iFi's Pro iDSD (official) - NEW Firmware - MQA and more.

[gordec]

3 minutes ago, applesnowleo said:

 

Yes you are correct, hifi Var, I am using it as a pre amp playing directly to amplified speakers.

Cool. I'm going to compare it tonight as pure dac -> MHA100 and dac/pre-amp -> MHA100. My guess is the preamp function is mostly for speaker amps that don't have a volume control.

[applesnowleo]

For me is a simple setup, only one cable for the speakers. And 2 usb cables one for the iUSB 3.0 and another for the DAC.

 

It's a very simple setup and gives me a lot of musical information, with a pre amp in the setup I have to put another cable between the iDSD Pro and the Pre, and that could degrade in my opinion the sound, and the characteristic of the cable will also change the sound signature a little or a lot more, at least this was the shortest and purest solution I have found.

 

 

[gordec]

6 minutes ago, applesnowleo said:

For me is a simple setup, only one cable for the speakers. And 2 usb cables one for the iUSB 3.0 and another for the DAC.

 

It's a very simple setup and gives me a lot of musical information, with a pre amp in the setup I have to put another cable between the iDSD Pro and the Pre, and that could degrade in my opinion the sound, and the characteristic of the cable will also change the sound signature a little or a lot more, at least this was the shortest and purest solution I have found.

 

 

BTW, do you prefer solid state, tube or tube+ mode? I feel as a DAC, the solid state is by far the best sounding option for my setup. 

[applesnowleo]

I migrated from an iDSD Black, with iTube 2 and iUSB3, and the detail in solid state is so much well pronounced and transparent that since it came to my desk is almost exclusively in solid state.

 

I like the tube mode, but the loss of some sharpness in sound makes me go back to solid state on good recordings. On the most aggressive recordings sometimes I turn off solid state, but as my speakers have too much power for desktop speakers they produce a great pop when changing to this state I am not very encouraged to do it so many times on the fly.

 

I didn't give much attention to tube or tube plus, it depends on the recording, I use more the tube position.

 

The speakers are the Focal Solo 6be.

 

Solid state is impressive in the iDSD Pro.

[AMR/iFi audio]

5 minutes ago, applesnowleo said:

Solid state is impressive in the iDSD Pro.

 

We can agree with that ?

[applesnowleo]

Is there a way of turn off wifi on the iDSD, I have searched and did not find how to turn this feature off.

 

Thanks.

[jimdukey]

Any Mac users have the IDSD Pro?

And what about the Tube+ Mode?

I know Tube vs Solid State was mentioned already, not sure if it was Tube +.

[gordec]

2 hours ago, applesnowleo said:

Is there a way of turn off wifi on the iDSD, I have searched and did not find how to turn this feature off.

 

Thanks.

 

How did you get connected to wifi? I’m trying to figure that one out. I have been using ethernet so far.

2 minutes ago, jimdukey said:

Any Mac users have the IDSD Pro?

And what about the Tube+ Mode?

I know Tube vs Solid State was mentioned already, not sure if it was Tube +.

 

Tube+ mode still sounds worse than Solid State mode. It takes away the awesome transparency and clarity away but doesn’t add much in terms of the typical tube goodness. For iDSD the magic is in the solid state for sure. 

[jimdukey]

Thanks!!

What DSD Rates are Mac Users getting, and liking?

Don't get whether it gets DSD 512 on Mac, since the Dac is doing the Conversion.

And what Software Players?

I use HQ most often, but have A+, MC21and even Decibel.

I like DSD Upsampling, DSD 128 is the highest rate I get now.

 

[gordec]

1 minute ago, jimdukey said:

Thanks!!

What DSD Rates are Mac Users getting, and liking?

Don't get whether it gets DSD 512 on Mac, since the Dac is doing the Conversion.

And what Software Players?

I use HQ most often, but have A+, MC21and even Decibel.

I like DSD Upsampling, DSD 128 is the highest rate I get now.

 

 

IDSD does digital filters to upsample to DSD512/1024. It shouldn’t matter how your Mac handles the files. 

[applesnowleo]

34 minutes ago, jimdukey said:

Any Mac users have the IDSD Pro?

And what about the Tube+ Mode?

I know Tube vs Solid style was mentioned already, not sure if it was Tube +.

 

I use the iDSD Pro with a Mac Pro if need some help I can try.

 

Tube is easy on the ears and speakers and when engaged there is an added musicality and added warm also, less aggressive than solid state, I like it very much, there are slight diferences in dynamics and overall presentation if you always listem with tube mode when changing to solid state mode the diference should appear to be more sterile and aggressive but more defined and dynamic, depends on the album, old and bad recordings benefit a lot of tube and tube+ added musicality, so you will not use but gain in this respect.

 

There are no wrong choices for me, some albums are more relaxed with the tube presentation, solid state is more sharp but less forgiving, try it for yourself.

 

Each person have their own way of experience the final result, and sometimes what sounds better to me is not the most truthful sound but what I opt to have and gives me the most desirable presentation the way I like a specific album, with the ifi there no way you will loose, you have the best of both worlds and all of them have some extra features.

 

In the end is a question of what type sounds better in your setup, I thing tube+ is more musical overall, in tube mode the low frequencies are more present and the small trades also have their advantages.

[applesnowleo]

41 minutes ago, gordec said:

 

How did you get connected to wifi? I’m trying to figure that one out. I have been using ethernet so far.

 

You can use the WPS option on your front panel, or accessing the IP of your ifi product in a browser.

[applesnowleo]

30 minutes ago, jimdukey said:

Thanks!!

What DSD Rates are Mac Users getting, and liking?

Don't get whether it gets DSD 512 on Mac, since the Dac is doing the Conversion.

And what Software Players?

I use HQ most often, but have A+, MC21and even Decibel.

I like DSD Upsampling, DSD 128 is the highest rate I get now.

 

Mac OSX has the capability of sending DSD256 to the ifi, then it could be upsampled in the ifi iDSD pro to DSD512 or DSD1024.

 

I do not try if HQPlayer could send DSD512 to the iDSD Pro.

 

Every software I have tried the demo or purchased did not have any problem dealing with DSD256 or upsampling PCM to DSD256.

 

Example Roon, Audirvana, demo of JRiver Media Center, demo o HQPlayer, they all work very well.

[Pocobear]

7 hours ago, applesnowleo said:

Mac OSX has the capability of sending DSD256 to the ifi, then it could be upsampled in the ifi iDSD pro to DSD512 or DSD1024.

 

I do not try if HQPlayer could send DSD512 to the iDSD Pro.

 

Every software I have tried the demo or purchased did not have any problem dealing with DSD256 or upsampling PCM to DSD256.

 

Example Roon, Audirvana, demo of JRiver Media Center, demo o HQPlayer, they all work very well.

I have iMac > Roon > HQP > iDSD Pro.  If I upsample PCM to 256 in HQP with the Pro set to1024, I get 256 on the Pro. If I upsample to only 354/384 or lower I get 1024 on the Pro. It appears like DSD is passed straight through  to the output, without further upsampling. I really like . PCM to 512/1024. I also tried running the Oppo 205 via coax to the Pro, WOW, CD's never sounded that good before. Does break-in show  any improvement over time, I got mine yesterday, so only one day  burn in so far?

[gordec]

It's interesting this Review says they played Tidal MQA tracks, but MQA has not been implemented yet. 

[applesnowleo]

I think ifi is working on implementing the MQA, my unit does not play the MQA yet, but could be in beta testing for squashing bugs and some people could have access to this firmware in development to review..

 

MQA is not something I had used before, even on my iDSD Black Label that the firmware is available, but is a welcome addition for tidal albums as I recently subscribed the service.

 

If the inclusion of MQA has some tradeoffs like on the iDSD Black reducing the possible max frequency that the micro iDSD is capable of, I will not install it anyway.

[applesnowleo]

The iFi iDSD Pro.

I came to discover ifi after a past of positive and negative experiences in the audio in the last 30 years, in the search for the holy grail of sound in my living room, I have had a lot of brands, Nad, Rotel, Mark Levinson, Linn, Sony, Cyrus, Audiolab, Pioneer, Marantz, Rega, Bowers & Wilkins, Castle Speakers, Vandersteen, Paragon Regent Speakers, monitor Audio, Kef, Mission Cyrus speakers, only to name a few.

 

Some of my old gear I sold until today I remember them as pieces I regret not having today, My Marantz CD10 and Marantz CD16, My Sony SCD1, my loving Levinson 383 had circuit board  problem and was 14 months waiting an internal circuit board repair in the Portuguese representative of the brand, and because of that bad experience and some others in the audio world, I sold my Levinson at a low price and almost all audio gear I had, I loved that Levinson, and that warranty experience was something very negative for me as a user, I abandoned audio and that search that never ends, and for 8 years the computer and headphones was my way to interact with music, a big downgrade from what I was used to.

 

Six years ago I started looking for a DAC and some better speakers to my iMac, the speakers I found that in my opinion produced an acceptable sound was the Harman Kardon GLA-55, latter paired with a monitor audio subwoofer, and sound was ok, at least a better experience that the iMac speakers had, In a search for a good computer DAC I discovered the ifi brand and their range of products, a perfect match for what I was thinking. 

 

The products made by ifi were good looking and they supported DSD and HD audio formats something I was willing to try as I own many SACD’s, DSD was very appealing format to me, I purchased the ifi iDSD, it came in a beautiful package and well built, I connected the iDSD  to my iMac and clicked on play on the iTunes App, a glimpse of what I have had in the past for a fraction of the price, for me it was it, the holy grail in price paid and return that I was receiving, so I started a new journey, maybe a never ending one certainly full of new product discoveries, but at every step taken up is a more engaging and pleasant one.

So ifi brought me back to the audio experience, today my computer audio system is a little upgraded from the Harman Kardon GLA55 and Micro iDSD, I just acquired an ifi Pro iDSD that was launched in the end of May. It finely arrived and took the place of my ifi Micro iDSD Black, micro iTube 2 and micro iUSB 3.0, every person quantifies the upgraded differences obtained by each component change differently, for some is the same experience a little better and a justified investment or not, for others a small sonic achievement is a huge upgrade in the final result, for me and after some weeks of listening to the ifi Pro iDSD there is no way I could live anymore without it, so I acquired it.

The Pro iDSD has a lot of functionality that you could see on the ifi website https://ifi-audio.com/home/products/pro/ I will focus more on the sound and changes I have noticed from the micro iDSD Black.

 

The global sound grows in small big changes, the separation, fluidity, speed, soundstage of the tracks is so better defined that you can’t stop playing and thinking constantly “this one is really on another level of gear”. That’s not a subtle change, the global sound character is similar to the micro iDSD Black Label, but sounds are presented very fast, the sense of speed is really impressive, the impact, transients, instrument separation, identification of the elements on the soundstage, multiple voices are perfectly separated, it’s all there, every audio file you play on the Pro iDSD is a new experience. I do remember in the past of investing a lot more and get almost none.

 

If you own one of the other ifi product line like the nano, micro, or even other brand DAC of the same price level, when you connect the Pro iDSD you will have a constant audio discover on each track of your library, it’s noticeable right away if your system has the quality to show and reveal what the iDSD pro can archive you will be amazed.

The micro iDSD Black was a feat for the price, but the Pro iDSD takes every aspect from the micro iDSD BL and gives him super powers.

 

The iDSD Pro has almost all features you will ever need, there are two absent from the pro iDSD the XBass and 3D sound, you can have this feature in the Pro iCan, but having them in the Pro iDSD is a miss in my most minimalistic good sounding system I can have, and to add these features the pro iCan is a necessary add-on that comes with more cables and more accessories in the middle of the sound signal. The iDSD approach for me is more a puristic approach and first a DAC, all the other features come for me as a bonus, it’s a product that will reveal all elements of the sound presentation, and plays your music files from multiple formats, it’s very easy to setup and very well built, and the oled in the middle of the unit makes me in love by it

So the iDSD Pro for me it’s finesse, fireworks, emotion, love, an even better capacity of turning small detail perceptible in a way that appears natural to my ears, it’s adds macro to the texture detail in the mix, better quality bass, initially the bass appears to be less present, less present in this case of the Pro iDSD is not less bass, but a bass with musical scale and better defined, there is no 3D or XBass, but there is a lot more to take out from every track.

 

The iDSD Pro will not hide a bad recording, It will show without any guilt the quality of a bad studio engineer or a low quality mix, if the mix is bad it will sound very bad, but if you give the Pro iDSD a better quality track, you will make your speakers rock has they never think they would be capable of, after that you will not let the iDSD Pro go back to the store.

 

There are a lot of offers in this segment, some more expensive, some less, I have built my system from the beginning on the original ifi IDSD Sound Signature, so in my case it was a perfect match.

 

I didn’t focus on many aspects like streaming, digital filters, upsampling to DSD1024, playing directly from SD or SSD USB HD, and finely Airplay, the Airplay functionality is my favorite and there is a lot more the Pro iDSD can do, In the last weeks I tried some of this functionality for curiosity and they all shine in a way that describing it will take weeks or months, my main use will be in the desktop computer and I am loving it.

 

If you are serious about your audio, the ifi Pro iDSD should be one of the higher priorities on your list of a DAC acquisition. If the price is too hot, the micro iDSD Black Label could give you a lot from the Pro iDSD at a very affordable price, and is my favorite DAC in the price / sound return equation.

 

All devices where connect to an Audioquest Nigara, the power cables including computer and ifi IDSD Pro were with Audioquest Tornado, and Audioquest Thunder for each of the Speakers.

USB Cables in use are ifi Gemini 3.0 and Audioquest Diamond USB Cable, also used ifi iUSB 3.0 in between.

Speakers are Focal Solo 6BE.

Interconnect Linn Silver balanced.

Software used, Roon and Audirvana.

 

The related review is a personal opinion of the experience and use of the products acquired. All products were acquired at retail price, in normal stores that have them in stock, and I am not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned or any kind of brand.
 

[gordec]

Anyone using the Pro iDSD with an USB conditioner? The iDSD is already galvanic isolated, so I wonder how much would it improve with something like an Iso Regen.

[AMR/iFi audio]

@applesnowleo Great piece, thank you!

 

1 hour ago, gordec said:

Anyone using the Pro iDSD with an USB conditioner? The iDSD is already galvanic isolated, so I wonder how much would it improve with something like an Iso Regen.

 

Pro iDSD has not only galvanic isolation inside, but tech found in our iUSB3.0 as well and is in general quite immune to USB products. 

 

But if a laptop connected to Pro iDSD can be improved, our machine will benefit from this too. 

[applesnowleo]

2 hours ago, gordec said:

Anyone using the Pro iDSD with an USB conditioner? The iDSD is already galvanic isolated, so I wonder how much would it improve with something like an Iso Regen.

 

Hello, I am using it with an Audioquest Nigara and an Audioquest Tornado and thunder cables connected to an iUSB 3 with an ifi Gemini 3,0 from my Mac to my iUSB 3.0 and an Aufioquest Diamond from the iUSB to the iDSD Pro, All of them produce diferences in the sound, a linear power suply on the iUSB 3.0 influences also the sound, also changing the power cable of the Mac Pro Influences the sound.

 

All until now all elements that were changed on the USB and mains power have noticeable effects in the sound, affects the soundstage, the musicality, focus, the detail, even a better power cable on the iDSD Pro transformer affects the sound. So isolated or not all have made noticeable effect on the final behaviour of the usb chain.

 

USB appears to be affected with every change, when streaming the music with Audirvana by UPNP the sound on CD has an amazing separation, by USB the sound is not near, so a good USB filter and cables are needed, at least in my case. Changing the power suply of the iUSB 3.0 to a linear one like the SBooster 9W the iUSB affects positively the sound of the iDSD pro gaining a more 3D and separated presentation.

 

Nest Step will be the SOTM USB 200 Ultra in the place of the iUSB 3.0, I am referring to the USB filter not the streamer at the moment I am deciding if is preferable the USB or the SMS200 Ultra, but that is another decision.

 

But with or Without iUSB filter before the iDSD Pro never heard any noise, but all in between changed the iDSD Pro behaviour.

 

[applesnowleo]

I have to ADD that removing the iUSB3 and one additional usb cable from my system and directly connecting the iDSD Pro with an audioquest Diamond USB directly to the Mac is the better result, only loose some bass due to the diamond sound signature. So isolation in the iDSD Pro works perfectly.

 

 

 

[Pocobear]

44 minutes ago, applesnowleo said:

I have to ADD that removing the iUSB3 and one additional usb cable from my system and directly connecting the iDSD Pro with an audioquest Diamond USB directly to the Mac is the better result, only loose some bass due to the diamond sound signature. So isolation in the iDSD Pro works perfectly.

 

 

 

I have the same setup, iMac > audioquest Diamond > IDSD Pro, and the bass got better, tighter, less boomy, with it straight into the iMac. Yes the galvanic isolation is really good on the iDSD Pro.

[gordec]

So you guys think, adding an Iso Regen with LPS may not make that big of a difference given already excellent USB implementation? Micro iUSB 3.0 is basically built into Pro iDSD which is similar to the IR based on my understanding.

[applesnowleo]

37 minutes ago, gordec said:

So you guys think, adding an Iso Regen with LPS may not make that big of a difference given already excellent USB implementation? Micro iUSB 3.0 is basically built into Pro iDSD which is similar to the IR based on my understanding.

 

It will change the sound for sure, I do not think It will be cleaning a lot more and you will need a to have another quality cable before the Regen, so another variable in the mix that in the end will influence some aspects of the sound presentation.

 

If you can try before buy is the best solution, in this journey I brought a lot of expensive good power and USB cables, also some hardware that I do not use anymore, and that is a big penalty. Every step has to justify the investment, so try if possible before buying and preferably listen for some weeks because the first impact in a different presentation could be positive but some weeks after a sad conclusion that was not the case.

[applesnowleo]

3 hours ago, Pocobear said:

I have the same setup, iMac > audioquest Diamond > IDSD Pro, and the bass got better, tighter, less boomy, with it straight into the iMac. Yes the galvanic isolation is really good on the iDSD Pro.

 

Your present hardware is better than mine, at least looking by the notes on the signature, I do not use an iMac anymore upgraded to the Mac Pro some time ago, and the iMac rotated for the kid's.

 

But you have one thing that I Am curious about lately, that is the SoTM 200 Ultra, I am thinking acquiring an SoTM SMS200 Ultra to remove my Mac Pro from the equation and connect it to the ifi Pro iDSD, what are your thoughts about the SoTM upgrade?

 

Thanks,