mini Pro series 'iDSD Pro' - the specifications
(can the original poster change the title from "mini" to "Pro" desktop?
)
Okay, okay - here you guys go.
To answer the above questions, (except for the casework), the micro is not a "super-size" of the nano, neither will the
mini Pro series "iDSD Pro".
Originally the iDSD
mini Pro was set to use the same Generation 1.5 XMOS and CPU Core as the iDSD micro, but expanded to allow 4 DAC Chip's and with a different analogue stage. This would have given the iDSD headlining specs, including DSD512 and 768KHz PCM, but would have left it a little difficult to include in a number of scenarios.
But this the iFi flagship. Following on from the discussions with distributors, customers and professionals in the recording industry, we will instead use the iDSD Pro to develop the Generation 2 version of the platform. This includes a few, but significant adjustments in usability and a number of features targeted at the professional market, though they do have uses in domestic audio as well.
Key changes are:
1) External Clock Synchronisation
The iDSD Pro will allow the use of external clocks for USB and AES/EBU modes.
Options available are the use of the BNC socket as 10MHz atomic clock input (this affects all clocks and inputs).
For external sync either Wordclock via BNC or AES3 on the XLR input are supported. Finally the BNC can be configured as wordclock out (to make one iDSD Pro the "master" in a multi channel playback setup).
The wordclock synchronisation is mainly for professional use, but will also allow the iDSD to be used in multichannel playback at home, as for this all DACs MUST be synchronised.
The ability to add an external atomic (or other low-jitter) clock will cater to those who like to tweak their setups to the limit, as it replaces the internal crystal clock reference directly.
2) USB linked Volume Control
The iDSD mini will use a fully balanced (4-deck) Alps motorised Potentiometer as volume control. This volume control will be linked into the Master Volume control for the USB Device with a full feedback loop, meaning if you move the slider in Windows/Mac, the actual potentiometer rotates to match this and in reverse, adjust the volume and the slider moves. The adjustment will be highly precise so it matches across multiple units and is absolute - that is set several to -10dB and what you get is precisely -10dB.
The volume setting system used here is a derivation of the "flying faders" system used in Pro-Audio to automate mixes, but obviously has many uses outside pro-audio, especially if linked with the replay gain function, if replay-gain is applied to this volume control.
Of course, there will also be a handset to remote control the volume. And being able to set the Potentiometer explicitly to any position, we will include separate memories for volume settings for Headphone and Line out mode. So plug in your Headphones and the Volume returns to the last volume setting used when a headphone was connected, unplug it and the volume returns to that set for the line out. So an analogue Volume control with all the precision and comfort of a digital one. But none of the drawbacks such as losing Bits which the truncating signal etc.
3) DSD decoding from SPDIF
This is probably the most requested feature, simply put, the iDSD Pro will be able to receive DoP encoded DSD over the SPDIF & AES/EBU inputs. This is actually not hard to implement, just a bit time-consuming, but we kind of missed the demand for this, so it was never implemented before.
4) Passive Filtering and Discrete Analogue stage
The analogue stage in the iDSD Pro will be completely discrete, no Op-Amp IC's and in fact the actual discrete design will also not just be Op-Amp made discrete (and often worse than the best integrated ones) but will use something radically different, pure Class A (
) being among the features. Much of the circuitry draws its inspiration from legendary and exceptionally sounding studio equipment.
Not only that, but the DAC outputs will have a purely passive, CLC (Capacitor-Resistor-Capacitor) based lowpass filter to remove ultrasonic noise. Commonly the DAC outputs are filtered at least in part active. Often active filters struggle with the amount ultrasonic noise and RFI they have to handle and at a few 100kHz they often loose the ability to filter at all.
Not so for the iDSD Pro. Using passive CLC filtering provides the correct filtering out to many Megahertz, so that the following analogue stage is not required to handle ultrasonic noise and RFI outside it's ability to handle.
5) Dimmable Display with off option
We have been getting requests ranging from "can you make the display brighter" to "can we turn the display off". So the Display on the iDSD will be adjustable in several steps of brightness, including "bright" and "off". In a move borrowed from the AMR line, if there is any change that requires indication the display will show this for a few seconds at maximum brightness before returning to whatever is set up (including off).
This is all we can divulge at this moment in time.
