[BS5711]

Why on earth dark red font on black. For colorblind people like me, it's super hard to read that !

Because it looks cool and a lot of people said the red of the original Diablo looked cheap.

I sympathise with your problem of course but it isn’t really like they are labels you need to read more than once.

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

Why on earth dark red font on black. For colorblind people like me, it's super hard to read that !

I can definitely understand this! We didn't find out until my Son was 14 that he was colorblind!

I remember buying him EnChroma glasses and his first time seeing (what we non-colorblind) knew as accurate colors! A tear-jerking moment for sure!

Cheers!!

 

[nioh]

Any news on the release date of the new Diablo X ?

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

Any news on the release date of the new Diablo X ?

Nothing to report at the moment, but we will keep you posted!

Cheers!!

 

[BS5711]

Just a query on Diablo GTO firmware.

I just swapped back to 7.4C not having used it for a while and happened to be using a coaxial connection to my Diablo.

I noticed that the indicator light follows the normal music frequency with coaxial but on USB the colour is locked at the hi res colour as would be expected with the GTO filter.

Does that mean that GTO is not supported over coaxial or just that the light works as expected over coaxial.

I am assuming the former since MQA is also not supported over coaxial either with GTO being a variation of the same filtering if I understand correctly.

Does that mean I have GTO over USB and Standard filtering over coaxial ?

 

[BS5711]

N

Can you have a look at my query above.

Many thanks

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

Can you have a look at my query above.

Many thanks

I honestly do not know the answer to that question, but I will ask someone for you, and also "Tag" my partner @iFi audio to see if he might know off-hand for you!

Cheers!!

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

Question: What $1k DAC gets used at a show with a $300,000 system and gets one of 'best sounds of show by Stereophile?'

Diablo of course!

https://www.stereophile.com/content...fh5umdFGhb7skkW1N8BBQ5064K7r0&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

And what about the iFi Diablo? What's a C$1300 DAC doing in a system with a C$350,000 amplification chain? Is Mr Lemay of Lemay Audio crazy for including it?

Crazy like a fox. I said it in last year's report, and I'll say it again: The iFi Diablo is a giant killer.

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

Just a query on Diablo GTO firmware.

I just swapped back to 7.4C not having used it for a while and happened to be using a coaxial connection to my Diablo.

I noticed that the indicator light follows the normal music frequency with coaxial but on USB the colour is locked at the hi res colour as would be expected with the GTO filter.

Does that mean that GTO is not supported over coaxial or just that the light works as expected over coaxial.

I am assuming the former since MQA is also not supported over coaxial either with GTO being a variation of the same filtering if I understand correctly.

Does that mean I have GTO over USB and Standard filtering over coaxial ?

Here is the answer I received in regard to your question...


"The SPDIF of Diablo iDSD does not support GTO filtering, nor MQA decoding. , GTO & MQA both need to be processed by XMOS. Since the SPDIF signal of this product is not processed by XMOS"

Hope that helps you out!

Cheers!!

 

[BS5711]

Here is the answer I received in regard to your question...


"The SPDIF of Diablo iDSD does not support GTO filtering, nor MQA decoding. , GTO & MQA both need to be processed by XMOS. Since the SPDIF signal of this product is not processed by XMOS"

Hope that helps you out!

Cheers!!

Perfect thank you.

The result is what I figured was happening but it is nice to understand the technical reason why.

 

[Huntersknoll]

Looking forward to more info on the Diablo X. I think it might be a good partner for the ZMF Atrium Closed.

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

Looking forward to more info on the Diablo X. I think it might be a good partner for the ZMF Atrium Closed.

Do you know anyone with a current Diablo that you could give them I try?

Cheers!!

 

[whitedragem]

Just a query on Diablo GTO firmware.

I just swapped back to 7.4C not having used it for a while and happened to be using a coaxial connection to my Diablo.

I noticed that the indicator light follows the normal music frequency with coaxial but on USB the colour is locked at the hi res colour as would be expected with the GTO filter.

Does that mean that GTO is not supported over coaxial or just that the light works as expected over coaxial.

I am assuming the former since MQA is also not supported over coaxial either with GTO being a variation of the same filtering if I understand correctly.

Does that mean I have GTO over USB and Standard filtering over coaxial ?

GTO has 'so far' not been supported via the SP/Dif input. (and if it was no one at iFi would care to let us know, even if we were asking their back office directly)

The webpage for the product lists, via an asterisk, that the iFi Diablo is 'more unique' than some other iFi products in that the XMOS also handles the SP/DIF input.. (I literally just read this five minutes ago when doing the typical 'does iFi care to update the firmware pages with relevant info (spoiler: they DO NOT))

Whilst I believed for the longest time that my reasons with DSD issues via SP/DIF and a lack of GTO via SP/DIF was to do with the XMOS not being 'in line' to process.. reading the iFi Diablo product pages just now, and seeing a very special line of text that goes to effort to explain that the iFi Diablo does handle the 'other digital input(s)' via the same XMOS was a nice thing to see.

But, erm, yes.. GTO is USB only (but who knows.. the 'universal' firmwares they roll out can easily get upgraded on another product, and that works for the Diablo, but 'no one at team iFi, even asked point blank, will give an accurate answer...

If I sound annoyed with iFi support it is simply due to so much time wastage with them that I have politely glossed over or NEVER mentioned on the internet, with the end result them telling me to stop asking for a feature that was advertised (prior to purchase) on their homepage, and then found out, after a rep rudely repremanded me publicly 'for mentioning I'd like to see USB DAC support with the gaming consoles', that the feature was not coming and to stop being angry or 'caring' for the product...

I then bought a FiiO BTA30 to do the task..

and then found out that a working firmware that gave the feature had been available in the public space for a month or more... (and I could have downloaded from the iFi webpage, and the official method to do that is to lie to the firmware check tool as to which product I am using so I can get a 'new' firmware that gives the feature.

As someone who has given a LOT of backoffice support (and won awards internationally for outstanding commitment to companty mission statement/service standard delivery etc); having been lambasted publicly, lied to, and even wasted many many hours 'back and forth'ing' with iFi directly (ie NOT via HEADFI).. I simply moved on.

The last iFi product I bought I gave away unopened.
Having moved to an entry level chinese DAC more than a decade old to simply remove the Diablo from my chain (bad taste), i have little reason to watch this thread.
Glad that we have active lip service from iFi reps, but sadly, having watched this stance for years now.. words without actions grow tiring and waste time.. (and time is the one resource we all have too little of)

GTO lights up yellow, and will apply to USB input. When running GTO firmware the top of the tree sample rates get downgraded, and given MAC already run DSD at half rate only, this might prove troublesome to 'some'.

I still stand by the GTO filter being a reason to consider an iFi part,,.. as it takes CD/redbook (44khz 16bit) and makes it near equiv to 'true High resolution formats' in playback, for our brains...
Taking console gaming systems and getting 'nice sound' from a half decent 'budget' Delta Sigma DAC is great.

For many people, they will NEVER roll a GTO firmware,.. and so we have
iFi reliability (nope)
and
iFi service (nope)


given I was flagged 'anti iFi' when all I have done was try to sell and support their products.. I suppose all that is left for me here is to try and share the facts that the internet tells me (subjective?).

the newly learned fact for me, this hour, is that the pathway for digital on the iFi Diablo might actually ALLOW for GTO over my prefered input methods.
whether I care to roll unofficial firmwares for my product on an out of warranty part... hmmmm (No!)

iFi have a lot chops, but won't pay the piper to get over the line...
whether that be to recommision a circuit designer to update a product so that it can technically do the things it is advertised as doing, or whether they care to have a maintained webportal for 'current products' is on them.
They don't - so I don't care.

having seen a lot of reps on these boards do the due dilligence.. I find it easy to sort the wheat from the chaff...
My Diablo is presently being fed into a Grace m903 (uses the same DAC chips even).. the resultant sound is great.
When I take my IEMs and feed them from the Diablo directly, the sound quality drops significantly.. (the Grace IS a beautiful part)..
but the Diablo, as a DAC, still has chops and something to offer.
For me?; I bought it for console gaming, and by the time it could do that task, the FiiO BTA30 was inline and I could use it to convert USB to sp/dif and enjoy the consoles through proper home DACs..

GTO is great, and is an excellent reason to stick with iFI..
if rolling firmwares to play with esoteric filters is your thing.. then iFi have your entertainment bases covered.. (just so long as you feel comfortable trusting random people on head-fi to direct you to unofficial firmwares for your product that you can only get access to by tricking iFi webpage into thinking you have 'another product')

Having worked for businesses that WILL NOT perform firmware updates for customers (high risk perception), this situation of having to be a cowboy and fight in the wild west/frontier land for a product update that MAY exist and give advertised features that were not ready at product launch..
to iFis credit.. at least they are not auto firmware updates that we have no control over.... (that would be WAY worse)

edited to add screenshotz (yes, would have been 'nice' if I closed a few parenthesis too, but, you get what you pay for..)

 

[BS5711]

GTO doesn’t work over SPDIF.

I am perfectly OK with that even if a little asterisk on the website doesn’t agree with what the reps are saying.

Based on my discussion with the chap that designed the Diablo I suspect it was a project that wasn’t quite 100% complete when he left and certain details were less than consistent between what he designed, what ifi thought he designed and the specific features therein.

I am convinced the line in via the line out “Easter Egg” is a result of that and was something ifi never knew about or at least couldn’t change so they left it hoping it would not be discovered.

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

GTO has 'so far' not been supported via the SP/Dif input. (and if it was no one at iFi would care to let us know, even if we were asking their back office directly)

The webpage for the product lists, via an asterisk, that the iFi Diablo is 'more unique' than some other iFi products in that the XMOS also handles the SP/DIF input.. (I literally just read this five minutes ago when doing the typical 'does iFi care to update the firmware pages with relevant info (spoiler: they DO NOT))

Whilst I believed for the longest time that my reasons with DSD issues via SP/DIF and a lack of GTO via SP/DIF was to do with the XMOS not being 'in line' to process.. reading the iFi Diablo product pages just now, and seeing a very special line of text that goes to effort to explain that the iFi Diablo does handle the 'other digital input(s)' via the same XMOS was a nice thing to see.

But, erm, yes.. GTO is USB only (but who knows.. the 'universal' firmwares they roll out can easily get upgraded on another product, and that works for the Diablo, but 'no one at team iFi, even asked point blank, will give an accurate answer...

If I sound annoyed with iFi support it is simply due to so much time wastage with them that I have politely glossed over or NEVER mentioned on the internet, with the end result them telling me to stop asking for a feature that was advertised (prior to purchase) on their homepage, and then found out, after a rep rudely repremanded me publicly 'for mentioning I'd like to see USB DAC support with the gaming consoles', that the feature was not coming and to stop being angry or 'caring' for the product...

I then bought a FiiO BTA30 to do the task..

and then found out that a working firmware that gave the feature had been available in the public space for a month or more... (and I could have downloaded from the iFi webpage, and the official method to do that is to lie to the firmware check tool as to which product I am using so I can get a 'new' firmware that gives the feature.

As someone who has given a LOT of backoffice support (and won awards internationally for outstanding commitment to companty mission statement/service standard delivery etc); having been lambasted publicly, lied to, and even wasted many many hours 'back and forth'ing' with iFi directly (ie NOT via HEADFI).. I simply moved on.

The last iFi product I bought I gave away unopened.
Having moved to an entry level chinese DAC more than a decade old to simply remove the Diablo from my chain (bad taste), i have little reason to watch this thread.
Glad that we have active lip service from iFi reps, but sadly, having watched this stance for years now.. words without actions grow tiring and waste time.. (and time is the one resource we all have too little of)

GTO lights up yellow, and will apply to USB input. When running GTO firmware the top of the tree sample rates get downgraded, and given MAC already run DSD at half rate only, this might prove troublesome to 'some'.

I still stand by the GTO filter being a reason to consider an iFi part,,.. as it takes CD/redbook (44khz 16bit) and makes it near equiv to 'true High resolution formats' in playback, for our brains...
Taking console gaming systems and getting 'nice sound' from a half decent 'budget' Delta Sigma DAC is great.

For many people, they will NEVER roll a GTO firmware,.. and so we have
iFi reliability (nope)
and
iFi service (nope)


given I was flagged 'anti iFi' when all I have done was try to sell and support their products.. I suppose all that is left for me here is to try and share the facts that the internet tells me (subjective?).

the newly learned fact for me, this hour, is that the pathway for digital on the iFi Diablo might actually ALLOW for GTO over my prefered input methods.
whether I care to roll unofficial firmwares for my product on an out of warranty part... hmmmm (No!)

iFi have a lot chops, but won't pay the piper to get over the line...
whether that be to recommision a circuit designer to update a product so that it can technically do the things it is advertised as doing, or whether they care to have a maintained webportal for 'current products' is on them.
They don't - so I don't care.

having seen a lot of reps on these boards do the due dilligence.. I find it easy to sort the wheat from the chaff...
My Diablo is presently being fed into a Grace m903 (uses the same DAC chips even).. the resultant sound is great.
When I take my IEMs and feed them from the Diablo directly, the sound quality drops significantly.. (the Grace IS a beautiful part)..
but the Diablo, as a DAC, still has chops and something to offer.
For me?; I bought it for console gaming, and by the time it could do that task, the FiiO BTA30 was inline and I could use it to convert USB to sp/dif and enjoy the consoles through proper home DACs..

GTO is great, and is an excellent reason to stick with iFI..
if rolling firmwares to play with esoteric filters is your thing.. then iFi have your entertainment bases covered.. (just so long as you feel comfortable trusting random people on head-fi to direct you to unofficial firmwares for your product that you can only get access to by tricking iFi webpage into thinking you have 'another product')

Having worked for businesses that WILL NOT perform firmware updates for customers (high risk perception), this situation of having to be a cowboy and fight in the wild west/frontier land for a product update that MAY exist and give advertised features that were not ready at product launch..
to iFis credit.. at least they are not auto firmware updates that we have no control over.... (that would be WAY worse)

edited to add screenshotz (yes, would have been 'nice' if I closed a few parenthesis too, but, you get what you pay for..)

Thank you for pointing this out, and I will ask about this to avoid confusion as the way it's worded may not be proper.

GTO doesn’t work over SPDIF.

I am perfectly OK with that even if a little asterisk on the website doesn’t agree with what the reps are saying.

Based on my discussion with the chap that designed the Diablo I suspect it was a project that wasn’t quite 100% complete when he left and certain details were less than consistent between what he designed, what ifi thought he designed and the specific features therein.

I am convinced the line in via the line out “Easter Egg” is a result of that and was something ifi never knew about or at least couldn’t change so they left it hoping it would not be discovered.

Sorry for any confusion this has caused, and I will inquire about it for you guys.

Cheers!!