iFi audio iDSD Diablo - A portable reference done our way!

[Sebastien Chiu]

Yeah i noticed the lack of reviews from popular channels. I am enjoying the Diablo and just added a pair of Fostex TH900 mkII to the mix, sounds like a wonderful combination. The DAC is very resolving indeed. I was listening to a Piano piece on MQA (Lang Lang Bach Goldberg variations) and i can hear tiny details i never heard before like Lang Lang's breath and the reverb of the piano etc. Wonderful stuff. I'd do a review but i have nothing else to compare the Diablo to.

We do have quite a few review units out, so they should be popping up sooner than later

 

[Ichos]

@Sebastien Chiu

Can you kindly confirm that this useful features are also available at the Diablo?

https://ifi-audio.com/faqs/is-it-possible-to-charge-and-play-at-the-same-time/

https://ifi-audio.com/faqs/maintaining-80-battery-power/

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

Yeah i noticed the lack of reviews from popular channels. I am enjoying the Diablo and just added a pair of Fostex TH900 mkII to the mix, sounds like a wonderful combination. The DAC is very resolving indeed. I was listening to a Piano piece on MQA (Lang Lang Bach Goldberg variations) and i can hear tiny details i never heard before like Lang Lang's breath and the reverb of the piano etc. Wonderful stuff. I'd do a review but i have nothing else to compare the Diablo to.

@Sebastien Chiu

Can you kindly confirm that this useful features are also available at the Diablo?

https://ifi-audio.com/faqs/is-it-possible-to-charge-and-play-at-the-same-time/

https://ifi-audio.com/faqs/maintaining-80-battery-power/

Those features are both available to my knowledge, and yes to answer your original question ~ Yes, the Diablo cuts off charging its battery. The charging LED is constant white in this case.

 

[Ichos]

That sounds very good.
It can be used as a desktop device with upgraded power supply while preserving battery lifespan.

 

[gadgetheaven]

When using the supplied power supply into the USB-C Jack is there any kind of galvanic isolation to the DC power supply to prevent some noise affecting performance? That would be my only concern.

 

[iFi audio]

Surely it can be run indefinitely when plugged

Yes, of course as long as its internal battery gets more than connected headphones demand.

It can be used as a desktop device with upgraded power supply while preserving battery lifespan.

To address your recent question, iDSD Diablo's battery can't be bypassed.

When using the supplied power supply into the USB-C Jack is there any kind of galvanic isolation to the DC power supply to prevent some noise affecting performance? That would be my only concern.

I'd have to ask about that internally, but thus far we had no complaints about any noise leakage.

 

[542775]

can you kindly check the firmware version of your device is mine is 1.1 correct?

 

[Ichos]

So it seems that I was confused by @Sebastien Chiu answer.
@iFi audio said that the battery can't be bypassed.
So an upgraded power supply won't do anything and battery life can't be preserved.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

So it seems that I was confused by @Sebastien Chiu answer.
@iFi audio said that the battery can't be bypassed.
So an upgraded power supply won't do anything and battery life can't be preserved.

Apologies for the confusion!

The battery can't be bypassed, I thought I clarified that in one of my earlier posts.

The iPower included can be used to charge the Diablo through an included adapter but can't be used to replace the battery.

 

[Ichos]

Thanks for clarifying.

 

[542775]

Good evening Sebastian I can kindly know which firmware version the diablo has is correct that in my report 1, ...
thank you

 

[542775]

What would happen if you upgrade the firmware to 5.3 c?

 

[ianjturner]

What would happen if you upgrade the firmware to 5.3 c?

You can’t do that with the Diablo; different internals so different firmware. (This from a few hundred posts ago )
So far there’s no option to switch to a GTO filter or any other. They seemed to indicate that they might do it at some point.

 

[542775]

I was wondering as a friend of mine insisted on updating to 5.3c and he got the wording firmware update successful ...
What firmware does yours have?
thank you very much in advance

 

[ianjturner]

I was wondering as a friend of mine insisted on updating to 5.3c and he got the wording firmware update successful ...
What firmware does yours have?
thank you very much in advance

I don’t have one yet but had the micro BL. The GTO filter sounds quite different to a Bit Perfect mode. At a guess there would be no perceptible change in audio if you did this -because the firmware has not written to the device, no matter what the updater app (which pre-dates the Diablo) is saying. Whichever, I really wouldn’t chance it until iFi come up with a firmware that is made for the specific device you own, at best it will do nothing and at worst it will result in a beautifully crafted red brick.