[seanwee]

You guys do realise that you can always spray the thing matte black if you want to right?

 

[iFi audio]

Folks, watch this space. Something big happened and we'll reveal it VERY shortly...

 

[iFi audio]

xDSD
EISA Best Portable DAC / Headphone Amplifier.
Sounds great!



The award winner
iFi’s new portable DAC and headphone amplifier, the xDSD, has won what’s sure to be the first of many awards.

EISA, the European Sound and Imaging Association, has awarded the xDSD Best Portable DAC/Headphone Amplifier for 2018-2019.

Victoria Pickles from iFi said:

“The release of the xDSD had us excited for a long time, so winning the EISA award for Best Portable DAC / Headphone Amplifier is the icing on the cake.

The xDSD packs a punch and revitalizes the way people listen to music. The award is testament to the hard work of everyone at iFi in striving to create the best audio products possible for our customers.”


Praise for the iFi xDSD
EISA was not only impressed by the xDSD’s ten-hour battery life and sleek, super-light magnesium case, but they also loved its flexibility:

“The DAC Headphone Amplifier turns smartphones, laptops and portable players into great sounding music centres. It exudes quality and is perfect for indulging in music on the move.”

They also loved its S/PDIF and USB inputs as well as switchable, digital filtering to allow the flow of unbeatable frequency balance.

With praise like this, it’s easy to see why the xDSD deserves its place on the winner’s podium.


The tech specs
The award-winning xDSD is perfect for home or portable use. But don’t let its compact size fool you, because it’s packed with some big components:

• Wireless Bluetooth - Delivers CD-Quality music wirelessly to your headphones from your smartphone, DAP, laptop or smart TV.

• S/PDIF and USB inputs - Wired, the USB type A OTG/CCK connector offers the ultimate High-Res audio performance for smartphones, laptops and USB enabled DAPs. The 3.5mm coaxial/TOSLINK combo S/PDIF input gives older DAPs and CD players a new lease of life as a transport to serve High-Resolution audio.

• Burr-Brown TrueNative - Hear music as the artist intended. The Burr-Brown True Native® chipset means file formats remain unchanged for the purest sound.

• MQA - For MQA tracks, simply connect to Tidal (on your computer) and check the options to stream MQA.

• S-Balanced Performance - The iFi exclusive S-Balanced technology delivers the maximum performance from single-ended and balanced headphones alike.

• 3D+ & XBass+ - 3D+® creates a louder, deeper soundstage that puts the artist with you in the room with you. XBass+® corrects headphone/speaker bass response to deliver a more profound, tighter, richer bass.

• Cyberdrive - The Cyberdrive headphone amplifier stage is one of the pivotal new circuit designs in the x-series. This new design places all parameters of the analogue system under digital control for a ‘best of both worlds’ scenario.

It’s no wonder EISA was quick to award the xDSD the Best Portable DAC / Headphone Amplifier for 2018/19.

The xDSD, there’s simply nothing like it.

The retail price of the xDSD is US$399 (ex-tax) or €449 /£399 (incl. VAT).

 

[Bansaku]

xDSD
EISA Best Portable DAC / Headphone Amplifier.
Sounds great!



The award winner
iFi’s new portable DAC and headphone amplifier, the xDSD, has won what’s sure to be the first of many awards.

EISA, the European Sound and Imaging Association, has awarded the xDSD Best Portable DAC/Headphone Amplifier for 2018-2019.

Victoria Pickles from iFi said:

“The release of the xDSD had us excited for a long time, so winning the EISA award for Best Portable DAC / Headphone Amplifier is the icing on the cake.

The xDSD packs a punch and revitalizes the way people listen to music. The award is testament to the hard work of everyone at iFi in striving to create the best audio products possible for our customers.”


Praise for the iFi xDSD
EISA was not only impressed by the xDSD’s ten-hour battery life and sleek, super-light magnesium case, but they also loved its flexibility:

“The DAC Headphone Amplifier turns smartphones, laptops and portable players into great sounding music centres. It exudes quality and is perfect for indulging in music on the move.”

They also loved its S/PDIF and USB inputs as well as switchable, digital filtering to allow the flow of unbeatable frequency balance.

With praise like this, it’s easy to see why the xDSD deserves its place on the winner’s podium.


The tech specs
The award-winning xDSD is perfect for home or portable use. But don’t let its compact size fool you, because it’s packed with some big components:

• Wireless Bluetooth - Delivers CD-Quality music wirelessly to your headphones from your smartphone, DAP, laptop or smart TV.

• S/PDIF and USB inputs - Wired, the USB type A OTG/CCK connector offers the ultimate High-Res audio performance for smartphones, laptops and USB enabled DAPs. The 3.5mm coaxial/TOSLINK combo S/PDIF input gives older DAPs and CD players a new lease of life as a transport to serve High-Resolution audio.

• Burr-Brown TrueNative - Hear music as the artist intended. The Burr-Brown True Native® chipset means file formats remain unchanged for the purest sound.

• MQA - For MQA tracks, simply connect to Tidal (on your computer) and check the options to stream MQA.

• S-Balanced Performance - The iFi exclusive S-Balanced technology delivers the maximum performance from single-ended and balanced headphones alike.

• 3D+ & XBass+ - 3D+® creates a louder, deeper soundstage that puts the artist with you in the room with you. XBass+® corrects headphone/speaker bass response to deliver a more profound, tighter, richer bass.

• Cyberdrive - The Cyberdrive headphone amplifier stage is one of the pivotal new circuit designs in the x-series. This new design places all parameters of the analogue system under digital control for a ‘best of both worlds’ scenario.

It’s no wonder EISA was quick to award the xDSD the Best Portable DAC / Headphone Amplifier for 2018/19.

The xDSD, there’s simply nothing like it.

The retail price of the xDSD is US$399 (ex-tax) or €449 /£399 (incl. VAT).

Fantastic, and very much well deserved! I still miss the sweet sweet sound, and killer Bluetooth quality, though IMHO, Cyberdrive is the attention grabber (and a game changer). Digital control of analogue functionality, many have attempted, all have failed except one; iFi! Keep the good times coming eh!!

 

[flyte3333]

MHO, Cyberdrive is the attention grabber (and a game changer). Digital control of analogue functionality

Agreed. I really wished the Pro iDSD had this too. I mentioned a few pages back, it sounds very very transparent.

 

[Slashn77]

Congrats!
I love my xdsd I just wish I didn’t have to connect my Bluetooth manually to my iPhone or iPad every time I want to use it. Please make a firmware update!

Also maybe add a 2.5 or 4.4mm balanced over the rare 3.5mm balances

 

[ClieOS]

Not particularly fond of how normal USB Type-C straight OTG cable adding too much length to the whole setup but there just doesn't seems to be any real solution to the problem, so I decided to create a 'double' right-angled Type-C OTG cable instead

Ordered some parts, namely a normal right angled Type-C OTG cable and some female USB-A socket with the right build.

A hour later

Now that's much better.

 

[iFi audio]

Fantastic, and very much well deserved! I still miss the sweet sweet sound, and killer Bluetooth quality, though IMHO, Cyberdrive is the attention grabber (and a game changer). Digital control of analogue functionality, many have attempted, all have failed except one; iFi! Keep the good times coming eh!!

Thanks!

Agreed. I really wished the Pro iDSD had this too. I mentioned a few pages back, it sounds very very transparent.

Fully agreed.

Not particularly fond of how normal USB Type-C straight OTG cable adding too much length to the whole setup but there just doesn't seems to be any real solution to the problem, so I decided to create a 'double' right-angled Type-C OTG cable instead

Ordered some parts, namely a normal right angled Type-C OTG cable and some female USB-A socket with the right build.

Now that's much better.

Kudos man, that's one awesome job!

 

[iFi audio]

Folks...

IFA 2018
...it's almost here!

• When?

The 31st Aug - 5 Sept 2018!

• The place?

Berlin!

• Where exactly?

Hall 1.2, stand 206, WOD Audio (iFi's German distributor)

You'll have a chance to preview our EISA award winner - xDSD! Our two lovely girls - Victoria and Sarah - will be there supported by Thorsten Loesch himself.

If you'll attend, please visit us!

 

[chicken beer]

We all hear differently. And we all are lucky to have this many wonderful devices to choose from.

That's a very polite statement, but I just used google translation and it says this means: I am right and you are wrong!

 

[betula]

That's a very polite statement, but I just used google translation and it says this means: I am right and you are wrong!

You used a wrong google translator. It means everyone has the right to their own truth.

 

[chicken beer]

You used a wrong google translator. It means everyone has the right to their own truth.

I see!

 

[Dobrescu George]

I got xDSD... a few days ago

Usually, I do my first impressions right away, but to keep those more straight, I decided to take a few moments for stuff where I need more time to give more accurate first impressions.

Please note that those may still change with more experience with the device

First thoughts:

- I also have the iFi OTG, which is the best OTG I had to date, hands-down.
- The box for xDSD is really nice, nice package, as always, very complete, except for rubber bands, which are not included, but they have those nice lock mechanism thingies inside
- The build quality is iFi build quality, tank type. No scratches after a few days of outdoors usage, it is a little prone to fingerprints, but only slightly. I tend to have dry hands while on-the-go and haven't noticed much fingerprints so far
- The jacks is solid
- 1 Button for tweak settings works great, it always stards with xBasso turned on as far as I noticed.
- BT pairing is flawless
- Battery life is amazing, I haven't run out of battery once so far, and been using it for a few days
- Clean looking, stylish
- Don't be fooled by its design, this thing is small. It fits perfectly on my smartphone, and it is almost only half of it in length
- Ergonomics, on al overall level, are top notch
- iFi states that the volume is controlled analogue, but the wheel is absolutely a digital controller controlling an analogue stage volume control. This is great, because it means you can turn it infinitely, and you don't have to deal with channel imbalance or other issues that some analogue wheels develop over time
- The wheel turns nicely, has clear knobs for when you adjust the sound with one level, has enough resistance to not feel loose, but it turns smoothly enough to be enjoyable
- Light on the wheel is lovely. Too bad I only see green and red for most headphones
- one thing I kinda wish for most future products would be to have the input and headphone jack on the same side of the device. As it is right now, I keep the OTG out of my little bag, but the jack sits towards the bottom of the bag. Not a biggie, but something to keep in mind. Happily, my smartphone is much longer than xDSD, so the jack doesn't touch anything in there
- xDSD is much much much better than what I expected for the price. Feels better than iDSD Nano BL for sure in terms of detail, clarity, control, textures, and overall presentation
- Price performance will be insanely good for a portable
- Power is more than adequate for any load you have, especially portables, this can make all my headphones go loud, without any distortion at the highest volume.
- Desktop DAC works flawlessly as far as I tested, no delay, clear, no issue
- Has almost no hiss as far as I can tell
- I am in love with the clarity and detail, really, makes the idea of carrying iDSD Micro BL kinda funny, given how close this is for its size and ergonomics. Of course, not the same power, but then again, I don't really use portably anything that really needs the kind of power that Micro BL has nowadays. BL is still a bit better, but then again, the ergonomics of xDSD are something else entirely
- You'd expect the shape of xDSD to cause issues with its portability, but iFi is one heck of a company, they even placed rubber feet on this bloody thing, they thought of bloody everything! Makes something like HIDIZS DH1000 feel rather designed as a standalone device, where xDSd feels really well designed for stacking.
- I am yet to test the line our, and I am yet to discover how you can figure out how to notice when it is fully charged, if it is turned off.
- More feelings to come.

 

[iFi audio]

I got xDSD... a few days ago

Usually, I do my first impressions right away, but to keep those more straight, I decided to take a few moments for stuff where I need more time to give more accurate first impressions.

Please note that those may still change with more experience with the device

First thoughts:

- I also have the iFi OTG, which is the best OTG I had to date, hands-down.
- The box for xDSD is really nice, nice package, as always, very complete, except for rubber bands, which are not included, but they have those nice lock mechanism thingies inside
- The build quality is iFi build quality, tank type. No scratches after a few days of outdoors usage, it is a little prone to fingerprints, but only slightly. I tend to have dry hands while on-the-go and haven't noticed much fingerprints so far
- The jacks is solid
- 1 Button for tweak settings works great, it always stards with xBasso turned on as far as I noticed.
- BT pairing is flawless
- Battery life is amazing, I haven't run out of battery once so far, and been using it for a few days
- Clean looking, stylish
- Don't be fooled by its design, this thing is small. It fits perfectly on my smartphone, and it is almost only half of it in length
- Ergonomics, on al overall level, are top notch
- iFi states that the volume is controlled analogue, but the wheel is absolutely a digital controller controlling an analogue stage volume control. This is great, because it means you can turn it infinitely, and you don't have to deal with channel imbalance or other issues that some analogue wheels develop over time
- The wheel turns nicely, has clear knobs for when you adjust the sound with one level, has enough resistance to not feel loose, but it turns smoothly enough to be enjoyable
- Light on the wheel is lovely. Too bad I only see green and red for most headphones
- one thing I kinda wish for most future products would be to have the input and headphone jack on the same side of the device. As it is right now, I keep the OTG out of my little bag, but the jack sits towards the bottom of the bag. Not a biggie, but something to keep in mind. Happily, my smartphone is much longer than xDSD, so the jack doesn't touch anything in there
- xDSD is much much much better than what I expected for the price. Feels better than iDSD Nano BL for sure in terms of detail, clarity, control, textures, and overall presentation
- Price performance will be insanely good for a portable
- Power is more than adequate for any load you have, especially portables, this can make all my headphones go loud, without any distortion at the highest volume.
- Desktop DAC works flawlessly as far as I tested, no delay, clear, no issue
- Has almost no hiss as far as I can tell
- I am in love with the clarity and detail, really, makes the idea of carrying iDSD Micro BL kinda funny, given how close this is for its size and ergonomics. Of course, not the same power, but then again, I don't really use portably anything that really needs the kind of power that Micro BL has nowadays. BL is still a bit better, but then again, the ergonomics of xDSD are something else entirely
- You'd expect the shape of xDSD to cause issues with its portability, but iFi is one heck of a company, they even placed rubber feet on this bloody thing, they thought of bloody everything! Makes something like HIDIZS DH1000 feel rather designed as a standalone device, where xDSd feels really well designed for stacking.
- I am yet to test the line our, and I am yet to discover how you can figure out how to notice when it is fully charged, if it is turned off.
- More feelings to come.

Yes! Keep 'em impressions coming!

 

[Slashn77]

I got xDSD... a few days ago

Usually, I do my first impressions right away, but to keep those more straight, I decided to take a few moments for stuff where I need more time to give more accurate first impressions.

Please note that those may still change with more experience with the device

First thoughts:

- I also have the iFi OTG, which is the best OTG I had to date, hands-down.
- The box for xDSD is really nice, nice package, as always, very complete, except for rubber bands, which are not included, but they have those nice lock mechanism thingies inside
- The build quality is iFi build quality, tank type. No scratches after a few days of outdoors usage, it is a little prone to fingerprints, but only slightly. I tend to have dry hands while on-the-go and haven't noticed much fingerprints so far
- The jacks is solid
- 1 Button for tweak settings works great, it always stards with xBasso turned on as far as I noticed.
- BT pairing is flawless
- Battery life is amazing, I haven't run out of battery once so far, and been using it for a few days
- Clean looking, stylish
- Don't be fooled by its design, this thing is small. It fits perfectly on my smartphone, and it is almost only half of it in length
- Ergonomics, on al overall level, are top notch
- iFi states that the volume is controlled analogue, but the wheel is absolutely a digital controller controlling an analogue stage volume control. This is great, because it means you can turn it infinitely, and you don't have to deal with channel imbalance or other issues that some analogue wheels develop over time
- The wheel turns nicely, has clear knobs for when you adjust the sound with one level, has enough resistance to not feel loose, but it turns smoothly enough to be enjoyable
- Light on the wheel is lovely. Too bad I only see green and red for most headphones
- one thing I kinda wish for most future products would be to have the input and headphone jack on the same side of the device. As it is right now, I keep the OTG out of my little bag, but the jack sits towards the bottom of the bag. Not a biggie, but something to keep in mind. Happily, my smartphone is much longer than xDSD, so the jack doesn't touch anything in there
- xDSD is much much much better than what I expected for the price. Feels better than iDSD Nano BL for sure in terms of detail, clarity, control, textures, and overall presentation
- Price performance will be insanely good for a portable
- Power is more than adequate for any load you have, especially portables, this can make all my headphones go loud, without any distortion at the highest volume.
- Desktop DAC works flawlessly as far as I tested, no delay, clear, no issue
- Has almost no hiss as far as I can tell
- I am in love with the clarity and detail, really, makes the idea of carrying iDSD Micro BL kinda funny, given how close this is for its size and ergonomics. Of course, not the same power, but then again, I don't really use portably anything that really needs the kind of power that Micro BL has nowadays. BL is still a bit better, but then again, the ergonomics of xDSD are something else entirely
- You'd expect the shape of xDSD to cause issues with its portability, but iFi is one heck of a company, they even placed rubber feet on this bloody thing, they thought of bloody everything! Makes something like HIDIZS DH1000 feel rather designed as a standalone device, where xDSd feels really well designed for stacking.
- I am yet to test the line our, and I am yet to discover how you can figure out how to notice when it is fully charged, if it is turned off.
- More feelings to come.

Love my unit as well!
You said no BT issues. Have you tried going from BT to wired USB then back to BT on same device? Common issue seems to be having to go into Bluetooth settings on phone or DAP and repair with xdsd. Does yours have this issue? Or in my case even if I play BT then the xdsd off then turn it back on to play BT from same device I still have to go into my iPhone settings and manually connect BT again(it does not have memory of any of my BT devices like laptop iPhone or iPads)

Anyway, Can anyone recommend bands to fit around the xdsd and regular iPhone 7?