burn in, there is the music....

Now, say it with me, "beast," "b-e-a-s-t." (huge grin).


----------



## EggofSound

Whitigir said:


> So, according to what I found out about the Amp8 V2 as the upgraded V1 versions.  It has improvements at the hardware level to improve the current delivery.  Therefore, the EX modifications is also changed in according to exploit the possibilities again on the V2.
> 
> I was asked if V1 modifications could be applied toward V2 directly or vice versa?  Please allow me to remind everyone that we are DIY, and so you can do whatever you seem fit.  I modified mine this way because it is my personal preferences and deemed fit IMO.  The improvements is that soundstage, dynamic, punches, musical and yet accurate still in comparison to V1 or the original EX.  Ofcourse both EX of V1 and V2 are the best of what both versions can do.
> 
> ...









I just tuned AMP7 to Oyaide store original Augline +a/+pt hybrid cable.
Both are UKA (KA series) choices

In Japan, new AMP8 can not be obtained because inventory is still left.

For those who are set to V2.
The UKA Cap sounds clean in the high range, but please bear with burn-in for about 100 hours.
After 300 hours, it demonstrates its ability.


----------



## GrigoryV

edwardsean said:


> @GrigoryV, this is nuts, but just as you were posting, I was thinking of something of something similar. I'm also thinking of drilling holes into the case to fit Elna capacitors. So far, I want to try putting one Silmic and one Cerafine into amp8.
> 
> How hard was it to drill the holes?
> 
> ...


Es makes the sound extremely tasty in the middle. Initially amp6 the middle of smooth, sufficiently detailed, but not very expressive in terms of emotion(although it is more musical than the dx200). The Es fixes this significantly, though not completely. But I think for the sweet middle you need to turn to A&K. Warn ES does not give a very wide stereo panorama. But it is quite deep and the most important thing is a good division of instruments and voices. In General, I believe in the Holy bipolar))) Resolution this has increased across the entire range. Became apparent in micronance that had not been heard or stressed out. But the musicality has also increased. In General, the synergy of ES+amp6+Cerafine+AK4490 turned out great. But imho the main merit in this is still ES. At the same time, ES did not change the character of the dx150 sound a bit. On the contrary, ES emphasized it. I listen now and can't think))) Even mp3 320 kBs sounds awesome, even in streaming audio VK. I think I found the end for the dx150 on the amp6. Drilling boron machine is not difficult. But don't forget to stake holes and outlet drill slowly with little effort. Drill 2.8 mm


----------



## EggofSound

Sometimes curiosity is good, but sometimes it is bad

DX227EX - Aug-line hybrid cable - KSE
I able to reach the desired sound quality with this combination.

So happy(Without stopping), I compared AMP7 with AMP8EX / AMP9.
AMP8EX used the custom cable which opened the minus amplifier side. AMP9 used Aug-line.

AMP8EX:  Great Sound, but KSE does not draw out AMP8's ability to open the minus amplifier.
 (I do not know the difference with AMP7)
 IEM / HP suitable for AMP8EX is required

AMP9: Astonishingly, the super-high resolution of Aug-line makes the sound muddy only by the increase of overtones, and the narrowness of the range is anxious.
 The OFC cable is more comfortable with less hiss.
 The comparison of wide-range EX and AMP9 may have been wild. . . 

I did an unnecessary thing and regretted it very much.
I would like to touch AMP9 when I have time


----------



## EggofSound

I put a TDK sheet on Opamp under Nutube and replaced AVX with KO-Cap.
Hiss noise was no longer heard on KSE and Augline.
Clear smoothness is more like a tube amp





In Akihabara, I bought ASC X335 (USA) for preamp.


----------



## EggofSound

I do not want you to misunderstand to those who have never heard the tube sound.
Triode Single tube sound is the audio origin.

There is a lot of noise and poor frequency response because of the tube sound, but it is a mistake that the analog sound is rich in harmonics and pleasing to the touch.

Transistor (discrete) and IC (Opamp) are all analog sounds developed from Triode Single tube.
Amp9 provided the audio origin.
And sublimate Tube sound with a little DIY.

The iBasso that incorporates 6P1 in the size of the amplifier module is commendable.

It is ugly English but I would appreciate it if you understood it.


----------



## Whitigir

EggofSound said:


> I do not want you to misunderstand to those who have never heard the tube sound.
> Triode Single tube sound is the audio origin.
> 
> There is a lot of noise and poor frequency response because of the tube sound, but it is a mistake that the analog sound is rich in harmonics and pleasing to the touch.
> ...



I agree with you here and about every part


----------



## EggofSound

Whitigir said:


> I agree with you here and about every part



Toast to you and everyone involved in EX


----------



## EggofSound

The preamp coupling capacitor has been replaced with the natural ASC X335 according to DX227EX / AMP9.

I am waiting for the beer to cool


----------



## EggofSound

EX is a great indicator.
Enjoy great sounds with your favorite music and mods to match your IEM / PH / Cable.

Bless you for reaching the desired sound


----------



## GrigoryV

Hi guys! Look, what do you think, can I exchange ak4490 on ak4493?  In dx150 of course)))


----------



## Whitigir

GrigoryV said:


> Hi guys! Look, what do you think, can I exchange ak4490 on ak4493?  In dx150 of course)))


You need to modify the pins...etc...? May want to ask @Nayparm


----------



## GrigoryV

Whitigir said:


> You need to modify the pins...etc...? May want to ask @Nayparm


Thank's.  I will try to ask him.


----------



## EggofSound

GrigoryV said:


> Hi guys! Look, what do you think, can I exchange ak4490 on ak4493?  In dx150 of course)))











The pin arrangement is almost the same as AK4490, but it cannot be replaced. (Red part)

DVDD is added and LDOE selects whether to use 1.8V externally or use internal regulator.
There is also a test terminal called TESTE. You will not use TESTE.


----------



## Nayparm

EggofSound said:


> The pin arrangement is almost the same as AK4490, but it cannot be replaced. (Red part)
> 
> DVDD is added and LDOE selects whether to use 1.8V externally or use internal regulator.
> There is also a test terminal called TESTE. You will not use TESTE.



Absolutely, I've done it. Bend pin 1 and pin 16 up on the AK4493 before installing. The raised pin 1 will need a 1uF bypass cap to the nearest ground. The raised pin 16 will need making constantly high from a close by 3.3v


----------



## GrigoryV

Nayparm said:


> Absolutely, I've done it. Bend pin 1 and pin 16 up on the AK4493 before installing. The raised pin 1 will need a 1uF bypass cap to the nearest ground. The raised pin 16 will need making constantly high from a close by 3.3v



Well now in order. 1 pin bent up, soldered capacity(polar or not polar? if polar where what pole?). 16 pin bent up? and then you raised the voltage to 3.3 V? But what about 18 pin?


----------



## Nayparm (Aug 6, 2019)

You would be using a surface mount ceramic and they are all non-polorized. Yes, pin 16 bent up otherwise it would be connected to gnd (low) unless you want to cut the trace before you solder in the ak4493? The 3.3v is just to make the pin high from a nearby source. it doesn't have to be 3.3v, its not powering the chip. Pin 18 is fine to leave and will just be connecting to ground already.


----------



## GrigoryV

Nayparm said:


> You would be using a surface mount ceramic and they are all non-polorized. Yes, pin 16 bent up otherwise it would be connected to gnd (low) unless you want to cut the trace before you solder in the ak4493? The 3.3v is just to make the pin high from a nearby source. it doesn't have to be 3.3v, its not powering the chip. Pin 18 is fine to leave and will just be connecting to ground already.


Ok Ok. Thank you very very much. But I didn't understand a little. Pin 1 I realized to be connected to the ground via a capacitor 1 uF. pin 18 (teste)connects as well as in ak4490 (NC), probably to the ground. what to do with pin 16 I did not understand. I realized that it also needs to bend and that it is not connected in the circuit as pin 16 in ak4490. And thank you again for your patience


----------



## edwardsean

Hi. Just out of curiosity. I thought if you change the DAC chip you would need new firmware to support it. Is that not the case here?


----------



## GrigoryV

edwardsean said:


> Hi. Just out of curiosity. I thought if you change the DAC chip you would need new firmware to support it. Is that not the case here?


This is a logical question))))...But It is not a fact. If the architecture of DACs is similar. Pins do the same job, I think the software will not notice the substitution of chips.


----------



## Nayparm

edwardsean said:


> Hi. Just out of curiosity. I thought if you change the DAC chip you would need new firmware to support it. Is that not the case here?



Software is compatible, you just cant select the additional filter that comes with the ak4493


----------



## edwardsean

I see, but on the DX220 the ESS9028 cannot be changed for the ESS9038 right?


----------



## Nayparm

GrigoryV said:


> Ok Ok. Thank you very very much. But I didn't understand a little. Pin 1 I realized to be connected to the ground via a capacitor 1 uF. pin 18 (teste)connects as well as in ak4490 (NC), probably to the ground. what to do with pin 16 I did not understand. I realized that it also needs to bend and that it is not connected in the circuit as pin 16 in ak4490. And thank you again for your patience



I don't have the modded dx150 but from memory i believe i could have connected the lifted pin 16 to pin 15 as it's an internal pull up to dvdd. Or connect it straight to pin 48 (dvdd)


----------



## Nayparm

edwardsean said:


> I see, but on the DX220 the ESS9028 cannot be changed for the ESS9038 right?



Unfortunately not although the ESS9028PRO was a drop in replacement for the ESS9018.


----------



## edwardsean

Nayparm said:


> Unfortunately not although the ESS9028PRO was a drop in replacement for the ESS9018.



Yeah, the architecture seemed to have essential differences. Thanks for confirming!


----------



## edwardsean (Aug 16, 2019)

*Amp8EX-P v2 mod (The Elna-edition)*





This is my version of Whitigir’s amp8EX v2 mod. It is based entirely on his design but some key alterations have been made to render, what I think is, a dramatically different sound. Where Vince’s v2 aims to bring out musicality without sacrificing fidelity, this edition strives for purity without sacrificing musicality. I have to say, the results smashed though my expectations and delivered a level of SQ that is shockingly good. So, here are my notes for amp8EX-P v2—the ‘P’ stands for “pure.”

_Introduction_:

As this is fundamentally Whitigir’s mod, I will refer you to his build guide found here:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dx200-220-amp8-amp1-ex-modifications.898918/page-12#post-15067193

All the Kemet tantalum replacements are the same. I will only enumerate where my version deviates from the above.


*1) ECHU @bypass caps*

The first change has to do with the Panasonic ECHUs which replace the stock ceramic caps. If you haven’t yet been turned on to film capacitors, they represent a real advance in performance for audio applications. Take a look at this graph from Panasonic:





The issue however is that though ceramics are noisier they are also faster than film which have a warmer sound. So ceramics need to be retained for clarity at either the line level caps (top-near connector) or the output bypass caps (bottom-under the jack). The line level caps have greater influence in shaping the sound and, in his v2, Whitigir chose to move the ECHUs there for a more natural/musical presentation. I opted to keep ceramics at line level for greater clarity/transparency, and retained the placement of the ECHUs at the bypass caps as in his v1 mod.

So for this version put the ECHUs in the location Whitigir outlines here.





https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dx200-220-amp8-amp1-ex-modifications.898918/page-2#post-14901178

* I should mention that the original ceramic caps are size 0504 or 0402, but ECHUs only go down to 0603. That's fine for the line level location but here under the jack it is tight. Hot air should work but there is a risk you will melt the ECHUs and you also have to make sure not to unsolder the jack or nearby components. An iron may be best but in this case tin–both–pads and both sides of the ECHU before setting it in place. You will not be able to touch the pad afterwards.

*2) Elna @Line filtering and power smoothing*

_A) Build notes:_

This is the most critical part of this entire mod, so I’ll take some time to explain the choice of these caps. iBasso quietly made some minor, but important, upgrades to the newer versions of amp8 starting from amp8 v. 5 (v.4?). You will know if you have this improved model by the presence of these additional resistors and upgraded coil inductors that Vince circled in red.





According to him, these improvements to the power rails and feedback circuitry allow us to jettison the tantalums entirely from the line filtering caps. These took the four Kemets at 22uF in v1. These caps on the top of the board near the connecter can now be replaced with cleaner aluminum electrolytics. The new amp8 also gives greater flexibility in these caps as well as the main power smoothing caps in the center of the top of the board. This allows us to use Elna caps that don't fit in the case at the stock values.

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 capacitor for audio. Many feel that they have even surpassed BGs, and, unlike BGs, they have the benefit of currently being in production. You can read an evaluation of Elnas and a 45 page discussion of their place among the best modern capacitors here:

http://tech.juaneda.com/en/articles/electrolyticcapacitors.html

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/electrolytic-capacitor-shoot-out.381961/

Elnas 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. These recent change to amp8 by iBasso gave the opportunity to track down Elnas that might fit the diminutive casing of these amp modules.

— _For the four (4) line filtering caps, I installed Elna Simic IIs at 47uF/10v._ As with Vince, I did not bicap them with tantalums, so as not dilute any of their effect. The Silmic IIs are readily available and can be purchased here: (* The pads here are extremely fragile. Take special care-no force.)

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/555-RFS10V470ME3#5

— _For the power smoothing caps at the center of top of board I put in an Elna Cerafine at 100uF/10v_. Since this is not enough capacitance I did bicap here with a Chemi-con 470uF. The Chemi-con is an organic polymer cap and works beautifully with the Elna. It can be ordered here:

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/661-APSF160E471MHB5S

Cerafines are sadly no longer in production but can be ordered worldwide from Parts Connexion in Canada:

https://www.partsconnexion.com/ELNA-72677.html

Please note you have to stick to these precise values for the Elnas, because if you get larger capacitance or voltage they will not physically fit in the case. The maximum clearance you have for amp8 is 8mm in diameter.

_B) Rationale_

_Are Elna caps really worth the trouble of fitting them into the amp8EX mod?_

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.

The Silmic IIs are quieter, richer, cleaner, more detailed with a vastly, vastly larger stage. 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. If I listen to the Kemet tantalums first, they sound—fantastic—but compared to the Silmics they are undisciplined: muddy, noisy, blurry, and closed.

Then the 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 that noisy ceramic sibilance. So just one cap is perfect, and beautifully mates with the Chemi-con’s liquidity and density. The result is is a fluid clarity without edginess or grain. This Elna configuration also exploits the high fidelity smoothness of the ECHU film while dissolving any of its congestion, esp. in the low-mids. The ECHU’s delicacy and extended reverb tails synergizes rapturously with the overall increased resolution and refinement.

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. 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. It’s reference without sterility; analog without haziness: a creamy-clarity, dreamy-reality. The sound is… pure.

3) TDK

My personal opinion on the noise suppressing sheeting is that it is a case of there being “no free lunch.” (I think the team at iBasso agrees with this). It is so effective in bringing down noise but it also dampens energy overall. If you have a harsh/bright system it might come in to play as a means of “tuning.” However, for me, with every upgrade in components I’ve been removing the sheeting little by little till there’s none left.

Bottom line: with this mod, you do not need the TDK sheeting. The background is just about as black and noiseless as you would like.

4) GRP

You definitely need Vince’s ground return mod. The stock amp8 doesn’t use it; with all the ceramics the sound would be too bright/sibilant. In this mod, it only provides a clean high end sparkle.

5) WBT

The solder of choice for the EX mods has been Oyaide SS-47 with good reason. It is a wonderful sounding solder. However, if a solder can be musical to warm, this is it. I switched to WBT silver-leaded for this mod because, though it is not quite as high-grade, it sounds clear to bright. It also has the added benefit of a slightly lower melting temp making it a joy to work with.


Well, that’s it. If you happen to do this mod, I hope you enjoy it, and please post your impressions here.


*Parts List:*
10x
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T543B107K010TE150
4x
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T520A226M10ANE080
4x
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetai...9dF6NjiJI8H4ekXvkhvVzKGRkug43DetZoIHgEXviMg==
4x
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/555-RFS10V470ME3#5
1X
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/661-APSF160E471MHB5S
1X
https://www.partsconnexion.com/ELNA-72677.html


----------



## LeMoviedave

@edwardsean for all us (or maybe just me) for whom the technical explanation makes us weep with confusion, would you post how much of each part we need to buy explicitly, in a manner similar to how whitigir did, and if you are feeling super nice, add the parts from his part of the mod as well?  I just dont want to screw it up.


----------



## panasonicst60

edwardsean said:


> *Amp8EX-P v2 mod (The Elna-edition)*
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Amazing work and write up Edward!


----------



## GrigoryV (Aug 8, 2019)

Capacity Cerifine is a 100uF shunt for Chemi-con. I am not in favor of such decisions. I prefer a single container. But I understand that Cerafine capacitors are very large. I have not found the right cerafine capacitor in Russia. Therefore, the power supply Cerafine 3300uF. Increasing the capacitance of the capacitor in the power supply led to the compaction of the bass, increasing the weight and readability of the bass. It has become more monumental.
P.s. I Agree with Edward. Tantalum capacitors are not suitable for audio circuits. I almost immediately removed the tantalum and put the electrolytes. Of course I Silmic 2 capacitors great. But try Nichicon bipolar. I have stopped on them.


----------



## edwardsean (Aug 8, 2019)

LeMoviedave said:


> @edwardsean for all us (or maybe just me) for whom the technical explanation makes us weep with confusion, would you post how much of each part we need to buy explicitly, in a manner similar to how whitigir did, and if you are feeling super nice, add the parts from his part of the mod as well?  I just dont want to screw it up.



Dave,

The last thing I would want is to make a grown man cry. Here is the complete parts list with links:

10x
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T543B107K010TE150
4x
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/80-T520A226M10ANE080
4x
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetai...9dF6NjiJI8H4ekXvkhvVzKGRkug43DetZoIHgEXviMg==
4x
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/555-RFS10V470ME3#5
1X
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/661-APSF160E471MHB5S
1X
https://www.partsconnexion.com/ELNA-72677.html

You should get 1-2 spares, just in case, but some of the parts are expensive so maybe just for the cheaper ones.

If you're going to attempt this mod please read through this thread. There is so much helpful information from Vince and everyone. I've also specifically written in a few places of pitfalls you want to avoid.

I don't know where your skills are at, but I will say that you really do need to know what you are doing. If not you're much better off sending the job out to the references I gave you.

In any case, watch out for the four line filter caps or flag them for the tech. These are the four caps on the top near the edge of the board to the right of the connector. They are especially delicate and fragile. Everyone on this thread I know of has blown that section at least once and then the amp is scrapped. It's not the end of the world, but it is the end of the amp and then it's back to Amazon with another $200.


----------



## edwardsean

GrigoryV said:


> Capacity Cerifine is a 100uF shunt for Chemi-con. I am not in favor of such decisions. I prefer a single container. But I understand that Cerafine capacitors are very large. I have not found the right cerafine capacitor in Russia. Therefore, the power supply Cerafine 3300uF. Increasing the capacitance of the capacitor in the power supply led to the compaction of the bass, increasing the weight and readability of the bass. It has become more monumental.



Grigory, I'm so glad you wrote in!

I understand what you are saying, but there are concessions that have to be made to stay within the case. The Cerafine you used is twice the diameter as the one I used isn't it?

As I mentioned to you earlier I was independently thinking of cutting the case when I found your posts. However, others warned me that extending the leads of the capacitor could have negative effects regarding acoustic vibration. In the end I decided to work within the form factor of the amp module. 

Also, I know theoretically, there are tradeoffs, but the resulting sound is spectacular. If there were no size constraints I would've used a larger value Cerafine myself, but the Chemi-con adds a complementary fluidity and density. The mix with Cerafine is seductively sensuous, and I would miss it were it gone.


----------



## GrigoryV

Nayparm said:


> Absolutely, I've done it. Bend pin 1 and pin 16 up on the AK4493 before installing. The raised pin 1 will need a 1uF bypass cap to the nearest ground. The raised pin 16 will need making constantly high from a close by 3.3v


The most important thing I forgot to ask You, Sir. What are the results of changing the sound after replacing ak4490 to ak4493???


----------



## EggofSound

I've been looking for a balanced connection environment that suits me for about two years and finally decided.
Xelento remote and Oyaide's custom-made Augline hybrid cable.
AMP8 has also been tattered by replacing parts, but now it can be evaluated.
It seems to me that a simple driver that doesn't get out of phase matches an Augline.
EX.AMP module is difficult to evaluate due to the difference in balance with SE, but in my environment it is AMP8> = AMP7> AMP9.

Even if satisfied with the sound, mod is an endless world called iBasso

Thank you.


----------



## EggofSound

I saw the @edwardsean thread and noticed that I did not replace the multilayer ceramic in the Line part with ECHU. 
I misunderstood it as AMP7
Now my AMP8EX v1 + a (something like) is finished

Thank you Edward.


----------



## EggofSound

I don't usually mention sound quality.

However, EX mod will be revived even for sound sources 40 years ago.
Low quality DAP (AMP) makes you feel the nostalgic of the time, but EX reproduces music.
Now, EX proves that iBasso's small DX200 / DX220 approaches the pure audio.

I hope this thread with iBasso will continue to be meaningful.


----------



## EggofSound

SNS etc. asks what sound the DX220 (AMP) EX aims for, but my goal is to exceed the reference ADI-2.
There is no end to mod.


----------



## jamato8

I did a partial upgrade to the AMP8. I took out the 4 electrolytic caps and tants and put in 4 non polar Black Gates. The PS caps I put in a bypass and a different cap from the orange one. Sounds good right now, will let burn in as BG's can take some time. At 90 out of the 150 volume, plenty loud with excellent dynamics and speed with the Stellia or Utopia.


----------



## Whitigir

jamato8 said:


> I did a partial upgrade to the AMP8. I took out the 4 electrolytic caps and tants and put in 4 non polar Black Gates. The PS caps I put in a bypass and a different cap from the orange one. Sounds good right now, will let burn in as BG's can take some time. At 90 out of the 150 volume, plenty loud with excellent dynamics and speed with the Stellia or Utopia.


We need some pictures  please!


----------



## jamato8

Whitigir said:


> We need some pictures  please!


I will try to get some. I haven't done the full mod, none where done on the other side but I have the caps here, just haven't done it. I am glad to have NOS of Black Gates to use. But, they take so damn long to burn in. Gone bassy right now.


----------



## jamato8

I got frustrated with myself. I like the caps all laid out nice and straight and the best way is an oven but not going that brought and use an iron, temp controlled and good with SMDs but with the limitations.  AMP8

I got the side done with the electrolytics, using as mentioned, Black Gate non polar and then the SMD caps were changed out. I waited like the change and then did the other side yesterday. I didn't care for it at first, bass heavy and uneven etc. But of course caps needs time. Sounding very layered and dynamic today. I did blow one pad and had to bring a piece of silver wire from the other side to one of the electrolytic caps. 

The sound is very nice and layered with more 3D type of imaging. This is on the Focal Stellia and it sound great with the IT04 as well.


----------



## hAbIrAbI

Is there anybody in Europe that would be willing to modify my AMP8? 
I'd give it to a professional here but I'm not sure how good their English is. So that is a bit of a risk.


----------



## singleended5863

@Whitigir 
Do you have pictures of mod EX and apply the noise suppression sheet on the DX220 components? Thanks.


----------



## DeejayAlex73

Can anyone change my AMP8? Paying of course


----------



## Reima

I have a DX200 and AMP3 that I am using with my Heir 8A in balanced mode. Having heard good things about the AMP8 I was browsing the For Sale forums for one when I came across a DX220EX for sale. That thread brought me to this thread. After reading this thread a couple of times I have decided to replace my DX200 with a DX220 and later on get an AMP8.
Has anyone ever modified the AMP3? Since I am currently travelling I am not able to open the AMP3 to see if it is possible to modify.


----------



## jamato8

Reima said:


> I have a DX200 and AMP3 that I am using with my Heir 8A in balanced mode. Having heard good things about the AMP8 I was browsing the For Sale forums for one when I came across a DX220EX for sale. That thread brought me to this thread. After reading this thread a couple of times I have decided to replace my DX200 with a DX220 and later on get an AMP8.
> Has anyone ever modified the AMP3? Since I am currently travelling I am not able to open the AMP3 to see if it is possible to modify.


Wow, to sell a 220Ex. If done right, there isn't anything I know of that is better or as good at any price. But sometimes people move on from portable and someone else lucks out.


----------



## Reima

jamato8 said:


> Wow, to sell a 220Ex. If done right, there isn't anything I know of that is better or as good at any price. But sometimes people move on from portable and someone else lucks out.


The seller did say they were leaving the hobby as it was not their true passion.


----------



## Whitigir (Oct 13, 2019)

jamato8 said:


> Wow, to sell a 220Ex. If done right, there isn't anything I know of that is better or as good at any price. But sometimes people move on from portable and someone else lucks out.



I agree with every count



Reima said:


> The seller did say they were leaving the hobby as it was not their true passion.



I did it but never published it as I don’t think many people were into it


----------



## Reima

Whitigir said:


> I did it but never published it as I don’t think many people were into it


I assume that you are talking about modifying the AMP3. If so is it worth doing?


----------



## Whitigir

Reima said:


> I assume that you are talking about modifying the AMP3. If so is it worth doing?


It is more expensive in part than amp8, and it is worth it if u like Opamps amps.  I prefer amp8 as I like 4.4mm and discrete design


----------



## Vitaly2017

Ohhh is it still for sale that dx220ex?


----------



## edwardsean

Vitaly2017 said:


> Ohhh is it still for sale that dx220ex?



It was sold. By the by, the user didn't move from the DX220 to a different DAP, but from the DX220 to a home theater system.


----------



## Vitaly2017

edwardsean said:


> It was sold. By the by, the user didn't move from the DX220 to a different DAP, but from the DX220 to a home theater system.



No doubt I remember I sold my dx200 under 5 min after posting it lmao


----------



## seanwee

Any interest in modding the DX160? 

After renting a DX228 for a week I've decided that it's too bulky and the newly released DX160 seems to be just the right size.


----------



## singleended5863

seanwee said:


> Any interest in modding the DX160?
> 
> After renting a DX228 for a week I've decided that it's too bulky and the newly released DX160 seems to be just the right size.



As I know DX160 is not using amp module. So you need to ask @Whitigir about modding a whole unit.


----------



## MaxD (Oct 27, 2019)

Thanks to Whitgrl encouragement (and warnings ) I finished my AMP8 EX mod yesterday,   I read all the hype and got hooked and just  had to give it a go,   Cost was £50 (I bought twice as many parts as I needed).  I had to sharpen an iron tip and use a usb microscope to avoid shorts,   It was kind  of cool as I could clearly see the solder softening and flowing.    U used audio grade silver solder and strictly controlled my temp.     Got up to 330 at one point though.

Once modded it sounded kind of flat in the mids and to my ear a bit muddy on the base.   24 hours of burn in did the trick though,  Loving it now.   Now I get the hype.   Loving the base control and the mids have come a little forward.   I was EQ ing the mids on the amp1mk2, dont need to do that now.   While the base is very controlled it feel a little too much for me maybe.  Going to go back to my pure silver cable from copper that will probably sort it.    Im using the CA Solaris which has a dynamic driver so the base is relay nice to my ears.

Loving it this amp now,  next level for my DX220.   Thanks Vince for your work and making it so easy for the rest of us.    I might not bye into you fan edition now though.   This would be difficult to beet.


----------



## plutonim

Dear friends,
the best mod of ALL ibasso amps with the best sound is ->


 

just try to remove (short-circuit) decoupling caps and you'll be very surprised of the sound changes


----------



## Whitigir (Dec 2, 2019)

plutonim said:


> Dear friends,
> the best mod of ALL ibasso amps with the best sound is ->
> 
> 
> just try to remove (short-circuit) decoupling caps and you'll be very surprised of the sound changes


I wanted to try that but never did have the chance.  Did you short out both the front and back ? Beside, I always love the different signature of different caps 

what is that wire ? Ground wire ?


----------



## plutonim

The front side capacitors and back side are parallel, therefore just short it on the front side.
The wire is silvered copper. And the best signature is clear full bass sound with excellent resolution


----------



## Whitigir (Dec 2, 2019)

plutonim said:


> The front side capacitors and back side are parallel, therefore just short it on the front side.
> The wire is silvered copper. And the best signature is clear full bass sound with excellent resolution


*edited*


----------



## chaiyuta

Glad to see diversity of AMP8 iteration models~ Try different recipes and share your own opinion on your works~~


----------



## Whitigir

chaiyuta said:


> Glad to see diversity of AMP8 iteration models~ Try different recipes and share your own opinion on your works~~


Agreed, and that is what diy is all about


----------



## tunes

Whitigir said:


> Agreed, and that is what diy is all about


Is this in leu of or better than the Amp 8 EX mod?


----------



## Whitigir (Dec 4, 2019)

tunes said:


> Is this in leu of or better than the Amp 8 EX mod?


Idk, you try it and share with us ? Modification is all about personal experiments next to theory .  I normally am only motivated when there is something I am not happy with.  ATM, I love how the EX sounds with HD800S


----------



## plutonim

Simple and cheapest mod


----------



## Christoph (Dec 22, 2019)

plutonim said:


> Dear friends,
> the best mod of ALL ibasso amps with the best sound is ->
> 
> 
> just try to remove (short-circuit) decoupling caps and you'll be very surprised of the sound changes





plutonim said:


> The front side capacitors and back side are parallel, therefore just short it on the front side.
> The wire is silvered copper. And the best signature is clear full bass sound with excellent resolution





plutonim said:


> Simple and cheapest mod



@plutonim 
Interesting mod. I'm just wondering why and how this shortcuts improve the sound. What is the purpose of the capacitors that were shortcutted?
The circuit designer/engineer must have included them for a good reason, or what do you think?
Could you provide more informationen about this?


----------



## Nayparm (Feb 23, 2020)

Had a failed AMP8W mod sent to me along with a new AMP8 to do an AMP8EX-P V2 mod. Apparently the botched mod was performed by a pro technician.

The board wasn't pretty and some attempt to repair looks to have been made for damaged pads and vias.



Ended up doing a full Nichicon KW mod, with the largest physical size cap i've managed to fit in an AMP8 (v1-3), I found 1 possible position for the Nichicon KW 1000uF 16v  Then after cleaning and repairing the damaged area fitted 4 x KW 220uF 16v (ditched the burnt tants)


----------



## iliveinyourhead

wow


----------



## Nayparm

Burning this in as I type/listen. I'm very impressed how it's evolving. Authorative bass, smooth highs, nice pair with dx150 AK4490 dacs, can't test with ESS9028Pro dacs


----------



## Whitigir

Nayparm said:


> Burning this in as I type/listen. I'm very impressed how it's evolving. Authorative bass, smooth highs, nice pair with dx150 AK4490 dacs, can't test with ESS9028Pro dacs


Get a cheap used 220


----------



## Nayparm

Whitigir said:


> Get a cheap used 220



I have had look, may look at optimizing android more and larger capacity battery in one.
Want to transpose your EX mod to a DX150 along with the AK4493 dac upgrade I did on one a good while back too.


----------



## Whitigir

Nayparm said:


> I have had look, may look at optimizing android more and larger capacity battery in one.
> Want to transpose your EX mod to a DX150 along with the AK4493 dac upgrade I did on one a good while back too.


The playgrounds for us ...another pocket damaging hobby lol


----------



## Nayparm (Feb 25, 2020)

Absolutely, i don't have pockets though, I can't afford pants in this hobby


----------



## Nayparm (Mar 1, 2020)

AMP8EX-P2 Completed for a fellow headfier this eve, sounds very nice


----------



## Whitigir

Clean!! Awesome!!


----------



## edwardsean

Nayparm said:


> AMP8EX-P2 Completed for a fellow headfier this eve, sounds very nice



@Nayparm. This is awesome! How do you like the sound of this EX-P version? 

What makes it EX-P2?  How is different from the EX-P(1) modification I outlined in the build post?


----------



## Nayparm

edwardsean said:


> @Nayparm. This is awesome! How do you like the sound of this EX-P version?
> 
> What makes it EX-P2?  How is different from the EX-P(1) modification I outlined in the build post?



Ah that must be my misinterpretation  there is no difference, I was assuming there was an* Amp8EX-P v1 *after seeing* Amp8EX-P v2 mod (The Elna-edition)*

It sounds very good, only had a short session as it was late when I did the mod after getting the kids in bed, listened to it on my dx150 (which I bought in to test the mod and repair of 2 AMP8s but plan to EX mod the 150 and perform another dac upgrade)
I like how the amp9 sounds on the 150 too


----------



## docentore

Nayparm said:


> Ah that must be my misinterpretation  there is no difference, I was assuming there was an* Amp8EX-P v1 *after seeing* Amp8EX-P v2 mod (The Elna-edition)*
> 
> It sounds very good, only had a short session as it was late when I did the mod after getting the kids in bed, listened to it on my dx150 (which I bought in to test the mod and repair of 2 AMP8s but plan to EX mod the 150 and perform another dac upgrade)
> I like how the amp9 sounds on the 150 too



Interested in the DAC upgrade in the DX150. I assume its the AK4493? Have you done one before? Are they drop-in replacement? I'd appreciate some info on it.
Thanks.


----------



## Nayparm

docentore said:


> Interested in the DAC upgrade in the DX150. I assume its the AK4493? Have you done one before? Are they drop-in replacement? I'd appreciate some info on it.
> Thanks.



Yeah, I did one before for someome but it will be more beneficial to also perform an EX upgrade 

Almost drop in, see this post above in this thread

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dx200-220-amp8-amp1-ex-modifications.898918/post-15107033


----------



## docentore

Nayparm said:


> Yeah, I did one before for someome but it will be more beneficial to also perform an EX upgrade
> 
> Almost drop in, see this post above in this thread
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dx200-220-amp8-amp1-ex-modifications.898918/post-15107033



Thanks, actually found that post few minutes after posting my question but I was dragged of the subject to do some work and forgot to edit 

by "to also perform the EX upgrade" you mean the EX upgr on AMP8, not DX150, right? Because I haven't seen or found on the DX150-EX upgrade.
I'm planning to do the AMP8EX first for sure, just waiting for the module to arrive then going to order parts. 

Just wondering if the DAC IC swap is worth it, I mean if it's noticeable change. I don't have such worries about the ex mod on the amp module.


----------



## Nayparm

docentore said:


> Thanks, actually found that post few minutes after posting my question but I was dragged of the subject to do some work and forgot to edit
> 
> by "to also perform the EX upgrade" you mean the EX upgr on AMP8, not DX150, right? Because I haven't seen or found on the DX150-EX upgrade.
> I'm planning to do the AMP8EX first for sure, just waiting for the module to arrive then going to order parts.
> ...



No worries, I mean an equivalent EX mod to the DX150 main board similar to what Whitiger did to the DX200, LDOs, Kemet KO caps etc to take more advantage of the AK4493 upgrade. And also EX on AMP8/9


----------



## docentore

Thanks, seems like I need to look for another DX150 or DX220


----------



## linux4ever

I got a DX220EX with AMP8-EX-FE. DX220EX is undergoing a burn-in and is getting close to 500 hrs. I remember whitigir mentioning 550 hrs burn-in.  The bass is a little boosted still. Looks like I've to EQ it or use AMP4 or AMP4S with it and see how it sounds.

Also I've AMP8W (The original whitigir mod on AMP8 done by whitigir himself). Would love to convert that to AMP-EX-P. Would anybody be interested to do it for me? I'm in US and can ship it to Europe too. Thanks!


----------



## mikejazz

A question---I just ordered the 220 and was thinking of getting either the Amp7 or Amp8 and find someone to modify it. My question is---I use the Tansio Mirai Zodiac (super efficient) and the Audeze LCD i3 (20 ohms 110db) ---so I don't need a lot of power. And both of my good cables are 3.5mm. Would there be an advantage to the 8 over the 7?
I'm in Chicago and would love to find someone to mod the 220 and (whichever) amp module. Shipping to wherever is no problem. I'm a professional jazz bassist and have a business designing and manufacturing high end speakers for bass players. I'm fine at wiring crossovers. I've even populated boards for a HPF I'm using in powered cabs. I've got my nice Hakko solder station. But I suck at removing components from tightly-packed boards. So--I'm willing to pay someone who is better at it!


----------



## Whitigir

mikejazz said:


> A question---I just ordered the 220 and was thinking of getting either the Amp7 or Amp8 and find someone to modify it. My question is---I use the Tansio Mirai Zodiac (super efficient) and the Audeze LCD i3 (20 ohms 110db) ---so I don't need a lot of power. And both of my good cables are 3.5mm. Would there be an advantage to the 8 over the 7?
> I'm in Chicago and would love to find someone to mod the 220 and (whichever) amp module. Shipping to wherever is no problem. I'm a professional jazz bassist and have a business designing and manufacturing high end speakers for bass players. I'm fine at wiring crossovers. I've even populated boards for a HPF I'm using in powered cabs. I've got my nice Hakko solder station. But I suck at removing components from tightly-packed boards. So--I'm willing to pay someone who is better at it!


I think @edwardsean is close to you ? Not sure


----------



## Nayparm

linux4ever said:


> I got a DX220EX with AMP8-EX-FE. DX220EX is undergoing a burn-in and is getting close to 500 hrs. I remember whitigir mentioning 550 hrs burn-in.  The bass is a little boosted still. Looks like I've to EQ it or use AMP4 or AMP4S with it and see how it sounds.
> 
> Also I've AMP8W (The original whitigir mod on AMP8 done by whitigir himself). Would love to convert that to AMP-EX-P. Would anybody be interested to do it for me? I'm in US and can ship it to Europe too. Thanks!



AMP8EX-P is really only for the V5 board of the AMP8 but I'm guessing your AMP8W is probably a V3.

I've just done an AMP8EX-P for another headfier a few posts above. I'm in the UK.


----------



## Layman1

mikejazz said:


> A question---I just ordered the 220 and was thinking of getting either the Amp7 or Amp8 and find someone to modify it. My question is---I use the Tansio Mirai Zodiac (super efficient) and the Audeze LCD i3 (20 ohms 110db) ---so I don't need a lot of power. And both of my good cables are 3.5mm. Would there be an advantage to the 8 over the 7?
> I'm in Chicago and would love to find someone to mod the 220 and (whichever) amp module. Shipping to wherever is no problem. I'm a professional jazz bassist and have a business designing and manufacturing high end speakers for bass players. I'm fine at wiring crossovers. I've even populated boards for a HPF I'm using in powered cabs. I've got my nice Hakko solder station. But I suck at removing components from tightly-packed boards. So--I'm willing to pay someone who is better at it!



If you don't mind shipping to UK, @Nayparm modded my AMP8 for me previously (as well as buying some things from me in a separate transaction).
Totally trustworthy, great service and great sounding mods. Highly recommended


----------



## mikejazz

cool-thanks! any other comments on the amp7? I assume it's mod-able as I saw that another guy did it. It's just that I have easy-to-drive cans and already have 3.5mm cables. Sonic differences with balanced?


----------



## linux4ever

Nayparm said:


> AMP8EX-P is really only for the V5 board of the AMP8 but I'm guessing your AMP8W is probably a V3.
> 
> I've just done an AMP8EX-P for another headfier a few posts above. I'm in the UK.


How do I know if my AMP8W has V3 board or V5 board?


----------



## edwardsean

mikejazz said:


> cool-thanks! any other comments on the amp7? I assume it's mod-able as I saw that another guy did it. It's just that I have easy-to-drive cans and already have 3.5mm cables. Sonic differences with balanced?



Mike, I messaged you, but in case anyone else is interested:

"Honestly, I would definitely get amp8 and make or get a good balanced cable. The i3 is low impedance but it likes a lot of power, at least the i4 does. Also, the balanced drive is just better even with low impedance phones (dynamics, soundstage)."


----------



## edwardsean

linux4ever said:


> How do I know if my AMP8W has V3 board or V5 board?



This is an old photo but you'll find the markings at this location:


----------



## Nayparm (Mar 10, 2020)

linux4ever said:


> How do I know if my AMP8W has V3 board or V5 board?



What he said but here's a pic with V5


----------



## DaYooper

Take it apart and look at the pcb. It will be printed there.


----------



## LeMoviedave

If anyone is interested, I am selling my Amp8EX.  It is the Amp8EX-P v2. 
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dx200-220-amp8-amp1-ex-modifications.898918/page-14#post-15110601

It was modded for me by Chaiyuta and it sounds amazing, I just find that I prefer having a desktop setup.  If anyone is interest, PM me an offer.


----------



## a1kkord

Hello, did anyone modify dx150 and amp6? Could you share the modification instruction? Thank you for answer!


----------



## Nayparm (Mar 14, 2020)

Yes, both 'allegedly' but i'm not allowed to say.

I 'allegedly' upgraded the dacs in the dx150 and upgraded an AMP6. I'll be doing a lot more soon but won't be sharing instructions on here. Maybe on another forum


----------



## Whitigir

Nayparm said:


> Yes, both 'allegedly' but i'm not allowed to say.
> 
> I 'allegedly' upgraded the dacs in the dx150 and upgraded an AMP6. I'll be doing a lot more soon but won't be sharing instructions on here. Maybe on another forum


Where ?


----------



## Nayparm

Not sure yet, but i'll let you know


----------



## a1kkord

Nayparm said:


> Yes, both 'allegedly' but i'm not allowed to say.
> 
> I 'allegedly' upgraded the dacs in the dx150 and upgraded an AMP6. I'll be doing a lot more soon but won't be sharing instructions on here. Maybe on another forum


On the Chinese forum I found some instructions for AMP1, AMP3 and AMP8, it says that the architecture of AMP1 and AMP6 is very similar.


----------



## Tweety 99

I know I'm late but hope the party isn't over yet.  AMP8EX finally reached.
Hey, they are rather generous.  Ordered just one and they gave me two...
hehehe, one was just extra back plate though.


----------



## Whitigir

Lovely! Is this the newest batch from Ibasso ?


----------



## DaYooper (Apr 3, 2020)

Whitigir said:


> Lovely! Is this the newest batch from Ibasso ?


I'm guessing yes, I was told shipping started a week ago.


----------



## Tweety 99

Whitigir said:


> Lovely! Is this the newest batch from Ibasso ?


Yes, it's the latest and maybe last batch.   After users experienced AMP8EX, it would be a huge challenge 
for them to develop AMP10.   AMP8EX is indeed a marvel!


----------



## docentore

Ok guys, need help. I've decided to redo my AMP8 mod with different caps. Since then I hear static noise (like RF noise) in left channel. I've returned the pcb to complete stock, cleaned it from any flux leftovers, looked through pcb for solder splashes - nothing.

Any advice.


----------



## a1kkord

Hello, do you know in IBasso DX150 LDO and DC/DC where does the enable signal come from?


----------



## alavenue

Hello friends, I currently have DX228 and am considering buying a amp8 ex-fe or getting the Fidelizer Masterpiece mod done to the DX220 dap and amp 8 for $400. I'm looking to get some input on which option you guys would recommend I go for.  Thanks!


----------



## Nayparm (May 20, 2020)

AMP1-MUSEX

Muses8920 x2
Nichicon FineGold Muse x3
Silmic II x 4
Kemet KOs x 20
United Chemi-Con x 1

Stock


And we're off


----------



## Whitigir (May 19, 2020)

Nayparm said:


> AMP1-MUSEX
> 
> Muses8920
> Nichicon FineFolds
> ...


OMG that is freaking awesome !!!!! Now Imagine DX220Max-MUSEX

The thing is incoming for preorder May 22nd ?


----------



## Nayparm

Whitigir said:


> OMG that is freaking awesome !!!!! Now Imagine DX220Max-MUSEX
> 
> The thing is incoming for preorder May 22nd ?



The 220Max is actually being released finally ?


----------



## Whitigir




----------



## Vitaly2017

Nayparm said:


> AMP1-MUSEX
> 
> Muses8920s
> Nichicon FineGolds
> ...




Damngg what a fine job


----------



## Layman1

Nayparm said:


> AMP1-MUSEX
> 
> Muses8920 x2
> Nichicon FineGold Muse x3
> ...


Even to a 'Layman' like me, that looks like a really excellent piece of work! 
What's the affect on the sound signature?


----------



## Nayparm

Layman1 said:


> Even to a 'Layman' like me, that looks like a really excellent piece of work!
> What's the affect on the sound signature?



Smooth yet detailed, should be wonderful after burn-in.


----------



## Nayparm

Probably hard to tell on the pics, but all those yellow tantalum caps where upgraded top and bottom, about 20 of them I think.
Still need to do the internals of the dx200


----------



## Nayparm (May 20, 2020)

I've been listening to this today on balanced and i'm very impressed, outperforming the ones i compared to: Fiio M11 Pro, Shanling M6 Pro and Cayin N6ii E02
(using neutron with identical settings and peq)

Disclaimer: this is not a plug as I don't have the time to do anymore.
More a tried and tested excellent recipe ro follow


----------



## plutonim

Whitigir said:


> OMG that is freaking awesome !!!!!


Are you ready for really "awesome" ?










2xMUSES8920 + 4xHA5002 and +/-12V(150mA) power supply with 2x1100uF capacitors


----------



## Nayparm

Awesome, love it plutonim


----------



## Nayparm

Nayparm said:


> Awesome, love it plutonim



Amazing work, hows it sounding.


I see you found the Muses8920 a good combo also


----------



## plutonim

Nayparm said:


> Amazing work, hows it sounding.



Unbelievably natural sounding.
http://player.ru/showthread.php?t=221929&p=3013872&viewfull=1#post3013872
Try to use google translate 



Nayparm said:


> I see you found the Muses8920 a good combo also



Yes, it is the most natural opamp, but if you want more resolution try the OPA1656


----------



## Whitigir

plutonim said:


> Are you ready for really "awesome" ?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Holy cow, are you killing the battery yet ? LOL ? Where did you find that beefy and nice-fit power supply ?


----------



## plutonim

Whitigir said:


> Where did you find that beefy and nice-fit power supply ?


Made it by myself )...TPS65131


----------



## Whitigir

plutonim said:


> Made it by myself )...TPS65131


That is too awesome!!!


----------



## lantian

plutonim said:


> Are you ready for really "awesome" ?
> 
> 
> 
> ...





plutonim said:


> Made it by myself )...TPS65131


WOW, incredible.Would love to hear your sound impressions. Fantastic job.


----------



## Nayparm

plutonim said:


> Made it by myself )...TPS65131



Extremely talented guy, I have bought his own design VSON-10 to SOIC-8 Adapters with OPA1622 fitted several times before.
You can see one in use here https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ihifi-990.819886/post-15064797


----------



## jamato8

plutonim said:


> Made it by myself )...TPS65131


Not trying to be a jerk, but have you tried less solder? I have found the least amount of solder, with it just between the pin and pad, sounds the best.


----------



## Nayparm

jamato8 said:


> Not trying to be a jerk, but have you tried less solder? I have found the least amount of solder, with it just between the pin and pad, sounds the best.



You do realise the full length of that board is only about 16mm, so its all magnified, soldering looks ace to me (plus some of the tiny caps are piggy backed)


----------



## jamato8

Nayparm said:


> You do realise the full length of that board is only about 16mm, so its all magnified, soldering looks ace to me (plus some of the tiny caps are piggy backed)


Yes.


----------



## Nayparm (May 23, 2020)

AMP1MUSEX receives DX200EX

From stock to EX pics


----------



## Whitigir

beautiful!! you need some time for music bliss


----------



## Nayparm

Whitigir said:


> beautiful!! you need some time for music bliss



I do


----------



## Nayparm (May 24, 2020)

DX150 EX mod (like DX200)
plus DAC upgrade to AK4493


----------



## ongbenghui

Hi folks, anyone tried any tricks to reduce the heat dissipation of the DX220 ? ie... add heat sink into the chips in DX220. Finding that my DX220 get very hot.
I have already applied the TDK noise suppressing sheets. Looking at trying out Versarien low profile heat sink.


----------



## linux4ever

The trick that I use is to use dx200ti and after 30 minutes of use, it is ready to boil water (no kidding). 

At this point I turn to DX220ex and it appears very cool in comparison to the above. 

Jokes aside, I sincerely wish that ibasso will address the heat and the poor battery life. 8-10 hours just don't cut it today. 

DX220ex with amp8ex is very very good sound wise, but the above two cons severely limit its daily usage


----------



## aaf evo

8-10 hours is pretty good for DAPs.


----------



## Whitigir

aaf evo said:


> 8-10 hours is pretty good for DAPs.


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


----------



## Whitigir (Jun 23, 2020)

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

Whitigir said:


> 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*
> 
> ...


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


----------



## DaYooper

linux4ever said:


> 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

Nayparm said:


> 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 (Jun 24, 2020)

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 (Jun 24, 2020)

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

Whitigir said:


> 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 (Jun 24, 2020)

linux4ever said:


> 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 (Jun 24, 2020)

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


----------



## behemothkat

Whitigir said:


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



If not a secret, to which directions for OS optimization will you research?


----------



## Whitigir

behemothkat said:


> If not a secret, to which directions for OS optimization will you research?


I can’t speak for it as @Nayparm will be leading this project


----------



## hshock76

Whitigir said:


> I can tag @hshock76 for a references point view
> 
> He has DAC DX220 Stock
> 
> ...



Here's a quick low down on the modded DX220EX and Amp8EX Ver2.0:

*DAC DX220EX w/ Amp8EX vs Stock DX220 w/ Amp8EX - *
Modded main unit adds more air, expands sound stage and fills up all the voids in the sound stage. There is a very strong sense of presence and ambiance and you get the feeling of attending a "live" performance.

*DAC DX220EX w/ Amp8EX Ver 2.0 vs DAC DX220EX w/ Amp8EX - *
The Ver2.0 of Amp8EX adds further weight and density to mids and bass which gives a fuller sound and works great for vocal focused genres.

In short, modded main player with ver2.0 Amp8EX is a significant step up from stock player and Amp8EX and that is why I am so hyped up about MAX-EX as according to @Whitigir, it exceeds the performance of full blow DX220EX+Amp8EX Ver2.0.


----------



## lantian (Jun 26, 2020)

Moded my amp1 mk2 yesterday. It does not look clean, sorry for that. Was intended as just a test run. But it will now stay like this for home speaker/desktop listening. Ended up hot glueing together. Fantastic results. Thank you for the inspiration @Nayparm @Whitigir. Your the best.


----------



## lantian

Project update. Amazing combo.


----------



## CobraMan

lantian said:


> Project update. Amazing combo.


You must have some unusual pockets to carry that bad boy in!  

Cheers,
Tim


----------



## Whitigir

I agree and holy cow


----------



## rpade

What does those big caps do?


----------



## lantian

CobraMan said:


> You must have some unusual pockets to carry that bad boy in!
> 
> Cheers,
> Tim


Thx. But no thats just for home use. Sounds so good. That i am already considering, to modify the back cover on my amp8, by cutting out some holes for one cerafine 1000uf and those 4 audio note kasei caps. Though not quite sure if anythings needs to be modified for them to fit inside, 100uf16v are 6.3mm diameter. Seems like it might just fit. 
Already itching to order 50uf16v ones for amp 8 and use one cerafine combined with one audio note for power. Though they are not cheap. Also need to get my hands on a smal flex or something to cut the back cover.


----------



## lantian

rpade said:


> What does those big caps do?


Power smothing and guess signature tuning. Atleast thats what it sounds like. Had tried silmics 2 there, but it lacked the peaks, was to smooth. Cerafines sound better all around in this aplication, more natural.


----------



## arijitroy2

lantian said:


> Power smothing and guess signature tuning. Atleast thats what it sounds like. Had tried silmics 2 there, but it lacked the peaks, was to smooth. Cerafines sound better all around in this aplication, more natural.


Actually I would suggest creating a custom faceplate for the back for those huge caps and eventually you can rest the whole dap on a desk using the amp!


----------



## lantian

arijitroy2 said:


> Actually I would suggest creating a custom faceplate for the back for those huge caps and eventually you can rest the whole dap on a desk using the amp!


Thats a great idea. Had an similar idea like that aswell, but never followed up on checking the price for machining such a thing. Would make it just 1cm higher than stock one. 3d printing would be an option though. But would preffer metal one.


----------



## arijitroy2

lantian said:


> Thats a great idea. Had an similar idea like that aswell, but never followed up on checking the price for machining such a thing. Would make it just 1cm higher than stock one. 3d printing would be an option though. But would preffer metal one.


Yep that would look nice! Keep us posted if you do !


----------



## Whitigir

lantian said:


> Thats a great idea. Had an similar idea like that aswell, but never followed up on checking the price for machining such a thing. Would make it just 1cm higher than stock one. 3d printing would be an option though. But would preffer metal one.


The only way to make a metal one is to CNC it out, but that probably is going to be expensive


----------



## lantian

Whitigir said:


> The only way to make a metal one is to CNC it out, but that probably is going to be expensive


Tbh am cosidering of saving money for cnc whole chassis from copper. Would look fantastic. Found a company in us that could do smal runs of 1. But rather get it made here in germany(will cost more). But what worries me is the tollernces.


----------



## Whitigir

lantian said:


> Tbh am cosidering of saving money for cnc whole chassis from copper. Would look fantastic. Found a company in us that could do smal runs of 1. But rather get it made here in germany(will cost more). But what worries me is the tollernces.


Could you PM me the US place ? I may want to custom made a chassis for myself lol


----------



## lantian

Moded my brothers amp. Kase caps sound fantastic.


----------



## lantian

Moded mine aswell. Just so smooth and natural. Love the sound.


----------



## Whitigir

lantian said:


> Moded mine aswell. Just so smooth and natural. Love the sound.


Looking good!!


----------



## lantian

Whitigir said:


> Looking good!!


Thanks, wish i had better tools. Could definetly do better. But am satisfied right now.


----------



## pascallito

Hello to all of you, the enthusiasts !! 
I am now joining you "through the small door". 
I just bought a Mod. AMP8 the EX V2, *(Elna edition) * 

 bought from a super headfier ....
I must say that it is subtly and refined well constructed because the sound stage shines in depth as in width! Fantastic !!! 
For the moment this "spatialization" appeals to me a lot, I am spellbound by this fine change .... 
Well done for this work and THANKS


----------



## Whitigir

pascallito said:


> Hello to all of you, the enthusiasts !!
> I am now joining you "through the small door".
> I just bought a Mod. AMP8 the EX V2, *(Elna edition) *  bought from a super headfier ....
> I must say that it is subtly and refined well constructed because the sound stage shines in depth as in width! Fantastic !!!
> ...


Congratulations!! I know that module and it was very well made.


----------



## Nayparm

pascallito said:


> Hello to all of you, the enthusiasts !!
> I am now joining you "through the small door".
> I just bought a Mod. AMP8 the EX V2, *(Elna edition) *  bought from a super headfier ....
> I must say that it is subtly and refined well constructed because the sound stage shines in depth as in width! Fantastic !!!
> ...



Congratulations, although not direct from me, that modded amp looks very familiar 😁👍


----------



## pascallito

It is I who thank you !!!  really..... Eh yes ! this mod is one of your talent
You have any idea who had it ... so I bought him


----------



## Nayparm

pascallito said:


> It is I who thank you !!!  really..... Eh yes ! this mod is one of your talent
> You have any idea who had it ... so I bought him



Mostly @Whitigir s design 👍


----------



## pascallito (Aug 15, 2020)

Nayparm said:


> Mostly @Whitigir s design 👍



Yes ! It's fair......
@Whitigir WELL DONE 
@Nayparm WELL DONE


----------



## meomap

Very interesting DIY community for iBasso.
Will read some more for my MAX later.
Thank you all for sharing.


----------



## docentore

a1kkord said:


> On the Chinese forum I found some instructions for AMP1, AMP3 and AMP8, it says that the architecture of AMP1 and AMP6 is very similar.


Can you share the link please?


----------



## tunes

pascallito said:


> Hello to all of you, the enthusiasts !!
> I am now joining you "through the small door".
> I just bought a Mod. AMP8 the EX V2, *(Elna edition) *  bought from a super headfier ....
> I must say that it is subtly and refined well constructed because the sound stage shines in depth as in width! Fantastic !!!
> ...


I would like to also purchase one. Where did you order from and how much did you pay??


----------



## pascallito

Hi,
I'm just going to part with it! You PM me if you want ..


----------



## tunes

pascallito said:


> Hi,
> I'm just going to part with it! You PM me if you want ..


Thanks but I already have a Amp 8 and just need to find someone to Mod it for me


----------



## pascallito

tunes said:


> Thanks but I already have a Amp 8 and just need to find someone to Mod it for me


Hi,
I hope your research is successful..it's totally worth it .. 
Musically


----------



## Maxx134

Hello, has anyone tried the fidelizer "purist rom" ?


----------



## pascallito

Hi,
no, only with the  Add-on Lurker A8.1-L1.23b1 which is just fantastic....


----------



## Maxx134 (Nov 19, 2020)

pascallito said:


> Hi,
> no, only with the  Add-on Lurker A8.1-L1.23b1 which is just fantastic....


Is that a rom or an apk add on?
The purist ROM has free version to try.


----------



## pascallito

Fidelizer is full firmware and Lurker is add-on


----------



## Ojisan

Does anyone know what the 3 components are and their values circled in red below? It's next to the 22uF cap? I got it too hot while working the 22uF and knocked it out...

Edit: Forgot to note it's Amp8.

Thanks in advance!


----------



## goodvibes (Dec 30, 2020)

I can't believe so many tried this themselves.This has too much risk without the right tools. Looks like an awesome mod though and congrats to those that successfully swapped surface mounted bits and to Whitgir for his efforts and help to all. I have done a lot of audio repair in my day but wouldn't mess with surface mounts without dedicated tools. Of course, these old eyes aren't what they used to be either, LOL.

Just skimmed quickly but like the easy wet cap adds for anyone that can solder..Silmics are good as are the RBD in supplies, depending. You can go too large here and make things too rounded/warm and/or seemingly lose synergy/timing with the original caps. Bigger isn't always better depending on what's already there and how readily replenished.


----------



## goodvibes (Dec 30, 2020)

The non elaborate thing reminds my of playing with my LPG, trying different values. Here's a pic but I ended up with just one bypass cap on the High V rail. I initially used too large a cap value( I think it was 2.2) here and added the other to snap things back up on another rail to compensate. Got better synergy with just the one 0.47uf RBD on the higher V rail (brown position) for best sound. Battery has plenty of juice, it's more about delivery.

I was amazed at the amount of info this player had but I felt it needed a bit more flow and texture and this was a positive without loss. I ended up moving it to a friend simply because i only use these as portable and it was a bit heavy and chunky for me personally.


----------



## Whitigir

goodvibes said:


> The non elaborate thing reminds my of playing with my LPG, trying different values. Here's a pic but I ended up with just one bypass cap on the High V rail. I initially used too large a cap value( I think it was 2.2) here and added the other to snap things back up on another rail to compensate. Got better synergy with just the one 0.47uf RBD on the higher V rail (brown position) for best sound. Battery has plenty of juice, it's more about delivery.


Lovely!! Thanks for joining us


----------



## goodvibes

Hardly where you're at with the 220 but thanks. I also wasn't going to dive in too deep on an LPG.


----------



## Whitigir

goodvibes said:


> Hardly where you're at with the 220 but thanks. I also wasn't going to dive in too deep on an LPG.


Honestly, every DIY and modder are appreciated to join us.  It is a very expensive and also fun side of our hobby.  I look forward to Dx300.  I am so very excited for a miniaturized Max from power supplies alone


----------



## docentore

goodvibes said:


> I can't believe so many tried this themselves.This has too much risk without the right tools. Looks like an awesome mod though and congrats to those that successfully swapped surface mounted bits and to Whitgir for his efforts and help to all. I have done a lot of audio repair in my day but wouldn't mess with surface mounts without dedicated tools. Of course, these old eyes aren't what they used to be either, LOL.
> 
> Just skimmed quickly but like the easy wet cap adds for anyone that can solder..Silmics are good as are the RBD in supplies, depending. You can go too large here and make things too rounded/warm and/or seemingly lose synergy/timing with the original caps. Bigger isn't always better depending on what's already there and how readily replenished.


Well, you have to break some eggs to make an omelette.


----------



## ExpatinJapan

Still have the DX220 with iBasso Amp8ex (based on @Whitigir mods) on regular rotation.

its a hard one to beat


----------



## linux4ever

Yes amp8-ex is very very good


----------



## Whitigir

mikejazz said:


> Hi all!
> Vince was kind enough to loan me his modded 220MAX(ex) for a few weeks to get my impressions.
> 
> Let me introduce myself. My name is Michael Arnopol. I'm a professional jazz bassist and speaker designer. I play bass on all of the Patricia Barber recordings until after 2010. (with the exception of one). I also have recorded and toured with may other top jazz artists. I've had the fortune of recording with many top recording engineers. I've retired from touring 10 years ago and have started a company that makes the best loudspeakers for bassists.I was asked to be a beta tester for the Jerry Harvey JH13's ten years ago. I just mention this stuff to say that I have a lot of experience with hearing what instruments and voice sounds like acoustically and recorded by top engineers.
> ...


a quote from Mike, a very well known Bassist for Patricia Barber


----------



## Ojisan

Happy to finally join the mod party. Amp8EX-P without the ECHU completed. Already sounds good and different from the Amp8/Amp8EX. Time for some burn in


----------



## Whitigir

Ojisan said:


> Happy to finally join the mod party. Amp8EX-P without the ECHU completed. Already sounds good and different from the Amp8/Amp8EX. Time for some burn in


Well done !!!! For the form factor and the mods, people would be surprised at how good Dx228ex can be.  Welcome to the club!


----------



## Ojisan

Whitigir said:


> Well done !!!! For the form factor and the mods, people would be surprised at how good Dx228ex can be.  Welcome to the club!



Hey thanks and thanks to the community in this thread! It's surprising how much it changes. Glad I tried it! Now I have Amp8, Amp8EX-FE, and this to play around with. Too much fun, too little time


----------



## lantian

Amp 7 audio note.


----------



## Whitigir

Ooohhhh shiny sparky and Spanky , are you looking for some of that tube transients ?


----------



## lantian

Whitigir said:


> Ooohhhh shiny sparky and Spanky , are you looking for some of that tube transients ?


Would say so. Love the way these audio notes sound. Just such nice sound. Was worried at first that the 50uf16v kasei ones would not be good for the line diltering. But turned out simply sublime.
Really love these things, background seems to be completely quiet now. 
Now just need to get a couple of standard audio note 470uf25v ones to bicap with the 100uf16v one for power smoothing.  
Also now can say that if anyone wants to upgrade their line eout of dx200/220 or 150 amp 7 is definetly an upgrade over amp1 or amp1mk2. Mine was modded before but even so can not compare to the performance and sound of amp7 line out. Even before putting the audio notes in everything was quite a lot nicer bass, mids, vocals, treble, imaging and sound stage.
Would say amp7 line out vs amp1mk2 line out is about similar step up as amp1mk2 balanced to amp8 balanced. So happy that finally got this.
one day gonna do the full ex mod on my amp7 but again with audio notes for all electrolytics.


----------



## docentore

Just got this in post. Originally I broke it during one of my mod attempts, had constant static noise in one of the channels. I did a mess with the board.

Right now as you can see the electrolitic caps were replaced, tantalum one added. Input caps removed as there is no DC offset. Opamps replaced with 2xOPA1656.

Excellent results. Thank you very much @plutonim for your help with repairing this board.


----------



## plutonim

Hi guys, AMP8 excellent amplifier. I recovered a schematic for it


----------



## lantian

plutonim said:


> Hi guys, AMP8 excellent amplifier. I recovered a schematic for it


Dare I say you sir are a Genius. Thank you.


----------



## Whitigir (Feb 3, 2021)

docentore said:


> Just got this in post. Originally I broke it during one of my mod attempts, had constant static noise in one of the channels. I did a mess with the board.
> 
> Right now as you can see the electrolitic caps were replaced, tantalum one added. Input caps removed as there is no DC offset. Opamps replaced with 2xOPA1656.
> 
> Excellent results. Thank you very much @plutonim for your help with repairing this board.





plutonim said:


> Hi guys, AMP8 excellent amplifier. I recovered a schematic for it


Yes!! You are a genius @plutonim !! Thanks for the schematic.  I followed this to revive one of my earlier Failed Amp8EX and indeed I was able to revive and also Adopt the topology from Dx300 to further the sound performances.

Bypass caps are removed, so damaged pads at the smoothing isnt a problem anymore.  Decoupling bicap is in for output transistors Kasei 50uf/16V

Buffer is upgraded toward LT6203X
Thanks again @plutonim .  This is why I love DIY and especially IBASSO


----------



## docentore

Nice job @Whitigir , good to see that I wasn't the only one to follow @plutonim advice to remove the bypass/entry caps.
How's the LT sounds compared to original opamp?


----------



## Whitigir

docentore said:


> Nice job @Whitigir , good to see that I wasn't the only one to follow @plutonim advice to remove the bypass/entry caps.
> How's the LT sounds compared to original opamp?


LT has the bass more energetic, touch better bloom and overall a tube like transients speed


----------



## docentore

Whitigir said:


> LT has the bass more energetic, touch better bloom and overall a tube like transients speed


I might use it in my AMP1mk2 then, I don't like it with muses8920, to dry imho.


----------



## Whitigir (Feb 6, 2021)

docentore said:


> I might use it in my AMP1mk2 then, I don't like it with muses8920, to dry imho.


Yes, Muses8920 is very dry and is also lacking Bass body and slam.  It only has good textures and airiness.
Just a couple notes, Eventhough I was able to save the damaged Amp8EX which was dead in the very early experiments previously.  I just don’t like how it sound.  I would still be keeping the Bypass capacitors as much as possible .

If you are using the LT as a buffer for Amp1.  Do consider taking off the BiCaps  with electrolytic capacitors, and put in 22uF Film caps or Vishay , KEMET KO


----------



## docentore

Whitigir said:


> Do consider taking off the BiCaps  with electrolytic capacitors, and put in 22uF Film caps or Vishay , KEMET KO


But why, the caps are on the audio signal path. If there is no DC offset only thing these do are is filtering the frequencies.


----------



## lantian

Hey guys will a 25v capacitor work for amp7 as power smothing replacement for the 470uf 16v nichicon? As far as I can see higher voltage should have no issues, but wanted to make sure.


----------



## Whitigir

lantian said:


> Hey guys will a 25v capacitor work for amp7 as power smothing replacement for the 470uf 16v nichicon? As far as I can see higher voltage should have no issues, but wanted to make sure.


If you can have it fit in, it definitely will work


----------



## lantian

Whitigir said:


> If you can have it fit in, it definitely will work


Thank you. Thats awesome.


----------



## lantian (Mar 16, 2021)

Rest of my order arrived today. Recapped power caps for my sansui and finally added the audio note. Standard 470uf25v one to my amp7. Simply sublime sound. Thanks for the help*@Whitigir*


----------



## Whitigir

lantian said:


> Rest of my order arrived today. Recapped power caps for my sansui and finally added the audio note. Standard 470uf25v one to my amp7. Simply sublime sound. Thanks for the help*@Whitigir*


I am glad you are enjoying the ride .  AudioNote is great for sub bass, textures and extensions.  The Dx220 definitely can enjoy a more musical yet accurate tuning like this for sure.  Job well done


----------



## lantian

Whitigir said:


> I am glad you are enjoying the ride .  AudioNote is great for sub bass, textures and extensions.  The Dx220 definitely can enjoy a more musical yet accurate tuning like this for sure.  Job well done


Thanks really loving it.


----------



## lantian

Could anyone make a parts list for amp7ex mod. As in all the tantalums that need to be replaced? Like the ones for amp8 with mauser links would be hugeley appreciated.


----------



## orys (Mar 24, 2021)

Hi guys!
Just got a DX220 with amp1 mkii and amp8.
Anyonwe inmterested in trading his modified Amp8EX for a stock Amp8 + cash?


----------



## Lohb

I have the Amp 8 (Fidelizer Ultimate Mod) is it more or less same as this DIY one ? It's fantastic anyway in every way...my DAP quest over for a good while....amazing with planar cans...XC + A2C


----------



## lantian

My dx220 finally has the ex mod applied. Both mine and my brothers playrs. Got them done by a work college who does this every day on military stuff.
Thank you @Whitigir for all your help through the journey. Everything worked out fantastic and the sound is indescribable. Can not put it in words. Thank you so very much for sharing this and being part of the community. Also thanks to  @Paul - iBasso for this amazing player and platform and for the continuing of work being done to these amazing players through furter firmware upgrades.
This is now my endgame source for quite some time. Loving every moment.


----------



## Whitigir

lantian said:


> My dx220 finally has the ex mod applied. Both mine and my brothers playrs. Got them done by a work college who does this every day on military stuff.
> Thank you @Whitigir for all your help through the journey. Everything worked out fantastic and the sound is indescribable. Can not put it in words. Thank you so very much for sharing this and being part of the community. Also thanks to  @Paul - iBasso for this amazing player and platform and for the continuing of work being done to these amazing players through furter firmware upgrades.
> This is now my endgame source for quite some time. Loving every moment.


Woooo!!! Congratulations!! Yes! It is an awesome player when it is done and paired with Amp8EX


----------



## Whitigir (Aug 17, 2021)

This is the newer and easier way to improve the Max amplifier sections which also improve and somewhat alternate the sound performances.  You should consider your favorite Capacitors of choices that best suited you.  *The voltage swing is higher than 8V.  You are recommended to use 10V minimum.  You can go for 47uf/100uf/10V or higher.  *_47uF has better sub bass textures where as 100uF has more energetic mid bass_

This was developed based on Ibasso latest engineering points, and adopted from Ibasso DX300 Amp11 but a little further.  The output coupling capacitors are BiCap with either Bipolar or polar capacitors of choices.  While space is limited in Dx300, it isn’t an issue with Max.  So all 4 caps can enjoy the upgrades.  However, the choices of caps can also influences the number of caps that can be upgraded.

I don’t have any official schematic or engineering views of these amplifier from Ibasso, so I am only pulling, soldering, listening, and following the directions that Ibasso had mapped out with their newest designs. This is to yet confirm that Ibasso is using great component of choices and knows exactly what they are doing as Ibasso is the founder and maker, engineering of this platforms. In the mean while, there are indefinite ways to replace components in a way to upgrades or sometime even degrade the player. But using better components are not always resulting in a better performances. *The case in point is that with this MAXW mod, you will find the performances to be improved just about as much as the MAXEX, but a lot simpler and cheaper.  You can DIY or ask any electrician to help you with a touch of soldering *

The hardest procedure is to take off the back of the Max.  You need to heat it up and then using debonder with suctions cups and discarded credit card to pull the back off.  It is glued like a smartphone screen would.  The fortunate point is that it is flat and square with thick strong glass.  You may not easily damage it for sure

Now when you pulled it off, you will see the steel plate that is screwed toward the chassis with 4 Torx screws.

1/Just remove them and then the battery packs

2/pull off the Wifi antenna like Dx220, pull off the screen ribbon connector, then lift off the tab of the ribbon power button and pull out to disconnect

3/ Now you need to remove the amp module
In order to remove the amp module, you will need to follow these steps

A/ pull out the golden volume knob, just use a strong grips and slowly pulling it out

B/ The golden rings on the output are glued toward the chassis which acts as a retainer for the amp board.  You will need to push it out using a paper clip or tweezers.  After pulling out all of the golden blings, you will unscrew all the internal screws that connect the board to the chassis.  Organize it so you know what goes where for assembly

C/ after all screws and connection tabs are disconnected, use your fingers (only) to push the amp board toward the volume know and separate it away from the main board.  Do not use any tool as a slip down toward the screen will damage the screen mirror back and you will end up with a damaged screen

D/ after separations, lift it off gently and push it back inward so it can be easily taken off.  This will remove the charger circuitry together.

Now, you will have this board, which you will work on to apply MaxW modifications. The Blue wires are Power Supplies wires, 3 of them, +8V Ground -8V. If you upgrade them, they are similar to Powercord upgrade. Stock cables is OCC. You will need to desolder with pump and have materials of choices. If you opt to replace them, make sure you follow the Printed silk screen so to not mess up the polarity *(very important, they are directional, wrong polarity will fry things VEE-AGround-VCC) *The black wires are only there to communicate charging status and possibly protections etc...not really matter

Now, the Amp board. There are 2 ways to apply W mod. The first one is to enhance the output coupling on the signals lines. Again, you can use Bipolar or polar capacitors, remember the marked end on the SMD caps on the board is +

or you can apply a further enhanced output from both active lines and ground references


Again, with 4 caps BiCap, the space will be limited, and depends on your preferences and choice of capacitor, you may end up with either 2 or 4 caps in additional

This is a simpler mod than EX mod as it retains all the Ibasso components and upgrading the Powercord with additional BiCap of choices.  I have opted for both and can attest that either A or B directions will be an improvements


*This will improve the dynamic, bass slams, textures and soundstage*.  _The 2 BiCap will retain the most of Max house sound while improving textures, details and dynamic where as the 4 BiCap will further alternate the sound further from Max house sound into the choice of your capacitors_.  It could be more musical or more neutral and detail oriented, depends on your choice of electrolytic, MLCC, or Organic Polymer.

Remember to apply a lot of Flux as the ground plane can dissipate heat quickly and so, crank up your iron temps! These 4 holes are through to the other side with ground plane, so it will be harder to solder on

I call this the MaXW and by the choices of BiCap used.  You can call it MaxW1 or MaxW2 with 1 indicate the 2 additional caps and 2 for all 4 caps

If you would love to have meatier timbres density, also consider replacing the 3 main capacitors with Nichicon Organic Polymer 470uf/16V 
PLS1C471MD01.  These are larger and taller with wider legs spaces.  It takes a bit of efforts but it will fit just fine


----------



## Lohb

Anyone in the UK that has done the amp 8 mods and can upgrade my backup stock card 8, please PM me on a price inc. materials.
Thanks !


----------



## purk

I own one of @ Whitigr other MaXW and it is an outstanding player.  Whitigr sent his MaXW and I compared it to my stock MAX and the improvements are very obvious.  No more slightly grainier treble.  Bass is pronounced and both macro and micro dynamic are improved.  Tonal balanced is slightly warmer. Soundstage is slightly less wide but has better depth cues.  I love it this!


----------



## Whitigir (Apr 19, 2021)

If any Max owner in the US would like to audition the MaxW, you can PM me (possibly)


----------



## purk (Apr 19, 2021)

Whitigir said:


> If any Max owner in the US would like to audition the MaxW, you can PM me (possibly)


This man is a legend and super generous.  I wish him plenty of happiness and an excellent automobile that excel at playing hirez surround!


----------



## Reima

Whitigir said:


> Again, with 4 caps BiCap, the space will be limited, and depends on your preferences and choice of capacitor, you may end up with either 2 or 4 caps in additional


What is the max size for the capacitors? I have not opened my DX220Max as yet.


----------



## Whitigir

Reima said:


> What is the max size for the capacitors? I have not opened my DX220Max as yet.


It depends on your skills. 5x10mm ? could be larger, or less.  The small capacitors on the side of the attenuator is 5x10mm.  You can fit that size just fine, or a little larger than 5mm diameter


----------



## Reima

Whitigir said:


> It depends on your skills. 5x10mm ? could be larger, or less.  The small capacitors on the side of the attenuator is 5x10mm.  You can fit that size just fine, or a little larger than 5mm diameter


Thanks, I am looking at the Audionote Kaisei 50uF/16V which are 5x11mm or the 100uF/16V which are 6.3x11mm.


----------



## Whitigir

Should be just fine , so long as you have enough skills to squeeze them in.  Also, do look into replacing the Powercord if you could.


----------



## Reima

Whitigir said:


> Should be just fine , so long as you have enough skills to squeeze them in.  Also, do look into replacing the Powercord if you could.


Which cable would you recommend?


----------



## Whitigir

Reima said:


> Which cable would you recommend?


Litz copper cables minimum from Cardas.  It depends on your personal tastes, just like choices of capacitors, pick your poison .  The merits of DIY


----------



## orys

Anyone know somebody in Europe where I can send my Amp8 to have it modified. I'm not afraid to do the mods myself but my eyes and hands got very bad at 48. Everytime i try to fix something i break it. 
Do I need to have the player modified as well?
I would like to get the best out of this player and amp8 as the journey for me is over due to unemployment kicking in since last July.


----------



## Lohb

orys said:


> Anyone know somebody in Europe where I can send my Amp8 to have it modified. I'm not afraid to do the mods myself but my eyes and hands got very bad at 48. Everytime i try to fix something i break it.
> Do I need to have the player modified as well?
> I would like to get the best out of this player and amp8 as the journey for me is over due to unemployment kicking in since last July.


I'll let you know if a lead I have is good for the amp8 mod. I have one modified and the stock amp 8 untouched, and the difference is so easy to hear between the two.


----------



## orys

Lohb said:


> I'll let you know if a lead I have is good for the amp8 mod. I have one modified and the stock amp 8 untouched, and the difference is so easy to hear between the two.


Cool!
It's what I wanted to hear.
Let me know when you know please.


----------



## Lohb

Would this be the correct mWatt output on amp8 as well ?


----------



## docentore

If anyone is interested in modified AMP8 (like EX but better, swapped opamps with OPA1656) PM me, I'm in EU.


----------



## lantian

Could anyone help me to identify the 4 screews used to secure the main board insed the player. Are they m1x2 or bigger? have noo tools to measure with at the moment.


----------



## Whitigir

lantian said:


> Could anyone help me to identify the 4 screews used to secure the main board insed the player. Are they m1x2 or bigger? have noo tools to measure with at the moment.


Did you mean the internal board to chassis screws on Max ?


----------



## lantian (May 22, 2021)

Whitigir said:


> Did you mean the internal board to chassis screws on Max ?


Internal board on dx220 normal one though imagine max has the same size ones there.
Thanks


----------



## lantian

A small update for my amp7 changed the audio note kasei polar one 50uf16v to bipolar ones 22uf16v and added a couple of vishai smd polymers for the power smothing to bring the total up to 1740uf. Somehow felt it was really needed to have the large reservoir for amp7. The bipolars are a massive step up from the polarized ones. Who ever is considering audio note Kasei for line smoothing, go straight for the 22uf16v bipolars. Will not miss a thing in comparison just get more. The midrange and depth are on another level.
Next month hope to be able to finaly do the whole smd caps on amp7 and have the whole 227ex package to be on the same level as 228ex. Thanks @Whitigir this combo is like nothing else out there. To bad i no longer posses any of my 300ohm cans.


----------



## orys

Anyone selling a modified amp8 guys? PM me.


----------



## Lohb

Modified Amp8 for sale...
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/ibasso-dx200-dx220-amp-8-card-heavily-modified.5525/


----------



## justroya

Whitigir said:


> Thank you to @bden59 for helping me to enable the EX modifications for DX220.  The goal is to preserve bass slam, timbres density, further enhance them in controls, dynamic and punches, improving clarity, details, trebles extensions.
> 
> There will be 2 parts of the EX just like Dx200.
> 
> ...


Hi Whitigir...wondering which 5 valves you mention was to be replaced?  Was that canceled because of outdated or by other reason? 
And I am also asking help on the un-labeled inductor's inductance... Cause i was screwed up 2 of that by squeeze more cap in my amp8...but i don't have any equipment to test those inductor...so if you can tell me that?


----------



## Whitigir (Jun 8, 2021)

justroya said:


> Hi Whitigir...wondering which 5 valves you mention was to be replaced?  Was that canceled because of outdated or by other reason?
> And I am also asking help on the un-labeled inductor's inductance... Cause i was screwed up 2 of that by squeeze more cap in my amp8...but i don't have any equipment to test those inductor...so if you can tell me that?


Hello, it have been so long that I haven’t touched the Dx220 (the published details is the most recent one).  I also never got around to those inductors as it was never damaged.  You may want to ask Ibasso directly ? I think there were a couple members who had similar encounters and solved it, but I can’t remember exactly.  May be they still reading the thread and give some insight


----------



## justroya

plutonim said:


> Hi guys, AMP8 excellent amplifier. I recovered a schematic for it



Finally get the idea how this mod works...really need to omprove my ability of reading diagrams.  hope i will have time to do this tonight. I've been miss the sound of amp 8 for so long.


----------



## justroya

BTW, I am trying to upgrade the oscillators on my dx220..do anyone have commend on replacing an oscillator?


----------



## justroya

I am recently keep studying my dead dx220’s PCB, and try to figure out how they work and react between each others. ICs, caps, inductors, resistors, regs, transistors, op-amps.....until last week I had find something interesting on the oscillator.


Blue circles in alphabets are crystals without power supply, I had not research on them yet. Red circles in numbering are our main characters - Oscillator.
(Head-fi forbidden my for posting photo, because I am new??)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/m545srw9wvk5rx4/1.png?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jql7cjjn313kulm/2.png?dl=0

Oscillator_1&2
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8setuzee4g9ihz0/3.png?dl=0

Oscillator_3&4
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5pt2suf3jlct4l7/4.png?dl=0

Oscillator_5
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8a906geaojq1vk4/5.png?dl=0

Search components by thier marking was bored and weary. Especially when it comes together with a disappointing result. I started with the most important part (OSC 1&2) which serves our ESS9018 DAC chips, but it was much more difficult than I thought. I had searched for days, but there was no result by marking, neither from google or china network. That makes me gave up on the oscillators and put my mind on other “easier” components for a long time.

When I come back to the oscillators part, that was already a month later. I did the search again, still nothing comes out. It was weird. Cuz I remember that the oscillators in dx220 was not a “nobody”, indeed that were a “sounds very famous brand’s powerful low noise oscillators”(not offence, I was so ignorance about oscillators and how they works, let alone those brands).

So I visited the official web site.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/70g5rs2g3vqbs42/6.png?dl=0

Now I have the brand, I search on google, no result but a barely empty official site, switch to baidu (CN network), search again, no result but a barely empty official site.
Search on Mouser : Nothing
Search on Dxgxkxx: Nothing
Search on XX Components : Nothing

At the moment when I thinking if the“sounds very famous brand" and the "powerful low noise oscillators” was kidnaped by aliens,  I find a clues on the CN audio DIY forum. That was an argument about comparing 2 OCSs in audio usage. The first one was the most famed OCS brand’s star that I’ve heard many time when I search about OSC “Crystek - CCHD” And the second one is....AS318-b.

That’s much enough about the searching story. After that I realize this “Accusilicon” is not a leading brand in OSC’s field, not even a middle one. It was a PRC factory with a US address but nobody know them in US....and recently takeover by "XiaoMi". Beside that this company is more like a urban legend spread around audio lovers and DIYers in CN. by “Crystek - CCHD" beated quality with 1/3 of it’s price”. And I also find many CN’s DAP factory are now using this OSC.

Happy ending? Not yet, I’ve got my OSC with clear marking “AS318-v3P” but not “AS318-b”...... After research of ICs for months, I find a patten of the IC's part no. that normally, when a IC has a "B" at the end of part no. it means.....
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2vxuho1jg0kb47h/8.png?dl=0

As Expected (Thanks google translate for the easier quoting)


----------



## Whitigir

justroya said:


> I am recently keep studying my dead dx220’s PCB, and try to figure out how they work and react between each others. ICs, caps, inductors, resistors, regs, transistors, op-amps.....until last week I had find something interesting on the oscillator.
> 
> 
> Blue circles in alphabets are crystals without power supply, I had not research on them yet. Red circles in numbering are our main characters - Oscillator.
> ...


Accusilicon is not a brand name, but it has very respectable measurements and performances over other brands.  Anyways, welcome to the fun parts of looking up for OC.  When speaking about OC, there are ways more to take in consideration than just pull and replace.


----------



## justroya

My Amp8 is still waiting for me, so I will say it in short form.

1) I had searched for days to purchase the "AS318-b" in 2520 case but failed. I am trying something off label. If I success, I will post the method for free, or I may start a group purchase if in needed.  

2) My "AS318-b" is on the way, they will replace the stock "AS318".  Once if I finish the replacement, I will update the status no matter Success or Fail.

3) If the  "AS318" replacement success, I may further think of replace the stock 4x mhz pair of OSCs, the part no. & datasheet link as below

"NDK - NZ2520SD"
https://www.digikey.hk/Site/Global/Layouts/DownloadPdf.ashx?pdfUrl=A3744E4855F046779A5DD222DABCDE94
"Accusilicon - AS318-b"
http://www.accusilicon.com/docs/AS318BM.pdf

they were in the exactly same frequency, both work in 3.3v, but other data are too difficult to me to understand, and I had no experience of replace OSCs, so I can't expect the result of replace by a different brand or what so ever different OSC. If anyone tried, please comment.


PS) It feels so amazing...spending weeks to figure these out, hours to posting them for free. 
@Whitigir you mush been gone through this many time, thank you for sharing your amazing thoughts.


----------



## justroya (Jun 25, 2021)

Whitigir said:


> Accusilicon is not a brand name, but it has very respectable measurements and performances over other brands.  Anyways, welcome to the fun parts of looking up for OC.  When speaking about OC, there are ways more to take in consideration than just pull and replace.



What? I found the home page of it with the datasheet of "AS318-b" in it.
http://www.accusilicon.com/cn/asic_and_module/xo.html

To your anyway, I think I am still way too far from talking about techs, data, advantage/disadvantage of replacement, that I was still standing out of the door. but this time, or say this MOD, seems different, that is more like replacing OPA627AP to OPA627BP. still in risk of cause, especially I can't find the Datasheet of stock "AS318", but at lease the risk is much lower and worth trying now. And not to mention, remember that I have really plenty of spare parts?


----------



## justroya

Here's an article by IBASSO, translated by Google translate, forgive google if the translation is not accurate.

*Audio indicator science popularization from IBASSO*
This article is officially authorized by ibasso to reprint, the original title "Scientific HiFi Talk 3-How to Read the Parameter Chart of Digital Audio"

After entering the digital Centry, the storage/transmission of analog electrical signals is gradually replaced by digital signals. Storage and transmission in the form of quantization as a digital signal has the advantages of less resource occupation, high fault tolerance, strong anti-interference and so on. However, our human body’s perception of the world is still “simulated” and “continuous” (in fact, the signal transmission inside the organism also has a quantitative process, and the world is not continuous in nature, but now we don’t need to discuss this kind of micro-physics. model). Therefore, digital-to-analog conversion has become a very important link in electronic information engineering, which needs to be involved in communication engineering, signal processing, automation and control, and so on. Electronic engineers meticulously design and develop various ICs and circuits to improve the accuracy and performance of DA/AD, especially for electro-acoustic systems.

The core component responsible for digital-to-analog conversion in an electroacoustic playback system is the DAC chip. Whether it is a traditional R2R current addition type DAC or an SDM integral interpolation type DAC, all have certain requirements on the quality of the input digital signal.

*Clock and crystal*
8 years ago “Colorfly” C4 uses a dual-frequency crystal oscillator and FPGA to solve the distortion caused by re-sampling, that is, SRC, portable HiFi players and even mobile phones have begun to popularize dual crystal oscillators, and slowly add CPLD or FPGA control logic to control the clock signal Perform synthesis and processing. Up to now, high-end portable HiFi players have begun to promote "femtosecond crystal oscillators" just like desktop devices. In publicity, the Jitter real-time basis error is always taken as a very important publicity point, and many digital audio engineers or senior audiophiles will tell you that the Jitter value is actually not as important as the phase noise. What has actually happened?

*The relationship between "femtosecond" crystal oscillator and phase noise*
First of all, we must know that phase noise itself does not refer to a kind of noise, but a random change in the phase of the system output signal caused by the system under the action of various noises. It is a kind of "error", which is a measure of the stability and accuracy of the frequency source. An important indicator of sex. The method of expressing this kind of error is to express the random changes of different error amounts separately, which forms a phase noise map. Let's look at an example:

The above picture is the phase noise diagram of the famous femtosecond crystal CCHD-575 100MHz. You can see that the abscissa in the figure is Hz, which is the offset frequency. The offset frequency is relative to the carrier frequency, which is the operating frequency of the clock itself. In an ideal state, a crystal oscillator working at a frequency of 100MHz as shown in the figure should have an equal interval (10ns) between each oscillation to accurately output a square wave. But the reality is that every output of the crystal oscillator may be faster or slower than its intended position, and the corresponding frequency will be higher or lower.

If the output frequency is 100.0001MHz at this time, the frequency will be 99,9999MHz or 100.0001MHz after the frequency offset by 100Hz. The above figure indicates the phase noise level at 100Hz-121dBc/Hz, that is to say, the power of 99,9999MHz and 100.0001MHz (±100Hz) output frequency, the proportion of the total output power is 0.000089% per Hz. The reason why it is dBc/Hz rather than simply dBc is to make it uniform according to frequency, because the power ratio at different frequencies is different. The phase noise diagram is a complete expression of the clock frequency stability quality in the frequency domain, and of course it can also be simplified into a numerical expression in the time domain-Jitter. The calculation method is similar to the method of calculating the value through the THD curve, that is, the phase noise-frequency curve is integrated, but to get the Jitter, the hexadecimal conversion is required. In actual engineering applications, in order to avoid complicated calculations, the integral is simplified to area calculation, as shown in the following figure:

Since it is an integral (area calculation), then the upper and lower limits need to be defined. For audio crystal oscillators, the industry usually uses 10-1MHz integral upper and lower limits, while communication crystal oscillators often pay attention to the performance in the 12kHz-80MHz bandwidth. For timing circuits and systems, they pay more attention to the longer-term accuracy of the crystal oscillator (in fact, it can also be determined by the phase The noise figure is obtained by integration, but generally another measurement method is used, which will not be discussed here). In the datasheet of the "femtosecond crystal" AS318B, which is almost universal in high-end portable HiFi players, the official Jitter value under these two integration bandwidths is found, and the corresponding frequency point of 100MHz, 12kHz-80MHz The jitter value is only 71fs, which is lower than the nominal 82fs of CCHD-575.

*The choice of common active crystal oscillator*
Here are a few of the more common active crystal models in portable HiFi players, and make a simple comparison.

1) *CCHD-575/CCHD-957 - Crystek*
This is the second-generation femtosecond crystal of Crystek, an established crystal oscillator. It is an optimized product developed after the first-generation femtosecond crystal CCHD-950 was used in HiFi audio applications. The difference is that CCHD-957 is a dedicated audio frequency crystal oscillator, which can only achieve 49.152MHz, while CCHD-575 can achieve 100MHz, but the near-end phase noise is slightly inferior to CCHD-957. Generally speaking, it is very A good crystal oscillator, there are many high-end desktop decoders used.



2) *AS318/AS318B - Accusilicon*
AS318B is a femtosecond crystal oscillator launched by Accusilicon, which is better than Crystek's CCHD series. But AS318 and AS318B are not the same model, they are low-precision versions, used in mobile phones, communications and other electronic devices.LeTVMobile phones have used AS318. Both are available in three packages, 2520 is mostly used in portable players , SMD1409 is used in desktop devices, and DIP14 is in-line package. The excellent phase noise of -100dBc/Hz@10Hz makes AS318B the first choice for high-end HiFi players.

3. *NZ2016SDA / NZ2520SDA / NZ3225SDA - NDK*
NDK's NZ series crystal oscillators claimed to have the lowest phase noise in this volume when they were released. From the official datasheet, it is indeed very good. The frequency of 45MHz and 49MHz is almost equal to the phase noise level of AS318B. But NZ-SDA can also achieve frequencies below 26MHz (22MHz/24MHz), and AS318B has no choice of low frequency, so NZ-SDA series can be said to be the best choice for CS series DAC.

4.* DSO221SH series - KDS*
A product of KDS, another Japanese crystal oscillator manufacturer. The Japanese naming crystal products are very straightforward, and usually put the package directly into the name. Although DSO series crystal oscillators also use names to distinguish packages directly, they are not named after packages. It is easy to confuse people. If you are interested, you can find them. The crystal oscillator used for audio in their home is not excellent, and is often taken out by the MEMS crystal oscillator.

5. *SiT8208 - SiTime*
This is SiTime's newly launched MEMS silicon crystal oscillator. Unlike a quartz crystal, it does not require precise temperature compensation or shock absorbers. It also has excellent long-term stability, very slow attenuation, low remote phase noise, and good anti-interference performance. However, in fact, because the near-end phase noise of MEMS silicon crystal is not good enough, it is obvious for high-end HiFi applications. Effective Can't catch it.


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## justroya (Jun 25, 2021)

Okay.....its 3am in the morning and i don't know how to say goodbye.....(Lyrics)
gotta go to sleep, hope I will have time with my AMP8 tomorrow.


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## justroya (Jul 16, 2021)

D


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## justroya

Interesting 
*


*


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## tunes

justroya said:


> Hi Whitigir...wondering which 5 valves you mention was to be replaced?  Was that canceled because of outdated or by other reason?
> And I am also asking help on the un-labeled inductor's inductance... Cause i was screwed up 2 of that by squeeze more cap in my amp8...but i don't have any equipment to test those inductor...so if you can tell me that?


Does anyone have a recommendation for a 500 mb or 1 TB micros SD that works reliably?


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## justroya

tunes said:


> 有沒有人推薦可靠運行的 500 mb 或 1 TB micros SD？


嗯...盡量不要使用


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## orys

Hi guys!
A question.
Is an Amp8 with Whitigir mod different sounding than an Amp8EX with Whitigir mod or are they essentially the same?


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## justroya

lantian said:


> 誰能幫我找出用於固定播放器主板的 4 個螺絲。它們是 m1x2 還是更大？目前沒有工具可以衡量。


It'  M1.8 x 2


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## lantian

justroya said:


> It'  M1.8 x 2


Thank you so very much.


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## Chimmy9278

tunes said:


> Does anyone have a recommendation for a 500 mb or 1 TB micros SD that works reliably?


I am using the Sandisk 1TB one perfectly.


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## Chimmy9278

The battery in my 200Max s bulging, so I would want to replace it for a new one. Better if it is at all possible to get a larger one.

Please recommend me a source if there are ready made ones. Thank you!


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## Maxx134 (Jul 28, 2021)

Chimmy9278 said:


> The battery in my 200Max s bulging, so I would want to replace it for a new one. Better if it is at all possible to get a larger one.
> 
> Please recommend me a source if there are ready made ones. Thank you!


In order for you to know that would be that you already opened it, correct?
I would PM whitigir as he moded this the most.

The problem is that you cannot just swap out a battery.
If it is not the exact same one, it will have a different charging board associated with it.
Then you will have to know what the safe parameters are, because the charging parameters are critical for safety of both the unit and the battery.

Both circuit and battery have to be designed for each other.
Larger battery = more current capacity = higher current surge potential if something goes wrong.
So even using original charging circuit may not be designed to handle it.


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## Whitigir

orys said:


> Hi guys!
> A question.
> Is an Amp8 with Whitigir mod different sounding than an Amp8EX with Whitigir mod or are they essentially the same?


Amp8W is the simplified modifications which also has some improvements, where as Amp8EX is the ultimate which is extreme in labor and cost but also is superior to Amp8W

The same as MaxW mod.  The EX is superior but the cost and labor is extreme where the W mod is a much simplified modifications that fine tune the performances a little bit further without too much works

Steps by steps to disassemble the Max. The hardest is the 1st steps.  Some Max has it glued on easier than others.  Some may take a lot more efforts.  Luckily the glass panel is very tough!!

1/ use liquid debonder carefully, use the sucker to try and pull around the edges to eventually see a little crack enough to slit in separated knife edge. Then use several plastic credit card (better this way) and insert all around. Try to clean up the liquid as much as you can. Use hair dryer to warm it up a little. Slowly working around to separate the back glass. Pay attention toward the mid section as that is where all the glues are. _The best place to start finding the edges opening would be toward the amp section _

2/ Pull out the volume knob.  Also some volume knob may feel funny due to it being a little lose.  You can use a little double sided tapes to insert in the slot to make it feel better.  Do this slowly, and steadily

3/ remove the screws and start unhooking batteries.  Use hands and or plastic/ceramic tweezers !!! Never Metal

4/ use tweezer to slot into between the socket and the Gold rims, these guys are glued on, just work slowly and be patient.  You will need to remove these guys , otherwise you can’t disassemble the Boards

5/ remove screws on amp board and the little daughter board.  Remove the daughter board first

6/ push the amp board toward the headphones out, and you can take out the amp board together with charger daughter board


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## orys

Anyone here willing to modify my amp8?
My eyes are playing tricks on me lately.


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## chojeongsik

The moment I combined the amp8 and listened to the genuine mango mode, I felt so good that I felt like I had never heard anything before. The combination of dx220 + amp1 is good, but I felt that it was too bright and sometimes it hurts my ears, but using the amp8, it became much grander and deeper, and at the same time I felt that the overall balance was much better.


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## lantian

Updated my amp7 a bit again. This time all tantalum caps are gone from power smoothing.  Replaced instead with 3x audio note standard 470uf/25v bicapped with 1uf/63v,0.47uf/63v and small 0.047uf/63v wima Film caps. The line filters remain unchanged 4x audio note kasei bipolars at 22uf/16v. 
Thewimas gave more pronounced base and better resolution all around. Also a word of warning for anyone who would be considering the audio note standard. They will sound incredible right from the start up to like 20h mark. At which point they loose completely any base presence whatsoever. And the stay that way till around 100h mark. After which they slowly gain back what they lost and a lot more.  Starting to shine again at around 170 till 200h mark. This is where they are enjoyably good sounding again.  After that there are no preculior issues with them.  The kasei caps exhibit similar behavior but no to such a drastic degree of base lost whyle burning in. Adding film caps to bycap will improve the whole spectrum and give quite a bit more clarity.


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## justroya (Aug 22, 2021)

I've found these little stickers that may  help to save our damaged pads, I had bought one from taobao for around $2 and may try on it later,  hope it could work.


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## justroya

@Lurker0 , Sorry for bothering, and thanks for the amazing add-on. 
I had recently installed UAPP,  but it seems not working perfectly with the add-on. 

1) it's fighting with the add-on for the control of dac. So I can only choose UAPP without add-on's bit-perfect, or lurker's hiby. 
But there was one time i seems successfully play at uapp with add on's control. 

2)  the UAPP request to turn on google service for serving. But I guest that is fight against the "force to deep sleep" function?

I had temporarily uninstalled the UAPP cuz the add-on lose the fight all the times xD.
Please tell me if they can survive together or I will just forget about the uapp. (Althoughs it sound pretty good)


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## justroya

lantian said:


> 再次更新了我的amp7。這次所有的鉭電容都不再使用功率平滑。取而代之的是 3x 音頻筆記標準 470uf/25v 雙帽與 1uf/63v、0.47uf/63v 和小型 0.047uf/63v wima 電影帽。線路濾波器在 22uf/16v 時保持不變 4x audio note kasei 雙極。
> Thewimas 提供了更明顯的基礎和更好的分辨率。對於任何考慮音頻筆記標準的人來說，也是一個警告。從開始到 20 小時標記，它們聽起來都令人難以置信。在這一點上，他們完全失去了任何基礎存在。並保持這種狀態直到大約 100 小時。之後，他們會慢慢收回失去的東西以及更多。在 170 至 200 小時左右再次開始發光。這是他們再次令人愉快的好聲音的地方。在那之後，他們就沒有先天問題了。kasei caps 表現出類似的行為，但不會出現如此嚴重的鹼損失，為什麼會燃燒。將薄膜帽添加到 bycap 將改善整個光譜並提供更多的清晰度。


im wondering these little keisei BP on line level seems able to "grow up" a liitle bit... @lantian  What do you think?


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## lantian

If you mean in grow up in physical size then only if there are less of the 470uf /25v ones. If there are only two of those then they can be 50uf/16. Though to be honest see no reason to go bigger. As for burn in the do sou d a lot nicer later on, though they never actually sound bad, but rather intimate at the beginning. After like 50h to 75h they open up big time. Hope this helps.


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## Lurker0

justroya said:


> it's fighting with the add-on for the control of dac


I don't understand you. Please read the description of the USB Audio application with attention, and if the problem still persists, either disable USB Audio support in the app (better) or PM me if you really need this feature (explain why).


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## justroya

Lurker0 said:


> I don't understand you. Please read the description of the USB Audio application with attention, and if the problem still persists, either disable USB Audio support in the app (better) or PM me if you really need this feature (explain why).


Oh...I found the solution in your notes, I miss understand the start app silence to something else,thank you by the way. And sorry for my bad language skill. Its caused by my asperger and I hate them too.

*Note:* UAPP plays 1 second of silence on start, which causes USB Audio interface to disconnect. So, please, first start UAPP, then push START button in USB Audio application.


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## justroya

lantian said:


> If you mean in grow up in physical size then only if there are less of the 470uf /25v ones. If there are only two of those then they can be 50uf/16. Though to be honest see no reason to go bigger. As for burn in the do sou d a lot nicer later on, though they never actually sound bad, but rather intimate at the beginning. After like 50h to 75h they open up big time. Hope this helps.


Because this is a RC Filter with accurate calculation together with resistors, so any change of capacitance may change the "frequence to be bypass"?


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## lantian

justroya said:


> Because this is a RC Filter with accurate calculation together with resistors, so any change of capacitance may change the "frequence to be bypass"?


It might but only down low,  since it's ahigh pass filter, if I'm not mistaken anything above 1uf should pretty much go all the way down to 1hz, no matter the resistors. Can be completely wrong here, but so far seems to be the case,  there was no obeseervabled or perceivable loss I low range frequencies after putting in 47uf silmics or 50uf audio note kasei,  after going to 22uf kasei by polar seemed to go even lower than before. Super extended on both ends with way better midrange than ever before. Only thing compares to this is removing the caps all together and bridging them with some silver cables. As far as I can perceive it is going through all the frequency range way more effortlessly and evenly without. Better quality all around.


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## orys

Anyone here willing to sell me a modified amp8 please?


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## singleended5863

orys said:


> Anyone here willing to sell me a modified amp8 please?


I believe I got one. Do you mean the module that is sold by ibasso?


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## orys

singleended5863 said:


> I believe I got one. Do you mean the module that is sold by ibasso?


yes


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## tunes

orys said:


> Anyone here willing to sell me a modified amp8 please?


I have the parts needed to do the mod but never got around to it and willing to sell it all at half of what I paid.


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## orys

tunes said:


> I have the parts needed to do the mod but never got around to it and willing to sell it all at half of what I paid.


I can't see very well anymore my friend.
I think i'm soldering at one point and i'm 1 cm left or right


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## lantian

Haven't posted in a while, didn't have any internet access for a while. Did manage to fix my botched up amp7ex, during Christmas holidays. Have to say it's my favourite version ibasso has released. Find it to be better balanced than amp8ex. Also the line out Vs amp8ex balanced out, beats amp8 every single time by miles. It's enormously large, quality in every note, love this module the most. Unfortunately no good pictures from the module itself, the way it ended up, not planning on ever opening it again. Ended up doing a lot of half assed metal work and figure out how to best cover it up, since accidentally destroyed the upper glass cover of the amp module by removing it.
All in this is what I have been looking for, best thanks @Whitigir for your help and inspiration. 
Pretty sure gonna stick with this for a long time.
Also to anyone considering modding these amplifier modules, rather do the player aswell, otherwise it is not even close to what it is capable of. If you can only mod one thing, then go for dap body itself first. Amp modules afterwards. Otherwise the work you have done on your amp module won't be fully realised until the dap has the same mods applied to it. Since had the chance to have a comparison like that. Amp8ex and stock dx220 Vs amp7stock and dx220ex. Would got with the latter every single time. Only thing even better is dx228ex or dx227ex(whole device mods). Those fully modes ones are on a whole nother level.


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## jml75

I'm also looking for a Modded or EX version of the Amp8, if you wts please mp.


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