Firstly, many thanks to iFi for the loan of this amp. I am not affiliated with iFi, just a regular Head-Fi addict to happens to be lucky enough to get loan units now and again from the generous iFi team.  As I've had this for a few weeks now it's time to jot down some brief thoughts and observations.

Up until very recently, my main desktop rig consisted of iFi Micro iCan, Micro iDAC and Micro iTube housed nicely in the iRack.  I've been using this for a couple of years to drive my HE500s (now sold), AKG K3003 and laterally my Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 2 so I'm familiar with the iFi sound.  These days I own the HUGO and Beyerdynamic A2 as my desktop rig and Lotoo PAW5000 with Mojo as my portable setup..
 
 
Package

The iCan Pro comes in the same type of packaging as the other iFi gear, just larger! so same great unboxing experience and enough accessories to get you going.  The unit itself is satisfyingly weighty and looks to be very well made.  I like the size and design quite a bit, everything is machined well, no rough spots and you immediately get the impression this thing is built to last. This amp also has some power, 14,000 mW @ 16 Ohms!  Also included in the package is a faitly basic remote which is not really the quality I'm used to compared to the Beyerdynamic A2's remote but it'll do the job.  If you plan to use the remote a lot you might be a little dissapointed as I found it didn't always respond if it's not in perfect line of sight but YMMV. The volume knob itself on the iCan feels luxurious and smooth, no worries there!
 
 
Front Panel

On the front you have an array of outputs, single ended 3.5mm, Balanced 3.5mm, Balanced 4-pin xlr and twin single-ended 6.35mm sockets, so plenty of options.
There is a large input selector on the left (mirroring the Volume knob in the right). The amp accomodates 3 analogue inputs and a balanced input.
Also on the front are what really sets this amp apart from others, knobs to tweak in the form of XBass and 3D settings. These are extremely well implemented on this amp, quite subtle but effective.  If you have a neurtal source or bright cans, the XBass can provide a nice balance to the audio. It jumps in 3 increments, 10, 20 or 40 Hz depending on how much you need.  Similarly the 3D has 3 'stages' depending on your preference.  Similar to my experience of the iCan (which has a 2 stage 3D switch) I found for accoustic tracks it works noticably better at bringing the audio to the forefront (like speakers) but it doesn't always work so well with other tracks, in fact it makes some tracks sound 'off', you need to experiment but when it works I like it a lot.
There are also 2 slider switches on the front:
- Gain - 0db, 9db or 18db.  I personally found 0db to be fine with the T1 (600ohms).
- AMP selector switch  - Here you can select purely solid state amp, the tube stage or Tube+ mode which is a bit of a hybrid mode.  As I am used to the iTube and iCan in combination this is great to see. In my experience the iTube does not provide an immediate wow factor, but if I remove it from the chain, my enjoyment of the music appears to lessen.  It's difficult to quantify but noticeable to me never-the-less.  For this reason I chose to use the Tube+ output the most.
 

iCan Pro feeding the Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 2 using the 4-Pin XLR Balanced output.  Source is Lotoo PAW5000 and Mojo.
 
 
Rear Panel
 
Here you will find everything you need:
L + R Balanced 3-Pin XLR female input
3 x RCA Stereo inputs
L + R Balanced 3-Pin XLR Male output
1 x RCA Stereo output
Energiser output for 'stats (sorry no more info on this).
Power Passthrough ( I assume for the energiser module?)
 
 
Form Factor

This unit is a good size for desktop needs, fairly shalow and not too wide.  It's actually almost identical in width and height to the Beyerdynamic A2 amp, less deep however:
 

 

 
Sound
 

The first time I used the iCan (and most amount of time I spent with it) I had it paired with a Chord Hugo connected to my Gaming PC.  I also had a Jitterbug in the chain to attempt to compensate for USB noise.

Immediately I felt at home.  This has the familiar sound I am used to with the Micro iCan/iTube only much, much more so.  Sound stage is a little fuller and it really drives the T1's well. I would never call the sound I acheived from the 'Micro' set-up 'thin', but this is a ritcher sound with more weight and more space.  I'd love to try some HE-6 on this, I have a feeling it would do them justice. After some time listening I settled upon my desired xBass setting , 20Hz, this seemed to sound about right with the T1/Hugo combo.  I tend to keep the 3D off until I know I need it (accoustic mainly). 
 
I think the Beyerdynamic A2, to my ears has a slightly more detailed presentation and more 'real' bass tonality but I'm being super critical here, there is nothing wrong with either of these aspects on the iCan Pro.  It's really nice. The problem with comparing this with most other amps is the you can make a big or small difference to the sound just by tweaking some dials.  On the A2, aside from Gain control, you get what it offers, period. If you want to add flavour or change the presentation you need to add a warmer DAC or a Tube stage.  With the iCan it's almost too configurable, too tempting to keep pressing stuff! which can distract from the ultimate goal here, enjoying the music.  Maybe it's just me but I found it hard to stop playing with it, I guess that urge would lessen the longer I used it.

If I didn't already have a top shelf amp, this would be on my shipping list.  Even though it's expensive, if you think about all the technology and configurability this brings to the table in one unit, it's pretty much in the right place.

Thanks again to iFi for the loan, it was a great few weeks.  I would recommend this amp if it's within your budget. Very flexible, well designed and great sounding amplifier capable of driving hungry Cans or sensitive IEMs.

If you are reading this, you are more than likely interested in squeezing out the last drop of quality from your gear.  That can mean cable replacements, power conditioning, silver fuses, silver plugs, the list goes on.  Most of those can end up costing a lot for those small gains. The iPurifier 2, although still an investment, is a new option from iFi to help persuade your gear to sound better.
 
So what does it do?
 
If you read the blub on the iFi site it contains lots of info which I'm not going to repeat here. Suffice to say the iPurifier 2 takes a noisy USB signal destined for a USB DAC and cleans it up! the end result should be better audio quality reaching your ears. 
 
Without further ado, here's some pics:
 

 

 

 

 
 
Does it work?
 
I have to say for me, yes.
 
I have a Schiit stack connected to my PC, a Modi DAC and Magni class AB amp.  I play Hi-Res tracks quite happily through my HE-500 phones.  I figured this would be as good a test as anything for the iPurifier 2.
 
The device itself is very robust and well engineered. As you can see from the photos it's fairly discrete. There are a couple of indicator lights for Power and Sound signal. The device also comes with a range of connector options.  I have the USB-B but it comes in A, C and Micro B also.
 
I've got to say, I really wasn't expecting much, if any improvement in the audio quality from my Schiit stack as it is a fairly silent and quite revealing setup. 
 
For my test I fired up one of my most familiar and favourite test albums, Rumours by Fleetwood Mac (in 24/96 from HD Tracks - the max the Modi can handle) and listened to the first few tracks a few times.
 
I then added the iPurifier to the chain.  Again, I listened to the first few tracks.  At first I didn't really notice too much of a difference, until I got to the second track, Dreams.  The splash cymbal at the beginning caught me by surprise a little, it seemed more sustained and cleaner than I remembered.  I looped this part of the track a few times, removed the iPurifier and repeated.  Sure enough, I can tell the difference pretty easily.  After a few hours of listening with the ipurifier attached, I've decided it's staying put in this setup.  To my ears it makes a good difference to the general soundstage (width especially) and overall clarity of the sound. I like it!
 
Makes me wonder about adding the iFi iUSB Power to the mix if this little thing can make a decenet improvement, who knows what that will do......sorry wallet.

Background
 
I first heard the iDac at the April 2013 head-fi meet in London.  It was part of the full ifi stack (at the time) consisting of iUSB, iCAN and iDAC.  I was amazed at the quality of the sound from this miniature setup and knew right there and then that I was going to own at least some of this gear.
 
Until recently I've been listening to my AKG K3003 and Hi-Fi Man HE-500 with the following setup:
 
iCan -> iTube -> Rcam rDac -> Squeezebox 3
 
As the Squeezebox 3 only has s/pdif out (no USB) I could not add the iDac as that would mean also buying a squeezebox touch, which at the time was out of my price range.
 
Fast forward a little and I now have the Squeezebox touch and hence USB!!  - enter the iDac
 
As I have the iRack also, the iDac fits perfectly into my stack, that's one of the things I love about iFi, their gear looks as good as it sounds.
 
 
Hooking it up
 
I find the connectivity to the iDac a little tricky.  Having the USB port and the RCA ports on opposite ends makes for potentially messy looking cable configuration.  It  would be much handier to have them all on the back.  As it is I am using this purely as a DAC so slid the iDac in backwards to the rack, on the bottom shelf, that way I can feed the USB cable under the rack, looks pretty good.
 

 
 
 
Before I could use the USB port on the Squeezebox touch, I had to install EDO (Enhanced Digital Output) which is a free plug-in:
 
1) Ensure your Squeezebox Touch is running 7.7.x or later firmware
2) Go to Apps Gallery -> 3rd Party Apps on the touch screen
3) Deselect the "recommended applets only" option, so that you see a longer list of apps
4) Select "Enhanced Digital Output" and select it for installation
5) Your touch should download the app, reboot, then download a new custom linux kernel and reboot again
6) You should now get a list of possible output devices - this should include "Digital Output" and your USB Dac if it is plugged in, select the appropriate output
7) Touch should reboot again and then be ready to start playing with the selected output

If you want to change the output go to Setting > Audio Settings > Digital Output; if you want to change some of the advanced options go to Settings > Advanced > Digital Output.
 
Sound
 
First thing I noticed was the BASS!!  I had been running my iCAN with full x-bass (level2) with the rDAC and that was a great sound for me,  With the iDAC  I had to knock it down a notch, it was just too much.  Level 1 x-bass is perfect with both the HE-500 and K3003.
 
Compared to the rDac the detail retrieval is much better, I'm hearing things I've never heard before with very familiar tracks.  I find electronica in particular is a lot more musical with the iDAC leading to much longer listening sessions.  I do love listening to gear which invites me to re-discover my music collection.  DACs are improving so quickly, great news for us consumers.