iFi Audio iGalvanic3.0 - The Holy Grail of Computer Audio

[AMR/iFi audio]

We'll leave it here... 

 

The Sound & Vision Bristol Show 2018 is in the past now. Things happened there, oh yes they did!

 
 
Yup, that's our full Pro rig on the Pro iRack.

 

 

 

Some people were impressed more than just 'mildly'....

 

And we had someone (aka The Cap'n) in there to answer the most technical questions there are.

[AMR/iFi audio]

5 hours ago, PPk said:

 

 

There's an interesting aspect to micro iusb3... it needs warm up.. it will sound substantially better after at least an hour being powered on..

 

my take on micro iusb3, it's has incredible dynamics, sound stage is wider and emotions from singers will draw you to the music...

 

for iG3, it's the accurancy of the tone, very realistic.. now i'm tempted to head back to get iG3 and stack them together... to get the ultimate...

 

 

 

 

These ought to be married if one is after top level performance!

[AMR/iFi audio]

Folks, just a quick reminder:

 

The Audio Show 2018 
...is currently ongoing in Portugal's capital city - Lisbon. 

  

And we're there! You'll find us on the 3rd floor of Pestana palace. If you're around, visit us!

 

We're rocking with Pro iDSDs, BLs, Pro iCANs, Focal's Utopia headphones etc. 

 

 

 

 

See you there!

[AMR/iFi audio]

Apologies for interrupting this discussion, but we'll leave this here.

 

The 2018 Audio Video show in Lisbon just ended and here are some pictures our staff did during short breaks they were fortunate to have.

 

There were some peculiarly looking audio products showcased in there, that's a given!

 

The place itself was beautiful, in comparison to the weather in UK right now it seemed like a real paradise!

 

We had a listen to Sennheisers HD820 for the 1235423123123 time and yes, we like these.

 

Some of us couldn't keep up with the pressure and had to rest for a bit whenever and wherever possible. That's the official version. The unofficial one? It's very easy to be intimidated by TOTL Gryphon floorstanders...

[AMR/iFi audio]

9 hours ago, Bullitt5094 said:

@AMR/iFi audio which side of the Micro USB should the Galv Nano go? Before it or after it? I'm sure the answer is in this thread somewhere but I got tired of looking.

 

Thank you for this feedback. Enjoy!

 

As for the order, it's iGalvanic3.0 and then iUSB3.0.

[AMR/iFi audio]

9 hours ago, Bullitt5094 said:

So much for reading comprehension. I was already curious about the Gemini anyway. So I don't regret ordering it. I know a lot of people like the Plush cable too.

 

... and we look for your feedback too!

[AMR/iFi audio]

21 hours ago, Bullitt5094 said:

So my feedback on the Galv isn't what you're going to want to hear. It arrived today and I installed it prior to the USB3 as instructed. I left the switch in the center. It played 3-4 songs and suddenly put out a blast of what I would call white noise at, what I'm sure was max level. I shut everything down as quickly as possible and pulled the Galv out. But the outburst seems to have damaged the USB3. My PC will not see my Lyngdorf amp through the USB3. I've had the USB3 less than 30 days purchased through Amazon, but not from your Amazon store iFI. What should I do @AMR/iFi audio ?

 

We're sorry to hear this, but we will do our best to help you out. The shortest and fastest route from here is via our Support Platform System, to be found here: http://support.ifi-audio.com/index.php

[AMR/iFi audio]

5 hours ago, PPk said:

 

@AMR/iFi audio

can help to comment on this issue here? as it also impact other customers and also potential buyers including me..

 

iGalvanic3.0 is a very specific product to use. We've added several features so that it should work in every environment. But if there are any issues regarding any of our devices, the AMR/iFi support page is the place to go. In addition, to solve any iGalvanic3.0 related issue, we always need to know the exact specs of a setup, all its connections etc. Our point here is that each configuration is different, iGalvanic3.0 might be tricky to use at first, but our support team is always there.  

 

Here's the link:

 

http://support.ifi-audio.com

http://support.ifi-audio.com

 

[AMR/iFi audio]

Folks, Salon Audio Montreal Fest is the place to be this weekend.

 

Over 100 exhibitors, over 300 brands! And yes, iFi audio is there as well. Montreal's Hotel Bonaventure during this weekend is yet another place to witness what our Pro iDSD is capable of. If you're around, please visit us!

 

The show starts on the 23rd of March 2018 at 11:00 local time and ends on the 25th of March 2018 (17:00).

 

[AMR/iFi audio]

Folks, it's that time of a year, you know... eggs and all that jazz. Hence please allow us to leave our critter here:

 

 

... aaaaand that's it! Right? RIGHT?!?

 

Well, nope.

 

We have something very special to share with you tomorrow. Very, very special.

 

Stay tuned!

 

 

[AMR/iFi audio]

Extra Ordinary MQA Easter Egg

Introduction

With Easter just around the corner, iFi audio has delivered an eagerly anticipated upgrade option as a very special Easter gift.

iFi first introduced MQA into its product mix with the nano iDSD Black Label in November 2017. Since then, iFi customers across the globe have been asking when this option would be available in other iFi products. The good news is that the latest improvements to the nano Black Label firmware version 5.30, ‘Cookies & Cream’, does just that.

Mqa for all

This latest firmware flavour not only adds the latest scoop to the nano iDSD Black Label sundae but it also dishes out MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) audio to the full range* of iFi audio products going back to 2013!



This ‘legacy’ update means that you can now download the MQA upgrade (PC and Mac) straight from the Support section of iFi’s website at no extra cost.

Mqa optimised

Firmware version 5.30 will optimise your device for MQA and can handle up to DSD256 and PCM384. Enjoy the MQA magic like never before.



And Finally…

None of the above would have been possible without the MQA software engineers who worked tirelessly alongside the iFi software team to make this unique opportunity happen. Thank you.

Go to https://ifi-audio.com/audio_blog/mqa-firmware/ to enjoy your upgrade.

This firmware provides MQA rendering as this is the ideal solution for portable products and those with power considerations. This means the workload is shared between the host (the computer) and the client (the DAC). The listener will still enjoy full MQA experience.

For more information on MQA, go to http://www.mqa.co.uk/customer/how-it-works

Legacy

*The only exception is the original iDAC.

[AMR/iFi audio]

Easter ‘Bug Bounty’ Hunt

Hunt 'em, wherever they are...

 

 

Introduction

Our just announced firmware v5.30 is MQA capable and in one fell swoop, elevates legacy iFi products* with MQA capability for even more sonic enjoyment.

 

The MQA integration was a little difficult. It involved:

• Totally replacing the customised core code
• Re-apply tuning/core loading and
• Further fine tuning the firmware for even more precise allocated resource use in order to allow us to support MQA and384kHz.

 

To bring all this to fruition required the combined efforts of the MQA and iFi software developers or a total of +1,000 programming hours to deliver firmware v5.30 (excluding testing on all iFi legacy units).

 

Notwithstanding, there may still be one or two software bugs we have not quashed – hence we would like to involveyou, the customer – in the Easter Bug Hunt.

 

More details are to be found in this thread:

[AMR/iFi audio]

23 minutes ago, thuandb said:

Good to hear the good news.   

 

Indeed!

[AMR/iFi audio]

16 hours ago, Condocondor said:

I'm using the iGalvanic3.0 with the iDSD Black Label and iPurifier2 and boy howdy does it make a difference.  I disagree.  I can't believe you just called your own product "overkill" for the Black Label.  It's night/day incredible difference.

 

 

Fair enough 

[AMR/iFi audio]

17 minutes ago, Chopin75 said:

Looks like idefender is more for ground and AC power issue, none applies to me as I have laptop on battery. There is a slight harder less relaxed sound with AC power plugged in, so perhaps the idefender can work on that if I use AC power, Anyway your analogy makes sense. The bundle costs the same as only getting the iFi gal so I may just get it. I can also use the ipower on another DAC that I will get - minidsp u- DAC 8 for multi-ch playback

 

Sounds like a solid plan!

[AMR/iFi audio]

15 hours ago, Chopin75 said:

Ok the iFi package arrived! 

‘I tried the iFi gal & idefender + ipower

here is a brief review before I forget:

 

System:

Mac air With Audirvana - via USB to Geek Pulse DAC - DACware Tori junior tube amp.

 

out of box, no burn in - straight between Mac and DAC: sound is warmer, smoother and deeper/wider sound stage, more air to sound, darker background

 

Compairing between my Macbook plug to AC vs running on its battery :

 

with AC cord -  more dynamic and harder sound, sounds a bit harsh, more digital

with battery only - softer and smoother, more analogue but less dynamic, quieter and a bit too gentle, not enough meat to the sound, 

 

I am not really satisfied with either , one too hard and one too soft.  When I play without the AC cord, the dynamic is much better if I don’t use the igalvanic, but the harshness is back. There is greater air and space without the igalvanic. With igalvanic while using battery on Mac, it feels like it is muting something, like having a tube gear that is coloring something but not really improving the sound much. If I put back the AC, it is much better but there is still some degree of harshness/hard feel. So I thought adding the igalvanic while running Mac on battery is not helping much. 

 

Maybe it really needs a separate power source from ipower to run better.

 

before I do that, I stick the idefender in:

 

mac —> idefender ->  igalvanic —> DAC

 

On battery only -  sounds much more open and more air, more dynamic  no harshness added 

 

on AC cord - the dynamics improves a bit but  hard sound is coming back a bit, though not as much as before, the warmth, improved sound stage is still there and perhaps one will feel reasonably good about this by now.

 

however I feel without needing AC still sound more organic/analogue but I want the punch of the AC power.

 

so comes the ipower!

 

Mac —> idefender fed by ipower —> Igalvanic —> DAC

 

things are much better now.

 

with battery: the dynamics and punch all back, like when the AC cord is there but without the harshness/digital feel etc, bass is deep, organic feel all there...

 

with AC - not really giving much more dynamic or power but the sound stage actually is thinner, bass is not as good,  more flat, less organic; so really no advantage of having AC cord. Clarity also not as good.

 

i am surprised that idefender helps a lot and that despite using separate ipower to boost the idefender thus isolating the source AC power, the lack of AC power makes the whole gear so much better, probably more obvious than before. 

 

My setting is - down - RF soft ground-link

the default causes dropout and clicks - ? Clocking issue with DAC? i suppose my DAC or the MAC is doing some clocking that is causing this issue ? Is this down setting less than optimal ? Maybe the manufacturer can comment on this ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your feedback! We're happy when our customers are happy!

[AMR/iFi audio]

On 5/28/2018 at 6:36 AM, Chopin75 said:

Another question, can the idefender run by a battery like this ? :

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CEZBKTO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A294P4X9EWVXLJ&psc=1

  

I read from some forum that someone has successfully used something like this to drive a DAC that uses low voltage. Unsure if this would sound better or worse than iPower but good thing is it is portable if one needs to carry the MACbook to play music without need of finding a wall socket to plug in

 

Adrian 

 

 

Our policy is to not comment products other than ours, hence we can't help you here. What we do know though is that our iPower is VERY silent, built strictly with audio on mind and affordable. 

[AMR/iFi audio]

14 hours ago, Sator said:

 

I was also thinking that it would be nice to be able to upgrade to a micro iGalvanic3.0 on which you can use the Gemini USB cable. Perhaps also with its own external power supply. Though I wouldn't be surprised if iFi were working on this already.

 

We're always in development mode. ALWAYS. Who knows what the future brings. 

[AMR/iFi audio]

On 6/18/2018 at 2:37 PM, Franatic said:

Well mine definitely gets warm. Not as toasty when music is not playing, but playing DSD128 it got warmer. I wonder if it is because I'm on a balanced power system. The ground is placed midway between the 120V winding. I wonder if iFi can comment on that. I should bet a temp probe on it and report the temperature here.........I'll do that.

 

It comes down to how much current is drawn downstream. Also, 'hot' is quite subjective, both product's and room temperature would give us something to think about. If you're worried about your device, please open a ticket at our support platform and we'll look into this.

 

http://support.ifi-audio.com

[AMR/iFi audio]

1 hour ago, Chopin75 said:

I am also wondering if this new product iFi DC purifier 2 can be used on the iPower? Would it improve things or just overkill? I also wonder what would work better ?  ipower alone vs stock DC power + ipurifer2 ?

 

Any comment from manufacturer?

 

According someone who tested, adding iPurifier won;'t help and may worsen the ipower performance so it appears redundant 

 

DC iPurifier (all versions) is in effect the same tech embedded in iPower, but scaled for higher current and voltage.

 

Adding one of these to iPower may still provide minor improvements, however it will not be as dramatic as with generic power supplies (SMPS & linear).

[AMR/iFi audio]

On 6/19/2018 at 11:24 PM, Chopin75 said:

Could you comment if I silencer can be used too along same chain which I typed as example above?

 

 

Yes, iSilencer can be used, however our iDAC 2 already has in effect 3pcs of iSilencer fitted internally (it was the first product to include this ANC tech, developed to improve mainly results from USB power).

[AMR/iFi audio]

Folks...

 

CanJam London 2018!

 

 

...and two of our staff - Sarah and Hannah - will be there! The girls will be located with iFi audio hardware at the Electromod's booth! Please do visit the place, the iFi ladies don't bite!

 

And to all able to visit the event, enjoy!

[AMR/iFi audio]

19 hours ago, Chopin75 said:

isilencer does seem to make quite

an impact, currently placed after igalvanic, before getting to DAC. Its effect is most felt when no galvanic isolation is the chain. Everything becomes

clearer, more vivid and detailed where as before it is kind of muddy. It appears to work better post igalvanic than pre but I only did a rough quick test. 

 

If iSilencer works nicely for you in this specific place, that's the important part. Enjoy!

 

Oh, one more thing, our new site is up!

 

http://ifi-audio.com

[AMR/iFi audio]

Folks, awesome news!

 

EISA (the European Sound and Imaging Association) has awarded the xDSD as the Best Portable DAC/Headphone Amplifier for 2018-2019.

 

The official release is to be found here:

 

 

 HAPPY!

[AMR/iFi audio]

On 8/15/2018 at 10:19 AM, Sator said:

I have something surprising to report. After using the iGalvanic3.0 for a few months, it no longer runs toasty all the time as it used to. I am completely at a loss for an explanation for this, but I have repeatedly touched it to check how the surface temperature ran and, to my great surprise, it is always remarkably cool even after playing music for extended periods of time. It used to run toasty even before playing music, but this is no longer the case.

 

I would conclude that the iGalvanic3.0 simply needs an extended burn-in period and that buyers should not be alarmed when it runs hot for weeks on end after the initial purchase.

 

Has anything changed in your setup?