iFi audio NEO iDSD - The Performance Edition is here! (INFO: Post 837, Page 56)
Nov 25, 2020 at 10:50 PM Post #316 of 1,148
I am expecting someone of the above to review the NEO as a pure DAC and combined with analogue amp such as pro-iCAN. I'm simply interested in how superior to the micro-series "DAC" (not DAC/amp combo) or equal level. I am not sure if the fully-balanced circuit really improves SQ as "DAC" only.

This is also my (as a reviewer) intended use case as I mentioned a few posts up. I'm more interested in the pure DAC performance to my balanced amplifier and hearing how much of an upgrade it is from the Micro series. I may even snatch up a Modius to serve as my temporary "cheap downgrade" if/when I sell the ADI-2, so that may be another point of comparison. So depending on the timing of the review loaner, I should have one or the other to directly compare, but maybe not both at the same time. I'll have to see how it goes.
 
Nov 25, 2020 at 11:47 PM Post #317 of 1,148
Thanks for the opportunity to review the Neo. I actually may be in the market since I may be selling my RME ADI-2 DAC to cover a budget shortfall I'm expecting in January. I recently purchased a Burson Soloist 3XP amplifier, so I'll be able to fully evaluate it's performance as a dedicated DAC as well. Not to mention, I'm hoping to see how improved it is over the Micro iDSD (non-black label) to judge maybe whether I can eventually stretch to a Pro iDSD. I'm not sure how the order of review is determined, but if I can get in earlier in the cycle, I'll be able to compare the Neo directly with the ADI-2 before I sell it. I just finished with my college semester early, so I'll have between now and about January 19th free to focus on listening and writing a review. Looking forward to it and thanks again!
Looking forward to comparison and I hope you can also try neo as pure dac only with burson soloist as amplifier :)
 
Nov 26, 2020 at 8:32 PM Post #321 of 1,148
Ermmm....so, I'm not sure if my iFi NEO is still "burning in" but the bass appears to be getting stronger. :thinking:

I recently had a little fiddle with EqualizerAPO attempting to turn down the area between the bass and lower midrange as that region started feeling a little bloated. I thought I'd lose a little "meat on the bone" but to my surprise....I noticed that the bass was still quite prominent while succeeding at my adjustment of trying to make everything sound more natural/balanced.

Many times I felt like my Focal Clears hit pretty hard because of the NEO which brought a cheeky grin to my face, heh.

Don't get me wrong....I'm sure the Clears are certainly no Fostex or V-MODA style bass cannons but when called upon....they can thump quite hard via the iFi NEO.

Even though I listen to literally all kinds of music, I'm a basshead at heart but over the years...I've learned to appreciate quality over quantity of super low frequencies.
 
Nov 27, 2020 at 12:52 AM Post #323 of 1,148
Ermmm....so, I'm not sure if my iFi NEO is still "burning in" but the bass appears to be getting stronger. :thinking:

I recently had a little fiddle with EqualizerAPO attempting to turn down the area between the bass and lower midrange as that region started feeling a little bloated. I thought I'd lose a little "meat on the bone" but to my surprise....I noticed that the bass was still quite prominent while succeeding at my adjustment of trying to make everything sound more natural/balanced.

Many times I felt like my Focal Clears hit pretty hard because of the NEO which brought a cheeky grin to my face, heh.

Don't get me wrong....I'm sure the Clears are certainly no Fostex or V-MODA style bass cannons but when called upon....they can thump quite hard via the iFi NEO.

Even though I listen to literally all kinds of music, I'm a basshead at heart but over the years...I've learned to appreciate quality over quantity of super low frequencies.

It has EQ? did I miss something?

Edit: oops, my bad. that is some software EQ. But how can that work for you? Won't that defeat the whole purpose of MQA and/or tidal and/or highres exclusive USB. I mean that gets winds involved, hence lowers the rate even if it gets up sampled back later.
EQ should come after the DAC, must it not? otherwise it (neo) ends up becoming a glorified HF amp.
 
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Nov 27, 2020 at 1:01 AM Post #324 of 1,148
This is also my (as a reviewer) intended use case as I mentioned a few posts up. I'm more interested in the pure DAC performance to my balanced amplifier and hearing how much of an upgrade it is from the Micro series. I may even snatch up a Modius to serve as my temporary "cheap downgrade" if/when I sell the ADI-2, so that may be another point of comparison. So depending on the timing of the review loaner, I should have one or the other to directly compare, but maybe not both at the same time. I'll have to see how it goes.

May I ask why you are unhappy with your ADI-2?
 
Nov 27, 2020 at 2:03 AM Post #325 of 1,148
May I ask why you are unhappy with your ADI-2?

I'm not, to be honest. I love it. It's pretty much the performance/value sweet spot for me. It's just that I'm likely going to be short on some bills come January, so I need to make some temporary sacrifices until about February or March. Hence why I was eyeing the Modius to tide me over in the meantime. Meanwhile, it can't hurt to try some other gear out (like the NEO in this case) for perspective if I'm not having to foot the full cost upfront. The ADI-2 as pure DAC is decent, but not really unique in it's presentation; it's all the added features that I regularly use that make it hard to let go of. I still like to try other sources though, because the "what if" inevitably strikes, while I secretly hope that more DAC designers will embrace a full suite of sound-tweaking options in the future. The NEO seems to take the more "stripped down" approach (aside from bluetooth), but if I find the sound presentation unique and enjoyable enough, it could certainly be a contender to replace the ADI-2. It's a tough act to follow, though.
 
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Nov 27, 2020 at 8:55 AM Post #327 of 1,148
Headfonics has published their review of the NEO iDSD - seems fairly indepth

https://headfonics.com/ifi-audio-neo-idsd-review/
Heh, this review strongly mirrors my own experience.

I'm now seeing a pattern with all these early(ish) reviews....the NEO is probably more than capable of driving most planar headphones, however, due to the iFi's lack of power (considering price) in the amp section, it won't drive them with authority. Most of the reviews I've seen thus far have this all-in-one unit paired mainly with planars which I suppose is especially good for test purposes.

Dynamic headphones, I'm guessing will fare a lot better and my pair coupled with the NEO sometimes feel like an "end game" setup with certain songs.
 
Nov 27, 2020 at 5:52 PM Post #328 of 1,148
I'm not, to be honest. I love it. It's pretty much the performance/value sweet spot for me. It's just that I'm likely going to be short on some bills come January, so I need to make some temporary sacrifices until about February or March. Hence why I was eyeing the Modius to tide me over in the meantime. Meanwhile, it can't hurt to try some other gear out (like the NEO in this case) for perspective if I'm not having to foot the full cost upfront. The ADI-2 as pure DAC is decent, but not really unique in it's presentation; it's all the added features that I regularly use that make it hard to let go of. I still like to try other sources though, because the "what if" inevitably strikes, while I secretly hope that more DAC designers will embrace a full suite of sound-tweaking options in the future. The NEO seems to take the more "stripped down" approach (aside from bluetooth), but if I find the sound presentation unique and enjoyable enough, it could certainly be a contender to replace the ADI-2. It's a tough act to follow, though.

Thank you for the detailed answer.
If Neo had some bass boost option, I would get it at once.
If ADI-2 had MQA I would get that.
Now I am stock with nothing. Had the Signature, which has such bad channel imbalance that I sent it back. Interesting fact... I initially asked the vendor if they could swap it for another one. They replied that they had 2 more in stock and they checked and both had imbalance at low volume. So I was left with no other option, but to get full refund. Pity.

I was just unlucky, based on the report on the Sig thread. It is like at least 25% owners have imbalance, but most not as sever as mine was.

Anyway now I do not have anything. I was hoping maybe one of the Chinese would release something before the end of the year. Albeit they (Topping, SMSL, Gustard) never add and bass boost or parametric EQ on the setup. So it may not provide me any option yet again.

My heart is telling me to get the RME, and even thought I hate the whole concept of MQA and not sure if I can even tell the difference, I still wont like to give up the option. So hear I am.

Because I tend to listen at low volumes, I don't mind that the NEO lack power on the headphone amp side. I just do not like sterile. I am sure I would enjoy pumping bass more than MQA. Hence I am mostly driven to the ADI-2. .... Anyway this is where I am. The Sig had a really nice sound, I would have not minded a second level of Xbass, but it was fine. Why did they leave it out of the NEO I will never understand. Expecially when it is one of their unique features on all their portable lineup.

Tell me, on the ADI-2 do you tend to play around with cross-feed on track to track bases? Or you just have it on all the time? Or don't use it at all?
Thank you.
 
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Nov 28, 2020 at 2:24 PM Post #329 of 1,148
Tell me, on the ADI-2 do you tend to play around with cross-feed on track to track bases? Or you just have it on all the time? Or don't use it at all?
Thank you.

With my current amp, I prefer to at least keep it on crossfeed 1, but I may go higher for certain tracks that really need it. Lately, I've been trying to acclimate my brain to using without crossfeed again, since I'll have to do without if I downgrade to something like the Modius temporarily. I was recently convinced of the value of proper crossfeed when using this test file, which is meant for testing relative phase, but highlights how frequency response can be distorted by listening to headphones without crossfeed with tracks that are traditional stereo recordings. The rumble out-of-phase, which should be significantly attenuated, shows almost no difference with crossfeed disabled, but is properly attenuated in proportion with the strength of the crossfeed enabled on the ADI-2.

For everyone else, good news. It's looking like I'm going to be the first reviewer in my region, so I'll be able to compare the Neo to the ADI-2 directly. As such, I'm also going to go ahead and order the Modius very soon so I can compare it as well. That way, there will be a more expensive and less expensive point of comparison. Additionally, I found an affordable XLR-to-4.4mm adapter, so I can test the balanced output of the Neo for improvement over the single-ended output.
 
Nov 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM Post #330 of 1,148
For everyone else, good news. It's looking like I'm going to be the first reviewer in my region, so I'll be able to compare the Neo to the ADI-2 directly.

I am really happy about this. Looking forward to your review. I will try and wait till you are done with the comparison. I am glad you are the first, so it should not be long.

The rumble out-of-phase, which should be significantly attenuated, shows almost no difference with cross-feed disabled, but is properly attenuated in proportion with the strength of the cross-feed enabled on the ADI-2.

My brain is bit foggy right now. Can you help me understand this sentence a bit better? Especially would like to understand your conclusion. Will you miss or not the cross-feed according to this test?
Also a huge thank you for taking your time to answer me.
 
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