[audioholik]

   
Where did you find ASIO for Mac that works with these players?  At this point, I'm ready to try anything.  Do you have links?

 
From what I know, the exaSound e22 is the first USB DAC that works with the two above Mac music apps. A large portion of this review deals with the benefits of these new ASIO drivers for OSX: http://www.audiostream.com/content/exasound-audio-design-e22-dac
 
My understanding is that iFi would have to come up with its own driver to make use of these Mac apps in ASIO mode.

 

[BillsonChang007]

So if what iFi indicates is correct that using ASIO drivers written for DSD remove the pops by ensuring that a 0 level is maintained between tracks, why then are folks here still using DoP with their music players?  I am reading some mention that ASIO drivers are available on players for Windows and Apple computers. 

As stated earlier, I am not experiencing any pops with the micro using Foobar2000 and it's ASIO driver for DSD on an old windows XP machine.  

Same here. No pops running Asio DSD on FB2k on Window 7 machines.

 

[audiotweaker]

   
From what I know, the exaSound e22 is the first USB DAC that works with the two above Mac music apps. A large portion of this review deals with the benefits of these new ASIO drivers for OSX: http://www.audiostream.com/content/exasound-audio-design-e22-dac
 
My understanding is that iFi would have to come up with its own driver to make use of these Mac apps in ASIO mode.

 
OK, so this indicates that it is possible to bypass Core Audio and thus DoP, but this is not a current solution for the iFi Micro iDSD.  Not without more software work from them.
 
Also, I feel there is a bit of marketing drivel in the article.  Case in point, "One of my designer friends feels that DoP sucks the life out of the music."  Yes DoP requires more processing power and wastes USB bandwidth but if done correctly the exact same DSD data stream should reach the DSD DAC.  If this is not the case DoP processing is not being done correctly.  Even contributor iFi Audio agrees in his recent post, "both re-assemble the original DSD data stream completely transparent and Bit-Perfect before it is sent to the DAC."
 
And to be clear, I have no issue with the audio that I am hearing from my Micro iDSD.  I think it sounds fabulous, especially at this price point.  Bravo iFi Audio.  I'm just looking for a workaround/fix for the pop during DSD sample rate changes.

 

[ALRAINBOW]

What causes the pops for you. Using j river it's silent for me weather PCM or dsd. Just curious ?

 

[audiotweaker]

What causes the pops for you. Using j river it's silent for me weather PCM or dsd. Just curious ?

See post #864 of this thread.

 

[TontonJoK]

I'd like to use the dac section only to replace the built in dac of my tube amp

I see idsd nano, micro idac and idsd micro

I listen mostly hd videos on you tube with my lcd 2, dsd files are hard to find especially for the music I listen to

I won't be using the built in amp and was wondering witch one to choose
Some help would be welcomed (sorry if asked already)

 

[TontonJoK]

500 $ is a little too much and hesitate between idsd nano and micro idac (for the moment )

 

[audioholik]

   
OK, so this indicates that it is possible to bypass Core Audio and thus DoP, but this is not a current solution for the iFi Micro iDSD.  Not without more software work from them.

Well, the pops won't go away without more software work anyway. It's only a matter of whether iFi chooses to work on a workaround (that removes the pops) to a workaround (DoP) that is running on the inferior Core Audio architecture, or to develop a new ASIO driver that can work with the Mac music players (HQPlayer, Decibel, ...) that bypass Core Audio and use native DSD ASIO mode. The third option is to not choose between these two options, and actually doing both.

 

[ALRAINBOW]

Wow the pop is loud with me too , but as I use a PC it's only if forget and leave the dop box checked in j river . If unchecked it's silent . I am sorry to hear that but it's only with Mac then ? Is this the correct understanding ?
Al

 

[roamling]

i made my choice, the 10 DSD album i have will be pretty much it. SACD was the better delivery format but never got a good start. Playback of digital download DSD is just to buggy. PCM works fine for me. I think DXD files like from many 2L releases might be the way forward

 

[Triodemode]

i made my choice, the 10 DSD album i have will be pretty much it. SACD was the better delivery format but never got a good start. Playback of digital download DSD is just to buggy. PCM works fine for me. I think DXD files like from many 2L releases might be the way forward

The vast majority of recordings today are made using pro tools or other software at PCM 24/96 or 192khz, so converting these titles to DSD makes no sense.  DSD does however sound better than PCM with music that was recorded using analog tape (which is all music recorded in the early 80’s and before).  There is also a growing catalog if independent labels who record directly to DSD.
 
Many so called ‘high resolution’ titles being offered on-line (and even some SACD titles) are just up sampled from the red book 16/44.1khz CD.  I do spectral analysis in an attempt to weed out these counterfeit offerings by looking for the telltale 20khz brick wall, as well as performing dynamic range measurements looking for the least compressed versions.  There is a great database of music you can use for reference to determine if your source is unadulterated.
 
http://dr.loudness-war.info/
 
IMO portable music reproduction has now reached a point where fidelity can rival one’s home systems.  There is a huge library of SACD titles available, so converting these discs to an ISO and storing it on mobile devices is a great way to enjoy DSD sound quality on the go.  The bugs will get worked out as this technology matures.  I think iFi has produced an exceptional ground breaking product in the Nano and Micro iDSD. 

 

[earfonia]

This morning, fully charged after whole night charging, my Micro iDSD is not working anymore I tried to listen some music using DAP connected to SPDIF input, no sound at all. LED is blinking green.

According to the battery manual, the battery seems to be faulty

It was still working fine last night. And I always use the same charger, that is still working fine to charge my phone.

I bought it 1 Sept, and battery gets faulty within 2 weeks?

Ifi, please advise.
Could you help me to activate the battery?

 

[BillsonChang007]

Have you tried running via USB power and then switching back to battery?

I have no such problem on mine ATM thought I suggest you to open a ticket for it

 

[Triodemode]

This morning, fully charged after whole night charging, my Micro iDSD is not working anymore I tried to listen some music using DAP connected to SPDIF input, no sound at all. LED is blinking green.

According to the battery manual, the battery seems to be faulty

It was still working fine last night. And I always use the same charger, that is still working fine to charge my phone.

I bought it 1 Sept, and battery gets faulty within 2 weeks?

Ifi, please advise.
Could you help me to activate the battery?

According to what I read, flashing green means the device is waiting on a USB input signal.  Red is battery low and no light means battery is empty.  Your battery should be fine.  Check your USB connection or try a different source.

 

[cvision123]

It was unfortunate for me that my micro had issue with the PCB which makes the volume become quiet in comparison to the initial state. I contacted iFi and quickly got the replies. I sent the micro back to iFi to have the PCB replaced. Hopefully I will have it back next week.

I would vote an 4.9/5.0 for their customer service (-0.1 is for the unfortunate issue ). Over the years, the service is among the top services that I have experienced.