[MikeyFresh]

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[ElephantTLK]

Got my iDAC2. All i can say is WOW. Detail... Very, very happy with this DAC. Not bright at all. Very neutral, full-bodied sound. I like it very much.
 
One thing is that bothers me... In manual under tips says:
 
ALWAYS connect and power on ALL other devices before connecting the USB cable to the iDAC2 as final step. 
 
Does that mean i HAVE to ALWAYS connect/disconnect iDAC2 before restarting computer. Or connecting headphone amp/speakers?
Why? That is big con if so. 
Is it really necessary to plug/unplug usb cable? Reason? What if i dont connect/disconnect usb cable from DAC every time? 
 
Other negative point is that there is no internal VC for RCA out. 
 
And maybe not best solution for RCA out is located on front of device. But i can survive with that and is no big deal.

 

[Botsing]

  One thing is that bothers me... In manual under tips says:
 
ALWAYS connect and power on ALL other devices before connecting the USB cable to the iDAC2 as final step. 
 
Does that mean i HAVE to ALWAYS connect/disconnect iDAC2 before restarting computer. Or connecting headphone amp/speakers?
Why? That is big con if so. 
Is it really necessary to plug/unplug usb cable? Reason? What if i dont connect/disconnect usb cable from DAC every time? 

 
I would assume this is due to some power spikes that can manifest itself when you power up/down your computer. This can cause 'plops' that, even though they are low in volume, might damage some sensitive equipment.
 
With my setup I did some tests to see what would happen if I do not disconnect the iDAC2 at all, in all these tests I kept the volume of my amp at the level that I normally use to listen to music.
 
RESTART laptop: No audible effects can be heard. Not at the power down cycle and neither at the power up cycle.
 
SHUT DOWN laptop: You could hear a low volume 'plop' at the end of the power down cycle when the laptop is down shutting down.
 
STARTUP laptop: Again you could hear a low volume 'plop' just after hitting the power button of the laptop to startup.
 
None of these tests seems to influence the working of any part of my equipment (Denon AVC-A1 amp with transmission line speakers).

 

[tjw321]

  ...
One thing is that bothers me... In manual under tips says:
 
ALWAYS connect and power on ALL other devices before connecting the USB cable to the iDAC2 as final step. 
 
Does that mean i HAVE to ALWAYS connect/disconnect iDAC2 before restarting computer. Or connecting headphone amp/speakers?
... 
Other negative point is that there is no internal VC for RCA out. 
...

I don't think that quote applies to computers. This is what it says in the manual published online:

 Tip: When using iPAD/SqueezeBox Touch or similar, ALWAYS connect and power on ALL other devices before connecting the USB cable to the iDAC2 as the final step.

Also, if it was necessary, I think it would have said "Warning", not "Tip". I suspect this is to help the device correctly recognise the iDAC2, although I do get quite a click through my 'phones when connecting a different DAC/Amp combo to my iPad.
For me it is a positive point that there is no VC for the RCA out. I won't be connecting that to anything which doesn't have it's own VC.

 

[tjw321]

This is the reason I downloaded the iDAC2 manual:

Most of this arrived just yesterday. I already had the Pi, and the iCAN - as you can see from this post: http://www.head-fi.org/t/754820/idac2-ifi-will-rock-you-mac-world-page-34/450#post_11810420. 
Ignore the notebook underneath - that's just there so that I can move everything to a new location without losing the feet.
I also have the iPurifier, but the cabling I have for that is even less photogenic. All of the nice cables I have which fit the iPurifier are either slightly too short, or much too long. The one in the picture is USB 3, but the iPurifier takes a USB 2 cable.
It's early days, but I'm really enjoying it so far. It would be nice if the iTUBE would turn into a transparent pass-thru when switched off as I have one pair of headphones which sound better without it - I think that will change after the tubes have had a few more hours use but, right now, I'd like to be able to easily remove it from the loop.
In the (very) minor annoyances category are the feet. I understand why they are the way they are, but I do move the system a couple of times a week and it's a bit of a pain re-locating the feet every time - hence the notebook.
Even more minor: The right-angle adaptor for the power to the iTUBE extends just far enough that the vertical posts pop it out when I do the move.
And even *more* minor: I need three power supplies - iCAN, iTUBE and Pi. All those cables are a pain during the move.
The solution to all the minor stuff is, of course, not to move it 

.
I was pleasantly surprised by how good the iDAC2 sounds on it's own. I wasn't expecting that, given that when I tried it, it was entirely powered by the USB from the Pi, but it did really well. I could easily use it on its own for a very satisfying listening session. Many listening sessions, in fact.
So, how does it sound? I don't really have the critical listening vocabulary to tell you that, and it's early days, but I can tell you that it sounds much better than it has any right to for how much it costs. It's kind of like every instrument is wrapped in it's own little bit of silence and presented exactly how and where it should be without any interference from any other instruments.
Hmm. Maybe I need to upgrade my headphones now? The iCAN is turning out to be the most expensive prize I've ever won. Not that I'm complaining - it's also the best. 

 
Thanks, ifi! 

 

[Turrican2]

This is the reason I downloaded the iDAC2 manual:


Most of this arrived just yesterday. I already had the Pi, and the iCAN - as you can see from this post: http://www.head-fi.org/t/754820/idac2-ifi-will-rock-you-mac-world-page-34/450#post_11810420. 

love the Pi case, integrates well. I'll be doing something similar soon, one of the best uses of the Pi I've see , well done.

 

[tjw321]

love the Pi case, integrates well. I'll be doing something similar soon, one of the best uses of the Pi I've see , well done.

Thanks

.
I think I was quite lucky with the case. The WAF is now sufficiently high with the ifi rack that I have a permanent home reserved for it - thereby solving all my minor niggles except the iTUBE bypass. 

 Apparently it looks a hundred times better than "the usual rat's nest". 

The case is this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B011TZYP4Q
It looks really good but it isn't really very high quality. To give you some idea, the counter-sinking on one of the end plates was done on the wrong side and I didn't dare do my own counter-sinking on the opposite side because the metal is so thin. But I'm very happy with it any way.

 

[iFi audio]

iFi Launch competition – guess the upcoming new product!

 

 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/779504/ifi-launch-competition-guess-the-upcoming-new-product-clue-3-page-4#post_11880950
 
Previously, we said we had a small surprise for the iDAC2 customers.
 
Well, the surprise is that at end of the above skunkworks competition to guess the next new iFi product, we shall announce the names of a further 5 customers from this iDAC2 competition who guessed correctly but who did NOT win a prize.
 
Hold onto your hats people...and keep an eye out to see if you won. 

 

[iFi audio]

For all you iDAC2 people, you will be glad to know we included this in the iDAC2:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/779504/ifi-launch-competition-guess-the-upcoming-new-product-clue-3-page-4/75#post_11891718
 
 
 

SPECTRA and Active Noise Cancellation technologies

No, we are not talking the upcoming Bond movie but the nomenclature is opportune!
 
Stealth technologies used in the military field fall under two main categories; passive and active.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stealth_technology
 

• Passive stealth technologies are based upon deflection and adsorption of the incoming radar from the air defence on the ground. Hence less radar signal is being reflected back to the ground radar.
• Active stealth technologies are based on active cancellation technology. By sampling and analysing the incoming radar and feeding it back to the hostile radar on the ground defence out of phase, thus cancelling out the returning radar echo.

 
 

 
The French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multi-role fighter aircraft; Dassault Rafale, features an integrated defensive-aid system named SPECTRA, which among others, uses Active stealth technologies.
 

Further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thales_Spectra
 
 

Active Noise Cancellation / Active Noise Cancellation +

iFi’s Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) and ANC+ systems are inspired by the Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft’s active stealth technology.
 
ANC/ANC+ detects the AC noise in the system and injects an equal, but opposite polarity noise into the system!  The end result is that the AC noise in the system is all but cancelled out by this opposite noise signal. Just like this:
 

The difference between ANC and ANC+ is the ultimate level of residual noise physically achievable.  ANC achieves a noise level that is already beyond most so call audiophile “super regulators.”
 
ANC+ has the lowest noise output currently feasible. It is at the limit of what the Audio Precision can detect.
 
To lower it even further, one would have to suspend the ANC+ circuit in liquid nitrogen!

 

[gixxerwimp]

  For all you iDAC2 people, you will be glad to know we included this in the iDAC2:
 

Active Noise Cancellation / Active Noise Cancellation +

Spoiler: Details

iFi’s Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) and ANC+ systems are inspired by the Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft’s active stealth technology.
 
ANC/ANC+ detects the AC noise in the system and injects an equal, but opposite polarity noise into the system!  The end result is that the AC noise in the system is all but cancelled out by this opposite noise signal. Just like this:
 

The difference between ANC and ANC+ is the ultimate level of residual noise physically achievable.  ANC achieves a noise level that is already beyond most so call audiophile “super regulators.”
 
ANC+ has the lowest noise output currently feasible. It is at the limit of what the Audio Precision can detect.
 
To lower it even further, one would have to suspend the ANC+ circuit in liquid nitrogen!

 

 
So the iDAC2 includes ANC+? And you're only just informing us now? ...

 
 
Can you provide any more details? Does it detect noise on both data and power/GND signals? Are data and power/GND handled separately/differently?

 

[alvin1118]

 
Just got it, pretty good power driving the HD650, enough juice to my listening loudness. 
Tried in my hifi stereo system as well, good value overall !

 

[iFi audio]

   
So the iDAC2 includes ANC+? And you're only just informing us now? ...

 
 
Can you provide any more details? Does it detect noise on both data and power/GND signals? Are data and power/GND handled separately/differently?

 
Hi,
 
Sure, but beauty is not just skin deep. There was already loads of information at the launch.
 
You can say that the iDAC2 was actually the first shipping product with ANC, it was generally developed for situations where we do not want to drop out any voltage but still want to reduce noise (USB powered DAC is an obvious one) and it was applied for that reason and as initial case in the iDAC2.
 
It proved so excellent at the job, that we developed the ANC+ version for super low-noise applications.
 
The iDAC2 actually has triple cascaded ANC, one directly at the USB Input and another on the Audio Circuitry power supply with the third one at the DAC.
 
The clock by comparison has a super quiet regulator, as the clock runs on 3.3V, so we have voltage to spare for a conventional regulator, but our analogue stage and DAC both need > 4.8V for maximum performance and as USB is only 5V, any losses in DC voltage (such as from a traditional regulator) cannot be tolerated.
 
These are the small things that we think gives our products that 'factor X.'

 

[gixxerwimp]

Thanks for the info @iFi audio.
 
The iDAC2 user's manual doesn't seem to be on your website yet. Having a PDF on my computer is handy for use as a quick reference.
http://ifi-audio.com/user-manual/

 

[tjw321]

I've just received my prize cable from Forza.  It is perfect for my needs - just the right length, and just the right degree of flexibility/stiffness. It took me a while to provide my specs which is why I've only just got it.
I'm not a huge believer in high-end cables influencing the sound to any great extent, but I must admit that my K702s have never sounded so good. Maybe I just needed the ifi to reveal the differences. I think it's time to do some proper tests over some extended listening sessions .
Talking of the ifi, the iTube has mellowed perfectly now that the tubes have some time on them and I have no desire to ever switch it out of the loop 

. There was just a touch of harshness with my K702s when I first got it, but now it is behaving exactly as I was hoping it would (removing listening fatigue from extended sessions with the K702s). Harshness is too strong a word since I couldn't really hear it - I just knew that I preferred to listen without the iTube for my K702s, but with the iTube for my HD600s. Ironic since the K702s were the main reason I wanted the iTube. But now it's doing it's job and I end every listening session with a smile on my face. 

 

[iFi audio]

  Thanks for the info @iFi audio.
 
The iDAC2 user's manual doesn't seem to be on your website yet. Having a PDF on my computer is handy for use as a quick reference.
http://ifi-audio.com/user-manual/

 
Hi,
 
Webmaster has sorted!
 
Cheers.