[Sajid Amit]

What is the recommended burn-in for this stack, friends?

Also, is there a way to bypass the volume control of the iDSD and use it as a DAC only?

 

[ufospls2]

There is a little selector on the rear of the iDSD. You want "Hifi-Fixed"

 

[Sajid Amit]

There is a little selector on the rear of the iDSD. You want "Hifi-Fixed"

Thanks.

 

[ToddRaymond]

@Sajid Amit I very much value your opinion, and I look forward to your impressions of how the Pro iCan compares with the OOR + Hypsos!

My shortlist is:

-Audio-gd HE-9 MK2 (ever so slightly too neutral, and ultimately, a touch lacking in power for the Susvaras*?)
-Pro iCan {w/ my preferred holy grail-ish tubes} (a touch too coloured?)
-OOR + Hypsos (a wee bit pricey)

*I'm kinda holding out for an updated Utopia (but have some nice IEMs in the meantime).

 

[damascato]

@Sajid Amit I very much value your opinion, and I look forward to your impressions of how the Pro iCan compares with the OOR + Hypsos!

My shortlist is:

-Audio-gd HE-9 MK2 (ever so slightly too neutral, and ultimately, a touch lacking in power for the Susvaras*?)
-Pro iCan {w/ my preferred holy grail-ish tubes} (a touch too coloured?)
-OOR + Hypsos (a wee bit pricey)

*I'm kinda holding out for an updated Utopia (but have some nice IEMs in the meantime).

Hey mate How would you compare ican and oor plus hypsos I’m driving Susvara?

 

[iMemphis]

Anyone here have the iFi stack, and using the ifi gemini3.0 usb cable? I am considering it, since I need a longer cable than the stock, and debating on it. Anyone who uses it, if they can give me some insights if its "worth" it, would be great.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Hey mate How would you compare ican and oor plus hypsos I’m driving Susvara?

The Hypsos OOR are drier which pair well with the Susvara, and they do drive the Susvara slightly better in terms of getting it to its maximum resolution, stage width, etc.

I prefer the iCAN when driving the TC, as the Ferrum stack accentuates the TC's dryness IMO.

 

[adydula]

No burn in with this stuff...IMO....

Works very well from day one, time "0".

Tube folks might think that the tubes might need some burn-in..I disagree but YMMV.
If using the tubes then let them heat up for a few minutes, then have at it...

Enjoy the music!

Alex

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

BTW, as I understand it, the reason for this (whopping big) 18dB attenuation is to allow for buds and IEMs that don't need a lot of driving. Not sure why you can't just turn the volume down though.....because it is hamstringing people with bigger cans that need driving, but that also terminate in 4.4mm. The Pentaconn termination offers the best of both worlds for desk amp and DAP users (like me) who have a crackers expensive 4.4 cable that they'd like to use on both devices (like me) who don't want to buy another crackers expensive cable (also...like me!).

A criticism of this built-in IEMatch -18dB attenuation is that it is not switchable off. This is a very justified criticism.

The one I have (from Amazon) is 70mm long, so 21.5mm longer than the ddhifi version. It's a big ugly thing sticking 52mm out the front of the amp when not in use, so the ddhifi is more appealing as it sticks out 30mm. Another point that can be relevant is if your cable is heavy then the shorter the adaptor the less leverage there is dragging down the adaptor, if the cable hangs for any distance.

In short, it would be MUCH better if the IEMatch could be simply switched off, or just eliminated completely from this amp. Users with a Pentaconn cable are being forced into a very clumsy adaptation rather unnecessarily.

We appreciate the feedback!

Did you try to search the thread for an answer? TL;DR? The iCan amp gets hotter and should go on top. I always had mine on separate shelves, but stacking them seems to be popular.

Correct, the Pro ICAN should generally be on top because of the heat.

Months of listening has led me to believe the BEST pairing of my Final Audio D8000 Pros is with the ifi iCan Pro Signature amp fed via their iFi iDSD Pro Dac....in PCM BP mode.
Great in other amps and dacs, but this pairing is very very close to perfect with this tech....

Sweet is the word.

Thank you sir!

Also, is there a way to bypass the volume control of the iDSD and use it as a DAC only?

Let me follow up with you on if there's a specific process for you.

Anyone here have the iFi stack, and using the ifi gemini3.0 usb cable? I am considering it, since I need a longer cable than the stock, and debating on it. Anyone who uses it, if they can give me some insights if its "worth" it, would be great.

There are a few folks around here who have that set-up and I'm sure they'll be able to chime in.

No burn in with this stuff...IMO....

Works very well from day one, time "0".

Tube folks might think that the tubes might need some burn-in..I disagree but YMMV.
If using the tubes then let them heat up for a few minutes, then have at it...

Enjoy the music!

Alex

We always recommend giving a bit of time for the tubes to heat up. Best to use the tubes 15-20 minutes in for their sweet spot!

 

[adydula]

Tubes need to warm up too allow for thermionic emmision to take place...once thats done...your get to go.
I would think the iFi burns in each unit in final asswmbly and test the tubes would be tested etc...

Alex

 

[Sajid Amit]

The iFi Pro iDSD signature and the Pro iCAN signature are nice-sounding devices no doubt. My initial impressions were very positive but they were recorded driving mostly the Arya, VC, Utopia, etc. I only had an hour with the TC.



However, today I drove the TC almost all day with the iFi stack and despite the crazy power of the iCAN, the TC sounds nowhere near its best.

In what ways do I mean?
- Not as clear a presentation as I have heard
- Bass not as well-controlled
- Stage is way way narrower than I have heard on the TC

I haven’t yet tested the iCAN with my other DACs driving the TC. Will do this and report back.

And for context:
- I bought the stack with my own money
- The best I have heard the TC is off the May and Accuphase e380. That combo is hard to touch (not even the mDave and WA33 came close).

Of course its not fair to compare a 2K amp with an 8K speaker amp but the difference in sonic performance is surprisingly massive.

Let’s see if things change with burn-in.

 

[adydula]

What I really like with the iFi IDSD dac is its NOS mode....even with all the other filters and stuff....I always go back to NOS. IMO is really great with my cans.
D8000 Pros and ADX 5000's, Had many of the TOTL cans here over time and these 2 fit my audio brain best to date.

Great stuff out there for sure..

 

[dcguy73]

The iFi Pro iDSD signature and the Pro iCAN signature are nice-sounding devices no doubt. My initial impressions were very positive but they were recorded driving mostly the Arya, VC, Utopia, etc. I only had an hour with the TC.



However, today I drove the TC almost all day with the iFi stack and despite the crazy power of the iCAN, the TC sounds nowhere near its best.

In what ways do I mean?
- Not as clear a presentation as I have heard
- Bass not as well-controlled
- Stage is way way narrower than I have heard on the TC

I haven’t yet tested the iCAN with my other DACs driving the TC. Will do this and report back.

And for context:
- I bought the stack with my own money
- The best I have heard the TC is off the May and Accuphase e380. That combo is hard to touch (not even the mDave and WA33 came close).



Of course its not fair to compare a 2K amp with an 8K speaker amp but the difference in sonic performance is surprisingly massive.

Let’s see if things change with burn-in.

Looks like you are driving it single-ended. Try a balanced cable.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Looks like you are driving it single-ended. Try a balanced cable.

No that's the Edition XS connected to the amp in the photo.

The TC I have only run balanced of course.

 

[Blackrao]

No that's the Edition XS connected to the amp in the photo.

The TC I have only run balanced of course.

Thanks for Ifi for letting me try out the Ifi Pro iDSD Signature! I mainly listed to it using the Hifiman He-6se v2 and its the best dac/amp I have ever heard with that headphone!