[elvergun]

  If anything, I find the treble boosted with the 3D effect which is about the only fq response difference I notice.

Same here...

 

[KmanChu]

I have corresponded with Vincent at iFi and he indicated there should be no EQ changes at all. He said the way to test it was to run mono source material. If both channels are getting identical material then it should make no difference (which makes sense.) When I try his test I get absolutely no change. I still definitely do not get any perceived treble boost as others have described, but perhaps I shouldn't. I don't know if it achieves its affects by playing with phasing or something which could give some dips in EQ if the differences in channels was just wrong for filter. I notice the loss only with certain tracks but it is pretty dramatic. Perhaps I will just have leave it off for certain kinds of music, I suppose this shouldn't surprise me. Thanks everyone for your feedback.

 

[bbophead]

Always trust your ears.

 

[chicolom]

  I have corresponded with Vincent at iFi and he indicated there should be no EQ changes at all. He said the way to test it was to run mono source material. If both channels are getting identical material then it should make no difference (which makes sense.) When I try his test I get absolutely no change. I still definitely do not get any perceived treble boost as others have described, but perhaps I shouldn't. I don't know if it achieves its affects by playing with phasing or something which could give some dips in EQ if the differences in channels was just wrong for filter. I notice the loss only with certain tracks but it is pretty dramatic. Perhaps I will just have leave it off for certain kinds of music, I suppose this shouldn't surprise me. Thanks everyone for your feedback.

 
I suppose if you wanted to see if your unit was behaving differently from others, you could record an analog signal from the HP jack with the switch OFF and then ON, so that others could test it on their iCan to see if it does the same things.

 

[iFi audio]

Thanks to all who have posted their reviews here and around the Web.
 
The micro iCAN after loitering at #3, made it to top spot #1 yesterday. Many thanks to you all.
 
We are really touched by your kind comments!
 
thanks

 

[roamling]

any update on the iFi-Micro i-Battery?

 

[Nirmalanow]

any update on the iFi-Micro i-Battery?

I have not heard anything more about a battery from iFi, but I am enjoying using this one: http://www.head-fi.org/t/654405/ican-amp-review-a-new-amp-that-gives-you-more-more-bass-more-soundstage-and-more-detail/195#post_9628605

 

[Nirmalanow]

After years in this hobby, I am still often surprised at how much of a difference system synergy can make. For a while now I have been switching back and forth between using the ESW9 and the MDR-MA900 with my Tera player feeding the iCAN. The ESW9 has a very rich full bodied tube like sound, and the MA900 is a totally unique experience of space and instrument separation. I often wished I could combine the two into one headphone that did both.
 
It helped the ESW9 to include the Acoustic Research TDS202 as described elsewhere in this thread. But with the MA900 that sometimes led to too much detail and treble emphasis when combined with the 3D effect on the iCAN. Sometimes it was fun, but on other tracks it would get fatiguing. Then I would go back to the ESW9 and feel like there was some sort of soul added back to the music that wasn't there with the Sony's.
 
Then a few days ago, I pulled out the BigOnNoise Singularity mini to mini I picked up a while ago. It is a unique cable made of nano carbon, and when I played with it in the past, it had a nice soft analog sound but somehow lacked enough details for me. (Note: there is a website for this cable, but I am not sure if they are still in business, so I would email them before thinking about buying: http://www.bigonattitude.com/bigonnoise.com/page7/page7.htmlBigOnNoise Singularity mini to mini )
 
Maybe for the first time I tried the Singularity cable between the Tera and the iCAN while using the Sony MA-900s. Wow, there it was....the richness of sound and full body the Sony's had lacked. It was like adding tubes to the system, and also took the edge off of the treble. Now the Sony's seemed to be that perfect combination I was looking for of a warm rich sound with the unique spaciousness that the very open Sony headphones always have. And I did not lose any details. With this setup, I can just leave the 3D on for almost all kinds of music similar to how I use it with the ESW9s and also use the bass boost on the lower setting which fills in the low bass which is a bit light on the Sony's.
 
Who knew that one small change would shift the balance so much. And it seems like a big difference just for a cable change, but then again the Singularity cable is quite a different cable. It is not just switching from one metal to another, but a different class of material altogether.
 
I am loving the sound of the Sony's now more than ever.

 

[roamling]

 
I have not heard anything more about a battery from iFi, but I am enjoying using this one: http://www.head-fi.org/t/654405/ican-amp-review-a-new-amp-that-gives-you-more-more-bass-more-soundstage-and-more-detail/195#post_9628605

nice, i would love to see an i-Battery released for the iCan with the same form factor. That would look very nice and taking into consideration that they developed a very long lasting battery for the iNano headphone amp i think it is not to far fetched . I was in contact with Vincent some months ago but he was not so sure about it. Then i read the comments in this thread about one being in the works. Maybe we get an update from the man himself? 

 

[Nirmalanow]

  nice, i would love to see an i-Battery released for the iCan with the same form factor. That would look very nice and taking into consideration that they developed a very long lasting battery for the iNano headphone amp i think it is not to far fetched . I was in contact with Vincent some months ago but he was not so sure about it. Then i read the comments in this thread about one being in the works. Maybe we get an update from the man himself? 

Yes it was Vincent who told me a while back that they were working on a battery, but then when I checked in with him later, he was not to encouraging. That is when I found the other battery that works with the iCAN. Vincent then spread the word about the battery I found, and so maybe they became less interested in creating their own version.
 
I would check with him for the latest news.

 

[roamling]

 
Yes it was Vincent who told me a while back that they were working on a battery, but then when I checked in with him later, he was not to encouraging. That is when I found the other battery that works with the iCAN. Vincent then spread the word about the battery I found, and so maybe they became less interested in creating their own version.
 
I would check with him for the latest news.

 
I see, yes he told me about some guy in the US who uses such and such a battery... nice to meet you  

 

[Nirmalanow]

   
I see, yes he told me about some guy in the US who uses such and such a battery... nice to meet you  

Nice to meet you also. The battery I use works great and is at least the same color as the iCAN. It does also improve the sound of the iCAN to use a battery instead of AC power.

 

[roamling]

Unfortunately the shipping cost would be nearly 90$ to Europe. So its not an option for me. I would only spend over 150$ on something that actually matches the look of the amp itself. Even an option to have to amp running from battery power while the external battery is charging at the same time would be great. But that depends if there would be any noticeable improvement over the stock power supply and i guess the introduction of the portable Nano Headphone Amp from iFi made a battery development for the iCan redundant. Thanks for the tip anyway

 

[Nirmalanow]

After some more time with the BigOnNoise nano carbon mini to mini cable in my Tera>iCan>MA900 setup, I am finding that there is little need for the 3D effect on the iCAN. It can be kind of fun, but the Sony's have plenty of space and instrument separation already, and I am just loving their tone now. The 3D does tip the treble up and also sometimes brings out any hiss in the recording, so doing without allows the naturalness of tone the carbon cable brought out to shine that much more. It really is like having a pair of open ESW9s that soundstage well. All of that tube like warmth the ESW9s have so much of, but without a closed in feeling. The MA900s in this setup really shine, probably in large measure due to the Tera which itself has such an organic natural sound. The Tera can't drive the MA900s by itself, but add the iCAN and they really come alive.
 
I tried switching to my RAL silver mini to mini, and it sounded good, but again the tone shifted up a bit in the treble and I immediately wanted my nano carbon cable back. If I feel the need for a little extra treble and detail in a particualr recording, I can always just switch the 3D effect on the iCAN back on, but for now I am just getting lost in the music without it.

 

[technobear]

Unfortunately the shipping cost would be nearly 90$ to Europe.

That battery is available from Amazon in the UK:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/PowerSmart-90V-264V-Universal-Portable-External-Silver/dp/B000XQ0OIE/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ce_1