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

[AMR/iFi audio]

10 hours ago, Xin said:

 

 

 

News from AMR?!? ?????

 

Yup! But we're not saying anything specific yet!

[AMR/iFi audio]

Folks, this is what we do this weekend:

 

 

If you're around, please come and say hi!

[o.fz]

Hello,

I'm new here. English is not my first langage and I apologize in advance, for all my mistakes.

I consider the Pro iDSD, as my first streamer/dac. Currently, I'm still using my old faithful YBA CD1, 25 years old and delivering. ?

I like the simplicity of the CD player thing, and I would rather not make my life even more complicated with yet another computer gear, namely a NAS.

I have 2To of my own CD collection ripped, in bit perfect, on an external hard drive. Can someone tell me if the HDD can be directly plug into the iDSD, and just work that way, and if it's a good solution, as far as sound quality is concerned?

Thank you.

[beerandmusic]

On 11/22/2018 at 12:29 AM, AMR/iFi audio said:

Folks, this is what we do this weekend:

 

 

on paper the pro idsd sounds good, but why can't it play native dsd 256 via enet?

Do you have plans in future to support?

[o.fz]

OK, this "official" tread seems to be dead. ? I try again anyway.

I read that the DAC can play files from a HDD which is formatted in Fat32.

My CDs are ripped on a 4 to HDD, so it must be formatted in exFat or NFTS. Fat32 is not possible.

Is there any solution to this problem? Could a new firmware solve it?

 

[AMR/iFi audio]

19 minutes ago, o.fz said:

OK, this "official" tread seems to be dead. ? I try again anyway.

I read that the DAC can play files from a HDD which is formatted in Fat32.

My CDs are ripped on a 4 to HDD, so it must be formatted in exFat or NFTS. Fat32 is not possible.

Is there any solution to this problem? Could a new firmware solve it?

 

 

Nah, it ain't dead, we're around

 

As for Pro iDSD, attached storage has to be formated as FAT32 as that's the once supported. No exFAT, NTFS or HPF+. 

 

As for whether this can be solved via FW update, that's unlikely but we'll ask our R&D team.

[o.fz]

Hello, Mr Ifi. Thank you for your reply.

I must say that I have a Pro Idsd at home, for 3 days. There is only 2 days left, and it didn't produce a single sound so far.

I thought I had found a good workaround by splitting the 4Tb HD in 2 2Tb partitions, formatted in Fat32. Computer wise, it worked fine, but the Muzo doesn't recognize the HD anyway. I'm lost. ?

[o.fz]

More precisely, when I'm on the page named 'ifi_hig-res_audio_decc', where should I go to find this damned HD? There is a page that lists streaming services, but I don't see it there either.

[danielet80]

Hi guys, first of all I apologize for my english!

I buy some week ago the iDSD Pro and now I have finished buyin all the cable. My setup it's composed by Primare A32 amp, Primare PRE32, Cocktail Audio X50D and the IFI DAC.

I buy Cocktail Audio because I listen very often streaming music on TIDAL with whom I have an HI-FI subscription.

 

I got 2 questions: the IFI iDSD Pro has complete decoding for MQA files? The Cocktail Audio natively supports MQA files...

How do I understand that I'm actually listening to a MQA file?

 

The 2nd question is how I configure the DAC? This is my 1st external DAC and so far I have always used the DAC integrated in the source or preamp. I want use the Primare PRE32 as preamp, I have to set the DAC as fixed? What is the difference between fixed HIFI and fixed PRO?

 

Sorry for the question that might seems stupid, but I'm noob of theese things!

[AMR/iFi audio]

5 hours ago, o.fz said:

More precisely, when I'm on the page named 'ifi_hig-res_audio_decc', where should I go to find this damned HD? There is a page that lists streaming services, but I don't see it there either.

 

This indicates that your Pro iDSD doesn't see that storage. Please do a following test: load a FAT32 formatted pendrive with several files and see what will happen, whether MUZO app will see this content. 

 

Alterantely, you can always reach to our support team here: http://support.ifi-audio.com/

[AMR/iFi audio]

4 hours ago, danielet80 said:

I got 2 questions: the IFI iDSD Pro has complete decoding for MQA files? The Cocktail Audio natively supports MQA files...

How do I understand that I'm actually listening to a MQA file?

 

The 2nd question is how I configure the DAC? This is my 1st external DAC and so far I have always used the DAC integrated in the source or preamp. I want use the Primare PRE32 as preamp, I have to set the DAC as fixed? What is the difference between fixed HIFI and fixed PRO?

 

Sorry for the question that might seems stupid, but I'm noob of theese things!

 

Hi,

 

As for MQA and Tidal, please take a look here:

 

 

In short, you'll see MQA on your Pro iDSD's display. It's also important to note that your machine has to have Pro iDSD Firmware Version 2.0 (Beta) to do MQA. We haven't officially released it yet since it's beta, but...

 

How to get this FW:

• Please open a supprot ticket via our Support Ticket Platform, to be found here: http://support.ifi-audio.com

As for 'hifi/pro fixed' settings, please set your machine to 'hifi fixed'. The other option is for professionals who'd like to use Pro iDSD in recording/mastering environment.

 

 

[o.fz]

The Ifi Pro Idsd - an early user experience

 

First of all, I must say that I'm irked and it may not be the best mood to write a post like this one, but on the other hand, it may be useful for a manufacturer to be aware of an user experience, when it's bad.

 

Here is the beginning of the story: I heard the Ifi in my favourite seller's showroom. I compared it extensively to the Auralic Vega G2, and I thought that the Ifi was worth a careful listening at home. To say it briefly: the Auralic is in another league: it can extract more information from the files than the Ifi, but I'm not sure that it can make more music, and as I'm not an audiophile, but a music lover, I thought I could prefer the Ifi.

 

So I brought it home for a test. Firstly, I bought a new 4Tb LaCie hard drive with an external power supply, since I read in the so called "user manual", that, strangely enough, an external power supply is mandatory. OK, not a big deal. - Except that the HD must be formatted in Fat32. Yes Sir! In Fat32. A format that is to formatting what a stegosaurus is to a common cow: a fossil. Of course, it can not be used to format a 4Tb HD; 2Tb is the limit. Great. With a bit of irk, I decided to partition the HD in 2 x 2Tb an formatted both partitions using the anticated fossil Fat32 format. Then I transferd my large ripped CD collection on the new HD, and went to bed.

 

On the morning of day 2, the HD was ready. I pluged it into the convenient USB port and... nothing. First, I had to install the Muzo app on my Samsung tab and to configure it, without the slightest explanation from the so-called "user manual". After a while, I found the way to do it and... still nothing. No hard drive in sight. Not even one partition of it. Nothing. I read again the f# manual, dear Sir. I read, for example, that "Each d/a converter operates in the 'voltage output mode', giving >119dB dynamic range. All filtering is passive. A fully-balanced 3rd order/inductor/capacitor filter is used to remove ultrasonic noise directly after the d/a conversion rarher than active, feedback-based circuits." I was mirthful! It filled me with joy! Or it would have, if I had a degree in electronics, but I don't. Actually, I just want to listen to music, and I would have prefered a clear explanarion of how to configure the DAC, rather than abstruse technical considerations.

 

I played for a while with the silent Ifi thing, trying many different configurations, supposing it would be useful later, if I would be able to actually use it. I had to search on the net to discover how to activate the DSD remastering, because the f# manual forget to mention it. (Don't rotate the selector, press it.)

 

Now, it's the end of day 2, and that pesky thing is still silent. And yes, I also tried a fat32 formatted memory stick into the USB plug, without any result. There is only one day left to test the DAC which refuses to recognize any USB source.

 

So my conclusion would be:

- please next time that you write a user manual, think about the user, and take the time to write an usable start guide,

- update the firmware and allow an exFat formatted HD to be used.

Thank you!

 

OK, irk mode is now off. I feel better.

 

Tomorrow morning, I'll contact your support team, hoping that they answer before I have to send the DAC back.

[AMR/iFi audio]

2 hours ago, o.fz said:

OK, irk mode is now off. I feel better.

 

Thank you for your feedback. Every single one counts.

 

2 hours ago, o.fz said:

Tomorrow morning, I'll contact your support team, hoping that they answer before I have to send the DAC back.

 

Yup, please do that. We hope our support staff will help with your music storage and Pro iDSD.

[rickca]

5 hours ago, o.fz said:

Tomorrow morning, I'll contact your support team, hoping that they answer before I have to send the DAC back.

Please post about your experience, even if you don't get this fixed.  Loved your comment about the technical stuff filling you with mirth and joy.  This is iFi.  They love the gee whiz marketing speak.

[o.fz]

14 hours ago, AMR/iFi audio said:

 

Thank you for your feedback. Every single one counts.

 

 

Yup, please do that. We hope our support staff will help with your music storage and Pro iDSD.

My pleasure. Seriously, I'm sorry I was so sarcastic. After one day and half of fight with a stubborn machine, I was rather irritated.

 

Your technical service didn't answer yet and I'm afraid I'll have to bring back the Pro Idsd to the shop without having the possibility to listen to it in my system.

[AMR/iFi audio]

7 hours ago, o.fz said:

My pleasure. Seriously, I'm sorry I was so sarcastic. After one day and half of fight with a stubborn machine, I was rather irritated.

 

Your technical service didn't answer yet and I'm afraid I'll have to bring back the Pro Idsd to the shop without having the possibility to listen to it in my system.

 

Sarcasm is our fuel from time to time. We can take it. 

 

Our tech staff replies within 48 hours, but typically within a day. 

[o.fz]

Finally, here is the conclusion, after two days and half in the Ifi territory.

 

1. The Sandisk Extreme, usb 3.0, 32 Gb, memory key was recognised. It's just that it appears down under the list of all the streaming services and you have to notice it, as it's unconspicuous and the user manual doesn't mention where you should look for it. - Then comes the Muzo app. ? More about it later.

 

2. The LaCie, usb C 3.0, 4Tb, Porsche design, desktop drive wasn't recognised. It has to be formatted in Fat32 (remember), so I had to partition it in 2 x 2Tb, as the Fat32 format can't manage a HD larger than 2Tb. I suspect that the Ifi couldn't cope with a partitioned HD, but I have no certainity about it and Ifi's technical service was of no help. By the way, I tried everything that was in the range of my knowledge and beyond; it never worked.

 

3. The Müzo app... Well... It has some subtle limitations (oh no, I'm being sarcastic again). The Müzo app doesn't present you with the albums, that you could sort by artist, title, genre, wathever you want, like any other civilised app. No: it does list ALL the tracks in a single "flat" list and that's all. If you have about 16,000 tracks like me, I wish you goog luck to find anything back in a raw list of 16,000 tracks. Moreover, it does truncate the track's name after about 30 or 50 caracters, I didn't count. Suppose that you have somewhere, in this endless list, the Brandenburg Concertos by Rinaldo Alessandrini. Every single track from both CDs will be named like "Alessandrini_Brandenburg_Concert", that's all. No mention of the concerto's number, the movement, ... anything. Just find your way in that mess. ?

 

My conclusion would be that if you have a large CD library ripped on a hard drive, even if it's under the limit of 2Tb, you shouldn't hope the Pro iDSD will allow you to browse it in any convenient way. I also doubt it will be able to manage a large library stored on a NAS, but it's to be confirmed. Regarding that aspect, there is a lot of work to be done by Ifi's IT department, before it's usable.

 

So the Pro iDSD goes back to the store. End of the story.

 

 

[rickca]

5 hours ago, o.fz said:

The Müzo app

Can't you use other (better) apps with the Pro iDSD?

[o.fz]

1 hour ago, rickca said:

Can't you use other (better) apps with the Pro iDSD?

 

I don't know. It's the only application mentioned by the user manual.

[AMR/iFi audio]

On 12/18/2018 at 5:06 PM, o.fz said:

 

I don't know. It's the only application mentioned by the user manual.

 

It's probably too late now since you returned your loaner, but once setup, the Muzo app you can use ANY DLNA app. It can be used for config only.

 

Folks, since it's almost holiday time...

 

 

Also we encourage you to check out our winter playlist in Tidal!

 

https://tidal.com/playlist/8c5a9a27-70df-4acf-8cd5-a3c938b757cf

[danielet80]

On 12/16/2018 at 9:05 PM, AMR/iFi audio said:

 

Hi,

 

As for MQA and Tidal, please take a look here:

 

 

In short, you'll see MQA on your Pro iDSD's display. It's also important to note that your machine has to have Pro iDSD Firmware Version 2.0 (Beta) to do MQA. We haven't officially released it yet since it's beta, but...

 

How to get this FW:

• Please open a supprot ticket via our Support Ticket Platform, to be found here: http://support.ifi-audio.com

 

Thanks 4 ur reply. What u written in your previous post is valid also for USB connection?

 

Regarding the beta firmware, I read in the download section of your website that fw 5.30 "cookies & cream"  active MQA during MQA playback, so I'm a bit confused... can you explain me the MQA question?

[Holzohr]

17 hours ago, danielet80 said:

Regarding the beta firmware, I read in the download section of your website that fw 5.30 "cookies & cream"  active MQA during MQA playback, so I'm a bit confused... can you explain me the MQA question?

 

Pls have a look at my comment

[anroj]

Hi all, I am considering the Pro iDSD as a replacement for my Micro iDSD and have concerns about having to reformat my HDD to FAT32 to be able to use it with the Pro. I have contacted Ifi but have not gotten a response yet. Can anyone confirm that that is indeed true. The thought of having to reformat my HDD and re-ripping and re-downloading 6TB worth of music is not appealing.

[danielet80]

1 hour ago, Holzohr said:

 

Pls have a look at my comment

 

Hi Holzohr, to enable full MQA decode did you have install the beta firmware 2.0 or the 5.30 available on IFI website?

[Holzohr]

3 minutes ago, danielet80 said:

 

Hi Holzohr, to enable full MQA decode did you have install the beta firmware 2.0 or the 5.30 available on IFI website?

The beta firmware 2.0 that you get by email from ifi-support. The version 5.30 is not for the Pro iDSD.