[flyte3333]

If you honestly think that our micro iDSD BL is this good, you might literally loose your head with the Pro.

Ha, it’s true.

 

[LoganRoss]

We simply know what Pro iDSD is and this builds confidence, yes.

Actually, the bigger issue is that the Pro dac has neither xbass or 3d, two amazing features. that means my ROI analysis would also have take take into account buying both the pro dac and the pro amp.....

 

[seaharp1]

I wish there was somewhere around me to demo the Pro.

If your in the USA, and willing to pay, Music Direct online, 60 day return policy.
I bought a Mytek product and retuned it in 45 days.

https://www.musicdirect.com/dac/iFi...MIl5-g84CR3QIVhGZ-Ch3DlAoLEAQYAiABEgLDnfD_BwE

 

[iFi audio]

Actually, the bigger issue is that the Pro dac has neither xbass or 3d, two amazing features. that means my ROI analysis would also have take take into account buying both the pro dac and the pro amp.....

Although Pro iDSD is packed with goodies to the roof, sorry, but we can't squeeze in it every tech we have. There are priorities. This machine is a DAC in the first place and as such it needs things that are important to support this functionality.

Besides, have you seen how big XBass and 3D circuitry in Pro iCAN is? Not a small circuit at all...

 

[iFi audio]

If your in the USA, and willing to pay, Music Direct online, 60 day return policy.
I bought a Mytek product and retuned it in 45 days.

https://www.musicdirect.com/dac/iFi...MIl5-g84CR3QIVhGZ-Ch3DlAoLEAQYAiABEgLDnfD_BwE

Yup, try before you buy. Our return policy is generous, hence we encourage anyone to exploit it

 

[Indisch]

Hi,
I cannot get the xdsd to work with Apple AirPlay. Sending the Music over WLAN to the Airport and from there via an optical TOSLINK to the xdsd. The LED is green but there is no Signal. From my PS4 via TOSLINK I get sound. Anybody have any experience with this? Appreciate any advise or info.

 

[iFi audio]

Hi,
I cannot get the xdsd to work with Apple AirPlay. Sending the Music over WLAN to the Airport and from there via an optical TOSLINK to the xdsd. The LED is green but there is no Signal. From my PS4 via TOSLINK I get sound. Anybody have any experience with this? Appreciate any advise or info.

Please feel free to shoot us a message here: http://support.ifi-audio.com

Our staff will do their best to help you.

 

[Evgeni]

I’m a little bit lost here so I hope you can help me. I’ve been listening to Beoplay H6 2nd gen connected to the audio output of my 15” MacBook Pro latest generation at the office. The laptop itself is always powered by the mains. The headphones sound great, there’s no noise, distortion or whatever wrong with the sound and I never put the volume slider to more than 50-60% so there’s plenty of power.

1. Nevertheless I’ve been advised that switching to an external DAC/amp will improve the sound considerably. Is that true?

2. I’ve been also told USB powered DAC/Amps are cr*p and I need to use external linear power supply and the DAC should be galvanically isolated from the USB part. How about that?

3. I’m confused about the battery in the xDSD. Is it there to solve that exact problem and thus provide “pure” and noise-free power? Or it’s there only to make the DAC portable?

4. What’s that “desktop” mode? Is battery used in that mode to eventually solve the “clean” power problem?

5. If not, do I have to charge the battery over night and then disconnect the charging cable in the day and use the battery power?

6. If I can still leave the power cable, will be battery used at all?

7. If yes, will the USB noise be isolated?

8. If no, is the USB power cleaned up?

9. Do I have to use some linear and expensive power supply then?

——-

10. Is xDSD for me at all taking in mind the above? It will always stay at the office, I mean I don’t need portability. In that case is this the wrong product for me? Which one would be better?

Sorry if those are silly questions. I tried to read the entire thread but couldn’t actually find answers to them but it might still be my fault since I am not very familiar with these things so I apologize if that’s indeed the case.

Cheers!

 

[iFi audio]

1. Nevertheless I’ve been advised that switching to an external DAC/amp will improve the sound considerably. Is that true?

In short, a good DAC/amp will sound significantly better, yes.

2. I’ve been also told USB powered DAC/Amps are cr*p and I need to use external linear power supply and the DAC should be galvanically isolated from the USB part. How about that?

This is not factual. We can't speak for other manufacturers, but at iFi audio we pay great attention to clean power, reclocking and many more. We have our proprietary tech to do USB powered products great and many of our customers are happy with what they buy. Galvanic isolation is the next step, which oftentimes elevates the experience significantly. But to say that USB machines are bad without such items is an exaggeration.

3. I’m confused about the battery in the xDSD. Is it there to solve that exact problem and thus provide “pure” and noise-free power? Or it’s there only to make the DAC portable?

Batteries in our machines are meant to make them portable AND provide clean power. One doesn't exclude the other.

4. What’s that “desktop” mode? Is battery used in that mode to eventually solve the “clean” power problem?

The 'clean power' problem in our devices is solved all across the board.

5. If not, do I have to charge the battery over night and then disconnect the charging cable in the day and use the battery power?

6. If I can still leave the power cable, will be battery used at all?

7. If yes, will the USB noise be isolated?

8. If no, is the USB power cleaned up?

We encourage you to take a look in the xDSD manual here:

https://ifi-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/xDSD_Manual.pdf

...and our xDSD tech notes:

https://ifi-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/iFi_audio_xDSD_Tech-Note-_The_Three_Ps_FINAL.pdf

9. Do I have to use some linear and expensive power supply then?

This route seems to be quite the overkill to be honest.

10. Is xDSD for me at all taking in mind the above? It will always stay at the office, I mean I don’t need portability. In that case is this the wrong product for me? Which one would be better?

If you need a desktop DAC only, our strong recommendation would be our iDAC2. Features heavy Pro iDSD aside, iDAC2 is the best DAC we currently have in our offer.

An additionally, just look what our Thorsten has to say about... xCAN.

 

[kukkurovaca]

I’m a little bit lost here so I hope you can help me. I’ve been listening to Beoplay H6 2nd gen connected to the audio output of my 15” MacBook Pro latest generation at the office. The laptop itself is always powered by the mains. The headphones sound great, there’s no noise, distortion or whatever wrong with the sound and I never put the volume slider to more than 50-60% so there’s plenty of power.

1. Nevertheless I’ve been advised that switching to an external DAC/amp will improve the sound considerably. Is that true?

2. I’ve been also told USB powered DAC/Amps are cr*p and I need to use external linear power supply and the DAC should be galvanically isolated from the USB part. How about that?

3. I’m confused about the battery in the xDSD. Is it there to solve that exact problem and thus provide “pure” and noise-free power? Or it’s there only to make the DAC portable?

4. What’s that “desktop” mode? Is battery used in that mode to eventually solve the “clean” power problem?

5. If not, do I have to charge the battery over night and then disconnect the charging cable in the day and use the battery power?

6. If I can still leave the power cable, will be battery used at all?

7. If yes, will the USB noise be isolated?

8. If no, is the USB power cleaned up?

9. Do I have to use some linear and expensive power supply then?

——-

10. Is xDSD for me at all taking in mind the above? It will always stay at the office, I mean I don’t need portability. In that case is this the wrong product for me? Which one would be better?

Sorry if those are silly questions. I tried to read the entire thread but couldn’t actually find answers to them but it might still be my fault since I am not very familiar with these things so I apologize if that’s indeed the case.

Cheers!

I can't comment on the stuff that's specific to iFi's product, but I have those headphones.

How big a difference a dac/amp will make will depend on various factors, many of them subjective. One of the main factors is whether and how your headphones "scale" with different sources. The more revealing your headphones, the more likely they are to be adversely affected by being plugged into the jack of your Macbook, and the more likely it is that going to a better source will give audible improvement. IMO, the H6 sounds good and relatively similar from all sources, i.e., it does not scale that much. This is part of the appeal of the headphones: you can plug them into your phone or laptop and have good results. That's by design and consistent with how they are meant to be used. If they're your only/main headphones and you're not planning to buy others, you may not need a separate dac or amp at all.

That's just my take, some folks feel the exact opposite.

 

[Bansaku]

If you need a desktop DAC only, our strong recommendation would be our iDAC2. Features heavy Pro iDSD aside, iDAC2 is the best DAC we currently have in our offer.

So, it out performs the nano iOne?I would love to upgrade my original micro iDAC, which I foolishly purchased (and regret) after the iDAC2 was released (because I needed a matching DAC to the iCAN and couldn't afford the 2), but unlike the latter I don't need a headphone amp, that's what my iCAN SE is for. Then again, the iOne has Bluetooth, which I don't need.

@iFi audio, why can't you make a simple DAC with USB/Digital in and RCA out? No headphone amp, no Bluetooth, just a box with an in and out! Hell, throw a built in iPurifier3 and you'd have a killer DAC! Come on, Schiit does it!

 

[iFi audio]

So, it out performs the nano iOne?I would love to upgrade my original micro iDAC, which I foolishly purchased (and regret) after the iDAC2 was released (because I needed a matching DAC to the iCAN and couldn't afford the 2), but unlike the latter I don't need a headphone amp, that's what my iCAN SE is for. Then again, the iOne has Bluetooth, which I don't need.

@iFi audio, why can't you make a simple DAC with USB/Digital in and RCA out?

What you describe is in large part... our iDAC2.

 

[iFi audio]

Double, oops.

 

[Evgeni]

In short, a good DAC/amp will sound significantly better, yes.



This is not factual. We can't speak for other manufacturers, but at iFi audio we pay great attention to clean power, reclocking and many more. We have our proprietary tech to do USB powered products great and many of our customers are happy with what they buy. Galvanic isolation is the next step, which oftentimes elevates the experience significantly. But to say that USB machines are bad without such items is an exaggeration.



Batteries in our machines are meant to make them portable AND provide clean power. One doesn't exclude the other.



The 'clean power' problem in our devices is solved all across the board.



We encourage you to take a look in the xDSD manual here:

https://ifi-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/xDSD_Manual.pdf

...and our xDSD tech notes:

https://ifi-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/iFi_audio_xDSD_Tech-Note-_The_Three_Ps_FINAL.pdf



This route seems to be quite the overkill to be honest.



If you need a desktop DAC only, our strong recommendation would be our iDAC2. Features heavy Pro iDSD aside, iDAC2 is the best DAC we currently have in our offer.

An additionally, just look what our Thorsten has to say about... xCAN.

Thanks for the detailed answer! Seems like the iDAC2 might be good for my purpose indeed. I have a question though. For a brief period I owned a custom made headphone amp with embedded DAC for my HD650 at home. However when listening Apple Music stream it would sometimes cut the audio between the songs due to silence detection linked to a muting relay and as a result the beginning of next track would be cut out for a brief moment due to unmuting taking time. That was unacceptable and I sold it. I asked Schiit about their Jotunheim and they confirmed it would do the same. Which is why I use Apogee Groove with my HD650 at home and it works perfectly. How about iDAC2?

BTW, if anyone have had the chance to compare Apogee Groove and iDAC2, which one would you prefer? Both are USB powered.

 

[Dobrescu George]

I’m a little bit lost here so I hope you can help me. I’ve been listening to Beoplay H6 2nd gen connected to the audio output of my 15” MacBook Pro latest generation at the office. The laptop itself is always powered by the mains. The headphones sound great, there’s no noise, distortion or whatever wrong with the sound and I never put the volume slider to more than 50-60% so there’s plenty of power.

1. Nevertheless I’ve been advised that switching to an external DAC/amp will improve the sound considerably. Is that true?

2. I’ve been also told USB powered DAC/Amps are cr*p and I need to use external linear power supply and the DAC should be galvanically isolated from the USB part. How about that?

3. I’m confused about the battery in the xDSD. Is it there to solve that exact problem and thus provide “pure” and noise-free power? Or it’s there only to make the DAC portable?

4. What’s that “desktop” mode? Is battery used in that mode to eventually solve the “clean” power problem?

5. If not, do I have to charge the battery over night and then disconnect the charging cable in the day and use the battery power?

6. If I can still leave the power cable, will be battery used at all?

7. If yes, will the USB noise be isolated?

8. If no, is the USB power cleaned up?

9. Do I have to use some linear and expensive power supply then?

——-

10. Is xDSD for me at all taking in mind the above? It will always stay at the office, I mean I don’t need portability. In that case is this the wrong product for me? Which one would be better?

Sorry if those are silly questions. I tried to read the entire thread but couldn’t actually find answers to them but it might still be my fault since I am not very familiar with these things so I apologize if that’s indeed the case.

Cheers!

About your questions, I think you can give xDSD a try!

Being one of the most interesting portables in terms of price/performance, and having great sound with both USB power and self-power, you really don't have to worry so much about the power thingy. iFi has good implementation.

The sound is much much better with a proper DAC/AMP than with a smartphone or a laptop, it is so easy to tell those apart that I did a fun experiment with my friends, and every single one was able to tell apart my PC\s on-board from the xDSD using both a large number of headphones, or even using those to power my speaker system