[Hoegaardener70]

Power. As good as the Hugo 2 is at driving most headphones it's output is limited. Demanding headphones like the Susvara, HE-6/se, and Abyss Phi's sound their best when driven with more power. Using the Hugo 2 as my DAC feeding my Pro iCan I find that it sounds sonically superior than using the Hugo 2 alone with those headphones. My Utopia's, Z1R's and LCD-2CB's sound amazing out of the Hugo 2 alone. So depending on what headphones you have in your collection you can choose to live with the Hugo 2 alone. For me, I love having the power and feature set of the Pro iCan on hand.

This is immensely helpful! Given the stuff I own, I think only my HD800S would benefit sufficiently to justify the expense (and for those occasions, I have my ifi Micro BL)...
Thank you for this information.

 

[Slim1970]

This is immensely helpful! Given the stuff I own, I think only my HD800S would benefit sufficiently to justify the expense (and for those occasions, I have my ifi Micro BL)...
Thank you for this information.

I owned the Micro iDSD BL and it is a great amp. I had to get rid of it so that I could use my Pro iCan more, it was that good to me. Saying that, the Pro iCan is better in all regards. It's cleaner sounding, has better dynamics, images better, has more features and is more refined when compare to the Micro iDSD BL. I never heard the HD800S's sound as good as they did coming out of the Pro iCan. All they needed was the first setting on the XBass+ dial and the sub bass came alive. I use the same setting with the Utopia's. The Pro iCan is definitely a worthy upgrade is you chose to go that route.

 

[Hoegaardener70]

The Pro iCan is definitely a worthy upgrade is you chose to go that route.

Thanks - I am sure, but since I just got a Hugo2, I probably should hold back for a while .

In case I don't, all my cables have a 2.5mm balanced ending for my Q2PR, I'd need an adapter for the balance output of the
ifi ican. Do any users here use an adapter such as this one?
https://www.amazon.com/Geekria-Bala...8-10&keywords=adapter+2.5mm+to+3.5mm+balanced

 

[tekkster]

I saw that some lucky users are pairing the ifi Ican Pro with a hugo2. ... given that the hugo2 has its own very good amp section, what would this add? Or in other words, is the additional device making such a huge difference to justify the expense (and clutter)?

You lose a wee bit of microdetail, but gain a lot of power, plus, of course, the XLR connection, balanced connection, and a bass boost.

I pair the H2 with iFi iCan Pro sometimes for kicks, but my daily is really the RME ADI-2 DAC to the the iFi iCan Pro, which to me is a great pairing and good enough to have a whole lot of fun with a variety of different headphones.

 

[kj510]

Dear iFi Audio,

Could you tell me the polarity of the iPower Plus AC adapter? Mine is Ver.1.2 with 2 pins IEC 320 so there is no sign of polarity.
Please advice.

Thank you,

 

[Hoegaardener70]

Hi there, I am a bit confused ... is the Ican Pro identical with the amp part of the ifi audio pro idsd?

I am actually really mainly interested in the Ican's SS and tube circuits, but the idsd has a balanced 2.5mm which I'd like to use. I got an adapter on massdrop (XLR to 2.5mm balanced) but I doubt it is the same....

 

[hedron00]

Hi there, I am a bit confused ... is the Ican Pro identical with the amp part of the ifi audio pro idsd?

I am actually really mainly interested in the Ican's SS and tube circuits, but the idsd has a balanced 2.5mm which I'd like to use. I got an adapter on massdrop (XLR to 2.5mm balanced) but I doubt it is the same....

No, Pro iCAN has better and more powerful amp.
I have Pro iDSD and Pro iCAN.
Pro iCAN makes better sonic quality with Pro iDSD.

I recommend use it together.

 

[Hoegaardener70]

No, Pro iCAN has better and more powerful amp.
I have Pro iDSD and Pro iCAN.
Pro iCAN makes better sonic quality with Pro iDSD.

I recommend use it together.

Oooh! But I can only get one at the moment. Since I have a Hugo2, am inclined to get the iCan then. Thanks a lot!

 

[Rayzilla]

Oooh! But I can only get one at the moment. Since I have a Hugo2, am inclined to get the iCan then. Thanks a lot!

You won't be disappointed. I am using the Hugo (original) as the dac with my Pro iCan to my HE6. I have the double tube setting and the HE6 sounds so nice with a lot of body and fullness. I thought about upgrading to the Hugo2 but for the dac alone, I wasn't sure if it was worth the investment. I don't need it for portable use since I am very happy with my DX200 with multiple amp modules to cater to the flavour I want at the time.

Let us know how it works out for you.

 

[tekkster]

I dunno about the iDSD Pro, but I connect the H2 to the iCan Pro sometimes, and it's great.

Most often, I prefer the RME ADI-2 DAC to the iCan Pro, but the H2 definitely sounds impressive.

 

[Slim1970]

The Hugo 2 and the Pro iCan are great together. It’s my preferred way of listening to my Pro iCan at moment. I’ve tried iDSD BL, the ESS DAC out of the Burson Conductor V2+, the Mojo, and some others DAC’s. But I like the way Chord products sound with my Pro iCan. I really want to hear the Pro iDSD and Pro iCan pairing. That way I can go balanced and have a permanent desktop solution. But I’m really interested is hearing how the Pro iDSD compares with the Hugo 2 in my system.

 

[Hoegaardener70]

No, Pro iCAN has better and more powerful amp.
I have Pro iDSD and Pro iCAN.
Pro iCAN makes better sonic quality with Pro iDSD.

I recommend use it together.

One short question please - if you'd have to chose for headphones up to 300ohms ONLY, which one would you take?
Thanks so much!

 

[LoryWiv]

One short question please - if you'd have to chose for headphones up to 300ohms ONLY, which one would you take?
Thanks so much!

I pair my Pro iCan with ZMF Auteur's, 300 ohms….fantastic combination.

 

[tekkster]

One short question please - if you'd have to chose for headphones up to 300ohms ONLY, which one would you take?
Thanks so much!

Tough call. The ican pro works so well with so many headphone. At 300 ohms and below my personal favorite is hd800. The bass boost on the ican pro is great for the hd800. I like the utopias out of the ican pro too, but the hd800 provides a grander, wider feel.

Though, my absolute favorite is not within the range you specify. For a long time i was a tad iffy on the beyer t1’s at 600 ohms. They sat on the shelf a lot, out of rotation. The Ican pro, even using the lower power 1/4 inch port, brings the t1’s to life in a way that nothing else i have can match.

 

[Hoegaardener70]

I use my Hugo 2 at 3V with my Pro iCan. The higher the voltage setting give you more volume output from what I can tell. I use 3 volts and control the volume with the Pro iCan. Chord's DACs really pair well with the Pro iCan. The Chord and iFi pairing really gives you insight into the music.

I plan to pair my iCan with the Hugo2 and/or if's micro BL... still need to decide. In any case, how to do you best connect the Hugo2? Simple RCA cable (and is this included with the iCan)?
Thanks