So there's not so much info on this unit from an end user perspective. I'm going to try my best here to give first impressions from the Diablo and maybe a mini review. Please bear in mind it's not easy for me to articulate how something sounds. I'll do my best.
First off, the box is large and for good reason.
The case is a nice touch. I like how it has exit holes on both sides. Padding is great and reminiscent of a mini camera bag. If you do end up taking this kit somewhere public, it's much more inconspicuous than the Diablo by its self. I sort of wish it was black though. Also wish zippers were YKK. FWIW, I'd opt for an aftermarket solution but it's nice to have as an option.
Here's everything from the box minus papers.
I love the fact that this amp is balanced and comes with the XLR cables. This is a huge plus for people that switch between desktop and portable use. Additionally, the ac adapter included and the way it connects to the back side of diablo is how it how it should be for desktop use.
I did a serious double take when I looked up how much how much Purifier3 costs. You're getting a lot of value in this package as a whole which to me justifies it's higher price tag. I can see a lot of people just plugging this in @ their desk and leaving it there.
So here it is plugged into my sexy 789 with included cables. At first I had the Purifier3 directly plugged into my Diablo. It does not sit flush and protrudes just enough to lift the back up a bit. I left it the way it was and began listening. Was really happy with the sound. Did not do a direct A & B with my RME ADI 2 Dac but I honestly didn't feel like there was much difference between the two which is an awesome feat for this little devil. I could not seem to get more than 4800 Hz according to my ifi Controle Panel utility. This was using Tidal app and then Fubar with Flac files. Probably an error on my part. Unfortunately, I had audio cut out on me twice and had to power cycle the Diablo to fix both times. Not sure what was going on but to trouble shoot I unplugged the purifier3 and used the blue USB cable provided then the purifier3 into that. I also noticed the Diablo getting warm. Not sure if that was normal but this was plugged into the AC adapter charging at the same time. Once fully charged, I unplugged that cable and didn't get any more dropouts. Granted, it wasn't in that configuration for long as I wanted to test portable use.
This is the main reason I got into ifi and for me the most important. I love sitting on my comfy Ikea Poang chair with my feet up, listening. My Sennheiser HD800s listening to "Cello Song" by Nick Drake. Beautiful sound and again similar to using my RME dac with no eq applied. This really feels like a desktop experience and for that I commend IFI.
Hooked up to my ipad pro, you can tell the Diablo has upgraded internals in comparison to the Signature. What i mean is music from tidal plays without getting interrupted should i switch the app and go to my browser for instance. You could tell this thing has more resources to better deal with keeping a connection. Only time it breaks in audio is when the ipad screen goes to sleep and it's only for a second. The Signature was more finicky in this regard. I would be in tidal for instance and listening to a Master track, swipe up to go to my browser and the light would change from purple to green but music would still play. Is this because of extra resources of the Diablo? Perhaps it was Diablo’s ability of fully decoding a master track vs the Signature rendering said track? I have no clue.
Channel-imbalance area on the Diablo isn't as wide as the Signature. It's almost negligible to me so that's nice and notable improvement. But hey, where are my Xbase and 3D buttons?
hehe. Seriously though, the short time I had with Signature made me a huge fan of those buttons. Especially Xbase!
I want to be able to change my HP's sound with a quick flip of an analogue switch. I think it's cool to have something like that to fidget with during listening session. Or perhaps just leave Xbas on because it usually seems to sound better. Definitely some button psychology implemented very nicely on the Signature. Gone on the Diablo
. If I want to change eq on my RME Dac, I'll need to take a 5 month course in Germany
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Next up was a Demo with my new Stellia's and I know some of you are specifically interested here. To be blunt, Stellia is a tough match for El Diablo for my ears. Especially run through it's balanced port. Just too much power. I could get it to a more normal (for me) listening level using single ended connection but even that would depend entirely on the track. For reference, on the Signature I would always be on "ECO" with those cans and sometimes even have The IEM setting on. Occasionally, I like to turn volume way up and listen loud, but with the Focal Stellia, quieter listening isn't as much an option as I would like. If you plan on just using the Diablo as a dac, you'll have much better volume control here, making this point moot.
Comparing the overall listening experience I got from both Dac/amps, the Signature was more fun and engaging. Not as bright / sharp and overall more enjoyable to my ears. I also get a much different experience than I do on my RME ADI 2 DAC with THX-789. Call it more analogue, warm, or IFI house sound, I just like it better and notice it instantly!
Build Quality and Looks compared to Signature:
When I picked up the signature for the first time it felt so over engineered and tough. The thick mat aluminum texture screams "throw me in a pocket and Hakoona Ma-Tada" You can however hear some of the plastic buttons wiggling around
The Diablo has a more streamlined build. Smaller, more curvaceous edges would slide in and out of pockets more easily. The (I'm assuming it's aluminum) case is smooth to the touch and reminiscent of some portable disk drive enclosures I have laying around. The red colour is not as bright and glossy as some of the product images would suggest. It depends on your lighting though. Diablo stands out in almost any setting apart from blood bath crime scenes
. This was an intensional flex on ifi's part and I totally get it. They made a souped up desktop class amp/dac, that's fully balanced. One that you could schlep to your friends house with a half decent set of HP's to prove how ridiculously inferior their Airpods or XM4's really are. Could you imagine the impact this would have on said friend? That's where iFi's coming from.
When I put something on my desk I like it to just disappear. I can't stand the PS5's bright white lines and how if left in front or beside your TV it say's, "Hey buddy, look over here". I want to look at the game I'm playing, not the hardware playing it. While not as extreme, the Diablo falls into this category. You can not avoid el Diablo, even when it's in a peripheral view.
The Signature seems to be at the opposite end of that spectrum. Probably the nicest looking amp / dac / piece of audio equipment that I've seen to date. It's just a thing of beauty while it retains the ability to get lost among the black audio equipment on my desk. It fades into the background until I choose to focus on it and appreciate it's perfect metallic greenish blue. Totally subjective of course, but that's my take.
When I bought the Signature I was so happy with it it in so many ways until I realized that the new model was released that exact day. I didn't fully understand the differences between the two products. Thankfully, I have an amazing retailer that allowed me to switch so I was able to find out. On paper, the Diablo while more expensive is the better value with it's included pack-ins, better power and balanced input / output, better internals and functionality. In practice however, the Signature is the better amp dac for my specific use case. It works well with my Stellias + all other HP's. Has the IEM match for lower volume listening. Xbas / 3d buttons to futz around with. Feels better built. Looks awesome and won't distract. It's not a perfect solution but for right now the best one for me!
I highly doubt iFi will sit on it's laurels for long. I see the Diablo as a "Tic" and the next version of Micro iDSD as "Toc". It's probably being developed right now and will be everything if not most of what I'm left wanting with the current Signature.
My hope is it's got the same build / colour as the current Signature, Balanced, all the buttons, with the better system resources of Diablo. I would also hope iFi keeps the cost down by giving us not not so many pack-ins. No purifier3 / case we likely won't use or balanced cables / ac adapter we could always buy separately. Also better off having the charge port on the back instead of the side. I think that's my wish list. Until then, I'll go back to my retailer, grovel a bit, apologize profusely and get that Signature back. Such is my audio journey. This is the way.
I have to say that experimenting with both these IFI Dac/Amps has been a blast.
Both are great bits of kit for the right use case. Hopefully I helped those of you that are on the fence about which one to pick up. Thanks for reading!
Chibs
