Its case has a seamless all-metal construction with a metallic flake blue finish and black resin type end caps on both ends. I was just as impressed with the portrayal of the sound of the recording venue -- Mechanics Hall, in Worcester, Massachusetts. Thanks! When a company goes as far as making its own electronic components you know they are serious about their products. Victoria Pickles iFi AudioSouthport, England. Pro-Ject Audio’s Pre Box RS2 Digital DAC-headphone amp is a natural comparison for the Pro iDSD, and not only for its price ($2499). iFI had made other misleading (in my opinion) claims on other sites I won’t go into here. Curious mind? iFi Neo iDSD Review. I preferred the Tube setting, finding it more atmospheric -- everything seemed more filled in. The English-horn passages now sounded more expressive, and the cellos had more rosiny bite if less woody body. . Users can even experiment with different digital filters, such as the GTO filter from the company’s high-end Pro iDSD DAC/amp. Because: More taps = more reverberation. To check out the iFi’s DSD Remastering feature, I chose one of my favorite albums of 2018: After Bach, by jazz pianist Brad Mehldau (24/96 FLAC, Nonesuch). Page 1 of the manual packaged in the sealed box containing my review sample lists “Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) Playback” as one of the Pro iDSD’s features, and the MQA logo is prominently emblazoned on the Pro iDSD’s shipping carton. GTO muscle. This filter from what I gather adjusts the latency to the ear’s transient response. I cannot recommend this unit enough, especially if you have the SHP9500s, M50x or Grados, or anything that you may not feel can benefit from an AMP/DAC and you're on the fence for a product like this. As it stands most people will have to hunt down a compatible wire for some of their devices. Not wanting different filter designs to complicate this comparison, I selected the iFi’s Bit-Perfect+ filter setting (i.e., no oversampling), and the Pro-Ject’s No Oversampling setting. High sensitivity and low impedance? Unlike on the Pro-Ject, when headphones are plugged into the iFi, the output from its XLR and RCA jacks is automatically muted. Important. iFi recommends the mConnect app, which has clients for Tidal and Qobuz, and supports MQA playback from Tidal and hi-rez playback from Qobuz. If you want more power and versatility plus possibly better sound then get the Hip Dac. The Hip-DAC cannot get 8 hours of battery life with any headphone. They give the listener subtle sound shaping, along with upsampling, that can enhance listening on drier, flatter recordings; the GTO filter, Apodising filter, and Transient Aligned filters can make audible differences, depending on the music. The soundstage was very large, but aural images of individual instruments were just a bit vague. Circuit training To play Masters content from Tidal, I used the Roon and Audirvana apps on my MacBook Pro, which performed core decoding of Tidal’s MQA streams. But those differences were audible -- and interesting. All rights reserved. With DSD512 remastering, runs weren’t quite as crisply articulated and attacks weren’t as forceful -- but they had an appealing roundness that sounded a bit more natural. Then I compared it again with the ifi nano idsd and, well, the ifi Zen won with mqa tracks, but not with non mqa. (Image credit: iFi) The Neo iDSD handles PCM data to 32-bit/768kHz, all levels of DSD up to DSD512, and single- and double-speed DXD. the question is: does the GTO filter resample 8x when it reproduces PCM or is it only for MQA and then in my case it reproduces PCM at the source frequency of the file? I want this on everything now. I set the Pro iDSD in Solid-State mode, as the Pro-Ject’s headphone circuits are solid-state only. It makes all those bass light headphones bass light no more. At right on the front panel is a large, motorized, aluminum volume control made by Alps, with a smooth action. Imaging was more precise -- everything was more locked in place. (This replaces the Minimum Phase Filter.) This is not an elegant solution. The battery takes about 2 hours to charge. Post-ringing is very short in duration—0.7msec, or brief enough to be masked by the human hearing mechanism, per iFi’s technical note; the GTO’s post-ringing “cannot be heard,” they say. The Müzo app has clients for Tidal and Qobuz, but doesn’t support MQA playback from Tidal or hi-rez playback from Qobuz. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Pros: This was especially obvious after I had installed the 5.30C firmware, which adds the GTO (Gibbs Transient Optimised) filter that aims to produce more natural transients. I never got to use it but it seems like a great unit and Marcus gave it a very good score so it must be. Generalizing heavily, the sound quality is good, and is a definitive asset for the Hip-DAC. The GTO filter upsamples PCM making it sound like HD Audio. During playback, the screen also displays the input and output sample rates, the input and filter names, and the operating mode: PCM, DXD, DSD, or MQA. The 5.30c firmware has the GTO filter implemented which is the Gibbs Transient Optimized filter that tries to adjust latency to the natural response time of the ear. Good day, I have an original IFI Nano IDSD with firmware 5.30c. Based on AMR’s ‘Organic’ mode, the further refined iFi GTOTM Digital Filter resolves a number of audible problems associated with both classic digital filters AND non-oversampling systems, sounds on par (or better in optimal systems) to the latter and its transient optimised performance is similar. If your router supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), you can initiate the pairing process with a long press of the Pro iDSD’s Filter button, and complete it by pressing the WPS button on your router. Does it go in the ear, on the ear, or over the ear? Just like the American muscle car, it adds gravitas and a new dimension to your driving…sorry, listening. To the left of the volume knob is a 6.3mm headphone jack, and below it an unbalanced 3.5mm headphone jack, a three-position slider switch for headphone gain (0/9/18dB), and a balanced headphone jack. Its the smallest dac amp with a balanced pentaconn connection at the time it was made. With the implementation of the Pentaconn and the 3.5mm connector with the S-Balanced configuration, there are not many headphones you cannot use with the hip-dac. iFi has a complete document on the subject and makes an interesting read. In a nutshell, it takes the internal clocks and synchronizes them to GMT or global master timing. First up was William Byrd’s motet Ne Irascaris Domine (Be not angry, Lord), from Heavenly Harmonies, a beautifully sung and recorded album of Elizabethan sacred music by the English ensemble Stile Antico (DSD64, Harmonia Mundi) -- another apt selection for our anxious time. by Amos Barnett. The outgoing Micro iDSD Black Label's amp stage was already great, but the new Signature version has seen the circuitry fine-tuned. Granted I did it before installing the iFi USB drivers and properly setting up Tidal. The emotion steadily builds, and by the track’s halfway point has become a swirling cauldron of feeling. The claim of the smallest Dac Amp? Sonically, I think iFi has hit a home run with this product. iFi makes this clear in the information provided and suggests alternatives. The hip-dac is one of iFi’s latest offerings. As advertised, Bit-Perfect+ added a bit more sheen to the violins and helped tame their steeliness. But if you want a head banging session then it’s best to use plain 5.30 firmware because its more aggressive sound signature and it has more Slam. If the DSD Remastering function is not selected, the PCM data flow from the FPGA to the DAC section after digital filtering, or from the DSP to the DAC if the Bit-Perfect or Bit-Perfect+ filter is selected. Push it to cycle through the three remastering options -- DSD512, DSD1024, none -- or rotate it to choose the filter. Overall the sound is more dynamic now. With GTO filter Hip DAC added more energy in the upper mids and presence area. Those fat electrolytic capacitors are gone. When using the MQA filter engine with our GTO filter coefficients, all PCM audio is oversampled to 8x Rate. Once again, this chip runs iFi’s own custom Star Clocking firmware which is also used in their micro iDSD. The sample I reviewed feels like v.0.9. The 3.5mm connection is just an added bonus. The iFi page also has a GTO Filter firmware update which is also easy to install and just sharpens the sound up a notch. iFi AudioBalmoral Lodge139-141 Cambridge RoadSouthport, Merseyside PR9 7LNEngland, UKPhone: +44 (0)1704-227-204. It has great sound quality with flexibility and usefulness for days and the features list is long and does it all without a hitch. If I had to pick one filter and use only it, it would be the GTO -- but I can easily imagine other listeners preferring one of the others. You do not need to run your sensitive IEM’s on balanced because this little unit has lots of power even on the single-ended side. Snares hit hard and sound snappy.” I really, REALLY hate this kind of sound signature, and prefer a more neutral or laid-back tone (I use Harbeth speakers at home), so my search goes on! The vocal harmonies in “Sun King” were a little fuller and better delineated through the iFi, a tad homogenized through the Pro-Ject. Operational issues like these can make my blood boil. The hip-dac can be upgraded with a firmware 5.30c that has the Gibbs Transient Optimized Filter. If that’s your use case, and you’re ok with battery life being about half of what iFI claims, then the Hip-DAC is a good buy. iBasso has a balanced dongle and E1DA also offers portable balanced DAC/Amp. Transients weren’t as fast via the Pro-Ject as from the iFi, and dynamics were slightly more compressed. The finish seems exceptionally durable. It is a Texas Instruments Burr-Brown DSD1793 stereo audio D/A converter chip with a custom firmware developed by iFi. (And a whole different set of features). iFi Audio’s Pro iDSD is a sleek little component with a few rough edges. I wouldn’t be listening to it still if that weren’t the case. One PC signal female USB to male USB of slightly over a foot in length, one signal female USB to male USB/C that’s about 5 inches long and one Male USB to male USB/C for charging the unit that’s about 6 inches long. In eco mode, GTO filter, and no IE Match I find the iDSD Sig and new T5 Gen 3 to be a fantastic combo which is exactly the setup I plan to use the most. Regardless, what the Pro iDSD does sonically is amazing -- especially given its asking price. The iFi hip-dac is a very well-made unit. It seems that iFi has been selling Pro iDSDs with old firmware, but shipping them in new cartons with new manuals! Hello Louis, first of all thank you for the review. The iFi XMOS firmware is heavily customised by iFi in-house. To many audiophiles, some of the issues I’ve raised will be irrelevant. Note, this review follows our new scoring guidelines for 2020 which you can read up on here. Via the USB Type-B port, the Pro iDSD can accept resolutions of up to 32/768 PCM and DSD512. It got good sound,but the battery life is piss poor,sent the first one back because of it, second one I just accepted the poor battery life, I don’t use full size headphones with portable equipment,but have tested them with this,if you’re familiar with iFi and Burr Brown it’s that sounds signature,heavy,it’ll stay in my portable rotation. Below the USB Type-B port is a combined coaxial/optical S/PDIF input (a dongle for connecting a TosLink interconnect to that port is included). I am a novice with respect to audio, I would like your recommendation, between choosing the ifi hip-dac or the hibby r3 pro player, since I usually listen to flac music on my xiaomi smartphone and my laptop. The iFi Audio hip-dac is a new portable integrated amplifier and DAC designed to replace your smartphone’s audio output. iFi's roundness and density softened sharpness and removed shoutiness to take off the proverbial edge. But even taking into account some annoying operational quirks, the Pro iDSD is a great DAC. the question is: does the GTO filter resample 8x when it reproduces PCM or is it only for MQA and then in my case it reproduces PCM at the source frequency of the file? I still preferred the combo of Tube/DSD1024/GTO filter for the bulk of my listening, which to my ears made the DAC a clear standout compared to like-priced competitors from Mytek and Benchmark. Thus the sample rate indication is always for 8X, whatever the specific unit has for 8x. ... 12 thoughts on “ iFi ZEN DAC review – sit back and enjoy ” Pingback: Topping D30 review - 3 years later - iiWi reviews. As the actual filter selection on iFi’s devices is done with physical switches, in order to implement this new filter it means that another filter had to bite the dust. The circuitry has been fine-tuned, the signal path has been refined to, “maximise sonic texture and detail”. To the right of the S/PDIF input are an XLR jack for AES/EBU digital in and a BNC digital input. That's what the GTO and Apodising filters are. But Tidal Masters files were played at 16/44.1. The volume control knob is also made of metal. On the front, there is a volume control knob sitting dead center with 2 metal push to activate buttons that are for the X-Bass and Power Match features. For example, I mentioned the occasional problems I had when I connected my MacBook to the Pro iDSD’s USB Type-B port. The Burr-Brown DSD1793 true native DSD chip brings to the hip-dac native support for up to DSD 256 / DXD 384 / PCM 384k and handles TIDAL’s Master Tier Master Quality Authenticated Audio MQA playback as well. Thanks for the review, very informative. As a result, the GTO filter introduced with firmware 5.30C replaces the Minimum Phase filter. If you have any 3.5mm headphone it will work here regardless if balanced 4-pole or 3-pole so the connection is flexible and not fixed for balanced 3.5mm only. The iFi Neo iDSD uses a Burr-Brown chip as per tradition. You can use the Müzo app to play music from the Pro iDSD’s USB Type-B port or microSD slot, but the app doesn’t display metadata -- only a long list of filenames in alphabetical order. The iFi more effectively conveyed the immense power of Mehldau’s Steinway. In the center of the front panel is a circular OLED screen that displays, as each is selected, the names of the input, filter, and remastering mode. I cued up in the Audirvana music-player app on my MacBook Pro a CD rip of one of my favorite film scores: Philip Glass’s music for The Secret Agent (1996), with Michael Riesman conducting the English Chamber Orchestra (16-bit/44.1kHz ALAC, Nonesuch). To contact us, please e-mail info@soundstagenetwork.com. This is similar to what is in iFi’s own SPDIF iPurifier but it is a different version that is inside the hip-dac. The only filter used in the iFi NEO iDSD is not really a filter.
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