[analogsurviver]

I should've thought of that! The battery was flat, surprising since it's been off all this time. I'll give it an overnight charge and see how things go. Thanks!


Edit: I can confirm that it's back to normal

Glad to hear it. Although only familiar with the nano iDSD. the iFi Audio gear is obviously anything but - iffy.

 

[earwaxxer]

Speaking of the nano battery... It seems to me that the nano sounds better running off the battery than it does from the PC, even with the iPurifier in place. I havent done much of a comparison though, just a quick test. Wonder if anyone else has noticed the same?

 

[maricius]

  Speaking of the nano battery... It seems to me that the nano sounds better running off the battery than it does from the PC, even with the iPurifier in place. I havent done much of a comparison though, just a quick test. Wonder if anyone else has noticed the same?

 
I haven't heard the nano so I can't speak for it itself but it's actually very common to see manufacturers add a battery as utilising its own Li battery is cleaner than using USB power from a noisy laptop. This is actually why people would add something like the iUSB or something similar, to completely filter out USB noise and use "clean" energy

 

[analogsurviver]

  Speaking of the nano battery... It seems to me that the nano sounds better running off the battery than it does from the PC, even with the iPurifier in place. I havent done much of a comparison though, just a quick test. Wonder if anyone else has noticed the same?

As old as the hills - well, maybe a bit less. But certainly as old as portable CD players; there were quite a few looong faces back in the day when my no name portable CD player (do I reaaly need to point out powered by batteries...)
sonically outperformed quite a few stationery AC powered CD players. Some od these fed so much garbage from their power suppply back to AC outlet that the mere plugging the CD player in the same AC outlet as the rest of the analog system was plugged in into seriously degraded the sound - even if CD player was not turned on. IIRC, one Rotel model was particularly nasty in this matter - it took quite some time to figure this out, what resulted in "powering" the unit on or off by solely (un)plugging it into wall AC outlet - only when listening to CDs.
 
I run the nano always off its battery when doing any critical listening; improvements over USB power will vary due to different computers etc - but you can always count that the battery works as it should. 

 

[koolas]

This is why power supply unit in my NAD takes 1/2 space in the unit, and is strongly separated from the rest with huge thick metal wall, and it weighs 3/4 of the unit weight, which is 25kg! (The shelf on which it is standing is bending!)

I don't think you can fit such a big power supply into iDSD

BTW. I also tried to connect iDSD to NAD's Main-In inputs (directly to power amp) and I got a lot of noise, when iDSD was USB-connected with my desktop PC, but when I just disconnected USB cable, noise disappeared... G... And I'm taking about loud noise, very loud. Would iPurifier help? If iDSD had optical input, then that would help alot.

 

[john57]

Sounds like a bad ground loop you have. That is due to computer and the NAD having different grounding resistance.    If you have a laptop not connected to charging station you should not get the noise. The issue with optical is that is does not do DSD or DXD well. I like to solve ground loops before I would even try optical.

 

[maczh2002]

Does anyone pair the nano iDSD with the nano iCan?
 
Which headphones do you use?

 

[semeniub]

  Does anyone pair the nano iDSD with the nano iCan?
 
Which headphones do you use?

I do, and I use both Audeze LCD2's and Sennheiser Momentum on-ear headphones. There's enough power to listen to the Audeze's at reasonable levels.
 
I found that the nano iDSD and nano iCan combo really sounded nice once I connected them together with high quality interconnect cables.

 

[almaamp]

Hi,
 
Have the ifi nano idsd for 12 days and here are first lightening impressions and experiences in Windows PC and android phone (sorry for my English).
First the good part, beautiful sounding DAC/Amp with the AKG K550 or connected to my amp and speakers, very musical, good image, balance and extension a real improvement to my audio gear. Also connected my family Sennheiser's (HD201, HD437 and PC330) and all sounded better then before only the HD201 are now extremely bass heavy.
Connected to my Laptop running Windows 7 and Foobar2000 had some problems with DSD playback and configuration after 2 contacts with ifi support (that was not very helpful), a lot of web searching and installing new firmware everything is working find now.
Connected to Samsung S3 with android 4.1.2 with "stock" SW I have no sound (with my Topping TP30 it's just plug and play), third contact with ifi support, again not very helpful, just advised USB Audio Player Pro and sent config file for this SW. Tried the Demo but the playback of DXD and DSD files is, very often, noisy tried different buffer sizes and the USB tweak until the demo expired with no success.
Despite the remaining problems with the Android playback and the noisy volume pot it's worth every cent I paid. 

 

[dacari]

 
Despite the remaining problems with the Android playback and the noisy volume pot it's worth every cent I paid. 

 
No problems with my Note3 + USB Audio Player, really really amazing, easy and open sound.
 
My only concern is the volume knob and its path. Since I use iems, I have a tiny range to play with, the problem is that from 8:30 to 9:30 dosn't do anything and once I pass 9:30 there is a big jump so I only have from 9:30 to 10,  because beyond 10 is far too loud.
 
I hope in next firmwares they could decrease -db in order to get a more progressive and gradual volume path.

 

[iFi audio]

   
No problems with my Note3 + USB Audio Player, really really amazing, easy and open sound.
 
My only concern is the volume knob and its path. Since I use iems, I have a tiny range to play with, the problem is that from 8:30 to 9:30 dosn't do anything and once I pass 9:30 there is a big jump so I only have from 9:30 to 10,  because beyond 10 is far too loud.
 
I hope in next firmwares they could decrease -db in order to get a more progressive and gradual volume path.

 
Hi,
 
IEMs range from high to ultra-high efficiency. They are designed for the iPhone which has 15mW. The nano iDSD puts out 130mW which is almost 10x the power.
 
The easiest solution is an attenuator. If you contact your distributor/dealer, you may wish to try the iFi attenuators which come in -12dB and -24dB versions.
 
Any firmware update will not address this fundamental/sensitivity power mis-match.
 
Thanks

 

[jexby]

I can vouch for these iFi attenuators working superbly with nano iDSD and my IEMS:  UM3X and Heir Audio 4.AiS.
 
luckily probably won't need them with micro iDSD.  

 

[pokenguyen]

Are there any software that supports DSD256 on Mac? I tried both Audirvana + and JRiver Media Center, only DSD128 is playable. JRiver Media Center can play DSD256 on Windows.

 

[iFi audio]

  Are there any software that supports DSD256 on Mac? I tried both Audirvana + and JRiver Media Center, only DSD128 is playable. JRiver Media Center can play DSD256 on Windows.

 
Hi,
 
This is because on OS X, there is no ASIO support.
 
Core audio for now is limited to 384KHz, so no DSD256 via DOP.
 
Thanks

 

[lillion]

well, I do have this combination of idsd nano and Senn HD 600
 
while the idsd nano is fantastic for example with the 75Ohm AKG K280 parabolic (or the Q701 for that matter) and also with the V-Moda 100 (with all its flaws) or the Harman-Kardon BT, you have to turn the volume knob to at least 3 o'clock to get decent volume on the HD600. Even at full power it s just decently 'loud' and it seems to lack punch and bass.
Even with classical music (e.g. Handel Messiah, Dunedin Consort, LINN, 24-88.4) it seems distant and a somehow lifeless. It s not really bad, but I was always like waiting for the music to really kick in and engage.
 
 
So, while the idsd nano is a marvel that amazes me every day, to me it is not powerful enough for the Sennheiser HD 600.
I'm sure the micro will!