ifi audio said:

These 3 items are not audio-related.

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Hi,
 
Not sure if this is asked - can we use Eco mode with iEMatch = Ultra-Sensitivity for the RCA output ?
 
Thanks

Absolutely agree: if the Bass is not right, then “There's a certain something missing that the treble can't erase”.  Thus I love the XBass feature in iCAN 
 
 
XBass is set to "on" and "off" instead of 2 select-able levels in iCAN?

what is this, some swiss army knife of audio or something?  this is def for people who like features but how does it sound and is it confusing to use?

jeff-c said:

  Absolutely agree: if the Bass is not right, then “There's a certain something missing that the treble can't erase”.  Thus I love the XBass feature in iCAN 

 
 
XBass is set to "on" and "off" instead of 2 select-able levels in iCAN?

Click to expand...

I was wondering this too. Looks like the same applies to 3D. I suppose there has to be some reason to buy the iCAN! Maybe one day there might be a Macro range with variable levels (or even tone controls!). I'd like that.
 
iFi audio, to repeat a question I asked in passing, that might have gone unnoticed, or that I might equally have missed an earlier statement: is the device USB  Audio Class Compliant: will it work with Linux?
 
I also find that the continued repetition of bit-perfect makes me stop and think. It sound like an audiophile song. I use Xbass and 3D on the iCAN, and the "best" settings can change from track to track, let alone album to album --- and that's on just a single set of headphones, and I like them, but tell me [again?]...  why I should care if the processing is done in the analogue or the digital domain? The signal is altered: why should I cry "Ah, but it was "bit-perfect" until it got altered?

thad-e-ginathom said:

I also find that the continued repetition of bit-perfect makes me stop and think. It sound like an audiophile song. I use Xbass and 3D on the iCAN, and the "best" settings can change from track to track, let alone album to album --- and that's on just a single set of headphones, and I like them, but tell me [again?]...  why I should care if the processing is done in the analogue or the digital domain? The signal is altered: why should I cry "Ah, but it was "bit-perfect" until it got altered?

Click to expand...

This post helps to explain why we want it bit-perfect:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/711217/idsd-micro-crowd-design-super-duper-feature-2-0-xbass-the-ace-of-bass-page-65/615#post_10591026

When you engage DSP, there are unwanted side effects and one of them is pre-ringing on transients. This is a sonic phenomenon that never occurs in nature. It's one of the reasons that digital sounds 'digital' or unnatural to our ears. The answer is to avoid DSP like the plague and design clever digital filters that don't give rise to pre-ringing (or raise the sample rate high enough that digital filtering is not needed - sadly that frequency is about 8 times redbook CD).

I don't see the answer to why one should not do EQ in digital there. isn't "DSP" rather a broad term to say avoid like the plague?
 
But, my other question, and rather more important in the pure practical terms of whether any box is saleable or not as far as I am concerned was: Linux?

thad-e-ginathom said:

  I don't see the answer to why one should not do EQ in digital there. isn't "DSP" rather a broad term to say avoid like the plague?
 
But, my other question, and rather more important in the pure practical terms of whether any box is saleable or not as far as I am concerned was: Linux?

Click to expand...

 
Hi,
 
1. Technobear has eloquently outlined as in few words as possible "Bit-Perfect." 
 
AMR/iFi chooses not to manipulate the signal so we avoid Up/Oversampling. This is our choice but another manufacturer may choose to do as much Up/OverSampling as possible. This is the crux of "Bit-Perfect" and why we refer to it.
 
If you do a google search, you can read up about DSP and what this means for the music signal. Suffice to say, it is no longer the original file. It would be rather pointless if we stated this and then in the next breath, said that our 3D and XBass used DSP - hope you see our logic here.
 
This is WHY we have STRESSED 3D Holographic and XBass do analogue signal processing. In particular, for 3D, there are now other versions by other manufacturers that are to the best of our knowledge DSP.
 
Hopefully now you understand why we do what we do. And empathise with why we are at pains to clarify that we use ASP, not DSP.
 
Without starting a huge discussion (not really for here) into why we prefer to not mess with the signal, this is our choice and we hang our hat on that. If a customer prefers the sound of uber Up/Oversampling, then sadly, iFi is not for them.
 
2. Linux?
 
You mean your question is: "Is the micro iDSD USB Audio Class 2.0 compliant?"
 
Yes, all iFi products are USB Audio Class 2.0 compliant including the micro iDSD.
 
We would like to refer you to the source. This answers your Linux question in great detail which we believe is what you may be looking for. 
 
http://www.usb.org/developers/devclass_docs
 
 
Thanks.

zzzmonster said:

  Hi,
 
Not sure if this is asked - can we use Eco mode with iEMatch = Ultra-Sensitivity for the RCA output ?
 
Thanks

Click to expand...

 
Correct - Power Modes are to be used in conjunction with iEMatch = adjust on-the-fly to suit.
 
Somewhat like this:
 

Thanks

jeff-c said:

  Absolutely agree: if the Bass is not right, then “There's a certain something missing that the treble can't erase”.  Thus I love the XBass feature in iCAN 

 
 
XBass is set to "on" and "off" instead of 2 select-able levels in iCAN?

Click to expand...

 
Hi,
 
X-Bass on/off is correct, it does both RCA Out when preamp is selected and 6.3mm (so use for headphones and speakers)
 
If set to line out, then no X-Bass on RCA.

ifi audio said:

Hi,


AMR/iFi chooses not to manipulate the signal so we avoid Up/Oversampling. This is our choice but another manufacturer may choose to do as much Up/OverSampling as possible. This is the crux of "Bit-Perfect" and why we refer to it.
...

Without starting a huge discussion (not really for here) into why we prefer to not mess with the signal, this is our choice and we hang our hat on that. If a customer prefers the sound of uber Up/Oversampling, then sadly, iFi is not for them.
..

Thanks.

Click to expand...

+1

ifi audio said:

 
Correct - Power Modes are to be used in conjunction with iEMatch = adjust on-the-fly to suit.
 
Somewhat like this:
 

Thanks

Click to expand...

 


Hi,

I think I got misunderstood, should have bold it - I am asking does feature also apply to the rca output or only for the headphone jack.

Thank you.

zzzmonster said:

ifi audio said:

 
Correct - Power Modes are to be used in conjunction with iEMatch = adjust on-the-fly to suit.
 
Somewhat like this:
 

Thanks

Click to expand...

 


Hi,

I think I got misunderstood, should have bold it - I am asking does feature also apply to the rca output or only for the headphone jack.

Thank you.

Click to expand...

i dont see the need for that outside the " unregulated headphone world". speakers are 4-8 ohm, some drop below and above in extremes. so what ifi designed makes a lot of sense for headphone.

Hi,

Not only headphones have mismatched issues, amplifiers also have mismatch issues - no speakers do not have mismatched issue. Some amplifiers are too sensistive and some source are too hot and sometimes the reverse is also true, sources are not loud enough and amplifier does not have enough gain. I already have a passive tvc preamp - but sometimes that is not enough.

but not something like 53db extremes....