Digidesign 888 | 24 interface DIY mod

[seeyou]

I recently bought a Digidesign Mix system consisting of several DSP PCI cards and an 8in/8out interface called "888" . The system uses a PC/MAC for running Pro Tools TDM. The problem was that the interface is a bit outdated and the sound is not extremely pleasing. The sample rate and bit depth reaches 48KHz/24bit maximum. Taking into account that the newer Pro Tools HD system is really expensive, I bought the older MIX system with the perspective of modding the interface to unveil the hidden capabilities.

Before starting the mods, I searched the internet for relevant info and didn't find anything. After months of experimenting I found the best combination of opamps and caps regarding my personal taste: Quick opamps with robust lows and detailed highs.
Here is what I did:

-Replaced all AD711 with LME49710
-Replaced all LF353 with LME49720
-Replaced all N5542 with LM6372
-Replaced L7805 with L78S05 and replaced the heatsink as well
-Replaced all SSM parts with equivalent THAT.
-Replaced the switching PSU with a bigger one of greater ampere value (+15V, -15V, +5V) because the new opamps draw A LOT more current.
-Applied decoupling ceramic COG caps 10nF/50V to all opamps
-Replaced all SMT electrolytics (most of them are 10uF/50V) with Panasonic FK (smaller size and far better specs).
-Replaced the 220uf/35V caps around the L7805 regulator with Panasonic FM 1500uf/35V

The sound changed DRAMATICALLY. And after adding/replacing the caps, I had no thermal issues.

[elpichel]

who was you did the modification of Digidesign 888 | 24 interface