[kameenadesi]

Borrow a second pair of headphones and do both at the same time

Also remember that the 3D and XBASS circuits will need burn-in too.

Although they get better throughout the usual 200 hours, the iFi kit sounds pretty good after just a few hours so just listen to it.

thanks technobear, the pair is starting to sound good after some burn-in

 

[diamondears]

Does any of you exoerienced losing sound on one channel (right for me) on the micro iDSD? No right channel using the HP out and as pre-amp. But as direct DAC it mode no problem.

What's wrong with my unit? Is there a simple fix, or do i need to send it to iFi for servicing?

 

[ClieOS]

Does any of you exoerienced losing sound on one channel (right for me) on the micro iDSD? No right channel using the HP out and as pre-amp. But as direct DAC it mode no problem.

What's wrong with my unit? Is there a simple fix, or do i need to send it to iFi for servicing?

 
You should send it for service. It is very likely not something you can fix yourself.

 

[maricius]

Does any of you exoerienced losing sound on one channel (right for me) on the micro iDSD? No right channel using the HP out and as pre-amp. But as direct DAC it mode no problem.

What's wrong with my unit? Is there a simple fix, or do i need to send it to iFi for servicing?

 
Check if the iEMatch switch is loose

 

[rafaelpernil]

Does any of you exoerienced losing sound on one channel (right for me) on the micro iDSD? No right channel using the HP out and as pre-amp. But as direct DAC it mode no problem.

What's wrong with my unit? Is there a simple fix, or do i need to send it to iFi for servicing?

I had a similar problem with left channel and it was due to a RCA cable problem. As soon as I unplugged RCA everything started to sound properly. Good luck, dude!
 
Regards!

 

[shadow04]

Is it is okay if i leave the iDSD connected to my laptop all the time, that is to say I will be mainly using it as a "desktop" amp/dac. I don't really foresee myself using it as a portable amp/dac much(mainly because I am not a fan of brick-fi) but I figured it is a pretty nifty feature to have as a "backup plan" for my phone in case my DAP died or something. 
 
I am sorry if this question has been asked multiple times before, I am currently on mobile so it is a little troublesome for me to do a search. Thanks in advance!

 

[gixxerwimp]

  Is it is okay if i leave the iDSD connected to my laptop all the time, that is to say I will be mainly using it as a "desktop" amp/dac. I don't really foresee myself using it as a portable amp/dac much(mainly because I am not a fan of brick-fi) but I figured it is a pretty nifty feature to have as a "backup plan" for my phone in case my DAP died or something. 
 
I am sorry if this question has been asked multiple times before, I am currently on mobile so it is a little troublesome for me to do a search. Thanks in advance!

Yup, it's been discussed, and yup, it's okay. In USB power mode, the 'smart power' feature will keep your battery topped up to an optimal 80% charge. Many others use it this way and have no problems, and have good use of the battery when they need it.

 

[iFi audio]

 
For me, it seemed to go into sleep mode (flashing green) after a few minutes (longer than without the OTG Lock app), but after about 30 minutes it went into full charging mode (blue).
 
If you turn the micro off while it's plugged into anything (phone or PC), I don't think there's any way to prevent it from charging.

 
As a clarification, in "off" mode the iDSD micro will always draw as much power as it is allowed to, which can be up to 1.5A to charge the battery.
 
In battery mode the iDSD micro "tests" the power source before charging in sleep mode. When it was developed most smartphones could only provide 100mA current to USB Devices attached. 
 
So if the source voltage collapses when drawing more than 100mA the iDSD micro takes this as evidence that it is attached to a smartphone or similar device and will not charge.
 
Since Smartphones and Tablets have appeared that provide 500mA or even more on their USB Ports. In this case the iDSD micro has no way of telling what it is attached to and may draw up to 500mA. 
 
If the Device manufacturer of the Phone and/or Tablet has allowed the port to offer more than 500mA current and has set the appropriate detection, the iDSD micro will detect this as "downstream charging port" and will thus attempt to draw as much charging current as possible.
 
If you have this combination, please load Firmware 4.10 which disabled "sleep mode" for this reason, however be aware that this causes the SPDIF input to become inoperable as long as a USB Source is connected.

 

[DonD]

   
As a clarification, in "off" mode the iDSD micro will always draw as much power as it is allowed to, which can be up to 1.5A to charge the battery.
 
In battery mode the iDSD micro "tests" the power source before charging in sleep mode. When it was developed most smartphones could only provide 100mA current to USB Devices attached. 
 
So if the source voltage collapses when drawing more than 100mA the iDSD micro takes this as evidence that it is attached to a smartphone or similar device and will not charge.
 
Since Smartphones and Tablets have appeared that provide 500mA or even more on their USB Ports. In this case the iDSD micro has no way of telling what it is attached to and may draw up to 500mA. 
 
If the Device manufacturer of the Phone and/or Tablet has allowed the port to offer more than 500mA current and has set the appropriate detection, the iDSD micro will detect this as "downstream charging port" and will thus attempt to draw as much charging current as possible.
 
If you have this combination, please load Firmware 4.10 which disabled "sleep mode" for this reason, however be aware that this causes the SPDIF input to become inoperable as long as a USB Source is connected.

It is still unclear for me what changes the 4.10 did to the power management...
When turned on while connected to a power source, it does never go in sleep mode:
Does it still maintain the battery to 80% charge in all 3 modes (eco, normal, turbo)?
Does it sense that nothing is playing? It this a special "state" (like sleep mode before)?
Thanks

 

[iFi audio]

 
It is still unclear for me what changes the 4.10 did to the power management...
When turned on while connected to a power source, it does never go in sleep mode:
Does it still maintain the battery to 80% charge in all 3 modes (eco, normal, turbo)?
Does it sense that nothing is playing? It this a special "state" (like sleep mode before)?
Thanks

>  When turned on while connected to a power source, it does never go in sleep mode:
 
Does it still maintain the battery to 80% charge in all 3 modes (eco, normal, turbo)?
 
- Yes, the 80% battery charge is applied whenever the unit is turned on while attached to a power source. It takes no account if music is playing of not.
The key change on 4.10 for power management is to disable the "sleep mode" and "sleep mode charging", as this has been causing issues with modern smartphones/tablets.

 

[bigfullz]

i have a quick scenario i have been playing with, would appreciate any thoughts!
 
using Onkyo HF player on iPhone 6plus out to micro iDSD with Noble K10U.  
 
after reading back on page 274 about volume matching, i thought i would experiment with trying to get the volume pot between 12 and 3 o clock.
for the k10s, its pretty damn loud on Eco and IEMatch to Ultra.... so i turned on the EQ (Flat preset) for Onkyo HF and then dragged the whole line down to rock bottom, which is -12db i think.  
 
now i can really use this volume pot between 12-3.   even further, i switched power to Normal (from Eco) and i can still play in this ideal range of 12-3, and i believe Normal adds a little more dynamics!   am i crazy doing it this way?  
 
i havent really been a big fan of EQ when I am sitting and listening to IEMs, especially with micro iDSD, but it does come in handy for car audio or when i am tuning my "beater" IEMS for out and about activites (working out, yard work, shoveling snow, etc...)
 
definitely not trying to ignite a debate about EQ, just an experiment for now.  thanks for any feedback!

 

[ClieOS]

  i have a quick scenario i have been playing with, would appreciate any thoughts!
 
using Onkyo HF player on iPhone 6plus out to micro iDSD with Noble K10U.  
 
after reading back on page 274 about volume matching, i thought i would experiment with trying to get the volume pot between 12 and 3 o clock.
for the k10s, its pretty damn loud on Eco and IEMatch to Ultra.... so i turned on the EQ (Flat preset) for Onkyo HF and then dragged the whole line down to rock bottom, which is -12db i think.  
 
now i can really use this volume pot between 12-3.   even further, i switched power to Normal (from Eco) and i can still play in this ideal range of 12-3, and i believe Normal adds a little more dynamics!   am i crazy doing it this way?  
 
i havent really been a big fan of EQ when I am sitting and listening to IEMs, especially with micro iDSD, but it does come in handy for car audio or when i am tuning my "beater" IEMS for out and about activites (working out, yard work, shoveling snow, etc...)
 
definitely not trying to ignite a debate about EQ, just an experiment for now.  thanks for any feedback!

 
Note that -12dB (*if it is accurate) in EQ means a loss of 2 bits in resolution. I'll suggest you turn on the upsampling option in HF Player, if you haven't done so.

 

[bigfullz]

Note that -12dB (*if it is accurate) in EQ means a loss of 2 bits in resolution. I'll suggest you turn on the upsampling option in HF Player, if you haven't done so.

Yes, upsampling is on, and mostly hi res FLAC. And the maximum/minimum amplitude for the EQ is +/- 12db. I'll experiment further to discern if sacrificing 2 bits is worth hitting the sweet spot for the amp.
Thanks!

 

[gixxerwimp]

 

It doesn't fully charge but the Micro does a good job of depleting my Note 3's battery. Wish there was a way to disable usb charging on the Micro (like my Fiio E17). Perhaps the next iFi firmware could allow for this via software, similar to changing the usb sample rate.  

 

As a clarification, in "off" mode the iDSD micro will always draw as much power as it is allowed to, which can be up to 1.5A to charge the battery.  
In battery mode the iDSD micro "tests" the power source before charging in sleep mode. When it was developed most smartphones could only provide 100mA current to USB Devices attached. 
 
So if the source voltage collapses when drawing more than 100mA the iDSD micro takes this as evidence that it is attached to a smartphone or similar device and will not charge.
 
Since Smartphones and Tablets have appeared that provide 500mA or even more on their USB Ports. In this case the iDSD micro has no way of telling what it is attached to and may draw up to 500mA. 
 
If the Device manufacturer of the Phone and/or Tablet has allowed the port to offer more than 500mA current and has set the appropriate detection, the iDSD micro will detect this as "downstream charging port" and will thus attempt to draw as much charging current as possible.
 
If you have this combination, please load Firmware 4.10 which disabled "sleep mode" for this reason, however be aware that this causes the SPDIF input to become inoperable as long as a USB Source is connected.

 
I updated to FW v4.10 and now it does what I want it to when connected to my Note 3 (4.4.2) and without using the OTG Lock app. When connected in battery mode, the micro does not go into sleep (LED always on) and does not go into charging mode. The FW update also fixed the problem I was having with garbled transmission after pausing the music for more than a few seconds. I can now pause seemingly indefinitely and resume playback without any issues. Thanks, iFi!
 
@gr8soundz I don't think you're going to be able to get the micro NOT to charge when connected to your phone and turned off, regardless of the FW. If the micro is off, it's going to charge if it senses USB current. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[odib]

Hi sorry if this has been discussed before, but how do you install the new firmware (4.10) for the IDSD?
 
Edit: nevermind found the instructions here: http://ifi-audio.com/3-steps-micro-idsd-firmware-upgrade/