[Soundizer]

In Owners opinion if you are only using Diablo as a permanent desktop application are there alternative desktop dac/amps which offer superior sound quality for the same price to drive full size headphones?

RME ADI 2fs?
SCHITT = £900 budget.
TOPPING = £900 budget.

 

[531412]

I owned so so many DAC and Amp the last 18 months (there was a lot of time for this hobby due to COVID-19)… Singxer SA-1, Drop THX AAA 789, Monoprice THX AAA 887, ifi iDSD Pro, ifi Micro iDSD BL, ifi Micro iDSD Signature, Gustard X16, RME Adi-2 DAC, JDS Atom, Topping A90, Topping A30 Pro, Topping E30, Smsl M500, xDuoo MT604, Yulong Daart Canary II, Monoprice Liquid Platinum (shortcut LP), Soncoz QXD1 and maybe some others which I just forgot. To my surprise, I enjoy the Diablo the most, even it is such a small, portable device. I use the Diablo most of the time as desktop amp, but not as my only one. I hear either with the QXD1 + LP or with the Diablo. I just tested the Diablo as just a DAC with the LP.
So yes, I am aware of the disadvantages of a battery driven device, but it has soooo many advantages and at the end, no device is perfect.

 

[Bob Parish]

...but a ‘random product on amazon’?

Was from the same review and I remembered a lot of people here asking for a balanced to single ended solution!

 

[utdeep]

I definitely think that having the Diablo as a desktop setup makes me worry about the battery a lot more, but the folks at @iFi audio (and @Sebastien Chiu ) make me confident that replacing the battery if there are any issues will be easy and inexpensive.

If they had a desktop rig that sounded as good as the Diablo, I'd pick it up. I have not run it in DAC only mode, but I did find it running neck to neck with a WA7 (stock tubes) with tube power supply. No tube rolling, but the planar magic was all there.

 

[Soundizer]

I owned so so many DAC and Amp the last 18 months (there was a lot of time for this hobby due to COVID-19)… Singxer SA-1, Drop THX AAA 789, Monoprice THX AAA 887, ifi iDSD Pro, ifi Micro iDSD BL, ifi Micro iDSD Signature, Gustard X16, RME Adi-2 DAC, JDS Atom, Topping A90, Topping A30 Pro, Topping E30, Smsl M500, xDuoo MT604, Yulong Daart Canary II, Monoprice Liquid Platinum (shortcut LP), Soncoz QXD1 and maybe some others which I just forgot. To my surprise, I enjoy the Diablo the most, even it is such a small, portable device. I use the Diablo most of the time as desktop amp, but not as my only one. I hear either with the QXD1 + LP or with the Diablo. I just tested the Diablo as just a DAC with the LP.
So yes, I am aware of the disadvantages of a battery driven device, but it has soooo many advantages and at the end, no device is perfect.

Wow. You owned all these dacs and returned:

1. Singxer SA-1,
2. Drop THX AAA 789,
3. Monoprice THX AAA 887,
4. ifi iDSD Pro,
5. ifi Micro iDSD BL,
6. ifi Micro iDSD Signature,
7. Gustard X16,
8. RME Adi-2 DAC,
9. JDS Atom,
10. Topping A90,
11. Topping A30 Pro,
12. Topping E30,
13. Smsl M500,
14. xDuoo MT604,
15. Yulong Daart Canary II

 

[531412]

I will not discuss about the devices I owned in detail and which I returned and which I sold on a platform. I just wanted to highlight that I heard a lot DAC and Amp the last couple of weeks and a Topping desktop stack for example sounds not as good as the Diablo to my(!) ears. With the advantage of the Diablo, that I can use the device almost everywhere, the Topping stack not

 

[Soundizer]

I will not discuss about the devices I owned in detail and which I returned and which I sold on a platform. I just wanted to highlight that I heard a lot DAC and Amp the last couple of weeks and a topic desktop stack for example sounds not as good as the Diablo to my(!) ears. With the advantage of the Diablo, that I can use the device almost everywhere, the Topping stack not

I have owned 3 DAC/AMPS:
1. Chord Mojo.
2. Audioquest Cobalt.
3. Sony TAZH1ES - at £1500.

the Diablo is much better then the above-in sound refinement, wide instrument separation and kick/thump.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

I definitely think that having the Diablo as a desktop setup makes me worry about the battery a lot more, but the folks at @iFi audio (and @Sebastien Chiu ) make me confident that replacing the battery if there are any issues will be easy and inexpensive.

If they had a desktop rig that sounded as good as the Diablo, I'd pick it up. I have not run it in DAC only mode, but I did find it running neck to neck with a WA7 (stock tubes) with tube power supply. No tube rolling, but the planar magic was all there.

Correct! We'll happily replace the battery for you if you end up having issues.

I will not discuss about the devices I owned in detail and which I returned and which I sold on a platform. I just wanted to highlight that I heard a lot DAC and Amp the last couple of weeks and a topic desktop stack for example sounds not as good as the Diablo to my(!) ears. With the advantage of the Diablo, that I can use the device almost everywhere, the Topping stack not

I have owned 3 DAC/AMPS:
1. Chord Mojo.
2. Audioquest Cobalt.
3. Sony TAZH1ES - at £1500.

the Diablo is much better then the above-in sound refinement, wide instrument separation and kick/thump.

Thank you both!

 

[Bob Parish]

I have owned 3 DAC/AMPS:
...
3. Sony TAZH1ES - at £1500.

the Diablo is much better then the above-in sound refinement, wide instrument separation and kick/thump.

Good to know, I was think about this Sony before buy the Diablo!

 

[mancpg]

I‘ve had the Chord Hugo 2 and I prefer the Diablo with the LCD-X, comparing them side-by-side. They’re both excellent but the Diablo sounds richer, fuller and digs deeper on the bass. I can also hear more micro details with the Diablo. On the high res version of Van Halen’s 1984, for instance, the Diablo brought across more of the little subtleties of DLR’s voice than on the Hugo 2, and it made his voice sound more real.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

I‘ve had the Chord Hugo 2 and I prefer the Diablo with the LCD-X, comparing them side-by-side. They’re both excellent but the Diablo sounds richer, fuller and digs deeper on the bass. I can also hear more micro details with the Diablo. On the high res version of Van Halen’s 1984, for instance, the Diablo brought across more of the little subtleties of DLR’s voice than on the Hugo 2, and it made his voice sound more real.

Thanks @mancpg!

 

[utdeep]

This is the third iFi Diablo that I've had. The first one was defective. The second was amazing, but I sold it for a brief dalliance with the Cayin C9. I got my third one after I realized my mistake and how happy I was with a working Diablo.

There were two big differences in my package:

• A high-res audio sticker on the top
• No iFi Purifier. Good riddance. I remember the first time I saw this in the package and was trying to figure out the USB B connector.

What stayed the same:

• The Diablo is still the best portable amp for planars
• The iTraveller is perfect for the Diablo and any high-end DAP

I love, love, love this dac/amp.

 

[Bob Parish]

No iFi Purifier. Good riddance.

Good to know iFi sold more than one thousand Diablos from January to May!

 

[Bob Parish]

This is the third iFi Diablo that I've had.

Any sound quality diference from the second one to the third one?

 

[utdeep]

The brain burn helped me realize that it might be better than a desktop setup