[canali]

Once we're very close to it, we will inform everyone. Though the assumption of our Micro iDSD Black Label somewhere around the corner is about right

What we have for now is this:

Part 1. The Grand Tour


The Digital Engine:
 

1. DAC Power supply upgraded with iFi custom ultra-low noise Operationsverstärker OV2028
   
   
   
    
2.  
3. DAC reference voltage decoupling changed to Panasonic audio-grade ECPU film capacitors
   
   
   
    
4.  
5. Digital power supplies upgraded with ultra-low impedance Panasonic OSCON capacitors
   
   
   
    
6.  
7. GMT® Femto precision clock system power supply upgraded for super low phase-noise/jitter
   
   
   
    
8.  

 

The Analogue section:

 

1. Analogue section upgraded with iFi custom low noise FET input Operationsverstärker OV2627
   
   
   
    
2.  
3. Analogue power supplies upgraded with Ultra-low impedance Panasonic OSCON capacitors
   
   
   
    
4.  
5. 3D+® performance-tuned
   
   
   
    
6.  
7. XBass+® performance-tuned
   
   
   
    
8.  
9. Re-designed Output Stabilisation network for less distortion
   
   
   
    
10.  

 
For 3D+® & XBass+® we adjusted based on wide ranging customer feedback after a period of field testing different adjustments.


3D+® is deeper and wider, and more spacious.


XBass+® is deeper and cleaner bass and is more audible.







Stay tuned for more!

Good to hear...but for the love of God please do away with that figher jet image when talking of your technology used....dont know about any one else but when I see that i feel embarrassed (and i've read similar sentiments on other audio sites about this,...so i'm not alone)...when I read it i grimace and feel like I'm being dumbed down to some 15 yr old gamer.

 

[Taggerung]

Will the Black Label have better battery life? It'll be nice to be able to be on Turbo for 10 hours or more.

 

[Topspin70]

 
Good to hear...but for the love of God please do away with that figher jet image when talking of your technology used....dont know about any one else but when I see that i feel embarrassed (and i've read similar sentiments on other audio sites about this,...so i'm not alone)...when I read it i grimace and feel like I'm being dumbed down to some 15 yr old gamer.

 
A lot of idsd micro owners I know are 15 yr olds. Young enough to be my kid. : )

 

[iFi audio]

iFi Micro iDSD Black Label

Preview and Tour

 
The secret is out. As many of you may know, we’re ready to unveil the successor to the original Micro iDSD: the Micro iDSD ‘Black Label.’ The Black Label will inject some smoothness and seduction into everyday listening!
 

 
 

 

What’s the difference?

 
A lot, actually. The stealth look is just the start. ‘Double Black’ is a more apt description. It is different on the outside and even more on the inside. The matt and gloss black anodising is set against the ‘burnt orange’ silk print. While keeping the same design philosophy, we re-engineered the micro iDSD after taking into consideration customer suggestions and integrating the newest and most advanced components across the digital and analogue stages.
                                                                                                     
Here’s a quick TLDR for you:
 
The original iDSD set a new benchmark for portable DAC/Headamps in the US$500 sector. Nothing came close to its sonics, flexibility and outright power. Nothing at least until the evolution into the ‘Black Label:’
 

• Satin black chassis with ‘burnt orange’ silk print
• Major parts changes to the very latest available
• 3D Holographic+® and XBass+® new implementation are very easy to discern

Sonically, much smoother, more weight and with a full-bodied mid-range. The bass is deeper and cleaner. The Black Label is in every way, the ‘turbo charged’ version of the normally aspirated micro iDSD.
 
More preview details to come over the coming days/weeks. Watch this space - this thread and the micro iDSD DSD512/PCM768 appreciation thread too.
 
 
 

Micro iDSD Black Label Tour!

 
Now that you know a little bit more about the Micro iDSD Black Label, it’s your turn to try it for yourself! YUP!
 
Announcing the Head-Fi exclusive tour of our new Micro iDSD Black Label!  
 
 
Am I eligible for the tour?
 
For this tour, we’re dedicating units to not 1 or 2, but 5 units around the globe – USA, UK, Europe, Singapore, and Hong Kong/China.
 
If you’re in one of those regions, congratulations. You’re eligible!
 
 
How do you sign up?
 
To sign up, simply shoot an email to lawrancel@iFi-Audio.com with the title: iDSDBL Tour (XXXX: YOUR REGION).
 
NOTE: For the (XXXX), please fill in your region as USA, UK, EU, SG, or HK/CN. THIS IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT! Please make sure to do this, or the iFI USA team organizing these emails are going to have a headache worse than downing a bottle of Black Label!
 
 
In the email, please include the following:
 
1) Username AND link to your Head-Fi Profile.
2) Location
3) Tell us the gear that you plan on connecting the Micro iDSD Black Label to.
4) If you have any links from reviews that you've done, let us know!
 
Deadline for the sign-up process is 30th November 2016. The individuals will be announced/contacted thereafter.
 
 
Rules for this Tour:
 
1) Each Head-Fier will be given 1 week to spend with the unit.
 

 
2) After the given amount of time, each Head-Fier is responsible for safely packing the unit, shipping the unit to the next Head-Fier, and covering the shipping costs.
 
 
3) Each Head-Fier will be required to post a review of the Micro iDSD Black Label within 1 week of shipping the unit off to the next Head-Fier on the Micro iDSD Black Label product page HERE!
 
 
4) Otherwise, the most important thing is to kick back, have fun, and enjoy some of your favorite tunes through the Micro iDSD Black Label! We hope you love it as much as we do!
 
 
 
 
Prizes
 
Are you a winner? Well, you could be! At the end of the tour, we will be raffling off 1 review unit to each of the 5 regions.
 
Your review of the Micro iDSD Black Label on the Head-Fi product page will be your raffle ticket!
 
BUT WAIT! There’s more!
 
You may have caught on by now, but we’re very excited about this product release. On top of raffling off the review units to each region (5 in all), we've teamed up with Unique Melody to raffle off ONE Unique Melody Martian IEM (in total, not each region!).
 
The Unique Melody Martian is a hybrid design IEM with dual 6.8 mm dynamic drivers and two BA drivers. Pair it with the Micro iDSD Black Label, and you can expect a smooth yet detailed sound that will keep your toes tapping for hours and hours on end! More info HERE and HERE!
 

 
A big thanks to June at Unique Melody for making this possible!
 
Last and certainly not least, one further winner will get the upcoming Pro iDSD on loan for 6 months!
 

We hope you enjoy participating in this great tour and thank you in advance!

 

[Whitigir]

Thanks for the opportunity.

 

[Wyd4]

Would love to partake.  Alas I live in the wrong country.
 
I have been considering the idsd micro for a while.  would be interesting to compare to my alo cdm.
 
Look forward to the reviews.
 
Scott

 

[potatoe94]

Awesome !

 

[ClieOS]

Awesome !

 
Indeed. Hope to listen to the new miDSD BL next time I am in Singapore.

 

[iFi audio]

Part 2. Exceptional parts quality
 
With the original iDSD micro, iFi already pushed parts quality to a very high level. Yet after long-term testing and with new parts now available to us that were not available at the time of the original production version of the iDSD micro, we were able to wring meaningful improvements in sound quality by substituting specific parts with higher grade (and more expensive) alternatives.
 
Specifically, with the upgrades applied we were able to produce a sound that is smoother sounding than the original, yet with increased level of detail and improved dynamics and slam. These are not ‘night and day’ differences but the difference is very discernible. To gain meaningful sonic improvements on a product like the iDSD micro was no small challenge.
 

Sanyo OSCONs. Os-Cons are go.
 

 
 
Os-Con's originally from Sanyo (now taken over by Panasonic) have been around for a good while. Among the larger value capacitors useful in power supplies, they hold a special place.
 
In a ground breaking series on capacitor performance published in the late Nineties and early Noughties in Wireless World, Cyril Bateman showed they persistently outperformed all alternatives at high frequencies and were second in low-distortion only to Elna Silmic types.
 

AMR CD-77 Digital Processor
 
At AMR starting from the CD-77 Compact Disk Processor, we have a long history of using Os-Con's.
 

 
 
After the Panasonic takeover, supply chains were changed and they became difficult to obtain. Testing alternatives offered by other manufacturers showed them to be dramatically inferior to the original Sanyo product and not much better then generic Electrolytic Capacitors.
 
Further, originally Os-Con's were not available in the values/voltages/sizes needed for the relative miniature equipment in the iFi range.
 
In recent times, the supply situation has improved and Panasonic has introduced a new range of ‘miniturised’ Os-Con's suited for iFi equipment. So despite their steep cost (around 10x that of common electrolytic capacitors) the micro iDSD Black Label is the first to start to feature them as an alternative where Elna Silmic capacitors cannot be accommodated; be it because of cost or size constraints, as they are physically much larger for the same capacitance and even more costly.
 

 

 

[potatoe94]

i love my iFi iDSD Micro too much to try this ... I live in Singapore , but i am afraid after listening to the black label , i would not like the sound from my iDSD Micro anymore :x 

i guess i"ll just wait for it to be available for purchase here , then try it , at least i know i can buy it immediately when it happens . 

 

[youkeum]

I hope to meet the beautiful black stuff soon in S.Korea.

 

[Deftone]

  does that mean the iDSD Micro sucks now ?

 
no....

 

[Sonic Defender]

   
no....

Exactly, and I would be surprised if any of the new elements make an audible difference. Did anybody actually hear distortion in the treble or jitter in the previous version of the Micro? I think many of the differences we commonly discuss are measureable, but not always audible. I love iFi gear and fully intend to own more of it, but I remain skeptical that the previous version of the Micro had audible distortion that is now removed with these new components so I would say people should enjoy their Micro and feel confident that it delivers excellent quality sound.

 

[Maxpain]

I personally like the fact that ifi keeps giving us better upgraded models of their products. I would love to hear this new version of the micro and why not, buy it of course!
 
Thats the beauty of this market, you can allways find something new to play with! Either way the micro is so good that it will last many years before its considered as ''yesterdays news'' I think!
 
Cheers! 

 

[Sonic Defender]

  I personally like the fact that ifi keeps giving us better upgraded models of their products. I would love to hear this new version of the micro and why not, buy it of course!
 
Thats the beauty of this market, you can allways find something new to play with! Either way the micro is so good that it will last many years before its considered as ''yesterdays news'' I think!
 
Cheers! 

Absolutely, the new model is for new owners, or existing Micro owners who want to buy the updated model. My only point in posting is to suggest that newer doesn't mean better always, and that those who already own the existing Micro (which I did and I loved it by the way) shouldn't have any illusions that these changes are going to suddenly reveal all this missing information that their existing Micro is unable to reveal. If there are audible differences they will be quite subtle almost for sure, unless iFi really tuned this BL differently. Now, that said, the effects circuitry that most people found only made a modest difference at best on the current Micro may be greatly improved, but for me, those enhancements were never important or core to the Micro anyway. If I wanted more bass, I can simply do so with an EQ so I typically have little use for bass boosting circuitry built into devices anyway, but I do realize that many people do like and use them and I'm not trying to suggest my views are more valid.