iFi Audio iFi-Go Link Portable Earphone Dongle I’ve seen a million reviews about the specs and what the dongle can power, so I thought I’d record my EXPERIENCE with the iFi-Go Link both at home and prolonged travel. But first, for those of you who just want to know if I consider it a worthy buy without caring about the “why”, then, “Yes”. I consider the iFi-Go Link to be a very worthwhile travel companion for people both commuting/traveling and those who just need a solid, semi-mid-Fi portable audio solution with an extremely reasonable footprint...

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Many thanks to Lawrance over at iFi - who has been patient and supportive of getting me info and started with product the past few years. This is my purely subjective review – based on my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please consider and respect this - especially if my impressions do not match your own. I have used the iFi Zen Stream, (Going forward I will refer to it simply as " Zen Stream") extensively over the past 4 months, and I have clocked a lot of hours with the streamer. This review is MUCH later than I had anticipated...

iFi Zen DAC V2 Review June 25, 2021 iFi has come back to improve the popular Zen DAC in the form of the new upgraded Zen DAC V2. The first Zen DAC was released at a compelling price point for a compact desktop “all-in-one” audio unit in its class, offering good resolution, overall sound quality, and the ability to power most headphones & iems. The new Zen DAC V2 shares the same build, but there’s an “invisible” upgraded new feature with the Zen DAC V2! Features: At first glance, both the original and V2 Zen DACs seem identical aside from the...

My Review of the iFi Pro iCAN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Many thanks to Lawrance over at iFi - who has been patient and supportive of getting me info and started with product the past few years. This is my purely subjective review – based on my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please consider and respect this - especially if my impressions do not match your own. I have used the iFi Pro iCAN extensively over the past 6 months, and I have clocked a lot of hours with the amplifier in the last 3 months in particular. You can read specs anywhere, so...

My Review of the KZ ZS10 PRO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Many thanks to the friendly crew over at Linsoul, and in particular, Lillian - who has been patient and supportive of getting me info and started with product the past few months. You are some of the best partners out there to collaborate with! Linsoul: https://www.linsoul.com/product-page/kz-zs10-pro-iem WHY I DO THIS HOBBY This month – (July) I turn 52. Out of those years, I’d say that 51 of them have included a deep love of music. Performing, (Brass – Baritone & Tuba/Sousaphone, Wind –...

iFi Audio xCAN Portable Headphone Amplifier I’ve taken longer with this review than I’ve taken with any other to date, and it’s for good reasons. (Though I’ve enjoyed the extended listening time because of it.) But first, for those of you who just want to know if I consider it a worthy buy without caring about the “why”, then, “Yes”. I consider the xCAN to be a very worthwhile travel companion for people both commuting/traveling and those who just need a solid mid-Fi portable audio solution with an extremely reasonable footprint for the...

My whole review won't fit in this space, so here is the link with all of the details and photos: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ifi-audio-ipurifier3-0.883536/page-4#post-14508849 In short, I like it A LOT. Subtle but noticeable improvement to audio - Silence is low/no noise, music pacing is corrected, & instrument separation is better defined. Great for your office or home audio setup. Great upgrade for your travel destination setup. (Hotel, family/friend's house, or portable party audio, etc..)

My stint on the iFi xDSD tour: It's been a while since I've been active, and just when I was lamenting my lost time here on Head-Fi, the lovely chaps over at iFi offered up spots on the iFi xDSD introduction tour. So naturally, I jumped in with both feet! So many veterans have already spoken to the specs and features of the device that I thought I'd try something a bit different. When I saw that I was accepted, I decided to try and answer some basic questions that I had about gear when I was first starting out here: "What is it good for?"...

iFi Micro iTube 2 Review Problem: I love music. I mean, REALLY love music. There is almost no iteration, form, or flavor that I can’t take joy in listening to given the right mood and environs... Secondly, I like like SIMPLE. Call me a victim of the “instant gratification age”, but I would rather plug in my headphones/speakers, select a song, and just be swept away by great sounding music, than spend time picking and choosing different parts, components, and mixing combinations is search of the elver-illusive “perfect sound” that I often see...

Disclaimer:  I was loaned the iFi iCAN SE so that I could have more audio equipment samples to evaluate the iFi iTube, & iPurifier 2 with.  Long after I completed my reviews of those components, I have continued to enjoy using the iCAN SE on a daily basis, and am now writing-up my experience with it as a courtesy, as I must now finally return it.  :-(  The past few months have been incredible with it, and I will be purchasing a unit for myself with my own funds as I already know that I am going to miss having it in my audio rack.  I am receiving no...

Part 1 - TORTURE TEST   So, have you ever heard the noise from an old laptop's hard drive spinning-up, or the electronic "chirp" of your mouse cursor moving across your screen during music playback??  Chances are that if you're using a half-way decent PC/MAC from last 10 years or so, that you haven't.  But hey, I figured why not REALLY test what this device can do?  Where's the challenge in cleaning-up already clean, modern USB 3.0 connections?  (SPOILER!  By the way, it made my modern USB 2.0 & 3.0 signals sound incredibly clear.)  So the...

Product name: iFi Micro iTube Tube Buffer/Tube Pre-Amplifier Manufacturer: iFi Cost: $329 US dollars.  Provided as a courtesy via iFi Customer Service for evaluation with my currently-owned (All Purchased) iFi equipment .  No incentives given or accepted.   Reviewer: Ken Norris - North America, USA, New Jersey Reviewed: March, 2016     So, a little over a year ago now, I bought and reviewed a USB DAC from iFi called the iDSD Micro.  Spoiler:  I LOVED IT!  While I am admittedly a relative newcomer to seriously pursuing the ever-moving target...

****************New iFi iDSD Micro BLACK LABEL Review (3/20/2017)  Original iDSD Micro Review below!   I haven't been able to separate the iDSD Micro Black Label review from the original iDSD Micro's old review, so I will build on what's already here:     Many thanks to Lawrance & the iFi team for allowing me to perform a "head-to-head" comparison between my trusty iDSD Micro, and the new iDSD Micro Black Label (from now on referred to as "BL")    So what is it?  The iFi iDSD Micro BL is in my eyes, an evolution of the original iDSD Micro...