iFi Audio Micro iDSD Black Label (released on the 30th of November 2016)

[johnsonad]

Hi johnsonad, in your evaluation of the microIDSD BL are you upsampling to dsd512?

 

I'm not upsampling. The DAC is set at bit perfect and all files compared were 1411 AIFF PCM via a Mac Mini using J River 21 with the latest iFi driver.

[lmitche]

I'm not upsampling. The DAC is set at bit perfect and all files compared were 1411 AIFF PCM via a Mac Mini using J River 21 with the latest iFi driver.

Thanks, that's helpful to know. I look forward to your review once the BL is broken in.

[Totsipaki]

Got mine Today. A clear improvement over the regular one. More open airy sound (without 3d enabled) and clearly more dynamic and with punchier bass.. And to think that It desperately needs breaking in.. Also 3d and Xbass are clearly discernable this time but never intrusive, on the contrary quite the opposite..

 

My impressions have been realized by using It in combination with an I purifier and comparing It with my still clearly memorized listening impressions with the regular Micro iDSD I owned in combination with the same iPurifier.

 

Personally I got exactly what I needed and expected thanks Ifi.

[AMR/iFi audio]

Got mine Today. A clear improvement over the regular one. More open airy sound (without 3d enabled) and clearly more dynamic and with punchier bass.. And to think that It desperately needs breaking in.. Also 3d and Xbass are clearly discernable this time but never intrusive, on the contrary quite the opposite..

 

My impressions have been realized by using It in combination with an I purifier and comparing It with my still clearly memorized listening impressions with the regular Micro iDSD I owned in combination with the same iPurifier.

 

Personally I got exactly what I needed and expected thanks Ifi.

 

If you're happy, we're happy!

[gd0]

Yes.

Could you elaborate on that, please?

 

I can't say I'm entirely clear on each product description, but based at least on pricing, I had the impression that the Black would provide better sound quality, regardless of usage. iDAC 2 didn't seem to have a lot of marketing promotion behind it, and yet the suggestion is this is the better-sounding unit for an integrated amp with speakers.

 

Would it be fair to say that the main difference between the Black and iDAC 2 is the Black's 3D / XBass circuitry?

 

And are those things basically enhancements intended for headphones? Maybe sort of like a "loudness" switch on old stereo receivers? And by turn, the iDAC 2's lack of those things yields a more bit-perfect(?) signal going out to an integrated amp / speaker system?

 

I've been very happy with the Nano in such a setup, enough to stick with iFi for an upgrade. The Pro has grown beyond my budget, so it seems a Micro product would be a discernible move up.

 

But which one?

 

If it helps, my system source is iMac > JRiver > outboard DAC (Nano).

 

Thanks!

[AMR/iFi audio]

I can't say I'm entirely clear on each product description, but based at least on pricing, I had the impression that the Black would provide better sound quality, regardless of usage.

 

The iDAC 2 micro is a straight forward USB only input DAC with a basic (though very nice) headphone amplifier that can produce at maximum 12dB less SPL (and less than 1/10th the power) compared to the iDSD micro and is hence limited to "easy to drive" headphones. As it lacks the iEMatch circuitry, it is not ideal for higher end IEM's and similar headphones either.

 

The iDAC 2 micro was designed primarily as the best affordable line out USB DAC we could make and to include a bit-perfect (non-oversampling) filter option for CD and High Res PCM audio (which the nano lacks). This means it's circuit design is quite different from the iDSD micro. It is much simpler, with a more "direct" signal path and as we had a fair amount of space available, we could go pretty hardcore with audiophile parts and relatively space intensive tech like a discrete class A J-Fet output buffer and multiple ANC systems in the power supply to kill the noise from the USB power.

 

The iDSD micro (either edition) packs SPDIF inputs, dual core DAC chips, a battery, complex management systems and an extremely powerful headphone amplifier into the same physical package, with the ability to drive even the most beastly headphones with gusto.

 

There is a lot more money spent on iDSD micro innards and everything is extremely miniaturised. As a result, certain audiophile grade components were simply too large to fit. Hence the Black Label, once we located suitable upgrades to the components originally fitted. And tipping our hat to battery life in portable use there is no explicit class A bias or class A output stage for the line out or the headphone out.

 

Thus comparing price here is not meaningful. They are very different products with different aims and targets.

 

If you need a USB DAC that is not used "on the go", but instead is meant to feed a speaker based HiFi system or an external headphone amplifier; while perhaps occasionally being used to drive undemanding headphones while on holiday; then the iDAC 2 micro, lower price not withstanding, is in our view the better choice as it was designed specifically for this role. And it may (depending on personal taste and system synergy) offer slightly better sound quality (or not) than the iDSD micro Black Label.

 

If you need a one box solution that will drive any high end headphones and IEMs under the sun, which also offers additional controls tailored primarily to compensate recording/headphone shortcomings; if you want a one box solution that will work with any conceivable source from an iPod analogue output via SPDIF output from dedicated digital audio players (aka. DAPs) all the way to playing DSD and high res audio from smartphones, tablets, laptops and computers; if you want a device that does all that, while being battery powered and reasonably portable and can even give your phone a quick battery boost; while perhaps occasionally tethered to a pair of active speakers on a desktop; then iDSD micro (Silver or Black), much higher price not withstanding, is in our view the better choice as it was designed specifically for this role.

 

As an overall system, we would rate the "lego block" combination of iDAC 2 micro, iCAN SE micro and iUSB 3.0 nano or micro as a musically and sonically more capable solution for headphone listening than single iDSD micro. Of course at the cost of portable use, having multiple boxes box and having to drop a fair extra chunk of change.

 

Equally combining the iDAC 2 micro with the iTube micro (or the upcoming iTube 2 micro) and iUSB 3.0 nano or micro is a sonically more capable solution when driving active speakers or power amplifiers, but again at the cost of portable use, having multiple boxes box and - again - larger dough to spend.

 

The TL;DR version is this:

 

Picture a BMW range. You have i.e. 1, M3, and X5. Each is a different car, which will please different clientelle in a different way. For instance, X3 will go anywhere, but M3 will be more pleasant on a German autobahn when you want to drive 200 km/h constantly. Nano range is '1', iDAC2 is 'M3' and iDSD, be it BL or the older version, fits to X5 description.

 

I've been very happy with the Nano in such a setup, enough to stick with iFi for an upgrade. The Pro has grown beyond my budget, so it seems a Micro product would be a discernible move up.

 

Any of the three micro range DAC's, the original iDSD micro, the iDAC 2 micro or the iDSD micro Black Label will offer a significant sonic step up from the iDSD nano. Which one you should buy depends mainly on available budget and the intended role. If driving an integrated Amp and speakers from an iMac - the iDAC 2 micro is probably the smarter choice. For the change left over compared to the iDSD micro you could add an iUSB 3.0 nano and this combination is special. We're sure that others can chime in with their experiences of the sonic differences on line out only for the original iDSD micro, the iDSD micro Black Label and the iDAC 2 micro.

[AMR/iFi audio]

Audiophile Club of Athens – the President uses the iFi iDAC2 in his ultra-fi system!

Late last year, when we were at the Athens Audio Show, we met Mr Kyriakos Kougioumtzoglou – President of the ACA since 2016. Mr Kougioumtzoglou, who also happens to be an EE, knows his onions. He has an ultra-fidelity system which is something to behold; including the Micro Seki RX-1500 and Tascam BR-20 Reel-to-Reel. Not to mention Wilson Audio Alexandria X2 speakers and Siltech cables (if you have to ask…), among other things this gent has.

We were quite taken aback when Mr Kougioumtzoglou told us he bought an iDAC2 for digital duties fed by the Metronome C2A. It has stayed there ever since. Yes, you got this right. He obtained the unit first, gave it a good spin in his expensive setup and then reported that he liked it. And that’s the reason why this is huge for us as we never knew the President of the ACA had iFi in his system.

We are lost for more superlatives but thank you Mr Kougioumtzoglou for letting us know of your little iFi in your big system!

Here is the system:

 

 

 

 

Kyriakos Kougioumtzoglou - ACA

 

Thank you ACA!

[gd0]

The iDAC 2 micro is a straight forward USB only input DAC with a basic (though very nice) headphone amplifier...

Thank you for the very detailed reply.

 

You just made a sale!

 

I might even give that iUSB 3.0 nano a look, which up to this point I was willing to ignore.

 

Good luck with the Pro iDSD. Maybe someday for me...

[Janis]

The iDSD micro (either edition) packs SPDIF inputs, dual core DAC chips,

 

What does it means ''dual core DAC'' ?

 

Thank you,

Janis

[movinginstereo]

I have the micro iDSD Black Label. For home audio implementation, would the combination of Micro iDSD Black Label + iTube2 provide audio quality close to the iDAC2 at the RCA output?

(I guess I'm wondering which would better purchase for amp/speaker audio setup... iDAC2 or a iTube to go with my iDSD BL)

Could you provide some details of the upcoming iTube 2 and could there be a future iDAC with a BB chip for each channel and also a polarity switch (I use this switch quite a bit)?

 

Regarding the Micro iDSD Black Label, I am impressed and very pleased at how it sounds tonally and surprised at the amount of focus, clarity and detail there is in redbook 16/44 resolution.

[lmitche]

The iDSD micro (either edition) packs SPDIF inputs, dual core DAC chips,

 

What does it means ''dual core DAC'' ?

 

Thank you,

Janis

It means that there are two stereo DAC chips inside of one.

[AMR/iFi audio]

It means that there are two stereo DAC chips inside of one.

 

Correct! Thank you!

[AMR/iFi audio]

Thank you for the very detailed reply.

 

You just made a sale!

 

I might even give that iUSB 3.0 nano a look, which up to this point I was willing to ignore.

 

Good luck with the Pro iDSD. Maybe someday for me...

 

 

And another happy customer, hoorray! You'll be happy and we're happy that we could help.

[AMR/iFi audio]

I have the micro iDSD Black Label. For home audio implementation, would the combination of Micro iDSD Black Label + iTube2 provide audio quality close to the iDAC2 at the RCA output?

 

Even though it is a lesser price, we would probably recommend iDAC2+iTube2 for home (ease of use, no battery and exceptional analogue stage etc....just like how the ACA President uses it with Wilson Alexandrias MK2!) And if you buy the super duper headphone section and you don't use it, it's somewhat of a waste!

 

Could you provide some details of the upcoming iTube 2 and could there be a future iDAC with a BB chip for each channel and also a polarity switch (I use this switch quite a bit)?

 

iTube2 details coming out very soon! The micro iDSD has 2 x BurrBrowns for each channel and polarity filter switch!

 

Regarding the Micro iDSD Black Label, I am impressed and very pleased at how it sounds tonally and surprised at the amount of focus, clarity and detail there is in redbook 16/44 resolution.

Thank you very much. We try! Well, it is bit-perfect (non-oversampling type)!

 

[johnsonad]

Thank you for your detailed description and comparison of the idac2 and micro. That was just what I needed. We are pretty happy with the BL but I went ahead and ordered an idac2 to compare against it. More to follow once it arrives.

[AMR/iFi audio]

Boys and girls, just a quick reminder. We'll attend to UK's world famous Sound & Vision - Bristol Show. As per usual, we'll show a new thing or two there, so if you're around, please come and visit us!

The date: 24th - 26th of February

The place: Marriott City Centre Hotel, Lower Castle Street, Bristol, BS1 3AD

The brand: iFi Audio / suite 11

For further info, please take a look here:

http://www.bristolshow.co.uk

See you on the spot!

[marcie]

Just my 2 cents: I had really wished for an upgraded DAC chip in a product like the Black. To my mind and ears at least, the BB DSD1792 is far superior to the 1793, not just in specification but sonically as well. Perhaps it is too expensive for the retail price of the Black, particularly as there are two of them, but still. Really, it is much better than the 1793, not just with PCM, with DSD it is absolute heaven!

 

So, how about it Mr. Loesch et al, please create the iFi "Micro Black REF" DAC featuring the DSD1792!

[AMR/iFi audio]

Just my 2 cents: I had really wished for an upgraded DAC chip in a product like the Black. To my mind and ears at least, the BB DSD1792 is far superior to the 1793, not just in specification but sonically as well. Perhaps it is too expensive for the retail price of the Black, particularly as there are two of them, but still. Really, it is much better than the 1793, not just with PCM, with DSD it is absolute heaven!

 

So, how about it Mr. Loesch et al, please create the iFi "Micro Black REF" DAC featuring the DSD1792!

 

BB1792 in BB1973 won’t go

One had to have two exact units with two chipsets variations to judge whether BB1792 is superior over BB1793 or vice versa. But these two are different chips and cannot be swapped. Each has its own needs. Using one in the other's place means a complete redesign of the product, electronics, software etc. Yet the gist is that it's much more about what one does with a d/a converter chip rather which one we use.

 

 

Drilling down beyond the Datasheet

Just to give you a prime example, according to BB1793's datasheet, this one isn't capable of DSD512. Yet we've made it perfectly viable, simply because we look beyond what's in its datasheet.

 

To backtrack a bit, this is not our first rodeo - the same story goes with TDA1541 back in 2006 when the AMR CD-77 was the only digital device to use the TDA1541A along with Dynamic Element Matching (DEM) reclocked and synchronised to the digital audio signal, in order to improve linearity. Even the Phillips marketing department didn't know about this! The DEM circuitry brought the linearity closer of the TDA1541A to the infamous ‘Double Crown S2’ version.

 

 

As you can appreciate, we’ve got to keep 'some' technical secrets back and can't go here in detail. Suffice to say, no, we don't think the BB1792 sounds better than BB1793. It's pricier and has a sexier technical datasheet. But that is about it. For us, the BB1793 is less ‘show’ but has more ‘go.’

 

[jjraffin]

 

Even though it is a lesser price, we would probably recommend iDAC2+iTube2 for home (ease of use, no battery and exceptional analogue stage etc....just like how the ACA President uses it with Wilson Alexandrias MK2!)

 

 

I had a similar question. So will there be a "black edition" of the iDac2 coming out soon? Otherwise I can't see why it matches the iDSD, especially if a user wants DSD512 (like I do).

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AMR/iFi audio]

I had a similar question. So will there be a "black edition" of the iDac2 coming out soon? Otherwise I can't see why it matches the iDSD, especially if a user wants DSD512 (like I do).

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The iDAC2 has only been out for less than 1 year. We design our gear thoroughly and with longevity in mind. The micro iDSD was out for 3 years.

 

To further improve the iDAC2 (expect greater impact with non-iFi DACs) we recommend the iPurifier2/iUSB3.0.

 

In addition it's also worth to know, that iDAC2 and latest iDSD BL are apples and oranges. Both are d/a converters, yet each addresses different needs and was designed to meet different expectations. One is purely desktop, whereas the other is transportable, one is loaded with lots of functionalities, the other is mainly a source etc.

[Loplop]

Thank you for your detailed description and comparison of the idac2 and micro. That was just what I needed. We are pretty happy with the BL but I went ahead and ordered an idac2 to compare against it. More to follow once it arrives.

 

I am in the same boat; pretty happy with the BL as a source for my iCAN Pro... but this thread's suggestion from ifi that the iDAC2 would be "better" caused me to order one to see for myself

 

I just got it yesterday, and am letting it settle in before a listen. I also picked up an iUSB3 nano to feed it (micro was on backorder).

 

Curious what you think so far.

 

FWIW, and germane to this thread, I really enjoy my BL as a transportable DAC/amp, especially with my LCDX, which is a particularly felicitous pairing.

[johnsonad]

Mine arrived yesterday after FedEx delays due to the weather. Right out of the ice cold box impressions are good and it has started a burn in cycle. I'll report back after 100 hours or so. Not sure how long this one needs to burn in. We noticed changes past 350 hours on the BL. At 500 hours it was smooth and sounds great.

[Totsipaki]

Mine has also passed the 100hr barrier for sometime now. It has improved alot since day1 when It was still better than the original. Spatial infirmation high frequency detail bass response and tightness along with dynamics are on a different level on the black. Add the improved sence of musicality and realism and my verdict is that the black sounds like a new improved category device. If the original was a hard to beat value for money device this one is a steal... I am having a hard time to stop listening once I begin..

[Loplop]

Mine arrived yesterday after FedEx delays due to the weather. Right out of the ice cold box impressions are good and it has started a burn in cycle. I'll report back after 100 hours or so. Not sure how long this one needs to burn in. We noticed changes past 350 hours on the BL. At 500 hours it was smooth and sounds great.

Thanks! Look forward to your thoughts.

 

I have about 360 hours on my BL now. Sounds good; it had some treble splash when new, but that settled in. It's nice to know it might even settle in a little more. I really enjoy my BL and the transportable freedom it provides.

 

My iDAC2 has about 50 hours on it, and I decided to do a quick a/b with the BL. Running some HQPlayer upsampled DSD256, the iDAC2 did sound notably better. Certainly there is a familial resemblance to the sound, but the iDAC2 has better resolution & refinement. I'll revisit again after a few hundred more hours and of course try PCM and native DSD. I'm impressed so far.

[AMR/iFi audio]

Thanks! Look forward to your thoughts.

 

I have about 360 hours on my BL now. Sounds good; it had some treble splash when new, but that settled in. It's nice to know it might even settle in a little more. I really enjoy my BL and the transportable freedom it provides.

 

My iDAC2 has about 50 hours on it, and I decided to do a quick a/b with the BL. Running some HQPlayer upsampled DSD256, the iDAC2 did sound notably better. Certainly there is a familial resemblance to the sound, but the iDAC2 has better resolution & refinement. I'll revisit again after a few hundred more hours and of course try PCM and native DSD. I'm impressed so far.

Yup, purely soundwise, iDAC2 is in our opinion better than iDSD BL. Though these are two different units, designed to do different things. And with that in mind, we'll leave you to it!

 

Cheers