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

[thyname]

5 hours ago, Em2016 said:

Hi @AMR/iFi audio

 

Have Roon been engaged about making this Roon Ready? Or not really on the radar at the moment?

 

 

 

 

Nope! I asked iFi above, and they told me Roon is a tiny small / marginal player for them to care

[asdf1000]

10 minutes ago, thyname said:

 

Nope! I asked iFi above, and they told me Roon is a tiny small / marginal player for them to care

 

I can't find where iFi have said that? Someone else maybe did but not iFi?

 

Anyway things can change over time. With enough requests it might happen.

 

[AMR/iFi audio]

On 5/31/2018 at 12:25 PM, thyname said:

 

Nope! I asked iFi above, and they told me Roon is a tiny small / marginal player for them to care

 

That's more likely your interpretation of what we've said and not really factually correct. We neither think nor have said that Roon is tiny/small/marginal, not at all. Although we do our best, we simply can't implement every single functionality people might want and that's not due to our laziness but factors we won't discuss out in the public. It doesn't mean that Roon is off the table for good. As we've said, we're looking into things and that's that for now. If something along those lines happens, we'll gladly share any new nfo here.

 

We went with DLNA, Upnp, Airplay etc. and those Pro iDSD supports, whereas Roon is based on a non-standard proprietary protocol which has its own requirements. We know Roon people quite well and are in touch with them?

[AMR/iFi audio]

11 hours ago, jimdukey said:

Hi, What DSD Rates will be possible on Mac/HQ Player with IFi Pro DSD Dac?

I use the DSD over Dop.

HQ can be configured to do no oversampling, but I want to get DSD 1024 with PCM and DSD Files.

What if HQ sends Upsampled DSD 256 to the IFI?

Or is no upsampling from the software the way to go?

 I hope the higher rates will be available on Mac!

Thanks, Jim Dukey

 

In a nutshell, everything that goes in to Pro iDSD, can be upsampled to DSD1024 via our internal circuitry.

[AMR/iFi audio]

4 hours ago, Em2016 said:

Anyway things can change over time. With enough requests it might happen.

 

It's a fair bit more complicated than requests from people, though these surely motivate us to take needed actions. 

[applesnowleo]

Hello, I have one question on the ifi iDSD Pro, Can the balanced output be used at the same time of the single ended output, for example using the balanced output to an amplified speakers and the normal output to a subwoofer?

 

I already ordered mine, but probably could take a white to arrive to my country.

[asdf1000]

Hi @AMR/iFi audio

 

The iDSD BL headphone amp output measurements are available. Can you kindly share the same measurements for the PRO for both headphone amp output and DAC analogue outputs?

 

Dynamic Range (HP) >115dB(A) (Eco Mode, 2V Out) 

THD &N (HP 500mW/16R) < 0.008% 

Output Voltage (HP) >8V (Turbo Mode) 

Output Impedance (Zout) <1Ω (iEMatch not engaged) 

Maximum Output Power 4,000mW @ 16 Ohm 

Continuous Output Power 1,000mW @ 64 Ohm Load

 

IMD ?

 

[AMR/iFi audio]

On 6/2/2018 at 7:13 PM, applesnowleo said:

Hello, I have one question on the ifi iDSD Pro, Can the balanced output be used at the same time of the single ended output, for example using the balanced output to an amplified speakers and the normal output to a subwoofer?

 

I already ordered mine, but probably could take a white to arrive to my country.

 

Yes, both outputs can be used at the same time.

[applesnowleo]

5 minutes ago, AMR/iFi audio said:

 

Yes, both outputs can be used at the same time.

 

Thanks for your reply, this will make me very happy.

[AMR/iFi audio]

17 hours ago, Em2016 said:

Hi @AMR/iFi audio

 

The iDSD BL headphone amp output measurements are available. Can you kindly share the same measurements for the PRO for both headphone amp output and DAC analogue outputs?

 

Dynamic Range (HP) >115dB(A) (Eco Mode, 2V Out) 

THD &N (HP 500mW/16R) < 0.008% 

Output Voltage (HP) >8V (Turbo Mode) 

Output Impedance (Zout) <1Ω (iEMatch not engaged) 

Maximum Output Power 4,000mW @ 16 Ohm 

Continuous Output Power 1,000mW @ 64 Ohm Load

 

IMD ?

 

 

All details we want to share are published at our official site. As for tech related material, please take a look at this thread:

 

 

 

[AMR/iFi audio]

24 minutes ago, applesnowleo said:

 

Thanks for your reply, this will make me very happy.

 

You're welcome.

[asdf1000]

2 hours ago, AMR/iFi audio said:

All details we want to share are published at our official site. As for tech related material, please take a look at this thread:

 

Hi, yes my question was about the Pro iDSD.

 

The micro iDSD BL has plenty of meaurements available but the Pro has far fewer.

 

 Can you please ask The Boss.

 

Appreciated.

 

[AMR/iFi audio]

11 hours ago, Em2016 said:

 Can you please ask The Boss.

 

Once (and if) our R&D team has something ready to be shared, they will through us here.  

[asdf1000]

1 hour ago, AMR/iFi audio said:

 

Once (and if) our R&D team has something ready to be shared, they will through us here.  

 

Appreciated. I'm not asking for measurements that haven't been shared for other iDSD's before....

 

Just asking for all the same comparitive figures, for the PRO.... hopefully that's not asking too much....

[AMR/iFi audio]

1 hour ago, Em2016 said:

 

Appreciated. I'm not asking for measurements that haven't been shared for other iDSD's before....

 

Just asking for all the same comparitive figures, for the PRO.... hopefully that's not asking too much....

 

We understand that people are interested in measurements and we provide them when possible. But for now it is what it is.

[asdf1000]

2 minutes ago, AMR/iFi audio said:

 

We understand that people are interested in measurements and we provide them when possible. But for now it is what it is.

 

Understood and thanks.

[jhwalker]

On 5/31/2018 at 10:27 AM, AMR/iFi audio said:

 

It's a fair bit more complicated than requests from people, though these surely motivate us to take needed actions. 

 

Roon support and you'll get at least one more buyer

[asdf1000]

7 hours ago, jhwalker said:

 

Roon support and you'll get at least one more buyer

 

Same here.

 

While the wo/man hours to get this supported aren’t free, I do believe the Roon Ready certification itself is free...

 

[AMR/iFi audio]

On 6/9/2018 at 11:42 PM, Em2016 said:

 

Same here.

 

While the wo/man hours to get this supported aren’t free, I do believe the Roon Ready certification itself is free...

 

 

It goes FAR beyond certification. We won't go into specifics, but you wouldn't believe how many other things have to connect in order for Roon to happen in a product as complex and multi-functional as Pro iDSD.  

[asdf1000]

Hi @AMR/iFi audio

 

Is the new iPower Plus that comes with the PRO iDSD grounded? i.e. the AC earth is continuous with the DC plug ground?

 

[AMR/iFi audio]

On 6/18/2018 at 8:44 AM, Em2016 said:

Hi @AMR/iFi audio

 

Is the new iPower Plus that comes with the PRO iDSD grounded? i.e. the AC earth is continuous with the DC plug ground?

 

 

Yes. However as the iDSD Pro is galvanically isolated on all digital inputs this is less of an issue with regards to earth loops.

[AMR/iFi audio]

Pro iDSD

The PCB Tour - part 1/2

 

 

 

1.      Quad stack – interleaved Burr-Brown DACs

 

The iDSD Pro uses a Quad ‘stack’ of iFi’s Bit-Perfect DSD and DXD DACs by Burr-Brown in a custom ‘interleaved’ configuration. This enables a total of eight pairs of differential signals to be used and mixed – four pairs of signals per channel.   All signals to the DACs are re-clocked with the low-jitter Global Master Timing® master clock derived from the AMR DP-777 DAC.     The DACs operate ‘Voltage Output Mode,’ giving >119dB dynamic range. All filtering is passive, using a fully-balanced third order capacitor/inductor/capacitor filter, rather than active, feedback-based circuits, to remove ultrasonic noise. (Active filters struggle with the amount of ultrasonic noise and RFI they have to handle and at a few 100kHz they can lose the ability to filter noise at all, which is precisely where a lot of noise is present.)   Using passive CLC filtering directly after the DAC means that the following analogue stage is not required to handle ultrasonic noise and RFI originating from the DAC process.

 

2.      Femto Precision GMT Clock & Reclocker

 

For all inputs data is sent to the aforementioned Memory Buffer, which iFi describes as ‘large’ and ‘elastic’. Here it is de-jittered to eliminate any transmission of source jitter to the DAC output. The data from the Memory Buffer is further re-clocked by with the low-jitter Global Master Timing® clock, which also drives the X-Core 200 & FPGA.

 

 

Click on this more information on iFi’s jitter solution:

http://www.amr-audio.co.uk/html/dp777_tech-papers_jitter.html

 

External Clock options and  Synchronisation

For synchronization in recording studios the iDSD Pro supports AES3id based DARS (Digital Audio Reference Signal) as recommended in the Audio Egineering Society’s published AES11 standard. And if you happen to have a really good atomic clock (at least a Sanford Research Systems PERF10 should be used) this can be used as to further elevate the iDSD Pro over the internal clock system.

 

3.      Tube/Solid-State

 

Compared to high-end headphone amplifiers, the tube stage of the Pro iDSD is different in two-ways. First, we don’t use good-quality 6922s or similar. Instead we use the very best; General Electric 5670 which is the premium variant with a different pinout.     Second and just as important is the circuit design. Unlike other amplifiers that have the same circuit and just switch in/out the tube section, the Pro iDSD is the very first of its kind that has two individual input circuits – one tube and one Solid-State. This results in the best sonics of both worlds because the signal path is the shortest and there is no compromise to ‘shoe horn’ the tubes into an already existing solid-state circuit.   For the first time, one can enjoy both the sound of Solid-State and Tubes in a single package (rather than as an ‘Effect Type’ add-on within an otherwise conventional solid-state design) and be able to switch in real-time. For some recordings and headphones/loudspeakers, Solid-State may sound ‘more lively.’ For others, Tube and Tube+ (especially Tube+) will sound more ‘luxurious.’ Select the one that sounds best for that particular moment, be it the recording, the mood or even the weather. After all, enjoying music is an experience to be savoured and not a scientific research exercise.       We haven’t stopped there. We are tube lovers and we appreciate sometimes there is a need for even more tube-like sound, there are two tube settings – Tube and Tube+. The Tube+ position reduces overall loop-gain and thus negative feedback to the minimum. This gives a different trade-off between the tube’s natural harmonics and the transient performance.   Western Electric with their own premium version of 6922 First introduced by Western Electric in 1946 with the WE396A, from the 1950s onwards (and for the next 30 years thereafter) General Electric (and several other tube/valve manufacturers) followed Western Electric with their own premium version of 6922. This range had controlled warm-up and tight specifications on grid-current, noise and microphony. The result, significantly smoother and more organic sound qualities.

 

 

4.      Class A Solid-State, J-FETs and Fully-Discrete

 

The Solid-State amplification section of the Pro iDSD is just as seriously executed as the Tube amplification section. It is the on the lines of the Pro iCAN.

 

 

The amplifer audio circuit is a development of iFi’s revolutionary ‘TubeState’ design. It is fully discrete, fully-balanced with either tube or J-FET input switchable, bipolar second stage and MOSFET-buffered bipolar class A Power stage. The resulting circuit may be best described as a ‘tri-brid’ where each device is used to greatest sonic advantage while minimising any drawbacks. Furthermore, the circuit is pure DC coupled to avoid using any sonically-degrading coupling capacitors. All of these are far from ‘run of the mill.’

 

5.      Alps 6-Track fully balanced  motorised Volume control with servo system

 

The Pro iDSD has a premium Japan Alps motorised rotary volume potentiometer. This is the ‘6-Track’ version with 4 tracks used for a true balanced volume control. This is the litmus test for any amplifier to see if it is truly balanced or operates internally in single-ended mode. Those using ‘2-Track’ volume controls may offer balanced in and out but are not true balanced designs. The Pro iDSD however is fully-balanced from beginning to end. Just like its sibling the Pro iCAN. 

 

 

6.      Elna Silmic Capacitors

 

To maximise dynamic performance, especially with bass, the analogue stage is backed by audio-grade ELNA Silmic Capacitors located within a few millimetres of the audio circuitry supplied. Elna Silmics are used in the final stages of the main DC bus which is filtered using multiple stages of inductor/capacitor filters.

 

 

To boot, Elna Silmics are usually only found in components that cost far more as they considered ‘boutique’ components yet we consider them a ‘must have’ to achieve the best sound quality. We hope that it is apparent that the Pro DSD has the best parts in the right sections to carry out the best job possible. 

 

7.      Elna Dynacap Low Impedance Super Capacitors

 

The digital section is powered by a bank of Elna Dynacaps ‘Super Capacitors’ totaling 6.6 Farad (6,600,000uF). iFi uses Elna Dynacap DZ (TM) Super capacitors because they have 400 times lower internal impedance than common grades of super capacitors. This exceptional low impedance means they release energy much faster than other super capacitors.

 

 

8.      Power Supplies 

 

Using classic tube design, brought up-to-date with 21st Century technology, all incoming DC is converted to a high-frequency waveform then rectified and filtered by a choke input capacitor filter. This produces a first-level DC bus from which all further voltages are derived. The circuit also generates a galvanically-isolated power supply voltage for the USB input circuitry.   The digital section is powered by a bank of Super Capacitors totaling 6.6 Farad (6,600,000uF). iFi uses Elna Dynacap DZ (TM) Super capacitors because they have a 400 times lower internal impedance than common grades of super capacitors.     Individual low-noise TI LDO Regulators with local LC filtering provide the final low-noise power for all individual digital sections, a total of six individual regulators cover Clock, SPDIF Input and the DAC’s digital section.   For the analogue stage (especially the tubes) higher voltages are needed. The whole stage effectively operates on a 60V rail offering massive potential dynamic range.

 

 

STAY TUNED, THERE'S MORE!

 

 

 

[asdf1000]

1 hour ago, AMR/iFi audio said:

 

Yes. However as the iDSD Pro is galvanically isolated on all digital inputs this is less of an issue with regards to earth loops.

 

Thanks!

[asdf1000]

4 hours ago, AMR/iFi audio said:

Yes.

 

Also will these internally grounded iPower Plus's be available for separate purchase?

 

12Vdc, 15Vdc and 19Vdc options?

 

[Newson]

On 5/31/2018 at 12:22 PM, AMR/iFi audio said:

 

That's more likely your interpretation of what we've said and not really factually correct. We neither think nor have said that Roon is tiny/small/marginal, not at all. Although we do our best, we simply can't implement every single functionality people might want and that's not due to our laziness but factors we won't discuss out in the public. It doesn't mean that Roon is off the table for good. As we've said, we're looking into things and that's that for now. If something along those lines happens, we'll gladly share any new nfo here.

 

We went with DLNA, Upnp, Airplay etc. and those Pro iDSD supports, whereas Roon is based on a non-standard proprietary protocol which has its own requirements. We know Roon people quite well and are in touch with them?

 

Sorry, I do not understand yet.

As a happy IFI Idac2 + Roon + HQplayer user I handle all audio signals for DSD256.
I plan to switch to IFI pro IDSD.

1) I ask you if I can continue using it in the same way, manipulate all signals to DSD1024 by HQplayer and / or

2) I can continue using only Roon, with IFI proIDSD to handle
  internal data to DSD1024.

I do not know if i was clear.

Summing up:

Is using IDSI Ifi Pro with Roon and HQplayer possible and can upsamplig or handle all audio signals for DSD 1024? So how is it for IFI Idac2?