[technobear]

I already answered you question. What do you not understand?

As I said already, 3D and XBASS are active in pre-amp mode through the RCA outputs.

Thanks technobear

English is not my first language :rolleyes:

If I do so should I set the idsd volume all the way up or down to control the volume with my pan am amp ?

Set the volume all the way UP and be sure that you are using ECO mode.

----

On the subject of channel imbalance, yes it's poor below about 10 o'clock.

 

[TontonJoK]

Ok let's find one

 

[bms44974]

just noticed something strange, i recently bought a pair of ELAC BS 312 speakers and they are very resolving... so was just browsing for music in my folders, nothing playing but I could hear something from the speakers and that was at resonably low volume... hiss, on the bit-perfect filter in PCM mode. turned it up to max volume and it was very audible hiss. i switched to minimum phase and standard and it was silent at 0 db. i guess i just missed that on my old speakers because they were not as good (crap) so kudos to the ELACs for highlighting that... but why the hiss? again it was very audible

I had a similar problem with my iDAC micro. After much experimenting, it turned out to be the AC power adapter on my laptop. When I disconnected from the AC power, the hiss went away. Unplugged (or with the OEM AC adapter), the background was black as night, but with a third-party power adapter the EMI was hard to miss. I'm looking for another adapter so I don't have to keep lugging the OEM adapter back and forth to work.

 

[maricius]

 
I had a similar problem with my iDAC micro. After much experimenting, it turned out to be the AC power adapter on my laptop. When I disconnected from the AC power, the hiss went away. Unplugged (or with the OEM AC adapter), the background was black as night, but with a third-party power adapter the EMI was hard to miss. I'm looking for another adapter so I don't have to keep lugging the OEM adapter back and forth to work.

 
The noise at BitPerfect has been mentioned and kinda discussed before!! It's present even with an iUSB or even if the micro iDSD is on battery-power mode. Whether it's noticeable is dependent on other people's gear. It's very easy to pick up on my Fidelio L2 but difficult to pick up of my FAD Heaven VI IEMs. 
 
It's only noticeable on tracks with sample rates below 88.2kHz

 

[roamling]

 
I had a similar problem with my iDAC micro. After much experimenting, it turned out to be the AC power adapter on my laptop. When I disconnected from the AC power, the hiss went away. Unplugged (or with the OEM AC adapter), the background was black as night, but with a third-party power adapter the EMI was hard to miss. I'm looking for another adapter so I don't have to keep lugging the OEM adapter back and forth to work.

 
thanks for the reply, but then I am wondering why the two other filter options ("minimum phase" and "standard") don't have the hiss? I can only hear it very clearly when "bit-perfect" is selected, with the other two its dead quiet. Is that what happened in your case as well? 

 

[roamling]

   
The noise at BitPerfect has been mentioned and kinda discussed before!! It's present even with an iUSB or even if the micro iDSD is on battery-power mode. Whether it's noticeable is dependent on other people's gear. It's very easy to pick up on my Fidelio L2 but difficult to pick up of my FAD Heaven VI IEMs. 
 
It's only noticeable on tracks with sample rates below 88.2kHz

 
so is that a bug? I have read about this in other posts in this thread before but have not found a solution to it. In my speaker setup its almost as loud as the hiss that i get from my phono pre amp (where you expect it) but I only noticed it recently with my new set of speakers where my volume was on the normal listening position (so its not that I have to turn it up to unreasonable levels to hear it). 

 

[maricius]

   
so is that a bug? I have read about this in other posts in this thread before but have not found a solution to it. In my speaker setup its almost as loud as the hiss that i get from my phono pre amp (where you expect it) but I only noticed it recently with my new set of speakers where my volume was on the normal listening position (so its not that I have to turn it up to unreasonable levels to hear it). 

 
According to iFi, it's not a bug, it's part of BitPerfect, but they're trying to fix it. Thank God for Minimum Phase though.

 

[bms44974]

   
thanks for the reply, but then I am wondering why the two other filter options ("minimum phase" and "standard") don't have the hiss? I can only hear it very clearly when "bit-perfect" is selected, with the other two its dead quiet. Is that what happened in your case as well? 

Guess I'll have to buy the iDSD and find out (I was looking for an excuse and this is as good as any). There are no such controls on the iDAC.

 

[fzman]

Thanks technobear

English is not my first language

If I do so should I set the idsd volume all the way up or down to control the volume with my pan am amp ?

use the preamplifier/direct switch on the bottom so you can pick whether the micro's volume control ffects the output or not--  use direct when you have a volume control downstream.

 

[roamling]

A quick update on my hiss "issue": iFi Audio got in contact with me and it seems it pretty much the the tweeter of my new speaker which can reproduce signals up to 50khz that is reacting up on ultrasonic noise and other noise components that are inherent with the "bit-perfect" filter when playing 44.1KHz Audio. Normally it is not audible or only at very low levels. So in my case I will use the other filters instead and this seems to be a phenomenon specific to my audio setup, just to bear that in mind. And thanks iFi (Thorsten especially for explaining it) 

 

[ALRAINBOW]

Wow very nice to get answers from the top
Something rare in audio like this. Although I do know if others but there products are much more expensive
Al

 

[maricius]

  A quick update on my hiss "issue": iFi Audio got in contact with me and it seems it pretty much the the tweeter of my new speaker which can reproduce signals up to 50khz that is reacting up on ultrasonic noise and other noise components that are inherent with the "bit-perfect" filter when playing 44.1KHz Audio. Normally it is not audible or only at very low levels. So in my case I will use the other filters instead and this seems to be a phenomenon specific to my audio setup, just to bear that in mind. And thanks iFi (Thorsten especially for explaining it) 

 
I don't think my L2 reaches 50kHz HAHAHA. It's easy audible and it's surely in the higher frequencies. Maybe lower treble? Upper mids? Turning 3D on increases the hiss as well. What I've noticed with my gear is that it's the neutral-bright gear that picks it up easier the warmer or darker gear needs to go past listening levels for it to be noticed.

 

[audiotweaker]

Hi everyone
First time poster from new member from Australia.

I am proud owner of idsd micro. Just a few issues I want to clarify.

1. I am getting channel imbalance at low volume. I understand the volume pot is analog but is it connected to digital step attenuator? Then it shouldn't have this problem.

May I ask how many owners have the low volume channel imbalance problem?

 

I too have the channel imbalance problem but it is only below the 9 o:clock position so it does not bother me much.  For headphone listening I can always select a lower power mode and for the RCA outputs I usually use it with a preamp in direct mode.
 
But I will certainly report this to iFi-audio so they can look into it and improve their products going forward.  Especially considering they advertise this on their tech spec page:
 

Volume with Power On/Off switch

Precision analogue volume control

<2dB Tracking error

 

[iFi audio]

  I too have the channel imbalance problem but it is only below the 9 o:clock position so it does not bother me much.  For headphone listening I can always select a lower power mode and for the RCA outputs I usually use it with a preamp in direct mode.


 
But I will certainly report this to iFi-audio so they can look into it and improve their products going forward.  Especially considering they advertise this on their tech spec page:


 

Volume with Power On/Off switch

Precision analogue volume control

<2dB Tracking error

Hi All,

 
There is nothing to look into as such. We do not employ the digital volume control. We incorporated the analogue volume control for the best sonics.

 
It is strongly recommended that the Power modes + iEMatch are deployed to effect normal listening levels at 12 to 3 o clock.

 
This is where it is best to "open" up the volume potentiometer.

 
The micro iDSD is like a hot rod. Tickling it at 1,000-2,000 revs is not where this Meaty Monster wants to reside.

 
Rev it hard and run it at the equivalent of 8,000-9,000 revs like a Honda VTEC engine.

 
If listening is done at <12 o clock, it is being under-utilised.

 
Hope this helps.

 

[MLGrado]

I have heard of the channel imbalance 'issue' before.  If you are experiencing this, you are listening at the very, very extreme of the volume pot.  I would not suggest this.  You should modify your power and iem sensitivity settings to bring your volume range up to the 12 o'clock and greater position.  
 
 
In my experience, the volume control COMPLETELY attenuates at around 8:30 on the volume pot. Just past 8:30 a single channel comes on.  Just short of 9 o'clock, both channels are on and are properly balanced.  
 
So you can see there is a very, very small part of the volume control right above zero volume that is imbalanced.  You could almost sneeze and push it from off to perfectly balanced
 
 
Again, if you are listening down there, you need to make some adjustments.  The only reason anyone is really noticing this is the amount of flexibility iFi has offered with the power and gain settings.  If the Micro were preset from the factory for 'universal' settings, you would never be listening to the volume control at that level.  
 
Also, I don't think it is a good practice to use any volume control, no matter how well regarded it is, at its extreme attenuation level.  
 
 
As far as the hiss is concerned in BitPerfect, it will be there with some equipment and not others. You will only hear it on 44.1 or 48 khz material.  You may not hear it at all, depending on your downstream electronics.  If you do hear it, then use will need to use Minimum Phase filter for those sample rates, or upsample those rates in software.  I would personally recommend using minimum phase filter, though.