[guglia72]

Hi,

To summarise:

1) nano iDSD: 75:25 portable/home-based.

2) micro iDSD: 50:50 portable/home-based.

3) mini iDSD: 100% home-based.

This is our logic.

Like we always say, try it and only if you like it, then buy it.

We would never ask a customer to blindly buy anything including AMR/iFi. Not the way we roll.

This micro looks more like 75-25 to me.
I would like to try it, but there is no iFi dealer here.

 

[BillsonChang007]

Not really. Spec wise, they compare well, in fact, better than some of the desktop DAC. Sound wise, to be tested

 

[kugino]

Not always! http://puremusicgroup.com/cart/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=351

Batteries should provide a better power supply

Sure. I used to have a RWA signature 30, which is lead-acid battery powered, but no one mistakes those for portable use. The micro iDSD I think one can reasonably assume that the battery is for portable use. People can gripe all they want about the comprises ifi made to make it lean more toward portable use, but I think it was quite clear from the beginning that that was the intended purpose.

 

[guglia72]

Sure. I used to have a RWA signature 30, which is lead-acid battery powered, but no one mistakes those for portable use. The micro iDSD I think one can reasonably assume that the battery is for portable use. People can gripe all they want about the comprises ifi made to make it lean more toward portable use, but I think it was quite clear from the beginning that that was the intended purpose.

Of course it was, but I liked it immediately for the better power quality it would supply

 

[bapspidoff]

No one has mentioned this yet so maybe I'm missing something, but why is there no USB A male > USB A male cable included? Wouldn't that be the obvious choice to connect the idsd micro to a laptop? I mean, the nano came with a male > male USB cable.... I'm just confused.

 

[RadioWonder737]

No one has mentioned this yet so maybe I'm missing something, but why is there no USB A male > USB A male cable included? Wouldn't that be the obvious choice to connect the idsd micro to a laptop? I mean, the nano came with a male > male USB cable.... I'm just confused.

Me too... That is why I asked for a "Graphic iFi iDSD DAC Hook-Up Chart showing all the cables included in All the different hook-up possibilities???"...

 

[roamling]

There is a male A to female A cable included, that's the one you need.

 

[bapspidoff]

There is a male A to female A cable included, that's the one you need.

Are you saying that the female end plugs into the idsd micro without an adapter? If so, that is really bizarre and I've never seen anything like it before...

 

[jhwalker]

Are you saying that the female end plugs into the idsd micro without an adapter? If so, that is really bizarre and I've never seen anything like it before...

You haven't been reading this thread, have you?  Pages and pages on this design . . . 
 
post #999

 

[bapspidoff]

 
You haven't been reading this thread, have you?  Pages and pages on this design . . . 
 
post #999

I actually have read every single post in the thread but when I read that post the first time I guess i missed the HUGE detail that the idsd micro accepts a FEMALE plug. I just assumed it was male and even the picture didn't change that assumption... my bad! Carry on...

 

[maricius]

I honestly don't see how the micro iDSD would be more portable than desktop/transportable. I guess that yeah, it charges devices and yeah, iFi supplies shorter digital interconnects but things like variable/active preamp, or even having a DAC lineout at all is something not seen as a necessity for "portable." If it were really meant to be portable, it would be more like the ALO International that functions as an only as only digital input DAC/Amp and not standalone DAC nor standalone amp like te iDSD.

Also, I notice what pushed a lot of people over the edge would be the making of the boutique USB cables some of you have redundant in cleaning up the signal. People, you buy your USB cables to make the most out of your DAC and not the other way around, buying DACs to make your USB cables worth their cost. If iFi says their onboard iPurifier and stock cable is AT LEAST comparable, enough to make your expensive boutique cables near to obsolete, kudos to them. Furthermore just because your expensive USB cables aren't applicable and possibly even unnecessary even if they were applicable doesn't mean you should shy away from the possiblity of an excellent DAC. I really don't understand how the possiblity of making it portable a reason that it isn't an exellent desktop DAC. Both negatively and positively, features do not speak for the sound quality.

Just my thoughts for discussion

 

[zzzmonster]

Hi, seeking advice to

select iDSD Micro or iDSD Mini

Conditions

1. In a small room with no power conditioning and with noisy mains.

2. Funds are sufficient for iDSD Mini, AMR CD-77, AMR DP-777,....., but room is small - don't want to have too many big boxes (space already taken by 4 large monoblocks)

3. Setup is fully balanced with xlr cables, except for iDSD Nano

Current setup is Squeezebox Touch > iDSD Nano > Audiolab 8200cdq > Balanced Active Crossover (no rca allowed) -> 4 Balanced Monoblocks

iDSD Nano is now 100% volume, Audiolab acting as preamp as well as a rca to xlr convertor as well as cd transport

Will there be a cd transport from iFi Audio ?

Thank you for reading my long post.

 

[despinos]

Some desktop users may be between the micro and the mini. Initially attracted by the low price of the nano, now are tempted by the micro, stretching the budget.
I sugest that owners of the micro or nano version get the chance of upgrading with a discount (20%?).
Those that wait for the mini may end up buying something else. If I knew i can get a duscount for the mini if I buy the micro, i would not wait for the mini and buy the micro now. Later I would happily sell the micro and buy the mini with discount.
Thus, you might get overall better sales and fidelity from idsd buyers.
A little what Emotivx did

 

[roamling]

  Streaming via the mobile network is the future

1. Hugely popular are:, iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Last.fm, Slacker Radio, Rhapsody; also big plans from the big guns: Sony, Nokia, Microsoft. Further, one can now easily set up a streaming host in his/her own house by using a simple Network Attached Storage (NAS, e.g. Synology Diskstation) and start his/her own streaming services.
2. With 4G mobile networks (actually 3G is more than sufficient for audio streaming) rolling out across the globe and data plans are falling in price drastically, streaming is the future of music on the move and this needs a smart phone.

 I want to make two comments on these statements:
 
1. all the above mentioned streaming services are MP3 and below CD quality which is not desirable, the only straming service that streams Flac files in 16bit/44.1khz is Qobuz and that is the only one I personally would use
2. There was widespread and false speculation that iTunes would start streamin high-res audio files and launch that service with the latest Led Zeppelin remasters. This has not happened and some doubt that after buying the Beats streaming service that Apple will stream high res or even CD quality files any time soon. The network carriers also seem to be reluctant to stream huge amounts of data and the Netflix example has shown that with too many users at the same time the network is at capacity
 
So yes, streamin audio files is the future but its just just not there yet.

 

[BillsonChang007]

I guess rhar is why the Micro iDSD will be future proof. If only there's Spotify here I could have at least, listen to everything I wanred while on the go thought lower in quality (?)