iFi Audio Pro iDSD discussion thread

[Totsipaki]

I've been to the Local Hi End Show Today. Some very nice and talkative guys form Ifi were there explaining me the company's philosophy the products etc.
 
I had a short Listen to the iCan pro accompanied by an AMR 777 Dac combined with an Aurender streamer with Audeze Headphones, and was very Impressed by It's performance through the Jfet output stage (I guess I am not much of a tube guy).
 
It is actually smaller than I expected, a smaller than a 2013 mac mini but looks and feels very solid, lush and well built. It was rather warm in operation but not hot to the touch and It is a paradise in features as a headphone amp having all kinds of outputs and tweaks to be adjusted to various headphones and hobbyist audio tastes.
 
The guys who wait for the dac won't be very happy to know I was told that It is expected around March while the Headphone Amp in Late December. I was told that they are now developing the implementation of a new technology in the forthcoming dac the which is not MQA but They wouldn't reveal more.
 
As for MQA they said that they'll wait to see If It catches on first and then implement It on their devices something they said can be done as they wouldn't like to pay rights which will translate in charging the customer for more before being sure of It's success. I can't blame them thinking of the rather slow developments in this regard.
 
You can see some photos on post #891

 

[bmoura]

Or iFi could offer two models of the iDSD Pro - one without MQA and then a more expensive model with MQA.
I'll take mine with no MQA. 

 

[Faber65]

I've been to the Local Hi End Show Today. Some very sympathetic and talkative guys form Ifi were there explaining me the company's philosophy the products etc. I had a short Listen to the iCan pro accompanied by an AMR 777 Dac combined with an Aurender streamer, with Audeze Headphones and was very Impressed by It's performance through the Jfet output stage (I guess I am not much of a tube guy). It is actually smaller than I expected, a bit smaller than a 2013 mac mini but looks and feels very solid, lush and well built. It was rather warm in operation but not hot to the touch and It is a paradise in features as a headphone amp having all kinds of outputs and tweaks to be adjusted to various headphones and hobbyist audio tastes.

The guys who wait for the dac won't be very happy to know I was told that It is expected around March while the Headphone Amp in Late December. I was told that they are now developing the implementation of a new technology in the forthcoming dac the which is not MQA but They wouldn't reveal more. As for MQA they said that they'll wait to see If It catches on first and then implement It on their devices something they said can be done as they wouldn't like to pay rights which will translate in charging the customer for more before being sure of It's success. I can't blame them thinking of the rather slow developments in this regard.

I also Have some photos but unfortunately my account does not have the permission for uploading pictures yet sorry..

In Guangzhou?

 

[Totsipaki]

No Athens Greece. 

 

[Totsipaki]

  Or iFi could offer two models of the iDSD Pro - one without MQA and then a more expensive model with MQA.
I'll take mine with no MQA. 

 
That I guess is why they will not include that option in the forthcoming dac, thinking that a lot of their customers would make the same choice.
 
Personally I'd prefer MQA included and no tube output stage but that would be against Ifi's policy which is to give the customer as many hardware choices as possible to tweak the sound to his/her tastes and needs.

 

[Totsipaki]

 

 

 
There you go. I guess I have sufficient posts now to be allowed to upload pics. Sorry for the mediocre quality I am an amateur.

 

[Trogdor]

The guys who wait for the dac won't be very happy to know I was told that It is expected around March while the Headphone Amp in Late December. I was told that they are now developing the implementation of a new technology in the forthcoming dac the which is not MQA but They wouldn't reveal more.

I was told the same thing at the NYAS. Late winter/early Spring for the iDSD pro. (and they are working tirelessly on it to make that date)

As for MQA they said that they'll wait to see If It catches on first and then implement It on their devices something they said can be done as they wouldn't like to pay rights which will translate in charging the customer for more before being sure of It's success. I can't blame them thinking of the rather slow developments in this regard.
You can see some photos on post #891

I've asked around since I think this is by FAR the number one issue with respect to MQA - licensing costs. Meridian isn't giving away the codec for free, and I think they are banking on streaming services like Tidal to pump up demand for MQA support (technically speaking, it's more of a new kind of compression than actual full-fledged format - at the end of the day it's still PCM).

EDIT: Nice pics!

 

[Totsipaki]

From where I see It since they rebooted from scratch late last Spring and with all that competition It will take them at least one year to develop something worthy of taking out to the fierce competition in this price point so I think It is more realistic to see a final prototype in Munich on May very worthy of It's price as far as SQ is concerned but capitalizing mostly on flexibility and "digital purity" as the selling point against It's competitors.
 
Choosing between flavors by various output stages and not interfering in the digital domain using analog circuitry for sound tweaking is their way of thinking which may not thrill guys like me who know exactly what they like and are bored or don't have the time to tweak but will surely thrill most hi fi enthusiasts. The sure thing judging form what I saw and heard form the pro head amp is that It will be a very sexy and top quality device.

 

[EVOLVIST]

  From where I see It since they rebooted from scratch late last Spring and with all that competition It will take them at least one year to develop something worthy of taking out to the fierce competition in this price point so I think It is more realistic to see a final prototype in Munich on May very worthy of It's price as far as SQ is concerned but capitalizing mostly on flexibility and "digital purity" as the selling point against It's competitors.

 
Good points, except that iFi announced their redesign of the iDSD Pro on 12-19-2014, which would give the impressions that the redesign began before that date. That has been almost a year now, and still keeping within the last quarter of 2015, or the first quarter of 2016.
 
I mean, I guess I can wait, if that's what it takes, but I just wanted to get the timeline straight.

 

[Maelob]

To be fair,  they didn't take any money from us to develop their product. As far as I am concern they can take as long as they need to develop a great product.  I am sure they want to finish it as soon as possible. 

 

[Totsipaki]

Nobody blames Ifi for anything.. I am sure they are doing the best  they can.
 
Maybe It was a mistake that they made the fans hope for something new around early - then late fall, and then constantly delaying It because speculation and anticipation could lead to nervousness after those multiple delays.
 
Creating a top notch 1500-2000 euro dac-head amp with all that competition out there is by all means no easy feat and especially when trying to keep the balance with inner competition concerning the AMR dac, claiming to create the best sub 2000eur dac/headamp out there at the same time.
 
My posts were made trying to soothe any nervousness and replacing It with hope for something very special.
 
Lucky me I have already made my decision and It is not by Ifi I am afraid but I am expecting It around christmas and after listening to the Ifi pro-Amr dac combo I am now certain that I have made the right choice according to my tastes.
 
That doesn't mean that what I've heard was not top notch It just was not for me.

 

[Haris Javed]

Hi guys - I have a few questions, but first let me thank you for creating the IFI IDSD Micro. It is an amazing product with great price/performance/feature ratio.
 
I am also interested in the Desktop version.
- How much will the desktop pro version cost in the US?
- You state that the Desktop version is rated at 16OHM and 3W - is this XLR or Single ended?
- Can you make the unit pump out more power? maybe 5W @ 50 OHMS
​- Can you offer a Black version with the White IFI logo?
- If the Unit is a DAC / AMP combo, can you please change the goofy USB extender connector cable?
 
Thank you!

 

[iFi audio]

  Hi guys - I have a few questions, but first let me thank you for creating the IFI IDSD Micro. It is an amazing product with great price/performance/feature ratio.
 
I am also interested in the Desktop version.
- How much will the desktop pro version cost in the US?
- You state that the Desktop version is rated at 16OHM and 3W - is this XLR or Single ended?
- Can you make the unit pump out more power? maybe 5W @ 50 OHMS
​- Can you offer a Black version with the White IFI logo?
- If the Unit is a DAC / AMP combo, can you please change the goofy USB extender connector cable?
 
Thank you!

 
Hi,
 
- How much will the desktop pro version cost in the US?
We expect ~US$2,000
 
- You state that the Desktop version is rated at 16OHM and 3W - is this XLR or Single ended?
Single-ended.
 
- Can you make the unit pump out more power? maybe 5W @ 50 OHMS
As a result of being SE output voltage is up to 10V into headphones. So with a 50 Ohm headphone this is 2 Watt. Even with quite inefficient headphones this is a very large amount of power. Power is nice but it is isnt everything.
 
​- Can you offer a Black version with the White IFI logo?
Sorry no. Will be dark titanium or dark titanium. The iFi logo will change colour (white/orange) based upon whether Solid-State or Tube circuit is engaged.
 
- If the Unit is a DAC / AMP combo, can you please change the goofy USB extender connector cable?
No extender cable. It is a USB 'B' type port. The micro iDSD's USB 'A' male is for CCK/OTG type connections as it was designed to be portable and desktop use.
 
Cheers.

 

[all300b]

Far too late in the game for a real request - this will have to be for the iFi DSD Pro mark II.  Have always wanted a "1980s CD" button on a DAC - push it and some magical set of filters and EQ are invoked to squeeze a bit of LIFE from these flat, bloodless, recordings so typical before the mid 90s.  Some of this music is fantastic and has never been remastered (or at least not well) - maybe the best approach is to recreate a "pop-vinyl" type of sound for maximal invocation of lost memories.

 

[EVOLVIST]

  Far too late in the game for a real request - this will have to be for the iFi DSD Pro mark II.  Have always wanted a "1980s CD" button on a DAC - push it and some magical set of filters and EQ are invoked to squeeze a bit of LIFE from these flat, bloodless, recordings so typical before the mid 90s.  Some of this music is fantastic and has never been remastered (or at least not well) - maybe the best approach is to recreate a "pop-vinyl" type of sound for maximal invocation of lost memories.

 
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