[EVOLVIST]

I suppose the pro has the tube modes, which some will see as a gimmick, or in a best case "jack of all, master of none".

No, my friend, this is the real deal as far as tube sound. No gimmicks. What would make you think for $1695 all you'd get is a gimmick?

SS sounds just as fast and clear as so would expect, faithfully rendering the source. As soon as you flip the switch to tubes, you hear the clicking inside, and suddenly your ears are met with a well-rounded glow of lush sound. With the tubes they've chosen the sound harkens back to the golden age of tube radio, where the tube sheen meant something, instead of a lot of gear today where the sound is smothered in a compressed sound. Then one more flick of the switch and you've reached a sound that is wholly modern. Pow! You've arrived at Tube+, which gives the same speed and clarity of solid state, yet with that same tube feel that you had before.

I'm not sure what applications the iCAN Pro actually has for the professional studio, but for a personal headphone amp it should be a dream come true for many.

 

[Allanmarcus]

 

I suppose the pro has the tube modes, which some will see as a gimmick, or in a best case "jack of all, master of none".

No, my friend, this is the real deal as far as tube sound. No gimmicks. What would make you think for $1695 all you'd get is a gimmick?

SS sounds just as fast and clear as so would expect, faithfully rendering the source. As soon as you flip the switch to tubes, you hear the clicking inside, and suddenly your ears are met with a well-rounded glow of lush sound. With the tubes they've chosen the sound harkens back to the golden age of tube radio, where the tube sheen meant something, instead of a lot of gear today where the sound is smothered in a compressed sound. Then one more flick of the switch and you've reached a sound that is wholly modern. Pow! You've arrived at Tube+, which gives the same speed and clarity of solid state, yet with that same tube feel that you had before.

I'm not sure what applications the iCAN Pro actually has for the professional studio, but for a personal headphone amp it should be a dream come true for many.

You've described what some might consider a gimmick perfectly. "It's a tube amp and a solid state amp all in one!" So the question people will ask is how good of a Tube amp is it? How good of a SS amp is it? I can get a Mjolnir 2 for $1000 and have tubes or SS (albeit not at the flip of a switch). Heck, I can get a Lyr and an iCan SE for way less than $1000, let alone $1700. 
 
I was just pointing out that for the same money as a pro iCan, one can get a Ragnarok. The Rag has speaker terminals, 5 inputs, two outputs, balanced and SE headphone output, and a fantastic reputation. It's also gigantic. There are many other SS or Tube amps for the pro to compete with. 
 
A "gimmick" is a device used to attract business. The ability to flick a switch and switch between SS, Tube, or Tube+ mode is the pro's gimmick; it's the thing that differentiates it from the pack of other amps. The term "jack of all, master of none" has also been used by people that have never heard the pro, so it has a bit of a preconception to overcome. Getting it in the hands of the existing well respected reviewers will go a long way to get the word out. If I were iFi, I would have already sent one to stereophile, innerfidelity, and others. 

 

[tesox]

... btw, I spent the last 4 days with reading literally every single word I could find about the ifi ican pro
and no one used the term "jack of all, master of none" exept you.
Whats the point of speculating about what somone might say/think about this amp?
That's also a way to provoke an opinion about something.
There are always alternatives for everything, but like evolvist said, it's a dream come true for many what this amp offers (me too).
Gimmick, btw, is no serious characterization of two available amps.
If ifi had build two amps (SS / tube) in a separate case, no one would come to the idea to call one of them a "gimmick".
I own an auralic taurus mk ii and it looks so fantastic high end and expensive and you can switch from single ended to balanced and innerfidelity says it's spectacular, wow !!! <--- that's a gimmick b/c it's not really balanced and thats not the only fault of this high praised master of SS.
What I like about the ifi ican pro and ifi products in general is that there no "bling bling" or mystification about their products but no-nonsense art of engineering with total transparency to the customer.

 

[grdlow]

 
You've described what some might consider a gimmick perfectly. "It's a tube amp and a solid state amp all in one!" So the question people will ask is how good of a Tube amp is it? How good of a SS amp is it? I can get a Mjolnir 2 for $1000 and have types or SS (albeit not at the flip of a switch). Heck, I can get a Lyr and an iCan SE for way less than $1000, let alone $1700. 
 
I was just pointing out that for the same money as a pro iCan, one can get a Ragnarok. The Rag has speaker terminals, 5 inputs, two outputs, balanced and SE headphone output, and a fantastic reputation. It's also gigantic. There are many other SS or Tube amps for the pro to compete with. 
 
A "gimmick" is a device used to attract business. The ability to flick a switch and switch between SS, Tube, or Tube+ mode is the pro's gimmick; it's the thing that differentiates it from the pack of other amps. The term 'jack of all, master of none" has also been used by people that have never heard the pro, so it has a bit of a preconception to overcome. Getting it int he hands of the existing well respected reviewers will go a long way to get the word out. If I were iFi, I would have already sent one to stereophile, innerfidelity, and others. 

I believe for many that have bought the iCan Pro, myself included, we just enjoy the heck out of it so much that we no longer bother about comparisons with other amps.   

 

[Allanmarcus]

No need to be defensive. I completely understand that you love the amp. I really like my nano. I'm just eagerly awaiting reviews from the larger audience. on the pro.

@tesox, you obviously haven't read it all. There is a short discussion of this amp on another headphone site. Sorry, I'm not allowed to post a link or name the site. Like me, no one there has heard it, but the concerns I brought up here were made there by others.

I'm not saying it's not a good, or even great amp. I'm saying that it risks being thought of in the ways I mention earlier until the broad consensus is that it's not. To get that broad consensus, the established and respected reviewers probably need to weigh in. That will happen with time, but could happen faster if iFi sent review units out. Who knows, maybe they already have.

 

[rickyleelee]

... btw, I spent the last 4 days with reading literally every single word I could find about the ifi ican pro
and no one used the term "jack of all, master of none" exept you.
Whats the point of speculating about what somone might say/think about this amp?
That's also a way to provoke an opinion about something.
There are always alternatives for everything, but like evolvist said, it's a dream come true for many what this amp offers (me too).
Gimmick, btw, is no serious characterization of two available amps.
If ifi had build two amps (SS / tube) in a separate case, no one would come to the idea to call one of them a "gimmick".
I own an auralic taurus mk ii and it looks so fantastic high end and expensive and you can switch from single ended to balanced and innerfidelity says it's spectacular, wow !!! <--- that's a gimmick b/c it's not really balanced and thats not the only fault of this high praised master of SS.
What I like about the ifi ican pro and ifi products in general is that there no "bling bling" or mystification about their products but no-nonsense art of engineering with total transparency to the customer.

 
Well explained. the amr background is something wifi don't explain well to customers but these other brands that advertise on head fi don't have that kind of super high end dna while poeple go ga ga ga crazy. just let them do it to their content. I prefer to buy mini me BMW than expensive Citroen.

 

[rickyleelee]

  I believe for many that have bought the iCan Pro, myself included, we just enjoy the heck out of it so much that we no longer bother about comparisons with other amps.   

 
I'm trying to get the Pro iCan on loan as my wife may leave me if I buy more audio toys but my friends asked me to do a demo. fwiw, I auditioned some of these 'big name amps' and while I am not one to publicly bash them, some of these names you guys talk about I have auditioned and they are not worth the money as their sound quality just isn't that good. They just don't have the same sound. I am saving to get another pair of closed headphones and I plan to have the Pro iCan to help me make my decision.

 

[thatonenoob]

Just got it for a loan period and I do look forward to giving it a go.  Most definitely an interesting concept.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

You've described what some might consider a gimmick perfectly. "It's a tube amp and a solid state amp all in one!" So the question people will ask is how good of a Tube amp is it? How good of a SS amp is it? I can get a Mjolnir 2 for $1000 and have tubes or SS (albeit not at the flip of a switch). Heck, I can get a Lyr and an iCan SE for way less than $1000, let alone $1700. 

I was just pointing out that for the same money as a pro iCan, one can get a Ragnarok. The Rag has speaker terminals, 5 inputs, two outputs, balanced and SE headphone output, and a fantastic reputation. It's also gigantic. There are many other SS or Tube amps for the pro to compete with. 

A "gimmick" is a device used to attract business. The ability to flick a switch and switch between SS, Tube, or Tube+ mode is the pro's gimmick; it's the thing that differentiates it from the pack of other amps. The term "jack of all, master of none" has also been used by people that have never heard the pro, so it has a bit of a preconception to overcome. Getting it in the hands of the existing well respected reviewers will go a long way to get the word out. If I were iFi, I would have already sent one to stereophile, innerfidelity, and others. 

Don't want to leak to much prior to the review being posted, but a brief response to your post (oh and you missed The Headphone List).

Had the Lyr 2 for years, not in the same league as the Pro iCan, soundstage, imaging, tone are all much better (Lyr tubes were Voskhod 1974 & Bugle Boys). I've had it for about a week, so early impressions with HD-800 Anax Mod/Draug 2, LCD-3f (2016 Vintage), Dharma, Alclair Studio4 and RSM CIEMs, all with excellant results. My current amps are the MX2, Taurus Mk.2, Heron 5 and LC.

 

[thatonenoob]

The amp can theoretically drive two single ended headphones through the 2 x 6.3. Would it perhaps be asking too much to have a volume control for each output. Just thinking aloud.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Don't want to leak to much prior to the review being posted, but a brief response to your post (oh and you missed The Headphone List).

Had the Lyr 2 for years, not in the same league as the Pro iCan, soundstage, imaging, tone are all much better (Lyr tubes were Voskhod 1974 & Bugle Boys). I've had it for about a week, so early impressions with HD-800 Anax Mod/Draug 2, LCD-3f (2016 Vintage), Dharma, Alclair Studio4 and RSM CIEMs, all with excellant results. My current amps are the MX2, Taurus Mk.2, Heron 5 and LC.

Whoops, I plead typing on my iPhone and large thumbs, MZ2, the MicroZOTL2 (also being reviewed), both are quite innovative products that sound wonderful!

 

[tesox]

My ican pro arrived today ... finally.
 
Some impressions:
 

 

 

 

 

 

[EVOLVIST]

The iCAN Pro has the 2nd largest soundstage I've heard from any amps through my HD800s (running balanced, of course). The soundstage is huge and natural. In SS and Tube+ the clarity, speed and detail are all there. Each instrument sits in it's own space - right in the pocket (depending on the mix, obviously).

This is the way an amp should sound. No gimmicks! Just the straight dope!

 

[Allanmarcus]

The iCAN Pro has the 2nd largest soundstage I've heard from any amps through my HD800s (running balanced, of course). The soundstage is huge and natural. In SS and Tube+ the clarity, speed and detail are all there. Each instrument sits in it's own space - right in the pocket (depending on the mix, obviously).

This is the way an amp should sound. No gimmicks! Just the straight dope!

What's the best you've heard, and have you heard the McIntosh MHA100?

 

[EVOLVIST]

What's the best you've heard, and have you heard the McIntosh MHA100?

The best SS amp I've ever heard is the SPL Auditor/Phonitor. Probably the best tube amp I've heard (price wise) is the Eddie Current Balancing Act. The best bang-for-your-buck tube amp? This little bity Aune T1 amp/DAC. It's magical.

No, I have not heard the McIntosh.

My caveat is always that I'm not really a tube guy, especially with headphones, as you tend to hear more flubbiness in most tube amps.

Luckily the iCAN Pro sounds as clear in tubes as one could want (coming from a SS guy). Any more tube sound would have killed it for me. I just want a slight warmth when I turn on tubes, not an overbearing aura that most produce.

In this way the iCAN Pro is close to perfection. On the solid state side it gives everything I've heard a run for its money. I've hears much more expensive SS amps that either sounded too thin, edgy, closed and/or simply not matching its price point.

I just can't imagine the serious audiophile balking after hearing the iCAN Pro. With this one, though, because it's so pure, you've got to have a DAC you're happy with to pair it with.