Frequently Asked Questions

Here is some information regarding the 3D effect inside our products; Link to our papers: https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/tech-notes/#tn-other

Our products will work with the new Apple Lossless streaming software.

I have an iFi device that is powered by the iPower but might it be possible to use a different power supply that is not dependent on bridge rectifiers (AC to DC)? Answer: At this point, we are unaware of any commercial SMPS that does not include a rectifier bridge, so this requirement is doubtful to be fulfilled by any vendor.

All current iFi products that do not have filter selection use the minimum filter for sample rates up to 192kHz and bit-perfect above 192kHz.

All iFi DSD playing DACs have a -3dB point for around 75kHz / 90kHz (depending on the precise model) if the sample rate is > 96khz. At sample rates lower or equal to 96kHz the sample rate is the main determining factor, with the frequency response being flat to around 0.45 * FS and then rolling rapidly if using the standard filter. The Minimum Phase filter will show around 3dB roll off at 0.45 * FS.

Check out this video towards the end.

5.5*2.1mm is the DC barrel size.

The DC iPurifier 2 is rated for 24V which includes normal 5% tolerances, so 25-6v may work, but it will be near its limits. It is possible if the tolerances of the DC iPurifier 2 protection circuitry, and of the 25-6v DC power-supply, accumulate. In a worse-case, the DC iPurifier 2 will enter protection mode and shut down. It may do so after a fair while if the status is just at the edge. So we cannot recommend or guarantee operation with a 25-6v power supply attached.

I have an iFi device that is powered by the iPower but might it be possible to use a different power supply that is not dependent on bridge rectifiers (AC to DC)? Answer: At this point, we are unaware of any commercial SMPS that does not include a rectifier bridge, so this requirement is doubtful to be fulfilled by any vendor.

To enhance the user experience during the silent intervals between songs, the device automatically mutes itself upon detecting these silent intervals.

The provided inverter inverts the wire connections. If you have a centre negative power supply unit and a centre negative device, two inverters are needed. One before DC iPurifier 2 and one after. Setup: Power supply > Centre negative > Inverter > DC iPurifier 2 > Inverter > Device

On a fundamental level, if there is enough voltage to make active noise cancellation in the DC iPurifier work (around 4V) it works. Excessive voltage past 24V will activate protection circuitry, as will excessive current or reverse polarity. Otherwise is absolutely agnostic about what it is attached to.

On a fundamental level, if there is enough voltage to make active noise cancellation in the DC iPurifier 2 work (around 4V) it works. Excessive voltage past 24V will activate protection circuitry, as will excessive current or reverse polarity. Otherwise is absolutely agnostic about what it is attached to and consumes around 50mA DC regardless of voltage.

Is it possible to use the DC iPurifier with a splitter connection to feed 2 devices rated at same specifications? Answer: Yes, this is possible, however, it will generate a ground loop that may or may not cause problems in terms of noise or sound quality.

Yes, it works bi-directional and will filter the power in these directions.

Yes, it does contain over-current and over-voltage protection based on thermal fuses, if this protection circuitry is engaged the unit may become very hot and will not produce much output voltage. Therefore, if your unit runs hot it may appear that the circuitry was activated, however, it should not activate until well past 24V DC input. In this case, the unit should have re-set itself to normal operation after cooling down.

The DC iPurifier 2 draws around 50mA for its own operation regardless of voltage, in most cases this is negligible. The rest of the power is available to the powered device, also any voltage drop is minimal (a small fraction of a volt due to contact resistance).

The NEO iDSD2 is designed with advanced internal voltage regulation and regeneration systems, ensuring consistent, high-quality performance across the 9V-15V supply voltage range. Unlike basic circuits that depend heavily on input voltage, the NEO iDSD2 internally regenerates its voltages, making external supply variations irrelevant to its performance. We understand that audio enthusiasts expect premium performance, and our meticulous engineering ensures a uniform and uncompromised user experience, regardless of the power adapter included.

Orange: Receiving power and powered on. Red (+/-): Receiving the wrong polarity otherwise it will not be lit. For Pro audio people who use the DC iPuriifer 2, a lot of equipment is center negative/outer positive and they can’t just connect it in series hence there is an LED to warn of this.

5.5*2.1mm is the DC barrel size.

It is due to different variations and height differences. Variations: There are around 48 different DC barrel types, therefore, each one can not be provided so you may need to contact your device’s manufacturer to confirm the specifications and purchase the correct adapter. With 3 DC barrel fittings: 5.5×2.1mm (adapters for 5.5×2.5mm and 3.5×1.35mm incl) the one built into the DC iPurifier 2 is the most common one and along with the two sets of pigtails, covers the majority of devices. Height different: Laptops/routers/streamers vary in height – so physically, the DC iPurifier 2 may/may not mechanically sit at the power port of the source. It may be worth turning the unit on its side so the height is reduced since the distances from the side to the centre is shorter than the height from bottom to centre by a few MM.

I’m planning to use a DC iPurifier 2 with a power supply that is linear, but unregulated, so it generates some ripple which is about 900mV. Would the DC iPurifier 2 be ready to stop that ripple or at least to diminish it to some degree? Answer: The DC iPurifier is a “cleanup” device for low levels of noise (a few mV or less) – 900mV ripple will completely overwhelm its circuitry.

It is 2.7 Ohm, if you see 1.5 Ohm this is a misprint.

All cables can only degrade. So with cables, you get degradation for impedance mismatch and signal degradation. The closer the cable adheres to the impedance spec (90 Ohm) the less impedance mismatch derived degradation. Equally, the lower the various losses in the cable (related to the amount of copper, plating, isolation, and geometry), the lower signal attenuation, and thus the signal level degradation. If either degradation becomes too large the USB signal is cut or unreliable, before obvious problems are noted (cut out, no connection) sound quality can still be affected. However, the regenerate/reclock/rebalance technology that we implement in our products can largely revert the degraded signal. Good cables simply cause less degradation to start with.

USB was never designed to carry high-quality audio hence in effect laying interconnects and PCs side by side the USB cable was not a “problem”. Our flagship USB cable, Gemini, separates audio & power (the equivalent of separate interconnects and PCs) whilst the RF silencers on both of these cables are urban dwellers for example, where there are numerous radio stations emitting strong signals that would benefit from. Lastly, the 90 ohms is a big deal as this is USB standards and anything that differs from this may cause some issues. The Gemini functions as follows; The audio symbol only carries data & related Power symbol only carries power & related The Mercury is standard having all 4 contained in the one USB cable.

As there are 2 types of connectors for the Gemini/Merury3.0, here are the EAN numbers so you can inform the retailer for the correct one.

The Gemini functions as follows: Audio symbol only carries data & related Power symbol only carries power & related The Mercury is standard having all 4 contained in the one USB cable.

The metal oxide silencers “de-tune” the Mercury or Gemini. As every cable acts as an “antennae” then one would want to minimise this. For example in some cities, with phono cables, we have vinyl customers who pick up radio stations on their phono stage. Further question: So basically, one can have as many metal oxide ceramic RF noise silencers in the signal path as they wish since they only help the sound by de-tuning each cable and not affect the signal in any way? Answer: The effect of the filters on the signal is essentially nil. The reason, the signal is a twisted pair in a 100% shield. In order for the filters to impact the signal, they would first have to interact. What the filters deal with is the action of the shield and cable as antennae, to receive radio and other noise. They make the cable a very poor antenna that rejects radio frequency noise strongly.

24AWG and 28AWG.

You can find USB information here: http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/devclass_docs.

So-called ‘audiophile USB cables’ are often of questionable construction and are neither certified to USB standards nor do they conform to the USB specifications relevant. In this case, they often do not work various combinations due to them straying away from the industry standard. Any cable certified according to and conforming correctly to USB 2.0 standards will work, however.

You can control the volume with the volume buttons on the GO bar, you cannot control the volume with your phone or other devices.

The GO bar does not have a battery. It is powered by your phone battery and will remain powered as long as your phone has a charge.

Yes. The battery will charge to 80%. While power is being drawn from the battery with the GO blu switched on, its voltage lowers, and the charging circuit takes this into account. Turning off the GO blu allows the battery to charge fully.

Apple devices default to AAC at 44.1kHz, standard for AirPlay. In order to transmit Hi-Res via Bluetooth up to 96kHz (limited by the Bluetooth standard) you need to use a Hi-Res Bluetooth transmitter connected via USB to your device, then connect Bluetooth to the Hi-Res transmitter. Alternatively you can connect the GO blu directly to your device with a USB-to-Lightning cable for up to 96kHz capability.

Yes. The 3.5mm output and the positive phase on the 4.4mm output are wired together. However, since the Pentaconn 4.4mm socket is a fully balanced output. it will sound louder than the 3.5mm socket if two pf the same headphones are plugged in.  Always use a balanced cable with the 4.4mm connection, as it contains the two active negative phases that would otherwise short together on a non-balanced cable.

If a Bluetooth connection has been established, first the connected device will use it preferentially. The USB connection can be selected as an alternative. If you have two devices connected, one with Bluetooth and the other with USB, you can select between them on your two devices by playing one or the other. If no Bluetooth connection is established, and the top LED is flashing blue and red (waiting for a Bluetooth device to pair with), plugging in a USB connection that isn’t a charger will shut off Bluetooth.

In pairing mode, shown by the top LED flashing blue and red, the GO blu is searching for a device to pair with. It will go to sleep if one isn’t found after 5 minutes. If a Bluetooth device is connected the GO blu will stay on until its battery is flat, or the connected device goes into sleep mode or is turned off. The GO blu then enters pairing mode if another Bluetooth device isn’t found and goes to sleep after 5 minutes as above.

Please unpair all Bluetooth devices from the iOS device and restart. This will clear their cache and enable connectivity without interference.

Approx 40 minutes with a high-powered charger.

That depends on a few things; how loud you play it and the type of music (heavy bass and inefficient headphones use more power), distance away from the connected device, temperature to name a few. But, generally you can listen up to 10 hours or more.

Charge to ~80% by checking the on-screen Charge indicator or Charge Port LED ( see manual for more information on the colour description). Once around 80% remove the charge power cable.

A swelling battery is likely caused by improper use. To prevent a battery from bloating, we suggest making sure that the device isn’t overheating and that it is kept in a cool area. Make sure you are using a 5v charger and not a fast charger. We also suggest only charging the device to about 80% and waiting until the battery is about 25% depleted before charging again. If your battery is swelling or you notice it doesn’t last as long as it used to, please open a support ticket.

When you long-press the button on the multi-function knob, your device’s voice assistant will wake up (if enabled). Eg. Siri on Apple or Google Assistant on Android. The microphone on the GO blu is located next to the charging LED on the bottom. No need to speak right into the microphone, it’s quite sensitive.

Question: I have FH3 IEM with FIIO LC RD 4.4 balanced cable. I also have Meze 99 Classic with Meze 4.4mm silver cable. So I have all my cables connector as 4.4mm. Now when I listen I hear a hiss (sibilance) issue in many songs (not recording problem) with GO Blu. As IEMATCH 4.4 has high output impedance , is it advisable to purchase it or it may not resolve my problem as it is intended to work with higher end DACs only? Or It will be useful for my setups as well. Please help me with this. Answer: Yes, IEMatch will work with our portable devices and with our higher end DACs.

Currently, you can only update the firmware from a Windows PC.

Unfortunately, it will not work with Windows Vista.

We have consulted with the Qualcomm team and verified the following information regarding their audio codec technology: The aptX Adaptive codec is inherently designed to offer low latency and high resolution. As a result, it supersedes earlier codecs, namely the aptX LL and aptX HD. Due to the advancements made in aptX Adaptive, these older codecs are now deemed obsolete. Specifically, on contemporary chipsets like the QCC5144, these legacy codecs have not been incorporated, given their redundancy. To clarify, all functionalities once specific to aptX LL and aptX HD are now encompassed within the aptX Adaptive codec. Consequently, they are no longer available as separate selectable options. We recommend the utilization of the aptX Adaptive codec for your needs. We will be making the necessary adjustments to our website to ensure this information is represented accurately.

The Go Pod case has 4 LEDs to indicate the charging level. 1, When the power is within 25 percent, the first light flashes. 2, When the power in 25 to 50 percent of the time, the second light flashes. 3, When the power in 50 percent to 75 percent, the third light flashes. 4, When the power in 75 percent to 100 percent, the fourth light flashes. 5, When fully charged 1, 2, 3, 4 indicator lights are always on and no longer flashing.

The Go Pod has 4 settings that supports an automatic matching function for output impedance: 16 Ω (1 Ω -26 Ω), 32 Ω (27 Ω -68 Ω or>1200 Ω), 64 Ω (69 Ω -154 Ω), and 300 Ω (155 Ω -1200 Ω). The settings in parentheses have taken into account the impedance of the wire itself.

The GO pod has volume memory, but you will need to turn on Bluetooth volume synchronization. If you do not turn on Bluetooth volume synchronization the Go Pod will play at the volume level the phone was set to when bluetooth is reconnected. If the phone volume is at max or very high, the Go Pod volume will also be set to max. If you use IEM with the Go Pod, we recommend that you turn on the Bluetooth volume synchronization function and turn down the Bluetooth volume of your phone before using it.

Charge to ~80% by checking the on-screen Charge indicator or Charge Port LED ( see manual for more information on the colour description). Once around 80% remove the charge power cable.

We have consulted with the Qualcomm team and verified the following information regarding their audio codec technology: The aptX Adaptive codec is inherently designed to offer low latency and high resolution. As a result, it supersedes earlier codecs, namely the aptX LL and aptX HD. Due to the advancements made in aptX Adaptive, these older codecs are now deemed obsolete. Specifically, on contemporary chipsets like the QCC5144, these legacy codecs have not been incorporated, given their redundancy. To clarify, all functionalities once specific to aptX LL and aptX HD are now encompassed within the aptX Adaptive codec. Consequently, they are no longer available as separate selectable options. We recommend the utilization of the aptX Adaptive codec for your needs. We will be making the necessary adjustments to our website to ensure this information is represented accurately.

The Go Pod case has 4 LEDs to indicate the charging level. 1, When the power is within 25 percent, the first light flashes. 2, When the power in 25 to 50 percent of the time, the second light flashes. 3, When the power in 50 percent to 75 percent, the third light flashes. 4, When the power in 75 percent to 100 percent, the fourth light flashes. 5, When fully charged 1, 2, 3, 4 indicator lights are always on and no longer flashing.

There are certain safety requirements for electrical appliances (including audio) that force either an earthed device (Class 1 equipment) or one with double/reinforced isolation (Class 2 equipment). More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appliance_classes For smaller manufacturers the requirements of testing and approval for Class 2 equipment may be forbidding, so “boutique audio” often uses Class 1. Either Class is legal and if designed and tested correctly safe. So it is no question of “should it have an earth?” no matter if devices have earth or not, problems with noise may arise. If a system contains multiple Class 1 devices – the potential for earth/ground loops is created that can lead to measurable or audible hum and buzz. If a system contains only Class II equipment – the potential for “missing earth” noise (hum, buzz, RFI etc) is created as now all the audio systems shielding is no longer connected to the local earth but floating, so the shielding becomes an antenna that picks up noise. But if a system contains only one Class 1 device and any number of Class 2 all is well and happy. Due to historical reasons, many people will identify the second case as an earth/ground loop, when in fact it is the opposite! Disclaimer: This article outlines how we would diagnose. Not how you should diagnose. One should always ask a qualified electrician to troubleshoot as mains voltages can kill.

Until a few years ago much Hi-Fi, AV and computer equipment used Class 2 electrical safety, which included an earth. As a result, often systems had multiple earths, leading to earth-loops with the result that often systems had hum and buzz. As a result, many manufacturers have moved their equipment to what is called Class 3, which is “double-isolated” and has no earth. All Class 3 equipment contains both intentional (actual components) as well as unintentional (parasitic) capacitance between mains and ground. As long as there is at least one earth in the system this is no issue, as all this noise will return to the earth via this single earth. If there is no earth whatsoever the results are unpredictable and can include hum and other noises picked up via various routes. Adding a supplementary earth for audio use is highly likely to make the system completely silent hence we produced the Groundhog.

Please see the image below, you connect it right onto the DC power supply near the base so it can fit.

Here is a short quick guide:

Question: A ground loop is where there are many pathways to ground in a circuit, right? Answer: This is a basic requirement for a ground loop, yes.

Earth/ground is needed to make shielding against all sorts of noises effective, even if the system doesn’t have noises without an earth/ground present it’s still recommended. For all mains electrical systems, the earth is a major part and the “reference” for all circuits. Faults can cause the earth to become something else than zero and that can cause all sorts of troubles.

Battery products: If the DAC/amplifier and the DAP (digital audio player) both run on battery and there are no other connections, then there is no need for an earth/ground connection. Battery products with mains powered device: If any form of mains powered device is connected then the earth/ground connection comes into play, because the mains voltage is bonded and referenced to earth.

Our products will work with the new Apple Lossless streaming software.

All iFi MQA compatible DACs can do the last MQA unfold, thus fully unfold MQA master tracks. MQA renderer DACs do the last unfold and require Tidal etc. to do the first unfolds. MQA decoder DACs can do all unfolds without external unfolding support. iFi MQA decoder DACs include: • Pro iDSD Signature • NEO iDSD • iDSD Diablo • ZEN DAC Signature V2 • ZEN DAC V2 • hip dac2 Other iFi MQA compatible DACs support MQA renderer only.

All current iFi products that do not have filter selection use the minimum filter for sample rates up to 192kHz and bit-perfect above 192kHz.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused but the hip-dac/hip-dac2 always run off battery power. Please take a look at the user manuals: hip-dac hip-dac2

All iFi DSD playing DACs have a -3dB point for around 75kHz / 90kHz (depending on the precise model) if the sample rate is > 96khz. At sample rates lower or equal to 96kHz the sample rate is the main determining factor, with the frequency response being flat to around 0.45 * FS and then rolling rapidly if using the standard filter. The Minimum Phase filter will show around 3dB roll off at 0.45 * FS.

Question:- Can you explain how it is possible that the DSD1793 can work up to 32 Bit / 786 kHz. The data sheet says it is only 24 Bit / 192 kHz. Answer:- This is sort of our specialty, we have a deep understanding of all the chipsets we used like no other manufacturers, hence we are able to unleash the hidden potential of the chipsets like no other, enabling the DSD1793 to do DSD512/PCM768 is just one of many that we do. That’s all we can say 🙂 Bear in mind the datasheet is produced by the Marketing Dept not the R&D of the Burr-Brown AMR has a history of this. We unlocked the DEM (Dynmic Element Matching circuit) in the TDA1541A of the CD-77…that was never mentioned in the datasheet because of the R&D,

Charge to ~80% by checking the on-screen Charge indicator or Charge Port LED ( see manual for more information on the colour description). Once around 80% remove the charge power cable.

A swelling battery is likely caused by improper use. To prevent a battery from bloating, we suggest making sure that the device isn’t overheating and that it is kept in a cool area. Make sure you are using a 5v charger and not a fast charger. We also suggest only charging the device to about 80% and waiting until the battery is about 25% depleted before charging again. If your battery is swelling or you notice it doesn’t last as long as it used to, please open a support ticket.

The iDSD Diablo was designed as a streamlined purist product with sound quality as its top priority. All functionalities that didn’t contribute to this fundamental task were purposely omitted.

We recommend charging the battery to around 50% – 75%, not charging to 100%, then using the battery until around 50% – 25% before charging again. Charging should stop when the LED turns from green to white. Keeping the device in a cool dry place will also extend the life of the battery. The battery has a warranty for 1 year, so if you experience any issues, please open a ticket and we’ll see what we can do to fix it for you.

Short explanation: An analogue volume control delivers better sound quality than digital volume controls. In case of a small channel imbalance at very low volume settings, please adjust the hip-dac so the volume control is at 12 o’clock for normal listening levels. See below for more detail. Detailed explanation: The hip-dac uses an analogue volume control, specifically a dual-track potentiometer. Being analogue differentiates it from the digital volume control built into DAC chips as it ensures ‘bit perfect’ signal integrity. Digital volume controls alter the original music information (digital data), and often loose effective resolution (bits) even at moderate attenuation; analogue volume controls are free from this defect. One minor downside of using dual-track analogue volume controls is that there is sometimes a slight mechanical mis-tracking between the two channels. This can cause minor channel imbalance at 9 o’ clock or lower volume settings, making one channel louder.

The standard, ‘b’ and ‘c’ variants of our more recent firmware versions for many devices are ultimately the same firmware, but with some slight variations that may make them more or less suitable for you in various scenarios. Please see below for a more detailed description of each firmware version and when it may or may not be suitable.

The Burr-Brown True Native® chipset means file formats remain unchanged or ‘bit-perfect’. This means you are listening to music as the artist intended in the format in which it was recorded. At iFi we use Burr Brown extensively in our products having selected it for its natural-sounding ‘musicality’ and True Native architecture. Our experience with this IC means we know how to make the most of it.

We use a high energy density 4.35V type.

The Hip-Dac is a portable device and it’s assumed that it will be moving around in a pocket or bag. Using a a recessed port reduces stress on the cable and the port itself, allowing the device and cables to have a longer lifespan from normal use.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

All iFi DSD playing DACs have a -3dB point for around 75kHz / 90kHz (depending on the precise model) if the sample rate is > 96khz. At sample rates lower or equal to 96kHz the sample rate is the main determining factor, with the frequency response being flat to around 0.45 * FS and then rolling rapidly if using the standard filter. The Minimum Phase filter will show around 3dB roll off at 0.45 * FS.

Question:- Can you explain how it is possible that the DSD1793 can work up to 32 Bit / 786 kHz. The data sheet says it is only 24 Bit / 192 kHz. Answer:- This is sort of our specialty, we have a deep understanding of all the chipsets we used like no other manufacturers, hence we are able to unleash the hidden potential of the chipsets like no other, enabling the DSD1793 to do DSD512/PCM768 is just one of many that we do. That’s all we can say 🙂 Bear in mind the datasheet is produced by the Marketing Dept not the R&D of the Burr-Brown AMR has a history of this. We unlocked the DEM (Dynmic Element Matching circuit) in the TDA1541A of the CD-77…that was never mentioned in the datasheet because of the R&D,

Charge to ~80% by checking the on-screen Charge indicator or Charge Port LED ( see manual for more information on the colour description). Once around 80% remove the charge power cable.

A swelling battery is likely caused by improper use. To prevent a battery from bloating, we suggest making sure that the device isn’t overheating and that it is kept in a cool area. Make sure you are using a 5v charger and not a fast charger. We also suggest only charging the device to about 80% and waiting until the battery is about 25% depleted before charging again. If your battery is swelling or you notice it doesn’t last as long as it used to, please open a support ticket.

The standard, ‘b’ and ‘c’ variants of our more recent firmware versions for many devices are ultimately the same firmware, but with some slight variations that may make them more or less suitable for you in various scenarios. Please see below for a more detailed description of each firmware version and when it may or may not be suitable.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

All iFi MQA compatible DACs can do the last MQA unfold, thus fully unfold MQA master tracks. MQA renderer DACs do the last unfold and require Tidal etc. to do the first unfolds. MQA decoder DACs can do all unfolds without external unfolding support. iFi MQA decoder DACs include: • Pro iDSD Signature • NEO iDSD • iDSD Diablo • ZEN DAC Signature V2 • ZEN DAC V2 • hip dac2 Other iFi MQA compatible DACs support MQA renderer only.

All current iFi products that do not have filter selection use the minimum filter for sample rates up to 192kHz and bit-perfect above 192kHz.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused but the hip-dac/hip-dac2 always run off battery power. Please take a look at the user manuals: hip-dac hip-dac2

We use a high energy density 4.35V type.

The Hip-Dac is a portable device and it’s assumed that it will be moving around in a pocket or bag. Using a a recessed port reduces stress on the cable and the port itself, allowing the device and cables to have a longer lifespan from normal use.

Question:- Can you explain how it is possible that the DSD1793 can work up to 32 Bit / 786 kHz. The data sheet says it is only 24 Bit / 192 kHz. Answer:- This is sort of our specialty, we have a deep understanding of all the chipsets we used like no other manufacturers, hence we are able to unleash the hidden potential of the chipsets like no other, enabling the DSD1793 to do DSD512/PCM768 is just one of many that we do. That’s all we can say 🙂 Bear in mind the datasheet is produced by the Marketing Dept not the R&D of the Burr-Brown AMR has a history of this. We unlocked the DEM (Dynmic Element Matching circuit) in the TDA1541A of the CD-77…that was never mentioned in the datasheet because of the R&D,

Charge to ~80% by checking the on-screen Charge indicator or Charge Port LED ( see manual for more information on the colour description). Once around 80% remove the charge power cable.

A swelling battery is likely caused by improper use. To prevent a battery from bloating, we suggest making sure that the device isn’t overheating and that it is kept in a cool area. Make sure you are using a 5v charger and not a fast charger. We also suggest only charging the device to about 80% and waiting until the battery is about 25% depleted before charging again. If your battery is swelling or you notice it doesn’t last as long as it used to, please open a support ticket.

We recommend charging the battery to around 50% – 75%, not charging to 100%, then using the battery until around 50% – 25% before charging again. Charging should stop when the LED turns from green to white. Keeping the device in a cool dry place will also extend the life of the battery. The battery has a warranty for 1 year, so if you experience any issues, please open a ticket and we’ll see what we can do to fix it for you.

Short explanation: An analogue volume control delivers better sound quality than digital volume controls. In case of a small channel imbalance at very low volume settings, please adjust the hip-dac so the volume control is at 12 o’clock for normal listening levels. See below for more detail. Detailed explanation: The hip-dac uses an analogue volume control, specifically a dual-track potentiometer. Being analogue differentiates it from the digital volume control built into DAC chips as it ensures ‘bit perfect’ signal integrity. Digital volume controls alter the original music information (digital data), and often loose effective resolution (bits) even at moderate attenuation; analogue volume controls are free from this defect. One minor downside of using dual-track analogue volume controls is that there is sometimes a slight mechanical mis-tracking between the two channels. This can cause minor channel imbalance at 9 o’ clock or lower volume settings, making one channel louder.

The standard, ‘b’ and ‘c’ variants of our more recent firmware versions for many devices are ultimately the same firmware, but with some slight variations that may make them more or less suitable for you in various scenarios. Please see below for a more detailed description of each firmware version and when it may or may not be suitable.

The Burr-Brown True Native® chipset means file formats remain unchanged or ‘bit-perfect’. This means you are listening to music as the artist intended in the format in which it was recorded. At iFi we use Burr Brown extensively in our products having selected it for its natural-sounding ‘musicality’ and True Native architecture. Our experience with this IC means we know how to make the most of it.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

Charge to ~80% by checking the on-screen Charge indicator or Charge Port LED ( see manual for more information on the colour description). Once around 80% remove the charge power cable.

A swelling battery is likely caused by improper use. To prevent a battery from bloating, we suggest making sure that the device isn’t overheating and that it is kept in a cool area. Make sure you are using a 5v charger and not a fast charger. We also suggest only charging the device to about 80% and waiting until the battery is about 25% depleted before charging again. If your battery is swelling or you notice it doesn’t last as long as it used to, please open a support ticket.

The standard, ‘b’ and ‘c’ variants of our more recent firmware versions for many devices are ultimately the same firmware, but with some slight variations that may make them more or less suitable for you in various scenarios. Please see below for a more detailed description of each firmware version and when it may or may not be suitable.

In the specialist field of audio equipment testing, determining a device’s maximum power output is a crucial and difficult task. Many guidelines have been produced over the years to help with this process; these guidelines are the result of different understandings of what makes an accurate and trustworthy measurement of an audio device’s capabilities. Music Power, Program Power, Peak Power, Max Power, Instant Peak Power, Dynamic Power, Peak Music Power Output, Total System Power, Instant High Frequency Power (IHF), CAF, UL 1711, IEC 60268-3, EIA RS-490-A, FTC 16 CFR, CEA 490-A, and CEA 2006-B (pertaining to car amplifiers) are some examples of these standards that have changed over time, reflecting the industry’s continuous efforts to achieve a more accurate representation of audio performance. Different characteristics of power output and audio quality were the focus of the establishment of each of these standards, which each had its own set of criteria and goals. Others examine sustained performance or particular kinds of audio signals, while still others concentrate on a device’s maximum capabilities. These standards all try to give a dependable and uniform way to assess the maximum power output of audio equipment, in spite of their variances. But the intricacy of sound itself makes measuring an audio device’s performance precisely difficult. Played through these devices, music is the most prevalent and demanding material. It is a rich tapestry of frequencies, harmonies, and dynamics rather than just a sine wave. Because of its subjective and emotive nature, it is an art form that is difficult to simply quantify. It is therefore necessary to carefully balance the scientific rigour needed for repeatable, objective measurements with an appreciation of the beauty inherent in music in a laboratory test arrangement intended to evaluate a device’s performance. Through empirical research and practical experience over the years, we have gained invaluable insights and concluded that using a signal with a single cycle of 1kHz (1ms) repeated at the rate of 100Hz (10ms) is getting quite close to replicate the real-world sensation of listening to music quite accurately. It is defined by a one-millisecond signal that is repeated every ten milliseconds. This particular frequency and pattern of the signal was chosen since it is symbolic of the complexity of music and offers a demanding test of the device’s power capacity. Furthermore, for a device to pass this test and be considered capable of delivering high-quality audio, it should maintain less than 1% Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). Additionally, this level of performance should be achieved without the engagement of any protection circuits within the device, which can interfere with the pure assessment of its power capabilities. In summary, the search for a universally accepted standard for determining the highest power output of audio equipment is a continuous process that reflects both the complexity of sound as a medium and our dedication to quality. The goal of this quest is to accurately capture and replicate the spirit of sound, in all its complexity and beauty, rather than just numbers and specs.

We use an AB class amp for all of our products. Please visit this site for more information on AB class amps: https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/amplifier/class-ab-amplifier.html

iCan Phantom sensitivity (Vrms): 0dB: SE 11V, Bal: 24V 9dB: SE 4.1V, Bal: 8.2V 18dB: SE 1.35V, Bal: 2.7V

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

Yes, ground is disconnected “softly”, that is for RF frequencies the grounds remain connected, but for low frequencies (mains frequency and harmonics as well as 1/8kHz USB packet noise) that can cause audible noise in ground-loops if the ground is disconnected.

The iDefender breaks ground/earth loops. It does not “isolate” in the way that the iGalvanic does. It will, however, stop noise loops through the USB cables and also noise from the USB bus power.

The iDSD Diablo’s approximate battery running time should be around 6 hours dependent upon listening volume and type of headphones.

The iDSD Diablo was designed as a purist device stripped from everything other than essentials that contribute to sound quality. It is a fixed line output.

On self-powered devices: The iDefender 3.0 will break the ground as it will interrupt it whilst the voltage bus is high impedance. If the USB device connected is self-powered (it does not draw any power from the USB host), then the iDefender breaks ground-loops by itself. On USB powered devices: The iDefender 3.0 will require a 5v power supply to break the ground or it will be forced to ‘bypass’ to allow the DAC to work. Therefore 5v is required for the ground to be broken. If we break ground connections without providing separate power source the USB powered DAC wouldn’t work. If the USB device draws power from the host this power must be replaced by iPower, or the ground loop cannot be broken, as a low impedance ground is required to draw power.

How much current can the iDefender 3.0 supply when plugged into a USB3.0 port and without an external power supply (?) and max current output without an external power supply? Answer: Drawing power in excess of 5mA will cause the ground isolation of the iDefender 3.0 to be bypassed, it in effect becomes useless. This is primarily a “fallback” option in case the external supply is lost. If significant power is drawn (> 5mA) please use an external power supply unit.

Question: Using the iDefender 3.0 without external power and connected to a USB-powered DAC it doesn’t disconnect the power as it still works? Answer: It contains a “clapham junction” circuit, which, if the DAC draws power and external power is not connected it switches over to bus power (actually connects power & ground). Question: So you you mean that it only disconnects power when external power supply is connected? Answer: No. It switches grounds (which is what matters) and +5V line to high impedance but leaves them connected (to allow DAC’s that require the 5V line for “handshake) UNLESS the DAC draws significant current. In this case it enables a bypass circuit, that is disconnected if external power is applied. So for iDefender without external power: For iDefender with external power: The switch over is transparent and instant. This is aimed at pro audio application where a lost external power would mean a dropped recording, or a dropped set for a DJ.

Our products will work with the new Apple Lossless streaming software.

Our very own OV2028 operational amplifiers inside the iDSD Diablo have THD so vanishingly low (0.00006%) that no volume chip would be able to keep up with them on linearity and distortion. Some regular potentiometers can, however.

Yes, you can, but for the best sound quality avoid charging at the same time.

By taking out the battery, the device will continue pushing power into the board instead of the battery, which will cause the device to malfunction.

Please turn the iDSD Diablo’s volume knob until a click is heard and you’re good to go.

Question:- Can you explain how it is possible that the DSD1793 can work up to 32 Bit / 786 kHz. The data sheet says it is only 24 Bit / 192 kHz. Answer:- This is sort of our specialty, we have a deep understanding of all the chipsets we used like no other manufacturers, hence we are able to unleash the hidden potential of the chipsets like no other, enabling the DSD1793 to do DSD512/PCM768 is just one of many that we do. That’s all we can say 🙂 Bear in mind the datasheet is produced by the Marketing Dept not the R&D of the Burr-Brown AMR has a history of this. We unlocked the DEM (Dynmic Element Matching circuit) in the TDA1541A of the CD-77…that was never mentioned in the datasheet because of the R&D,

Yes, this socket is only to charge the iDSD Diablo, which takes ~5 hours with high-powered chargers (such as our iPower X) and ~8 hours with regular chargers.

Yes, which means that the iDSD Diablo has what it takes to comfortably handle pretty much everything from very sensitive IEMs to inefficient planar headphones.

Yes, it is. We’re not crazy about digital attenuation and resolution loss that follows.

Yes, the iDSD Diablo is a fair bit above the micro iDSD Signature and also any other of our portable/transportable products or their combination of.

You bet; Panasonic OS-CONs, low ESR inductors by TAIYO YUDEN and Murata, precision MELF resistors, Panasonic ECPU and C0G capacitors, our own OV2028 operational amplifiers and many more.

This 4.4mm output is a balanced line out that allows you to use the iDSD Diablo as a balanced DAC for i.e. active speakers or stereo amplifier.

The iDSD Diablo features batteries but also several of our in-house developed solutions in order to have the power feed to key components be as clean and stable as possible. To combat output impedance inconsistencies in batteries, our step-up transformers operate at extremely high frequency. This allows us to use small, low ESR capacitors that filter easily by fully passive means free from any IC regulators. The DAC chips inside the iDSD Diablo are fronted by extremely low-noise regulators and powered by a headphone amp’s pristine power supply. Our Diablo’s own 5V USB line is subjected to multi-stage filtering and specialist ultra-high PSRR regulator, whereas yet another of the same type regulates voltage for the product’s internal CPU.

We use an AB class amp for all of our products. Please visit this site for more information on AB class amps: https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/amplifier/class-ab-amplifier.html

The iDSD Diablo connects to an iOS smartphone via a Apple’s own USB Camera Adapter, whereas in case of Android devices a regular OTG cable will do.

The standard, ‘b’ and ‘c’ variants of our more recent firmware versions for many devices are ultimately the same firmware, but with some slight variations that may make them more or less suitable for you in various scenarios. Please see below for a more detailed description of each firmware version and when it may or may not be suitable.

As with many other iFi audio products, we’ve incorporated a custom OV Series operational-amplifier. This top-notch component contributes to the extremely low noise, low distortion (0.0001%) and wide bandwidth.

The Burr-Brown True Native® chipset means file formats remain unchanged or ‘bit-perfect’. This means you are listening to music as the artist intended in the format in which it was recorded. At iFi we use Burr Brown extensively in our products having selected it for its natural-sounding ‘musicality’ and True Native architecture. Our experience with this IC means we know how to make the most of it.

An important aspect of the circuit design is its direct-coupled nature (no coupling capacitor is present), achieved without a conventionally applied DC servo. DirectDrive® equals a direct signal path which means less signal degradation. This direct signal path is unequalled in audio and is the reason why the sound is so ‘true’.

Extensive jitter-eradication technologies are applied to the digital stage, including our GMT (Global Master Timing) femto-precision clock and intelligent memory buffer. This represents a total ‘out-of-the-box’ systematic digital solution that solves jitter once and for all.

In the specialist field of audio equipment testing, determining a device’s maximum power output is a crucial and difficult task. Many guidelines have been produced over the years to help with this process; these guidelines are the result of different understandings of what makes an accurate and trustworthy measurement of an audio device’s capabilities. Music Power, Program Power, Peak Power, Max Power, Instant Peak Power, Dynamic Power, Peak Music Power Output, Total System Power, Instant High Frequency Power (IHF), CAF, UL 1711, IEC 60268-3, EIA RS-490-A, FTC 16 CFR, CEA 490-A, and CEA 2006-B (pertaining to car amplifiers) are some examples of these standards that have changed over time, reflecting the industry’s continuous efforts to achieve a more accurate representation of audio performance. Different characteristics of power output and audio quality were the focus of the establishment of each of these standards, which each had its own set of criteria and goals. Others examine sustained performance or particular kinds of audio signals, while still others concentrate on a device’s maximum capabilities. These standards all try to give a dependable and uniform way to assess the maximum power output of audio equipment, in spite of their variances. But the intricacy of sound itself makes measuring an audio device’s performance precisely difficult. Played through these devices, music is the most prevalent and demanding material. It is a rich tapestry of frequencies, harmonies, and dynamics rather than just a sine wave. Because of its subjective and emotive nature, it is an art form that is difficult to simply quantify. It is therefore necessary to carefully balance the scientific rigour needed for repeatable, objective measurements with an appreciation of the beauty inherent in music in a laboratory test arrangement intended to evaluate a device’s performance. Through empirical research and practical experience over the years, we have gained invaluable insights and concluded that using a signal with a single cycle of 1kHz (1ms) repeated at the rate of 100Hz (10ms) is getting quite close to replicate the real-world sensation of listening to music quite accurately. It is defined by a one-millisecond signal that is repeated every ten milliseconds. This particular frequency and pattern of the signal was chosen since it is symbolic of the complexity of music and offers a demanding test of the device’s power capacity. Furthermore, for a device to pass this test and be considered capable of delivering high-quality audio, it should maintain less than 1% Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). Additionally, this level of performance should be achieved without the engagement of any protection circuits within the device, which can interfere with the pure assessment of its power capabilities. In summary, the search for a universally accepted standard for determining the highest power output of audio equipment is a continuous process that reflects both the complexity of sound as a medium and our dedication to quality. The goal of this quest is to accurately capture and replicate the spirit of sound, in all its complexity and beauty, rather than just numbers and specs.

Charge to ~80% by checking the on-screen Charge indicator or Charge Port LED ( see manual for more information on the colour description). Once around 80% remove the charge power cable.

The default setting of every Android phone includes a unique Bluetooth codec priority, which we are unable to modify. For example, many phones do not prioritise LDAC by default. The GAIA app has an option to turn off other codecs so that the user can instantly connect to the codec of their choice every time. Note: For phones that support LHDC, it is possible to set LHDC as the default codec without the need for the GAIA app; however, this feature is not available for the LDAC codec.

Both Hi-Res and LE versions of Bluetooth are running at the same time, but only the LE is displayed. This is a small cosmetics bug currently with Qualcomm software, we are working with Qualcomm on a fix on this.

EVERY codec is activated by default when it comes from the factory. It appears that the prior reviewer turned those off for testing because the unit was a review unit.

We use an AB class amp for all of our products. Please visit this site for more information on AB class amps: https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/amplifier/class-ab-amplifier.html

Question:- Can you explain how it is possible that the DSD1793 can work up to 32 Bit / 786 kHz. The data sheet says it is only 24 Bit / 192 kHz. Answer:- This is sort of our specialty, we have a deep understanding of all the chipsets we used like no other manufacturers, hence we are able to unleash the hidden potential of the chipsets like no other, enabling the DSD1793 to do DSD512/PCM768 is just one of many that we do. That’s all we can say 🙂 Bear in mind the datasheet is produced by the Marketing Dept not the R&D of the Burr-Brown AMR has a history of this. We unlocked the DEM (Dynmic Element Matching circuit) in the TDA1541A of the CD-77…that was never mentioned in the datasheet because of the R&D,

Charge to ~80% by checking the on-screen Charge indicator or Charge Port LED ( see manual for more information on the colour description). Once around 80% remove the charge power cable.

We use an AB class amp for all of our products. Please visit this site for more information on AB class amps: https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/amplifier/class-ab-amplifier.html

Yes, the excessive temperature will shut down but for that needs to be very hot. Select the appropriate power mode and have good ventilation/air conditioning surrounding the unit.

The standard, ‘b’ and ‘c’ variants of our more recent firmware versions for many devices are ultimately the same firmware, but with some slight variations that may make them more or less suitable for you in various scenarios. Please see below for a more detailed description of each firmware version and when it may or may not be suitable.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

We cannot comment on the kind of consideration that went into the design of this device. Though given the numbers, it should really come with a dedicated amplifier supplied by the manufacturer, as few commercial amplifiers, headphone amplifier chips or indeed discrete designs can tolerate such a load. Only amplifiers designed for speakers come to mind – which would usually be unusable due to excessive noise. Question: May we learn more about how R&D came to the 70% minimum impedance value, as well as the 5.6 ohm value? Answer: International standards (voluntary in most countries – arguably) state that a transducer (Speaker/Headphone/Microphone) impedance rating shall represent the average impedance across the whole 20Hz-20kHz frequency range, however the minimum impedance of the transducer shall be no lower than 70% of the rated impedance, or the rated must be adjusted according to the minimum impedance. This is found in standards and recommendations as far back as the IHF/IEE and the German DIN 45500 standard from the 1960’s and is retained in current recommendations. Thus a transducer that has a minimum impedance of 4 ohm anywhere between 20Hz & 20kHz can only be rated as having 5.7 Ohm nominal impedance (e.g. 4Ohm are 70% of 5.7Ohm), even if its average impedance may be 100Ohm. Rating impedance at one specific frequency only, especially if this rating varies greatly from that obtained using the standard method is not covered by standards and in itself neither wrong or correct, however it can be misleading if anyone would mistake this rated impedance as one that is comparable to ratings applied according to the standards. The reason for these strictures is to make sure a reasonable equipment matching is retained. For example, most Headphone amplifiers are designed for headphone impedances between 16 Ohm & 600 Ohm. Higher impedances generally present no problem, but impedance much lower than the intended design target may degrade the objective or subjective performance severely, or indeed may damage connected equipment as excessive current is drawn, beyond design limits. Hence it is important that such specifications are realistic. While designing the iEMatch we applied the same 16 Ohm-600 Ohm target range as reasonable. However we also looked at some of the more extreme common designs (e.g. some from Shure) that have considerably lower minimum impedances than 11.2 Ohm and thus should not be rated as 16 Ohm or higher and actually had one of our researchers comb the entire library of headphone measurements at innerfidelity.com to make sure that we would cover the largest possible range of headphones and IEMs. The manufacturer’s site specifies the IEM in question as 12.8 Ohm, which seems in disagreement with the graph included with the comments. With a 12.8 Ohm impedance specification the minimum impedance should be no lower than 9 Ohm according to the standards. Such a specification would be at the absolute extreme of the range the iEMatch is intended to handle and will already be a load few headphone amplifiers can handle well. As it appears the headphone in question is of a much lower impedance (indeed one that is low by the standards of Loudspeakers), it cannot be recommended for use with the iEMatch (though it is unlikely to cause damage), simply because it is far outside the range of impedance the iEMatch is intended to deal with. Furthermore, it would likely be a good idea to make sure that any headphone amplifier it is used with should be explicitly rated for permanent operation into 4 Ohm loads and it should only be used to evaluate headphone amplifiers explicitly stated to be designed for correct operation into 4 Ohm loads. Otherwise the findings made using such an IEM are likely to be very much at divergence with those made making more common and more generally compatible headphones & IEMs. Of course, none of the prior comments should be seen as explicit or implicit criticism of either product or manufacturer. It is up to every manufacturer to decide how they specify their devices and how they design them, even if they decide to not apply best practice or common standards in deriving specifications and if they decide to produce designs that offer poor compatibility with the majority of equipment, well that is their choice. However, it is unreasonable to expect such an extreme product to be compatible with any device that is designed to cover the 99% instead of the 1% and is designed and priced accordingly.

The iEMatch adjusts levels while making sure the source impedance seen by the headphone is low and the load seen by the amplifier is within normal design parameters. It does not alter (materially) impedances, or affect the frequency response of the attached headphones. It is not like some adapters sold that simply place a resistor in series with the headphone and often degrade sound quality.

To make it a bit more clear on our end, iEMatch has at the max under 3 Ohm output impedance. The respective changes in amplitude with frequency generally pretty much parallel the impedance. So with the iEMatch at 1/7th of the output impedance of the above case, the amplitude change with frequency due to this impedance would only be around 1/7th, or less than 0.8dB at the maximum, for this specific example. This should be at the limits of audibility and certainly should not cause large changes in sound quality. There are some possibilities though. First, the parts used in the matching network are Vishay MELFs. These do appear to show quite a pronounced “burn-in” behaviour and often cause a bright and forward sound in the first few hours. It may be advisable to perform a forced burn-in using the burn-in tracks iFi have made available. There is no need to keep the headphones or IEM’s connected for that. Simply select “high sensitivity” and with a headphone attached set a level for playback that does not cause the amplifier to distort, play the burn-in track(s) on repeat for 48 – 72 hours and then try to listen again. Please see the included table. It compares the impact of the iEMatch in high and Ultra settings and of an “impedance adapter” with 33R on the frequency response as well as the respective SPL if using a smartphone as source (approx 1V out) or a serious desktop headphone amplifier (appx. 10V out). Headphone is Shure SE846 based on inner fidelity measurements. As a general rule 3dB is considered the smallest difference in overall loudness that can reliably be identified. Though more recent research places this more at 1dB SPL difference. Similar research suggests that changes in frequency response need to be beyond 1dB if affecting wide ranges of frequencies and between 3-6dB if affecting narrow ranges of frequencies. As can be seen, the 33R impedance adapter would produce gross changes in frequency response, with bass boosted 3dB and the presence region around 5kHz cut by 5dB. This will drastically change the sound character of the headphone. In high sensitivity (which provides a comparable reduction in 1kHz SPL as the 33R adapter), iEMatch limits changes in frequency response to +0.8dB/-1.5dB which may just be at the edge of audibility, but is actually similar to the L/R differences in the measured frequency response of the SE846 by inner fidelity. Using a Smart Phone with appx. 1V output will still raise 115dB Peak SPL, enough to ensure permanent hearing damage with long exposure. In ultra setting the iEMatch will change the frequency response by =0.3dB…-0.8dB, this will challenge the golden of ears to tell. In this case, the SPL from a smartphone at 1V SPL is reduced to 102dB, which may be a little too low for headbanging but will still produce SPL sufficient to damage your hearing with long exposure. All the above applies to only and strictly the Shure SE846, as measured by Innerfidelity, many headphones and IEM will show much less variation in impedance and hence much less variation in frequency response.

We see it quite often that where there is a mix-up of actual, objective dynamic range (that is the difference between a digital maximum level signal and silence) and subjective perception of dynamics. In many modern DAC/headphone amplifier combinations (and the CODEC Chips build into smartphones, DAP’s and similar devices) the volume control usually happens in the digital domain, before the DAC chip and headphone amplifier. In this case, each 6dB attenuation in effect lose 1 Bit of resolution and dynamic range. With an attenuation value of 12dB (High Sensitivity) 2 Bits of resolution & dynamic range are restored. With an attenuation value of 24dB (Ultra Sensitivity) 4 Bits of resolution & dynamic range are restored. This is objective dynamic range, as both signal and noise are equally reduced with the signal then being boosted back by reducing the attenuating in the digital domain, ahead of the DAC. The iEMatch by allowing users to increase the digital volume means the recovery of such Bits. Further reading: Now subjective impressions of something sounding “dynamic” are often the result from excessive compression, the polar opposite of “good dynamic range”. Recordings that have good dynamic range rarely sound punchy and “dynamic”, except in the loudest passages. For example, try “Jazz Variants” by O-Zone percussion group, this recording has an excellent dynamic range (it holds a DR rating of 16 out of a maximum 20 in the dynamic range database), it does not sound particularly punchy, except when the percussion is hit hard. There are parallels with high-quality TV. A correctly calibrated picture with correct contrast (and high contrast at dark levels) and brightness (and colour) are generally not obviously impressive, the way the “demo mode” on most TV’s is. However, it is a more true representation.

Question: I was wondering if this was an intended issue with the IEMatch. I have noticed that I am getting some crosstalk even across different headphones/earphones/IEMs and different devices. Doing a left/right test shows that there is some bleeding with the IEMatch that only occurs when it is connected. Answer: IEMatch especially if used in single-ended (and possibly not switched to single-ended) will add some extra resistance to the ground (unavoidable), which increases crosstalk over the situation without IEMatch, but the difference should be modest. Our first reaction would be to check the details, like are you using a 6.3mm adapter? Is balanced or single-ended used? If single-ended, is the unit switched to single-ended? Please open a ticket.

We would not recommend using iEMatch with IEMs that have a real nominal impedance of lower than 12 Ohm. It may work, but such IEMs are problematic, to say the least.

Question: I have a requirement that a power supply (for medical devices) must be isolated from the main power (galvanic isolation), does the iPower have this? Answer: Our iPower does comply with the medical devices directive, however, there is a small value “Y” capacitor from the mains to pass EMC, meaning the isolation is not 100%. Indeed, no commercial power supply (linear or switching) will be 100% free from leakage due to basic physics.

iEMatch gives you the flexibility of 3.5mm TRS or 3.5mm balanced TRRS and a switch between two impedance settings to fine-tune to your IEMs. While the drive impedance to the headphone varies slightly with the two settings, it is a variance between 1 ohm and 3 ohms. This is radically different from so-called impedance adapters, which simply add their rated resistance in series with the headphone. To get the same reduction in hiss and increase of usable dynamic range an ‘impedance adapter’ used with a 32-ohm nominal headphone as the iEMatch in high sensitivity would require a 100 ohms adapter and likely radically affect the frequency response of this headphone. With iEMatch the headphone drive impedance is 3 ohms which means any change in frequency response is bound to minimal. If we take the rule that minimum impedance >= 70% of rated impedance and maximum impedance up to 300% of rated impedance, the absolute maximum variation in frequency response with IEMatch would be +0.6dB/-0.3dB (barely audible, if at all), while the ‘impedance adapter’ of 100 ohms would produce +6.1dB/-2.5dB variation in frequency response (grossly audible). So ‘impedance adapters’ and iEMatch work on very different principles and have very different effects. Therefore any experiences with “impedance adapters” have no relevance to iEMatch. In other words, 1-3 ohms difference means the iEMatch has the impact of the centre of a donut on the frequency response. One would need a bat-like hearing to tell the difference. We hope this sheds some light as the iEMatch is not a run of the mill product. As always, one should try first.

It’s designed to be a linear device, which means it’s purpose is to get the signal from point A to point B with as little alteration as possible, all the while performing its duty. The iEMatch adjusts levels while making sure the source impedance seen by the headphone is low and the load seen by the amplifier is within normal design parameters. It does not alter (materially) impedances or affect the frequency response of the attached headphones. It is not like some adapters sold that simply place a resistor in series with the headphone and often degrade sound quality. In fact, the only measurable impedance swing on the iEMatch occurs when you switch it into ultra-sensitive mode. Even in this case, 3 ohms is nothing in the world of headphones. Lastly, it has a measurably linear frequency response. It’s not designed to ‘colour’ the sound in any specific way.

Given the wide range of headphones/IEM sensitivities (e.g. from 140dB/V – a 30dB difference), we felt that as much attenuation as 24dB was needed for the most sensitive headphones. Using a 2-position switch breaks this in halve for less sensitive headphones, so 12/24dB to allow for a compact and affordable product.

The iEmatch is a purely passive device. It cannot by itself produce distortion. Any distortion observed is from the driving amplifier. Further question: But I tested mine with an IEM that’s sensitive also, it lowers the volume like an adapter, but it introduces distortion? Answer: It may be that you used a lot of attenuation and then cranked excessively. The amplifier is likely to distort, this is not uncommon.

Question: I have FH3 IEM with FIIO LC RD 4.4 balanced cable. I also have Meze 99 Classic with Meze 4.4mm silver cable. So I have all my cables connector as 4.4mm. Now when I listen I hear a hiss (sibilance) issue in many songs (not recording problem) with GO Blu. As IEMATCH 4.4 has high output impedance , is it advisable to purchase it or it may not resolve my problem as it is intended to work with higher end DACs only? Or It will be useful for my setups as well. Please help me with this. Answer: Yes, IEMatch will work with our portable devices and with our higher end DACs.

I have an iFi device that is powered by the iPower but might it be possible to use a different power supply that is not dependent on bridge rectifiers (AC to DC)? Answer: At this point, we are unaware of any commercial SMPS that does not include a rectifier bridge, so this requirement is doubtful to be fulfilled by any vendor.

Yes, the 5v iPower can be used with the Squeezebox Touch. One of our customers has reported the following adapter paired with the iPower is a better fit for the SBT. https://www.switchelectronics.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=210024 However, we have not tried this so it is your decision to follow up or not.

It does always work because it is a hardware control signal. With the iDSD micro switched on it absolutely can not charge past 4.05V or approx. 80% of full charge. When the iDSD micro is switched off, the maximum charge voltage is 4.2V or 100% Charge. This is controlled by a mechanical power switch, so there is no way for the charger circuit in the iDSD micro to ‘disobey.’ So when the iDSD micro is switched on, it will ‘top-up’ charge to 80% in 20 out of 20 top-ups. If the blue LED during sleep is off, it means the battery is charged to 80%, not 100%. The power control system in the iDSD micro is extremely complex, in design and programming we had a state machine model that had 52 different states for the software alone, and there additional controls that are pure hardware and if we include would produce 208 possible states for the power system. However, in use, it is really easy and with a minimum level of care and following instructions, one never needs to know much. Whenever music is playing it does not charge in any way whatsoever, USB power is completely cut off and internally disconnected. Only if no music plays will the iDSD micro will enter sleep mode, where heavy battery consumers are shut off and it will attempt to charge. But iPhones and earlier Android phones (as common when the iDSD micro was released) do not provide large amounts of current (e.g. 500mA) and for those phones, the iDSD micro will immediately terminate the charge attempt (before any protection systems can bomb). It will charge from any attached USB power adaptor or USB port that delivers over ~150mA, which includes modern android smartphones (hence Firmware 5.XB). This is why we coded several flavours of firmware. Long Answer Power Modes 0.1) Battery Power – turn on iDSD micro before attaching the USB connection. This state is ‘latched’ regardless of connection/disconnection of USB until the iDSD micro is turned off or loses power from a flat battery. In battery power mode, if there is no music playing for 3 minutes, the iDSD micro will go into sleep mode (minimise power consumption) and charge if the host (source) makes sufficient charge power available. Charge is always capped at 80%. 0.2) USB Power – turn on iDSD micro after attaching the USB connection. This state is ‘latched’ regardless of connection/disconnection of USB until the iDSD micro is turned off or loses power from a flat battery. If the USB host does not provide sufficient power to operate the difference will be drawn from the battery. If there is more power available than needed to operate the iDSD micro, it will be used to charge the battery if the battery requires charging. In USB power mode, if there is no music playing for 15 minutes, the iDSD micro will go into sleep mode (minimise power consumption) to speed up recharging. Charge is always capped at 80%. 0.3) Recharge – turn off iDSD micro. It will charge from any available power source at the maximum rate supported. Even power sources that the iDSD micro would not draw charge from when turned on will be used. An approx. 18 hour timeout makes sure to avoid overcharging a damaged battery. 0.4) USB BC1.2 standard – For charging use a USB if BC1.2 compliant ‘charging USB port.’ Many modern PCs and laptops have them, if not BC1.2 charging USB hubs are available. Using BC1.2 ports makes sure that the iDSD micro can draw 1.5 ampere from the USB port, meaning in normal mode it can operate at full tilt and recharge a flat battery within 6 hours simultaneously. Even in Turbo mode the battery will recharge at a significant rate. Not using BC1.2 compliant chargers limit the maximum current drawn from USB to 0.5A. This means in normal mode there is no current ‘left over’ to charge the battery and in Turbo mode the battery is slowly depleted even if running on USB power. While some non-standard (proprietary – e.g. Apple, Samsung) chargers may be correctly detected, this is not guaranteed with the original iDSD micro and often Apple (and Samsung) chargers are detected as 0.5A power sources. This is due to Apple’s choice to actively avoid complying with industry standards and Samsung following suit. The charger detection chipset in the iDSD micro BL is upgraded from Fairchild to TI which detects Apple chargers correctly 100% of the time. The iFi iUSB 3.0 nano & micro are BC1.2 standard-compliant USB power sources that offer additional benefits for USB audio. 1) Continuous desktop/home use in battery mode 1.1) Preparation – Make sure to let the iDSD micro charge fully over a > 12 hour period switched off to make sure the battery is at maximum charge. Disconnect iDSD micro and reconnect while switched off. The LED should turn blue for a few seconds, then go off. If the LED stays blue it means the previous charge process timed out before the battery was full, in this case investigate your USB cable and charger/port used, as they may provide insufficient power. 1.2) Operation – Turn on iDSD micro before connecting the USB cable. Leave turned on permanently. Make sure that the USB audio stream cuts off when not using the iDSD micro audio and the iDSD micro goes into sleep/sleep & charge mode. Then, if attached to a BC1.2 USB port and at least given at least 50% “sleep time” in every 12 hour period running in Turbo, 18 hour period in Normal and 24 hour period in Eco mode, the operation is “forget about it” and completely transparent and remains in battery mode until switched off or the battery is depleted due to lack of USB power or prolonged use. 2) Continuous use in USB mode 2.1) Preparation – Make sure to let the iDSD micro charge fully over a > 12 hour period switched off to make sure the battery is at maximum charge. Disconnect iDSD micro and reconnect while switched off. The LED should turn blue for a few seconds, then go off. If the LED stays blue it means the previous charge process timed out before the battery was full, in this case investigate your USB cable and charger/port used, as they may provide insufficient power. 2.2) Operation – Turn on iDSD micro after connecting the USB cable. Leave turned on permanently. Make sure that the USB audio stream cuts off when not using the iDSD micro audio and the iDSD micro goes into sleep mode. Then, if attached to a BC1.2 USB port, operation is ‘forget about it’ and completely transparent. If attached to a standard USB Port ‘forget about it’ use is limited to Eco & Normal power modes. 3) Portable use in battery mode 3.1) Preparation – Make sure to let the iDSD micro charge fully over a > 12 hour period switched off to make sure the battery is at maximum charge. Disconnect iDSD micro and reconnect while switched off. The LED should turn blue for a few seconds, then go off. If the LED stays blue it means the previous charge process timed out before the battery was full, in this case investigate your USB cable and charger/port used, as they may provide insufficient power. If using any recent Android device via USB please change the firmware to Version 5.XB to disable sleep mode. This significantly shortens operational battery life in cases of long periods with the iDSD micro connected but not playing music, however, it avoids drawing a charge from the phone when no music is playing. 3.2) Operation – Turn on iDSD micro before connecting the USB cable. Disconnect and turn off your iDSD micro when not requiring it’s used for a long period of time. 3.3) Recharge – Turn off iDSD micro before connecting to a USB charger. Use a BC1.2 compliant charger (iDSD micro BL also Apple or Samsung 1A or higher current Chargers) to shorten charge time. When the LED stops shining blue, the battery is fully charged.

The iPower does not have a connection to mains earth – how can it create a ground loop when plugged in directly to mains? Answer: The iPower itself cannot create an earth loop. In fact, it is designed without mains earth explicitly to avoid the potential of creating earth loops! However, as with any power supply, a small amount of leakage current will flow in the power supply unit output (ground/positive). It will be, by design, in the region of 10s of micro-ampere (in other words in compliance with medical equipment directives).

Do the pins have polarity, and if so, does it matter how it is plugged into the outlet? There is no ground pin, so you can pretty much flip it either way. Answer: There is no polarity on any of the iFi power supplies, it does not matter which way around they are plugged.

Items like “regulation speed” do not apply in the conventional sense, the active noise cancellation system is responsible for dealing with any noise within the audio band, regardless of its source. At higher frequencies where active noise cancellation stops being effective arrays of surface-mounted capacitors keep the internal impedance very low to well > 50MHz. The key regulation limit is actually the resistance and inductance of the cable attached to the iPower, all other parts offer superior performance (as it should be).

Answer: The iPower contains passive filtering on the mains side for EMI purposes (bigger size/value than common). It is quite possible that this helps other devices plugged into the same power strip, though that was not a particular “design goal”.

Generally speaking, no. It has around 22 times less leakage than a typical SMPS using a similar platform, due to the use of shielding inside the transformer to dramatically reduce the need for the so-called “Y” capacitor. However, some mains leakage will remain, due to a combination of regulatory requirements on electrical safety and EMC. The mains leakage may be shunted to earth using the “GroundHog” accessory with any SMPS designed as double insulated (no earth), including but not limited to, the iPower.

First, confirm if the connecting device is centre positive, if not then you will need to use the provided inverter (white adapter) to converter it from centre positive to centre negative. Secondly, with regards to the connecting device you need to match the iPower voltage to match. Third, confirm if the amperage is either higher or lower. Please see the following example. Example: The iPower will work. The iPower won’t work but we would insist that you to contact the manufacturer of your device to 100% confirm the specifications before use.

Please see the attached images of the inverter. To properly set this up normally the inverter (white) goes between the iPower DC connector and is then topped with the correct tip which is either supplied with the iPower or you may need to find the correct tip for your product. You can also view our connection diagram here: https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/smps-powered_devices/

2.0 metres.

Yes, otherwise it would not pass EMC testing.

As the Pro power supply is a very low noise design with active noise cancellation technology incorporated, replace it with other power supplies (even audiophile linear power supply) will likely degrade the performance of the Pro series, hence it is not recommended.

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Yes, it is RoHS certified. Sometimes it is normal for new power supply to have a small smell upon initial use, after a few days of use, the smell will normally go away.

The NEO iDSD2 is designed with advanced internal voltage regulation and regeneration systems, ensuring consistent, high-quality performance across the 9V-15V supply voltage range. Unlike basic circuits that depend heavily on input voltage, the NEO iDSD2 internally regenerates its voltages, making external supply variations irrelevant to its performance. We understand that audio enthusiasts expect premium performance, and our meticulous engineering ensures a uniform and uncompromised user experience, regardless of the power adapter included.

For the 15v iPower:

Question (example): The noise is given in the audio band. If a 5V power supply is used to power a USB DAC how much significant can be the noise beyond the audio band? Answer: This depends a lot on the design of the DAC itself. Actually, the high-frequency noise in the iPower is also really low. Generally, the noise floor above the audio-band is lower than the audio band noise, which is one of the reasons we only specify audio band noise. There are some noise components from the switching frequency (at around 100kHz). With generic SMPSs & Chargers 0.03V RMS (or 44dB below 5V) noise are common. By comparison in the iPower, this noise is guaranteed to be below 0.00001V RMS (or 114dB below 5V). Indeed, many regulator ICs used for audio have a greater audio band and high-frequency noise than these 0.00001V from the iPower. Hence normally the levels of high-frequency noise remaining in an iPower should be low enough to have no consequence whatsoever on a USB DAC (or any other Audio Device), even one that has only minimal or no built-in power supply filtering/regulation.

Does the iPower have lightning protection built-in case thunderstorms happen or will it affect its performance if plugged into a lightning protector plug? Answer: The iPowers protection is “normal” – so do use a protected power strip if your electrical system is vulnerable and you have a lot of thunderstorms.

Based on this (Pi chart) https://www.raspberrypi.org/help/faqs/ , the absolute max power consumed by the bare baseboard under “stress” conditions (that normally includes boot) is 1.35A. With screen added this would be 1.82A. If any other peripherals or mass storage devices (e.g. Disks, Solid State memory) are used the power consumption under boot conditions may well exceed 2.5A. As the RPi is a DIY Kit with many configurations it is up to to the person assembling the system to ensure a suitable power budget. If too many peripherals are attached the iPower may be overtaxed during boot, while during normal operation of the basic board with minimal peripherals only a small fraction of the available power is used. Past that the more the iPower has underload the lower the voltage. Open a support ticket with us to re-confirm your setup/system.

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For the iPower, what is needed is an earth/ground on the secondary side to make sure the EMC measures mandated by worldwide EMC Regulations actually work. So for a portable radio without earth/ground it is not a good choice, but for a stationary unit that is earthed/grounded it is an excellent choice.

Question: Which mA output the noise/ripple figures are measured for the 5V iPower? Answer: The noise is measured using the closest current load to nominal loading that our dummy load provides. For the 5V unit this is around 1.2A (due to the limits of our dummy load).

5.5*2.1mm is the DC barrel size.

All iFi MQA compatible DACs can do the last MQA unfold, thus fully unfold MQA master tracks. MQA renderer DACs do the last unfold and require Tidal etc. to do the first unfolds. MQA decoder DACs can do all unfolds without external unfolding support. iFi MQA decoder DACs include: • Pro iDSD Signature • NEO iDSD • iDSD Diablo • ZEN DAC Signature V2 • ZEN DAC V2 • hip dac2 Other iFi MQA compatible DACs support MQA renderer only.

Yes the iSilencer draws some extra power as it has active noise cancellation, around 22mA (exact amount depends on power voltage).

The iSilencer draws a few milliamperes, nothing major. It will get a little warm, that is normal. USB bus power is 5V +/- 10% and should not vary more than that.

All cables can only degrade. So with cables, you get degradation for impedance mismatch and signal degradation. The closer the cable adheres to the impedance spec (90 Ohm) the less impedance mismatch derived degradation. Equally, the lower the various losses in the cable (related to the amount of copper, plating, isolation, and geometry), the lower signal attenuation, and thus the signal level degradation. If either degradation becomes too large the USB signal is cut or unreliable, before obvious problems are noted (cut out, no connection) sound quality can still be affected. However, the regenerate/reclock/rebalance technology that we implement in our products can largely revert the degraded signal. Good cables simply cause less degradation to start with.

USB was never designed to carry high-quality audio hence in effect laying interconnects and PCs side by side the USB cable was not a “problem”. Our flagship USB cable, Gemini, separates audio & power (the equivalent of separate interconnects and PCs) whilst the RF silencers on both of these cables are urban dwellers for example, where there are numerous radio stations emitting strong signals that would benefit from. Lastly, the 90 ohms is a big deal as this is USB standards and anything that differs from this may cause some issues. The Gemini functions as follows; The audio symbol only carries data & related Power symbol only carries power & related The Mercury is standard having all 4 contained in the one USB cable.

As there are 2 types of connectors for the Gemini/Merury3.0, here are the EAN numbers so you can inform the retailer for the correct one.

The Gemini functions as follows: Audio symbol only carries data & related Power symbol only carries power & related The Mercury is standard having all 4 contained in the one USB cable.

The metal oxide silencers “de-tune” the Mercury or Gemini. As every cable acts as an “antennae” then one would want to minimise this. For example in some cities, with phono cables, we have vinyl customers who pick up radio stations on their phono stage. Further question: So basically, one can have as many metal oxide ceramic RF noise silencers in the signal path as they wish since they only help the sound by de-tuning each cable and not affect the signal in any way? Answer: The effect of the filters on the signal is essentially nil. The reason, the signal is a twisted pair in a 100% shield. In order for the filters to impact the signal, they would first have to interact. What the filters deal with is the action of the shield and cable as antennae, to receive radio and other noise. They make the cable a very poor antenna that rejects radio frequency noise strongly.

24AWG and 28AWG.

You can find USB information here: http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/devclass_docs.

So-called ‘audiophile USB cables’ are often of questionable construction and are neither certified to USB standards nor do they conform to the USB specifications relevant. In this case, they often do not work various combinations due to them straying away from the industry standard. Any cable certified according to and conforming correctly to USB 2.0 standards will work, however.

By its very functional principle, DSD has RFI of twice the maximum level of the audio signal and four times the nominal DSD “0dB” point between, 1.4MHz and 2.8MHz. DSD must be lowpass filtered to avoid these extremely high levels of RFI going out from the DAC chip and messing with the sound quality. Each filter is different. There is always a trade-off between impulse response, phase response, frequency response, and selectivity (how much-unwanted signals are suppressed). Which filter is preferred depends on many factors and it is hard to predict, simply try them all, pick the one that is preferred.

Yes, they are usable at the same time. Further question: Will there be a decrease in sonics if both are connected? Answer: Very minimal.

All iFi DSD playing DACs have a -3dB point for around 75kHz / 90kHz (depending on the precise model) if the sample rate is > 96khz. At sample rates lower or equal to 96kHz the sample rate is the main determining factor, with the frequency response being flat to around 0.45 * FS and then rolling rapidly if using the standard filter. The Minimum Phase filter will show around 3dB roll off at 0.45 * FS.

You can say that the Micro iDAC 2 was actually the first shipping product with active noise cancellation (ANC), it was generally developed for situations where we do not want to drop out any voltage but still want to reduce noise (USB powered DAC is an obvious one) and it was applied for that reason and as an initial case in the iDAC 2. It proved so excellent at the job, that we developed the ANC+ version for super low-noise applications. The Micro iDAC 2 actually has triple cascaded ANC, one directly at the USB input and another on the audio circuitry power supply with the third one at the DAC. The clock, by comparison, has a super quiet regulator, as the clock runs on 3.3V, so we have voltage to spare for a conventional regulator, but our analogue stage and DAC both need > 4.8V for maximum performance and as USB is only 5V, any losses in DC voltage (such as from a traditional regulator) cannot be tolerated.

Further question: Is the Apple device / Android USB audio class 2.0 compatible already? Answer: Yes but see individual FAQ regarding Apple and Android.

The RCAs are fixed output (ie: full volume) whilst the 3.5mm is variable output (ie: as a pre-amplifier/headphone amplifier). Engaging the 3.5mm activates its own powered circuit and the same for the RCAs.

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The standard, ‘b’ and ‘c’ variants of our more recent firmware versions for many devices are ultimately the same firmware, but with some slight variations that may make them more or less suitable for you in various scenarios. Please see below for a more detailed description of each firmware version and when it may or may not be suitable.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

We are working to introduce these cables into the UK market before the end of this year (2021). If you import a cable into the UK please be aware that you need to use a Schuko to UK adapter with earthing.

Here is some information regarding the 3D effect inside our products; Link to our papers: https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/tech-notes/#tn-other

Is there a danger for the device if this is happening 4-5 times when using it? In other words, it goes into sleep mode (when I’m not present) and when I return it awakes (repeat this around 5 times per day). Answer: The whole point of the “sleep mode” and “sleep charge” is to maximise both operational battery life and overall battery lifespan. So the only “danger” is that of longer operating time in battery mode and of a longer lifespan of the battery.

The SPDIF out receives the same signal as the main DAC. If DTS or Dolby digital is sent, this is not standard audio, and will cause the DAC to produce loud random noise. The SPDIF port will pass the signal unaltered. The necessary settings are inside the playback software (e.g. for J-River under “bit streaming”). It is NOT possible to send a separate audio signal to the DAC and DTS or Dolby digital to the SPDIF output.

All iFi MQA compatible DACs can do the last MQA unfold, thus fully unfold MQA master tracks. MQA renderer DACs do the last unfold and require Tidal etc. to do the first unfolds. MQA decoder DACs can do all unfolds without external unfolding support. iFi MQA decoder DACs include: • Pro iDSD Signature • NEO iDSD • iDSD Diablo • ZEN DAC Signature V2 • ZEN DAC V2 • hip dac2 Other iFi MQA compatible DACs support MQA renderer only.

There is no fixed “single” XBass, it is dependent on the model. It is not “Basshead” type bass boost that boosts bass in an unnatural way, instead, it is meant to compensate low bass deficiencies in headphones. It is best to try with some music that has very low bass. Example: The main theme from 2046 Soundtrack (especially the “Train Version”) or anything with very low organ notes. XBass will not (for example) make a kick/bass drum louder, but it will give it more “kick” Please also view the spectrum of the iDSD micro XBass with and without. +4dB at 30Hz, around 6dB at 20Hz. This is a substantial boost, but only for very low frequencies (below the kick drum of most rock/pop drumkits. Further reading with regards to XBass: https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/data/XBass_TotallyAddictedToBass.pdf For some self-assessments you can try to download RMAA (http://audio.rightmark.org/products/rmaa.shtml) and to do a test into any kind of analogue input of a sound-card on a PC/laptop (line-in, iDSD micro in either headphone out or line out with pre-amplifier) and to run the frequency response test.

Short explanation: An analogue volume control delivers better sound quality than digital volume controls. In case of a small channel imbalance at very low volume settings, please adjust the iDSD micro power mode and iEMatch settings so that the volume control is at 12 o’clock for normal listening levels, which avoids using very low settings. See below for more detail. Detailed explanation: The iDSD micro uses an analogue volume control, specifically a dual-track potentiometer. Being analogue differentiates it from the digital volume control built into DAC chips as it ensures ‘bit-perfect’ signal integrity. Digital volume controls alter the original music information (digital data), and often loose effective resolution (bits) even at moderate attenuation; analogue volume controls are free from this defect. One minor downside of using dual-track analogue volume controls is that there is sometimes a slight mechanical mistracking between the two channels. This can cause minor channel imbalance at 9 o’clock or lower volume settings, making one channel louder. The iDSD micro should not be used with the volume set so low, as this not only may subject it to this imbalance, but will also not deliver the best sound quality, due to excessive noise and distortion caused by excessive gain. Form this, the iDSD micro includes both power modes and iEMatch adjustments that make sure any headphone can be correctly matched for optimum volume control setting and sound quality. Please see the manual for these settings, and set the iDSD micro so that normal listening levels are at the volume control around the 12 o’clock position. This ensures not just correct tracking, but also the lowest noise and best sound quality.

By taking out the battery, the device will continue pushing power into the board instead of the battery, which will cause the device to malfunction.

By its very functional principle, DSD has RFI of twice the maximum level of the audio signal and four times the nominal DSD “0dB” point between, 1.4MHz and 2.8MHz. DSD must be lowpass filtered to avoid these extremely high levels of RFI going out from the DAC chip and messing with the sound quality. Each filter is different. There is always a trade-off between impulse response, phase response, frequency response, and selectivity (how much-unwanted signals are suppressed). Which filter is preferred depends on many factors and it is hard to predict, simply try them all, pick the one that is preferred.

All iFi DSD playing DACs have a -3dB point for around 75kHz / 90kHz (depending on the precise model) if the sample rate is > 96khz. At sample rates lower or equal to 96kHz the sample rate is the main determining factor, with the frequency response being flat to around 0.45 * FS and then rolling rapidly if using the standard filter. The Minimum Phase filter will show around 3dB roll off at 0.45 * FS.

I assume the iDSD doesn’t do any re-clocking of the SPDIF signal from let’s say, an Google Chromecast? Answer: That is incorrect. The input circuitry of the iDSD micro is exactly the same as the stand-alone SPDIF iPurifier. This means SPDIF signals are decoded, send into a memory buffer, de-jittered and then clocked out with the GMT Clock derived from the AMR DP-777.

It’s bad for lithium batteries to be at 100% all the time. It’s better if they do cycles of charging between 20% and 80%. And it’s better if you charge them to 60% and then disconnect them completely (you still need to do a charging cycle every few months). For a heavy desktop usage where you intend to have it plugged in forever, we recommend something without battery. Yes, which is why in “desktop mode” (always on) the iDSD micro only charges the battery to 80%, not 100%. For Li-Po batteries there are two things that reduce lifespan, one is staying for a prolonged time at 100% charge, the other being discharged below the minimum discharge voltage. Discharging excessively is prevented by multiple protection circuits and by limiting the charge state to around 80% when the unit is on, the user can choose to avoid excessive battery aging, simply by leaving the unit plugged into an active USB port and leaving it permanently on.

A swelling battery is likely caused by improper use. To prevent a battery from bloating, we suggest making sure that the device isn’t overheating and that it is kept in a cool area. Make sure you are using a 5v charger and not a fast charger. We also suggest only charging the device to about 80% and waiting until the battery is about 25% depleted before charging again. If your battery is swelling or you notice it doesn’t last as long as it used to, please open a support ticket.

What is the technical reason for volume being always higher when input is from USB versus coaxial SPDIF? Answer: There isn’t one. If the iDSD micro BL is fed a “digital full scale” signal, regardless of it being USB or SPDIF, signal levels are 100% identical. If you do have volume difference this suggests that your SPDIF source is not a “direct pass-through”, but that some form of volume adjustment and/or other processing happens. It may be needed to adjust a specific settings in the device, driver etc. or simply to make sure the source’s volume control (if present) is turned to maximum.

USB via the provided USB 3.0 blue USB cable is our preferred connection. As a general rule all things being equal, the optical connection is not as good as the USB. From the computer to the iDSD micro via USB it handles up to DSD512 and PCM 768kHz, whereas with an optical connection, this is not as assured (it will vary from source to source).

Eco: 2.2v (volume at 100%) Normal or Turbo: 5.5v (volume at 80%) or 6.5v (volume at 100%) It is either 0dB (Eco) or 9dB (Normal/Turbo) Direct: 2v Pre-amplifier: Depends upon the “mode” please see vol pot instructions.

It is RMS and applies to the headphone output.

The standard, ‘b’ and ‘c’ variants of our more recent firmware versions for many devices are ultimately the same firmware, but with some slight variations that may make them more or less suitable for you in various scenarios. Please see below for a more detailed description of each firmware version and when it may or may not be suitable.

The Burr-Brown True Native® chipset means file formats remain unchanged or ‘bit-perfect’. This means you are listening to music as the artist intended in the format in which it was recorded. At iFi we use Burr Brown extensively in our products having selected it for its natural-sounding ‘musicality’ and True Native architecture. Our experience with this IC means we know how to make the most of it.

Analogue filter is at around 80KHz. So, if the sample rate, allows an 80KHz tone can be output with less than 3dB attenuation. Question: At higher sample rates can it output a 40 KHz signal? Answer: The digital filter will cut off at 0.45 * FS

On USB power: It goes into sleep mode after 15 minutes after playback of music has stopped (all digital inputs). On battery power: It goes into sleep mode after 3 minutes after playback of music has stopped (all digital inputs). It will wake up within 1 second of receiving a valid signal on any given input or of the headphones being connected. Sleep mode powers down the DAC, analogue stages, and the headphone amplifier stage.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

This configuration results in better immunity to noise, both through shielding the active conductors and through less induction into the earth wire.

Blinking Red/Blue – When the battery is critically low it will shut down the unit to prevent damage to the battery. The LED will blink red to indicate that the battery needs to charge. Please turn the unit off, and restore the battery to full, before turning it back on. While charging, the LED will turn solid blue. Fast Blinking Green/Blue – A green LED indicates the battery is critically low and the battery’s own protection circuitry has disconnected the battery to prevent deep discharge that may cause damage to the battery. Please turn off the unit, you should now see a rapidly blinking blue LED. Then unit will now charge slow charge the battery for around 30 minutes. If done correctly, the LED will now be a solid blue and the unit will continue charging the battery at a faster pace. If the unit shuts off while slow charging, you will need to unplug the power cable, and plug it back in. It may take another 30 minutes of slow charging before it switches back to the normal charging mode. If the battery still will not charge, please open a support ticket and we will be happy to help.

Yes, you can and yes, it’s safe. Please keep in mind that the micro iDSD Signature’s battery should get more power than connected headphones consume, otherwise the product will eventually discharge.

No, the micro iDSD Signature can’t be used as a power bank.

By taking out the battery, the device will continue pushing power into the board instead of the battery, which will cause the device to malfunction.

The micro iDSD Signature’s USB-C port is the charge input. A flashing nearby LED indicates charging in progress.

Connect your phone to the micro iDSD Signature’s flat ‘Type A’ USB input with a Lightning to a USB Camera Adapter (Apple) or USB On-The-Go (OTG) cable (Android). When using other audio sources, please connect with a USB cable.

The micro iDSD Signature’s volume knob powers it on/off.

The micro iDSD Signature is better than micro iDSD BL in terms of functionality and ease of use.

The micro iDSD Signature needs about 12 hours to fully charge from a regular USB output, and about 3 hours if connected to a high-powered charger.

If used correctly, it’ll be good for many years.

Please set the micro iDSD Signature’s iEMatch and Power Mode settings (#12 and #10 in the manual) to ‘Ultra Sensitive’ and ‘Eco’ respectively. Next, please turn the product’s volume knob all the way down and connect your IEMs through a 3.5mm-to-6.3mm adapter. During music playback please gradually increase volume level until it’s satisfactory.

The micro iDSD Signature’s battery will last for about 6 hours if the product is set into ‘Turbo Mode’, whereas ‘Eco Mode’ will double that time. Also connected loads and volume levels factor in.

The micro iDSD Signature features a Pentaconn 4.4mm headphone out, larger LEDs and a sleeker volume knob. Its internal circuitry is optimized and is more direct.

Please check color of a LED located just next to the micro iDSD Signature’s charging port. If upon powering the product its charge LED is dark, then its battery is completely depleted, thus please recharge it.

A swelling battery is likely caused by improper use. To prevent a battery from bloating, we suggest making sure that the device isn’t overheating and that it is kept in a cool area. Make sure you are using a 5v charger and not a fast charger. We also suggest only charging the device to about 80% and waiting until the battery is about 25% depleted before charging again. If your battery is swelling or you notice it doesn’t last as long as it used to, please open a support ticket.

Please adjust the micro iDSD Signature’s power mode (…and possibly also iEMatch switch) accordingly to connected headphones/IEMs.

It’s entirely up to you. Please try them and if you like what you hear, please feel free to have them turned on.

When connected to the RCA output, the volume control is bypassed.

That’s how the micro iDSD Signature’s multi-colored LED indicates audio format and sampling frequency of music currently played.

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You can use these outputs to use the micro iDSD Signature as a high-quality DAC.

The standard, ‘b’ and ‘c’ variants of our more recent firmware versions for many devices are ultimately the same firmware, but with some slight variations that may make them more or less suitable for you in various scenarios. Please see below for a more detailed description of each firmware version and when it may or may not be suitable.

The Burr-Brown True Native® chipset means file formats remain unchanged or ‘bit-perfect’. This means you are listening to music as the artist intended in the format in which it was recorded. At iFi we use Burr Brown extensively in our products having selected it for its natural-sounding ‘musicality’ and True Native architecture. Our experience with this IC means we know how to make the most of it.

The micro iDSD Signature is a battery based headamp/DAC combo product fit for transportable and desktop use. It’s also the direct successor of micro iDSD BL.

The new Micro iDSD Finale is our latest product in our Micro line of product. The Micro iDSD Finale is an Adorama exclusive product, with only 1,000 units produced. It features the latest 16-core XMOS processor, which supports MQA decoding. The volume potentiometer has also received an upgrade, allowing the Finale to have the best channel balance low volumes, thereby rectifying Left/Right tracking even while the volume is low. We have also upgrade the capacitors to ELNA’s high grade capacitor, ELNA Silmic II. Known for its superior acoustic characteristics, the Silmic II uses silk fibre to produce a sound that is both more powerful and mellower. To read a full introduction to the Micro iDSD Finale, please visit the article below: https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/the-finale-feast/

I have an iFi device that is powered by the iPower but might it be possible to use a different power supply that is not dependent on bridge rectifiers (AC to DC)? Answer: At this point, we are unaware of any commercial SMPS that does not include a rectifier bridge, so this requirement is doubtful to be fulfilled by any vendor.

15ft (4.5m), for example, is quite long. Well-shielded cables in a “semi-balanced” configuration should be used. It may also be necessary to look at managing earth/ground connections in the system. Other than these potential pitfalls, even this length of cable will be fine.

RIAA cannot be disabled without modifications. We do not recommend DSP/Digital EQ due to the very large amount of EQ needed (40dB) using digital EQ degrades the ADC output by almost 7 Bits. RIAA EQ was designed for analogue systems and is best handled in the analogue domain. The goal is to play 78 records that pre-date the use of EQ during cutting, this is a very specialised application and several small manufacturers offer dedicated solutions for 78 RPM mono records.

No, flat EQ. We find that software EQ loses resolution at a frightening rate. As there is no digital “boost” beyond 0 dBFS, the digital domain EQ attenuates the midrange by around 4 Bit and treble by 7 Bit. Better to record a signal already EQ’ed to RIAA and dial in the minor adjustments in the digital domain. Recording “flat” and eq-ing digitally is not very productive in the real world.

No, it does not invert polarity in MC or MM.

Input capacitance switch is for MM input only. It is inoperative at MC. Most MM cartridges need a defined (and significant) load capacitance to have good high-frequency extension. Too little capacitance and they sound dull, too much the high frequencies sound peaky. A good explanation of how capacitive loading for MM cartridges works is found here: http://www.hagtech.com/loading.html It also includes a calculator, which must be used with care, as the capacitance of the arm wiring and RCA cable to the pre-amplifier can have significant, but unknown capacitance.

Generally speaking, electronics are best left running. In 99% of the cases components in iFi products are ran at power/voltage that means there is little difference between shelf life and operation, so this does not really impact longevity either. For devices with tubes, however, there are components (the tubes) which have a limited lifespan and which are not easily or cheaply replaced (NOS tubes are becoming extinct at a rapid rate), so they can (and should) be powered down when not in use to preserve tube life. Past that we adhere to the 2013 EU law on standby.

Any mains powered device that has no earth/ground connection will have a small of leakage current on the case (laptops and smartphones for example as well). As the provided iPower powering the iPhono has no earth/ground connection to avoid earth loops, there will a small amount of leakage current on the case, this is normal as the combination (iPower & iPhono) does comply with all worldwide electrical safety standards. Further, once the line out from the iPhono is connected to a normal Hi-Fi system that is earthed / ground (at least one device has a 3-pin plug) this leakage current will be drained to earth/ground. If the Hi-Fi system has no earth/ground connection it is recommended (in general, not specific to the iPower/iPhono combo) to add a supplementary earth/ground link. Should you require one we have produced the GroundHog – https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/accessory-groundhog/

If your iPhono is producing a humming noise then please watch the temporary videos as it will explain how to implement an earth/ground into the system. 1) https://www.dropbox.com/s/6kr156irreqhgut/1.mp4?dl=0 2) https://www.dropbox.com/s/fruxyw945mklu25/2.mp4?dl=0 3) https://www.dropbox.com/s/sf45tb2grk71vup/3.mp4?dl=0 4) https://www.dropbox.com/s/cwzioy3kusuagcy/4.mp4?dl=0 5) https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview=5.mp4

Reel to reel is too far remote. Phono EQ and tape EQ are very different, even if the standardising organisation is the same and they carry the same name.

If you select a version or RIAA with the rumble filter active then use the selector switch on the front to select Decca or Columbia, is the rumble filter still active? Or is the rumble filter only active in the middle, RIAA position, and only if selected on the back of the unit? Answer: Yes, the low-frequency roll-off is independent of the EQ curve selected.

It is DC coupled and can “go off the rails” if there is a large DC input or very high levels of AC (e.g. the 115V/50Hz a “missing earth/ground” audio system floats at). This “latches up” the device, it needs to be unplugged for a few minutes and then restarted to be reset. There should be no problem with a properly earthed/grounded audio system, only if there is no earth/ground present. If you are not sure please open a support ticket.

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Please find the provided link which can help shed some light on cartridges. http://www.hagtech.com/loading.html This is a good source to learn from!

Please check our iPhono calculator here: https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/iphono-calculator/

5.5*2.1mm is the DC barrel size.

The point of the “load” is that it is used to optimise the system of records, tonearm, and cartridge. So, it must be ultimately adjusted to what provides the best sound quality. Therefore, there is no “correct” load that can be set academically, expecting the best results. See what the manufacturer recommends and work from there onwards.

I have an iFi device that is powered by the iPower but might it be possible to use a different power supply that is not dependent on bridge rectifiers (AC to DC)? Answer: At this point, we are unaware of any commercial SMPS that does not include a rectifier bridge, so this requirement is doubtful to be fulfilled by any vendor.

The tube GE5670 can be replaced, yes, it is socketed. GE5670 is a premium of 6922 family so unless Bendix 6N3 or WE396A then not worth rolling. Since tubes are bigger than the chassis size, it is specially designed and positioned on its side. Please see the attached image: http://www.audiostream.com/images/81413ifi4.jpg As you can see, just on the right of the tube is the black pins. These pull upwards to remove the tube component to replace another. However, this would void the warranty, you are responsible for any damage by trying to open the unit.

Yes, absolutely.

The iTube 2 warms up quickly (under one minute) and sounds best at around the 15-minute mark.

To burn in the iTube 2 we suggest connecting it to a DAC run for 24/7 – this would see proper burn-in period.

iTube 2 is DC coupled. Meaning there is no coupling capacitor. It uses a DC servo to zero out any DC output on the output to a few millivolts (a few 1,000’s of 1 volt). AC is always present when playing music, it is called “signal”.

Yes. The GE5670 is NOS, ie military grade. It is run very conservatively so isn’t driven like a normal valve and we are running nominally around 30V/1mA: rated at 100,000 hours. Being designed to run conservatively, you can run it 24/7 for quite a few years if you so wish. Thus 30mW per section, the GE5670 rated maximum is 1400mW per section, so around 2% of rated maximum.

Yes, you can use the iTube 2 in a car, it runs off 12v.

I’m running the iTube 2 as a pre-amplifier but since there is only one set of outputs is there any problem attaching a Y-connector to the outputs so one leg runs to the power amplifier and another to a sub-woofer? Answer: No problem, iTube 2 will drive 600 Ohm loads without trouble.

The actual circuit used is single-ended Class A. What each signature refers to is a harmonic envelope and relative levels of harmonics. These are achieved by adjusting the open-loop gain and thus the amount of negative feedback in the circuit. So the difference between ‘classic studio’ and ‘Push-Pull’ is in the levels of harmonics, which are greater for ‘Push-Pull’ (just as they would be in a Push-Pull tube amplifier vs. a studio pre-amplifier) and feature approx. equal amounts of 2nd Order Harmonics and 3rd Order Harmonics and similar relations between the even/odd harmonics at higher harmonics. For the ‘single-ended’ signature overall 2nd Order Harmonics is much higher than 3rd Order Harmonics and other harmonics fall off in a similar manner with the even-order harmonics in each pair significantly higher, as would be the case with a low/non-feedback SE amplifier.

REclock, REgenerate, REbalance all clean up the signal and restore it to a near-ideal signal (so “bits are bits”). The hub repeater chip is only the starting point for us. So the REclock is only a part of the equation in the USB3.0 (USB2.0 and USB3.0 repeater chips used respectively). The micro iUSB3.0 also has active noise cancellation (ANC) and power conditioning cleaning up the power to the USB (if it draws USB power). Additionally, there is filtering of ground-borne noise (but no IsoGround to deal with low-frequency ground loops).

Absolutely fine to leave on. It is only 9v/2A so very low power, quite green in fact.

Question: What is the maximum RCA input voltage that the iTube 2 can receive in default 0db buffer mode? And in 9db buffer mode? Answer: For undistorted output, the following levels should not be exceeded. 0dB -> +20dBU (7.75V) +9dB -> +11dBU (2.75V) Further question: What is the maximum RCA input voltage that the iTube 2 can receive in pre-amplifier 0db mode? And in 9db pre-amplifier mode? Answer: As there is a volume control that should be set according to the requirements of the source, there is no specific signal level on the input. It is recommended to limit the input to less than 60V AC for reasons of electrical safety. Further question: What is the RCA output voltage in default buffer 0db mode? And in 9db buffer mode? Answer: 0dB output voltage is input voltage. +9dB output voltage is input voltage + 9dB (input *2.81). Further question: What is the maximum RCA output voltage in pre-amplifier 0db mode? And in 9db pre-amplifier mode? Answer: The maximum undistorted output voltage in all cases (pre-amplifier/buffer/0dB/9dB) is greater than +20dBU (7.75V).

5.5*2.1mm is the DC barrel size.

It will easily handle the standard 2v input.

150 Ohm. Further question: Does it change when using variable volume control? Answer: No. For a bonus, the input impedance is also fixed, 1 MegaOhm in fixed gain mode and 100k in variable gain mode.

iTube 2 should draw around 0.5A (approx.) @ 12V.

Where you actually want a pre-amplifier, naturally, meaning sources with lower output. Another option when using it as a pre-amplifier for a power amplifier but too much gain without turning the volume down will overload the output stage. Example setup: Device 1: 3V @ 0dBFS. Smartphone: 0.5 – 1V @ 0dBFS. A gain of 9dB makes such a device similarly loud than a normal line out.

There is no ground/earth.

Question: Is it only and specifically 20Hz that is augmented or is it the bandwidth around 20Hz? In other words, is the Q high (narrow bandwidth) or low at 20Hz when the gain is added? Answer: iTube 2 uses a gentle slope “shelf” type boost that is at the maximum (12dB) at the stated frequency. It is designed to boost the bass in speakers that have a low reaching but attenuated bass (e.g. sealed box mini-monitors).

Our devices comply with the USB specifications. Interoperability between Thunderbolt and USB needs to be checked with the hardware vendor of the Thunderbolt device. Our understanding is that on Mac, the USB C port can function as either a USB port or as Thunderbolt port, but not both. We would recommend, however, to contact Apple and confirm if this is the case.

Yes, and you would power the micro iUSB3.0 from the 12v of the car lighter using such 12v > DC barrel cables.

My DAC is asynchronous mode and has its own internal master clock, therefore, my question is: who is the master clock in this case? Answer: The micro iUSB 3.0 & nano iUSB3.0 re-clock the USB data stream, not the audio data directly. It improves data integrity and makes sure data is received and decoded correctly. In asynchronous USB audio mode the audio clock is controlled by the DAC and the built-in clock.

Any DC power supply within the range of 7v – 16v DC with sufficient power (> 12vA) can be used. Further question: Also, if my DAC is not powered by USB, what voltage is recommended for the micro IUSB3.0? Could a 5v or 12v input from the linear power supply be used? Answer: There is no specific voltage recommendation other than that this range should not be exceeded in either direction and it is not related to the fact if power is drawn from USB port(s) or not. Most linear power supplies will tend to have worse noise than the supplied iPower and if using an inadequate linear power supply the performance of the iPower may be worse than using the original power supply.

Yes, it is cleaner than the iPower because both micro & nano iUSB3.0 include double-conversion of the power (which actually makes them quite resilient to what power feeds them) and in actual layout, we implement distinct noise barriers between incoming power and signal section. Each output is then fitted with additional passive LC noise filtering and the active noise cancellation system to remove audio band noise. The result is very low noise, even lower than the iPower itself. We have internally verified this performance previously using the Audio Precision 2 but the measurements at this level are ‘challenging’ to say the least and we must delineate for the time being, due to lack of this essential commodity.

How is it possible to have a low amperage power supply deliver a higher amperage output via USB? Answer: As the iPower is 9V / 2.0A and the micro iUSB3.0 outputs 5v / 2.5A, the input current is stepped down thus enabling the output (amperage) to be higher. In short, high to low voltage (input) translated into low to high amperage (output).

In order for the micro iUSB3.0 to appear as USB 3.0 hub, the following is required: In this case, the micro iUSB3.0 should appear as USB 3.0. If using with an iFi DAC, they are a USB 2.0 device therefore it will always appear as USB 2.0.

The power LED will be on as long as the external power supply unit is connected and powered. This is normal and intentional. In “auto” setting the micro iUSB 3.0 will switch off all other circuitry (except the power LED) when the host (PC etc) is off and only the power LED will be on.

The micro iUSB 3.0 is limited by mainly by the power supply that powers it. Using the 9v iPower to operate it, the micro iUSB 3.0 can offer full 1.5A per USB port pair, so 3A in total. Please note that the USB specifications are as follows:

IsoGround: Breaks earth / ground loops. Power mode (On/Auto): Controls if the power from the micro iUSB3.0 is switched off/on together with PC’s USB power or is permanently on (e.g. charging a DAC while PC is off). In other words, it continues to supply 5v power to the DAC to keep the handshake alive.

On chipset level we get around 0.5ps (500 femto seconds) random jitter on transmitting. As USB is is bi-directional and has complex data patterns it is non-trivial to measure and specify jitter, also single numbers make limited sense.

Internal components make all the difference. The ZEN CAN Signature 6XX incorporates many boutique parts taken directly from our flagship product, a £3,000 Pro iCAN.

Voltage and current rating for the micro iUSB 3.0 are fairly uncritical. The key is that the external power supply must provide enough power (voltage * amperage) to power any devices drawing power from the micro iUSB3.0 and leave some reserve for losses and internal power use (say 1.3 factor for reserves). Voltages from 8v to 16v nominal are fine, an input voltage of 18v should not be exceeded. If we want to power two USB 3.0 devices we need 5v/0.9A X 2 or 9 Watt. Add some reserve and a 12 Watt power supply, which could be for example 12v/1A or 9v/1.5A. This is the minimum needed for USB 3.0 compliance. Internally the micro iUSB 3.0 can handle up to 6 ampere total current on the 5v bus, so for an extreme case, a 40 Watt power supply (12v/3.33A or 9v/4.44A) could be used without issue. However, such high powers are unlikely to be needed in Hi-Fi systems and there is little to no benefit spending a lot extra for higher power ratings.

For any DC powered product such as the SqueezeBox. The iUSB3.0 powers a 5v DC powered device.

Many DACs use XMOS. Very old XMOS firmware versions have known issues with some USB 3.0 systems. Such DACs need a firmware upgrade from the manufacturer – we at iFi have issued this update years ago. If your external DAC(‘s) do not work, please go the following route: 1) Use a USB 2.0 on the PC instead of USB 3.0. 2) On Windows check the user has admin rights, if these are missing Windows may prevent the user from adding hardware (the DAC via iUSB 3.0 is considered new hardware by Windows). 3) After adding the iUSB3.0 with a Windows system the driver needs to be re-installed for most DAC’s. To be 100% sure uninstall the existing driver followed by a reboot before attempting to reinstall the driver. It also may be required to disable anti-virus software temporarily and/or disable and audiophile optimisers and other similar software. If services have been manually disabled or disabled using optimisation scripts – check that the “plug and play” service is enabled and running. Other services if disabled may also cause failure to recognise the DAC. If with all these (iUSB3.0 on USB 2.0 port and driver-reinstall etc.) the DAC is not recognised but iFi DACs (and memory sticks, hard drives etc) all work the problem is most likely a firmware issue which must come from the DAC manufacturer. If you are not sure please open a support ticket.

Will the micro iUSB3.0 tolerate both a wider range of voltages? Answer: The micro iUSB3.0 handles anything from at least 6v to absolute max 18v. So it is compatible with notional 12v battery systems for cars (which really are 14.4v and reach even higher voltages under “load-dump”). You need to, however, feed enough total power to get enough output (no, it does not include an over-unity power system). For two USB 3.0 devices that is at least 10 Watt and to support two BC1.2 devices that is 15 Watt. With the included 9v iPower you can support one USB 3.0 device and one BC1.2 device.

The iOne nano is really the product focused on desktop/home use, but the iDSD nano BL will be fine as well.

The nano iDSD BL receives digital, only. Most iPods do analogue out, and there are only a certain generation of iPods that can do digital out. You can find out if your iPod has a digital output via this site: https://files.freemyipod.org/~user890104/bootloader-ipodclassic.html Just check the model number on your iPod. If your iPod can do digital out, you may need to ‘jail break’ via ‘Rockbox’. However, we can’t advise this as it could brick your device. If you wish to try, it would be at your own risk. See link here: https://www.rockbox.org If you do this, you must make sure it is an official Apple Camera Connection Kit. See link here: https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MC531ZM/A/apple-ipad-camera-connection-kit

Yes, the nano iDSD BL can still be used in USB mode even when the battery is flat. Although the battery will not be charged whilst it is being used.

All iFi MQA compatible DACs can do the last MQA unfold, thus fully unfold MQA master tracks. MQA renderer DACs do the last unfold and require Tidal etc. to do the first unfolds. MQA decoder DACs can do all unfolds without external unfolding support. iFi MQA decoder DACs include: • Pro iDSD Signature • NEO iDSD • iDSD Diablo • ZEN DAC Signature V2 • ZEN DAC V2 • hip dac2 Other iFi MQA compatible DACs support MQA renderer only.

No, the nano iDSD BL does not have a sleep mode.

For high impedance headphones or low impedance headphones at low signal levels – Yes.

By its very functional principle, DSD has RFI of twice the maximum level of the audio signal and four times the nominal DSD “0dB” point between, 1.4MHz and 2.8MHz. DSD must be lowpass filtered to avoid these extremely high levels of RFI going out from the DAC chip and messing with the sound quality. Each filter is different. There is always a trade-off between impulse response, phase response, frequency response, and selectivity (how much-unwanted signals are suppressed). Which filter is preferred depends on many factors and it is hard to predict, simply try them all, pick the one that is preferred.

All iFi DSD playing DACs have a -3dB point for around 75kHz / 90kHz (depending on the precise model) if the sample rate is > 96khz. At sample rates lower or equal to 96kHz the sample rate is the main determining factor, with the frequency response being flat to around 0.45 * FS and then rolling rapidly if using the standard filter. The Minimum Phase filter will show around 3dB roll off at 0.45 * FS.

Yes, it is possible. If you power it up in USB mode, it will charge the battery and then simply remain on continuous. If you power it up in battery mode, it will deplete the battery and then start pulling power from the USB connection but not charge the battery.

Yes.

Question: With iDSD nano BL, the description says “2 track potentiometer”. Do I get it right that in iDSD nano BL this is a classical in-signal-path variable resistor that regulates the volume and if so do I get it right that “2 track” means separate tracks for right and left channels to support the “S-balanced” topology? With the original iDSD nano you called “software-controlled analogue volume control”, meaning that the actual potentiometer that you turn with the knob is not in the signal path, but instead it controls the IC that switches the signal between many different pairs of resistors? Answer: That is correct. After extensive testing we feel the solution in the iDSD nano BL sounds better than in the original iDSD nano.

The standard, ‘b’ and ‘c’ variants of our more recent firmware versions for many devices are ultimately the same firmware, but with some slight variations that may make them more or less suitable for you in various scenarios. Please see below for a more detailed description of each firmware version and when it may or may not be suitable.

The Burr-Brown True Native® chipset means file formats remain unchanged or ‘bit-perfect’. This means you are listening to music as the artist intended in the format in which it was recorded. At iFi we use Burr Brown extensively in our products having selected it for its natural-sounding ‘musicality’ and True Native architecture. Our experience with this IC means we know how to make the most of it.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

It does, it just depends on the headphone/volume level and direct/iEMatch mode. Here are some of our tests using Sennheiser HD201

You can run and power the device straight from your PC taking from the USB power line, however you must connect the unit then switch on, whilst the on board battery can power the unit when your out and about etc by simply switching on first and connect to the PC/smart phone.

DC offset is normally a few milli-volt.

The ZEN Stream box contains: 1 x ZEN Stream 1 x Ethernet cable 1 x Plastic screwdriver 1 x Power adapter 1 x Antenna 1 x Instruction card 1 x User manual

The battery inside these units are long lasting and you’ll easy reach 4+ years life span. Battery life is normally around 500 full cycles (full charge and run flat), but that means there is still 70% battery capacity left. If less than full cycles, then more partial cycles are possible. If (say) you do a cycle from 100% charge to 50% charge, this is half a cycle. So you can expect to do 1000 “half cycles”. Of course, temperature is also a factor.

All iFi MQA compatible DACs can do the last MQA unfold, thus fully unfold MQA master tracks. MQA renderer DACs do the last unfold and require Tidal etc. to do the first unfolds. MQA decoder DACs can do all unfolds without external unfolding support. iFi MQA decoder DACs include: • Pro iDSD Signature • NEO iDSD • iDSD Diablo • ZEN DAC Signature V2 • ZEN DAC V2 • hip dac2 Other iFi MQA compatible DACs support MQA renderer only.

Yes of course, this can be used as a pre-amplifier. You just control the volume. If you want to bypass it then put the volume on 100% (max).

All current iFi products that do not have filter selection use the minimum filter for sample rates up to 192kHz and bit-perfect above 192kHz.

All iFi DSD playing DACs have a -3dB point for around 75kHz / 90kHz (depending on the precise model) if the sample rate is > 96khz. At sample rates lower or equal to 96kHz the sample rate is the main determining factor, with the frequency response being flat to around 0.45 * FS and then rolling rapidly if using the standard filter. The Minimum Phase filter will show around 3dB roll off at 0.45 * FS.

As long as the combined impedance of the two headphones is high enough, no issue.

Yes you can but it is only SPDIF coaxial out. Past that, the iDSD nano LE has no digital output option.

Yes but the iDSD nano is only 2 channel therefore your A/V system must be swapped over to 2 channel instead of multi-channel.

Question: It states that the coaxial digital output is PCM 192kHz, is this PCM 24 bit or is it variable depending on source from 16 to 32bit? Answer: SPDIF only transfers up to 24/192kHz ,so if you see 32 bit, that may be difficult as it’s based upon the SPDIF protocol. Question: If the source is 24 bit is it down-sampled or kept at 24 bit? Answer: Up to 24/192kHz it keeps it original. Question: Is the digital coaxial output bit-perfect compared to the USB PCM source? As in the signal is not going from digital > analogue -> digital, instead USB digital > digital SPDIF. Answer: Yes, bit-perfect as the Burr-Brown does not perform internal conversion otherwise it would defeat the object. Question: The iDSD nano can work with all types of inputs (PCM, DSD, DXD) using USB port but on SPDIF coaxial output it will be only PCM and what will be with DSD/DXD? Would they will be convert to PCM as well? Answer: SPDIF only transmits PCM. Hence, you have to setup the software to convert. This is related to the technology/protocol of SPDIF that it only transmits PCM. The transmitter/receiver technology is simply not available.

The RCA’s output 1.65v. This is lower than the industry line level output of 2v.

The standard, ‘b’ and ‘c’ variants of our more recent firmware versions for many devices are ultimately the same firmware, but with some slight variations that may make them more or less suitable for you in various scenarios. Please see below for a more detailed description of each firmware version and when it may or may not be suitable.

We use industry standard of 0dBFS = Digital full scale or maximum undistorted signal and we generally have 2v nominal output. Extra: What signal level is used as “0(dB)VU” is arbitrary. When we was still working in the recording side, East Germany used -14dBFS as 0VU, other studios used -18dBFS or other values. Nowadays this usually called LUFS (Loudness units relative to full scale) and is calculated according to EBU recommendation 128. This is a bit more sophisticated than “VU” Music streaming services like Youtube etc. tend to normalize music to around -15dBFS = 0VU ( -13 dBFS for YouTube, -16 for iTunes and Pandora, -14 for Spotify and TIDAL). This definition does not really relate to equipment in itself, just to the programme material. VU stands for “Volume Unit” (though more cynical sound engineers like myself called it “Virtually Useless” even in the 80’s and strictly used PPM [Peak Programme Meter] for recording and mastering) and is a fairly long-term average of signal, so it represents more or less well how “loud” a track sounds. Many mastering engineers commonly break any 0VU/LUFS rules and (re)master music as loud as possible. So some tracks may actually have -6dBFS as 0VU, before being normalized. An extreme example, Guns ‘n Roses “Welcome to the Jungle” is -2 LUFS”

The iDSD nano has an analogue stage bandwidth of 7Hz to 75kHz. High-frequency cut-off will depend on the sample rate played (192kHz or higher), material at quad speed and above will take advantage of the full analogue bandwidth.

No max but minimum is 12 Ohm.

The small clicking sound is due to the fact the iDSD nano is using a “stepper” analogue volume control for the best sound, hence while changing up and down the volume, there will be small clicks when volume changes from one step to another, and then to another and so on. The extent of the clicking varies a little bit between different units of iDSD nano.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

With 4-pin 3.5mm plugs on smartphone headsets it cannot be guaranteed that the ground makes reliably the correct contact with sockets designed for 3 in 3.5mm plugs TRS. Therefore we would recommend to use 3-pin plugs and if necessary a suitable adapter.

You will need to check USB suspension settings as we suspect the USB ports are still powered when off, for charging. Normally there is a Bios setting to deal with this.

The guaranteed maximum downstream current provision complies with the USB 3.0 standards, that is 5v DC @ +/-0.25v unloaded, with 900mA maximum current at > 4.5v DC.

Most USB 2.0 ports support > 0.5A in practice. A key factor is the USB cable, excessive voltage drop due to high resistance will cause problems and excessive current draw. Use the included USB 3.0 cable for testing. We did a test and needed a very “heavy” USB device to come close to 0.8A. Using a more typical USB DAC (iDAC 2) we get around 550mA.

The Burr-Brown True Native® chipset means file formats remain unchanged or ‘bit-perfect’. This means you are listening to music as the artist intended in the format in which it was recorded. At iFi we use Burr Brown extensively in our products having selected it for its natural-sounding ‘musicality’ and True Native architecture. Our experience with this IC means we know how to make the most of it.

We have found out that some USB DAC’s do not comply to USB standards. For example, there is one customer where it did not work with a special USB card, why? Because as they had it installed, it output 4.5v not 5v power on the USB bus, which is not to specification compliant (5v +/-5%), in this case operation cannot be guaranteed. Equally, if one or both sides of the system float without earth connection it may be necessary to set the earth link switch correctly to ensure reliable (or any) connection. The recommended sequence is: 1) Use known good cables or correct specification. Generally speaking, those included with iFi products and / or good grade generics will be correct, many audiophile cables are not correct in terms of specification. 2) Make all connections to iGalvanic 3.0 and set the earth link switch as required. Make sure that the port chosen on the source is a fully USB standard compliant port. 3) Make the connection to the source (PC, Mac etc.). Remember that USB negotiations and enabling/updating drivers etc. may take up 30 seconds + before a new device is operational after connection. 4) In most operating systems the attached DAC will show up as a new device, so it may be necessary to re-set the audio configuration of the machine, of playback software etc.

USB signal integrity contains a number of factors, jitter is one, signal rise-time, signal level and signal balance between the two wires are other factors and excessive ripple from reflection within the cable is yet another factor to impact signal integrity, potentially enough for data corruption (which is not corrected in isochronous streaming mode). Impacts on signal integrity are produced by among others (an exhaustive list would be challenging) by cable impedance mismatch, impedance mismatch at connectors, electrical fields from nearby cables and transmitters and not the least isolation devices. In iFi’s USB products that incorporate the Reclock / Regenerate / Rebalance technology all of these factors are addressed comprehensively and signal integrity is restored to “close to ideal”.

If the switch needs to be set to provide either RF grounding or grounding down to DC, the most likely reason is that there is no ground/earth for the system on one or both sides of the iGalvanic 3.0. In this case USB cables are in effect not shielded against ground/earth referenced noise sources and may therefore result in dropouts if interference is present. Where one or both sides of a system have no ground/earth connection the earth connection should be restored, for example using iFi’s “Groundhog” or by switching the ground link switch on the iGalvanic 3.0 correctly.

Let us clarify: 1) Light switches triggering, this means it is the spark energy when switching. Early radio used “spark gap” transmitters to transmit Morse wireless, the same physics are at work here. 2) The problem is that the spark impulses use the house wiring as antennae transmitting the signal. 3) On the Audio side all and any cables become an antennae receiving this “blip” signal. If a wire is shielded and the shield is grounded/earthed, the “blip” should be rejected. The probable cause here is either poor shielding or a lack of grounding or both. It is unlikely that adding any form of isolation will help, as this will not help the shielding/grounding. It may be “unsolvable” if the house has a poor earth connection (we did experience this in one apartment our colleague had). The best solution is to defeat the actual spark. This may be done by having a competent electrician replace the mechanical relays/switches with modern electronic alternatives, or by applying suitable “snubber” capacitors across the switch to solve the problem at the source. However, it is possible we are wrong but its a good starting point.

This is normal, if you draw more current downstream heat will increase.

The iGalvanic 3.0 is USB 3.0, so if using USB 3.0 then that is 5GB/sec.

Yes, if you draw more current than iGalvanic 3.0 or the source can supply, the power supply in the iGalvanic 3.0 will limit current by lowering the output voltage.

One press of the NEO iDSD’s rotary knob is all it takes.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

Do not use poor quality cables, especially cables with a thin conductors and high resistance as it can lead to problems. Please use the provided USB 3.0 cable or cable directly from a reputable manufacturer.

Is the USB device self-powered? If so it could be because its powered externally and when booting up the computer or source there is a loss of connection with the iGalvanic which the iGalvanic detects the power line first. It normally starts with USB power being applied. If the DAC or USB device is powered externally and already powered before source/PC and iGalvanic are powered, the DAC or USB device may have already timed out the USB connection before everything else is working. Try powering up the PC/source first then connect the iGalvanic to the computer, then connect USB to USB device then power up the self-powered device, so hopefully, the detection is made.

Bluetooth has latency in the region of 200mS.

All iFi MQA compatible DACs can do the last MQA unfold, thus fully unfold MQA master tracks. MQA renderer DACs do the last unfold and require Tidal etc. to do the first unfolds. MQA decoder DACs can do all unfolds without external unfolding support. iFi MQA decoder DACs include: • Pro iDSD Signature • NEO iDSD • iDSD Diablo • ZEN DAC Signature V2 • ZEN DAC V2 • hip dac2 Other iFi MQA compatible DACs support MQA renderer only.

By its very functional principle, DSD has RFI of twice the maximum level of the audio signal and four times the nominal DSD “0dB” point between, 1.4MHz and 2.8MHz. DSD must be lowpass filtered to avoid these extremely high levels of RFI going out from the DAC chip and messing with the sound quality. Each filter is different. There is always a trade-off between impulse response, phase response, frequency response, and selectivity (how much-unwanted signals are suppressed). Which filter is preferred depends on many factors and it is hard to predict, simply try them all, pick the one that is preferred.

All iFi DSD playing DACs have a -3dB point for around 75kHz / 90kHz (depending on the precise model) if the sample rate is > 96khz. At sample rates lower or equal to 96kHz the sample rate is the main determining factor, with the frequency response being flat to around 0.45 * FS and then rolling rapidly if using the standard filter. The Minimum Phase filter will show around 3dB roll off at 0.45 * FS.

The standard, ‘b’ and ‘c’ variants of our more recent firmware versions for many devices are ultimately the same firmware, but with some slight variations that may make them more or less suitable for you in various scenarios. Please see below for a more detailed description of each firmware version and when it may or may not be suitable.

The cable geometry has the live and neutral cables opposite each other and the earth wire placed centrally in the zero field zone.

Many DACs use XMOS. Very old XMOS firmware versions have known issues with some USB 3.0 systems. Such DACs need a firmware upgrade from the manufacturer – we at iFi have issued this update years ago. If DACs do not work, please go the following route: 1) Use a USB 2.0 on the PC instead of USB 3.0. 2) On Windows check that user has admin rights, if these are missing Windows may prevent the user from adding hardware (the DAC via iUSB 3.0 is considered new hardware by Windows). 3) After adding the iUSB3.0 with a Windows system the driver needs to be re-installed for most DAC’s. To be 100% sure uninstall the existing driver followed by a reboot before attempting to reinstall the driver. It also may be required to disable anti-virus software temporarily and/or disable and audiophile optimisers and other similar software. If services have been manually disabled or disabled using optimisation scripts – check that the “Plug and Play” service is enabled and running. Other services if disabled may also cause failure to recognise the DAC. If with all these (iUSB3.0 on USB 2.0 port and driver-reinstall etc.) the DAC is not recognised but iFi DACs (and memory sticks, hard drives etc) all work the problem is most likely a firmware issue. DAC firmware updates must come from the DAC manufacturer. If you are not sure please open a support ticket.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

The Nova cable is rated at 15 Amps up to 125v and 10 Amps up to 250v.

Our products will work with the new Apple Lossless streaming software.

The NEO iDSD can comfortably work with minimal space around it. However, it should have some freedom around just as any electronic audio device.

Press and hold the knob (3 seconds) to enter brightness selection. Rotate the knob to cycle through the three (high/low/off) brightness modes and press to accept when you get to ‘off’.

The NEO iDSD works with all chargers within specs (5V/2.5A), however, for maximized performance it should be used with our ultra-quiet iPower/iPower X/iPower Elite.

The vast majority of full-sized dynamic and planar-magnetic headphones will be very happy with the NEO iDSD, even those considered as notoriously hard to drive.

Yes, you can. The NEO iDSD will send audio signal to them simultaneously.

Yes, the NEO iDSD will work with IEMs.

Yes, you can, however, this will limit total power output delivered to each headphone socket as both rely on the same amplifier circuit.

Yes, as long as this USB socket can provide stable 5V/0.9A. However, regular USB ports are noisy, which might audibly impact the NEO iDSD’s performance.

All iFi MQA compatible DACs can do the last MQA unfold, thus fully unfold MQA master tracks. MQA renderer DACs do the last unfold and require Tidal etc. to do the first unfolds. MQA decoder DACs can do all unfolds without external unfolding support. iFi MQA decoder DACs include: • Pro iDSD Signature • NEO iDSD • iDSD Diablo • ZEN DAC Signature V2 • ZEN DAC V2 • hip dac2 Other iFi MQA compatible DACs support MQA renderer only.

Yes. While constantly pressing the NEO iDSD’s rotary knob, please turn on the product to enter the analogue output setting selection menu. The NEO iDSD will remember a previous setting.

Just like any other iFi audio DAC, our NEO iDSD’s USB input also features a number of our proprietary measures to sound the best it possibly can.

You press and hold the knob (3 seconds) to enter brightness selection. Rotate the knob to cycle through the three (high/low/off) brightness modes and press to accept.

The MQA logo will be displayed on the NEO iDSD’s OLED screen.

Please unpair all Bluetooth devices from the iOS device and restart. This will clear their cache and enable connectivity without interference.

Question:- Can you explain how it is possible that the DSD1793 can work up to 32 Bit / 786 kHz. The data sheet says it is only 24 Bit / 192 kHz. Answer:- This is sort of our specialty, we have a deep understanding of all the chipsets we used like no other manufacturers, hence we are able to unleash the hidden potential of the chipsets like no other, enabling the DSD1793 to do DSD512/PCM768 is just one of many that we do. That’s all we can say 🙂 Bear in mind the datasheet is produced by the Marketing Dept not the R&D of the Burr-Brown AMR has a history of this. We unlocked the DEM (Dynmic Element Matching circuit) in the TDA1541A of the CD-77…that was never mentioned in the datasheet because of the R&D,

No, the NEO iDSD uses the newest 16 Core 2000MIPS XMOS low latency microcontroller. It has the capacity to be able to play both MQA and DSD512 right out of the box without the need for firmware changes.

The NEO iDSD relies on a USB3.0 socket. Although it will work perfectly fine with regular (USB2.0) cables, a USB3.0 cable such as iFi’s Mercury/Gemini are advised for reliable connection.

The NEO iDSD is internally a fully balanced design, so its XLR outputs are recommended.

The writing/symbols on the OLED display will flip around when placed vertically so that everything can still be read easily.

Not at all. For our X-series products, we designed a highly sophisticated Bluetooth engine that provides remarkably good audio performance, unlike regular Bluetooth receivers. The NEO iDSD features this circuit and also supports highly regarded LDAC codec. While others use the last generation chip, the CSR8675, which is around 6 years old, we use the latest QCC5100 Bluetooth chip. We are one of the first companies to use it. It supports the latest aptx Adaptive, LDAC and HWA/LHDC, together with aptx/aptx HD/aptx LL, AAC etc.

Bluetooth icon flashes. To pair it with your device of choice, find the ‘iFi Hi-Res Audio’ on the list in To enter pairing mode, press and hold the button (for three seconds) until the your phone/tablet and choose it.

Although the NEO iDSD’s volume control is analogue, the volume attenuation itself is done inside of a precision resistor ladder embedded inside of an analogue chip, which is then controlled digitally. So no, the NEO iDSD doesn’t incorporate an analogue potentiometer.

IEMatch (when selected) is automatically set depending on whether a 4.4mm or 6.3mm headphone is plugged in. ie. Automatic selection between balanced output and SE output.

IEMatch (when selected) is automatically set depending on whether a 4.4mm or 6.3mm headphone is plugged in. ie. Automatic selection between balanced output and SE output

In the specialist field of audio equipment testing, determining a device’s maximum power output is a crucial and difficult task. Many guidelines have been produced over the years to help with this process; these guidelines are the result of different understandings of what makes an accurate and trustworthy measurement of an audio device’s capabilities. Music Power, Program Power, Peak Power, Max Power, Instant Peak Power, Dynamic Power, Peak Music Power Output, Total System Power, Instant High Frequency Power (IHF), CAF, UL 1711, IEC 60268-3, EIA RS-490-A, FTC 16 CFR, CEA 490-A, and CEA 2006-B (pertaining to car amplifiers) are some examples of these standards that have changed over time, reflecting the industry’s continuous efforts to achieve a more accurate representation of audio performance. Different characteristics of power output and audio quality were the focus of the establishment of each of these standards, which each had its own set of criteria and goals. Others examine sustained performance or particular kinds of audio signals, while still others concentrate on a device’s maximum capabilities. These standards all try to give a dependable and uniform way to assess the maximum power output of audio equipment, in spite of their variances. But the intricacy of sound itself makes measuring an audio device’s performance precisely difficult. Played through these devices, music is the most prevalent and demanding material. It is a rich tapestry of frequencies, harmonies, and dynamics rather than just a sine wave. Because of its subjective and emotive nature, it is an art form that is difficult to simply quantify. It is therefore necessary to carefully balance the scientific rigour needed for repeatable, objective measurements with an appreciation of the beauty inherent in music in a laboratory test arrangement intended to evaluate a device’s performance. Through empirical research and practical experience over the years, we have gained invaluable insights and concluded that using a signal with a single cycle of 1kHz (1ms) repeated at the rate of 100Hz (10ms) is getting quite close to replicate the real-world sensation of listening to music quite accurately. It is defined by a one-millisecond signal that is repeated every ten milliseconds. This particular frequency and pattern of the signal was chosen since it is symbolic of the complexity of music and offers a demanding test of the device’s power capacity. Furthermore, for a device to pass this test and be considered capable of delivering high-quality audio, it should maintain less than 1% Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). Additionally, this level of performance should be achieved without the engagement of any protection circuits within the device, which can interfere with the pure assessment of its power capabilities. In summary, the search for a universally accepted standard for determining the highest power output of audio equipment is a continuous process that reflects both the complexity of sound as a medium and our dedication to quality. The goal of this quest is to accurately capture and replicate the spirit of sound, in all its complexity and beauty, rather than just numbers and specs.

Internal components make all the difference. The ZEN CAN Signature HFM incorporates many boutique parts taken directly from our flagship product, a £3,000 Pro iCAN.

The NEO iDSD2 is designed with advanced internal voltage regulation and regeneration systems, ensuring consistent, high-quality performance across the 9V-15V supply voltage range. Unlike basic circuits that depend heavily on input voltage, the NEO iDSD2 internally regenerates its voltages, making external supply variations irrelevant to its performance. We understand that audio enthusiasts expect premium performance, and our meticulous engineering ensures a uniform and uncompromised user experience, regardless of the power adapter included.

The default setting of every Android phone includes a unique Bluetooth codec priority, which we are unable to modify. For example, many phones do not prioritise LDAC by default. The GAIA app has an option to turn off other codecs so that the user can instantly connect to the codec of their choice every time. Note: For phones that support LHDC, it is possible to set LHDC as the default codec without the need for the GAIA app; however, this feature is not available for the LDAC codec.

Both Hi-Res and LE versions of Bluetooth are running at the same time, but only the LE is displayed. This is a small cosmetics bug currently with Qualcomm software, we are working with Qualcomm on a fix on this.

EVERY codec is activated by default when it comes from the factory. It appears that the prior reviewer turned those off for testing because the unit was a review unit.

Currently, our streaming devices can use Airplay, which may not be compatible with certain platforms like Amazon and YouTube, which predominantly use Chromecast technology. For those wanting to use Amazon or Youtube streaming, “TuneBlade” can be used for PC, while “AirMusic” is an option for Android users.

Local Network Connection: White LED – Network Connection Green LED – No Connection Wi-Fi Connection (Network): Green LED – Speed < 10mbps White LED – Speed > 10mbps Wi-Fi Connection (No Network): Green LED – Speed < 10mbps Yellow LED – Speed > 10mbps Red LED – No Connection

The I2S via HDMI connector pinout is: 1) Data – 2) Gnd 3) Data + 4) Bck + 5) Gnd 6) Bck 7) Wck – 8) Gnd 9) Wck + 10) Mck + 11) Gnd 12) Mck 13,14,15,16) DSD Enable; L=PCM, H=DSD 17) Gnd 18) 5V Power Enable Output; L=O, H=On 19) N/C 20,21,22,23) Gnd

Neo Stream optical ethernet input is compatible with SC optical connectors using PC, SPC or UPC connecting surface. Neo Stream is NOT compatible with SC-ATP (typically green coloured cable end) angled optical surface which can permanently damage the Neo Stream and the optical cable.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

At this present time we are only producing the cable in 1.8m lengths.

Is this OTG cable compatible as a file transferring adapter? Answer: OTG is “On-The-Go” and is similar to a normal standard USB cable, except an additional pin is connected via a resistor. This resistor tells a phone or smart device, which is normally in “device mode” pretending to be a USB disk to switch into host mode, where it acts like a computer and can (for example) drive USB connected DAC’s.

OTG is exactly a standard USB cable, except an additional pin is connected via a resistor. This resistor tells a phone, which is normally in “device mode” pretending to be a USB disk to switch into host mode, where it acts like a computer and can (for example) drive USB connected DAC’s.

If you cannot connect your Pixel phone via the OTG cable, please go to Settings > OTG Storage > turn setting to On.

This is because Apple cables have a chip inside to release the digital extraction whilst Android is different, its an actual resistor to short out a signal path. Therefore one must use the official Apple cable.

As “OTG” adapters are also USB C to USB A converters for USB 2.0 only, they could be used on a MacBook, but again, you would need another cable to go into your DAC if not USB A female (for example, iDSD nano BL).

Here is some information regarding the 3D effect inside our products; Link to our papers: https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/tech-notes/#tn-other

Our products will work with the new Apple Lossless streaming software.

Main Outputs: <= 2 Ohm Unbalanced & <= 4 Ohm Balanced 3.5mm Outputs: <= 3 Ohm unbalanced & <= 3.4 Ohm Balanced

I have an iFi device that is powered by the iPower but might it be possible to use a different power supply that is not dependent on bridge rectifiers (AC to DC)? Answer: At this point, we are unaware of any commercial SMPS that does not include a rectifier bridge, so this requirement is doubtful to be fulfilled by any vendor.

It has a self-resetting poly-fuse. Important to understand, the Pro range converts incoming power down to very low noise and highly regulated 5.5V DC. Then this DC is used to create all the new voltages needed for the system. Again, each voltage is individually regulated noise filtered. If there are over-voltages etc it may trip the fuse, which would reset itself after a while.

It uses DC. Also, filament current is designed for 5670 Standard, which is 0.35A @ 6.3V+/-10%. Do not use tubes of other ratings. Also 5670 has a very unique pinout (RETMA code 8CJ) that is not shared by other tubes. Only 5670/2C51/WE396A tubes that share the RETMA 8CJ pinout, and are electrically equivalent, can be used. Any tube that is pin-compatible and electrically compatible with the 2C51/5670 will work. WE396A are often co-marked 2C51, they will most certainly work. Pin-out in the iFi products are all for 5670, so no adapters needed. Please note, tube rolling or opening the unit will void the warranty.

Every mains powered product is subject to tiny amounts of leakage of electricity from the mains. These can cause very mild electric shocks. It is a sign that the whole system is “floating”, meaning without any earth/ground connection. In this case, it is necessary to add a supplementary earth/ground to the system. You should consider our GroundHog+ device. The Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature is designed to operate without requiring an earth/ground connection for electrical safety, however for best audio quality and to avoid these mild shocks an earth/ground connection for the system is required.

The Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature is inherently balanced and offers only a single pair of balanced channels, optimised for sound quality. Having multiple independent headphone outputs means essentially having two fully separate amplifiers. Some low-end headphone amplifiers are built like this with four, or even eight separate headphone channels. If using multiple Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature  is not possible (expense, etc), individual headphone amplifiers per musician are recommended. The intention of the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature is to offer the recording/mastering engineer (or the audiophile) an ultimate monitor system using headphones while providing an experience akin to large monitor speakers or indeed to drive these speakers (or both).

With a Japan Alps rotary volume potentiometer (and remote control), it is the ‘6-Way’ version with 4 tracks used for balanced volume control. This is the litmus test for any amplifier if it is truly balanced as others that are 2-way are not truly balanced. So yes, the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature are fully-balanced from beginning to end.

When using the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature in pre-amplifier mode and go from Tube to Tube+ there is no sound but there are red LEDs flashing. In addition to this is started whilst in Tube+ mode it is find, the solid-state mode is fine too. Answer: Red means the DC protection has engaged, possibly one tube is bad but the tube determines the DC operating condition. If they’re outside the “safe” zone the system will assert DC protection. There are four tube sections (2 channels X 2) and if one is “borderline” it could cause the behaviour (pre-amplifier mode from Tube to Tube+ doesn’t switch correctly). If you seem to have these symptoms please open a support ticket.

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5.5*2.1mm is the DC barrel size.

If using the balanced outputs, can the non-balanced be used to drive a sub-woofer? Answer: Yes, however, line-level feed to subs just does not work (not even in 5.1 HT systems with proper bass management). Any subs should be driven from the speaker signal, never from a line-level signal if correct integration with the main speakers is required.

The Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature will switch the outputs off and turn the iFi logo red if there is excessive DC detected. There is no way to distinguish asymmetric clipping with music from DC. Indeed, severe clipping actually puts something close to DC into the headphone and is really not a good idea. If the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature “red-lights”, simply back off the volume until it recovers. Unless the level is lowered, the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature will continue to clip and thus keep the protection circuitry engaged. If there is severe over-current the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature may shut down completely, to prevent a meltdown. As there is absolutely no conventional protection circuitry, current limiting etc. otherwise in the actual signal path. So over-current shutdown and output DC detection are the only safeguards for headphones to protect from potentially 32V DC which will fry them in short order. When adding bass boost, obviously more power is required. The full bass boost from the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature at the given frequency will require 16 times the power of the mid-range. So this feature must be used sensibly. A lot of modern music has most of the energy around 40Hz-80Hz. Simply slapping a huge boost on this when the amplifier is already running near the max is going to trigger protection circuitry. As for Tube+, again, in Tube+ mode has much higher levels of harmonic distortion and will clip a little earlier, as the whole circuit is re-configured (it is not some effect gimmick) to reduce negative feedback to only a few dB. So in this case, if you have the volume very high, the protection circuitry will engage. The Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature is best considered as a racing car. It does not have the most fluffy consumer system safeties. So it will allow you to combine settings (e.g. high gain, high volume setting, high bass boost added to a high 3D setting) that will cause a crash. Except in the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature, the protection circuitry will shut it off at the edge of crashing to avoid damage to either the amplifier or headphone. So take the foot off the gas and it will start up again. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility, so use the functions and gain/volume settings responsibly.

We are going to provide an example by using the AKG K1000. This is extremely difficult to drive without applying sound corrections. If using XBass at 40Hz setting, that means 40Hz (where for example E-Bass and Piano notes are strongest) 12dB (or 16 times the power) is needed for the 40Hz and below frequency band compared to the midrange around 1kHz and compared to the 40Hz and below frequency band without X-Bass. The 3D matrix also consumes extra power at low frequencies. So combining maximum XBass & 3D settings means the overall loudness must be reduced to ensure the amplifier is not overloaded. If you see a red light it means exactly that. The Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature  amplifier is being overloaded and the solution for this is to use less extreme settings for 3D and XBass.

If using the balanced outputs, can the non-balanced be used to drive a sub-woofer? Answer: Yes, however, line-level feed to subs just does not work (not even in 5.1 HT systems with proper bass management). Any subs should be driven from the speaker signal, never from a line-level signal if correct integration with the main speakers is required.

Any standard programmable/learning remote (e.g. Logitech Harmony) should work.

Because of the way the 3D sound matrix works any balance control would have to be implemented after this processing. As part of this processing is implemented directly at the headphone output this is in effect not possible. For some, the only solution is not to employ the 3D sound matrix.

There are several issues. 1) With headphones connected the sound quality of the pre-amplifier output may be reduced (depends on the precise headphone(s). 2) If an amplifier is connected to the line out and switched off (to cut speaker output when using headphones) the sound quality of the headphone output may be reduced (depends on the precise amplifier used). 3) There is no independent control of volume or selection of headphone/line out.

We use an AB class amp for all of our products. Please visit this site for more information on AB class amps: https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/amplifier/class-ab-amplifier.html

It is to power external devices, mainly the Pro series using only 1 power supply. However, the DC loop is not 15V/4A. It is the difference what the powered unit consumes and what the external power supply unit can supply. For example, idle the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature consumes 22W, so only 38W of the 60W the iPower Plus/iPower Elite (15v/4A) can deliver are available to the looped device, less if driving difficult headphones with high power.

Any standard programmable/learning remote (e.g. Logitech Harmony) should work.

The XLR portion is wired as L/R connections in accordance with the system originally introduced and promoted by Headroom USA for balanced connections. Pin 1 – Ground Pin 2 – respective channel Positive (+) Pin 3 – respective channel Positive (-) This is the standard XLR pinout. This very different from the wiring of the 6.3mm jack portion, which uses one connector for stereo, the left one with the negative polarity output from the amplifier and right one with the positive polarity (normally that connector should be used for critical listening). This 6.3mm connection allows standard headphones to be connected using a single 6.3mm jack connector (to either 6.3mm jack) while with the correct wiring two 6.3mm jack connections form a balanced connection. Hence “Single Ended Compatible – Balanced.

The Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature can comfortably handle way more than 3V, certainly, +26dBu (15V) is fine.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

Here is some information regarding the 3D effect inside our products; Link to our papers: https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/tech-notes/#tn-other

Main Outputs: <= 2 Ohm Unbalanced & <= 4 Ohm Balanced 3.5mm Outputs: <= 3 Ohm unbalanced & <= 3.4 Ohm Balanced

I have an iFi device that is powered by the iPower but might it be possible to use a different power supply that is not dependent on bridge rectifiers (AC to DC)? Answer: At this point, we are unaware of any commercial SMPS that does not include a rectifier bridge, so this requirement is doubtful to be fulfilled by any vendor.

It uses DC. Also, filament current is designed for 5670 Standard, which is 0.35A @ 6.3V+/-10%. Do not use tubes of other ratings. Also 5670 has a very unique pinout (RETMA code 8CJ) that is not shared by other tubes. Only 5670/2C51/WE396A tubes that share the RETMA 8CJ pinout, and are electrically equivalent, can be used. Any tube that is pin-compatible and electrically compatible with the 2C51/5670 will work. WE396A are often co-marked 2C51, they will most certainly work. Pin-out in the iFi products are all for 5670, so no adapters needed. Please note, tube rolling or opening the unit will void the warranty.

Every mains powered product is subject to tiny amounts of leakage of electricity from the mains. These can cause very mild electric shocks. It is a sign that the whole system is “floating”, meaning without any earth/ground connection. In this case, it is necessary to add a supplementary earth/ground to the system. You should consider our GroundHog+ device. The Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature is designed to operate without requiring an earth/ground connection for electrical safety, however for best audio quality and to avoid these mild shocks an earth/ground connection for the system is required.

In solid state mode, the tubes are turned off (heater off) and disconnected from the circuit. In tube mode the tubes are active and the solid-state device is disconnected from the circuit.

The Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature is inherently balanced and offers only a single pair of balanced channels, optimised for sound quality. Having multiple independent headphone outputs means essentially having two fully separate amplifiers. Some low-end headphone amplifiers are built like this with four, or even eight separate headphone channels. If using multiple Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature  is not possible (expense, etc), individual headphone amplifiers per musician are recommended. The intention of the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature is to offer the recording/mastering engineer (or the audiophile) an ultimate monitor system using headphones while providing an experience akin to large monitor speakers or indeed to drive these speakers (or both).

With a Japan Alps rotary volume potentiometer (and remote control), it is the ‘6-Way’ version with 4 tracks used for balanced volume control. This is the litmus test for any amplifier if it is truly balanced as others that are 2-way are not truly balanced. So yes, the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature are fully-balanced from beginning to end.

When using the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature in pre-amplifier mode and go from Tube to Tube+ there is no sound but there are red LEDs flashing. In addition to this is started whilst in Tube+ mode it is find, the solid-state mode is fine too. Answer: Red means the DC protection has engaged, possibly one tube is bad but the tube determines the DC operating condition. If they’re outside the “safe” zone the system will assert DC protection. There are four tube sections (2 channels X 2) and if one is “borderline” it could cause the behaviour (pre-amplifier mode from Tube to Tube+ doesn’t switch correctly). If you seem to have these symptoms please open a support ticket.

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The Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature will switch the outputs off and turn the iFi logo red if there is excessive DC detected. There is no way to distinguish asymmetric clipping with music from DC. Indeed, severe clipping actually puts something close to DC into the headphone and is really not a good idea. If the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature “red-lights”, simply back off the volume until it recovers. Unless the level is lowered, the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature will continue to clip and thus keep the protection circuitry engaged. If there is severe over-current the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature may shut down completely, to prevent a meltdown. As there is absolutely no conventional protection circuitry, current limiting etc. otherwise in the actual signal path. So over-current shutdown and output DC detection are the only safeguards for headphones to protect from potentially 32V DC which will fry them in short order. When adding bass boost, obviously more power is required. The full bass boost from the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature at the given frequency will require 16 times the power of the mid-range. So this feature must be used sensibly. A lot of modern music has most of the energy around 40Hz-80Hz. Simply slapping a huge boost on this when the amplifier is already running near the max is going to trigger protection circuitry. As for Tube+, again, in Tube+ mode has much higher levels of harmonic distortion and will clip a little earlier, as the whole circuit is re-configured (it is not some effect gimmick) to reduce negative feedback to only a few dB. So in this case, if you have the volume very high, the protection circuitry will engage. The Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature is best considered as a racing car. It does not have the most fluffy consumer system safeties. So it will allow you to combine settings (e.g. high gain, high volume setting, high bass boost added to a high 3D setting) that will cause a crash. Except in the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature, the protection circuitry will shut it off at the edge of crashing to avoid damage to either the amplifier or headphone. So take the foot off the gas and it will start up again. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility, so use the functions and gain/volume settings responsibly.

We are going to provide an example by using the AKG K1000. This is extremely difficult to drive without applying sound corrections. If using XBass at 40Hz setting, that means 40Hz (where for example E-Bass and Piano notes are strongest) 12dB (or 16 times the power) is needed for the 40Hz and below frequency band compared to the midrange around 1kHz and compared to the 40Hz and below frequency band without X-Bass. The 3D matrix also consumes extra power at low frequencies. So combining maximum XBass & 3D settings means the overall loudness must be reduced to ensure the amplifier is not overloaded. If you see a red light it means exactly that. The Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature  amplifier is being overloaded and the solution for this is to use less extreme settings for 3D and XBass.

No, not at this time only 2.4 GHz.

Because of the way the 3D sound matrix works any balance control would have to be implemented after this processing. As part of this processing is implemented directly at the headphone output this is in effect not possible. For some, the only solution is not to employ the 3D sound matrix.

There are several issues. 1) With headphones connected the sound quality of the pre-amplifier output may be reduced (depends on the precise headphone(s). 2) If an amplifier is connected to the line out and switched off (to cut speaker output when using headphones) the sound quality of the headphone output may be reduced (depends on the precise amplifier used). 3) There is no independent control of volume or selection of headphone/line out.

We use an AB class amp for all of our products. Please visit this site for more information on AB class amps: https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/amplifier/class-ab-amplifier.html

It is to power external devices, mainly the Pro series using only 1 power supply. However, the DC loop is not 15V/4A. It is the difference what the powered unit consumes and what the external power supply unit can supply. For example, idle the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature consumes 22W, so only 38W of the 60W the iPower Plus/iPower Elite (15v/4A) can deliver are available to the looped device, less if driving difficult headphones with high power.

It has a self-resetting poly-fuse. Important to understand, the Pro range converts incoming power down to very low noise and highly regulated 5.5V DC. Then this DC is used to create all the new voltages needed for the system. Again, each voltage is individually regulated noise filtered. If there are over-voltages etc it may trip the fuse, which would reset itself after a while.

5.5*2.1mm is the DC barrel size.

The XLR portion is wired as L/R connections in accordance with the system originally introduced and promoted by Headroom USA for balanced connections. Pin 1 – Ground Pin 2 – respective channel Positive (+) Pin 3 – respective channel Positive (-) This is the standard XLR pinout. This very different from the wiring of the 6.3mm jack portion, which uses one connector for stereo, the left one with the negative polarity output from the amplifier and right one with the positive polarity (normally that connector should be used for critical listening). This 6.3mm connection allows standard headphones to be connected using a single 6.3mm jack connector (to either 6.3mm jack) while with the correct wiring two 6.3mm jack connections form a balanced connection. Hence “Single Ended Compatible – Balanced.

The Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature can comfortably handle way more than 3V, certainly, +26dBu (15V) is fine.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

With switched resistors (if using mechanical switches and so on) the adjustment range is very limited and steps are large. If using electronic switching we prefer a good quality traditional volume control.

We have tried a file sent by one of our customers in Muzo, it does play weird. We’ve sent it to the Wi-Fi module vendor to check. When playing with Muzo, the audio is decoded in the device side, the device’s decoder is not fast enough to decode the file.  The Wi-Fi module’s performance is limited.

For iDSD Pro and the Pro iDSD Signature, use a hardline network for playing High-Res. Wifi is not that reliable in this case. The iDSD Pro and Pro iDSD Signature support UPNP/DLNA. UPNP support means a wide range of apps can be used for server and control, including those provided by competing brands – which to mention a few: AudioNet Remote Control Point: http://en.audionet.de/apps/rcp/ Linn Open Source Apps: http://oss.linn.co.uk/ Payware (including DSD) also exists. dBPoweramp Asset UPNP: http://www.dbpoweramp.com/asset-upnp-dlna.htm This can transcode DSD to DoP and send onto iDSD Pro/Pro iDSD Signature In terms of UPNP servers control surfaces there is an almost infinite profusion. People should just use what they are familiar with and like. For Apple, use either the Mac/iOS versions (where available) of the above or just use Airplay. We have confirmed playing 192k using Audionet RCP & Asset UPNP works just fine.

Our products will work with the new Apple Lossless streaming software.

In the Pro iDSD/Pro iDSD Signature we are running 4 actual DACs in parallel with interleaving, meaning the net result is closer to 8 bit via multi-bit. That means the top 36dB (6bit) / 48dB (8 bit) are handled by a multi-bit architecture. As delta-sigma modulators struggle at high levels, we are removing the main disadvantage of DS, and we are avoiding the need for high order modulators. Now multi-bit systems have the opposite problem of delta-sigma, meaning the are not very good at very low levels, and multi-bit struggles most at very low levels (around zero crossing). By splitting low level signals off into a low order delta-sigma modulator, you get the best of both worlds. So the top 6-8 bit in iFi gear are processed as multi-bit, including the option to apply no digital filter. The lower bits are processed as delta-sigma over-sampled to what is in effect DSD256 (11.2/12.3MHz) again, it is possible to not apply any digital filtering. This whole topic was covered here: https://www.audiostream.com/content/qa-thorsten-loesch-amrifi Around half way down the page, search for: “The DAC chip we use in the iDSD nano offers a rather unusual way to handle things.”

Bit-perfect+ is only available for sample rates of 96kHz or lower. If the PC sent a different sample rate (e.g. 192kHz) there is no Bit-perfect+ option.

I have an iFi device that is powered by the iPower but might it be possible to use a different power supply that is not dependent on bridge rectifiers (AC to DC)? Answer: At this point, we are unaware of any commercial SMPS that does not include a rectifier bridge, so this requirement is doubtful to be fulfilled by any vendor.

The Pro iDSD/Pro iDSD Signature can be affected by packet errors the same way any USB device can. It is not, however, affected by noise on the USB power (it does not use USB power) or ground/Earth loops via USB or other inputs (because it uses galvanic isolation).

All iFi MQA compatible DACs can do the last MQA unfold, thus fully unfold MQA master tracks. MQA renderer DACs do the last unfold and require Tidal etc. to do the first unfolds. MQA decoder DACs can do all unfolds without external unfolding support. iFi MQA decoder DACs include: • Pro iDSD Signature • NEO iDSD • iDSD Diablo • ZEN DAC Signature V2 • ZEN DAC V2 • hip dac2 Other iFi MQA compatible DACs support MQA renderer only.

As MQA controls the time and supersonic frequency-domain behaviour of the system all the way to the analogue output, there are no options for filtering or up-sampling available, as they would fundamentally run counter to the aim of MQA to deliver a reliable and certified “studio master” result to the analogue outputs.

When playing music through the device’s USB input, the laptop freezes up after 1/2 hour or so of play and requires a hard boot to restart. By process of elimination, if the laptop Wi-Fi is turned off. no freezing up occurs. Answer: It’s possible. Drivers can “clash”. We would suggest looking for the latest drivers for the OS and allow Windows updates to run. This often solves such issues.

There is no “headphone amplifier” in the Pro iDSD / Pro iDSD Signature. Just a gain stage/line driver that is sufficiently powerful to drive many headphones directly, however, doing so is clearly a compromise over using a dedicated headphone amplifier like our Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature. It is adequate for anyone occasionally using headphones while mostly using a speaker based system. However, unlike the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature, it is not optimized for headphone drivers. It cannot drive as wide a range of headphones as the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature and it lacks the sonic controls offered by the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature. It should be seen as a state of the art DAC, which may drive headphones, and not as headphone amplifiers that accidentally had some “normal DAC” fitted.

By its very functional principle, DSD has RFI of twice the maximum level of the audio signal and four times the nominal DSD “0dB” point between, 1.4MHz and 2.8MHz. DSD must be lowpass filtered to avoid these extremely high levels of RFI going out from the DAC chip and messing with the sound quality. Each filter is different. There is always a trade-off between impulse response, phase response, frequency response, and selectivity (how much-unwanted signals are suppressed). Which filter is preferred depends on many factors and it is hard to predict, simply try them all, pick the one that is preferred.

https://www.dbpoweramp.com/codec-central-dsd-dff-dsf-sacd.htm

The whole Wi-Fi subsystem has its own firmware. It outputs audio via I2S to XMOS. Other than turning the thing on/off WiFi module operates “standalone” on its own software. If stutter is present with Wi-Fi but not LAN, the issue is 99% certainty poor Wi-Fi. Stutter on WiFi but non on wired simply means WiFi spectrum is congested and the signal poor. If you expect generic Wi-Fi to carry full fat audio (not MP3 or the like) without stutter, you need a clean 2.4GHz spectrum. For serious audio, hardwired please, Wi-Fi signal quality is not reliable. But that has nothing to do with iDSD Pro. If it works on a hardwired network, but not Wi-Fi, the problem is the Wi-Fi signal. An easy way to see if you have a good chance for major Wi-Fi problems is to open your phone’s Wi-Fi screen and count the number of networks shown. If more than one and your router has not been set to use “non-default” Wi-Fi channels (you would know if you changed those settings, if you didn’t they are 99% default), you have problems. Almost all routers default to the same channel. We believe in 2.4G and the highest rate at “n” – ONE router/device pair in an empty spectrum has enough bandwidth to stream 192/24. Even having anyone surfing the web on the same Wi-Fi may be too much. Neighbours networks on the same channel steal bandwidth, as the spectrum congests.

Some SSD/USB memory sticks will work powered from the Pro iDSD/Pro iDSD Signature “A” (host) interface, however, this cannot be guaranteed, as some drives require as much as 1A. If in doubt, add iDefencer+ and iPower to provide power to the drive USB.

Does the fixed output bypass the analog pot completely, and does the tube get used on the DAC’s output stage, or is it for the amp stage only? Answer: Yes on both.

All iFi DSD playing DACs have a -3dB point for around 75kHz / 90kHz (depending on the precise model) if the sample rate is > 96khz. At sample rates lower or equal to 96kHz the sample rate is the main determining factor, with the frequency response being flat to around 0.45 * FS and then rolling rapidly if using the standard filter. The Minimum Phase filter will show around 3dB roll off at 0.45 * FS.

The interval between music changes, it has a lot to do with the speed of the network, the router is connected to the mobile phone, and the router is connected to the Pro iDSD/Pro iDSD Signature, so there will be a delay. We tested the connection network through wired, and the maximum test interval was 1.5 seconds.

In solid state mode, the tubes are turned off (heater off) and disconnected from the circuit. In tube mode the tubes are active and the solid-state device is disconnected from the circuit.

No, not at this time only 2.4 GHz.

No, oveninzing a crystal merely reduces long-term thermal drift (over periods of minutes to hours) which is inconsequential to audio playback. We employ a high quality miniaturized 10MHz discrete crystal (not canned oscillator) as a timebase for our GMT clock system. The GMT clock system allows the clock frequency to be set to appx. 0.01ppm (parts per million) or better than 0.5Hz accuracy compared to the nominal 45/49MHz audio clock frequencies.

No, in the Pro iDSD/Pro iDSD Signature we operate it very differently. We use a suitable isolation barrier between the digital (noisy) section with XMOS, WiFi/Networking and the Chrysopeia and the DAC’s Reclocking / Clock. In essence, all noisy digital processing is confined to a blocked off “island” on its own board and isolated from all audio circuitry. This parallels the way in which for example the JVC K2 system is implemented for playback and the isolation of the DAC from digital noise found in the Legendary Marantz CD/DA-12 system featuring the TDA1541. All this is essentially trickle-down from the DP-777. The nano iGalvanic3.0 isolates the USB connection instead, so it is a less complete solution, as it cannot isolate noise inside the DAC itself.

Yes, however, as the iDSD Pro is galvanically isolated on all digital inputs this is less of an issue WRT Earth Loops.

Green    = Warming Up, White    = Solid State, Orange  = Tube Mode Red       = Protection Mode

We have tried a file sent by one of our customers in Muzo, it does play weird. We’ve sent it to the Wi-Fi module vendor to check. When playing with Muzo, the audio is decoded in the device side, the device’s decoder is not fast enough to decode the file.  The Wi-Fi module’s performance is limited.

For iDSD Pro and the Pro iDSD Signature, use a hardline network for playing High-Res. Wifi is not that reliable in this case. The iDSD Pro and Pro iDSD Signature support UPNP/DLNA. UPNP support means a wide range of apps can be used for server and control, including those provided by competing brands – which to mention a few: AudioNet Remote Control Point: http://en.audionet.de/apps/rcp/ Linn Open Source Apps: http://oss.linn.co.uk/ Payware (including DSD) also exists. dBPoweramp Asset UPNP: http://www.dbpoweramp.com/asset-upnp-dlna.htm This can transcode DSD to DoP and send onto iDSD Pro/Pro iDSD Signature In terms of UPNP servers control surfaces there is an almost infinite profusion. People should just use what they are familiar with and like. For Apple, use either the Mac/iOS versions (where available) of the above or just use Airplay. We have confirmed playing 192k using Audionet RCP & Asset UPNP works just fine.

In the Pro iDSD/Pro iDSD Signature we are running 4 actual DACs in parallel with interleaving, meaning the net result is closer to 8 bit via multi-bit. That means the top 36dB (6bit) / 48dB (8 bit) are handled by a multi-bit architecture. As delta-sigma modulators struggle at high levels, we are removing the main disadvantage of DS, and we are avoiding the need for high order modulators. Now multi-bit systems have the opposite problem of delta-sigma, meaning the are not very good at very low levels, and multi-bit struggles most at very low levels (around zero crossing). By splitting low level signals off into a low order delta-sigma modulator, you get the best of both worlds. So the top 6-8 bit in iFi gear are processed as multi-bit, including the option to apply no digital filter. The lower bits are processed as delta-sigma over-sampled to what is in effect DSD256 (11.2/12.3MHz) again, it is possible to not apply any digital filtering. This whole topic was covered here: https://www.audiostream.com/content/qa-thorsten-loesch-amrifi Around half way down the page, search for: “The DAC chip we use in the iDSD nano offers a rather unusual way to handle things.”

Bit-perfect+ is only available for sample rates of 96kHz or lower. If the PC sent a different sample rate (e.g. 192kHz) there is no Bit-perfect+ option.

I have an iFi device that is powered by the iPower but might it be possible to use a different power supply that is not dependent on bridge rectifiers (AC to DC)? Answer: At this point, we are unaware of any commercial SMPS that does not include a rectifier bridge, so this requirement is doubtful to be fulfilled by any vendor.

The Pro iDSD/Pro iDSD Signature can be affected by packet errors the same way any USB device can. It is not, however, affected by noise on the USB power (it does not use USB power) or ground/Earth loops via USB or other inputs (because it uses galvanic isolation).

All iFi MQA compatible DACs can do the last MQA unfold, thus fully unfold MQA master tracks. MQA renderer DACs do the last unfold and require Tidal etc. to do the first unfolds. MQA decoder DACs can do all unfolds without external unfolding support. iFi MQA decoder DACs include: • Pro iDSD Signature • NEO iDSD • iDSD Diablo • ZEN DAC Signature V2 • ZEN DAC V2 • hip dac2 Other iFi MQA compatible DACs support MQA renderer only.

As MQA controls the time and supersonic frequency-domain behaviour of the system all the way to the analogue output, there are no options for filtering or up-sampling available, as they would fundamentally run counter to the aim of MQA to deliver a reliable and certified “studio master” result to the analogue outputs.

The Pro iDSD Signature can process MQA over WiFI using the MConnect HD App and playing from Tidal. The Linkplay module receives the wifi signal and sends undecoded MQA to the Xmos chip, where it’s decoded.

When playing music through the device’s USB input, the laptop freezes up after 1/2 hour or so of play and requires a hard boot to restart. By process of elimination, if the laptop Wi-Fi is turned off. no freezing up occurs. Answer: It’s possible. Drivers can “clash”. We would suggest looking for the latest drivers for the OS and allow Windows updates to run. This often solves such issues.

No, oveninzing a crystal merely reduces long-term thermal drift (over periods of minutes to hours) which is inconsequential to audio playback. We employ a high quality miniaturized 10MHz discrete crystal (not canned oscillator) as a timebase for our GMT clock system. The GMT clock system allows the clock frequency to be set to appx. 0.01ppm (parts per million) or better than 0.5Hz accuracy compared to the nominal 45/49MHz audio clock frequencies.

Although the ZEN CAN is a great bang for your buck, the ZEN CAN Signature 6XX is audibly better and has ActiveEQ which is not present in its basic version.

There is no “headphone amplifier” in the Pro iDSD / Pro iDSD Signature. Just a gain stage/line driver that is sufficiently powerful to drive many headphones directly, however, doing so is clearly a compromise over using a dedicated headphone amplifier like our Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature. It is adequate for anyone occasionally using headphones while mostly using a speaker based system. However, unlike the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature, it is not optimized for headphone drivers. It cannot drive as wide a range of headphones as the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature and it lacks the sonic controls offered by the Pro iCAN/Pro iCAN Signature. It should be seen as a state of the art DAC, which may drive headphones, and not as headphone amplifiers that accidentally had some “normal DAC” fitted.

By its very functional principle, DSD has RFI of twice the maximum level of the audio signal and four times the nominal DSD “0dB” point between, 1.4MHz and 2.8MHz. DSD must be lowpass filtered to avoid these extremely high levels of RFI going out from the DAC chip and messing with the sound quality. Each filter is different. There is always a trade-off between impulse response, phase response, frequency response, and selectivity (how much-unwanted signals are suppressed). Which filter is preferred depends on many factors and it is hard to predict, simply try them all, pick the one that is preferred.

https://www.dbpoweramp.com/codec-central-dsd-dff-dsf-sacd.htm

The whole Wi-Fi subsystem has its own firmware. It outputs audio via I2S to XMOS. Other than turning the thing on/off WiFi module operates “standalone” on its own software. If stutter is present with Wi-Fi but not LAN, the issue is 99% certainty poor Wi-Fi. Stutter on WiFi but non on wired simply means WiFi spectrum is congested and the signal poor. If you expect generic Wi-Fi to carry full fat audio (not MP3 or the like) without stutter, you need a clean 2.4GHz spectrum. For serious audio, hardwired please, Wi-Fi signal quality is not reliable. But that has nothing to do with iDSD Pro. If it works on a hardwired network, but not Wi-Fi, the problem is the Wi-Fi signal. An easy way to see if you have a good chance for major Wi-Fi problems is to open your phone’s Wi-Fi screen and count the number of networks shown. If more than one and your router has not been set to use “non-default” Wi-Fi channels (you would know if you changed those settings, if you didn’t they are 99% default), you have problems. Almost all routers default to the same channel. We believe in 2.4G and the highest rate at “n” – ONE router/device pair in an empty spectrum has enough bandwidth to stream 192/24. Even having anyone surfing the web on the same Wi-Fi may be too much. Neighbours networks on the same channel steal bandwidth, as the spectrum congests.

Some SSD/USB memory sticks will work powered from the Pro iDSD/Pro iDSD Signature “A” (host) interface, however, this cannot be guaranteed, as some drives require as much as 1A. If in doubt, add iDefencer+ and iPower to provide power to the drive USB.

Does the fixed output bypass the analog pot completely, and does the tube get used on the DAC’s output stage, or is it for the amp stage only? Answer: Yes on both.

All iFi DSD playing DACs have a -3dB point for around 75kHz / 90kHz (depending on the precise model) if the sample rate is > 96khz. At sample rates lower or equal to 96kHz the sample rate is the main determining factor, with the frequency response being flat to around 0.45 * FS and then rolling rapidly if using the standard filter. The Minimum Phase filter will show around 3dB roll off at 0.45 * FS.

The interval between music changes, it has a lot to do with the speed of the network, the router is connected to the mobile phone, and the router is connected to the Pro iDSD/Pro iDSD Signature, so there will be a delay. We tested the connection network through wired, and the maximum test interval was 1.5 seconds.

No, in the Pro iDSD/Pro iDSD Signature we operate it very differently. We use a suitable isolation barrier between the digital (noisy) section with XMOS, WiFi/Networking and the Chrysopeia and the DAC’s Reclocking / Clock. In essence, all noisy digital processing is confined to a blocked off “island” on its own board and isolated from all audio circuitry. This parallels the way in which for example the JVC K2 system is implemented for playback and the isolation of the DAC from digital noise found in the Legendary Marantz CD/DA-12 system featuring the TDA1541. All this is essentially trickle-down from the DP-777. The nano iGalvanic3.0 isolates the USB connection instead, so it is a less complete solution, as it cannot isolate noise inside the DAC itself.

Green    = Warming Up, White    = Solid State, Orange  = Tube Mode Red       = Protection Mode

OFS is a valid state of MQA indication for when a device receives an MQA signal already decoded by an upstream piece of hardware or software. As signals decoded upstream cannot be authenticated in the same manner as the original un-decoded bitstream, we use ‘OFS’ which stand for ‘Original Frequency Spectrum’ to show this is still an authenticated MQA stream, and the end point device is rendering correctly, based on the Original Frequency Spectrum. If your audio source is an upstream application with an MQA decoder, such as Tidal or Roon, the application may have a switch to disable the MQA decoder and passthrough the bitstream signal to your endpoint device. Decoding in hardware or software, splitting the process or performing both in the same device, will not give any audible difference, as the decoding and rendering information is the same, based on the bitstream content. In essence, the system is working correctly and MQA content is being received and rendered correctly if you can see ‘OFS’ indication.

Could a 6.3mm to 4-pin female adaptor from an un-balanced amplifier be plugged into the rear balanced connection? Answer: Yes, that setup will work.

Our products will work with the new Apple Lossless streaming software.

I have an iFi device that is powered by the iPower but might it be possible to use a different power supply that is not dependent on bridge rectifiers (AC to DC)? Answer: At this point, we are unaware of any commercial SMPS that does not include a rectifier bridge, so this requirement is doubtful to be fulfilled by any vendor.

The wiring is based on the HDMI standard, and any 100% compliant cable will work. There is no “special wiring” with our provided HMDI, but it’s a good quality one not to be discarded! However, many commercial cables omit connections used for the iESL link, and those often do not use sufficiently high-quality wire for these connections.

The LED is green, there was a typo in the manual. Please also remember that there are LED’s that are orange to indicate the unit is ready, so its possible that this may shine through the ‘green’ LED section.

On 16 Ohm setting output = input, on 64 Ohm setting output = input/2. The 24/94 Ohm settings add some impedance to tailor the sound and may reduce the output voltage slightly, depending on headphones over 16/64 Ohm settings.

We recommend an output of at least 10V into 16 Ohm or 20V into > 16 Ohm to drive the iESL.

What specifications should be met by an amplifier to pair it with the iESL Pro to properly drive electrostatic headphones? Answer: Recommended is 25W/4Ohm to 100W/8Ohm power. This means, for example, an amplifier rated as 7W/16Ohm, like a 300B SE amplifier with a 16 Ohm loudspeaker output will be fine. Equally, a solid-state amplifier with a 100W/8Ohm rating will be fine and pretty much anything in-between. Amplifiers with much higher power may cause overloading and damage the headphones if the volume is raised too high.

A lot louder” likely means at a given volume control setting, which is meaningless. For the whole chain the key elements are: Headphone/Speaker amplifier – Output voltage is controlled by volume control. Energiser – Output voltage is controlled by the driving Amplifier AND the step-up ratio. We deliberately use a low step-up ratio (1:16/1:32), as with increasing step-up ratio transformer quality becomes more compromised with increased distortion and limited frequency response. The original Stax energiser adapters are rated to produce full output from a 5 Watt / 8 Ohm Amplifier (or 6V), suggesting a step-up ratio of 1:48, so naturally, they will be much louder at the same volume setting on the HP Amplifier. Hence swapping between the iESL and any other “Energiser” is only valid if the volume control is corrected for the difference in step-up ratio. To consider this as car alternative, Stax and iFi Energisers are like gearboxes with different gearing ratio, so even if the same engine the gas pedal will need different degrees of being depressed for the same speed.

5.5*2.1mm is the DC barrel size.

Standard 4-Pin XLR pinout as per AKG K-1000 https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/359627.jpg

The foam we use is quite unique. At low frequencies (where the reflex system operates) it has nearly no effect. So bass is not damped, but by the time we get into the mid-range and frequencies, the enclosure has parasitic resonances from the shape. It absorbs most sound. With a thin and light paper cone, any sound reflected from the back of the enclosure would bounce through.

The tweeter is horn-loaded, not the bass. The bass loading is a variant on the “double chamber reflex” system. The earliest note of this comes from P.G.A.H. Vogt, but it has been somewhat popularised by Augspurger (USA) and by Kondo & Nagaoka (Japan) especially for smaller wideband drivers.

4 Ohm.

Here is some information regarding the 3D effect inside our products; Link to our papers: https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/tech-notes/#tn-other

When all the 3 LEDs light up and you’ve excluded the tubes by using the supplied extra tube. This means the front PCB gets no signal or the MCU is not starting up. Please open a support ticket with us if this is the issue.

Sonically the greater effect is always the driver tube, compared to output tubes. NOS EL84 should remove the four jumpers. They should also be fully tested, including at rated voltages, to be sure they work 100%. Given how desirable a tube the EL84 is (use with many different home and guitar amplifiers) it is EXTREMELY UNLIKELY to get good quality NOS tubes. There are generally two possibilities for western NOS versions of popular tubes – they are rejects of multiple selection rounds, and are in effect the remaining rejects. In which case, often the performance is not acceptable, or they are outright fakes (which should be avoided at all cost). It is not possible to exclude 100% the possibility of buying good NOS EL84, but it is very small. On the other hand the ECF82 is primarily a TV tube, and rarely used in audio (though it is very similar to 7199 which is a widely used audio tube and hence again extinct in NOS). So large NOS stocks of good tubes remain. We would suggest to leave the EL84X factory supplied in place, and only use NOS options for the ECF82. There multiple equivalent tubes, any tube equivalent to ECF80 generally also works in place of the ECF82 in our circuit, but has slightly different operating conditions, and hence sound quality. Please note, any tube rolling will void the warranty.

We are working to introduce these cables into the UK market before the end of this year (2021). If you import a cable into the UK please be aware that you need to use a Schuko to UK adapter with earthing.

The large barrel-shaped enclosure in the centre of the cable contains the ANC circuitry and shows the polarity and earth indications at one end.

With regards to the Bluetooth can you try the following; 1) Manually delete the connection from your smart device. 2) Turn off the Retro and smart device. 3) Restart the Retro first and let it warm up. 4) Start the smart phone. 5) Move the toggle to Bluetooth. 6) Keep the input selected as Bluetooth. 7) Hit the Bluetooth button on the back of the Retro. 8) Re-establish the connection. 9) Play audio. Does it work? If not please open a support ticket. Tip: Phones differ greatly in Bluetooth operation. Some (e.g. Sony XPERIA Z series) have great range (>10m without walls on Retro). Some others (e.g. many/all iPhones) have very poor Bluetooth range and need the phone to be within <2m of a Retro and not to be handled (this is the Bluetooth version of antennae gate and was never fixed), especially if the Phone’s wifi is on. We would suggest to benchmark the Bluetooth connection using a Sony Xperia Z series phone, it should have stable connection within the same room (BT antennae fitted and vertical) and > 5m distance. If so, the problem is not the Bluetooth inside the Retro. Also observe that the Retro has no earth connection, a supplementary earth connection (Groundhog) may improve Bluetooth performance.

Our own experiences with “burn-in” (that is a material parameter change in electronic components over the early hours of being operated in a circuit after being manufactured, or inactive for a substantial time) caused us to investigate. Here some samples of the literature we found: Others exist and the above list is neither complete nor exhaustive. We hope this has provided some insight.

All current iFi products that do not have filter selection use the minimum filter for sample rates up to 192kHz and bit-perfect above 192kHz.

The Stereo 50 was designed ground-up without earth connection. There is no earth connection in the IEC Socket, it is a C18 Standard type, that readily accepts power cables without earth connecton. If you wish to add an earth / ground you can use the Groundhog from iFi.

The PCB has a jumper for EL84x tubes. What does the “X” stand for? Answer: We use a tube that is a modern equivalent of the EL84. It has a slightly different pin-out from the standard EL84. In most cases you can just plug them in, but with the correct external circuit, the EL84X can give more power than a standard EL84. For modern tubes that are all based on the same design (Russian, Chinese and Czech) and quite a few older EL84 this is no issue, but for example the Mullard EL84 (and some others too) have an internal connection on a pin that is normally “NC” (no connection) that could lead to fireworks. Some commercial EL84 amplifiers actually use this pin as a wiring point (in line with the EL84X pin-out, incidentally or intentionally), but they cause trouble with some old tubes. We like to avoid that. Pulling the jumper makes the Stereo 50 compatible with all original old stock EL84 (in case you can find any), with the jumper in place is works with the EL84X and delivers deliver more power.

The Retro is a Class II or double insulated electrical appliance. It has been designed in such a way that it does not require a safety connection to electrical earth (ground). This was done to avoid any chance of earth loops if (for example) Satellite or Cable TV systems are connected. So it was intended that there is no Earth connection nor is one required. The presence of high voltages inside the case is inconsequential, as without an earth connection this voltage can only ever offer one pole, even with a short to the case, there is no second pole to complete an electrical circuit. From a safety viewpoint the Retro is hence safer than Valve Amplifiers WITH an Earth Connection, as in this case a second pole exists. Testing Procedure: We use an industry-standard insulation tester to test the Retro according to the required standards for double insulated equipment. This is according to EN 60065 and we also test leakage current according EN 60065 for Class II equipment. For completeness, we additionally also test according to Medical Equipment directives, even though they are not required to pass.

All iFi DSD playing DACs have a -3dB point for around 75kHz / 90kHz (depending on the precise model) if the sample rate is > 96khz. At sample rates lower or equal to 96kHz the sample rate is the main determining factor, with the frequency response being flat to around 0.45 * FS and then rolling rapidly if using the standard filter. The Minimum Phase filter will show around 3dB roll off at 0.45 * FS.

6.3mm: < 6 Ohm 3.5mm: < 3 Ohm

The output transformers will produce a small sound, especially if not connecting load. Even output transistors in solid state amp’s tend to “sing” along with the signal, though the mechanism is different. Capacitors (e.g. in Speaker Crossovers) often have a similar issue. All electronic components are subject to microphonics and with signal applied reverse microphonics. If the sound output is material depends on many factors. The job of the transformer is to transfer power into a load. Without load the power has no-where to go. This causes electrical and mechanical resonances in the transformer to be “fed” with spare power which would normally be damped by the load. This will make microphonics worse and further can create very high voltages (resonance – no load), even high enough to create a miniature lighting strike inside the transformer (which usually burns away the isolation and renders the transformer defective). Modern isolation such as we use at iFi should handle this, but better not walk on the wild side. So a few rules here: 1) Never operate ANY tube output amp with output transformers without load. 2) At high playback levels some “singing along” noise from power amplifiers is expected.

Short answer: The typical “measured” max output power is 15-17W. This is measured in a lab read: simulated, with a sine wave into a resistor load. This is not reflective of what the real world loudness is, not the actual load. Longer answer: It is not always advisable to measure valves and solid-state using the same “in lab” approach. For example, Solid-State doubles the power each time impedance drops. With valves, power stays the same when impedance drops. They just are not the same. Therefore, we have done our utmost to “equalise” the measurements by using an actual “music signal + speaker load” so the real world measured power is the same loudness (SPL level) for solid-state as it is for valves. Most important of all this approach means a customer will find in reality, with the same music signal and on the same speaker, the iFi Stereo’s 25W+25W is the same loudness as a 25W+25W Solid-State amplifier. Not louder nor quieter. The more lengthy explanation is to be found here: https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/audio_blog/retro-stereo-50-there-are-watts-and-there-are-watts/

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Yes, the Retro is a Class A headphone amplifier too, therefore no harm if no speakers are attached.

Transformer coupled.

The power supply in the Stereo 50 is a regulated SMPS, designed for 85V – 265V operation and the design has been verified against these voltages for normal operation. Example: The mains supply in Japan is at the lower edge of this range, with 100V nominal and 90V minimum, however even for Japanese mains there is a safety margin.

The circuit of the Retro is auto-adjusting the bias, no manual adjustment needed. Just replace the tubes (not even matched pairs are needed, though it measures better if they are used and we match output tubes quite closely as quads) if they tire out. They should last between 5,000 and 10,000 hours, at six hours per day this is around 3 years (based on 7,000 hours lifespan), at 12 hours halve that and so on.

Firstly the power supply in the Stereo 50 is a regulated SMPS, designed for 85V – 265V operation and the design has been verified against these voltages for normal operation. Example: If we use Japan as an example country. Even given the mains supply’s regulation, the low voltage in Japan will lead to increased current in the power supply and so to increased heat. The power-supply includes over-temperature protection which will cause shut-down in case it gets hot to endanger the safe operation. We have carried out long term tests at 90V, without experiencing any problems. If the unit is operates in a fairly hot room (summer, no aircon) and it’s ventilation is impeded it may enter thermal protection, which is self-resetting, so the unit may drop out and come back after a short time, work for a short and then drop out again.

This configuration results in better immunity to noise, both through shielding the active conductors and through less induction into the earth wire.

One press of the distinctively labeled button on the ZEN CAN Signature HFM’s front panel is all it takes. An active white LED nearby indicates that ActivEQ is engaged.

Unfortunately, there is not and will not be a line out. On this basis alone, the Stereo 50 is unsuitable for Magnepan’s. Magnepan’s A.K.A ‘Maggies’ are 86dB/2.83V with 4 Ohm impedance, so they come in at around 83dB/1W/1m. To play at 105dB peak (THK recommendation and in line with realistic playback of real uncompressed dynamic range classical music) a pair in a normal sized room and with around 3m listening distance will need in the region of 400W peak power available. So the Stereo 50 (25 W / 4 Ohm) will cut it.

Yes. Sub-woofer with high gain connected to the speakers. We always recommend that a sub-woofer is connected in “high pass” mode that is, where it is connected to the speakers or at the outputs of the amplifier. Depending upon the sub-woofer, this usually requires a cable that is co-axial at one end (to the sub-woofer) and spade at the other end (which is connected to the speaker outputs at the amplifier or speaker). This is a good description: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-hook-up-a-subwoofer-to-a-stereo-system/

This means that the tube has a fault and the tube protection system is flagging that its the one triggering the machine to reset mode. Please see this image, its likely lightning in a tube. You need to remove it and replace it with the spare in your accessories.

The Retro LS-3.5 speakers are what we recommend. Not just because we designed them from the ground-up but their 90dB/2.83V sensitivity makes them a perfect match for a tube/valve amplifier such as the Stereo 50. The 90dB/2.83V is for approximate 30m^2 / 300ft^2 rooms. For larger rooms increase the sensitivity requirement by 3dB for each doubling of the floor area, so for 120m sqm / 1300sq ft, the minimum sensitivity should be 96dB/2.83V. This allows around 100dB undistorted peaks. The common peak-to-average ratio of music (classical, tutti/crescendo) is around 14dB, so 100dB peaks allows an 86dB average, which is the normal SPL in a mid-hall seat in many concert halls. Obviously this formula is an approximation and if one likes to listen to music very loud, the efficiency required may be even higher. Otherwise we recommend a minimum of 90dB/2.83V sensitivity (real – independent 3rd party tests preferred) and a nominal impedance of 4 – 16 Ohm with a minimum impedance no lower than 3 Ohm. The 90dB/2.83V Sensitivity is the key number to bear in mind when selecting a speaker to match with the Stereo 50. Question: What about mainstream bookshelf speakers? Answer: Most mainstream bookshelf speakers were designed for 100W> amplifiers. Hence despite their diminutive size, they are still not suitable for the Stereo 50. Typically, such speakers range in actual sensitivity from 82dB/2.83V to 85dB/2.83V. This makes them a less than ideal match with a tube/valve amplifier such as the Stereo 50.

Is there any benefit to using more than one of these at a time, stringing them in a series? Will it eliminate even more jitter? Answer: Not really, however, on the other hand, if using very long runs of SPDIF cables, putting one, say, every 10m or so would do good.

As the buffer rejects jitter, it’s length in the time-domain varies according to incoming jitter and sample rate. The actual length at 44.1kHz, with no jitter input, will be around 10mS. Short enough to avoid lip-sync issues. Around 10mS at 48kHz, it will be slightly less. The higher the sample rate the shorter the delay In the AMR DP-777, we were very careful to balance off the rejection of ‘wander’, essentially jitter at sub-Hz frequencies, (which calls for a very large buffer) and lip-sync issues (which call for a short buffer). The technology in the SPDIF iPurifier derives from the AMR DP-777 and thus, just like the DP-777, uses a buffer short enough to avoid lip-sync issues and yet long enough to allow even wander to be contained well.

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Yes, you can. The 6.3mm/3.5mm front output and RCA rear output will both output audio at the same time. Please be aware that the analogue volume control will change volume on both outputs, so adjust volume carefully to ensure neither output receives too much volume while in use.

Currently, you can only update the firmware from a Windows PC.

Unfortunately, it will not work with Windows Vista.

Answer: The SPDIF iPurifier is a totally different design. It shared with other iPurifiers only the aluminum case and the concept, purify something very dirty, USB, DC, SPDIF or whatever it may be. The best way to look at the SPDIF iPurifier is to see it as a modern-day take on the late 1990’s “Digital Lense” concept. Incoming SPDIF is isolated (unless optical, that is isolated any which way), then the waveform is restored using a solid-state implementation of the Valve High Definition Digital Input first seen on the AMR DP-777. Then the restored digital signal is sent into a memory buffer. The same precision adjustable 300 femtosecond jitter clock found in the DP-777 is used to match the incoming clock average and clock out the data from the buffer – minus any jitter. What it means is that directly plugged into the input of your DAC you get a SPDIF signal with perfect waveform and as low jitter as a high crystal clock can provide. It won’t get better than that, of course, your DAC remains the limit. Different DAC receiver chips have different inherent jitter, from the common Cirrus Logic Chips with 200pS jitter to the AKM and TI with. To get those 50/200pS jitters you must feed them a zero jitter signal, any added jitter rides through. Of course, the SPDIF iPurifier removes all source jitter and adds very, very little of its own.

The output of the SPDIF iPurifier is direct-coupled for the precise reasons the customer states. If no isolation is needed this is best. Further, however, in any competent design one cannot simply bypass or exchange pulse transformers and expect correct or improved performance. In a fully optimised design (such as we employ) additional complex conjugate pole and/or zero circuits are added to maximise transformer bandwidth and return loss across the widest possible frequency range and must critically tuned to the actual transformer used. As a further note, pulse transformers that perform best for SPDIF generally use bifilar (aka. high capacitance) construction on high-frequency ferrite cores of small size. Using amorphous iron or permalloy cores (or other “exotic” metals) in SPDIF transformers (as some manufacturers promote) or a shield between windings (as some other manufacturers do) is not conductive to good performance but makes for good marketing spiel that allows high prices to be charged for very limited performance and those transformers are best avoided. In AMR & iFi products with isolated SPDIF inputs, we use a specific wideband pulse transformer fully tuned with complex conjugate pole and/or zero circuits for a very wide bandwidth and maximum return loss for the widest bandwidth while providing isolation on the input. This is followed by a linear mode, zero-feedback active circuit (not logic circuitry) using either tubes (AMD DP-777) or Fets (iFi) with a designed-in “clipper” circuit that regenerates a near-perfect Logic waveform even from badly degraded SPDIF signals. It is this regenerated signal that is fed to the rest of the circuitry. So the presence of galvanic isolation is not an issue with AMR or iFi products. More on this fundamental technology here: https://amr-audio.co.uk/tech-notes/#1539092351973-29777ab8-bf2c

Laserdisc RF demodulator output is not SPDIF compatible and so will not work with SPDIF iPurifier or indeed any SPDIF input.

SPDIF iPurifier and the noises without signal with certain DAC’s could well be an issue but if used in a CD player, then can rule in/out so please try a CD and report it to us via a support ticket. Past that the most likely explanation is what these systems have in common is: Example: “Chrome Cast Audio with TIDAL in Chrome as source.” As opposed “it happens with Brand X DAC and any source” We believe that the SPDIF iPurifier merely follows the source (CCA from our example) which in turn receives garbage from the (windows audio) driver and outputs it. It could be that the garbage is created by TIDAL itself, possibly switching sample rates/formats. The whole chain via Tidal Chrome Plugin, Google Chrome Browser, Windows Audio Driver, Windows Network Driver, Chromecast Audio, SPDIF iPurifier and DAC is very complex and has plenty of areas where the signal can be mucked-up. Our suggestion is to try different playback software and a playback path. Note: Our understanding is that some DACs correctly mute the garbage created when connected directly, but not via SPDIF iPurifier, others mute correctly no matter what. Even between the same brand and their different models. But this is best confirmed directly with the DAC manufacturer. If no luck with the above please open a support ticket.

The iPurifier SPDIF does not perform any conversion. However, without input it will normally stay locked on the last sample rate received, if there was no input at all ever it will “hunt” for a signal to lock on. If there are noises during normal playback with a constant sample rate and during the same track, the problem may be external transients. Due to the galvanic isolation, the output from the SPDIF iPurifier floats without reference to earth. The DAC or one item in the rest of the system the DAC is attached to should have an earth connection. If this does not exist a supplementary earth strictly for audio purposes should be added – consider the GroundHog+. If the noises only happen during sample rate changes or track changes them the problem is that the attached DAC does not mute correctly and the short time in which the SPDIF iPurifier re-locks and re-buffers the SPDIF signal suffice to cause noise. In this case we can try to evaluate the interactions further, but we must know the details of the DAC. Open a ticket and provide the information.

Any impact from good digital quality cables should be lowered significantly. However, if cable quality is too low then there may be issues at higher sample rates, so reasonable quality cables should be used.

The SPDIF iPurifier will follow what the source does, as it offers a bit-perfect pass-through. So if the source drops the signal there will be no output.

Charge to ~80% by checking the on-screen Charge indicator or Charge Port LED ( see manual for more information on the colour description). Once around 80% remove the charge power cable.

Various LEDs on the ZEN CAN Signature HFM’s front panel will be engaged.

The SPDIF Purifier is different from virtually all other ‘re-clockers’ on the market. SPDIF iPurifier kills jitter dead without altering data, bit-perfect (so, for example, HDCD, DTS, and MQA will pass unmolested). In that sense the SPDIF iPurifier is a true re-clocker, it re-clocks the signal without altering it and it is as far as we know the sole and only product in the market to do this. Of the ones in the market sold as “SPDIF re-clockers” are in effect an up-sampler that takes any incoming audio and convert to a fixed sample rate. As they perform asynchronous sample rate conversion they shift the source jitter into the data domain and embed the source jitter irremovable into the new audio date created, they are not bit-perfect but instead break any non-PCM signal on SPDIF and strip HDCD/MQA information from the signal they pass. Additionally, they process the signal with added digital filtering which effectively overrides that of the DAC. If this effect and processing are liked, then placing the SPDIF iPurifier before the up-sampler can help to dramatically reduce the negative sonics of asynchronous sample rate conversion, as the system is fed an essentially jitter-free signal to start with but we prefer bit-perfect!

Unless the SPDIF cable is much longer than 1 metre it is doubtful there will be an advantage that is unless there is a ground-loop in the system, as the iDSD micro SPDIF input is not isolated (as it is mainly intended for portable/desktop use). In this case, the galvanic isolation offered by the SPDIF iPurifier would provide improvements. It should be noted that the spacing of connections on the iDSD micro does not allow the SPDIF iPurifier to be plugged in directly while having the line outs in use, so an adapter cable would have to be added.

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The SPDIF iPurifier is rated to tolerate normal variations of USB voltage, that is it will work reliably from 4.5V to 5.5V. The absolute maximum beyond which damage may be sustained is 6.5V DC.

Yes, the SPDIF iPurifier is agnostic as to what audio format is packed within the SPDIF stream, it may be DSD as DoP, DTS, Dolby digital or conventional PCM (or indeed any other “payload”). It buffers and reclocks the SPDIF stream as received and re-transmits it without altering data and so works for any “payload” embedded in the SPDIF stream.

At this present time we are only producing the cable in 1.8m lengths.

The cable geometry has the live and neutral cables opposite each other and the earth wire placed centrally in the zero field zone.

The SupaNova power cable was designed to be fully balanced, low loss power cable incorporating Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and surge protection.

The Nova power cable was designed to be fully balanced, low loss power cable.

The SupaNova cable is rated at 15 Amps up to 125v and 10 Amps up to 250v.

The EQs operate as follows: Gaming: Improve ambient and footstep sound in games so players can hear approaching foes better; Movie: Enhance conversation, especially in streaming movies where it is frequently unclear. Due to the fact that each of the aforementioned will enhance various mid-range contents, background noise will also somewhat rise. The SNR of the UNO is 113dB without the aforementioned EQs, and while they are active, it still has a very respectable 109dB. In conclusion, there is nothing to be concerned about and everything is fine with the UNO. When utilizing ultra-sensitive iEMs with the Gaming and Movie EQs, a tiny background noise could be detected, but this is normal. If you want to reduce the noise, try using the IEMatch.

This feature allows selection between digital filter options. Hold the EQ button for 2 seconds – when you see the flashing LED at the top of the device, additional presses of the EQ button will cycle through digital filter options: When the flashing light disappears, this will confirm the current selection.

Here is some information regarding the 3D effect inside our products; Link to our papers: https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/tech-notes/#tn-other

Our products will work with the new Apple Lossless streaming software.

Yes, the 2.5mm output is always balanced, regardless of input. Like the iCan Pro, unbalanced signals are converted to balanced.

The 3.5mm connections are TRRS and S-Balanced. However, the 3.5mm input should NOT be used with 3.5mm balanced sources, only iFi S-Balanced. The 2.5mm balanced input expects twice the signal level of the 3.5mm S-Balanced input. Only use one of the two inputs, switch-over etc. is fully automatic.

All current iFi products that do not have filter selection use the minimum filter for sample rates up to 192kHz and bit-perfect above 192kHz.

As the xCan is balanced, if you really want to “burn-in” the complete circuit then run balanced when possible. If you have an iEMatch 2.5mm this can be left in the 2.5mm port and the balanced input should be used.

The xCan has 2 possible input modes, and 1 output mode: To select the mode you want (input) hold down the centre rotary knob, then let go on the colour that corresponds to the input mode – it will cycle between blue/green for as long as your holding it down. When in Blue (Bluetooth mode), you then need to pair it with your smart device (phone/tablet), all you do is push and hold in the ‘gear/BT icon’, until the centre rotary knob cycles to blue/red, once paired it will change to the ‘volume level’. To cycle between 3D/XBass just press the ‘gear/BT icon’. To power off the device just hold the centre rotary knob until it becomes white then let go.

We’ve tested a moderately used xCan for operation time on battery, using Fostex T50 on single-ended port playing at elevated listening levels. On Bluetooth with aptX we got up to 12 hours whilst using 3.5mm was up to 18 hours.

We tested an xCan using a pair of Fostex T50 on single-ended and found that on Bluetooth we achieved 12 hours and on 3.5mm line in we reached 18 hours.

It is possible that while on the train (or a form of transport) the phone steps back to 2G networks, this can create EMI. Generally, the frequency is around 220Hz, so not a high pitched shriek, but rather a lower pitch yowl. It is next to impossible to suppress 2G interference, you can also find this with other portable headphone amplifiers. We can speak from experience having tested mainstream products such as the Sony PHA2 on 3G and 4G networks here there is usually no interference at all. However, in Asia 2G is more prevalent and as a result EMI occurs quite commonly. Modern phones generally have settings to make them lock to 3G (and/or 4G) networks only. While this means no phone signal outside 3G coverage, it does make sure no EMI from 2G networks. This avoids the need to use airplane mode, which is the alternative if in situations where 3G network coverage is bad.

For the weird interference noise, please try for a few minutes to keep mobile phones away / turn them off – this would rule in / out any other device nearby. You can tell as the 3G is disappearing from the phone display. If phones are switching from 3G to 2G networks there is a chatter that is pickup up by headphone amplifiers. It may be the xCan has an issue or it may be the network switching. Newer 4G networks don’t have this interference – it is a legacy thing.

No, it uses the same technology as the xDSD. It has lower noise on the 3.5mm singled ended output than earlier iFi devices. Further question: I seem to hear some white noise of xCan with any IEMs? It depends on the IEM, specifically the sensitivity and also the volume setting. As the xCan has up to 18dB gain with the volume turned up all the way this would produce a lot of noise when using sensitive IEM’s. Further question: Wouldn’t you say that 2.5mm balanced is noisier than 3.5mm unbalanced? Balanced circuits involve two amplifier circuits instead of one. This allows double the output voltage and up to four times the power of single-ended connections but also produces twice the noise. With a given IEM or headphone, the balanced connection will thus have double the noise.

XBass, XBass II and 3D/3D+ are all analogue domain processing (ASP). We generally prefer to use analogue systems for volume, frequency response corrections and any other processing. XBass/XBass II are frequency response corrections aimed at headphones and/or speakers depending on the product, so they adjust frequency response. On the xCan specifically XBass II offers a frequency response correction in the bass and lower mid-range (presence region of music) that takes a “typical” open back diffuse field tuned headphone (e.g. most modern European ones) and corrects them broadly for the Olive/Welti Frequency response target, with the option to skip the bass compensation for headphones with an elevated bass response and to skip the mid-range compensation for headphones where the mid-range region is already emphasized (many far eastern ones). 3D/3D+ is not operating by altering frequency response. It is often erroneously attributed as “crossfeed” and while it is true that it in effect processes the “difference” signal between left/right channels (like other similar systems) it is not traditional Bauer/Linkwitz crossfeed or Meier enhanced crossfeed (or any of the other published systems based on the same research and targets, be they analogue implementations of DSP). The iFi 3D/3D+ is a separate system to reduce “in head localisation” and to present a more natural, speaker like soundscape. It is based on very different targets derived in large scale listening tests back in the 1980s in what was then East Germany, far in advance of anything published previously and up to now elsewhere. The results are distinct from and well in advance of “Crossfeed” of all variants.

Only one input should be used per time, though both 3.5mm and 2.5mm headphone connections are always active and can be used in parallel (though different headphones will naturally have different output at the same volume settings.) unbalanced signals will be internally converted to balanced. For IEM’s (especially very sensitive pairs) that show up every little noise use the 3.5mm S-Balanced connection or add the 2.5mm iEMatch.

We have tested an xDSD on a Mac Mini OSX, the xDSD connects via AAC. There is no setup needed, the codec is selected automatically for the highest available sound quality. As far as we know on iPhone there is no special indication for AAC, on Mac it is visible in the audio device list.

The xCan is Bluetooth 3.0 compatible and supports: As far as aptX HD, LDAC, LDHC are concerned, they cannot be supported on the current Bluetooth system used by iFi, therefore, it is not possible to perform a firmware upgrade but generally speaking, aptX offers very high quality as is, for CD standard and streaming audio. With AAC and aptX we cover the largest installed base of existing users. If you’re still having issues, why not contact our support team? We are available Monday to Friday to give you a helping hand.

We use an AB class amp for all of our products. Please visit this site for more information on AB class amps: https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/amplifier/class-ab-amplifier.html

As the xCan connects via Bluetooth it needs a DAC, for this reason, an ES9023 Ess Sabre chip is used.

Under 1 Ohm for S-Balanced and under 2 Ohm for balanced.

All our headphone amplifiers are short circuit proof, meaning even a dead short will not damage them (but may trip protection circuitry). The following interactions of load and amplifier are absolutely not unique to iFi products, but apply universally to all and any amplifiers on the market, speaker amplifiers as much as headphone amplifiers. One consequence of using loads lower than the specified minimum is that maximum output power is reduced below specification, as the amplifier will limit the output current. Another is that for every halving of the load impedance distortion at low power levels is approximately tripled, with a given constant level. Modern amplifiers have a reasonably constant level of harmonic distortion nearly up to clipping, where the amplifier runs out of either current or voltage to drive the output. So lowering load impedance below the specified minimum increases distortion, possibly significantly, say we go from 16 Ohm to 4 Ohm distortion goes up approx. 9 times. How such increase in distortion is interpreted and heard subjectively is a different subject and if such increased distortion is audible if it remains substantially below the distortion of the transducer/headphone is yet another. A popular and fairly expensive IEM is officially listed by the manufacturer as 12.8Ohm @ 1kHz impedance and 112.8dB @ 1mW (normalised 132dB/1V). The real measured impedance is around 4Ohm below 300Hz with 7.5Ohm at 1kHz and 21-24Ohm from 7khz to around 10kHz. The real measured SPL at 1V is 141.5dB. Ignoring the sources of the discrepancies (which can be explained by different systems of rating rather than ill will and deception by the manufacturer as is commonly asserted in conspiracy theories), this IEM will be extremely challenging for any headphone amplifier and it will be hard to find a decent match. First, the very high sensitivity will emphasis hiss/noise. Typical high quality headphone amplifiers can be made to have around 3uV output noise, or -110dB/1V and > 3V output. With the 41.5dB/1V sensitivity such a noise levels means the noise itself is over 30dB in absolute level and clearly audible (and may even be intrusive) while the 3V output allow SPL of up to 150dB which is likely to damage ones hearing. The second factor is that the low impedance will increase the distortion of the driving amplifier in the bass nearly tenfold while in the mid-range it will be triple that specified for a 16 Ohm load. One option may be to manufacture a dedicated amplifier for such kind of IEM’s, which should offer 0.3uV (-130dB/1V) output noise and a maximum of 0.3V output into 4 Ohm at low distortion and with low output impedance and has a maximum gain of approx. -10dB. As a 300 Ohm resistor produced more noise than -130dB/1V making such an amplifier would require very extreme design to achieve the required specifications and may still require cooling with liquid nitrogen to achieve the required specification. Instead at iFi we have specifically developed the iEMatch (integrated in some products and available standalone for others (and for those of our esteemed competitors) to address this problem and make such IEM’s more compatible with more typical headphone amplifiers. Using iEMatch (which retails for less than 5% of the cost of the IEM in question) we achieve two things. The sensitivity of the IEM is reduced to 117.5dB/1V meaning noise levels of 3uV (-110dB/1V) now only produce an SPL of 7.5dB, at the very edge of audibility and maximum SPL is a still very unhealthy 127.5dB, which however is an order of magnitude less damaging to the human hearing than 151.5dB. Secondly, the minimum impedance seen by the amplifier is increased to 15.8Ohm, is 15.9Ohm at 1kHz and 16 Ohm at 7-10khz, meaning it will be easily driven within the specified performance by an amplifier rated for 16Ohm headphones, while the headphone itself sees a source impedance of less than 1 Ohm, comparable to a direct connection. So it is not required to use iEMatch to avoid damage to the xCan or to get sound when using ultra high sensitivity/ultra low impedance IEM’s or headphones. However in the interest of hearing protection as well as pleasurable listening with music (lower noise, lower distortion) we strongly recommend that IEM’s and headphones that combine very high sensitivity and very low impedances are used with an added iEMatch from iFi. This dramatically improves compatibility of these kind of IEM’s with a wide range of amplifiers, not just iFi’s, and usually costs a small fraction of the cost of the IEM or headphone in question.

Digital is a full signal at circa 2v whilst analogue via a smartphone is usually 0.75v. Hence the former much louder than the latter. Routed through the xCan or similar is the same for all.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

The “constant current drive grove” is a 21 Ohm resistor, as shown by JA measurements in Stereophile: “Although Apogee describes the Groove’s output impedance as variable and depending on the load, I measured a value of 21 ohms at all audio frequencies into loads ranging from 20 to 600 ohms (footnote 1).” Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/apogee-electronics-groove-da-headphone-amplifier-measurements#TfvvQE60FmtqSm2H.99 And yes, a device with 21 Ohm constant output impedance can be connected to the xCan using 3.5mm connections without issues.

Here is some information regarding the 3D effect inside our products; Link to our papers: https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/tech-notes/#tn-other

Our products will work with the new Apple Lossless streaming software.

No, you can not use your Bluetooth headphones with the xDSD. This is because the xDSD does not have a Bluetooth transmitter, only a receiver.

All iFi MQA compatible DACs can do the last MQA unfold, thus fully unfold MQA master tracks. MQA renderer DACs do the last unfold and require Tidal etc. to do the first unfolds. MQA decoder DACs can do all unfolds without external unfolding support. iFi MQA decoder DACs include: • Pro iDSD Signature • NEO iDSD • iDSD Diablo • ZEN DAC Signature V2 • ZEN DAC V2 • hip dac2 Other iFi MQA compatible DACs support MQA renderer only.

This LED indicates audio format (PCM/DSD/MQA) and its sampling frequency. For more information on what each color means, please use our LED Calculator tool: https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/home/led-calculator/

The xDSD will draw the maximum safe current from any power supply unit (PSU), using the standard ID methods (Apple, Samsung, USB standard). Any standard-compliant PSU should signal it’s current limit and the xDSD will then use this current limit. We do not recommend the use of non-standard compliant PSU’s. The xDSD will charge at up to 1.1A and will, in addition, draw around 300mA to operate if the power supply is capable of providing this current level. If the PSU cannot be identified using standard methods, the xDSD will test the maximum current the supply can provide without dropping the output voltage below set thresholds, and then operate at this current limit. As an absolute maximum, around 1.4A may be expected if playing and charging a fully depleted battery.

The Bluetooth module consumes around 130mW continuous whilst the XMOS (USB) consumes around 350mW continuous at higher sample rates (less at 44.1k). The remainder of the xDSD (clock, reclocking, DAC, analogue stages and headphone amplifier) consumes around 740mW continuous, more with high power levels into low impedance headphones. The battery fitted is nominal 8360mW/H therefore: The playback times were rounded to the nearest hour after actual testing. All power consumption will fall within the 8360mW/H range and even a small amount of capacity degradation (10% in the first year) will not impact stated playback times.

Yes and no. For audio streams, Bluetooth V5.0 does not really offer material differences to 2.1 (neither do 3.0, 3.1, 4.2 etc). Almost all Bluetooth 5.0 improvements over 4.2 focus on low energy modes and nothing has been done for audio. Similar situations existed for earlier versions. To take advantage of the data-rate and range improvements, a new audio device profile (not A2DP) would be required.

No AVRCP confirmed.

The current generation xDSD does not include aptX HD, only “general aptX”. This delivers CD-quality audio over Bluetooth and has comparably low latency, low enough to, for example, avoid lip-sync issues if watching TV. We also support aptX-Low Latency, customers tested this. If the source supports aptX-LL, and prefers it over standard aptX, it will be 32mS. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AptX#aptX_Low_Latency

By its very functional principle, DSD has RFI of twice the maximum level of the audio signal and four times the nominal DSD “0dB” point between, 1.4MHz and 2.8MHz. DSD must be lowpass filtered to avoid these extremely high levels of RFI going out from the DAC chip and messing with the sound quality. Each filter is different. There is always a trade-off between impulse response, phase response, frequency response, and selectivity (how much-unwanted signals are suppressed). Which filter is preferred depends on many factors and it is hard to predict, simply try them all, pick the one that is preferred.

This is caused by a weak USB power source or low-quality cable. The xDSD will charge at 1.1A and requires extra power to operate. A 1.5A or higher current charger is recommended.

All iFi DSD playing DACs have a -3dB point for around 75kHz / 90kHz (depending on the precise model) if the sample rate is > 96khz. At sample rates lower or equal to 96kHz the sample rate is the main determining factor, with the frequency response being flat to around 0.45 * FS and then rolling rapidly if using the standard filter. The Minimum Phase filter will show around 3dB roll off at 0.45 * FS.

There are 4 modes, these are: To change between Bluetooth and Wired Mode, when the unit is off you will need to hold the ‘Rotary Knob’ until the LED changes to either Green (Wired) or Blue (Bluetooth) and then release it. To engage ‘Line out’ mode, when the unit is powered off, hold (and remain holding) the ‘Bluetooth/Gear’ icon then select either ‘Wireless’ or ‘Wired’ by press holding the ‘rotary knob’ UNTIL the LED changes to either BLUE (Wireless) or GREEN ‘Wired’ then let go. Then let go of the ‘Bluetooth/Gear’ icon. This will active Line out mode. To remove Line out mode, just repeat the same process as if you would be activating it.

Charge to ~80% by checking the on-screen Charge indicator or Charge Port LED ( see manual for more information on the colour description). Once around 80% remove the charge power cable.

Plug into external power and then hold down the power button for over 10 seconds. If for some reason the unit is stuck in an unintended state, that should reset it, kind of like the reset button combo on phones.

Potential solution: If the rotary knob has any colour, please rotate it completely counterclockwise until the colour is no longer present. After doing this you should see the input LED blinking blue and red, which is now ready to reconnect. Another solution: If after following this first solution you are still unable to connect your device to your xDSD then another solution would be to drain the battery of your xDSD. By doing this it performs a ‘soft reset’ which allows for new connections to be made.

Yes, you can charge and play at the same time. If you actually have the xDSD permanently attached to USB power it will enter “desktop” mode after the first time the battery is charged fully and the unit is turned off. In desktop mode, the battery is charged to ~ 70% and kept in maintenance mode. This state is maintained until the xDSD enters battery power mode (unplugged or turned on battery).

Yes, we do support quick-charge if suitable chargers are attached. A full charge from flat is approx. 3 hours, providing it has a minimum of 5V/1.5A or higher rated charger.

A swelling battery is likely caused by improper use. To prevent a battery from bloating, we suggest making sure that the device isn’t overheating and that it is kept in a cool area. Make sure you are using a 5v charger and not a fast charger. We also suggest only charging the device to about 80% and waiting until the battery is about 25% depleted before charging again. If your battery is swelling or you notice it doesn’t last as long as it used to, please open a support ticket.

The noise is for the first few seconds when connecting the charger always happens, it will be silent afterwards. If a weak USB power source or low-quality cable is added then noise may be present. The xDSD will charge at 1.1A and requires extra power to operate. A 1.5A or higher current charger is recommended.

Yes, there is a sleep function, if it stays in pairing mode without a connection for 5 minutes it will go into to sleep mode. This also stops the LED of the pairing mode being too bright, from blinking red/blue, to calm pulsing blue. You will need to press the button to wake it up however.

5.5*2.1mm is the DC barrel size.

Yes and no. For audio streams BT 5.0 does not really offer material differences to 2.1 (neither do 3.0, 3.1, 4.2 etc). Almost all BT 5.0 improvements over 4.2 focus on low energy modes and IoT (Internet of Things / home automation etc) and nothing has been done for audio. Similar situations existed for earlier versions. To take advantage of the data-rate and range improvements a new audio device profile (not A2DP) would be required.

The xDSD runs “AB” in fact, almost all modern audio electronics run in Class AB, even most so-called “Class A” becomes “AB” for some combinations of load and signal. Generally, we call “A” when normal listening levels with all kinds of loads happen in Class A (e.g. iCan Pro). This “Class A” means a lot of power is wasted, Class A means the maximum power we want in Class A is permanently wasted as heat but even the xDSD operated in Class A for small signals. The specific IC we use as headphone buffer uses internal circuitry that reduces the distortion caused by the Class A to Class AB transition to very low levels, so kind of Class A sound with Class AB power consumption, ideal for battery-powered gear.

The standard, ‘b’ and ‘c’ variants of our more recent firmware versions for many devices are ultimately the same firmware, but with some slight variations that may make them more or less suitable for you in various scenarios. Please see below for a more detailed description of each firmware version and when it may or may not be suitable.

Yes, you can!

Yes you can. Plug the xDSD gryphon into a PC via USB and use the Dual Port setting. This will charge the battery to 3.88v and it will stabilize once charged, so the device will stay powered on without using the battery

Yes, when not in Line-In mode, 4.4mm Pentaconn and 3.5mm sockets on both sides output audio simutaneously. However, iEMatch is only applies to the sockets on the side with the Power/Multi-function knob.

Yes. The Gryphon supports coax via 3.5mm adapter, and Toslink optical via mini-Toslink adapter on the same physical socket.

By taking out the battery, the device will continue pushing power into the board instead of the battery, which will cause the device to malfunction.

While the xDSD Gryphon is off,  long press and hold the input button, then press the power button and keep it held down. When the xDSD Gryphon powers on it will display the XMOS version. You can also see which version you have in the GAIA app.

Please unpair all Bluetooth devices from the iOS device and restart. This will clear their cache and enable connectivity without interference.

xDSD Gryphon supports advanced features including: Ultra-Res (PCM 32/768, 24?/192, DSD512, MQA decoder 384) Advanced 96kHz Bluetooth 5.1 QCC5100 chipset, HD Bluetooth formats Purewave balanced design (from Neo and Diablo), lower noise/THD? Filters — GTO, STD, BP iEMatch Balanced 4.4mm outputs Dual/multiple headphones simultaneously Multiple input selections: Bluetooth, USB, S/PDIF (coax & optical), LineMultiple output selections: 4.4mm BAL, and 3.5mm S-BAL

Question:- Can you explain how it is possible that the DSD1793 can work up to 32 Bit / 786 kHz. The data sheet says it is only 24 Bit / 192 kHz. Answer:- This is sort of our specialty, we have a deep understanding of all the chipsets we used like no other manufacturers, hence we are able to unleash the hidden potential of the chipsets like no other, enabling the DSD1793 to do DSD512/PCM768 is just one of many that we do. That’s all we can say 🙂 Bear in mind the datasheet is produced by the Marketing Dept not the R&D of the Burr-Brown AMR has a history of this. We unlocked the DEM (Dynmic Element Matching circuit) in the TDA1541A of the CD-77…that was never mentioned in the datasheet because of the R&D,

Charge to ~80% by checking the on-screen Charge indicator or Charge Port LED ( see manual for more information on the colour description). Once around 80% remove the charge power cable.

With USB power unplugged, hold down the XSpace/XBass button while turning on the unit will factory reset the device.

For firmware v1.07 1. Hold power down in an attempt to turn it on (you would have done that by now). 2. Unit may feel slightly warmer than other units. 3. Let it sit for a day or two. It’s actually discharging. 4. After it’s completely discharged, unit feels cold again, it can be turned on and charged again normally. 5. Please update to latest firmware.

iEMatch is our proprietary tech to reduce hiss from IEMs due to their having too much gain. The attenuation is up to -12dB.

YES!

Analogue so you can enjoy the best sound quality because digital volume controls cut the resolution by up to 1.5 Bits. The neat trick in the Gryphon is that it operates in the analogue but the controls are in the digital domain so you can have the best of both worlds!

A swelling battery is likely caused by improper use. To prevent a battery from bloating, we suggest making sure that the device isn’t overheating and that it is kept in a cool area. Make sure you are using a 5v charger and not a fast charger. We also suggest only charging the device to about 80% and waiting until the battery is about 25% depleted before charging again. If your battery is swelling or you notice it doesn’t last as long as it used to, please open a support ticket.

A: On the 3.5mm HP output, use at a setting between 0dB to -3dB for lowest distortion. Lowest distortion is at 0dB to -3dB, depending on how high the digital modulation is. At less digital modulation (typical music etc.) 0dB setting has lower THD. At 0.5 FFS it’s 0.00143% on 0dB setting. At 1.0 FFS it’s 0.0036% on -3dB setting.

There’s not a need to do so because the ‘SilentLine’ tech means the OLED and its power supply are de-coupled from the main PCB. Therefore there is next to nil noise contamination.

USB-C with 5v. High powered chargers are supported.

We use an AB class amp for all of our products. Please visit this site for more information on AB class amps: https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/amplifier/class-ab-amplifier.html

Internal components make all the difference. The ZEN CAN Signature HFM incorporates many boutique parts taken directly from our flagship product, a £3,000 Pro iCAN.

DXD is Digital eXtreme Definition and was created for editing DSD music. Since the 1bit operation of DSD is not suitable for music editing, most of them have to use PCM (Pulse-code modulation), so DXD is a PCM format for music recording and editing DSD. The specification is 24bit/352.8kHz PCM signal, in which 24bit has 8bit more data than the 16bit sampled by CD, and the sampling rate of 352.8kHz is 8 times that of CD 44.1kHz, and the data transfer rate is 8.4672 Mb/s, which is 3 times that of DSD64 commonly used in SACD, and can provide better analysis than CD and SACD. This provides better analysis and dynamics than CD and SACD, representing one of the highest standards of sound quality for studio production. DXD was originally designed for Merging Pyramix’s music production workstation and was introduced in 2004 along with the Sphynx 2 AD/DA converter used in the workstation. By using DXD to edit music, only one final conversion to DSD is required before producing SACD, which greatly reduces the high frequency noise above 20kHz generated during DSD conversion and preserves better sound quality. The DSD format itself is prone to noise in the high frequencies, and each DSD conversion introduces more noise. DXD can limit the conversion to one edit, which helps reduce the sound quality loss of DSD/SACD.

xDSD Gryphon is our newest portable DAC that supports multiple inputs and outputs. For additional details, please check out Gryphon webpage on our website.

8 hours typically

XBass II denotes you have the option to perfectly fine-tune the bass frequency response. Bass – is low bass and Presence is mid-bass. Please adjust as you like to get the ideal bass response for you.

Our products will work with the new Apple Lossless streaming software.

You will need to use wired speakers or wired headphones to output audio.

The device should work perfectly fine out of the box, but if you want the newest features or ever start to experience issues, we always suggest updating to see if that fixes the problem. How to update on PC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfv32H0QoIM How to update on Mac: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-JVJhCMq8U Bluetooth update for Zen Air Blue on Android: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFB91czZhCs If you ever need help with an issue or an update, please feel free to submit a support ticket with us.

We wanted to create a high quality DAC for customers on a budget, so a power supply is not included, but you can power the device via the USB port. To fully drive the device, you can use any 5v power supply.

The DAC powers on upon either connecting it via USB to a PC or laptop, or by providing 5V from an external power supply within the required specs.

Please unpair all Bluetooth devices from the iOS device and restart. This will clear their cache and enable connectivity without interference.

Zen Air DAC quick set-up guide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tYhTrJ77Dg Zen Air Blue quick set-up guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50B1RvShUF0

To turn off the LED display, short press the pairing button. Pressing it again will turn the display back on.

Yes, it’s perfectly fine to have the DAC constantly powered on. It draws little power and it will not damage the DAC.

Yes! You can verify your student status here: https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/about-ifi/student-discount/

Although the ZEN CAN is a great bang for your buck, the ZEN CAN Signature HFM is audibly better and has ActiveEQ which is not present in its basic version.

DAC stands for Digital to Analog Converter, and it does exactly that. It converts a digital signal to an analog signal. Any device that outputs a digital sound, be it a CD or Blu-ray player, digital TV box, games console or portable music player, will need a DAC to convert its audio to an analogue signal. Your TV, phone, and laptop already have a built in DAC that converts digital sound to an analog sound we can hear. Using a high-end DAC will result in the highest quality conversion between digital to analog, which means you’re getting the audio the way it was meant to be heard.

The Burr-Brown True Native® chipset means file formats remain unchanged or ‘bit-perfect’. This means you are listening to music as the artist intended in the format in which it was recorded. At iFi we use Burr Brown extensively in our products having selected it for its natural-sounding ‘musicality’ and True Native architecture. Our experience with this IC means we know how to make the most of it.

MQA – Master Quality Authenticated is an award-winning audio technology that enables music fans to stream the original master recording into their home, car or their mobile. With the ZEN Air series of DACs, you can listen to MQA straight out of the box. Simply  connect to Tidal Masters and check the option to stream MQA. You can find more information about MQA here: https://www.mqa.co.uk/newsroom/faqs/what-is-mqa

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

Yes, you can. The 6.3mm/3.5mm front output and RCA rear output will both output audio at the same time. Please be aware that the analogue volume control will change volume on both outputs, so adjust volume carefully to ensure neither output receives too much volume while in use.

We use an AB class amp for all of our products. Please visit this site for more information on AB class amps: https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/amplifier/class-ab-amplifier.html

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

Our products will work with the new Apple Lossless streaming software.

You will need to use wired speakers or wired headphones to output audio.

The main difference is that the internal clock has been upgraded with low phase noise for even lower jitter. This results in even higher resolution sound quality. There is also an additional larger antenna for extended reception.

5.5*2.1mm is the DC barrel size.

The device should work perfectly fine out of the box, but if you want the newest features or ever start to experience issues, we always suggest updating to see if that fixes the problem. How to update on PC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfv32H0QoIM How to update on Mac: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-JVJhCMq8U Bluetooth update for Zen Air Blue on Android: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFB91czZhCs If you ever need help with an issue or an update, please feel free to submit a support ticket with us.

We wanted to create a high quality DAC for customers on a budget, so a power supply is not included, but you can power the device via the USB port. To fully drive the device, you can use any 5v power supply.

Yes, the Zen DAC will work if powered separately by a 5v power supply. Connect the DAC to the USB port on the front of the PS5. Depending on which Zen DAC you have, the USB ports on the back of the PS5 may also be used. The Zen DAC v1 will work with XMOS firmware. The Zen DAC v2 and Zen Air DAC will work with firmware 7.4.

The DAC powers on upon either connecting it via USB to a PC or laptop, or by providing 5V from an external power supply within the required specs.

Zen Air DAC quick set-up guide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tYhTrJ77Dg Zen Air Blue quick set-up guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50B1RvShUF0

Question:- Can you explain how it is possible that the DSD1793 can work up to 32 Bit / 786 kHz. The data sheet says it is only 24 Bit / 192 kHz. Answer:- This is sort of our specialty, we have a deep understanding of all the chipsets we used like no other manufacturers, hence we are able to unleash the hidden potential of the chipsets like no other, enabling the DSD1793 to do DSD512/PCM768 is just one of many that we do. That’s all we can say 🙂 Bear in mind the datasheet is produced by the Marketing Dept not the R&D of the Burr-Brown AMR has a history of this. We unlocked the DEM (Dynmic Element Matching circuit) in the TDA1541A of the CD-77…that was never mentioned in the datasheet because of the R&D,

Yes, it’s perfectly fine to have the DAC constantly powered on. It draws little power and it will not damage the DAC.

Yes! You can verify your student status here: https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/about-ifi/student-discount/

The Zen Dac will need to be connected via USB to the PC first to establish a connection, then a 5v power supply can be added.

The standard, ‘b’ and ‘c’ variants of our more recent firmware versions for many devices are ultimately the same firmware, but with some slight variations that may make them more or less suitable for you in various scenarios. Please see below for a more detailed description of each firmware version and when it may or may not be suitable.

This LED indicates audio format (PCM/DSD/MQA) and its sampling frequency. For more information on what each color means, please use our LED Calculator tool: https://downloads.ifi-audio.com/home/led-calculator/

One press of the distinctively labeled button on the ZEN CAN Signature 6XX’s front panel is all it takes. An active white LED nearby indicates that ActivEQ is engaged.

DAC stands for Digital to Analog Converter, and it does exactly that. It converts a digital signal to an analog signal. Any device that outputs a digital sound, be it a CD or Blu-ray player, digital TV box, games console or portable music player, will need a DAC to convert its audio to an analogue signal. Your TV, phone, and laptop already have a built in DAC that converts digital sound to an analog sound we can hear. Using a high-end DAC will result in the highest quality conversion between digital to analog, which means you’re getting the audio the way it was meant to be heard.

The Burr-Brown True Native® chipset means file formats remain unchanged or ‘bit-perfect’. This means you are listening to music as the artist intended in the format in which it was recorded. At iFi we use Burr Brown extensively in our products having selected it for its natural-sounding ‘musicality’ and True Native architecture. Our experience with this IC means we know how to make the most of it.

MQA – Master Quality Authenticated is an award-winning audio technology that enables music fans to stream the original master recording into their home, car or their mobile. With the ZEN Air series of DACs, you can listen to MQA straight out of the box. Simply  connect to Tidal Masters and check the option to stream MQA. You can find more information about MQA here: https://www.mqa.co.uk/newsroom/faqs/what-is-mqa

The ZEN Air DAC and ZEN DAC V1/V2 will receive power from a 5V PSU, however to activate these DACs, you must make a successful USB connection. You can identify that the DAC is being powered by the PSU because the ‘external power’ LED next to the power input will activate.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

Our products will work with the new Apple Lossless streaming software.

I have an iFi device that is powered by the iPower but might it be possible to use a different power supply that is not dependent on bridge rectifiers (AC to DC)? Answer: At this point, we are unaware of any commercial SMPS that does not include a rectifier bridge, so this requirement is doubtful to be fulfilled by any vendor.

Please unpair all Bluetooth devices from the iOS device and restart. This will clear their cache and enable connectivity without interference.

With bluetooth firmware version 2.30, we have added the feature to reset bluetooth pairings. Hold down the pairing button on the front of the device for 15 seconds, if done correctly you should see the LEDs change color.

To turn off the LED display, short press the pairing button. Pressing it again will turn the display back on.

To turn off the voice announcements, short press the pairing button two times. To turn it back on, double press the button again.

Various LEDs on the ZEN CAN Signature 6XX’s front panel will be engaged.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

First, we have a new update for the Zen Blue, please find instructions here. Second,  LDAC and the QCC chips are constantly under investigation by Sony to strive for future improvements,

Generally speaking, electronics are best left running. In 99% of the cases components in iFi products are ran at power/voltage that means there is little difference between shelf life and operation, so this does not really impact longevity either. For devices with tubes, however, there are components (the tubes) which have a limited lifespan and which are not easily or cheaply replaced (NOS tubes are becoming extinct at a rapid rate), so they can (and should) be powered down when not in use to preserve tube life. Past that we adhere to the 2013 EU law on standby.

Our products will work with the new Apple Lossless streaming software.

There is new pre-loaded firmware for the ZEN Blue V2. This improves the signal for best LDAC operation. The original ZEN Blue can be updated from our website. Please go to our Download Hub to find out more.

I have an iFi device that is powered by the iPower but might it be possible to use a different power supply that is not dependent on bridge rectifiers (AC to DC)? Answer: At this point, we are unaware of any commercial SMPS that does not include a rectifier bridge, so this requirement is doubtful to be fulfilled by any vendor.

Yes, with the rear switch in analogue position both analogue outputs are active.

Yes, it allows the flexibility to connect more than one DAC or system so that you don’t need to unplug a cable while listening to the other one.

Please unpair all Bluetooth devices from the iOS device and restart. This will clear their cache and enable connectivity without interference.

With bluetooth firmware version 2.30, we have added the feature to reset bluetooth pairings. Hold down the pairing button on the front of the device for 15 seconds, if done correctly you should see the LEDs change color.

To turn off the LED display, short press the pairing button. Pressing it again will turn the display back on.

To turn off the voice announcements, short press the pairing button two times. To turn it back on, double press the button again.

Yes, there is a sleep function, if it stays in pairing mode without a connection for 5 minutes it will go into to sleep mode. This also stops the LED of the pairing mode being too bright, from blinking red/blue, to calm pulsing blue. You will need to press the button to wake it up however.

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

Generally speaking, electronics are best left running. In 99% of the cases components in iFi products are ran at power/voltage that means there is little difference between shelf life and operation, so this does not really impact longevity either. For devices with tubes, however, there are components (the tubes) which have a limited lifespan and which are not easily or cheaply replaced (NOS tubes are becoming extinct at a rapid rate), so they can (and should) be powered down when not in use to preserve tube life. Past that we adhere to the 2013 EU law on standby.

We use an AB class amp for all of our products. Please visit this site for more information on AB class amps: https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/amplifier/class-ab-amplifier.html

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

Game mode caters directly to the needs of those constantly seeking any advantage they can get in competitive play. Gamers understand the importance of hearing even the faintest sounds that can give away an opponent’s position or signal an approaching threat. Game mode’s EQ enhances this aspect of gameplay by sharpening subtle, low-level sound effects, ensuring that every sound becomes more distinct and easier to pinpoint. Whether navigating through intense firefights, or sneaking up on enemies, this heightened audio sensitivity allows you to stay one step ahead of opponents. Movie Mode is an EQ specifically designed to address the clarity of dialogue in streamed content, enabling you to fully immerse in the narrative without straining to hear or decipher what is being said.

We use an AB class amp for all of our products. Please visit this site for more information on AB class amps: https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/amplifier/class-ab-amplifier.html

Firstly, it should be stated that ifi’s USB driver is a safe and reliable software that will not cause any adverse malfunctions to your computer. There are generally three situations when an antivirus software identifies a virus or gives an alert 1. False alarm problem: It may be caused by incomplete or untimely updates of the identification algorithm of the antivirus software. 2. Unknown file: This may be because the ifi driver file is newly released or uncommon. This can cause antivirus software to fail to recognize it and classify it as a potential threat. 3. Suspicious behavior: This may be caused by the driver’s need to interact with the system core and perform sensitive operations. Because it performs actions that are considered suspicious or dangerous, the virus software may flag it as a threat. It is recommended that users add files to the trust list of antivirus software to solve this problem

Our products will work with the new Apple Lossless streaming software.

Yes, the ZEN CAN Signature 6XX can work as a fully balanced pre-amp for such products.

The ZEN CAN Signature 6XX features a switchable ActivEQ equalizer specifically designed to get the most out of the HD 6XX. One button press is all it takes to calibrate the amp’s signal to complement the HD 6XX’s frequency response characteristics, which results in its performance tailored to precisely fit these headphones like a made-to-measure suit. What’s more, ActivEQ does this without adding any of the distortion commonly associated with passive equalization circuits.

Although the ZEN CAN Signature 6XX is visually similar to our ZEN CAN and both these products share the same core platform, the former has it pushed significantly further to achieve better sound performance.

XSpace is our own in-house developed fully analogue headphone spatialiser, meant to widen audible imaging of headphones connected to the ZEN CAN Signature 6XX.