[diamondears]

Well after sevral months of listening to my micro iDSD there is only one area that doesn't quite match the outstanding DAC section, that being the headphone amplifier.  I am wondering why iFi did not choose to operate it into class A, as I feel the slight tendency toward brightness others have described might have been eliminated. 

The sound to my ears is a bit bright and congested, particularly noticable when using the 600 ohm Beyerdynamic DT880.  Did ecessive heat or power draw prohibit this curcuit from running in class A?  Of course I understand that the 4 watt power output spec would have been substantially reduced however, the improvement in sonics should be a good trade off.

Even the headphone section on my Marantz PM6005 integrated has a more relaxed, open and bigger presentation with no loss of detail when compared to the iDSD using my Sennhieser HD650, 300 ohm DT990 and 600 ohm DT880 headphones.

I am by no means bashing the iDSD micro, as it has IMO no peers at this price point.  Only presenting the one area that could hopefully be improved in future versions from this excellent company.

What would a Class A amp section bring into the table? The micro has very low distortion already. If your ears find it bright, there's the XBass. If you find it dark or congested, there's the 3D. Why would you want more heat and dinosaur power consumption in a portable?

 

[semeniub]

And equalisation can be your very good friend also if you find things somewhat bright.

 

[iFi audio]

The only thing that I'm wishing the micro iDSD have now is the ability to charge the iPhone WHILE playing. Haven't read all the crowd design thread, but was this considered? Why not on micro? Will degrade SQ, correct? No new technology available to solve the SQ?

Hi,
 
Battery can only be so large in the micro chassis.
 
This is the main tech barrier - there are other less major ones.
 
Just as an example, HiFi Man HE-6 on 100% battery (SmartPower not used as no USB power line) lasts ~6 hours. (we confirmed as we have demo'd this at the Nat Audio Show at Whittlebury and RMAF).
 
If the micro iDSD could recharge and play simultaneously, then it wouldnt last very long and as a couple of hours doesnt really count as portable. IEMs would be longer of course.
 
Ask Scotty used to say, "Captain, we cant defy the laws of physics". Even though there isnt much portable that drives the HE-6 to  any semi-decent level so the micro iDSD has tech that is quite akin to Trans Warp. 

 

[iFi audio]

  Class A would not make sense in micro with battery power. I think that the headphone amp is quite good myself.

 
Hi,
 
Hit the nail on the head.
 
Class A requires a lot of power that even battery and USB combined struggles to supply.
 
So with the micro iDSD we got it as close we could but not quite Class A sound quality.
 
Thanks

 

[BillsonChang007]

The only thing that I'm wishing the micro iDSD have now is the ability to charge the iPhone WHILE playing. Haven't read all the crowd design thread, but was this considered? Why not on micro? Will degrade SQ, correct? No new technology available to solve the SQ?

I am not so sure about the degrading part but if you are charging your iPhone, how do you connect the CCK to your iPhone? 
 

  Well after sevral months of listening to my micro iDSD there is only one area that doesn't quite match the outstanding DAC section, that being the headphone amplifier.  I am wondering why iFi did not choose to operate it into class A, as I feel the slight tendency toward brightness others have described might have been eliminated. 
 
The sound to my ears is a bit bright and congested, particularly noticable when using the 600 ohm Beyerdynamic DT880.  Did ecessive heat or power draw prohibit this curcuit from running in class A?  Of course I understand that the 4 watt power output spec would have been substantially reduced however, the improvement in sonics should be a good trade off.
 
Even the headphone section on my Marantz PM6005 integrated has a more relaxed, open and bigger presentation with no loss of detail when compared to the iDSD using my Sennhieser HD650, 300 ohm DT990 and 600 ohm DT880 headphones.
 
I am by no means bashing the iDSD micro, as it has IMO no peers at this price point.  Only presenting the one area that could hopefully be improved in future versions from this excellent company.

It's a DAC after all. I don't see the need to implement a Class A amplifier when the main function is DAC. Plus, the Micro iDSD, as a whole DAC/amp, sound pretty good together even without any additional amplifiers! 

 

[Esprit]

Sorry sold out back in August.

512 Octa adopter for the mini (or what will be the correct name....)?

 

[audiotweaker]

I use the Micro iDSD when I travel.  What I would like to see is an external power option so I could be listening to music on a long flight with an airplane power adapter keeping both the Micro and my phone fully charged.  Same for long road trips in the car.  As it is now you can either listen to music or charge, but not both at the same time.

 

[knorris908]

I use the Micro iDSD when I travel.  What I would like to see is an external power option so I could be listening to music on a long flight with an airplane power adapter keeping both the Micro and my phone fully charged.  Same for long road trips in the car.  As it is now you can either listen to music or charge, but not both at the same time.

2 Things:

1: I have a SCHIIT Audio ASGARD 2 which is a class A amplifier in a similar metal body construction. I can tell you from personal experience that I would NEVER want a passively cooled class A amp in a metal chasis ANY where near my lap, enclosed laptop bag, or any stored with any plastic-bodied tech gear while running, or just after shutdown. It would warp or melt all of it!

2: if you REALLY wanted to charge while using your iPhone, you could use one of those mini powered USB hubs and probably charge while playing, but:
A: you'd potentially add noise to the signal which I don't know if the built in iPurifier could negate.
B: it would be more clutter and wires than I would want to have to deal with personally... But if you NEED it, it might be an option that others could live with...

EDIT: I suppose you COULD try a Y-adapter USB cable to handle simulateous connection to your iPhone's CCK and a USB power adapter. Just a thought...


Ken N.

 

[diamondears]

I am not so sure about the degrading part but if you are charging your iPhone, how do you connect the CCK to your iPhone? 

It's a DAC after all. I don't see the need to implement a Class A amplifier when the main function is DAC. Plus, the Micro iDSD, as a whole DAC/amp, sound pretty good together even without any additional amplifiers! 

I meant connect the iPhone thru CCK for playing and charging at same time using same CCK. There are portables that can do this. Looks like they produce hiss though, unlike micro iDSD which doesn't. Hence my guess that the SQ might be degraded.

Way back when I was using FiiO portable amps for my car, I bought a FiiO connector that you can connect to the iPhone (30-pin) and have USB mini for charging and 3.5mm out for the audio signal. When I charge and play at same time, there's a noticeable hiss/noise as well.

 

[Triodemode]

2 Things:

1: I have a SCHIIT Audio ASGARD 2 which is a class A amplifier in a similar metal body construction. I can tell you from personal experience that I would NEVER want a passively cooled class A amp in a metal chasis ANY where near my lap, enclosed laptop bag, or any stored with any plastic-bodied tech gear while running, or just after shutdown. It would warp or melt all of it!

2: if you REALLY wanted to charge while using your iPhone, you could use one of those mini powered USB hubs and probably charge while playing, but:
A: you'd potentially add noise to the signal which I don't know if the built in iPurifier could negate.
B: it would be more clutter and wires than I would want to have to deal with personally... But if you NEED it, it might be an option that others could live with...

EDIT: I suppose you COULD try a Y-adapter USB cable to handle simulateous connection to your iPhone's CCK and a USB power adapter. Just a thought...


Ken N.

I agree with you regarding the heat dissipation issues with class A amplification.  I'm curious, how does your Schiit Asgard compare sonically to the headphone section of the iDSD micro?  In my experience nothing sounds better than class A when using solid state amplification.
 
My previous rant was merely highlighting what I felt of the headphone section not quite matching the sound quality of the iDSD micro DAC section, as many here use a separate headphone amp with the iDSD for this very reason.  Low distortion specs often do not necessarily translate to better sound quality as you may know.

 

[ITOzann]

A quick question from a newbie.

Can I use the iFi micro idsd as a  DAC when me source is a computer and the output is going to my headphone tube amplifier through a coaxial cable?
 
Thanks in advance for the input!

 

[knorris908]

  A quick question from a newbie.

Can I use the iFi micro idsd as a  DAC when me source is a computer and the output is going to my headphone tube amplifier through a coaxial cable?
 
Thanks in advance for the input!

 
Yes.  I have often used my iFi Micro directly from our Home Theater PC (Running J River Media Center 20) via USB to RCA-In of ASGARD 2  Excellent sound and setup!
 
Edit:  Just make sure that you plug in the USB cable to the POWERED ON PC first before you turn on the iFi Micro, or you'll be running down your iFi's internal battery.  Also, TURN OFF and then turn back on your iFi Micro after each time you reboot your PC, or again, it will start draining it's internal battery instead of being powered through the PC's USB port.

 

[ClieOS]

  A quick question from a newbie.

Can I use the iFi micro idsd as a  DAC when me source is a computer and the output is going to my headphone tube amplifier through a coaxial cable?
 
Thanks in advance for the input!

 
Short answer: No. Not with a coaxial connection as it only sends digital signal.
 
You can however connect iDSD to the tube amp via RCA cable. It looks similar to a coax cable but they are not the same thing

 

[knorris908]

 
I agree with you regarding the heat dissipation issues with class A amplification.  I'm curious, how does your Schiit Asgard compare sonically to the headphone section of the iDSD micro?  In my experience nothing sounds better than class A when using solid state amplification.
 
My previous rant was merely highlighting what I felt of the headphone section not quite matching the sound quality of the iDSD micro DAC section, as many here use a separate headphone amp with the iDSD for this very reason.  Low distortion specs often do not necessarily translate to better sound quality as you may know.

 
This answer is SPECIFIC to my Sennheiser HD-650s.  For all our other headphones/earplugs there is little to no difference between the iFi Micro and ASGARD 2 beyond the ASGARD 2 can get them louder, but BOTH make our other headphones louder than we could ever listen to them.
I've described it before in other posts, I LOVE the iFi Micro as DAC with my ASGARD 2.  If I compared just using the iFi Micro as a DAC with the ASGARD 2 vs Just using the iFi Micro alone, I'd say that the iFi Micro is REALLY good, getting it up to around 90% of what I get out of the ASGARD 2, but there is just a little more definition, wider soundstage, and just a little more "weight" to music when my headphones are powered by the ASGARD 2. 

 

[EVOLVIST]

Well, my experiment with the Pro-Ject Pre Box RS Digital failed badly. Running balanced XLR outs to my SPL Auditor headphone amp, set to unity gain, I not only had to crank the Pre Box to 10, but I also had to go beyond unity gain on my amp. Not so with my DM+.

So, I really hope the ifi stuff does better, since the iDSD, the iUSB Power, the iCAN and the iTube come in tomorrow.

The thing that concerns me now is the iDSD micro having enough power to run unbalanced to my Auditor. I've run unbalanced to my Auditor before, out of my little Aune T1 DAC and it just wouldn't push it. Any thoughts?

I wonder if the iDSD's preamp will help. Or, if I run the iTube inline, with the 6db boost if that will drive well. I would rather have the option, though, to run SS if I want to, or on tubes if the mood strikes me.

Any thoughts of using the iCAN as a preamp, inline, or will that serve only to reamp/distort the picture?

Also, I might have asked before, but does anyone know if RCA cables that come with these boxes are EMI shielded?