[GHoldridge]

Now that's actually fascinating.. I thought iDSD Pro does the following with all inputs:

1. Galvanic Isolation
2. Buffers, Reclocks and Regenerates the signal

I'm curious with those two operations, how are the high amount of USB noise affects the sound.... @iFi audio ?

Yea the galvanic isolation can create a ground loop indirectly. Using Galvanic isolation in my case isolated my audio system from my pc ground creating a ground loop pop click dropout issue. The only way to solve it in my case was to add an earth ground after the galvanic isolation. I used the ican pro dc input to run an earth ground off which would work on the iDSD pro

 

[webmi]

Also, we have just released a short but sweet guide about MQA via SPDIF on Pro iDSD in Tidal. Enjoy!

I am using the 2.0 Beta for quite a while now. All i can say about my MQA experience is: "very yes", i like it a LOT.

Therefore i want to ask if there is a 2.x Final update in the near future or do we have to stick to a Beta firmware for MQA? Will there be an official release? Will there be an update on your website with iDSD Pro firmware or do we have to ask the support via eMail every time someone want to update a iDSD Pro?

Dont get this wrong, i like my iDSD Pro / iCan Pro setup very very much. I am just wondering how things are handled and managed here. Not a single official firmware download available on your website for your highest end (ifi) product, but jet there are 3 different firmware versions for the iDSD Pro at least i now about. I personaly would like to see a bit more presence or progress on this kind of topic.

Greetings form germany

 

[flyte3333]

The only way to solve it in my case was to add an earth ground after the galvanic isolation.

This may defeat the isolation... But if it solves your issue, that might not be a bad thing...

 

[lichie]

Have you tried running Pro iDSD straight out of USB port? Does it still pop? At least this would help narrow down the problem.

With the iDSD plugged directly into my computer with USB, there is no noise coming through the DAC, but there is popping during music playback. When it is plugged into the computer via USB through the iDefender, there is no noise or popping, and everything works as expected.

I've never experienced any popping or packet errors like this with any of my other DACs, even without the iDefender.

 

[youurayy]

I am using the 2.0 Beta for quite a while now. All i can say about my MQA experience is: "very yes", i like it a LOT.

Therefore i want to ask if there is a 2.x Final update in the near future or do we have to stick to a Beta firmware for MQA? Will there be an official release? Will there be an update on your website with iDSD Pro firmware or do we have to ask the support via eMail every time someone want to update a iDSD Pro?

Dont get this wrong, i like my iDSD Pro / iCan Pro setup very very much. I am just wondering how things are handled and managed here. Not a single official firmware download available on your website for your highest end (ifi) product, but jet there are 3 different firmware versions for the iDSD Pro at least i now about. I personaly would like to see a bit more presence or progress on this kind of topic.

Greetings form germany

^ I have the same question. When is 2.0 Final available? @iFi audio

 

[iFi audio]

I am using the 2.0 Beta for quite a while now. All i can say about my MQA experience is: "very yes", i like it a LOT.

Therefore i want to ask if there is a 2.x Final update in the near future or do we have to stick to a Beta firmware for MQA? Will there be an official release?

Of course there will be an official release and all beta stage activities (customers feedback for exapmple, our own internal development) lead to it.

Will there be an update on your website with iDSD Pro firmware or do we have to ask the support via eMail every time someone want to update a iDSD Pro?

Once the beta stage ends, we'll publish an official release at our site, as per usual.

I am just wondering how things are handled and managed here. Not a single official firmware download available on your website for your highest end (ifi) product, but jet there are 3 different firmware versions for the iDSD Pro at least i now about. I personaly would like to see a bit more presence or progress on this kind of topic.

The purpose of beta FW is to gather feedback, squash as many bugs as possible and once all that is done, we release the official version. Beta software has to eventually turn into official release and that's pretty much it. Our R&D team works as hard as they can to have this ready ASAP.

^ I have the same question. When is 2.0 Final available? @iFi audio

When we're ready, but it shouldn't take long.

 

[webmi]

thx

 

[Fatdoi]

We see the 4.4mm need in here and we look into this.

I have been asking for this for sometime..... about to pull the trigger, so if i buy now, can I retrofit 4.4mm if it comes online sometime in the future?

 

[tinnitize]

Well, lads

I roughly remember (too lazy to search for the posts) that last February ifi said they heard from some people during an event who are keen on getting a front with 4,4mm plugs (after a lot of us talked about their likes for it in this tread) and now they will make a new front with it (and offering two different fronts then), and therefore they need just some more months to alter the front, will bring it to market at the end of May. (And I asked myself: what a strange excuse after they suggested that the first version of fronts would be made already.)

We know when the iDSDpro was delivered first... Well, in the meanwhile there came MQA to got inserted as hardware and so on - but no precise comment about it and the fronts from ifi.

Some weeks ago they again said well if some of you really would like to get a front for 4,4mm plugs then we could see...

That is the way I remember the process about the different iDSDpro front. And I am also waiting for the new one...

Greetings from Berlin

tinnitize

 

[Slim1970]

Well, lads

I roughly remember (too lazy to search for the posts) that last February ifi said they heard from some people during an event who are keen on getting a front with 4,4mm plugs (after a lot of us talked about their likes for it in this tread) and now they will make a new front with it (and offering two different fronts then), and therefore they need just some more months to alter the front, will bring it to market at the end of May. (And I asked myself: what a strange excuse after they suggested that the first version of fronts would be made already.)

We know when the iDSDpro was delivered first... Well, in the meanwhile there came MQA to got inserted as hardware and so on - but no precise comment about it and the fronts from ifi.

Some weeks ago they again said well if some of you really would like to get a front for 4,4mm plugs then we could see...

That is the way I remember the process about the different iDSDpro front. And I am also waiting for the new one...

Greetings from Berlin

tinnitize

I'm curious to see where this goes. I'm planning on picking up a Pro iDSD in the next month or so and would prefer the 4.4mm connection myself. I haven't seen much talk about the 4.4mm connection and I wonder if it is still an option at this point.

 

[gordec]

I finally got to experience the Pro iDSD purely as a network player this weekend. My modem and router are in a different room than my listening room. Before I had Jriver Media Center setup with DLNA. Pro iDSD will show up and I can use it to stream my library, but songs would stutter. DSD just didn't work. This weekend, I hardwired ethernet in my office and put a switch, so my PC and Pro iDSD are "hardwired" together. My songs even DSD128 streamed flawlessly. There is a slight wait 1-2 sec when you change tracks with different bitrate. Here is the kicker.

The sound quality is spectacular with network play. I invested quit a bit into my USB setup. Paul Pang USB card is powered by LPS. I also got Wireworld Platinum Eclipse USB cable. All that to minimize noise. The network play back with cheap $3 ethernet cable added more dynamics and improved on imaging. It's not night and day, but it's very noticeable. I hope iFi puts more effort into the network function in the future updates.

I also tried Audivarna 3+ for windows which also sounds great and finds ifi as a network player. However, it won't let me play anything more than 24/192.

 

[flyte3333]

My songs even DSD128 streamed flawlessly.

Sure it wasn't downsampling your DSD128?

However, it won't let me play anything more than 24/192.

Straight from the Pro iDSD manual...

 

[bluesaint]

I finally got to experience the Pro iDSD purely as a network player this weekend. My modem and router are in a different room than my listening room. Before I had Jriver Media Center setup with DLNA. Pro iDSD will show up and I can use it to stream my library, but songs would stutter. DSD just didn't work. This weekend, I hardwired ethernet in my office and put a switch, so my PC and Pro iDSD are "hardwired" together. My songs even DSD128 streamed flawlessly. There is a slight wait 1-2 sec when you change tracks with different bitrate. Here is the kicker.

The sound quality is spectacular with network play. I invested quit a bit into my USB setup. Paul Pang USB card is powered by LPS. I also got Wireworld Platinum Eclipse USB cable. All that to minimize noise. The network play back with cheap $3 ethernet cable added more dynamics and improved on imaging. It's not night and day, but it's very noticeable. I hope iFi puts more effort into the network function in the future updates.

I also tried Audivarna 3+ for windows which also sounds great and finds ifi as a network player. However, it won't let me play anything more than 24/192.

I have the same observations so until recently I've also made a little mod to get better wifi network streaming by adding a larger gain antenna..

 

[gordec]

Sure it wasn't downsampling your DSD128?



Straight from the Pro iDSD manual...

You are probably right. It's DSD over pcm. Jriver just lets me play DSD files. It still sounds better than USB with native DSD.

 

[flyte3333]

You are probably right. It's DSD over pcm. Jriver just lets me play DSD files. It still sounds better than USB with native DSD.

No problem. Nothing at all technically wrong with DoP (DSD over PCM).

But you definitely aren't playing DSD128 to the Pro iDSD over the network, as it is limited to DSD64 on this input (as per the manual screenshot above).

So there is downsampling happening, to either DoP64 or to PCM176kHz...

What format and sample rate does Pro iDSD's display show you when you play DSD128?