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

[jplatypus]

Thank you so much!
Signature sounds the same as Diable for you?

This is my big question. In terms of pure sound quality, how these two sound different. I worry the Signature might be less detailed than the Diablo in terms of sound quality. In bloom audio's review of the Diablo, they talk about the difference between the Neo and the Diablo, but I have yet to hear about an A/B comparison between the Diablo and Micro Signature in terms of sound quality. Does anyone know of these sorts of comparisons/reviews? Thanks!

 

[Chibs]

Thank you so much!
Signature sounds the same as Diable for you?

Signature sounds better to me due to xbass and works well with all of my headphones. Looks better too. It probably doesn’t measure as well as Diablo but if I’m chasing measurements I have my desktop rig. An Rme Adi 2 Dac and THX AAA 789. I honestly get more enjoyment out of the Signature though. It’s something I look forward to using every day. I would love iFi to come out with a mini version of the signature to compete with Dragonfly Cobalt. Something with Xbass that I can connect to iPhone and shove in my pocket. That would be an insta buy.

Chibs

 

[531412]

Thank you so much!
Signature sounds the same as Diable for you?

I had both devices at home one week ago (After comparism, I returned the Diablo because it is not able to drive IEM).
With top tier headphones like the Arya, I definitely hear a difference and the Diablo sounds a bit better (but not much). But on the other end, the Signature is much cheaper, offers more features (XBass, IEmatch, Digital filters, etc.) and looks much(!) better. The cost/performence ratio is much better on the Signature.

At the end both are really nice DAC. What fits best for you depends on individual use cases

 

[Dr Riddim]

Diablo arrived yesterday, so these are first impressions before any burn-in. Plenty of juice to power easily Hifiman HE6 and HE500 planars single-ended. Fostex Ebonies sound also really good single-ended. Did not have the right kind of cables & plugs to try those balanced. Denon 9200's highs are very revealing, so they sounded a bit harsh balanced with Diablo out of the box. Must try them with original SE cable as well during the burn-in period. Overall, Diablo sounds very neutral and reminds me of Burson Conductor in my work set-up.

 

[DarginMahkum]

How does it compare to a TOTL DAP in terms of clarity and control, especially the bass speed? A DAP in range of Cayin N8, R8 and SP2000 (I am sure it has much better dynamics). I am planning to get one of these and stick a rooted Android mobile phone with a custom ROM on it, rather than chasing a powerful DAP.

 

[Bob Parish]

I had both devices at home one week ago (After comparism, I returned the Diablo because it is not able to drive IEM).
With top tier headphones like the Arya, I definitely hear a difference and the Diablo sounds a bit better. But on the other end, the Signature is much cheaper, offers more features (XBass, IEmatch, Digital filters, etc.) and looks much(!) better. The cost/performence ratio is much better on the Signature.

At the end both are really nice DAC. What fits best for you depends on individual use cases

Thanks...

 

[542775]

Sorry could you kindly see which firmware version is installed on the diablo, is it correct on my 1.10?
thank you

 

[ianjturner]

Signature sounds better to me due to xbass and works well with all of my headphones. Looks better too. It probably doesn’t measure as well as Diablo but if I’m chasing measurements I have my desktop rig. An Rme Adi 2 Dac and THX AAA 789. I honestly get more enjoyment out of the Signature though. It’s something I look forward to using every day. I would love iFi to come out with a mini version of the signature to compete with Dragonfly Cobalt. Something with Xbass that I can connect to iPhone and shove in my pocket. That would be an insta buy.

Chibs

That’s eye opening Chibs, thanks. I just have the HD660s and I’m starting to wonder if the Sig is the best choice for me after all!

 

[justanut]

Same reason why I sprung for the Diablo instead of tha DAP.

One thing is for sure: it’s less portable. But, those players are mostly on Android 8/9, while the latest version on phones is 11. My worry is them being unable to run the latest Tidal app at some point (my primary source).

How does it compare to a TOTL DAP in terms of clarity and control, especially the bass speed? A DAP in range of Cayin N8, R8 and SP2000 (I am sure it has much better dynamics). I am planning to get one of these and stick a rooted Android mobile phone with a custom ROM on it, rather than chasing a powerful DAP.

 

[Giraku]

Did you try the HD800S on balanced output in Eco Mode?
Thank you for your reply...

I tried HD800S on balanced output in Eco mode. I had to go beyond 2 o'clock on the volume pot for some tracks (mostly classical) and found that there was a bit of hiss sneaking in beyond 3 o'clock. On those tracks, with Normal mode, 1 o'clock was just great without any hiss.

 

[Giraku]

I tried HD800S on balanced output in Eco mode. I had to go beyond 2 o'clock on the volume pot for some tracks (mostly classical) and found that there was a bit of hiss sneaking in beyond 3 o'clock. On those tracks, with Normal mode, 1 o'clock was just great without any hiss.

Correction: The hiss happened only once for mysterious reason. Now I don't hear any hiss with Eco mode even beyond 3 o'clock. Weird...
Considering the battery consumption, maybe I should stick with the Eco mode as I don't hear any noticeable difference in SQ or dynamics between Eco and Normal modes...

 

[Bob Parish]

Correction: The hiss happened only once for mysterious reason. Now I don't hear any hiss with Eco mode even beyond 3 o'clock. Weird...
Considering the battery consumption, maybe I should stick with the Eco mode as I don't hear any noticeable difference in SQ or dynamics between Eco and Normal modes...

Thank you so much, nice to hear that!

 

[Bob Parish]

Does the Diable use 1 or 2 Burr-Brown DSD1793 per DAC channel?

 

[Bob Parish]

Someone by here tested the Diable with Sennheiser HD 820?

 

[iFi audio]

Does the Diable use 1 or 2 Burr-Brown DSD1793 per DAC channel?

I believe it's one, but I'd have to double-check. Even if it's one, it still runs as a fully balanced chip.

I can't understand why the attenuation curve of the volume control can't be changed for fix this issue (tame the gain)!
How many more we will see sending back the Diable? I don't use IEM, but I'm afraid that the gain to my Oppo PM-1 and my Sennheiser's HD650 and HD800S will be excessive also.
Someone here told that the gain was so much with Sennheiser HD800S that he was sending it back...
Was the Diable designed only for the most inefficient and power demand headphones? Was that the goal?
If not, change the attenuation curve of the volume control. Period!

I'll pass your feedback to our HQ, thanks!