[chad.is.rc]

I am reading ‘this thread with interest as I am considering this item to use as a semi portable rig with my iPhone XR and HEK headphones . This thread concerns me a little as I am not that technical . Lots of firmware updates worries me as I tend to buy a product and just stick with it .
The muting of the first 2 seconds is a worry but I have read it’s just at the start of an album and not on every track. ? If it is every track then I will definitely steer clear .
I like the look of the ifi range of products and they do have a reputation for punching well above their weight

Hey Womaz

My personal experience with the unit has been great. I used to have a fiio kunlun, and upgraded to this unit. Nice upgrade, I don't regret it one bit. I can't speak to the portability as I just use the Tidal app on my Windows PC, but in this configuration it works great. I do agree with what Navodar has to say, this unit sounds terrific for its price point. One of the first things I noticed was the level of detail, it was pretty surprising. I am using the unit with my Sony MDR-1A's, and its a great match.

As for issues, I did initially have an issue decoding MQA, and I did upgrade the firmware to 5.3c, which for me worked. I honestly don't care what the audiophile world has to say about MQA, I trust what I hear. When I play the same track in MQA from the the Tidal app, I get more detail and clarity, and no its not placebo. I am not going to say its night and any anything like that, but I do like MQA. MQA aside as Navodar mentioned, this unit is just terrific even without MQA.

The only two things I have not tested out are DSD tracks, and using the unit with IEM's on the separate output jack.

Hope that helps, and happy hunting.

Chad

 

[Womaz]

Hey Womaz

My personal experience with the unit has been great. I used to have a fiio kunlun, and upgraded to this unit. Nice upgrade, I don't regret it one bit. I can't speak to the portability as I just use the Tidal app on my Windows PC, but in this configuration it works great. I do agree with what Navodar has to say, this unit sounds terrific for its price point. One of the first things I noticed was the level of detail, it was pretty surprising. I am using the unit with my Sony MDR-1A's, and its a great match.

As for issues, I did initially have an issue decoding MQA, and I did upgrade the firmware to 5.3c, which for me worked. I honestly don't care what the audiophile world has to say about MQA, I trust what I hear. When I play the same track in MQA from the the Tidal app, I get more detail and clarity, and no its not placebo. I am not going to say its night and any anything like that, but I do like MQA. MQA aside as Navodar mentioned, this unit is just terrific even without MQA.

The only two things I have not tested out are DSD tracks, and using the unit with IEM's on the separate output jack.

Hope that helps, and happy hunting.

Chad

Thanks for the input. I guess I wont let the issues stop me making a purchase then. I wont use it with my IEMs as I will not carry it about , It looks too bulky for that.
The main reason I am considering it is to replace my main kit as the girlfriend cant hear the TV I am in the process of moving to a detached property and I will not be using my HPs as much I would guess as I dont have neighbours to consider.
I am therefore considering selling the Taurus and using my phone and the Ifi or another amp.........however the Devilaet- Taurus - HEK set up really does sound sublime.

I have no DSD tracks. I use Tidal exclusively now and I have even stopped buying music now . I am now a total streaming convert I like MQA too and like you I dont get too hung up on music formats and all of the discussions about it.

 

[chad.is.rc]

Thanks for the input. I guess I wont let the issues stop me making a purchase then. I wont use it with my IEMs as I will not carry it about , It looks too bulky for that.
The main reason I am considering it is to replace my main kit as the girlfriend cant hear the TV I am in the process of moving to a detached property and I will not be using my HPs as much I would guess as I dont have neighbours to consider.
I am therefore considering selling the Taurus and using my phone and the Ifi or another amp.........however the Devilaet- Taurus - HEK set up really does sound sublime.

I have no DSD tracks. I use Tidal exclusively now and I have even stopped buying music now . I am now a total streaming convert I like MQA too and like you I dont get too hung up on music formats and all of the discussions about it.

Ditto on the streaming convert. All I use is Tidal, either at work from the PC, or using my phone connected to the car via car play... love it.

 

[CEddy10165]

I recommended this unit to a friend and they’re not able to install the windows drivers on iFi’s site. Ease of use seems to be hit or miss. Anyone else have problems with installing the Windows drivers?

 

[CEddy10165]

How can I order a unit that has 5.3c installed already?

 

[iFi audio]

I can try - I don’t have a windows machine. I hope it works. Seems like driving and hour to have a friend update the firmware on an Mqa approved device is putting a lot of expectation on a customer to make something work that is supposed to be quality controlled, Mqa endorsed, and should work out of the box. Most consumers would never go through this effort and just immediately return it when it didn’t perform as advertised. If this is what it takes to adopt Mqa, who’s going to bother? I am, but I’m in the 1%.

We understand that you're displeased, however we wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet. First we need to make sure that our product is the culprit. It might be your Mac as you should be able to install FW on a Mac via a regular USB A port. If that doesn't work, the next step would be to use either another Mac or another machine running on Windows. If these steps don't help, then we'd suggest to open a ticket on our support line here: http://support.ifi-audio.com/index.php

Thanks!

------

Also folks, not sure if you've seen it, but we're currently running a very simple competition with cool prizes here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/show-us-your-vipers-nest.913722/

 

[CEddy10165]

I already have a support ticket in and have been going back and forth for several days.

You’re product sounds excellent for the price, but if it doesn’t operate as advertised, after i’ve spent several days troubleshooting and attempting to fix something’s wrong. I’m confident it’s not my Mac - I’ve used it everyday for years performing operations like this. I’ve been purchasing and using audio and computer gear for 30 years and never had an experience like this.

Based on the glowing reviews, the good sound out of the box, and my confidence that iFi support would help me correct this in a timely accountable manner, I recommended the unit to a friend who is on windows. They bought it and can’t get the supplies drivers installed without error. So not only can I not test fixing my unit on their machine, but I have to apologize for recommending a dac that doesn’t work that they’ll need to return.

There are plenty of comments that can be searched online that show that while this might be a rated issue, that it is a known and not isolated issue.

We’re in an era that ease of use and accountability are key. Plug and play is the norm with ever other device I’ve bought. A vendor holding the customer accountable to update their product to make it work is unacceptable.

Because I liked what I heard and wanted to make it work, I’ve now wasted days on this, only to have to return it.

I’m a patient and experienced consumer, so buyer be aware the this might be a possibility.

If not and it works for you, I’m happy for you, it’s a nice sounding unit, but it doesn’t do what I bought it for - seamless Mqa playback.

 

[chad.is.rc]

I already have a support ticket in and have been going back and forth for several days.

You’re product sounds excellent for the price, but if it doesn’t operate as advertised, after i’ve spent several days troubleshooting and attempting to fix something’s wrong. I’m confident it’s not my Mac - I’ve used it everyday for years performing operations like this. I’ve been purchasing and using audio and computer gear for 30 years and never had an experience like this.

Based on the glowing reviews, the good sound out of the box, and my confidence that iFi support would help me correct this in a timely accountable manner, I recommended the unit to a friend who is on windows. They bought it and can’t get the supplies drivers installed without error. So not only can I not test fixing my unit on their machine, but I have to apologize for recommending a dac that doesn’t work that they’ll need to return.

There are plenty of comments that can be searched online that show that while this might be a rated issue, that it is a known and not isolated issue.

We’re in an era that ease of use and accountability are key. Plug and play is the norm with ever other device I’ve bought. A vendor holding the customer accountable to update their product to make it work is unacceptable.

Because I liked what I heard and wanted to make it work, I’ve now wasted days on this, only to have to return it.

I’m a patient and experienced consumer, so buyer be aware the this might be a possibility.

If not and it works for you, I’m happy for you, it’s a nice sounding unit, but it doesn’t do what I bought it for - seamless Mqa playback.

I hope Ifi steps up to the plate here. Because although the unit has been good for me, I would feel the same way if I was in your place.

 

[melbow]

Just wondering if anyone has the same issue with the iFi Zen DAC? If this issue is gone I'd definitely consider buying the Zen.

I've had the iFi Nano Black for over a year and really like the product, very happy with the audio quality, but the bugginess with Tidal on macOS / iOS is kind of annoying. I've been running the latest firmware (5.3c) since it came out, but it didn't solve any of the issues I have, namely:

* the few seconds of missing audio whenever starting a new track on Tidal (same as others described in this thread)
* fairly often (almost daily) tracks will play in Tidal with no audio coming out, the only solution being to unplug & replug the Nano's USB connection and restart Tidal. This bug seems to occur more commonly when going from an MQA track to non-MQA or vice versa (even when just letting Tidal play through a playlist on its own). This doesn't happen with Tidal with my other audio interfaces.

I'm not sure if the Tidal app or iFi software is to blame here, but it would be great if they can sort it out between them! Fiddling around restarting things kind of gets in the way of me enjoying the music (as Hans-Beekhuyzen would say )

 

[chad.is.rc]

Just wondering if anyone has the same issue with the iFi Zen DAC? If this issue is gone I'd definitely consider buying the Zen.

I've had the iFi Nano Black for over a year and really like the product, very happy with the audio quality, but the bugginess with Tidal on macOS / iOS is kind of annoying. I've been running the latest firmware (5.3c) since it came out, but it didn't solve any of the issues I have, namely:

* the few seconds of missing audio whenever starting a new track on Tidal (same as others described in this thread)
* fairly often (almost daily) tracks will play in Tidal with no audio coming out, the only solution being to unplug & replug the Nano's USB connection and restart Tidal. This bug seems to occur more commonly when going from an MQA track to non-MQA or vice versa (even when just letting Tidal play through a playlist on its own). This doesn't happen with Tidal with my other audio interfaces.

I'm not sure if the Tidal app or iFi software is to blame here, but it would be great if they can sort it out between them! Fiddling around restarting things kind of gets in the way of me enjoying the music (as Hans-Beekhuyzen would say )

I wish I could give more feedback on your issues, but I am running windows. I am using Tidal with the 5.3c update for my nano black and it works great. Based on what you have said, it seems more of an issue with Tidal on MacOS than with the nano itself. I have not researched the Zen much, it is supposed to be much better than the nano?

 

[melbow]

Based on what you have said, it seems more of an issue with Tidal on MacOS than with the nano itself.

Yeah, to be honest I can't say for sure - after @Navodar's suggestion I also tried the free trial of Audirvana and it worked flawlessly (both aforementioned issues gone), but I didn't want to shell out €80 for it, when the Tidal setup just has bugs (whether with Tidal or with the Nano Black) that should be fixed. Also, Audirvana doesn't exist on iOS so doesn't solve the same issues that I have there with Tidal + Nano Black.

The fact that it works fine with Audirvana would suggest that the Tidal macOS app is to blame, but this https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ifi-idsd-nano-bl-firmware-mqa-issues.872791/page-5#post-15153523 comment from the iFi guys suggest that the 2 seconds of missing audio is due to a hardware change (MQA <-> PCM) which should've been fixed in 5.3c, which I'm running, so that suggests the issue is still in the iFi firmware. Nonetheless, I've also filed a bug report with Tidal.

I have not researched the Zen much, it is supposed to be much better than the nano?

Pretty similar in terms of specs, marginally better in some, worse in others, lots of details here:
ZEN: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/ifi-zen-dac-and-headphone-amp-review.9885/
Nano Black: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ents-of-ifi-nano-idsd-black-dac-and-amp.4799/

Both good performers for their respective prices. The Zen is aimed at desktop setups, whereas the Nano is more portable.

The Zen also runs the 5.3c firmware, so I'm interested to hear if anyone's tried it out with Tidal on Mac.

 

[chad.is.rc]

Yeah, to be honest I can't say for sure - after @Navodar's suggestion I also tried the free trial of Audirvana and it worked flawlessly (both aforementioned issues gone), but I didn't want to shell out €80 for it, when the Tidal setup just has bugs (whether with Tidal or with the Nano Black) that should be fixed. Also, Audirvana doesn't exist on iOS so doesn't solve the same issues that I have there with Tidal + Nano Black.

The fact that it works fine with Audirvana would suggest that the Tidal macOS app is to blame, but this https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ifi-idsd-nano-bl-firmware-mqa-issues.872791/page-5#post-15153523 comment from the iFi guys suggest that the 2 seconds of missing audio is due to a hardware change (MQA <-> PCM) which should've been fixed in 5.3c, which I'm running, so that suggests the issue is still in the iFi firmware. Nonetheless, I've also filed a bug report with Tidal.


Pretty similar in terms of specs, marginally better in some, worse in others, lots of details here:
ZEN: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/ifi-zen-dac-and-headphone-amp-review.9885/
Nano Black: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ents-of-ifi-nano-idsd-black-dac-and-amp.4799/

Both good performers for their respective prices. The Zen is aimed at desktop setups, whereas the Nano is more portable.

The Zen also runs the 5.3c firmware, so I'm interested to hear if anyone's tried it out with Tidal on Mac.

Thanks for the reply. Interestingly enough I literally just watched a video from Zreviews on you tube late last night. . Needless to say he was pretty blown away at the price point. If you were to order the unit from Amazon Prime, if it did not work out for you, then you can always return it. Then there is no loss, and you got to try it out.

Off topic here, but I have ordered many IEM's from Amazon, and returned ones that I did not like. Honestly it is the only way to audition IEM's that I know of. Every other retailer won't let you return IEM's (I understand why). Love Amazon for their returns.

 

[iFi audio]

Based on what you have said, it seems more of an issue with Tidal on MacOS than with the nano itself

Most likely that is the case, but our support team will handle this.

I have not researched the Zen much, it is supposed to be much better than the nano?

They aren't really comparable due to their different functionality.

 

[melbow]

Most likely that is the case, but our support team will handle this.

Thanks for looking into it! Much appreciated

If you were to order the unit from Amazon Prime, if it did not work out for you, then you can always return it. Then there is no loss, and you got to try it out.

That's true, I still kind of feel bad sending stuff back tho Yeah on the one hand, it's a big corporation and the cost of returns is gonna be factored into the prices we're paying anyway, but on the other hand I wonder about the wastage with all the returns and open box stuff - bet it's not pretty!

 

[U2Edge]

I bought the ifi idsd nano bl as a portable dac and headphone amp that has Mqa rendering. The driver for this decision is the ability to stream Tidal Master Mqa.

My unit arrived with 5.3 firmware, and am on Mac - updating the firmware to 5.3c fails.

The first second or 2 of every Tidal Mqa song has the first second or 2 cutoff. Is there a way to correct this? Is it a known and accepted error with no fix? This is a deal sealer or breaker for me.

If you had the same problem, did you find another unit that played Mqa flawlessly in the same price range and audio quality?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Sorry if I'm a bit late to the party, but I have a Windows 10 machine running the Tidal app, and I experience the two-second (or thereabouts) cutoff at the start of every song as well with my iFi nano black label.

Verified I'm on 5.3 FW and 3.2 drivers.

(screenshot)