jexby said:

I can't find a USA retailer taking pre order for micro iDSD... Will any of the first 100 make it to Amerika?

Click to expand...

they might not list it on their websites for preorder, but if you call some of the retailers, they'll take preorders over the phone. call music direct and see if they'll accept preorders for the micro...

kugino said:

  they might not list it on their websites for preorder, but if you call some of the retailers, they'll take preorders over the phone. call music direct and see if they'll accept preorders for the micro...

Click to expand...

 
Hi,
 
Avatar Acoustics in Atlanta is AMR/iFi distributor.
 
http://ifi-audio.com/sales/#usa
 
Just buzz them and let them know - ask for Darren, Bonnie or James. 
 
Also, as Kugino said, any retailer should take pre-orders.
 
Thanks Kugino for flagging.

analogsurviver said:

  I own K 1000, not going to sell it ever and I do drive it with the speaker amp.
 
Just wondered, besides needing a decent DSD DAC, something portable and battery operated that can drive K 1000 reasonably well and also accepting analog in would be nice for on location recordings in venues without electricity - like some small churches "in the middle of nowhere", FAR away from electrical power grid and otherwise always present "salute from the grave" by Nikola Tesla - AC hum.  Lighting, air conditioning, heating - getting a venue that is not inherently infested with AC hum problems these days is extremely difficult.

Click to expand...

well, the RWA signature integrated amps are all battery-powered. i used the signature 30 as my k1000 amp and loved that combination. portability? well, it depends on how you want to define portability. lugging around a few lead-acid batteries isn't the most fun, but certainly doable. i know of people who consider the new imacs and even the new mac pros portable.

kugino said:

  well, the RWA signature integrated amps are all battery-powered. i used the signature 30 as my k1000 amp and loved that combination. portability? well, it depends on how you want to define portability. lugging around a few lead-acid batteries isn't the most fun, but certainly doable. i know of people who consider the new imacs and even the new mac pros portable.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the suggestion. Well, portability can be defined multiple ways. The idea of recording on location "in the middle of nowhere, far away from electric power grid" will certainly have to involve a few "sherpas" - I can not possibly carry everything needed for the recording by myself. Particularly not if that "middle of nowhere" is say 2000+ metres above the sea level - therefore, lugging around any additional lead-acid batteries just for the headphone amp is not acceptable.

This was a popular Crowd-Design feature. So we hope you like it.
 
Super Duper features 1.8
 
The 3.5mm analogue input

Background
On occasion, one may wish to directly use the headphone amp section of the micro iDSD.
 
Maybe demo to a friend, or just grabbing another portable music player, no issue, they all have a 3.5mm output.
 
Explanation
Smart device 3.5mm > 3.5mm input auto bypasses the digital circuitry.
 
There are also RCA > 3.5mm cables so even a high-end source can be used.
 
How this benefits the listener
Unrivalled flexibility and simplicity, can lend to friends for them to try just using their 3.5mm out or when certain occasions call for it.

ifi audio said:

   
Hi,
 
To answer:
 
1. The K1000 has been out of production for nearly 10 Years. It is really no longer competitive with modern headphones.

 
For those less familiar, it is even hungrier than the HiFi Man HE-6.
 
The micro iDSD will provide 8V, which is enough for 100dB peaks on the K1000, this may be enough for some, but not for others.
 
Incidentally, as a point of reference, the SAC Headphone Amplifier which was designed specifically for the K1000, delivers 11.5V, so ~3dB more than the micro iDSD.
 
The micro iDSD with the K1000...will go loud but it wont go to head-banging levels.
 
It really is a matter of if the micro iDSD drives the K1000s loud enough for your taste - so please try first.
 
Lastly, the micro iDSD won't do anything about strange looks from wearing the K1000s on-the-go...

 
2. Hang fire...we have another announcement today. 

 

Click to expand...

1. The K 1000 is an oddball - you can say it is no longer competitive with modern headphones - equally well as that ALL other headphones miss the boat - by a continent size distance ... Highly specialized earspeaker ( the term headphones does not apply, nor does it any justice ) - it can not go very loud, particularly in the bass ( the lower/louder the worse...) - therefore most at home with acoustic/vocal music - where it does not have much/any peers. It will carp out on some dubstep/electronica/etc long before people interested in these genres would start to audition it. It takes heroic speaker amps to "force" the K 1000 in this way, but IMO it is not worth it nor do I find it reasonable.
 
I will check the levels you posted with K 1000 - it just might be enough for a soloist/smaller acoustic group. Not planning relocating Vienna Philharmonics in some hut at 6000 m above the sea .
 
Regarding strange looks from wearing the K1000 on the go - not gonna happen, as I plan to use them on location recording. Besides, ICPCL ( I couldn't possibly care less ) - the Jecklin smile  can not possibly prepare one for "THE Real Thing".
 
I am also interested in "crossfeed and 3D" capabilities for use with non K1000 headphones and IEMs. Particularly interested in driving the Havi B3 Pro (Original Version ) - one of the IEMs with the best soundstage/spatial reproduction out there - and one of the hungriest to boot. Nano iDSD drives these to about the level I hope micro will be able to drive the K1000 - I expect micro will have still lots of reserve when driving the Havi B3 Pro (Old Version)
 
2. Ceasefire - in anticipation of some fireworks

ifi audio said:

This was a popular Crowd-Design feature. So we hope you like it.

Super Duper features 1.8

The 3.5mm analogue input


Background
On occasion, one may wish to directly use the headphone amp section of the micro iDSD.

Maybe demo to a friend, or just grabbing another portable music player, no issue, they all have a 3.5mm output.

Explanation
Smart device 3.5mm > 3.5mm input auto bypasses the digital circuitry.

There are also RCA > 3.5mm cables so even a high-end source can be used.

How this benefits the listener
Unrivalled flexibility and simplicity, can lend to friends for them to try just using their 3.5mm out or when certain occasions call for it.

Click to expand...

So I can connect my Nexus 4 (that won't work via usb) and use the iDSD as an HP ampli. Wow! If so, how long will the battery last? Will it be something like iCAN nano?
Thanks!

Ps: I liked the match yesterday night!!! Yeaaaaaahhhhh

ifi audio said:

  This was a popular Crowd-Design feature. So we hope you like it.
 
Super Duper features 1.8
 
The 3.5mm analogue input

Background
On occasion, one may wish to directly use the headphone amp section of the micro iDSD.
 
Maybe demo to a friend, or just grabbing another portable music player, no issue, they all have a 3.5mm output.
 
Explanation
Smart device 3.5mm > 3.5mm input auto bypasses the digital circuitry.
 
There are also RCA > 3.5mm cables so even a high-end source can be used.
 
How this benefits the listener
Unrivalled flexibility and simplicity, can lend to friends for them to try just using their 3.5mm out or when certain occasions call for it.

Click to expand...

YES  ! 
 
BTW, are you aware of any flexible/souple RCA to 3.5 mm cables that do not cost twice the amount of micro and still sound good ? My experience is that any cable that is stiff and wants to retain its present shape nommatterwhat is a no go with 3.5 mm and devices the size of micro or smaller - they just dangle off the cable in most cases. Putting wear & tear on the poor little 3.5mm female, leading to intermittent or totally broken contact(s). I prefer to use turbo cheap flexible cable to some
audiophoolery fire brigade water hose for this reason - but would still like to hear if there is some reasonably priced cable somewhere in between.

ifi audio said:

  This was a popular Crowd-Design feature. So we hope you like it.
 
Super Duper features 1.8
 
The 3.5mm analogue input

Background
On occasion, one may wish to directly use the headphone amp section of the micro iDSD.
 
Maybe demo to a friend, or just grabbing another portable music player, no issue, they all have a 3.5mm output.
 
Explanation
Smart device 3.5mm > 3.5mm input auto bypasses the digital circuitry.
 
There are also RCA > 3.5mm cables so even a high-end source can be used.
 
How this benefits the listener
Unrivalled flexibility and simplicity, can lend to friends for them to try just using their 3.5mm out or when certain occasions call for it.

Click to expand...

 
 
aha, I was wondering why the switches on the front were so far apart on the prototype, now i know. A 3.5mm in is always a great feature, I used it a lot on my micro iCan and it was one of the reason i bought the iCan

ifi audio said:

  This was a popular Crowd-Design feature. So we hope you like it.
 
Super Duper features 1.8
 
The 3.5mm analogue input

Background
On occasion, one may wish to directly use the headphone amp section of the micro iDSD.
 
Maybe demo to a friend, or just grabbing another portable music player, no issue, they all have a 3.5mm output.
 
Explanation
Smart device 3.5mm > 3.5mm input auto bypasses the digital circuitry.
 
There are also RCA > 3.5mm cables so even a high-end source can be used.
 
How this benefits the listener
Unrivalled flexibility and simplicity, can lend to friends for them to try just using their 3.5mm out or when certain occasions call for it.

Click to expand...

nice! and the utility of this thing becomes even greater...maybe this should be the "swiss army knife" product, not the itube

I build my own cables, and have done some nice 3.5mm - RCA which are very flexible. Using Toxic Cables pure silver cable it is flexible and sounds great!
 
Make your own cables, not difficult and very flexible if you leave it bare:
 

 
Obviously copper is cheaper and still sounds great.
But even the silver (2ft) is only about £50 in materials (without snazzy y-split like above)
Toxic cables do have some cheaper silver cable now too, so only about £35 in materials.

ostewart said:

  I build my own cables, and have done some nice 3.5mm - RCA which are very flexible. Using Toxic Cables pure silver cable it is flexible and sounds great!
 
Make your own cables, not difficult and very flexible if you leave it bare:
 

 
Obviously copper is cheaper and still sounds great.
But even the silver (2ft) is only about £50 in materials (without snazzy y-split like above)
Toxic cables do have some cheaper silver cable now too, so only about £35 in materials.

Click to expand...

Great suggestion. Which 3.5 mm male jack is shown above? I have found the 90 degree jack from Neutrik http://www.neutrik.com/en/audio/plugs-and-jacks/35-mm-right-angle-stereo-plug/ to be one of the toughest/most reliable - if a little bulky.

That is a neutrik jack.

And some cheap RCA's.

ostewart said:

That is a neutrik jack.

And some cheap RCA's.

Click to expand...

Yes, the addition of some transparent heat shrink tubing made me not recognizing the Neutrik plug at once. Nice touch !

Another question—and sorry for being the Debbie Downer of this thread.
 
I love the sound of the iDSD Nano with my headphones and plugged into an external headphone amp, but find it a little tentative sounding when plugged directly into the preamp of my big speaker system, using the RCA outputs with the Nano's volume maxed (system: MBP->iDSD Nano->Shindo Aurieges->Shindo Montille->Tannoy Ardens; my other source is a Garrard 301 as well). The sound is a little weak, with diffuse imaging, poor dynamics and iffy bass, compared to my big NOS DAC with AC power and a toroidal transformer (MHDT Havana). With the big DAC, the images are higher and wider, the dynamics improved, etc. Is it safe to assume that this is a function of the differences in the power supplies? And is it fair to expect the Micro to operate as well as an AC-powered component in this context?
 
I understand the possibly absurd scenario of plugging a $190 Nano into a much more expensive system, but take it as a compliment—over headphones, the sound is that good. 
 
Thank you again for the quick and informative responses.