[stephenkostas]

Had a demo Diablo and Signature pass through today, so I figured I'd grab some side by side pics.
I would have sworn that the Diablo was bigger just from handling it, but they're functionally the same size.

 

[TheNameIsGerald]

Hey @Gus141 ~The Diablo supports DSD512 right out of the box!

does it really?:
1. https://ifi-audio.com/faqs/which-firmware-has-it-installed/ says "The iDSD Diablo comes with our v5.30 firmware pre-installed."
2. while https://ifi-audio.com/firmware/unified-firmware-for-various-products/ says about the v5.30 firmware (https://ifi-audio.com/firmware/Win_iFi_XMOS_V5.30.zip, "Release date: 27 March 2018" (!)) quite clearly: "No DSD512 No 768kHz"
I'd like to believe you when you say "The Diablo supports DSD512 right out of the box" but you can't contradict iFi's own documentation without explanation.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

That firmware in this perspective doesn't apply to the Diablo because of it's XMOS 16 chip that's inside it ~ the Micro had to choose between one or the other because it has a previous generation XMOS chip. As long as you install our USB driver, you will get it right out of the box.

I hope that helps ~ my documentation happened to be that I asked our tech team directly for you!

 

[jburks725]

My Diablo has arrived! Nicely packed, and I’m surprised by how beefy this thing is. One disappointment so far—the included USB-C to USB-A cable is for charging only—it does not allow me to connect my iPad Pro to the Diablo. I had a USB-C adapter laying around that let me use it, but I was expecting a cable in the box that would let me connect this to at least a USB-C port. Luckily OTG USB-C to female USB-A adapters are cheap on Amazon—I got a red one to match the Diablo!

Now, onto the important part: the first listen. Using my Andro Golds with a 4.4mm balanced cable, I heard a tiny bit of hiss with no music playing, but it was not noticed once I turned on some tunes. There is a touch of channel imbalance for me at very low volumes with this configuration, so I swapped back to my 3.5mm cable and plugged it into the adapter included with the Diablo. No more hiss now, but still a tiny bit of imbalance just past 9 o’clock. A handful of MQA tracks in Tidal followed, and I am impressed. This thing sounds very neutral and resolving. This is my first iFi DAC, so I don’t have a point of reference to their other DAC implementations, but I am pleased. I’ll give it a good listen with my HD650s after dinner and report back. So far so good, except for the cable thing.

 

[ianjturner]

My Diablo has arrived! Nicely packed, and I’m surprised by how beefy this thing is. One disappointment so far—the included USB-C to USB-A cable is for charging only—it does not allow me to connect my iPad Pro to the Diablo. I had a USB-C adapter laying around that let me use it, but I was expecting a cable in the box that would let me connect this to at least a USB-C port. Luckily OTG USB-C to female USB-A adapters are cheap on Amazon—I got a red one to match the Diablo!

Now, onto the important part: the first listen. Using my Andro Golds with a 4.4mm balanced cable, I heard a tiny bit of hiss with no music playing, but it was not noticed once I turned on some tunes. There is a touch of channel imbalance for me at very low volumes with this configuration, so I swapped back to my 3.5mm cable and plugged it into the adapter included with the Diablo. No more hiss now, but still a tiny bit of imbalance just past 9 o’clock. A handful of MQA tracks in Tidal followed, and I am impressed. This thing sounds very neutral and resolving. This is my first iFi DAC, so I don’t have a point of reference to their other DAC implementations, but I am pleased. I’ll give it a good listen with my HD650s after dinner and report back. So far so good, except for the cable thing.

This is really good to know! Curious about your thoughts on the HD650 as I’m still waiting for mine and the HD660s is my usual listen.

 

[TheNameIsGerald]

That firmware in this perspective doesn't apply to the Diablo because of it's XMOS 16 chip that's inside it ~ the Micro had to choose between one or the other because it has a previous generation XMOS chip. As long as you install our USB driver, you will get it right out of the box.

I hope that helps ~ my documentation happened to be that I asked our tech team directly for you!

that sounds plausible and reassuring! So to summarise: the Diablo's pre-installed firmware supports both full MQA decoding and up to DSD512 and PCM 768 kHz: awesome!

Thanks for checking internally.

Would be good to correct the public docs so that others aren't misled.

 

[ianjturner]

That firmware in this perspective doesn't apply to the Diablo because of it's XMOS 16 chip that's inside it ~ the Micro had to choose between one or the other because it has a previous generation XMOS chip. As long as you install our USB driver, you will get it right out of the box.

I hope that helps ~ my documentation happened to be that I asked our tech team directly for you!

Yes this is helpful! I’m still not clear which filter approach is applied to the Diablo. Is it a GTO like the Neo?

 

[531412]

Is anyone here who can compare the Signature vs. the Diablo?
I switched from the micro BL to the Signature and it was a really good upgrade (except the point that the Signature is lacking some features the BL has) regarding the sound.
I am thinking about the Diablo now. But this one is much more expensive und has almost no features anymore (compared to the BL). And to be honest, I do not like this cheap looking red. The Signature and BL look just awesome.

 

[qsk78]

Is anyone here who can compare the Signature vs. the Diablo?

in this post https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ifi...nce-done-our-way.951615/page-15#post-16119721

 

[jburks725]

And to be honest, I do not like this cheap looking red. The Signature and BL look just awesome.

I do not have the Signature, but the red of the Diablo is not cheap-looking when seen in person. It’s not exactly understated or inconspicuous, but it is nicer than I expected. Just my opinion, of course.

 

[Gus141]

I’m still not clear which filter approach is applied to the Diablo. Is it a GTO like the Neo?

Yes, still an unanswered question; looks conspicuously like they are dodging the question about DA filter choice. Not sure why. But any and all info is helpful so I gave a thumbs-up. Now I’ll wait for measurements I guess.

 

[Gus141]

Does anyone know why Audio Quest Dragonflies and iFi DACs use magenta-colored lights for MQA? All the other recent DAC implementations I have seen use blue for “MQA Studio” and green for “MQA”. Even software uses these colors (e.g., UAPP).

Older DACs that didn’t have LEDs capable of those colors used another method (e.g., Oppo 205 uses words; older iFi DACs used yellow).

But the Diablo is a new DAC, so I thought maybe we would see a re-assignment of all the colors. For example: Blue = MQA Studio, Green = MQA, and then shuffle around the remaining possible colors for other formats and frequency rates.

Obviously magenta is an MQA Ltd-authorized color since iFi and AQ DACs are certified MQA renderers. Just wondering.

Cheers,
Gus

 

[gadgetheaven]

I've been listening to my Diablo for a few days now via Tidal and I must say I am very impressed. I am using the DAC/AMP with Denon AH-D5200 out of the single ended port and it certainly makes these cans sing at the eco power settings. Drums, percussion and orchestra sound dynamic with lots of detail while sounding neutral and very musical. As for looks i prefer this look to the iDSD BL i had last year. I don't think i miss any of the features from the BL, the tuning is great. Listening to the bass and acoustic slam from an Acoustic Alchemy track right now and loving the sound.

 

[elira]

Does anyone know why Audio Quest Dragonflies and iFi DACs use magenta-colored lights for MQA? All the other recent DAC implementations I have seen use blue for “MQA Studio” and green for “MQA”. Even software uses these colors (e.g., UAPP).

Older DACs that didn’t have LEDs capable of those colors used another method (e.g., Oppo 205 uses words; older iFi DACs used yellow).

But the Diablo is a new DAC, so I thought maybe we would see a re-assignment of all the colors. For example: Blue = MQA Studio, Green = MQA, and then shuffle around the remaining possible colors for other formats and frequency rates.

Obviously magenta is an MQA Ltd-authorized color since iFi and AQ DACs are certified MQA renderers. Just wondering.

Cheers,
Gus

There’s enough MQA intrusion at this point, asking for them to take over more design decisions is not something I would endorse.

 

[melons]

Think I'm being a little optimistic in expecting anyone to be able to answer this and I apologize as my question is more than a little off tangent to the purpose of this thread, but how does the Diablo compare to the Astell & Kern Kann Alpha (DAP) in terms of musicality & nearness to 'Reference' quality sound, [EDIT] deleted headphone/iem choice stated earlier, as unfair for comparison [/EDIT]

I've been using the bottom feeder of the A&K range (AK70 Mkii) for a few years now paired to CA Andro's (OG)/Forza Hybrid 2.5mm as my mobile rig, plus an iFi iDSD BL* with HD660S/Forza Claire Hybrid for home use and was more than happy with both, but until those pesky kids at iFi muddied the water with their Diablo my next upgrade was going to be to a better DAP, now I'm wishing I'd studied harder at school and could afford both :/

* Mostly set to 'Normal' mode, I'm also obviously in the minority as I never use the XBass nor 3D function