Hello, I'm new here but have been lurking for about a year (my wallet hates this hobby). Anywho, I was wondering if I need to purchase separate RCA cables (and what kind?) to hook up my ipod via LOD? I'm expecting the iCan next week so I would like to be prepared. Thanks for any possible reply.
If you have an LOD with a 3.5mm stereo plug on the end, it will work OK, (assuming it is long enough) as the iCAN has a 3.5 mm input as well as RCA jacks. If your LOD is not long enough, probably the easiest solution is to get a 3.5 to 3.5 coupler and add a 3.5 to RCA cable of sufficient length. Unless you want to spend a lot of unnecessary money, these components can be purchased at any Radio Shack.
Wish I'd held back for the new version but didn't know there was another in the pipeline. Still an amazing amp which is very well suited to the LCD2. Never thought I'd use the additional tweak(s) but with certain tracks it really does help. It's subtle though...
Your review is the most accurate I have seen on the iCAN. When I own the iCAN, I did not found it to be as sublime as claimed by some other reviews. I also heard the same issues you described:
"The iCan’s sound signature is a little odd. There’s a definite, though slight, bass accentuation even in “bass neutral” mode. The bass is ever-so-slightly uncontrolled, and the timbre is a bit flatter than it should be. The combination shows that it’s not the best amplifier for headphones that already suffer from bass issues...
The iCan’s midrange is, to my ears, laid-back. The iCan smoothened out the midrange of every headphone I tried with it, which can make or break some headphones. Like the bass, timbre is slightly off, which is annoying..."
Why thank you! Glad to hear I'm not the only one that encountered those issues, since the other reviews seem so overly positive. I wonder if they changed anything too, but I doubt they did. Wish I could compare the two.
I also appreciate the honest review. When it first came out and I read the reviews, I thought it had to be too good to be true at that price point. Then, couple in the use of a wall wart power supply, it screamed to me it was just the FOTM.
I'll reserve final judgement until I hear it myself, but the whole picture is becoming a little more clear.
If considered a portable amp, there is a genuine case for this. But the main problem is that it's not very portable because it needs to be plugged in, which opens the gates to being compared to everything else. If this ran on batteries and was a little less bright, I'd probably give it my full recommendation. (Which probably means it'd be recommended against by most others) But since it doesn't, I have to be honest and say unless you absolutely need the features, cross shopping is definitely needed.
I've been struggling with something for a few months... do you think it'd be better to pair the iCan or the iDAC with an amp/dac from another line? I've really had my heart set on the iCan because of the features, but it seems like a lot of people prefer the iDAC over the iCan? It seems at least like Audio Technica would pair well with the iFi products?
I would probably sell my E12 v1 and keep my BH for portability.
I started reading the review above and not meaning any disrespect because he's obviously put a lot of time and effort in, I stopped reading the iCan review as I disagree with the comments of both bass issues and odd sound signature. Absolute polar opposite to my findings....
I listen to mine most nights (awaiting a HP8 II) and am still astounded at this amp for it's price point. Blindfolded test I believe would have you assume you were listening to something far bigger and substantially more expensive. I've got the 1st version without adjustable gain so I've had it long enough to know it.
I have a good source and have never, ever felt it lacking anywhere.
This is a subjective game and peeps should make up their own minds.
Wish I'd held back for the new version but didn't know there was another in the pipeline. Still an amazing amp which is very well suited to the LCD2. Never thought I'd use the additional tweak(s) but with certain tracks it really does help. It's subtle though...
The iFi Audio Facebook page mentions that they have an exchange policy to retrofit the gain switch:
"For all iCAN users since the launch in October 2012 wishing to have the extra gain control, there is a one-off upgrade fee of US$50/Euro40 (plus shipping) to exchange your unit. Please contact your retailer."
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