iFi iDSD Micro DSD512 / PCM768 DAC and Headphone Amp. Impressions, Reviews and Comments.

[tf1216]

  People have certainly pointed it before but I'll say it again.
When the batteries runs out, there is no indication before it dose it. At least it could start blinking with 1h juice left.
This is very irritated every times it happens.
Hopefully a firmware update can fix it.

 
Hi ultraman,
 
Check the last part of the User Manual  You will see the part about the "LEDs".  It highlights that when the battery is low by illuminating RED. This warning comes up when the battery is on its last 10%.

 

[knorris908]

I was not searching for the best DAC under a certain price... i was searching for the best portable DAC ever made

This is why i feel like anything but hugo is going to make me feel like i bought the right one..

about hd audio.. why?.. i am just curious why? there is clear evidence that you cannot hear above 20khz, if you go to an audiologist, you might want to know that you hear even under 20k... so i don't care about file types and such, only SQ... i know that chord hugo is here to stay for as short as a few years more, it reached the state of art afterall...

all the comments around here made me understand that ifi idsd micro is not able to beat up chord hugo, no matter what. it will probably sound like a side-grade from my fiio x5, not a total full upgrade in all senses... a concept about what is truly better, is what is totally more transparent, more soundstange, more dynamic, more micro details, more UN-Coloured, more analytical, more layering of instruments, more these things, not another sound signature... my x5 already sounds better than i expected, and chord hugo is only 4-5% better. i wanted to know that at 25% of the price idsd is at least 3-4% better than fiio x5, but i guess that nobody around here has an x5 for comparation...

anyways thanks for all the help!  

Have a good listening!

I'm going to make the only suggestion that I believe makes sense for you. Ask your local retailers if they have a loaner policy for auditioning of equipment. Get both. Audition both fairly, head to head with YOUR audio setup, music files, and headphones/speakers. Not a buddies, or a store demo rack system. Decide for yourself which has better synergy with your equipment. (I believe that you will end-up keeping both for different purposes! Neither is truly "travel-sized", but one may fit you mobile needs better.). I did the same with the iFi vs FIIO eval, and while the iFi clearly won, I keep both for different situations. The iFi sounded so much better than my home gear, it is a fairly permanent component in my home system now.

As an example, Essential Audio has in their "about us" page:
"I am happy to loan equipment for you to audition in your own system without cost or obligation. The easiest way is for you to pick it up here and try it for a few days, but I also can bring it to you upon request. If you are more than say 50 miles away I can either bring it to you or ship it.
Are you from out of town but would like to come for a listen? I can pick you up at the local commuter rail station or at O'Hare airport upon request. Midway airport is possible, too.
With few exceptions, my business hours are flexible to fit your schedule. Come for an audition almost any time, I'll provide the coffee and snacks, and you can listen for as long as you wish, uninterrupted and unhurried.
I strive to provide exceptionally responsive customer support before and after the sale, 7 days a week. When you call or email me you can be assured of a fast response.
Have a problem? You can contact me any time to help solve it, and when needed I provide loaner equipment free of charge so you are not without music.
Very generous trade-in allowances and consignment.
Fair prices. I will work with you to help you achieve the most wonderful music system you can imagine within your budget. I value your business and go the extra mile to exceed your expectations."

Maybe there is a retailer in your section of the world that offers something similar?

It's not always about money. I heard you loud and clear. Some have even expressed disbelief that I spent the $499 USD on the iFi, so I get it. For others, it's a just a small drop in the bucket. I have a family to consider first, so while I can afford more, I am always hesitant to spend on myself since I never know what new "emergency" they are going to hit me with. But that doesn't mean that I believe all have the same considerations as I do. Please don't think otherwise.

 

[Dobrescu George]

i tried to search chord hugo vs ifi idsd micro and it did not came up with any interesting resoults..
 
@knorris908 the message you wrote was very nice.. sadly i don't have a shop that has ifi and chord hugo. in fact the only shop that ships to romania is in hungary, i cannot really return ifi if i buy it and compare it to hugo at the store which has hugo... all in all, i might just buy both, keep both..
 
i am really wondering too much, but it is normal for me to be like this, this is how i was when i bought my x5, and every other piece of equipment.

 

[ultraman]

   
Hi ultraman,
 
Check the last part of the User Manual  You will see the part about the "LEDs".  It highlights that when the battery is low by illuminating RED. This warning comes up when the battery is on its last 10%.

 
Hmmm....maybe I got a faulty unit or I didn't pay attention when the led change color.
 
Thank you for your help,

 

[tf1216]

   
Hmmm....maybe I got a faulty unit or I didn't pay attention when the led change color.
 
Thank you for your help,

 
Keep us posted and keep enjoying your iDSD 

 

[Sound Eq]

  i tried to search chord hugo vs ifi idsd micro and it did not came up with any interesting resoults..
 
@knorris908 the message you wrote was very nice.. sadly i don't have a shop that has ifi and chord hugo. in fact the only shop that ships to romania is in hungary, i cannot really return ifi if i buy it and compare it to hugo at the store which has hugo... all in all, i might just buy both, keep both..
 
i am really wondering too much, but it is normal for me to be like this, this is how i was when i bought my x5, and every other piece of equipment.

just get the ifi i previously had the hugo, and its not that you will be missing anything if u buy the ifi

 

[RAFA]

24h waiting commence!

 

[RAFA]

2 Things.
 
1. On should really read the manual first!
 
2. Has anyone managed to put the LED into DXD or DSD mode from Android?

 

[Dobrescu George]

  2 Things.
 
1. On should really read the manual first!
 
2. Has anyone managed to put the LED into DXD or DSD mode from Android?

1. do this for every product. I actually read the manuals of product i am yet to buy! fun thing to do
 
2. is anything android able to trasnfer that much data at once?.. i am not sure if usb from android is 3.0 speed capable..

 

[EVOLVIST]

1. do this for every product. I actually read the manuals of product i am yet to buy! fun thing to do.

It IS a fun thing to do! I probably read the iFi manuals 20 times before I made the purchase.

Now, if only women came with manuals like that I would have stayed out of trouble most of my life.

 

[earfonia]

Recently I reviewed the new Audio-Technica headphone, ATH-W1000Z, and the ifi stacks blew me away! 

ifi micro iDSD >> ifi micro iTube >> ifi micro iCan >> Maestoso
ifi micro iDSD settings: Filter: Bit-Perfect, Power mode: Normal, Line Out: Direct.
ifi micro iTube set as buffer (0 dB).
ifi micro iCan set at 0 dB gain.
 

 
Just realized the ifi stacks sound simply awesome! Practically all the goodness of tube and solid state perfectly mixed 

I was skeptical when I heard about micro iTube. My friend recently bought it, and I borrow it from him to test it with my micro iDSD and micro iCan.
After using it for sometime, now I want to buy it 

 
 
Kudos to ifi!

 

[EVOLVIST]

Recently I reviewed the new Audio-Technica headphone, ATH-W1000Z, and the ifi stacks blew me away! 

[COLOR=3B3B3B]ifi micro iDSD >> ifi micro iTube >> ifi micro iCan >> Maestoso[/COLOR]
[COLOR=3B3B3B]ifi micro iDSD settings: Filter: Bit-Perfect, Power mode: Normal, Line Out: Direct.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=3B3B3B]ifi micro iTube set as buffer (0 dB).[/COLOR]
[COLOR=3B3B3B]ifi micro iCan set at 0 dB gain.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=3B3B3B]
[/COLOR]

[COLOR=3B3B3B]Just realized the ifi stacks sound simply awesome! Practically all the goodness of tube and solid state perfectly mixed  [/COLOR]
[COLOR=3B3B3B]I was skeptical when I heard about micro iTube. My friend recently bought it, and I borrow it from him to test it with my micro iDSD and micro iCan.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=3B3B3B]After using it for sometime, now I want to buy it :bigsmile_face:  [/COLOR]

[COLOR=3B3B3B]Kudos to ifi![/COLOR]

Good for you! It will blow your mind how much extra layering and clarity you can get with the iUSB and/or the Gemini cable from iFi (all depending on mix and mastering, of course).

 

[SonicWarrior]

  Recently I reviewed the new Audio-Technica headphone, ATH-W1000Z, and the ifi stacks blew me away! 

ifi micro iDSD >> ifi micro iTube >> ifi micro iCan >> Maestoso
ifi micro iDSD settings: Filter: Bit-Perfect, Power mode: Normal, Line Out: Direct.
ifi micro iTube set as buffer (0 dB).
ifi micro iCan set at 0 dB gain.
 

 
Just realized the ifi stacks sound simply awesome! Practically all the goodness of tube and solid state perfectly mixed 

I was skeptical when I heard about micro iTube. My friend recently bought it, and I borrow it from him to test it with my micro iDSD and micro iCan.
After using it for sometime, now I want to buy it 

 
 
Kudos to ifi!

Forgive my ignorance. Why lineout is Direct and not Preamp in this set up? You are using iCan as the amplifier right? Is there any specific reason you'd want an amplified signal from idsd's internal amp to be fed to ican? Sorry if my question sounds noob but I am curious if there is anything wrong in my understanding.

 

[earfonia]

 
Forgive my ignorance. Why lineout is Direct and not Preamp in this set up? You are using iCan as the amplifier right? Is there any specific reason you'd want an amplified signal from idsd's internal amp to be fed to ican? Sorry if my question sounds noob but I am curious if there is anything wrong in my understanding.

 
The connection as you can see from my post:
ifi micro iDSD >> ifi micro iTube >> ifi micro iCan >> Headphone
 
I just want to use iDSD as DAC, bypassing it's volume control. That's why I set the line out mode to direct.
From the DAC (iDSD) the signal goes through iTube, only to use the iTube as buffer, no additional gain by the iTube. The iTube will give tube flavor to the signal, kind of harmonic enrichment.
From iTube, the signal goes to iCan which i use as the amplifier. The volume is adjusted by the volume control of the iCan.
 
I didn't feed the signal from iDSD internal headphone amplifer to iCan. The signal to iCan is from the line output of the iDSD, not from the iDSD internal headphone amplifer.
The reason why I want to use iCan is because it is a much better amplifier as compared to the internal headphone amplifer in iDSD.

 

[Triodemode]

 
Forgive my ignorance. Why lineout is Direct and not Preamp in this set up? You are using iCan as the amplifier right? Is there any specific reason you'd want an amplified signal from idsd's internal amp to be fed to ican? Sorry if my question sounds noob but I am curious if there is anything wrong in my understanding.

Anytime the iDSD is connected to an external amplifier that has a volume control (like the iCAN), the iDSD should always be set to direct mode to maintain the purest signal path.  Running two preamps and volume controls back to back makes no sense.  In direct mode the iDSD's amplifier and volume control is bypassed, 'directly' connecting the DAC section to the RCA jacks.