iFi Audio Pro iDSD
The official Launch release
Having sparked a revolution with its low-cost DACs that offered music fans portable 256 stereo for less than £500 a few years ago, iFi has maintained its position at the vanguard of the audio world with the launch of the ground-breaking Pro iDSD. There is simply nothing like it.
We have paid great attention to every section of this DAC/headphone-amp/preamp – no stone has been left unturned. Tried and tested classic noise reduction techniques found in tube equipment have been combined with cutting-edge, 21st century technology to deliver a superlative performance.
The quad section uses a quad “stack” of Bit-Perfect DSD and DXD DACs by Burr-Brown in a custom “interleaved” configuration. This arrangement enables a total of eight pairs of differential signals to be used and mixed totalling four pairs of signals per channel.
In a nutshell
The iFi Pro iDSD is a revolutionary DAC that combines a number of different features to give your home audio system the best possible playback resolution and sound. It can handle all audio formats to DSD1024 or DSD512 or PCM 768K with user-selectable digital filters.
Wireless Playback
With LINKPLAY™ WiFi/network playback, built-in Spotify and Tidal, and wide protocol support for 32-Bit/192kHz and DSD64, the Pro iDSD can directly link to a router for online music play. This gives it the option to:
• Play direct from SD card
• Link to a router and directly stream (TIDAL/MQA, Spotify etc)
• Use DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) via music stored on HDD
It’s taken a while to come to market but, boy, has it been worth it. This innovative digital engine will shape the next generation of iFi products and they will rock the digital world.
The gang of four
A quad “stack” of Bit-Perfect DSD and DXD DACs by Burr-Brown work in a custom “interleaved” configuration so that up to eight pairs of differential signals can be used and mixed.
Digital Processing
The new XMOS XU216 X-Core 200 Series 16-Core processor has a maximum of 2,000 MIPS (two billion instructions per second) calculation power in dual-issue mode as a USB interface.
Crysopeia FPGA Digital Engine
The FPGA excels, by handling the up-sampling duties to attain the DSD1024 audio format. In fact, the Pro iDSD can handle all audio formats to DSD1024 or DSD512 or PCM 768K with user-selectable digital filters.
Wireless playback
With LINKPLAY™ WiFi/network playback, built-in Spotify and Tidal, and wide protocol support for 32-Bit/192kHz and DSD64, the Pro iDSD can directly link to a router for online music play.
Many format options
It can handle all audio formats to DSD1024 or DSD512 or PCM 768K with user-selectable digital filters and also gives the user the option to listen to tracks via MQA.
Sample Rates:
- PCM up to 768kHz
- DSD up to 24.576MHz
- DXD and double speed DXD (2xDXD)
Inputs:
- USB (required for DSD, DXD and sample rates above 192KHz)
- AES3 (XLR - single link)
- SPDIF (RCA/Optical combo)
- BNC multifunction In (SPDIF/AES3id In, DARS In, 10MHz In, Atomic clock in)
- BNC multifunction Sync Out (DARS out, 10MHz out)
Outputs:
- Balanced XLR at 4.6V (+15.5dBu - HiFi) or 10V (+22dBu - Pro)
- Single-Ended RCA at 2.3V (HiFi) or 5V (Pro)
- Headphones 6.3mm & SE 3.5mm Jack at 0.55V/2.1V/5V
- Headphones BAL 2.5mm Jack at 1.13V/4.6V/10V
- Headphones out 1,500mW RMS X 2 @ 64 ohm, 4,000mW max. 2 X @ 16 Ohm
Volume Control:
- Balanced (quad) Alps potentiometer, motorised with IR remote control
- XLR/RCA outputs can be selected as fixed level or adjusted
- 6.3mm Headphone Jack is always adjusted
Other Functions:
- Various digital and analogue filters can be selected for DSD and PCM up to 192KHz
PCM Filters:
- Bit perfect (no digital filter, minimal analogue filter)
44.1 - 192KHz, always used for 352.8 - 768kHz
- Bit perfect II (no digital filter, analogue filter corrects HF roll-off)
44.1 - 96kHz
- Minimum Phase (Filter minimises pre- and post-ringing)
44.1 - 192KHz
- Standard FIR (Brickwall Filter)
44.1 - 192KHz
- Additional fixed second order analogue filter @ 80kHz
DSD Filters:
- Four different filters (selectable) with varying bandwidth
- Additional fixed second order analogue filter @ 80kHz
The retail price of the Pro iDSD is:
- US $2,499 (ex-tax)
- €2,749 (incl. VAT)
- £2,499 (incl. VAT)
And lastly, Wojciech Pacuła of Polish HighFidelity.pl reviewed Pro iDSD and awarded it his
Red Fingerprint. English version of this publication is to be found here: