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Well Topsin I have been fortunate to have it here for testing and it is a great product in every sense.

 

A beautifully built and wonderfully sounding headamp. Unfortunately it goes back next week

 

You reviewers always get the first taste. I'm envious. Must be hard everytime u have to return good sounding gear.

 

 

Speaker Rig: Roon > microRendu + HDPlex 100W > Yggdrasil > iTube > Sansui Au-555a > Dali Royal Menuet II 

 

 

 

Vinyl Rig: Sansui SR-2050C > Sansui Au-555a > Dali Royal Menuet II

 

 

 

 

Home Rig: Roon > microRendu > iPurifier 2 > Yggdrasil > iCAN SE > HD800S (LPS: HDPlex 100W)

 

 

 

Office Rig: Roon > mac mini > iDSD BL > HD800S / Viso HP50 / Marshall Major II

 

 

 

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You reviewers always get the first taste. I'm envious. Must be hard everytime u have to return good sounding gear.

 

Hi

 

We have the Pro iCAN official launch at Munich. 4 May. Something to involve everyone - it should be quite nice.

 

Before then, we have the iPHONO2 on 25 April and the iPurifier 2 Type A on 9 May

 

Thanks,

Our PowerStation is here: click me!

 

Check out our Tidal MQA Set-up Guides below. 
Android (Renderer) Mobile
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You reviewers always get the first taste. I'm envious. Must be hard everytime u have to return good sounding gear.

 

Not a reviewer but an enduser being asked for my opinion.

 

BUT I am sad to have to send it back. This is easily one of the better audio products I have tried or owned including my bi system and that is a very big statement

 

I have no affiliation with company. Just very happy to have had the opportunity to try it.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I had the recent pleasure of giving the upgraded AMR 777 a bit of a spin . I've also owned an iDSD micro for a while. As good as the iDSD micro is, the AMR is just in an absolutly different league. It is just so tonely rich, detailed, musical that I have a feeling it leaves many, many other Dac's in it's wake. So am hoping that the Pro Dac comes somewhere near the AMR (PLEASE).

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  • 2 weeks later...

[h=1]iFi Quad DSD Sampler Album – Native DSD Music[/h]LL

We would like to thank our very kind friends at NativeDSDMusic.

To celebrate the launch of the Pro iCAN, they have offered this very special ‘sampler’ recorded in dsd256 (natively) for all our readers.

iFi Quad DSD Sampler Album - Native DSD Blog

https://nativedsdpresents.nativedsd.com/albums/NDSD002-ifi-quad-dsd-sampler-album

The coupon code QuadDSD

The code is valid for three weeks only. The code gives a 100% discount.

The music is as follows:

Track 1: Groovy and hypnotising percussion music..

Album & Artist:

• Yarlung Records: YAR 15195DSD – Smoke & Mirrors Percussion Ensemble

DSD Track:

• Vanish – track 1 - Udacrep Akubrad (Dorman) 8:41

Track 2: Jazz vocals and guitar, to dream away..

Album & Artist:

• Just Listen: JL002 – Thomas & Eva

DSD Track:

• 8 Ensembles in 1 Bit - track 5 - Early Autumn (Herman) 2:47

Track3 : Bach's famous Cello Suite, what a genius..

Album & Artist:

• Navis Classics: NC15003 - Joachim Eijlander

DSD Track:

• Bach: Cello Suites - track 1 - Prelude (Bach) 2:33

Track 4: 1,2,3 - 1,2,3 - Waltz with Chopin's wonderful piano music..

Album & Artist

• Eudora Records: EUDDR 1402 - Josep Colom

DSD Track:

• Dialogue: Mozart & Chopin – track 10 - Waltz in A Minor, Op. 34, No. 2

(Chopin) 5:58

Enjoy the tunes natively on your Stereo50, micro iDSD, micro iDAC2, nano iDSD!

Thank you very much NativeDSDMusic!

NativeDSD.com

Our PowerStation is here: click me!

 

Check out our Tidal MQA Set-up Guides below. 
Android (Renderer) Mobile
Desktop (Decoder) via USB
Desktop (Decoder) via SPDIF

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NativeDSD's 20% discount on the previous Quad DSD tracks - Album version!

 

The overwhelming wave of feedback about this first ever Quad DSD (256fs) Sampler Album included many complements about the choice of tracks! The percussion ensemble on track 1, the voice/guitar jazz duo on track 2, the baroque solo cellist on track 3 and the classical pianist on track 4... Well, guess what?

 

Those 4 Quad DSD albumson which those 4 tracks can be found are now available with a 20% discount!

 

Once any or all album(s) are in your cart, apply the coupon code: 4xQUAD

** Valid through June 30th, on the Quad DSD (256fs) downloads ** Any DSD 256fs purchase generates the free option to download the Double DSD (128fs) and DSD (64fs) versions as well!

1). Smoke & Mirrors - Vanish

by: Yarlung Records (YAR15195)

https://yarlungrecords.nativedsd.com/albums/smoke-mirrors-vanish

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]26905[/ATTACH]

2). 8 Ensembles in 1 Bit

by: Just Listen (JL002)

https://justlisten.nativedsd.com/albums/jl0028-ensembles-in-1-bit

[ATTACH=CONFIG]26906[/ATTACH]

3). Bach Cello Suites (Vol. 1)

by: Navis Classics (NC15003)

https://navisclassics.nativedsd.com/albums/NC15003-bach-cello-suites-vol-1

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]26907[/ATTACH]

 

4). Dialogue (Mozart & Chopin)

by: Eudora Records (EUDDR1402)

https://eudora.nativedsd.com/albums/mozart-chopin-dialogue

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]26908[/ATTACH]

Our PowerStation is here: click me!

 

Check out our Tidal MQA Set-up Guides below. 
Android (Renderer) Mobile
Desktop (Decoder) via USB
Desktop (Decoder) via SPDIF

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With Ifi trying to keep attention away from the pro -dac emphasizing and drawing attention to the headphone amp in this thread which is about the dac, I wouldn't be that optimistic about the pro dac's release.. Making It September is my realistically optimistic estimation..

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  • 4 weeks later...
I love iFI micro iDSD and I'll buy iCAN PRO.

I'm waiting PRO iDSD DAC...

 

We understand as the marketing dept is just as eager. Our design team said RMAF is when the Pro iDSD should be available for demo. They are working like crazed people on this. Cheers.

Our PowerStation is here: click me!

 

Check out our Tidal MQA Set-up Guides below. 
Android (Renderer) Mobile
Desktop (Decoder) via USB
Desktop (Decoder) via SPDIF

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We understand as the marketing dept is just as eager. Our design team said RMAF is when the Pro iDSD should be available for demo. They are working like crazed people on this. Cheers.

 

Works for me. More time to save $! Best of luck. Presently enjoying micro iDSD, Gemini cable, and micro iUSB 3.0.

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We understand as the marketing dept is just as eager. Our design team said RMAF is when the Pro iDSD should be available for demo. They are working like crazed people on this. Cheers.

 

Will the new XMOS Xcore-200 chip be a part of the USB interface?

 

Matt

"I want to know why the musicians are on stage, not where". (John Farlowe)

 

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Can we have more information on XMOS isn't it you just buy and use right

 

Here you go. This is sourced from development information on the micro iDSD that we uploaded over on Head-Fi.

 

 

 

iFi-XMOS solution: all out 8-Core CPU and ground-up coding

With software design, when it comes to the usability factor, Apple is the undisputed king.

 

No, we cannot match Apple, yet we can still try our very best to improve the usability factor as humanly possible with each and every new product.

 

The micro iDSD is no exception. It really has an unprecedented level of software optimisation at both the XMOS and the microprocessor levels. As a typical user, he or she will never see but we hope they hear it.

 

Starting from the XMOS chipset, we employed the latest U-series XMOS Octa(8)-Core chip.

 

8 core.jpg.png

 

Traditionally for USB audio, the 6-core chip is more than enough, however we are packing in a lot of extra features and XMOS internal clock optimisations hence the two extra cores are required and give it that extra bit of ooomph.

 

This is like a Dual-Core versus a Single-Core computer, no comparison when it comes to benchmark tests and in use.

 

XMOS Programming – CPU Load Optimisation

There is the XMOS USB platform and there is iFi XMOS USB platform.

 

The micro iDSD uses an Octa(8) core XMOS chip (not the common 6 core). In our experience, to have the best audio performance, the loading of each core needs to be optimised. However, the XMOS development tools do not provide us with a tool (think Task Manager in Windows) to monitoring the real-time loading of each core and every core. As a result, we went ahead and developed our very own real-time load monitor for the XMOS.

 

We then used it to analyse the loading of each core of the stock XMOS platform for all the sampling frequencies and data formats (PCM and DSD). What we found out was that loading was not optimised for best audio performance.

 

 

Loading of an XMOS core before optimization

 

  • Overall, a very unevenly spread and with some very high loads. You can see some have hit their "peak."

6core.png

 

We then went on to perform a full optimisation (took us a few months to punch through) on the core loading. Now we can sleep better at night knowing that the XMOS running on all iFi products is fully-optimised for audio and we can hear the results easily (we hope you can too).

 

 

Loading of an XMOS core after optimization

 

  • lower and smoother loading for each and every core.
  • especially for the audio-related cores, the lowest and the smoothest.

8core.jpg

 

 

XMOS Programming – Star Clocking Scheme

There is the XMOS USB platform and there is iFi XMOS USB platform.

 

There is a radical ‘Star-Clock’ scheme in the iFi-XMOS implementation. This is a major departure from the traditional 'Daisy Chain' clocking scheme provided originally by XMOS which many others use.

 

Why? On the stock XMOS USB platform, we were not 100% happy with the overall jitter level, especially with high-speed signals. Our software team, one of whom who has military defence programming experience, spent a few sleepless nights on the XMOS standard source code and discovered that the standard XMOS used a traditional 'Daisy Chain' clocking scheme; which is perfectly fine for low-speed audio signals, but not the best topology for high-speed audio signals.

 

The reason he discovered this was he actually did his entire programming in Ada when he used to work for military projects. (Ada was named after Ada Lovelace (1815–1852), who is widely credited as being the first computer programmer)

 

For some background reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_(programming_language)

 

 

One of the reasons (of course there are many other reasons too) for doing the military stuff in Ada is because of the real-time requirements (he once working on a targeting system for an air-to-air missile system)

 

So everything must be in real-time and must have zero-timing error. In other words, this guy is "super timing sensitive”.

 

ada.jpg

 

After discovering this, he went on to redesign the whole clocking topology inside XMOS USB platform and utilised a 'Star Clocking' scheme which he used before in the missile targeting system (he was part of).

 

To put this into an audio context, parallels can be drawn from the JVC 'K2' mastering grade clocking scheme below:

 

jvc k2.jpg

 

Inside the customised iFi-XMOS, just imagine ‘what if’ all those internal XMOS software modules received their reference clocks from a single, ultra-low jitter master clock?

 

This is exactly what happens and improves the overall system jitter performance significantly and is easily audible as the attack and decay is better presented and everything is just more accurately executed.

Our PowerStation is here: click me!

 

Check out our Tidal MQA Set-up Guides below. 
Android (Renderer) Mobile
Desktop (Decoder) via USB
Desktop (Decoder) via SPDIF

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  • 3 weeks later...

Being an owner of an Ifi micro since first launched about two years ago I have to admit that the previous post explains the leaps in performance and audio quality that have been achieved on this dac ever since I bought It through noumerous and ever improving firmware updates. I am grateful for that. Seldomly does one find such dedication to the consumer and after sales support.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Ok so where are we at wit the Ifi idsd Pro, any specs? any pics? Released September/October? Will the unit be at the UK National Audio Show in mid September? Too many delays in the production of this unit,

 

Here you go:

 

We understand as the marketing dept is just as eager. Our design team said RMAF is when the Pro iDSD should be available for demo. They are working like crazed people on this. Cheers.

 

RMAF is Oct. 7-9: "should be available for demo". I would guess AMR/iFi will update when more concrete info is available, but I would guess a very late 2016 or early 2017 release. To be fair, it is my impression that iFi has been fairly clear in communicating that this will be ready when it is ready and that release has been delayed by efforts to improve on the initial concept/design/performance. I take them at their word on this and don't want them to rush this. It is also my experience that sometimes product delays, even a series of delays, can be unavoidable and frustrating for the manufacturer as well. But the frustration of anticipation is understandable with a product that has so much promise.

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  • 1 month later...
One month until Ifi idsd Pro release (hopefully), anythign to share Ifi Audio?

 

iFi said the iPro DSD should be available for demo at the RMAF Audio Fest in Denver in early October. That doesn't sound like a product release date but a sneak preview look at a product prototype.

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There isn't one. I would guess early 2017.

 

There's a very brief, nonspecific post (from yesterday) over on Head-Fi which suggests that more news may be imminent:

 

iFi Audio "Pro" desktop line discussion thread - Page 94

 

--David

Listening Room: Mac mini (Roon Core) > iMac (HQP) > exaSound PlayPoint (as NAA) > exaSound e32 > W4S STP-SE > Benchmark AHB2 > Wilson Sophia Series 2 (Details)

Office: Mac Pro >  AudioQuest DragonFly Red > JBL LSR305

Mobile: iPhone 6S > AudioQuest DragonFly Black > JH Audio JH5

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