There was discussion of how iFi's definition of 'minimum phase' was odd - wonder if that's still the case, what the effect of the new filter(s) (GTO, or whatever it's called) is, and whether polarity is reversed on the Micro too. Sometimes, when I switched inputs or filters, I heard a loud transient through the speakers, but not every time -- I could find no pattern to isolate the cause. The titular first movement opens with a quiet descending motif for solo cello, alternated with intense double-stopped chords. It does everything a product of this sort should do these days, does it really well, throws a ton of useful features on top of that and I honestly can’t think of anything else I’d like see on-board. As the flagship DAC and headphone amplifier from iFi Audio, the Pro iDSD boasts an impressive range of features to suit both studio users and more domestic setups. But that’s not a Hip-DAC issue, I don’t think. The latest to come from the UK's iFi Audio is the Zen Phono. + GTO filter (personal preference), Cons: Curious mind? But what I like about it is that you can adjust the ASIO Buffer size along with the USB streaming mode. When tracks were not mqa, the ifi nano kicked the Zen's ass, noticeably. Posted on July 31, 2019 August 30, 2019 by Oscar Stewart. (And a whole different set of features). Thank you. And you’re right: coming soon is an even smaller DAC/Amp with the 4.4mm balanced jack! However, once the network has been confirmed, the user is able to select his/her preferred DLNA app. I still preferred the combo of Tube/DSD1024/GTO filter for the bulk of my listening, which to my ears made the DAC a clear standout compared to like-priced competitors from Mytek and Benchmark. There is a document on this and other subjects on iFi’s website on how it really works. GTO filter with GMT. What MQA Encoding and the iFi Pro iDSD streamer DAC GTO filter have in common is the ability to correct the biggest problem with PCM recordings, especially the CD 16/44.1k format we've all had to live with for too long. If that’s your use case, and you’re ok with battery life being about half of what iFI claims, then the Hip-DAC is a good buy. At the same time in balanced mode, the higher noise floor does not matter because it is where you run inefficient headphones. Below the USB Type-B port is a combined coaxial/optical S/PDIF input (a dongle for connecting a TosLink interconnect to that port is included). Then I compared it again with the ifi nano idsd and, well, the ifi Zen won with mqa tracks, but not with non mqa. It tends to work out fine because overly sensitive IEM’s that are prone to picking up hiss or noise will not and will be inaudible in the single-stage scenario. There’s another at the beginning too. The Hip-DAC also has a moderate noise floor and needs an impedance adapter for sensitive headphones. Joe Morello’s drum beats were fast, sharp, and substantial, and his cymbals sounded startlingly natural, their sharp metallic attacks followed by a rapidly decaying sheen. GTO muscle. The back of the unit sports the two USB connections. document.getElementById('cloakd9f4ad926a0b34ab59b72b2af4306697').innerHTML = ''; There was discussion of how iFi's definition of 'minimum phase' was odd - wonder if that's still the case, what the effect of the new filter(s) (GTO, or whatever it's called) is, and whether polarity is reversed on the Micro too. iFi audio - The GTO filter Part 3/4 - Introducing the iFi GTO™ Digital Filter HOW TAPS RELATES TO WHAT IS HEARD So far, we have identified that we prefer the GTO filter because it has few taps. All the other headphone connections types are game on the hip-dac. I cannot recommend this unit enough, especially if you have the SHP9500s, M50x or Grados, or anything that you may not feel can benefit from an AMP/DAC and you're on the fence for a product like this. + Analogue volume Pro-Ject Audio’s Pre Box RS2 Digital DAC-headphone amp is a natural comparison for the Pro iDSD, and not only for its price ($2499). Spoiler alert. My Google Wifi network doesn’t support WPS. The hip-dac is one of iFi’s latest offerings. Via the USB Type-B port, the Pro iDSD can accept resolutions of up to 32/768 PCM and DSD512. I’m considering getting something like this or the Dragonfly Cobalt, but am not sure if my ears would notice much difference. FWIW, I also can’t reliably get MQA from UAPP without bit-perfect mode; Tidal doesn’t always work as expected though UAPP or standalone. Tube+ added a further degree of richness, at the expense of dynamic bite. The finish seems exceptionally durable. But dynamics were faster and sharper through the Pro iDSD -- drums, guitars, and voices all hit harder. It is knurled and is very smooth to operate. A half-century ago, when I got into audio, most amplifiers had front panels that looked like jet cockpits. There have been two firmware updates for the Pro iDSD since launch. The Micro iDSD Signature also comes with iFi’s GTO (Gibbs Transient Optimized) digital filter installed. If you have any 3.5mm headphone it will work here regardless if balanced 4-pole or 3-pole so the connection is flexible and not fixed for balanced 3.5mm only. iFi also uses a new proprietary PureWave topology where they go for a dual-mono setup with shorter signal paths than their previous designs. What MQA Encoding and the iFi Pro iDSD streamer DAC GTO filter have in common is the ability to correct the biggest problem with PCM recordings, especially the CD 16/44.1k format we've all had to live with for too long. The amp comes in both a single-ended 1/4 inch standard output, as well as the 4.4mm Pentaconn balanced output, which is not seen often on a desktop amp at this price. I spent a few frustrating hours trying to figure out what was going on. How iFi GTO does it? And as a result iFi Audio has developed a number of solutions ranging from the Nano iOne to the Nano iDSD Black to the Hip-DAC to the xDSD to a host of other products for OTG or at-home listening. The iFi page also has a GTO Filter firmware update which is also easy to install and just sharpens the sound up a notch. This makes it impossible to find the music you want on an attached drive or card. the question is: does the GTO filter resample 8x when it reproduces PCM or is it only for MQA and then in my case it reproduces PCM at the source frequency of the file? The MQA Renderer on all iFi DAC’s except Pro performs unfolding to 8x rates. The hip-dac can be upgraded with a firmware 5.30c that has the Gibbs Transient Optimized Filter. The soundstage was even more filled in, and higher. Oh yea and I personally liked the 5.30c firmware that has the GTO filter. Network setup is a case in point. I've spun vinyl as a DJ in New York City and New Jersey, worked in electronics manufacturing and sold With GTO filter Hip DAC added more energy in the upper mids and presence area. Note, this review follows our new scoring guidelines for 2020 which you can read up on here. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; The Earstudio ES100 is smaller and lighter with better battery life. iFi Audio’s Pro iDSD is a sleek little component with a few rough edges. – Spurious iFi claims (battery life) iFi has a complete document on the subject and makes an interesting read. GTO filter In the end, with the iFi GTO filter, by keeping the filter short and without pre-ringing, the filter response is inaudible because it is masked by the limits of the human hearing system. The sample I reviewed feels like v.0.9. The single-bit DSD streams are converted to Digital eXtreme Definition, aka DXD (24/352.8 or 24/384), resampled using the user’s preferred filter, then converted to DSD512 or 1024 and output to the DAC. I cannot recommend this unit enough, especially if you have the SHP9500s, M50x or Grados, or anything that you may not feel can benefit from an AMP/DAC and you're on … GTO added some muscle and authority, and opened up orchestral textures slightly -- with the Bit-Perfect filters, they’d sounded a little closed-in. You could use USB OTG checker from the Playstore to verify if it is. For long periods, I used the Pro-Ject Stream Box S2 Ultra as the main source and just left it connected. Sonically, I think iFi has hit a home run with this product. So what’s the point of this feature? What I heard was sublime. Misleading claim: It’s the smallest DAC/Amp around. The latest 5.3c firmware brings a completely new GTO (Gibbs Transient Optimised) digital filter. In a nutshell, it takes the internal clocks and synchronizes them to GMT or global master timing. I cued up in the Audirvana music-player app on my MacBook Pro a CD rip of one of my favorite film scores: Philip Glass’s music for The Secret Agent (1996), with Michael Riesman conducting the English Chamber Orchestra (16-bit/44.1kHz ALAC, Nonesuch). We can only apologize for the inconvenience. You want small? Knowing how Neo did as a DAC, it was time to take it home to go into the pit with Pro. Chanel Imbalance Pics - I can hear the imbalance in between the pics below. It also gave a better sense of the acoustics of Mechanics Hall. It is a small, portable battery-powered USB Dac and headphone Amp combo that works with OTG compatible Android phones, Apple products, laptops, and even on a home PC. Take a look at what headgear you’re going to be plugging into the Hip-DAC. If your router supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), you can initiate the pairing process with a long press of the Pro iDSD’s Filter button, and complete it by pressing the WPS button on your router. However, the sound had a straightforwardness that I found very appealing. The GTO filter upsamples PCM making it sound like HD Audio. We’ve also given you Bit Perfect, Bit Perfect+, Apodising, and Transient Aligned. But I see now the descriptions have been updated. iFI had made other misleading (in my opinion) claims on other sites I won’t go into here. The claim of the smallest Dac Amp? That's what the GTO and Apodising filters are. More firmware and software updates will be released going forward as part of iFi’s policy of continuous improvement. Just above this switch is an Ethernet port, and to its right are a USB Type-A port for connecting an external drive, a USB Type-B port for connecting a computer, and a slot for a microSD card. With which will I get a better sound? And again, the iFi more convincingly presented the acoustic of All Hallows Gospel Oak. There’s also a BNC Sync output, and between the two BNC jacks is a little Clock Mode dial with four settings for using an external data clock: Atomic, DARS, 10MHz, and Standalone. Victoria Pickles iFi AudioSouthport, England. The iFi’s headphone amp is far more powerful than the Pro-Ject’s, and it has balanced and single-ended outputs. As noted, the Pro iDSD has three output modes: Solid-State, which routes audio through a JFET-based input stage; Tube, which routes audio through a tubed input stage; and Tube+, which uses the same tubed input stage but reduces overall loop gain and negative feedback to minima, at the cost of higher harmonic distortion, primarily even-order. As a result, the GTO filter introduced with firmware 5.30C replaces the Minimum Phase filter. Green and Yellow for PCM, Cyan, and Blue for DSD and Magenta for MQA. His ostinato bass notes and staccato chords sounded immensely powerful -- I can’t recall ever having heard a concert grand more authoritatively reproduced in my living room. It works nicely for classic rock, metal, synthwave, and electronica if you share my eclectic taste. On this track, it was a toss-up between the Solid-State and Tube modes -- forced to choose, I’d go with Solid-State. It’s also a totally analog volume control potentiometer which I really like because of the precision in volume adjustment you get. Users can activate DSD Remastering (DSD512 or 1024), or leave this feature turned off. Yeah, that is weird, we have disabled review scoring from readers for now until the developer fixes that – thanks for spotting that one. When using the MQA filter engine with our GTO filter coefficients, all PCM audio is oversampled to 8x Rate. I’ve been around. If size matters then the Cobalt is fine if your headphones are sensitive/ efficient. Both are smaller than the Hip-DAC. To play Masters content from Tidal, I used the Roon and Audirvana apps on my MacBook Pro, which performed core decoding of Tidal’s MQA streams. Data are reclocked before being passed along to the DAC section, which comprises four bit-perfect Burr-Brown DXD/DSD DACs in a fully differential configuration. At bottom left is the on/standby switch, and above and to its right is a large knob for selecting among inputs, and adjusting polarity and display brightness. It is a Texas Instruments Burr-Brown DSD1793 stereo audio D/A converter chip with a custom firmware developed by iFi. You also get an MQA setup pamphlet, a small instruction pamphlet, and four 3M stick-on clear rubber feet. There was no level matching, and I didn't use the power match button (since the headphones I used were Grados SR325e, very easy to drive). On a side note why does the score of 5 appear when I specifically said this wasn’t a review and provided no scores? I can't say that I was surprised. After unpacking the Pro iDSD, I connected it to my Elac Navis ARF-51 active speakers using a 2m pair of Argentum Acoustics Mythos balanced interconnects (XLR). Its case has a seamless all-metal construction with a metallic flake blue finish and black resin type end caps on both ends. Thanks! Through the Pro-Ject, the Stile Antico singers had a warmer, more organic sound that I found very appealing. This button does more than just raise the bass frequency curve. + Wide device compatibility Turns out iFi didn’t enable MQA support until firmware v.2.01, and has since issued a maintenance upgrade: v.2.08. I’m not perfect so be easy on me. Then I played the same album through the headphone amp in the Pro-Ject Pre Box RS2, using the same filter settings on both devices as I’d used for my comparisons through speakers: Bit-Perfect+ (iFi) and No Oversampling (Pro-Ject). You can read more about iFi Audio products we reviewed on Headfonics by clicking here. Hello everyone my name is Louis and I’m the author and I hope you liked my review. While the manual provides abundant detail on the Pro iDSD’s design and features, it gives only cursory guidance on setup. As the actual filter selection on iFi’s devices is done with physical switches, in order to implement this new filter it means that another filter had to bite the dust. ZEN will restart itself after this process and you’re good to go. Next to the Pentaconn connector is a 3.5mm connector with something iFi calls S-Balanced. S-Balanced from what I understand is an iFi exclusive feature and I really like it. The sound was a little rounder, but attacks weren’t as fast, and details in Mehldau’s runs not as clearly delineated. These adapters might come in handy for your low-volume listener, because at low volume levels, there is a significant channel imbalance, where one ear gets the full volume, and the other gets… to barely a whisper. Good afternoon, I have an original IFI Nano IDSD with firmware 5.30c. This XMOS chip handles high bit rates of up to 384k/ bit and 11.2 MHz single bit on DSD. iFi documentation states the 5.3c GTO (Gibbs Transient Optimised) filter upsamples the digital signal to 352.8/384 kHz and this is what is seen by the DAC, irrespective of any other software in the pipeline. iFi Audio writes its own code for all its products so is able to update software regularly with incremental product improvements. Post-ringing is very short in duration—0.7msec, or brief enough to be masked by the human hearing mechanism, per iFi’s technical note; the GTO’s post-ringing “cannot be heard,” they say. The iFi Neo iDSD uses a Burr-Brown chip as per tradition. Thank you to iFi Audio for giving us this opportunity. Just like the American muscle car, it adds gravitas and a new dimension to your driving…sorry, listening. At first I just wanted to conclude it's a decent sounding, feature packed device and ship it back, but after flashing new firmware and then adding linear PS I decided to purchase it instead and sold off my Modi 3. HEHE. You can read up more on the GTO Filter here. Their products seem to be casual on the surface and far more complex underneath, tricky even. At the same time this filter still permits significant attenuation of unwanted ultrasonic It basically simulates a balanced connection from the 3.5mm connector and it is done by just adding one extra ground connection. It makes all those bass light headphones bass light no more. I never got to use it but it seems like a great unit and Marcus gave it a very good score so it must be. Page 1 of the manual packaged in the sealed box containing my review sample lists “Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) Playback” as one of the Pro iDSD’s features, and the MQA logo is prominently emblazoned on the Pro iDSD’s shipping carton. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I am also in agreement that the volume control is an asset. It is a good idea to isolate them in order to control any type of interference between the two. With the implementation of the Pentaconn and the 3.5mm connector with the S-Balanced configuration, there are not many headphones you cannot use with the hip-dac. There is firmware available on iFi’s website which is a unified firmware that works on most iFi units including the Zen DAC. The volume control also acts as the power on/off switch. The BT5.0 is one of the highlights of the product and has LDAC support. The Micro iDSD Signature also comes with iFi’s GTO (Gibbs Transient Optimized) digital filter installed. Unlike the Pro iDSD, the Pre Box RS2 lacks built-in networking or streaming capability. It seems that iFi has been selling Pro iDSDs with old firmware, but shipping them in new cartons with new manuals! But if you just leave a device connected to the USB input, you’re unlikely to experience this problem more than once. Other weirdness: With all sources, in both Tube and Solid-State modes, I heard a mild hiss that varied with the volume setting, and a quiet motorboating sound that was constant in level regardless of volume setting. The cost of the hip-dac is $149 at the time of writing this article. They were the same yesterday, but now are different. The latter adds an analog filter, developed by AMR, to restore the detail and air lost by traditional non-oversampling filters, iFi says. First off, yea the battery life is not what iFi says it is and for me I got about half of the 12 hours listed on their website. Gordon BrockhouseThis email address is being protected from spambots. The battery takes about 2 hours to charge. For the last, my review sample had a 4.4mm Pentaconn jack; a 2.5mm jack is available. iFi Neo iDSD Review. No such luck. While I enjoyed hearing this track through both DACs, I preferred the Pro iDSD. Though the one I know of isn’t exactly a competitor to the Hip-DAC. Granted I did it before installing the iFi USB drivers and properly setting up Tidal. Take a hard pass. The software I use is JRiver, so it does not play MQA. As it stands most people will have to hunt down a compatible wire for some of their devices. The Müzo application that we use is third-party software. Static electricity could send the Pro iDSD into conniptions. The iFi page also has a GTO Filter firmware update which is also easy to install and just sharpens the sound up a notch. Power and charge are handled by the new type USB C connector which is a plus to me and the signal is handled by a full-size male USB connector counter sunken into the unit itself. Hi, the funny thing is, I can hear that fart from my iphone speaker too :) But it’s well written review btw. I believe they are at the signal level and not at the output stage making this amp extremely reliable and durable. There are two non-oversampling filters: Bit-Perfect and Bit-Perfect+. So would firmware 7.0 provide Signature users with the 3 filter … If you IEM’s or headphones are sensitive I’d suggest using the 3.5mm out because it’s powerful enough. You can read up more on the GTO Filter here. The Hip-DAC is not a good value for most use cases as such. by Amos Barnett. The hip-dac comes in a printed box 5”x 3.75” x 1.5” in diameter with a white cardboard cradle inside that holds the hip-dac along with some accessories. This brings us to the review of iFi Audio’s brimming-with-options flagship the Pro iDSD DAC/Headphone Amplifier/Streamer ($2,499). You cannot use a 6.35mm or XLR of course but they were not made for portable use anyway. There’s also a credit-card-sized remote control with membrane keys for adjusting volume, but that’s all the remote does -- everything else is controlled from the front panel. I began in Solid-State mode, with DSD Remastering turned off and the Bit-Perfect filter selected. Yet this made the iFi kinder to poor source material, conveniently glossing-over the nasties inherent in low bitrate streams, for example. Filter response will change, THD+N ratio might actually be worse. With the Bit-Perfect filter the solo cello was rich and woody, but the violins were a bit steely and truncated compared to the other filters. Push it to cycle through the three remastering options -- DSD512, DSD1024, none -- or rotate it to choose the filter. According to iFi, the Apodizing filter produces “a slightly defocused and enlarged soundstage, and correct HF detail and air”; Transient Aligned delivers “an enlarged soundstage and very smooth high frequencies.” The GTO filter is very short (32 taps), with no pre-ringing. It is probable that Gordon received a unit without the current firmware. The hip-dac is a small hip flask device full of technology that is also used on their more expensive units. But dynamics weren’t as sharp, so the singers’ diction and word painting weren’t quite as specific. Thank you for taking the time to read my review. During playback, the screen also displays the input and output sample rates, the input and filter names, and the operating mode: PCM, DXD, DSD, or MQA. Maybe I’m experiencing an Android specific problem, or one that’s unique to my phone. iFi makes this clear in the information provided and suggests alternatives. When you open the box, you will find 3 short wires inside the box. It’s at the very bottom of the volume but I really don’t want to listen to music that low ever so it doesn’t bother me. If it were a female connector you could basically use any wire you have at home and that is included with almost every USB device out there. The Pro iDSD is more than a DAC. Instead of active output filters, the DAC output is routed through a third-order passive filter to remove ultrasonic noise. The volume control knob is also made of metal. All rights reserved. The company also promises to add new digital filters according to future firmware updates to slightly change the sound quality. The Pro iDSD’s maximum resolution is 32-bit/192kHz from USB storage, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet; or 24/192 via S/PDIF, AES/EBU, and BNC. Review: iFi Audio Pro iDSD. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; To resuscitate it, I had to disconnect and reconnect the power. Operational issues like these can make my blood boil. If DSD512 or 1024 Remastering is selected, DSD64, 128, and 256 streams are processed by the FPGA using the user’s preferred filter: GTO, Apodizing, or Transient Aligned. At top left on the front panel, a backlit iFi logo glows various colors to indicate the Pro iDSD’s operational statuses. The rest of the amplifier section comprises a bipolar-based second stage and a MOSFET-buffered bipolar output stage. Audio equipment at a major audio retailer. Among other things, this would maximize the life of those two NOS tubes. Overall the sound is more dynamic now. The micro iDSD Signature also comes with iFi's GTO (Gibbs Transient Optimized) digital filter installed; alternative digital filters can be loaded as firmware updates if preferred. iFi claims that it is an analog bass restorer. The company also promises to add new digital filters according to future firmware updates to slightly change the sound quality. Like the Pro iDSD, it has tubed and solid-state output stages (the headphone amp is solid-state only), many digital filtering options (but no DSD Remastering), MQA decoding, and support for hi-rez PCM and DSD. I like that I can get so precise with it over digital volume control. For example, I was using a 32 ohm, 103dB(+/- 3 dB) @ 1 kHz sensitivity (for lack of better phrasing) IEM today. With all settings, the dynamics and timbres of Fred Sherry’s cello and Henry Schuman’s English horn were superbly reproduced, maximizing the emotional impact of their playing. The hip-dac can be upgraded with a firmware 5.30c that has the Gibbs Transient Optimized Filter. However, it does not take them into boomy territory either. We note that he was very impressed with the sound quality but had some issues in the setup and operation. Pretty and fancy boxes are fine but to me, they are a waste of money, add cost, and are only good for showing off a product. killer sound. To check out the iFi’s DSD Remastering feature, I chose one of my favorite albums of 2018: After Bach, by jazz pianist Brad Mehldau (24/96 FLAC, Nonesuch). Originated from Abbingdon Music Research, the iFi audio company clearly is in the long term audio game. This is something different. I set the Pro iDSD in Solid-State mode, as the Pro-Ject’s headphone circuits are solid-state only. They feel great to operate and have a positive click feedback feel. GTO overrides ALL PCM filters. – High noise floor on both 4.4mm and 3.5mm jacks. There is also a charging LED. I actually got Zen DAC on a loan from iFi, for a review on my YT channel. Network. When I tried to update the firmware, I kept getting an error message: Firmware Update Failed. Forced to choose between the Pro iDSD and the Exogal Comet Plus (US$3499), I would have a very difficult time deciding. I only got about 6 to 7 hours but then again I like the volume up high and with X-Bass enabled so I guess you get 12 hours if you listen to it at low or moderate levels of volume. Combine it with a pair of active speakers -- e.g., my Elac Navis ARF-51s ($4599.96/pair) -- and you have a simple, small-footprint music system that can deliver (spoiler alert!) addyd9f4ad926a0b34ab59b72b2af4306697 = addyd9f4ad926a0b34ab59b72b2af4306697 + 'soundstage' + '.' + 'com'; The iFi more effectively conveyed the immense power of Mehldau’s Steinway. Now, take a look at these headphones and check the sensitivity and impedance. . LED on indicate X-bass on and High power match on. Overall the sound is more dynamic now. Does it go in the ear, on the ear, or over the ear? The Pro iDSD’s specified power outputs for headphones are 1575mWx2 RMS into 64 ohms, or 4200mWx2 maximum into 16 ohms. This didn’t happen -- not with mConnect, and not when I played Tidal Masters content from my MacBook Pro using Audirvana, Roon, or the Tidal desktop app. by Amos Barnett. I preferred the Tube setting, finding it more atmospheric -- everything seemed more filled in. ;- ) var addyd9f4ad926a0b34ab59b72b2af4306697 = 'gordon' + '@'; On high sensitivity IEMs, this creates a problem for low volume listeners with the channel imbalance (and noise). On the left side are pairs of balanced (XLR) and single-ended (RCA) line-level outputs, these configurable for fixed- or variable-level output via a small rotary switch. By my calculations, that adds up to 72 permutations! For lower PCM sample rates, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 96 kHz, I like the iFi PCM digital filter choices.

Hp Laptop Screen Replacement Price, Dreamcatcher Movie 2021, Uniform Cost Search Python Github, Breeds Of Sheep, How Many Chapters Mk11 Aftermath, Whipple Supercharger Australia, Overseer's Guardian Fallout 4 Id, Elizabeth, West Virginia, How Often Does The Weather Change In Florida,