[Hyde00]

How did you get that discount? On the Adorama web site I see it listed at $749.

A little bird that told another little bird.

Basically need special link similar to when they were selling Focal Elegia for cheap back then.

 

[HiFi Seeker]

How did you get that discount? On the Adorama web site I see it listed at $749.

Try this link. It was posted in the deal thread by another member.

https://www.adorama.com/ifimidsdf.html

 

[HiFi Seeker]

A little bird that told another little bird.

Basically need special link similar to when they were selling Focal Elegia for cheap back then.

Tell the little bird I’m looking for new headphones to pair with this puppy. Ha ha

 

[Alanford69]

Hello, how does the new Diablo 2 compare with the Signature in terms of sonic quality? I currently use the Signature with a Beyer DT1770 Pro.

 

[Loftprojection]

Try this link. It was posted in the deal thread by another member.

https://www.adorama.com/ifimidsdf.h...0&utm_source=rflaid62905&utm_medium=affiliate

You ROCK! THANKS. Just ordered one, I was looking at the Finale for a few weeks trying to convince myself to buy it or wait for some manufacturer this year to finally announce a transportable R2R DAC. At $299 it took me 5 seconds after looking at your link to press the buy button! Hahaha

 

[Loftprojection]

A little bird that told another little bird.

Basically need special link similar to when they were selling Focal Elegia for cheap back then.

Many thanks to you also, love your little bird! Hahaha

 

[utdeep]

I just don’t see any value in any other portable DAC/amp setup if you can get the Signature Finale at this price. It’s the best versatile DAC/amp I’ve used from anything from IEMs to planars. I prefer the Diablo for planars, but you can’t use that for IEMs due to a lack of IEM match.

 

[HiFi Seeker]

Well, at $299 I'd suggest it's quite a bargain these days.



When the original iDSD micro was designed (this still retains > 95% of the original design) in 2013, it was meant to be the the team could manage. It is still an excellent unit a decade later. But some of the limitation s of both technology and the available skills in the team, mean it is a bit behind the times in a range of ways.

Like gain settings (including iEMatch) and volume control need to be manually matched to your Headphone to get a reasonable adjustment range, instead of just turning the volume control to the volume you need, which you find on some later iFi products.



I have an iDSD micro Black Label in my personal use, which is basically the same unit.

I use it to drive a wide range of headphones and iEM's and have used it with headphones including Final D8000, Sennheiser HD600, HD800, Audeze LCD2, Abyss Diana, AKG K701, AKG K1000, Campfire Audio Andromeda to name some. I even used it to drive classic Stax & Micro Seiki Electrostatic headphones, using the classic Transformer setup boxes with a suitable cable. I rarely felt that the iDSD micro BL was the weak link in the setup.

I generally use it with iUSB 3.0 micro though and with good quality USB Cables.

It is important to learn the correct use of the "PowerMode" (this does more than just switching gain) and "iEMatch" switches. As a rule, aim for good listening levels with the volume control set to around mid travel (12 O'Clock). This gives the widest range of adjustment for volume. Set power mode to the lowest setting that will allow this. If you are already in "eco" and you cannot raise the volume to ~ 12 OO'Clock without it getting very loud, enage iEMatch on of the two settings available until you get a sensible volume control range.

Thor

Hi Thor,

I appreciate your expertise and wanted to ask. I have a HiFiMann HE1000 Stealth on the way. Will the iFi iDSD Micro Signature Finale be sufficient to get the full potential out of this headphone or should I really invest in something else. Thank you.

David

 

[sparkofinsanity]

There are so many variables at play with audio. Two days ago I started messing around with filters and DSD upscaling (Pro iDSD Signature) and everything glued together all of a sudden, smoother treble which probably made me increase volume so the bass got fuller. It was a day with no stress or mental strain and I was in a good mood. On top of that I used an iPad instead of a Macbook as source. Yesterday the experience was different. Different mood, high level of stress and back to the Macbook as source. I'm betting on me being the weakest link to consistent results, but I'll keep trying,

 

[iFi audio]

There are so many variables at play with audio. Two days ago I started messing around with filters and DSD upscaling (Pro iDSD Signature) and everything glued together all of a sudden, smoother treble which probably made me increase volume so the bass got fuller. It was a day with no stress or mental strain and I was in a good mood. On top of that I used an iPad instead of a Macbook as source. Yesterday the experience was different. Different mood, high level of stress and back to the Macbook as source. I'm betting on me being the weakest link to consistent results, but I'll keep trying,

I believe we all get like that! As long as you enjoy it in the moment, that's what counts!

Just a few days ago I reconnected an old Pi I had used forever and am enjoying it connected to my RME, does it sound different after being away from it for so long? That I can't say but it was fun doing it and remembering all the times I put together a Pi for someone who couldn't quite catch the grasp!

In the end, your feelings on what you hear are all that matter! Enjoy...

Cheers!!

 

[Loftprojection]

I got my iDSD Finale, let it burn a few days and now checking it out. I'm not a reviewer so take my words for what they are, just my opinion. First I'd like to say I'm a tube lover, non oversampling lover, analog lover, vinyl lover, I guess you get it, I'm not a digital lover! hahaha. My desktop DAC is the NOS tube MHDT Orchid, my desktop amp is the tube Unison SH and my main cans are Meze Empy. My transportable kit is a tube Woo WA8 with Beyer Xelento IEM fed by iPhone. So why did I get the iDSD Finale, because I'm not very satisfied by the internal ESS DAC in the Woo WA8.

So the iDSD Finale, in a word, I'm happy to have bought it. As a transportable DAC it definitely does a better job feeding my Woo WA8 then using the internal ESS DAC. I find the sound more refined, a tiny bit more detailed while at the same time feeling a little less "digital" sounding, and that is what I was looking for.

I didn't listen much to the amp section of the iDSD, but briefly to my taste it sounds pretty good for a SS amp, unfortunately I never really like the sound of SS amps. The xbass function is really nice, without it I think I would have said the amp was just barely ok. The turbo power also makes quite a difference to drive my Meze Empy. The thing that is not the greatest is the volume pot, at low volume it has imbalance between left and right which is a bit sad for a product of this class but not a huge problem because it is quite low volume level, as soon as you raise the volume it is perfectly balanced.

Well that's about it, thanks iFi, this is my first purchase but probably not my last, specially if you ever venture into the R2R DAC side, the dark side!

 

[iFi audio]

I got my iDSD Finale, let it burn a few days and now checking it out. I'm not a reviewer so take my words for what they are, just my opinion. First I'd like to say I'm a tube lover, non oversampling lover, analog lover, vinyl lover, I guess you get it, I'm not a digital lover! hahaha. My desktop DAC is the NOS tube MHDT Orchid, my desktop amp is the tube Unison SH and my main cans are Meze Empy. My transportable kit is a tube Woo WA8 with Beyer Xelento IEM fed by iPhone. So why did I get the iDSD Finale, because I'm not very satisfied by the internal ESS DAC in the Woo WA8.

So the iDSD Finale, in a word, I'm happy to have bought it. As a transportable DAC it definitely does a better job feeding my Woo WA8 then using the internal ESS DAC. I find the sound more refined, a tiny bit more detailed while at the same time feeling a little less "digital" sounding, and that is what I was looking for.

I didn't listen much to the amp section of the iDSD, but briefly to my taste it sounds pretty good for a SS amp, unfortunately I never really like the sound of SS amps. The xbass function is really nice, without it I think I would have said the amp was just barely ok. The turbo power also makes quite a difference to drive my Meze Empy. The thing that is not the greatest is the volume pot, at low volume it has imbalance between left and right which is a bit sad for a product of this class but not a huge problem because it is quite low volume level, as soon as you raise the volume it is perfectly balanced.

Well that's about it, thanks iFi, this is my first purchase but probably not my last, specially if you ever venture into the R2R DAC side, the dark side!

Thanks for the thoughts, we are glad you are enjoying it! Let us know how it fairs for you down the line in other scenarios!

Cheers!!

 

[HiFi Seeker]

I got my iDSD Finale, let it burn a few days and now checking it out. I'm not a reviewer so take my words for what they are, just my opinion. First I'd like to say I'm a tube lover, non oversampling lover, analog lover, vinyl lover, I guess you get it, I'm not a digital lover! hahaha. My desktop DAC is the NOS tube MHDT Orchid, my desktop amp is the tube Unison SH and my main cans are Meze Empy. My transportable kit is a tube Woo WA8 with Beyer Xelento IEM fed by iPhone. So why did I get the iDSD Finale, because I'm not very satisfied by the internal ESS DAC in the Woo WA8.

So the iDSD Finale, in a word, I'm happy to have bought it. As a transportable DAC it definitely does a better job feeding my Woo WA8 then using the internal ESS DAC. I find the sound more refined, a tiny bit more detailed while at the same time feeling a little less "digital" sounding, and that is what I was looking for.

I didn't listen much to the amp section of the iDSD, but briefly to my taste it sounds pretty good for a SS amp, unfortunately I never really like the sound of SS amps. The xbass function is really nice, without it I think I would have said the amp was just barely ok. The turbo power also makes quite a difference to drive my Meze Empy. The thing that is not the greatest is the volume pot, at low volume it has imbalance between left and right which is a bit sad for a product of this class but not a huge problem because it is quite low volume level, as soon as you raise the volume it is perfectly balanced.

Well that's about it, thanks iFi, this is my first purchase but probably not my last, specially if you ever venture into the R2R DAC side, the dark side!

Newbie question here.. You said you let it burn a few days. Do these things require a burn in period too? Or am I misunderstanding something?

 

[Loftprojection]

Honestly now I just burn every audio equipment I buy. Not sure if the iDSD benefits much from it because I just listened to it about 2 minutes before letting it burn for a couple of days non stop without listening to it. On other stuff like my tube amp and tube DAC I noticed out of no doubt a change for the better after burn in.

 

[HiFi Seeker]

Can the iFI Micro Signature Finale only be used as an AMP?