iDSD micro Black Label. Tour details (page 147). Release info (page 153). | Page 25 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org

iFi audio · Apr 19, 2014 at 3:54 PM

kugino said:
that is very interesting. thanks for the info...i think it pleases most people here that you actually took some of our suggestions and implemented it into the micro. in other words, you actually do listen - it's not just lip service. and thorsten and his crew are smart enough to make it all work...very cool indeed. very excited to see the release of this product (and to actually get one!)!

Prior to this Crowd-Design idea, we already rec'd a few feedback emails from our distributors and from customers direct. They gave us an initial idea of what people wanted to see and this set us on the path to getting the micro iDSD developed through customer feedback via Crowd-Design. The SPDIF input was the most popular feature requested - as per the earlier pie chart.

We have really high hopes for it. In Japan in particular, we know Sony and JVC and Denon are all out to knock us off our #1 perch.

So hopefully with a bit of luck and lots of customer input the micro iDSD will be even more spectacular than the nano iDSD!

iFi audio · Apr 19, 2014 at 3:55 PM

roamling said:
Good to know, so another good reason to vote in the poll and win an iPurifier, or just buy one

. At the end of the day the marketing strategy in regards to that makes sense, it keeps the cost of item down and leaves the path open to upgrades which can be done step by step.

Yes, we can but try!

The micro chassis is only so big and so never mind cost, but physical constraints play a part too.

john57 · Apr 19, 2014 at 4:08 PM

ifi audio said:
Another key change is the inclusion of a SPDIF Input, not just an output and the inclusion of even optical SPDIF as part of a combo Socket that has optical and coaxial SPDIF together. We go even further by including a solid-state version of the Valve Digital input technology (VDi) developed for the DP-777 to optimise the SPDIF input quality, plus the iDSD micro will share the DP-777 GMT clock system to minimise jitter from SPDIF at least as efficiently as the USB connection.

There are also other design features requested that we may yet be able to include, but we are not yet confident to deliver the results, so we have not yet mentioned them.

So you saying that the Valve Digital input technology (VDi) is some sort of a signal regenerator before it gets to the DAC?

iFi audio · Apr 19, 2014 at 4:12 PM

john57 said:
So you saying that the Valve Digital input technology (VDi) is some sort of a signal regenerator before it gets to the DAC?

Hi,

This sheds some light. A fair bit of background here:

http://amr-audio.co.uk/html/dp777_tech-papers_spdif.html

john57 · Apr 19, 2014 at 8:43 PM

The before and after scope pictures are interesting. The Valve Digital input technology (VDi) used on the DP777 uses a vacuum tube on the SPDIF input to regenerate the signals is something not many manufactures that I know of are doing that with a vacuum tube on the digital side. It is my understanding on the micro it will be Solid State.
What threw me off was the statement: SPDIF is actually an analogue transmission system. First time I heard anyone specifically saying that about SPDIF.

earwaxxer · Apr 20, 2014 at 12:02 AM

When they say that SPDIF is an analog transmission they are just saying that an analog wave form is transmitting the digital data. Kind of like how an over the air digital TV transmission occurs via an analog radio frequency.

john57 · Apr 20, 2014 at 2:15 AM

Earwaxxer

Yes that makes sense, using an analog radio frequency to piggyback a TV digital signal. Never studied TV transmission theory. Just makes more sense why SPDIF can have jitter because of possible analog waveform distortion as being one of the causes.This could be one possible explanation why different USB cables could make a difference. I never really tried yet to see if I can tell a difference between different USB cables on SQ since I believe it was all snake oil.

iFi audio · Apr 20, 2014 at 5:45 AM

john57 said:
The before and after scope pictures are interesting. The Valve Digital input technology (VDi) used on the DP777 uses a vacuum tube on the SPDIF input to regenerate the signals is something not many manufactures that I know of are doing that with a vacuum tube on the digital side. It is my understanding on the micro it will be Solid State.
What threw me off was the statement: SPDIF is actually an analogue transmission system. First time I heard anyone specifically saying that about SPDIF.

Hi,

Many think SPDIF is a 'digital' signal sent over a 'digital' transmission system.

Whereas SPDIF is actually is a 'digital' signal sent over an 'analogue' transmission system.

This explains the issues well:
http://www.audiostream.com/content/draft

For a bit of eye candy, here is Thorsten's personal PCM-F1!

JMelvin · Apr 20, 2014 at 8:12 AM

Voted 50% - 50%

roamling · Apr 21, 2014 at 6:55 AM

I am currently gathering some nice DSD downloads (where the original recording was made in DSD). Even if there is a limited amount of downloads available in Europe you can find some gems among small classical labels. Hopefully in June I will have a ifi iUSB, iPurifier and a Gemini USB cable ready (pending finances and the "wife acceptance factor"

)

Really looking forward to start listening to native DSD recordings through the micro iDSD without any DSD>PCM conversion. Until now I only use PCM files and I have been holding back on devices that promise DSD playback but all they really do is converting the files to PCM (which is suboptimal the least as Thorsten highlighted in his article on the subject).

KmanChu · Apr 21, 2014 at 6:48 PM

ifi audio said:
Hi,

What has changed due to input from the Head-Fi, Facebook and other "Crowd"?

The original pre-Crowd-Design campaign prototype spec is covered here:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/711217/idsd-micro-crowd-design-latest-specifications-just-added/30#post_10399550

It is easy to compare to the current specification:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/711217/idsd-micro-crowd-design-latest-specifications-just-added/345#post_10470227
There are quite a few differences.

The most significant ones are:

This redesign also brings with it a change to a 6.3mm Headphone socket and an upgraded headphone amplifier not just with 3D Holographic and X-Bass but with the power raised to match the original iCAN micro. Instead, that is rated as 400mW/32Ohm continuous power and/or 5V/>100R - which is in effect 1.5W/16 Ohm for reference though this cannot be delivered as continuous power due to battery current limits and overheating. This of course raises demand for extra battery capacity and a much more complex power supply and management solution still being researched (but we are confident we can deliver it.

Wowsa! So it sounds like you took a nano iDSD, a micro iLink, and a micro iCAN and squished it all together into one chasis? That's pretty amazing. So one question, will this sound better than the nano iDSD through the RCA line outs? At any rate, it sounds awesome and I'm excited!

66Triumph · Apr 22, 2014 at 3:15 AM

Voted 100% desktop. I already have a Decware Taboo headphone rig and won't be purchasing this particular DAC from you as I don't like to pay for things I won't ever use. It would have been better to have the option of not getting a headphone amp like the Benchmark DAC 2 HGC. But I think it's great getting the crowd involved and wish you great luck with this device.

Please make a balls out DAC without a headphone amp NEXT and I'll buy one and put it in my main system!!!

iFi audio · Apr 22, 2014 at 4:01 AM

kmanchu said:
Wowsa! So it sounds like you took a nano iDSD, a micro iLink, and a micro iCAN and squished it all together into one chasis? That's pretty amazing. So one question, will this sound better than the nano iDSD through the RCA line outs? At any rate, it sounds awesome and I'm excited!

Hi,

nano range = BMW 3 series.

micro range = BMW 5 series.

At their respective price points/feature sets, they are in competition with each other.

You guys know the nano iDSD sound quality, the micro should brock the US$500 sector as much if not even more.

iFi audio · Apr 22, 2014 at 4:05 AM

ifi audio said:
Designer's Diary (1)

Hi all. It's been a tough few weeks, feasibility studies, trying to fit everything, like trying to pour two pints of Guinness into a single pint glass.

It's 23.07 GMT and we've just tucked into a KFC party bucket. While we aren't having a party, we're having a ball pushing ahead with the micro iDSD.

Here is pretty much the mechanical design, confirmed and in part with models built to confirm things fit. Much of the design matches what Roamling showed in the first few days, colour us impressed, we could not do much better.

Starting with the front, this will mostly resemble the iCan nano in layout, with the 3D Holographic sound and X-Bass switches.

The HP Jack will be 6.3mm. What you can only see on the next picture is that the Filter switch is a slider switch on the left hand side surface which will fit flush.

On the back you see leftmost the SPDIF input/output. This will be very interesting, more another time.

The two RCA line outputs are in the middle, then the USB input. We have built a mock-up and tested that even with modestly fat "high end" RCA connectors that just manages to fit.

So, externally at least we can deliver a lot of what you all have asked for. More to come...

Ciao,

Thorsten

Hi,

iDSD micro specification redux...

Folks, we totally forgot to mention one more kool feature (way too much stuff happening

).

The iDSD micro will have a switch allowing to be selected as either direct DAC line out (2V, Fixed Level) or as variable Preamp out with X-Bass available and up to around 4V RMS output. So if you want to use your own preamp, have it your way. If you want to just drive active speakers and not fork out for a preamp, have it your way.

The switch is below the RCA Sockets, so not in the pictures we posted of the mechanical design, hence it was forgotten.

kugino · Apr 22, 2014 at 4:54 AM

ifi audio said:
Hi,

iDSD micro specification redux...

Folks, we totally forgot to mention one more kool feature (way too much stuff happening

).

The iDSD micro will have a switch allowing to be selected as either direct DAC line out (2V, Fixed Level) or as variable Preamp out with X-Bass available and up to around 4V RMS output. So if you want to use your own preamp, have it your way. If you want to just drive active speakers and not fork out for a preamp, have it your way.

The switch is below the RCA Sockets, so not in the pictures we posted of the mechanical design, hence it was forgotten.

and it just keeps getting better and better...thanks!

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