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

[André Gosselin]

3 hours ago, BlueSkyy said:

But now, to my "horror", I see that there is a new version of the iDSD and am wondering if I will be forced into upgrading. 

 I checked the user manual of the iDSD Pro Signature. The "new" device still relies on the awful Muso software to control the streamer. No mention is made about support for gapless playback, which was notably and unexcusably absent from the streamer capabilities in the previous edition, and I suspect it still is.

Is there a document somewhere pinpointing the differences between the two iDSD Pro editions ? Until I see it, I will withhold my judgment. 

[BlueSkyy]

11 minutes ago, André Gosselin said:

 I checked the user manual of the iDSD Pro Signature. The "new" device still relies on the awful Muso software to control the streamer. No mention is made about support for gapless playback, which was notably and unexcusably absent from the streamer capabilities in the previous edition, and I suspect it still is.

Is there a document somewhere pinpointing the differences between the two iDSD Pro editions ? Until I see it, I will withhold my judgment. 

Hi André and thank for your thoughts.  Because I don't stream or use the MUSO software but, rather, play files from my NAS via JRiver MC, I have always had perfect gapless playback in my situation.  I tried MUSO once and became so thoroughly disgusted that I said never again.

 

I was hoping for DSD1024 but, unfortunately, it appears to be still limited to DSD512.

[André Gosselin]

24 minutes ago, BlueSkyy said:

Because I don't stream or use the MUSO software but, rather, play files from my NAS via JRiver MC, I have always had perfect gapless playback in my situation.  I tried MUSO once and became so thoroughly disgusted that I said never again.

This is quite sad indeed, because if you only use the iDSD Pro as as DAC and ignore it's embedded streamer altogether (as I personnaly do), then you end up having paid a lot of money for unused features, which can be really called useless features. I would have hoped that iFi Audio would have come up with what it just should be: a pure DAC, stripped from its badly implemented streamer firmware.

[BlueSkyy]

1 minute ago, André Gosselin said:

 I would have hoped that iFi Audio would have come up with what it just should be: a pure DAC, stripped from its badly implemented streamer firmware.

Agreed.  I am looking at an R2R ladder DAC like the Denafrips Terminator Plus if I can convince my wife to allow me to loosen the purse strings.

[dericchan1]

Sorry to revive a old thread. I am currently using a IFI NEO IDSD DAC, which is like a stripped down version of the PRO, with a single Burr Brown chip, no streamer function (which I don't need).

 

I only use the NEO DAC with Hqplayer upsample to DSD512 for local digital files and  I am overall pretty happy with the sound. 

 

Then I came across someone selling the IFI PRO (non signature) that fits my budget. I can see the major differences being:

 

- it has a tube output stage and possibly a better JFET solid state output stage compared to the NEO using Op-amps for the output stage

- Dual quad burr brown chips VS single burr brown chip in the NEO

- Support of DSD1024 VS the NEO support up to DSD512 (I won't be using the remastering DSD mode of the IFI as I will stick with HQPlayer doing the upsampling and feeding DSD to the DAC)

- Better headphone AMP for the PRO compared to the NEO (I am not really a headphone person)

- I won't be using the pre-amp section for either the PRO or the NEO as I do have a separate pre-amp I would use.

 

Am I missing anything above, is it a worthy upgrade or I am better off spend the budget on something else?

 

Thanks

Deric