iDSD micro Black Label. Tour details (page 147). Release info (page 153).
Dec 8, 2016 at 9:30 AM Post #2,387 of 4,252
Those UEs look very special indeed! My first glimpse of them. I remember how well your old iDSD did against the other stuff when we met up at yours. How much interference did you get with the OTG on the black label? I tend to get quite a bit on the Mojo, more so in poor data areas. It will be really interesting to see how this does on my Moto G4. If it's better for this than the Mojo and if ot ties for the sound quality, that's a big if of course - we would have a winner here....


Main problem I can see is that while Mojo could be considered portable, iDSD is definitely in the transportable size range. Maybe iFi will release an iDSDBL nano?
 
Dec 8, 2016 at 9:53 AM Post #2,388 of 4,252
Been going back and forth between old age new iDSD Micro tonight with Nighthawks and TFZ Balance 2M with Opeth's new Sorceress album.

Black Label wins the fight with more engaging, fuller sound and better soundstage and imaging. Bass boost is less subtle. I think bass fans will like that better vs the older version. I'm still not sold on the 3D setting, although I can see it being useful for IEM or headphones with upper end roll off. I'll measure Bass boost and 3D with some IEM later to see where they impact the FR curve.

All in all, a very nice listening session. Looking forward to iDSDBL vs Mojo smackdown tomorrow night!


Thank you very much
 
Dec 8, 2016 at 10:46 AM Post #2,390 of 4,252
The same as the regular MicroIDSD
biggrin.gif

wink_face.gif
 Who knows, who knows...
 
iFi audio Stay updated on iFi audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
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Dec 8, 2016 at 4:27 PM Post #2,391 of 4,252
Just to stir this fine thread a bit more...
 
Merry Xmas to all of our awesome customers!

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Thought we'd hip you to a wicked bundle from Beyerdynamic and iFi audio courtesy of Beach Camera!

Heck, even Santa Claus himself isn’t this generous!


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We love bundle deals and they don’t come much bigger and better than this. Seriously. They. Do. Not.

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BuyDig.com - BeyerDynamic T90 Chrome Limited Edition Audiophile Headphones w/ iF Micro iCan SE Amplifier

What you get:

Micro iCAN SE – This meaty beast pumps out 4,000mW of solid state class A luv. This amp is all about delivering the kind of performance that you'd expect from a product built with audiophile DNA but… at a stonking price point. We also went to great lengths to ensure it has both the power and finesse to capture all of the things that draw us into the music. Best of all, its price/performance ratio is pretty darn spectacular even if we say so ourselves!

Beyer Dynamic T-90 Tesla – This well-reviewed, open-backed headphone is supremely comfortable, boasts exceptional clarity and… normally retails for $700. Right? Nope! With this very bundle, you are in fact paying $150 for it! Let us repeat:

$150. For. A. Pair. Of. Beyerdynamic T-90 Tesla. Marvellous. Headphones.

It doesn't get more awesome than this, does it? Sonically, expect a presentation that's clean. spacious and has the ‘goldilocks’ amount of inner detail retrieval. The bass is tight and precise, if not a bit dialled back. It partners great with the iCAN SE and those of you who are a bit ‘meh’ about trimmed downstairs department, can easily remedy that with XBass, which just so happens to come equipped on our iCAN SE.

All told, this is a wickedly awesome combo that should make a lot of music lovers happy for a very long time. Kudos to Beyer and Beach Camera for offering up this incredible deal!

We only got 150 bundles. First come first served!

Last but not least! Happy Holidays and Happy Listening!

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Ps. We heard that Mrs Claus bought this for Mr Claus!

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iFi audio Stay updated on iFi audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/iFiAudio/ https://twitter.com/ifiaudio https://www.instagram.com/ifiaudio/ https://ifi-audio.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@iFiaudiochannel comms@ifi-audio.com
Dec 8, 2016 at 4:43 PM Post #2,395 of 4,252
I mean I used to own an ifi micro idsd and a chord mojo. Then got a Geekout v2+ infinity....and the balanced pulled ahead of both...but its such a pita. I have a new alo cdm coming and had to get some balanced wires for 2.5mm ...pita as hell....so if the iDSD sounds better and is se....would make my life a lot easier, though I strongly believe with the alo, fully balanced will inevitably sound better.
 
Dec 8, 2016 at 4:48 PM Post #2,396 of 4,252
I own all three except the ALO.

Will be an interesting few days with the Black Label up against Larry Ho and John Franks/Rob Watts creation.

Power wise there is no comparison but there just might be a surprise ending.....
 
Dec 9, 2016 at 8:09 AM Post #2,397 of 4,252
Measurements vis-à-vis sound quality - part 2

Part 2: So what is our approach?

So there you have it. Measurements shed not much light on sound quality is our core belief. And that’s the key reason behind why we measure minimally and audition maximally. And we mean a lot of man hours.

As for our somewhat different stance, this is how we prefer to approach things:

1. To listen, listen and then listen even more, systematically and blindfolded as much as possible. 
2. To show the internal components and the changes where we apply in our products.
3. To let people to listen and decide for themselves if they like the sound of the product or not. ‘Under the hood’ knowledge and personal experience is all they need. 

OK, but to say that one has to listen isn’t good enough for many enthusiasts. As discussed previously, measurements aren’t very helpful outside of our skunkworks, hence let’s leave these to one side for the moment.

But we understand that some of you need something direct, a proof and a basis of an improvement from one model to its next iteration. This we can happily provide. Below you’ll find two sides of Micro iDSD Black Label’s PCB. These show the exact internal components which were upgraded in comparison to the original iDSD model. Yes, 34 elements in total are behind why (thankfully!) people are hearing for themselves from customers who have taken a ‘sip’ of our own Black Label. 


 
 

 

The Digital Engine:

D1. DAC Power supply upgraded with iFi custom ultra-low noise Operationsverstärker OV2028
D2. DAC reference voltage decoupling changed to Panasonic audio-grade ECPU film capacitors
D3. Digital power supplies upgraded with ultra-low impedance Panasonic OSCON capacitors
D4. GMT® Femto precision clock system power supply upgraded for super low phase-noise/jitter

The Analogue section:

A1. Analogue section upgraded with iFi custom low noise FET input Operationsverstärker OV2627
A2. Analogue power supplies upgraded with Ultra-low impedance Panasonic OSCON capacitors
A3. 3D+® performance-tuned
A4. XBass+® performance-tuned
A5. Re-designed Output Stabilisation network for less distortion

For 3D+® & XBass+® we adjusted based on wide ranging customer feedback after a period of field testing different adjustments.

The next step is in the listening.
 
iFi audio Stay updated on iFi audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/iFiAudio/ https://twitter.com/ifiaudio https://www.instagram.com/ifiaudio/ https://ifi-audio.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@iFiaudiochannel comms@ifi-audio.com
Dec 9, 2016 at 11:41 AM Post #2,398 of 4,252
[COLOR=3399FF]Measurements vis-à-vis sound quality - part 2[/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]Part 2: So what is our approach?[/COLOR]
[COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]So there you have it. Measurements shed not much light on sound quality is our core belief. And that’s the key reason behind why we measure minimally and audition maximally. And we mean a lot of man hours.[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]As for our somewhat different stance, this is how we prefer to approach things:[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]1. To listen, listen and then listen even more, systematically and blindfolded as much as possible. [/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]2. To show the internal components and the changes where we apply in our products.[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]3. To let people to listen and decide for themselves if they like the sound of the product or not. ‘Under the hood’ knowledge and personal experience is all they need. [/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]OK, but to say that one has to listen isn’t good enough for many enthusiasts. As discussed previously, measurements aren’t very helpful outside of our skunkworks, hence let’s leave these to one side for the moment.[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]But we understand that some of you need something direct, a proof and a basis of an improvement from one model to its next iteration. This we can happily provide. Below you’ll find two sides of Micro iDSD Black Label’s PCB. These show the exact internal components which were upgraded in comparison to the original iDSD model. Yes, 34 elements in total are behind why (thankfully!) people are hearing for themselves from customers who have taken a ‘sip’ of our own Black Label. [/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR]





[COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]The Digital Engine:[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]D1. [/COLOR]DAC[COLOR=333333] Power supply upgraded with iFi custom ultra-low noise Operationsverstärker OV2028[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]D2. [/COLOR]DAC[COLOR=333333] reference voltage decoupling changed to Panasonic audio-grade ECPU film capacitors[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]D3. Digital power supplies upgraded with ultra-low impedance Panasonic OSCON capacitors[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]D4. GMT® Femto precision clock system power supply upgraded for super low phase-noise/[/COLOR]jitter[COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]The Analogue section:[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]A1. Analogue section upgraded with iFi custom low noise FET input Operationsverstärker OV2627[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]A2. Analogue power supplies upgraded with Ultra-low impedance Panasonic OSCON capacitors[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]A3. 3D+® performance-tuned[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]A4. XBass+® performance-tuned[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]A5. Re-designed Output Stabilisation network for less distortion[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]For 3D+® & XBass+® we adjusted based on wide ranging customer feedback after a period of field testing different adjustments.[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]The next step is in the listening.[/COLOR]


Very nicee
 
Dec 9, 2016 at 5:10 PM Post #2,399 of 4,252
Ok, I'm selling my Chord Mojo.  I've been jamming out hard at my office desk with the iFi iDSD Black for a week now and the iFi just does it for me.  Listening on my AAW W500 AHMorph customs, I am head bobbing and bouncing my knees.  This thing just makes music fun as hell.  It's not that the Mojo sounds any worse, but the iFi just spews a more natural, engaging sound.  Love this little black brick.  
 

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