[Dobrescu George]

Now its time manufacturers turned their attention to a viable transport with huge expandable capabilities and a battery life worth mentioning. And of course the required connections to go into a DAC/amp like iDSD BL

I can't wait to see they creating one soon!

 

[beowulf]

Hi guys, I am trying to decide between the Idsd BL and the mojo to pair with the Ether C Flow I want more bass so I guess the BL will be better, now is it possible to "charge and use" the BL at the same time? (Computer or iPhone)

IMHO the Mojo was made obsolete by the BL. I can't think of a single reason to get the Mojo now, except size (which by itself is a good reason in case portability is important).
In everything else, the BL does it better. I prefer it to the Chord Hugo even, but would like to test the Hugo 2, which looks quite interesting.

 

[jmills8]

IMHO the Mojo was made obsolete by the BL. I can't think of a single reason to get the Mojo now, except size (which by itself is a good reason in case portability is important).
In everything else, the BL does it better. I prefer it to the Chord Hugo even, but would like to test the Hugo 2, which looks quite interesting.

Agree, I love the Mojo and loved the Hugo slightly more than the Mojo but I sold them and Im happy with the ifi Bl. I do admire chords Dac but not too happy with its so called amp.

 

[beowulf]

Agree, I love the Mojo and loved the Hugo slightly more than the Mojo but I sold them and Im happy with the ifi Bl. I do admire chords Dac but not too happy with its so called amp.

Indeed, given the price, I just find it poor value, but the reputation is pretty good.

The Hugo 2 might turn out to be good (amp-wise, as you pointed) but it isn't cheap. I think it will have to be really, really good. As for the BL, I'd like to see something with exactly the same featureset (adding perhaps only more levels of XBass and 3D, instead of 1/0) but in a more compact format.

 

[TheEldestBoy]

I'm strongly considering an upgrade from my Fiio Q1 to the iDSD micro Black Label.

I listen through a set of HD 600's.

I listen at relatively low volumes.

If I use Eco Mode, am I feeding my HD 600's any less power than using the Normal or Turbo Mode? In other words, volume differences aside, do I run the risk of not sufficiently powering my HD 600's on Eco (or even Normal) Mode? Will I get less bass response, less soundstage, less dynamics, etc by using ECO Mode?

For example, lets's say that these 2 different listening set-ups give the listen the same volume level:

1. Eco Mode: Volume pot at 2:00pm
2. Normal Mode: Volume pot at 11:00am

If both are giving the listener the same perceived level of volume, is #2 still actually doing a better job of powering the HD 600's?

 

[beowulf]

I'm strongly considering an upgrade from my Fiio Q1 to the iDSD micro Black Label.
For example, lets's say that these 2 different listening set-ups give the listen the same volume level:

1. Eco Mode: Volume pot at 2:00pm
2. Normal Mode: Volume pot at 11:00am

If both are giving the listener the same perceived level of volume, is #2 still actually doing a better job of powering the HD 600's?

There is no advantage in using more power than necessary, so if Eco gives good control and sounds nice, there's not reason to use more.
You'll have more granularity/control for the volume, a longer battery life (if not using cabled) and lower distortion.

I can run my HD800 in Eco easily, as long as IEMatch is off, but sometimes I have it in Normal.
Also keep in mind that you don't want to have the pot too low or there's some degree of channel imbalance.

 

[TheEldestBoy]

There is no advantage in using more power than necessary, so if Eco gives good control and sounds nice, there's not reason to use more.
You'll have more granularity/control for the volume, a longer battery life (if not using cabled) and lower distortion.

I can run my HD800 in Eco easily, as long as IEMatch is off, but sometimes I have it in Normal.
Also keep in mind that you don't want to have the pot too low or there's some degree of channel imbalance.

Thanks for the input.

Question: My Fiio Q1 actually provides way more than enough volume for me. Do I really need to upgrade to the iDSD micro Black Label?

 

[beowulf]

Question: My Fiio Q1 actually provides way more than enough volume for me. Do I really need to upgrade to the iDSD micro Black Label?

If you have to ask, then probably not.

It's not necessarily just volume tho, you can get acceptable volume but two DAC/amp pairs can sound totally different, one reason being different output impedances that make the same headphones/IEMs sound very different between them.

I'd say it's a matter of looking at your use cases. For example, a big plus of the BL is how configurable it is in terms of power (considering the 3 gain switches and 3 IEMatch settings) so you can tailor it pretty well to very diverse gear (it can sound good with the super-sensitive Andromeda, but it can sound good with power hungry cans). Also, do you care/need the two analog circuits for some extra bass boost and/or an artificially enhanced soundstage/treble? So you care about the extra features (like being able to use it as a battery bank in case of travel emergency, etc)?
Will the size annoy you if you use it as a portable? Will the lack of remote annoy you if you use it as a desktop, do you care about being able to decode DSD files and going over 24/96? etc, etc.

Perhaps it will be really useful for you, or perhaps it would make sense to put the funds towards different headphones, for example.

 

[TheEldestBoy]

If you have to ask, then probably not.

It's not necessarily just volume tho, you can get acceptable volume but two DAC/amp pairs can sound totally different, for example due to output impedances.

I'd say it's a matter of looking at your use cases. For example, a big plus of the BL is how configurable it is in terms of power (considering the 3 gain switches and 3 IEMatch settings) so you can tailor it pretty well to very diverse gear (it can sound good with the super-sensitive Andromeda, but it can sound good with power hungry cans). Also, do you care/need the two analog circuits for some extra bass boost and/or an artificially enhanced soundstage/treble? So you care about the extra features (like being able to use it as a battery bank in case of travel emergency, etc)?
Will the size annoy you if you use it as a portable? Will the lack of remote annoy you if you use it as a desktop, do you care about being able to decode DSD files? etc, etc.

Perhaps it will be really useful for you, or perhaps it would make sense to put the funds towards different headphones, for example.

My Fiio Q1 already provides everything I want/need (way more than enough volume, a bass boost switch, and portability). I'm just wondering if the Black Label will actually give me noticeably better sound (detail, imaging, soundstage, clarity, oomph, etc) versus the Q1...

 

[Topspin70]

I'm strongly considering an upgrade from my Fiio Q1 to the iDSD micro Black Label.

I listen through a set of HD 600's.

I listen at relatively low volumes.

If I use Eco Mode, am I feeding my HD 600's any less power than using the Normal or Turbo Mode? In other words, volume differences aside, do I run the risk of not sufficiently powering my HD 600's on Eco (or even Normal) Mode? Will I get less bass response, less soundstage, less dynamics, etc by using ECO Mode?

For example, lets's say that these 2 different listening set-ups give the listen the same volume level:

1. Eco Mode: Volume pot at 2:00pm
2. Normal Mode: Volume pot at 11:00am

If both are giving the listener the same perceived level of volume, is #2 still actually doing a better job of powering the HD 600's?

For some cans, less gain or Eco gives better clarity and separation, while more gain say Normal gives a meatier low end presentation. There's a whole thread on the gain vs sound quality. I use normal for my 300ohm HD800S and eco for my 470ohm R70x. Both volume pot just past 12 o'clock.

 

[Dobrescu George]

My Fiio Q1 already provides everything I want/need (way more than enough volume, a bass boost switch, and portability). I'm just wondering if the Black Label will actually give me noticeably better sound (detail, imaging, soundstage, clarity, oomph, etc) versus the Q1...

Noticeably better sound is highly subjective, the question is if it does this for you.

For example, for me it does the trick and I would gladly use iDSD BL over most AMPs and DACs out there, even for desktop usage.

Since everybody has their own tastes, this can vary, but resolution and textures-wise, iDSD BL should be one of the best there are.

 

[panter96]

IMHO the Mojo was made obsolete by the BL. I can't think of a single reason to get the Mojo now, except size (which by itself is a good reason in case portability is important).
In everything else, the BL does it better. I prefer it to the Chord Hugo even, but would like to test the Hugo 2, which looks quite interesting.

Thank You! It has arrived!!!

 

[jmills8]

Thank You! It has arrived!!!

And ?

 

[cardeli22]

Hi guys, I am trying to decide between the Idsd BL and the mojo to pair with the Ether C Flow I want more bass so I guess the BL will be better, now is it possible to "charge and use" the BL at the same time? (Computer or iPhone)

Thanx.

One the computer, yes. On the phone I use a OTG splitter cable that allows for charging the phone while running the BL off it.

 

[cardeli22]

If you have to ask, then probably not.

It's not necessarily just volume tho, you can get acceptable volume but two DAC/amp pairs can sound totally different, one reason being different output impedances that make the same headphones/IEMs sound very different between them.

I'd say it's a matter of looking at your use cases. For example, a big plus of the BL is how configurable it is in terms of power (considering the 3 gain switches and 3 IEMatch settings) so you can tailor it pretty well to very diverse gear (it can sound good with the super-sensitive Andromeda, but it can sound good with power hungry cans). Also, do you care/need the two analog circuits for some extra bass boost and/or an artificially enhanced soundstage/treble? So you care about the extra features (like being able to use it as a battery bank in case of travel emergency, etc)?
Will the size annoy you if you use it as a portable? Will the lack of remote annoy you if you use it as a desktop, do you care about being able to decode DSD files and going over 24/96? etc, etc.

Perhaps it will be really useful for you, or perhaps it would make sense to put the funds towards different headphones, for example.

I think this sums it up perfectly.