[peter123]

Any sound comparison between the Geek Out V2+ and the BL? I'm considering to pick up a BL but at the same time I remember that I preferred the sound from the V2+ over the original iDSD. I really did like the design and features on the iDSD but not enough to compromise on sq (for preference /pairings).....

 

[jmills8]

Any sound comparison between the Geek Out V2+ and the BL? I'm considering to pick up a BL but at the same time I remember that I preferred the sound from the V2+ over the original iDSD. I really did like the design and features on the iDSD but not enough to compromise on sq (for preference /pairings).....

The BL is much better than the silver. Ok not much but its better. I have a geek out infinity mint for sale.

 

[peter123]

The BL is much better than the silver. Ok not much but its better. I have a geek out infinity mint for sale.

Thanks!

 

[iFi audio]

The BL is much better than the silver. Ok not much but its better. I have a geek out infinity mint for sale.

Short'n'sweet feedback, thanks!

 

[sepukku]

Any good reason to pair this with Fiio F9 on a last gen Clevo laptop that actually sounds quite decent? There is an ESS-sabre headphone amplifier sticker on the laptop but I'm positively sure there is no ESS Sabre DAC inside, because I've checked for it and the codec is a realtek alc 892 anyway. Previously I tried the fiio ex1 1st gen with the nano idsd and that dac/amp barely improved the sound, if at all (was a little bit more clear maybe, the bass a tad more rounded but definitely recessed in the higher treble region). It also didn't eliminate the hissing, either with power from laptop or from the dac's battery. Now I have the Fiio F9 and was looking to further improve the sound but the price of micro-idsd-bl is one of a good pair of open headphones so I'm not sure if that would be an wise aquisition. Sure, I'm thinking to upgrade the hp somewhere in the future, the BL should stand quite future proof for a while but still...

 

[Dobrescu George]

Any good reason to pair this with Fiio F9 on a last gen Clevo laptop that actually sounds quite decent? There is an ESS-sabre headphone amplifier sticker on the laptop but I'm positively sure there is no ESS Sabre DAC inside, because I've checked for it and the codec is a realtek alc 892 anyway. Previously I tried the fiio ex1 1st gen with the nano idsd and that dac/amp barely improved the sound, if at all (was a little bit more clear maybe, the bass a tad more rounded but definitely recessed in the higher treble region). It also didn't eliminate the hissing, either with power from laptop or from the dac's battery. Now I have the Fiio F9 and was looking to further improve the sound but the price of micro-idsd-bl is one of a good pair of open headphones so I'm not sure if that would be an wise aquisition. Sure, I'm thinking to upgrade the hp somewhere in the future, the BL should stand quite future proof for a while but still...

I have a P775DM3-G and using iDSD BL with it .

iDSD BL makes the sound much better than the embedded one, but F9 might be a bit low as a IEM to fully appreciate the improvement...

 

[sepukku]

Mersi, George
I have a different model, with the i7 7700hq and gtx 1070, but i suppose it uses the same dac/amp. Being that it sounds much better than that, it also means it sounds equally better than the nano variant, which definitely wasn't an improvement over the laptop hp out. Was thinking @aquiring the oppo pm-3 - avstore has them as a BF offer - but I don't really like the idea of getting cans that are widely known as shy/recessed in the highs, region which I very much enjoy.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Mersi, George
I have a different model, with the i7 7700hq and gtx 1070, but i suppose it uses the same dac/amp. Being that it sounds much better than that, it also means it sounds equally better than the nano variant, which definitely wasn't an improvement over the laptop hp out. Was thinking @aquiring the oppo pm-3 - avstore has them as a BF offer - but I don't really like the idea of getting cans that are widely known as shy/recessed in the highs, region which I very much enjoy.

I don't know for sure what AMP and DAC modules each of those Clevos include, but I can guarantee that the ones in the higher end models are better than the DACs and AMPs I had on my previous laptops (Dell R15, Acer Nitro 17, Asus something something).

I'm quite surprised that you didn't feel a massive improvement with Nano.

If you like your sound like I like mine, PM-3 might not make the best deal, but you could look at some Ultrasone offers instead, like DJ One Pro, if you don't mind a heavier headphone. Or HD600 from AVstore. OR maybe some ATH A900 might give you some enjoyable times.

The deal AVstore has on ie800 makes me wonder...

At any rate, iDSD Black Label is one of the best high-end DAC/AMPs I have heard, truly an enjoyable sound. Maybe getting better IEMs / Headphones will allow you to see better why it is so well-known as such a great device. While good at their price, F9 is not the most resolving, so it is unable to shed light on this properly. Even so, you should feel the plus in dynamics, definition and sonic energy almost instantly when plugging in an iDSD BL over a Clevo lappy.

 

[RamblerBoy]

Hey thanks for this wonderful review and comparison with chord mojo.

It would be great if you could help me understand the difference in sound signature (bass, mids, treble) and SQ between Chord Mojo and IFI IDSD BL when paired with Sennheiser HD800S or Sennheiser HD800.

I am currently driving my hd800s with a mojo and i am finding it a bit rough and not so smooth in the "upper mids"; more like the sound is a bit analytic. I feel like there is less coherence between the components (voice, instruments, etc...) of music, i.e. the pairing is not musical enough but leaning towards the analytic side especially in the upper mids/lower treble region. I prefer something that which is smooth and less grainy around upper mids/lower treble.

My volume preference using mojo lies at around both being kept at blue or below.

Please do help me when you get time.

 

[jmills8]

Hey thanks for this wonderful review and comparison with chord mojo.

It would be great if you could help me understand the difference in sound signature (bass, mids, treble) and SQ between Chord Mojo and IFI IDSD BL when paired with Sennheiser HD800S or Sennheiser HD800.

I am currently driving my hd800s with a mojo and i am finding it a bit rough and not so smooth in the "upper mids"; more like the sound is a bit analytic. I feel like there is less coherence between the components (voice, instruments, etc...) of music, i.e. the pairing is not musical enough but leaning towards the analytic side especially in the upper mids/lower treble region. I prefer something that which is smooth and less grainy around upper mids/lower treble.

My volume preference using mojo lies at around both being kept at blue or below.

Please do help me when you get time.

Hey thanks for this wonderful review and comparison with chord mojo.

It would be great if you could help me understand the difference in sound signature (bass, mids, treble) and SQ between Chord Mojo and IFI IDSD BL when paired with Sennheiser HD800S or Sennheiser HD800.

I am currently driving my hd800s with a mojo and i am finding it a bit rough and not so smooth in the "upper mids"; more like the sound is a bit analytic. I feel like there is less coherence between the components (voice, instruments, etc...) of music, i.e. the pairing is not musical enough but leaning towards the analytic side especially in the upper mids/lower treble region. I prefer something that which is smooth and less grainy around upper mids/lower treble.

My volume preference using mojo lies at around both being kept at blue or below.

Please do help me when you get time.

The Vl sounds better than the Moho and Hugo and Hugo 2. Especially with headphones.

 

[RamblerBoy]

The Vl sounds better than the Moho and Hugo and Hugo 2. Especially with headphones.

Thank you.
Can you tell me how exactly they differ in terms of sound signature? When you get time.. Would be really helpful..

 

[jmills8]

Thank you.
Can you tell me how exactly they differ in terms of sound signature? When you get time.. Would be really helpful..

I meant the BL. Mojo is nice but lacks the ommph with most headphones. Its a great amp/dac with most iems. Hugo is neutral and more neutral than the Mojo but again best with iems. The Bl is neutral aa the Hugo but has a touch of the warmth of the mojo. Has more soundstage than mojo. Bl has more depth and can push all headphones better.

 

[howdy]

I meant the BL. Mojo is nice but lacks the ommph with most headphones. Its a great amp/dac with most iems. Hugo is neutral and more neutral than the Mojo but again best with iems. The Bl is neutral aa the Hugo but has a touch of the warmth of the mojo. Has more soundstage than mojo. Bl has more depth and can push all headphones better.

I agree. I was more impressed with the Micro over the Hugo 1 and 2 as well as mojo.

 

[Roscoeiii]

Agreed. The oomph of the BL and the ability to tweak the sound are big pluses over the Mojo. Especially for cans. Less an issue with IEMs.

Interestingly, speaking of IEMs, although the bass boost works well with cans and some IEMs, the boost doesn't work well at all with the 3 or 3 DD IEMs I've tried.

 

[jmills8]

I agree. I was more impressed with the Micro over the Hugo 1 and 2 as well as mojo.

I do like the Hugos dac and the Hugo might really shine if a good amp was attached to it. On the go or just at home the Bl excelled over the Hugo on its own.