[emilsoft]

Call me skeptical. It's 50% more expensive than the iDSD Black Label and Signature, is the same size, uses the same DAC chip, and lacks a number of features that the others have, such as XBass/3D and analog input. I own a Black Label, and while the output wasn't the absolute cleanest, it was my workhorse for years. I'll pass on this one.

I've been a loyal ifi customer - purchasing the xDSD, ifi nano black, ican se, iphono 2, iusb 3 - all those products were relatively good value to sound performance.. what I would have liked to see are timely upgrades/replacements to those whilst retaining the similar price given technological advances, I would have been happy to keep upgrading.. but I don't fancy paying large price hikes given that technology improves over time. Similar analogy to TVs I guess, nowadays for the same cost as 5 years ago I can upgrade to a much superior TV as technology/rd moves forward. Just feels ifi are taking me for a bit of a ride - I expect better sound quality for the same price to what I've paid 5 years ago.

ifi have lost me as a customer, I will not be upgrading their products anymore - they are not competitive as they were 5 years ago.

 

[dannyvstheworld]

I love my Signature - though technically the DAC section is not as good as Hugo 2, but the amp section is very good, and the sound signature is even more enjoyable to me than H2, that I don’t miss my H2 at all when I’m with the Signature.

Having said that - with IEMs and very efficient HPs I even need to switch the iEMarch to Ultra (yes I’m a low volume listener), so it’s hard for me to think of Diablo as “portable” when, say, with CA IEMs, the Diablo is definitely going to blow my ears off without an external iEMatch. I think that’s what puzzling me - judging from the size, Diablo looks more like a portable gear, while Signature more like a “transferable” desktop gear, but the latter is actually the more suitable one for sensitive IEMs - for portable use. Well - I just can’t figure out why. Maybe everybody else listens LOUD?

 

[Baten]

Having said that - with IEMs and very efficient HPs I even need to switch the iEMarch to Ultra (yes I’m a low volume listener), so it’s hard for me to think of Diablo as “portable” when, say, with CA IEMs, the Diablo is definitely going to blow my ears off without an external iEMatch. I think that’s what puzzling me - judging from the size, Diablo looks more like a portable gear, while Signature more like a “transferable” desktop gear, but the latter is actually the more suitable one for sensitive IEMs - for portable use. Well - I just can’t figure out why. Maybe everybody else listens LOUD?

You hit the nail on the head. Over 4.4mm the Diablo is capable of driving HE-6, Susvara. But for normal use I fear that doesn't "help" but rather complicates things.
As long as one realises that it's fine, I guess?

 

[ianjturner]

the sound signature is even more enjoyable to me than H2

This is it - everyone has their own needs. For me it's simple - I don't need a bunch of functions, I'm running HD660S and at times the IE800, all pretty average to drive, I listen to music while I work in a few places. I just want my music to sound as awesome as possible, within budget. This was the BL, and now - I truly hope - is the Diablo. Unfortunately where I live there's no way to get a try out, so this is a leap of faith. I'm jumping in with both feet on the back of the BL experience and it will be interesting to see if this was smart or not shortly! I don't have all the posh audiophile words but I'll post my experience here honestly....

 

[Nixdmon]

Some strong few posts. I have to agree, as a black label and signature owner, I don't know if Diablo is a decent upgrade or not. I would have to get a hold of a unit and try it out.

The problem is once you get use to seeing all the fancy bells and whistles in new products the lack off feels like a questionable upgrade. However it could be quality over quantity case

 

[dannyvstheworld]

This is it - everyone has their own needs. For me it's simple - I don't need a bunch of functions, I'm running HD660S and at times the IE800, all pretty average to drive, I listen to music while I work in a few places. I just want my music to sound as awesome as possible, within budget. This was the BL, and now - I truly hope - is the Diablo. Unfortunately where I live there's no way to get a try out, so this is a leap of faith. I'm jumping in with both feet on the back of the BL experience and it will be interesting to see if this was smart or not shortly! I don't have all the posh audiophile words but I'll post my experience here honestly....

Thanks for the insight. I think that makes sense now - for anyone wants to conveniently enjoy full-size headphones in a hotel room, in a office desktop, or simply anytime and anywhere in your house or backyard, the Diablo looks like a very good companion to move around with you.

Well I guess I was probably mislead by the small size of Diablo - I mistakenly took it as an upgrade to xDSD, and hoped it to be something IEM-friendly with iFi house sound (yes I don’t mind the “obsolete” DAC chip), sound quality on par with Signature, Bluetooth (or even better, AirPlay), perfect channel balance, and some eye catching color won’t hurt either; while it’s actually a more serious take on iDSD micro I suppose, with more serious tuning (makes sense to ditch the XBass), and made for more serious headphones (so no need for iEMatch), just happened bo be smaller in size, and - RED.

(I think I’m still dreaming about that xDSD upgrade..)

 

[TheNameIsGerald]

wanted to voice my support for how the Diablo addresses its market segment:
1. premium components
2. puristic feature set (no xBass, Bluetooth, ...)
3. portable yet powerful
4. bold design
It happens to cover my use case perfectly: listening from several different spots at home with high-end full-size headphones.
Now it only has to sound great - better than my DAP...

 

[stephenkostas]

A lot of good discussion, I'd just add that from a retailer perspective I see Diablo as having a couple of strong points for it compared to the rest of the iFi line-up:

1. More neutral sound signature. Many people love the iFi sound, but not everyone. The Diablo is an opportunity to catch some folks looking for a micro iDSD type product but without so much of the warm/"analog" type sound.
2. As has been mentioned, power. While a transportable solution for an LCD-4 or Susvara might not be on the top of everyone's list, there's definitely a market for it. And at around 1/3 the price of a Hugo 2, Diablo doesn't need to match the Hugo 2's performance to be a very strong option.

Obviously that's not going to be for everyone. If you absolutely adore the Signature, there's probably not a strong reason to immediately go buy a Diablo. But if you auditioned a Signature, and liked the form factor and design, but wanted a more neutral sound, you might really like the Diablo.

Also, just to address some concerns, I just tested again to confirm, but there is very minimal hiss with the Andromeda in Balanced/Eco (only noticeable when no music was playing with the volume above comfortable listening levels) and no hiss with Unbalanced/Eco. So it's going to be fine with your IEMs. I did mention the volume ramp issue, so I attached a screenshot of where the ramp issue end for me, which is just north of 9:00 on the dial. It's also worth noting that just south of 9:00 turns the Diablo off, so there's not a huge range of volume where this is an issue.

PS I totally love the red. Of course, if you go in my closet, you'll find my red Nikes, red Pumas, red Adidas... so I'm no really a fair judge on the color I guess.

 

[stephenkostas]

wanted to voice my support for how the Diablo addresses its market segment:
1. premium components
2. puristic feature set (no xBass, Bluetooth, ...)
3. portable yet powerful
4. bold design
It happens to cover my use case perfectly: listening from several different spots at home with high-end full-size headphones.
Now it only has to sound great - better than my DAP...

You must have hit the post button moments before I did, and you all my points with significantly fewer words.

 

[maricius]

A lot of good discussion, I'd just add that from a retailer perspective I see Diablo as having a couple of strong points for it compared to the rest of the iFi line-up:

1. More neutral sound signature. Many people love the iFi sound, but not everyone. The Diablo is an opportunity to catch some folks looking for a micro iDSD type product but without so much of the warm/"analog" type sound.
2. As has been mentioned, power. While a transportable solution for an LCD-4 or Susvara might not be on the top of everyone's list, there's definitely a market for it. And at around 1/3 the price of a Hugo 2, Diablo doesn't need to match the Hugo 2's performance to be a very strong option.

Obviously that's not going to be for everyone. If you absolutely adore the Signature, there's probably not a strong reason to immediately go buy a Diablo. But if you auditioned a Signature, and liked the form factor and design, but wanted a more neutral sound, you might really like the Diablo.

Also, just to address some concerns, I just tested again to confirm, but there is very minimal hiss with the Andromeda in Balanced/Eco (only noticeable when no music was playing with the volume above comfortable listening levels) and no hiss with Unbalanced/Eco. So it's going to be fine with your IEMs. I did mention the volume ramp issue, so I attached a screenshot of where the ramp issue end for me, which is just north of 9:00 on the dial. It's also worth noting that just south of 9:00 turns the Diablo off, so there's not a huge range of volume where this is an issue.

PS I totally love the red. Of course, if you go in my closet, you'll find my red Nikes, red Pumas, red Adidas... so I'm no really a fair judge on the color I guess.

May I ask where you are on the volume pot with the Andromeda on the balanced out for normal listening volumes and if it's noticeably further on the volume control for the unbalanced? Also, any notes on the difference of sound quality or sound signature on the unbalanced v balanced out for either IEMs or headphones?

 

[stephenkostas]

May I ask where you are on the volume pot with the Andromeda on the balanced out for normal listening volumes and if it's noticeably further on the volume control for the unbalanced? Also, any notes on the difference of sound quality or sound signature on the unbalanced v balanced out for either IEMs or headphones?

The Andromeda was the only thing I tried in both balanced and unbalanced, and I didn't perceive any quality differences between the two. In terms of volume levels, I mostly listened via Qobuz or Spotify on my laptop, which both have a separate software volume control and turned that way down to have the volume right in the middle on the Diablo. Using my phone, I didn't have the separate controls, and I'd say from about 9:30 (pictured) to 11 was the usable range with Balanced/Eco, and I maybe got to 11:30 with Unbalanced, but not much more. So there's still a fairly small range unless you're using a setup that gives you additional volume control options.

 

[maricius]

The Andromeda was the only thing I tried in both balanced and unbalanced, and I didn't perceive any quality differences between the two. In terms of volume levels, I mostly listened via Qobuz or Spotify on my laptop, which both have a separate software volume control and turned that way down to have the volume right in the middle on the Diablo. Using my phone, I didn't have the separate controls, and I'd say from about 9:30 (pictured) to 11 was the usable range with Balanced/Eco, and I maybe got to 11:30 with Unbalanced, but not much more. So there's still a fairly small range unless you're using a setup that gives you additional volume control options.

That's actually quite a relief. I guess the only fear for IEMs now are for low volume listeners for which the external iEMatch would solve and where any difference in sound quality for the balanced output would be further diminished. Thanks.

 

[Ichos]

Why should someone buy this "expensive" powerhouse to use it with super sensitive iems?
It is obvious that is not intended for such use.

 

[stephenkostas]

Why should someone buy this "expensive" powerhouse to use it with super sensitive iems?
It is obvious that is not intended for such use.

You're right. Definitely not the primary use case. If you asked me "What's the best pairing for my Andromeda under $1000?" I'm definitely not recommending the Diablo. But if your concern is to have one unit that that will work with your planar magnetic headphones at your desk AND still be able to work with your IEMs on the go, not being totally trash with sensitive IEMs is a good thing.

 

[showme99]

Why should someone buy this "expensive" powerhouse to use it with super sensitive iems?
It is obvious that is not intended for such use.

Would the ifi hip-dac be a better solution for iems?