I asked again!
iFi audio iDSD Diablo - A portable reference done our way!
- Thread starter iFi audio
- Start date
I asked again!
Soundizer
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If you buy a new Diablo now and don’t update firmware what are you missing out on?
i ask because many buyers are not seeing this thread and unaware of these discussions?
If Firmware update is very important to user experience then iFi should actively reach out to owners via channel partners.
i ask because many buyers are not seeing this thread and unaware of these discussions?
If Firmware update is very important to user experience then iFi should actively reach out to owners via channel partners.
I'm not entirely sure what your confusion is with firmware here considering what I already clarified above a couple of pages back.
You aren't "missing" anything. It's a choice to switch from firmware to firmware and it's up to you to decide what's best. A new Diablo is fully functional no matter what firmware you choose.
Our channel partners have a very clear understanding of that.
whitedragem
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Firmwares...
The OPs question is obviously to raise awareness that typical purchasers, who might have zero discussion with a rep or read this thread, might only visit the firmware update page and see the two listed firmwares and have to interpret based on the release notes..
That WOULDN’T be very educational, and actually had a fair bit of misinformation that has been clarified multiple times in this presently 116 page deep thread for the Diablo part; last I read the firmware page listed sampling rates being no longer usable that in fact are, that Bob and others have confirmed DO in fact work.
For months now it has been left with the belief that the next firmware update would have improved notes (and I have requested to fix the existing notes), and the question is very fair to ask..
Given we know the OP IS reading this thread, I take the face value of the question and interpret tone to be one that feeds back to team iFi that there IS a lack of clarity for end users...
My experience:
I have issues with my Diablo that may be fixed with a firmware update. As the issues are NOT acknowledged and the firmware notes are shown to be misrepresentative of the updates, I haven’t used them. Also not having access to an original firmware to go back to ‘out of box state’ (which firmware notes suggest might have an added feature for some Diablos’ regarding the ability to pass digital out..(early units?)), I find the lack of respect to casual end users, ie those who don’t wish to scour the internet to learn further about their hobby purchase, and who might actually simply enjoy using the part; iFis lack of handling firmwares correctly for the public is of merit to discuss.
Sure, threadgoers can see that iFi has improved the firmware portal pages (now require a serial to stop issues with wrong firmware flashes), but when the official threads seem to not discourage users from grabbing alternate firmwares by circumventing protective measures, and actually acknowledge that is the right way to get the latest because a web admin doesn’t maintain the support pages/iFi lack some basic software in place that could automate this process... I would completely agree that some feedback to iFi (that makes change happen) or some clarity on the matter is probably warranted.
Regarding those ‘channel partners’ that know this stuff..: these are the same people who sold me the wrong coax adapter for my Diablo purchase (full well knowing it was for an iFi Diablo), so I wouldn’t feel overly confident standing by the notion of retail workers being overly knowledgable about one product from one company that might be less than 5% of any given stores merchadise.
In fact, unless the specific store worker had bought said part AND had the time to maintain it (and keep up to date on the part in threads not found on the manufacturers webpage), then the misinformation opportunities/inability to ‘educate the end user’ starts to ramp up...
And the official pages are a problem.. last time I went there My Diablo part was capable of MQA over fibre optic, and presently the firmwares and/or this thread suggest that isn’t a thing...
So as someone who does read this thread AND the iFi pages AND discuss with ‘channel partners’: some clarity wouldn’t hurt.
(tone ‘cheery’ for those who don’t know me)
Seb- I feel you have missed the tone of the question, and mayhaps I misinterpret your response; but I’ve known you only to write as a gentleman and a scholar and I feel this isn’t your typical channel upkeep..
As an ‘out of box’ Diablo user (never performed a firmware upgrade), I am running neither of the base ‘7’ version updates (if I recall correctly the discussion pointed to my firmware hovering around 5.3 or some such..) nor the newer (current?) 7.2 ones...
The OPs question is obviously to raise awareness that typical purchasers, who might have zero discussion with a rep or read this thread, might only visit the firmware update page and see the two listed firmwares and have to interpret based on the release notes..
That WOULDN’T be very educational, and actually had a fair bit of misinformation that has been clarified multiple times in this presently 116 page deep thread for the Diablo part; last I read the firmware page listed sampling rates being no longer usable that in fact are, that Bob and others have confirmed DO in fact work.
For months now it has been left with the belief that the next firmware update would have improved notes (and I have requested to fix the existing notes), and the question is very fair to ask..
Given we know the OP IS reading this thread, I take the face value of the question and interpret tone to be one that feeds back to team iFi that there IS a lack of clarity for end users...
My experience:
I have issues with my Diablo that may be fixed with a firmware update. As the issues are NOT acknowledged and the firmware notes are shown to be misrepresentative of the updates, I haven’t used them. Also not having access to an original firmware to go back to ‘out of box state’ (which firmware notes suggest might have an added feature for some Diablos’ regarding the ability to pass digital out..(early units?)), I find the lack of respect to casual end users, ie those who don’t wish to scour the internet to learn further about their hobby purchase, and who might actually simply enjoy using the part; iFis lack of handling firmwares correctly for the public is of merit to discuss.
Sure, threadgoers can see that iFi has improved the firmware portal pages (now require a serial to stop issues with wrong firmware flashes), but when the official threads seem to not discourage users from grabbing alternate firmwares by circumventing protective measures, and actually acknowledge that is the right way to get the latest because a web admin doesn’t maintain the support pages/iFi lack some basic software in place that could automate this process... I would completely agree that some feedback to iFi (that makes change happen) or some clarity on the matter is probably warranted.
Regarding those ‘channel partners’ that know this stuff..: these are the same people who sold me the wrong coax adapter for my Diablo purchase (full well knowing it was for an iFi Diablo), so I wouldn’t feel overly confident standing by the notion of retail workers being overly knowledgable about one product from one company that might be less than 5% of any given stores merchadise.
In fact, unless the specific store worker had bought said part AND had the time to maintain it (and keep up to date on the part in threads not found on the manufacturers webpage), then the misinformation opportunities/inability to ‘educate the end user’ starts to ramp up...
And the official pages are a problem.. last time I went there My Diablo part was capable of MQA over fibre optic, and presently the firmwares and/or this thread suggest that isn’t a thing...
So as someone who does read this thread AND the iFi pages AND discuss with ‘channel partners’: some clarity wouldn’t hurt.
(tone ‘cheery’ for those who don’t know me)
P
Can you summarize what you’re looking for in bullets? I read that whole thing and still aren’t sure what you want to know.
whitedragem
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from NOT UPDATING MY FIRMWARE, my front panel light emitting diode (LED) actually changes colour according to use scenario (and maybe not in alignment with the product literature), and I do not need to send it back to iFi to have them do the magic trick that seems required for quite a few Diablo units.
Things like this has made me ‘more than a little hesitant’ to play around with firmwares.. (-the old adage “if it ain’t broke...”), but to get a better grasp on my existing part I have widened my use scenarios, which now includes using an Android phone as an ‘on the fly DSD conversion box’.
Onkyo HF player (now outdated software; eg doesn’t work well on the Samsung Fold devices, requiring a software restart if changing between screens) can do on the fly DSD conversion in four quality levels.. the highest quality variant allows a modern phone to run in relatively low power processing modes and not run warm/kill battery quickly, and makes a noticable improvement to sound throughput; whilst ’on the fly DSD’ is my only reason to use the USB input on the Diablo, it is more than a novelty and is the best transport of digital I’ve been able to get from multifunction devices.
It is still not in the same league as toslink from a dedicated music transport, and regarding Playstation 4/5 and Nintendo Switch support, I still go through an external conversion box; for me being either a Cambridge DAC or a FiiO BTA30 (which can upsample to 88.2khz before feeding to the Diablo via fibre optic).
My ‘channel partner’, not knowing if the Diablo could hook up to any modern gaming console, simply fell back on statement , that it is ‘driverless USB’. Gave me enough hope to try.
They have been pretty solid with customer service and support until I hit a major wall with the Diablo. Other than buying the requisite FiiO BTA30 (to get the feature I bought the Diablo for), they haven’t seen me in months... the Diablo sullied the relationship, and mostly not for fault on their part.
Now I have drawn a clear line in the sand: being Diablo support direct from the manufacturer. iFi have proven very inept at giving that support, and have actually kept redirecting me back to the store in general. When they have been made aware of the fire burning at their feet (requiring many emails/tickets with support and PMs), the follow up from the good reps who maintain the public facing in this thread has been the requisite effort to at least acknowledge the issue, and push for an outcome.
Given that many pundits who are willing to read hobby threads to get their answers, and that iFi have been blanketly recalling Diablos to fix an LED issue that to my interests hasn’t actually been clarified whether it is hardware or firmware fixable, the down time with sending back broken and faulty units has been the biggest black mark against the company.
The joke that was the ticketing system (and the ‘diplomacy’ found therein) was an eye opener and actually had me very keen to return the part ON PRINCIPLE. (I do my best to align with pro consumer companies)
Due to the Diablo being exceptional ‘bang for buck’ I have kept my present failing part, and will no doubt forget before my warranty period runs out to get it the service it needs.
I feel my issue isn’t pressing enough to ‘go without it’ for an unknown amount of time (plus the time to have it return to ‘broken in‘ sound state)..
(for anyone wondering- the issue is I have to connect an item to the USB input, randomly, to return sound decoding on the toslink input; it might be three power cycles or fifteen before the problem reccours)
The way iFi are simply happy demanding users post items back for what might be firmware updates to fix, means the company has $$$ overheads that could be avoided and will no doubt need to be recouped. My main reason for buying iFi was the ‘value for money‘ proposition that the Diablo gives, so I am hesitant to have the company suffer fruitless costs.
In a world were updates can often cripple existing parts (especially when new ones are on horizon) I, like many, become hesitant to ‘update/upgrade’ things that cannot be reverted. (eg every phone nowadays).
For those comfortable doing firmware updates (which few of us would be if we understood just how much a bad flash can easily brick hardware), clear, concise information regarding firmwares is of the UTMOST import.
We shouldn’t all need to be internet forum geeks and hardware troubleshooting enthusiasts just to make parts work well or have features that are promised in the literature.
That being said; would LOVE some UAC1 support on iFi parts or stuff like iFis sound filter being available via SPDIF as some examples of what is easy to roll out via firmware.
I say ‘easy’ and yes, UAC1 support becomes easy to adopt if we accept that even if features are dropped in order to implement it, those willing to do so can then actually do so.
If the firmwares were not so universal in the iFi lineup I would feel bad asking for features to be implemented on ‘just my part’, but given how many households have a Playstation (well over one hundred million) and Nintendo Switch etc, UAC1 mode for digital output into a high quality DAC/headphone amp is actually a support feature that many want.
HDMI to TV and then toslink output(to Diablo/DAC) has several issues (mostly HDMI being a poor transport/‘jitter’) but also that the Switch is portable (no need for HDMI) and then the Playstation 3D HRTF audio is different when sent via HDMI (Sonys’ present beta firmware allows tuning soundbar speakers using the controller microphone, but this is ‘very different’ to what we get from the USB output on the rear of the console.
Now- no one PROMISED me this support prior to purchase, so I have resorted to ancillary purchases to make it happen.
But,, would I do it again?
For prospective buyers looking for high quality headphone DACs/amps, MANY MANY users of the Playstation 5 will really want a DAC/AMP that is supported by the console (UAC1 mode)
The Switch using USB output for audio is a MASSIVE audio upgrade over the headphone output (or a Bluetooth dongle)..
Now- do many people care about audio reproduction at the finest level ?(they say ‘yes’ but are happier with anything better than they’ve heard before, which, if a sound system from the last twenty years, ISN’T that hard to beat!)..
When I am playing Returnal and MY LIFE IS ON THE LINE, having clear sound cues of THE HIGHEST QUALITY is a game changer.
When I ran audio from the controller headphone jack,.. some easy to drive open backs sounded ‘alright’ straight from the controller..
(Sound was suffocated for space and lacked enough volume, but, in a pinch, ‘doable’)
The same headphones into a cheap FiiO amp were vastly improved
(now had the requistie minimum volume (about 20% volume bump) to open up the sound stage, and removed all muffling of sound)
The same headphones from a really high quality Onkyo handheld part were now performing as the sound engineers intended
(a sense of up/down really opened up the sound field)
And then the Diablo...
(not apples to apples as the Diablo requires being fed digitally)
The Diablo massivley increased the height cues and gave further extension to the width and depth of the soundfield. Also no fatigue with harsher sounds.
Of course the Diablo has the added advantage of driving anything thrown at it (and not muffling the sound/reducing the sonic stage/environ).
Having compared these things; the Diablo is the go to, but due to the requisite chain of equipment, sometimes I just fall back on some Sennheiser KLEER wireless headphones...(when the partner is watching the game session, and the game benefits from audio cues to keep me alive)..
When (if?) iFi support UAC1 mode (a few audio companies give multiple firmwares to support the older UAC1 mode output), iFi will grow their product sales...
If I was at iFi I would do the very basic math: cost to implement (once off wage, ‘free to replicate’), and see if increased sales and reputation are in the ballpark to cover it (its a ‘no brainer’).
Sure the PS5 will only have 20 million units in homes by early/mid next year.. (this is a given).. but the console will sell for many years to come...
The 110+ million PS4s in the wild and the 10+ million PS5s (plus the tonne of Nintendo Switch consoles sold); that is a lot of use cases between just TWO CONSOLE FAMILIES.
UAC1 mode is a great way to GUARANTEE sound support with technology. It is truly painless (driverless) and gives most people what they want (for it to just work).
Things like this has made me ‘more than a little hesitant’ to play around with firmwares.. (-the old adage “if it ain’t broke...”), but to get a better grasp on my existing part I have widened my use scenarios, which now includes using an Android phone as an ‘on the fly DSD conversion box’.
Onkyo HF player (now outdated software; eg doesn’t work well on the Samsung Fold devices, requiring a software restart if changing between screens) can do on the fly DSD conversion in four quality levels.. the highest quality variant allows a modern phone to run in relatively low power processing modes and not run warm/kill battery quickly, and makes a noticable improvement to sound throughput; whilst ’on the fly DSD’ is my only reason to use the USB input on the Diablo, it is more than a novelty and is the best transport of digital I’ve been able to get from multifunction devices.
It is still not in the same league as toslink from a dedicated music transport, and regarding Playstation 4/5 and Nintendo Switch support, I still go through an external conversion box; for me being either a Cambridge DAC or a FiiO BTA30 (which can upsample to 88.2khz before feeding to the Diablo via fibre optic).
My ‘channel partner’, not knowing if the Diablo could hook up to any modern gaming console, simply fell back on statement , that it is ‘driverless USB’. Gave me enough hope to try.
They have been pretty solid with customer service and support until I hit a major wall with the Diablo. Other than buying the requisite FiiO BTA30 (to get the feature I bought the Diablo for), they haven’t seen me in months... the Diablo sullied the relationship, and mostly not for fault on their part.
Now I have drawn a clear line in the sand: being Diablo support direct from the manufacturer. iFi have proven very inept at giving that support, and have actually kept redirecting me back to the store in general. When they have been made aware of the fire burning at their feet (requiring many emails/tickets with support and PMs), the follow up from the good reps who maintain the public facing in this thread has been the requisite effort to at least acknowledge the issue, and push for an outcome.
Given that many pundits who are willing to read hobby threads to get their answers, and that iFi have been blanketly recalling Diablos to fix an LED issue that to my interests hasn’t actually been clarified whether it is hardware or firmware fixable, the down time with sending back broken and faulty units has been the biggest black mark against the company.
The joke that was the ticketing system (and the ‘diplomacy’ found therein) was an eye opener and actually had me very keen to return the part ON PRINCIPLE. (I do my best to align with pro consumer companies)
Due to the Diablo being exceptional ‘bang for buck’ I have kept my present failing part, and will no doubt forget before my warranty period runs out to get it the service it needs.
I feel my issue isn’t pressing enough to ‘go without it’ for an unknown amount of time (plus the time to have it return to ‘broken in‘ sound state)..
(for anyone wondering- the issue is I have to connect an item to the USB input, randomly, to return sound decoding on the toslink input; it might be three power cycles or fifteen before the problem reccours)
The way iFi are simply happy demanding users post items back for what might be firmware updates to fix, means the company has $$$ overheads that could be avoided and will no doubt need to be recouped. My main reason for buying iFi was the ‘value for money‘ proposition that the Diablo gives, so I am hesitant to have the company suffer fruitless costs.
In a world were updates can often cripple existing parts (especially when new ones are on horizon) I, like many, become hesitant to ‘update/upgrade’ things that cannot be reverted. (eg every phone nowadays).
For those comfortable doing firmware updates (which few of us would be if we understood just how much a bad flash can easily brick hardware), clear, concise information regarding firmwares is of the UTMOST import.
We shouldn’t all need to be internet forum geeks and hardware troubleshooting enthusiasts just to make parts work well or have features that are promised in the literature.
That being said; would LOVE some UAC1 support on iFi parts or stuff like iFis sound filter being available via SPDIF as some examples of what is easy to roll out via firmware.
I say ‘easy’ and yes, UAC1 support becomes easy to adopt if we accept that even if features are dropped in order to implement it, those willing to do so can then actually do so.
If the firmwares were not so universal in the iFi lineup I would feel bad asking for features to be implemented on ‘just my part’, but given how many households have a Playstation (well over one hundred million) and Nintendo Switch etc, UAC1 mode for digital output into a high quality DAC/headphone amp is actually a support feature that many want.
HDMI to TV and then toslink output(to Diablo/DAC) has several issues (mostly HDMI being a poor transport/‘jitter’) but also that the Switch is portable (no need for HDMI) and then the Playstation 3D HRTF audio is different when sent via HDMI (Sonys’ present beta firmware allows tuning soundbar speakers using the controller microphone, but this is ‘very different’ to what we get from the USB output on the rear of the console.
Now- no one PROMISED me this support prior to purchase, so I have resorted to ancillary purchases to make it happen.
But,, would I do it again?
For prospective buyers looking for high quality headphone DACs/amps, MANY MANY users of the Playstation 5 will really want a DAC/AMP that is supported by the console (UAC1 mode)
The Switch using USB output for audio is a MASSIVE audio upgrade over the headphone output (or a Bluetooth dongle)..
Now- do many people care about audio reproduction at the finest level ?(they say ‘yes’ but are happier with anything better than they’ve heard before, which, if a sound system from the last twenty years, ISN’T that hard to beat!)..
When I am playing Returnal and MY LIFE IS ON THE LINE, having clear sound cues of THE HIGHEST QUALITY is a game changer.
When I ran audio from the controller headphone jack,.. some easy to drive open backs sounded ‘alright’ straight from the controller..
(Sound was suffocated for space and lacked enough volume, but, in a pinch, ‘doable’)
The same headphones into a cheap FiiO amp were vastly improved
(now had the requistie minimum volume (about 20% volume bump) to open up the sound stage, and removed all muffling of sound)
The same headphones from a really high quality Onkyo handheld part were now performing as the sound engineers intended
(a sense of up/down really opened up the sound field)
And then the Diablo...
(not apples to apples as the Diablo requires being fed digitally)
The Diablo massivley increased the height cues and gave further extension to the width and depth of the soundfield. Also no fatigue with harsher sounds.
Of course the Diablo has the added advantage of driving anything thrown at it (and not muffling the sound/reducing the sonic stage/environ).
Having compared these things; the Diablo is the go to, but due to the requisite chain of equipment, sometimes I just fall back on some Sennheiser KLEER wireless headphones...(when the partner is watching the game session, and the game benefits from audio cues to keep me alive)..
When (if?) iFi support UAC1 mode (a few audio companies give multiple firmwares to support the older UAC1 mode output), iFi will grow their product sales...
If I was at iFi I would do the very basic math: cost to implement (once off wage, ‘free to replicate’), and see if increased sales and reputation are in the ballpark to cover it (its a ‘no brainer’).
Sure the PS5 will only have 20 million units in homes by early/mid next year.. (this is a given).. but the console will sell for many years to come...
The 110+ million PS4s in the wild and the 10+ million PS5s (plus the tonne of Nintendo Switch consoles sold); that is a lot of use cases between just TWO CONSOLE FAMILIES.
UAC1 mode is a great way to GUARANTEE sound support with technology. It is truly painless (driverless) and gives most people what they want (for it to just work).
whitedragem
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My post wasn’t aimed at you.. perhaps I should have qualified it;
the post was just to note that the tone of response from iFi on a straightforward question was perhaps ‘off’
I then gave ‘user experience’ as to why the iFi response wasn’t actually valid; that the OPs question DID IN FACT deserve consideration.
This is a forum; I get the response ‘keep it succinct’, and some people NEED that. (high functioning scientists and people who come here to scan for critical information to keep their product running as two examples)
Some people come to internet forums to read (chewyoobe drives ME insane and is seldom my info source for anything.
True I do not often edit my posts prior to sending (or after the fact), but that is because I am not paid to be here.. I am a hobbyist who enjoys being here.
I agree with ‘write for your audience’, and “true”: forum goers deserve better than to read a madperson ranting..
so, yes I could ‘summarize’ and give bullet points, and erm ‘No’ (I will not). The paid iFi representatives can read my mini novel if they choose (or not). Not my business.
The thing about communication is sometimes it benefits to draw it out. (perhaps not much of my works, but, hey; you get what you pay for!)
The OP gave a short post, and the post was downturned, potentially for its’ brevity.
So I fleshed it out to hopefully refreshen its’ perspective.
If I kept it short/succinct I ran the risk of achieving the same as the OP (a quick diss)
I do feel with the hugeness of the internet: all types of formatting of information can be found.
When I am not sick in bed I can write really tight prose.
When I care to, I can write really tight prose.
When I am paid to, I can write incredibly convincing, succinct and ‘to the point’, prose.
When I am rehashing what someone has just written succinctly- to try and hit the mark that the neat and clear text did not- and especially when that text is dismissed so quickly, I write as necessary to ’get the ball rolling’.
(of the options listed above: I am in fact ‘sick in bed’)
have a (nice) day!
Hey mate,
Please do consider @boxster233's ask of summarizing your points as I do struggle with what he said as well, I am not sure what point you are trying to get at.
Again - firmwares are a choice, and you do not lose anything from going to one to the other. You can leave the Diablo on it's stock firmware and get the full functionality of the device.
I recognize that you are disappointed every aspect of our process from returning products to a distributor first, our support ticket system, and encourage you give things another chance before taking it out on this thread.
Thank you!
Last edited:
Soundizer
Headphoneus Supremus
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Ok. Sorry I missed that post. Thank you for clarifying.
No worries, it happens! Thank you for following up!
Soundizer
Headphoneus Supremus
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Personally i think we are lucky to have someone like Sebastien that is here to help.
Not many manufacturers are willing to provide forum support like this.
Not many manufacturers are willing to provide forum support like this.
CH23
Headphoneus Supremus
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@whitedragem has some valid points, but the way they go about it is not helping their cause. writing in a clear way will make it better understandable and more enjoyable for others to read. iFi has no obligation to be on these forums, nor to read anything.
As to your questions, the LED issue is with one of the chips outside of the XMOS chip, and can't be flashed via USB, so that's why the unit needs to be shipped back to iFi HQ.
That you were given the wrong spdif cable, as I said before, is not due to iFi's but due FiiO's divergent choice of pinout.
I see that with version 7.2, it should have playstation compatibility via USB.
With that out of the way, on to the firmware/info issues:
@Sebastien Chiu I work in a software company. There is no company that releases a new version of software, unless there are changes/fixes. the changelog with the 7.0(a/b/c) and 7.2(a/b/c) is incomplete and incorrect. this adds to the confusion. I understand that between a/b/c the device will do different filtering, but between 7.0 and 7.2 there has to be something different. Better clarification of the fixes/changes between these versions, as well as clarification what the difference is between a/b/c, would really improve the ifi firmware page.
an example: the PDFs in the firmware zip files:
no mention of the playstation compatibility update, which is shown on the firmware page itself. release date is not clear (7.2B pdf says 13th may 2016, site says 9th may 2021).
Something like below would help people in choosing the firmware that's right for them:
As to your questions, the LED issue is with one of the chips outside of the XMOS chip, and can't be flashed via USB, so that's why the unit needs to be shipped back to iFi HQ.
That you were given the wrong spdif cable, as I said before, is not due to iFi's but due FiiO's divergent choice of pinout.
I see that with version 7.2, it should have playstation compatibility via USB.
With that out of the way, on to the firmware/info issues:
@Sebastien Chiu I work in a software company. There is no company that releases a new version of software, unless there are changes/fixes. the changelog with the 7.0(a/b/c) and 7.2(a/b/c) is incomplete and incorrect. this adds to the confusion. I understand that between a/b/c the device will do different filtering, but between 7.0 and 7.2 there has to be something different. Better clarification of the fixes/changes between these versions, as well as clarification what the difference is between a/b/c, would really improve the ifi firmware page.
an example: the PDFs in the firmware zip files:
no mention of the playstation compatibility update, which is shown on the firmware page itself. release date is not clear (7.2B pdf says 13th may 2016, site says 9th may 2021).
Something like below would help people in choosing the firmware that's right for them:
| Functionality | Firmware A | Firmware B | Firmware C |
|---|---|---|---|
| MQA | full unfolding | full unfolding | full unfolding |
| DSD | up to DSD256 | up to DSD512 | up to DSD256 |
| PCM | up to 384kHz | up to 768kHz | up to 384kHz |
| filter | standard | standard | GTO (USB PCM only) |
| LED status | yes | yes | limited due to GTO |
GiullianSN
Headphoneus Supremus
Just got into this discussion and not even looking at the history I must agree with you 150%.@whitedragem has some valid points, but the way they go about it is not helping their cause. writing in a clear way will make it better understandable and more enjoyable for others to read. iFi has no obligation to be on these forums, nor to read anything.
As to your questions, the LED issue is with one of the chips outside of the XMOS chip, and can't be flashed via USB, so that's why the unit needs to be shipped back to iFi HQ.
That you were given the wrong spdif cable, as I said before, is not due to iFi's but due FiiO's divergent choice of pinout.
I see that with version 7.2, it should have playstation compatibility via USB.
With that out of the way, on to the firmware/info issues:
@Sebastien Chiu I work in a software company. There is no company that releases a new version of software, unless there are changes/fixes. the changelog with the 7.0(a/b/c) and 7.2(a/b/c) is incomplete and incorrect. this adds to the confusion. I understand that between a/b/c the device will do different filtering, but between 7.0 and 7.2 there has to be something different. Better clarification of the fixes/changes between these versions, as well as clarification what the difference is between a/b/c, would really improve the ifi firmware page.
an example: the PDFs in the firmware zip files:
no mention of the playstation compatibility update, which is shown on the firmware page itself. release date is not clear (7.2B pdf says 13th may 2016, site says 9th may 2021).
Something like below would help people in choosing the firmware that's right for them:
Functionality Firmware A Firmware B Firmware C MQA full unfolding full unfolding full unfolding DSD up to DSD256 up to DSD512 up to DSD256 PCM up to 384kHz up to 768kHz up to 384kHz filter standard standard GTO (USB PCM only) LED status yes yes limited due to GTO
The iFi firmware page and releases is a rabbit hole, after almost a year between iDSD and Diablo, I still can't follow up on what is being done there. I just left both my devices in stock firmware, to avoid the confusion.
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@whitedragem has some valid points, but the way they go about it is not helping their cause. writing in a clear way will make it better understandable and more enjoyable for others to read. iFi has no obligation to be on these forums, nor to read anything.
As to your questions, the LED issue is with one of the chips outside of the XMOS chip, and can't be flashed via USB, so that's why the unit needs to be shipped back to iFi HQ.
That you were given the wrong spdif cable, as I said before, is not due to iFi's but due FiiO's divergent choice of pinout.
I see that with version 7.2, it should have playstation compatibility via USB.
With that out of the way, on to the firmware/info issues:
@Sebastien Chiu I work in a software company. There is no company that releases a new version of software, unless there are changes/fixes. the changelog with the 7.0(a/b/c) and 7.2(a/b/c) is incomplete and incorrect. this adds to the confusion. I understand that between a/b/c the device will do different filtering, but between 7.0 and 7.2 there has to be something different. Better clarification of the fixes/changes between these versions, as well as clarification what the difference is between a/b/c, would really improve the ifi firmware page.
an example: the PDFs in the firmware zip files:
no mention of the playstation compatibility update, which is shown on the firmware page itself. release date is not clear (7.2B pdf says 13th may 2016, site says 9th may 2021).
Something like below would help people in choosing the firmware that's right for them:
Functionality Firmware A Firmware B Firmware C MQA full unfolding full unfolding full unfolding DSD up to DSD256 up to DSD512 up to DSD256 PCM up to 384kHz up to 768kHz up to 384kHz filter standard standard GTO (USB PCM only) LED status yes yes limited due to GTO
Thanks for your input folks! We'll pass it on internally and have a think how to improve readability related to various firmwares.
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