Download Fidelizer Explore Nimitra
Are you computer audiophile? If so, Fidelizer will help you enjoy the music on computer even more.

News

News about Fidelizer products and services

JPLAY 7 Femto upgrade on Nimitra/NimitraS situation

 in News

After JPLAY 7 Femto was released, I tested the software and found issues with my test equipment so I held out the upgrade and recommend my clients to wait until I can confirm JPLAY 7 is stable enough. Nimitra is a turnkey solution and I need to make sure it will work fine before upgrading.

I continue to test JPLAY from time to time and now it has version 7D with USB Audio Class 1 issue workaround added as I request. I still stumple upon playback instability and after trying to work out with JPLAY staff, I think it’s ready to inform clients now.

 

JPLAY 7 Femto is now stable for most cases except some issues that happened with me as below.

1. USB Audio Class 1 DAC will work with Classic engine only
2. JPLAY Femto service can’t be played from JRiver Media Center library
3. JPLAY Femto library server will crash in mConnect Android app during browsing

 

If these issues won’t become an obstacle with your system, you can upgrade to JPLAY 7 Femto on Nimitra/NimitraS with JPLAY 7 Femto now. Setting up free trial version to test with Nimitra before upgrading is highly recommended. However, JPLAY 7 upgrade is for 64-bit version only!

For customers with 32-bit version, you can send unit back to me for 64-bit reinstallation. That’ll cost $100 USD. If you have Nimitra, you may consider upgrading to NimitraS at $500 USD with free 64-bit reinstallation version.

 

You can purchase JPLAY 7 Femto upgrade from JPLAY directly at 79 Euros. If you prefer to upgrade through Fidelizer, it’ll be $99 USD with PayPal conversion fee and some exchange rate buffer applied.

New JPLAY purchase in Nimitra/NimitraS will be a Classic version and can be upgraded to Femto as an optional upgrade. Please let me know if you have any question about Nimitra and JPLAY products and I’ll assist you with best of my abilities. Happy listening. 🙂

Regards,
Keetakawee

iBasso DX200 Oreo 8.1 Purist ROM version V1.01.006 released with PerfectDynamics 2.0 update!

 in News

 

Fidelizer - PerfectDynamics Sound Optimizations 2.0

 

iBasso DX200 Oreo official stable ROM is released today. It sounds better with improved focus and lots of bugs resolved. I’m very happy to see Bluetooth DAC/AMP feature being added back in this Oreo ROM so I can stream from my mobile phone directly.

 

-Based on firmware version Oreo 8.1 V1.01.006
–Yalp Store is added as Play Store’s alternative (I still keep Google services for those who want to install Play Store through other means)
-Apollo – Fidelity Edition from https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/apollo-music-player-fidelity-edition-t3038629 included
-Revamped MangoPlayer UI with improved user experience
-build.prop tweaks for better video and storage performance and improve battery life
-Audio engine optimized for only audio playback (EQ/Gaplass features work)

 

Download: iBasso DX200 Purist ROM | XMOS Firmware 1.2 Update

 

Installation Guide

1. Turn off DX200
2. Connect DX200 with USB connection to computer while holding play button switch
3. Install Rockchip USB driver included in update tool
4. Flash Official Oreo ROM firmware from iBasso with instructions provided in update tool
5. After successfully flashing official ROM, go to Settings > System > About tablet and tap “Build number” for 7 times to enable “Developer options”
6. Tap back arrow to enter “Developer options”, enable “USB debugging”, and press OK
7. Connect DX200 to computer with USB connection in Android mode again and press OK to allow USB debugging
8. Download Disable Verity package and run disable_verity.bat file
9. After DX200 boots up properly with Verity disabled, you can flash Purist ROM again

 

PerfectDynamics Sound Optimizations 2.0

 

Aside from being the first stable Oreo ROM in market, DX200 is also the first device to receive PerfectDynamics Sound Optimizations 2.0 update. I was working on a new breakthrough in Nimitra firmware 3.0 update so I decided to release PerfectDynamics 2.0 later with new improvements as below.

 

System stability improvements

Back in older days, system optimizations started from raising priority, reducing buffer and other optimizations that can deliver better purist performance. With new changes in this release, it also improve system stability too.

Sound optimizations re-calibrated based on Nimitra firmware 3.0 update

I re-calibrated PerfectDynamics optimizations again to deliver real sound performance like no Linux audiophile server could ever archive before based on Nimitra firmware 3.0 update. You can feel uncompressed dynamics improving micro details and imaging with great musicality and liquidity.

Fidelizer’s Core Isolation optimizations on Linux-based platform

The first PerfectDynamics ROM was released in October 2017 before Fidelizer 8. After releasing Fidelizer 8, I tried to implement its core isolation principles to Purist ROM and this is the first ROM with Fidelizer’s core isolation applied.

CPU Sets - Oreo

CPU Sets - Fidelizer

With Fidelizer’s core isolation optimizations applied in Purist ROM, the result was truly magical. It sounds like all instruments used to perform in small room and now they’re performing in great hall that each instrument can have its own optimal space.

PerfectDynamics 2.0 features are exclusively available for Fidelizer Enhanced / Advanced ROM only. Free Purist ROM version has only generic optimizations that can safely apply to all devices so it won’t have PerfectDynamics Sound Optimizations.

 

If you like improvements in Purist ROM, you may upgrade to Enhanced / Advanced ROM for even better sound. Please read Portable Products for more details including iBasso DX200 Fidelizer Mod project with 3 modification levels and happy listening. 🙂

iBasso DX120 Purist ROM version 2.2.42 re-released!

 in News

 

Fidelizer - DX120

 

After DX120 Purist ROM was released for a while, I received one report from free Purist ROM user that he couldn’t flash Purist ROM and get it working. So today I went to my friend’s store and bought a new DX120 DAP to test. I opened it and then flash Purist ROM immediately and it worked fine. 🙂

 

-Based on firmware version 2.2.42
-build.prop tweaks for better video and storage performance and improve battery life
-Audio engine optimized for only audio playback (EQ/Gaplass features work)
-Bundled audio effects removed but keep main engine

 

Download: iBasso DX120 Purist ROM

 

Installation Guide

1. Extract update.img from archive and copy to root directory of micro SD card and put in DX120 slot
2. Open device Settings > Advanced > System Update
3. Wait for device to finish flashing
4. After flashing is completed, you should see Fidelizer Purist ROM boot animation indicating successful update

 

I said re-released because this release contains no changes but I decided to rebuild all packages and tested with real DX120 device again just to be sure. I also did some listening tests and I prefer “Slow” filter with “Original” sound mode personally.

There’s a lot of improvements for Advanced ROM and I also added Enhanced ROM into collection too. Please read Portable Products for more details including Fidelizer Mod project with 3 modification levels. Happy listening. 🙂

Introducing Fidelizer Mod “Masterpiece”, proper flagship mod for true affordable highend upgrade

 in News

 

Fidelizer Mod - Masterpiece

 

Fidelizer Ultimate Mod may deliver the maximum potentials of modding possibilities from trying all possibilities and choose the best combination. But what do you get as results? $899.95? $499.95? I could have modded AK380Cu and Sony WM1Z with that money!

When I think about how some companies charge $700 for modding $599 device, they probably think the same about my Fidelizer Ultimate Mod. Most people who could have afforded $500 mod would have purchased $1,000 DAP already or get flagship DAP instead of DX200 + Ultimate Mod.

 

Although Ultimate Mod is successful according to clients who purchased, it barely helps community so I decided to change my approach to support community better. Something that can really bring affordable highend performance to most owners.

Instead of upgrading everything that is possible no matter how big or small improvement is, I focus on testing and choosing the most optimal parts to be improved, revise the design and implementation to deliver the highest price / performance ratio.

Assuming Fidelizer Ultimate Mod has 100% performance index, this new “Masterpiece” concept can deliver most of best performance like 80-90% with modding cost at 40-50% lowered which is much more affordable for audiophiles who really want to upgrade.

 

At the moment Fidelizer Mod Masterpiece will be available for iBasso and Fiio DAPs with new lineup and AMP module extension only. I’ll gradually add devices I’ve modded before in Portable Products page later once I finish preparations and I also accept modding request outside listing too. 🙂

Future of Fidelizer Mod – Moving on from Ultimate Mod concept

 in News

 

Fidelizer Mod - AK380CuAu & Sony WM1Z

 

My first Fidelizer Mod project started from AK240 era when my friend in community sent me iBasso DX90 to apply firmware modification for better sound quality. He saw my research projects on attempt to make audiophile Android tablet/phone from devices with Wolfson audio chipset.

At that time I was bored with portable products and stopped seeking for DAPs, which is normal occurrence for audiophiles who started building serious highend systems. I was so serious to the point that I both Esoteric P-03/D-03 and Emm Labs CDSD/DCC2 SE at the same time for over a year.

Given that seriousness, I found portable DAPs sounding unacceptable due to many limitations and limited experience of designer so I stopped my pursuit after iRiver P20 (best DAP before iRiver was rebranded to Astell and Kern).

 

Since I also modified my own highend digital sources too, my friend decided that it’s OK if I can modify DX90 hardware too if it can help improve sound quality. So I look onto this DAP and realized I could implement Emm Labs’ design into this DAP and maybe it can be my dream DAP I’m searching.

The result blew me away. It’s like having Emm Labs DAP in my hand as portable device. At that time modding was around $200 and that alone was enough to outperform AK240 and others in the market. My friends asked me if I can improve further so I started doing research for Ultimate Mod.

As a result, I ended up creating $500 mod for iBasso DX90 with all opamps upgraded from the best selected and tested in market, caps are upgraded with finest quality including my signature orange caps, and clock modules are all replaced with best one I can find for this iBasso DX90.

 

At that time everyone was OK to pay for $500 modding iBasso DX90 that they can buy at cheaper price because they heard my works and sound quality is good enough to have tens of $500 mod in Thailand market where modding above $100 is too expensive for most people.

However, people who live outside Thailand can’t get to hear my works before making a decision so it’s really hard to make a decision for Fidelizer Ultimate Mod that costs around the same price of device without listening experience.

Also, I later realized it’s not very practical for most people to buy $250-400 DAPs new or used and spend like $500 on modding like Fiio X5iii even though it’s worth purchasing for my clients but it just doesn’t make sense for most people to spend money on modding more than product itself.

 

These thoughts have been lingering in my mind for a long while and you can see that I haven’t updated anything about Fidelizer Mod at all despite modding almost all highend DAPs in market including AK380/WM1Z recently. I’ve been thinking deeply about the future of Fidelizer Mod in next year.

When I finished making the best mod of AMP8 with all capacitors upgraded and tuned with different values and brands including opamps and stuff, my friend who have DX200 Ultimate Mod device said it’s too expensive for $200 amp card which costed me about the same of modding DX200 body.

So making Ultimate Mod might be the best thing I can do and it maybe worthy of its high price. However, can it really help product owners enjoying under $1k DAP with Ultimate Mod? Maybe it’s time to change the approach about delivering affordable highend sound to portable products.