[Allanmarcus]

  The Pro iCAN won't be alone for much longer...
 
...

Any chance you can post higher res photos?

 

[grizzlybeast]

There is a very thorough review of the ifi ican pro here
 
http://hifiphilosophy.com/recenzja-ifi-pro-ican/
 
but its in polish. Seems they recommend this amp very highly. They have experience with the rag, master 9 and more. 

 

[Allanmarcus]

There is a very thorough review of the ifi ican pro here

http://hifiphilosophy.com/recenzja-ifi-pro-ican/

but its in polish. Seems they recommend this amp very highly. They have experience with the rag, master 9 and more. 

Same review as posted in post 22.

We're coming full circle with hunger for reviews.

 

[grizzlybeast]

Lol oh my bad sorry for that.

What sucks is that @wildcatsare said he was reviewing it a long time ago and still nothing.

I wondet what happened.

 

[Allanmarcus]

So, how much would you pay for a speaker/electrostatic add on? In that small a package it's likely to be a class d amp, but they could surprise us. Not likely to be super powerful for speakers, maybe 20-50 W/channel. I'm thinking no more than $600

 

[greenpsycho]

So, how much would you pay for a speaker/electrostatic add on? In that small a package it's likely to be a class d amp, but they could surprise us. Not likely to be super powerful for speakers, maybe 20-50 W/channel. I'm thinking no more than $600

I mean, if the ican pro is all class A (right?), and can put out like 14w with a bunch of added stuff in it, why couldn't the add on be class A and put out maybe 20-40'ish? I'm figuring they can make some extra room without all the knobs and plugs

 

[Allanmarcus]

I might have the wrong assumption. The energizer may not be an amp at all. It may be some sort on converter.

 

[iFi audio]

I might have the wrong assumption. The energizer may not be an amp at all. It may be some sort on converter.

 
What is the Pro iEnergiser?
An electrostatic headphone/earspeaker cannot be just connected to any headphone amplifier.
 
It needs power to 'energise' the panels, which is why there is a large five‑pin connector that looks like a valve seat along with headphone jack and XLR.
 
The Pro iEnergiser needs very high voltage (Stax are around 100dB @ 100V, not 105dB @ 1V 

).
 
On top of that they need a 'so-called bias voltage,' usually between 500V and 650V for modern ones.
 
The iEnergiser that will be at RMAF will be this.
 

 
 

 

 
Yes, the top photo shows a nice vintage Stax being driven by the Pro iEnergiser!
 
The bottom is the KingSound electrostat!  Both sound very nice indeed. The vintage Stax is too rare to bring to RMAF. It is staying in the lab. The KingSound will be there though.

 

[drwlf]

 
For clarification, there are a few people in this thread that have not had issues with the HE-6. There was only  1 issue, which appeared to be an electrical issue either in the house or with the unit, as it was purchased in the UK but used in the US:

 
 
...
   
As for the ican pro and the HE-6: its great. Granted, I've never compared it to anything else (just because I don't have access to anything else even remotely powerful enough for the HE-6). But I think I know how these monsters are supposed to sound, and the ican pro drives these with authority, control, and finesse. It is clearly the best headamp I have (I did a massive comparison a few weekends back with all my cans, and they all sound the best on the ican pro). 
 
...

 
Yeah, the guy who had problems never got around posting in the thread, if he got the problems fixed or not.
 
 
Otherwise, driving the HE-6, I'm wondering, is it the speaker-tap-like-great, which by veraciously some swear, or what's been said of Schiit Jotunheim-great

 

[greenpsycho]

   
Yeah, the guy who had problems never got around posting in the thread, if he got the problems fixed or not.
 
 
Otherwise, driving the HE-6, I'm wondering, is it the speaker-tap-like-great, which by veraciously some swear, or what's been said of Schiit Jotunheim-great

I wish I could help ya, but honestly, I don't have access to either: I sort of gave up on speaker amps a few years back and now just use my powered Stealth 8's (and probably will continue on this powered monitor bend for the future - I like how much it simplifies my system).  There are a bunch of cheap class D amps out right now that I could pick up and test with the HE-6, but....whats the point in that? 

  It just won't be better than the ican pro (though I'd love to be proven wrong)
 
Of course if anyone in new england has something to compare to, I'd be down for a testing session

 

[drwlf]

 
I wish I could help ya, but honestly, I don't have access to either: I sort of gave up on speaker amps a few years back and now just use my powered Stealth 8's (and probably will continue on this powered monitor bend for the future - I like how much it simplifies my system).  There are a bunch of cheap class D amps out right now that I could pick up and test with the HE-6, but....whats the point in that? 

  It just won't be better than the ican pro (though I'd love to be proven wrong)
 
Of course if anyone in new england has something to compare to, I'd be down for a testing session

 
Thanks for your input and impressions nonetheless! Perhaps we'll see more of those with the USA tour.

 

[1974]

An update on my iCan Pro that I thought had an issue with the protection circuitry kicking in - there's nothing wrong with the amp, the problem was solved by updating my chain with better suited components. The amp was previously being fed with a temporary dac that's really designed to be a recording interface, which I discovered outputs a very hot signal. I updated to a better quality stand alone dac with line level outputs, and now the iCan Pro doesn't switch off even at extreme volume on the HE-6. Good times!

 

[drwlf]

  An update on my iCan Pro that I thought had an issue with the protection circuitry kicking in - there's nothing wrong with the amp, the problem was solved by updating my chain with better suited components. The amp was previously being fed with a temporary dac that's really designed to be a recording interface, which I discovered outputs a very hot signal. I updated to a better quality stand alone dac with line level outputs, and now the iCan Pro doesn't switch off even at extreme volume on the HE-6. Good times!

 
Great to hear, and thanks for the update!

 

[cav1sa]

Hello friends,
 
I'm sure most of you know by now what special type of beast the Pro iCan is. I don't have much prior experience with TOTL amps to add any insight of value to this discussion, so I'm not going to attempt reviewing the unit at length.
Instead I'll just say this: I purchased it from Music Direct thinking I would try it out for a week or two, come to my senses and return it for a full refund. This, however never happened. I used it with Custom Art H8P, Audeze LCD2 and Adam F7 midfields. It allowed the headphones to shine brighter than ever before (metaphorically speaking of course, sound sig is not bright).
At first I was disappointed with what I perceived as overly reserved 3d holo sound settings, but over time I realized they're superb - subtle enough to use on most albums (aside from Silence Yourself, perhaps). Another thing I realized is the 3d settings are useful for long listening sessions by making the sound more relaxed, less in-your-face. I also enjoy having 3 bass boost levels available, as I suspect they will come in handy if when I get some new cans. The ability to switch between SS, Tube+ and Tube is just too much. I love it.
 
Unfortunately about a month ago the unit started malfunctioning, so I reached out to Music Direct to arrange an exchange. By that point I was well over my 60-day refund period, yet they still offered that option. I wasn't going to take them up on it, but I was pleasantly surprised by it to say the least.
It took me another 3 weeks to ship the defective unit to them. 2 days later I received a Fedex notification indicating the replacement was already on its way! Music Direct have been exceptionally responsive, courteous and professional. Big thanks to Brooke and everyone else at Music Direct. You guys rock!
 
If you're on the fence about getting the Pro iCAN, I encourage you to get it from them; try it out for a bit and return it for a refund. Or not. 

 
PS
Almost forgot to mention - When I first started using the amp, I didn't immediately notice a huge improvement in SQ on the speakers, but something happened when I finally unplugged the unit to ship it for a replacement. The same monitors hooked up to a "plain" iDSD micro started sounding metallic, a bit harsh even, which really surprised me. It's fascinating how I slowly grew to appreciate the new sound signature, but when whatever made it special was removed from the loop, the perceived change was quite apparent.

 

[technobear]

Almost forgot to mention - When I first started using the amp, I didn't immediately notice a huge improvement in SQ on the speakers, but something happened when I finally unplugged the unit to ship it for a replacement. The same monitors hooked up to a "plain" iDSD micro started sounding metallic, a bit harsh even, which really surprised me. It's fascinating how I slowly grew to appreciate the new sound signature, but when whatever made it special was removed from the loop, the perceived change was quite apparent.

Interesting. The micro iDSD really needs the iPurifier2 to lose that last ounce of edge and glare.

I seem to recall iFi saying the Pro iCAN would have galvanic isolation on USB but I can't find any mention in this thread. I wonder if it will still benefit from the iPurifier2. It sounds like it maybe doesn't need it.