Yes and that's the same one that answers your first question. The NOS (non-oversampling) option, if it's implemented here in the typical way, involves turning OFF the digital low-pass filter, and this leads to the warmest or most veiled sound between all options, with its early roll-off already...

@FiiO I can't find this clarified anywhere: is there any significant reduction in the KA13's standby power draw when set to non-Desktop vs. Desktop mode? Or should we expect to see 140 mA in either mode. Thank you!

A bit longer than 3" but this is the one I got in the interest of durability because of the braided structure: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006416071189.html

The benefits of keeping your digital volume maxed out have been greatly exaggerated. Delta-sigma DACs apparently start having trouble keeping a clean signal when you drive them with an input too close to 0 dBFS, so your overall sound quality might actually benefit from keeping your digital...

Nice, that's a step closer to having solid info on this. :) Now for stage depth and layering I'd say power/synergy/driveability still plays a big part via dynamic performance, so the chosen headphones should not be underpowered by the smaller source ideally. The best choice would be the widest...

Well I want to compare stuff when I see for example below-audible crosstalk specs on 2 devices but reviewers say their staging is very different, where one is super wide but the other is restricted. At that point I have to wonder what else is going on - did they test with the same songs, did...

No I meant just what I said: other devices, without further qualification - any devices, desktop, portable, anything. Are there DAC/amps in existence that you would say absolutely do sound wider left-to-right than the KA13?

I notice you said in there "Mids and highs are clean, airy and spacious with plenty of energy and a mostly natural timbre especially with the NOS filter". How much of the listening impressions section is based on using NOS - did you switch back and forth between filters when judging all the...

"Always better"? Haha, no. That's marketing-speak. With the technical performance specs of the latest dongles coming out it's less and less true, especially for driving some less demanding headphones. But then with the human element included it's even less true: since the smaller devices tend to...

If you can deal with the headache of re-selling the KA13 in case it doesn't perform well enough, that seems the best bet right now while the mega-discounts are still on IMO.

The general rule is: higher power = higher distortion. All else being equal (if you've made up your mind about Bluetooth and other features, have seen no devastating reviews of any of the devices being compared etc.), pick the higher powered device and it will push your headphones to go loud...

One other thing I'm wondering about, as I've never tweaked this on other DACs: is the digital filter selection saved in the device itself - will the filter I selected still be used if I plug the KA13 into some other host that's not running any FiiO app?

Do you have a spec for BAL-out max power @32 ohms when NOT set to desktop-mode? Thanks!

Had the same thing yesterday - LED was turning green, then white, right after power-on, and the PC wasn't seeing the DAC connected. I pulled out all the cables, flipped all the switches, powered on the Micro disconnected from everything, saw it get to the blinking-green I was hoping for, then...

OK, I tried to go through some of those preliminary steps like getting the latest firmware via https://ifi-audio.com/support/download-hub/ but if I select the Micro iDSD I get asked for a 10-digit serial number of the device. I see no such number anywhere on the device, or on its box or in any...

Hmm, OK, not sure how that's gonna go as I'm not the original owner. :D I should really try a few different cables and chargeable devices before that, just to make sure it's not some low-IQ "have you tried turning it off and on again" support case. :P But if I look back at older discussions on...

Yeah, that was my next thought. It's hard to say without some standardized test, but I think it can play for 3-4 hours on Eco via speakers (RCA), with volume at 10 o'clock, no bass or 3D, whenever I accidentally have it running purely on battery (turn it on before the PC, and PC wasn't supplying...

Anyone know if the iFi Micro iDSD (silver/original) refuses to charge another device if its own battery is below X%? I've had mine plugged into a PC all the time, I turn it off when not in use and the PC continues to supply USB power even when off, so the iFi should be at 100% or close, but if I...

Speaking of "improved" cable: has anyone checked the electrical structure of this newer cable? Does it still have 4 separate wires for its whole length all the way to the amp plug, like all their stiffer cables? Having 4 separate wires is essential to minimize crosstalk and avoid crushing the...

Ah, my bad then, barking up the wrong tree. :) I thought this was in the hands of source device manufacturers, but it's with the chip people. I guess it's the likes of ESS I should be poking with a stick. (MQA or Tidal can't be expected to react honestly to this, so there's no point in...

Why would you keep including a defective codec into new hardware products? MQA has been independently analyzed and measured and shown to produce worse than lossless output, never mind the "studio master quality" it was falsely promising. You could've made your product more affordable if you...

Might be true for most of them, including FiiO, but it's not "NEVER", as iFi's "S-balanced" design exists which does support shorting out the negative terminals and connecting single-ended headphones. IIRC.

They definitely need more bass and treble to get perfect. I created a preset for them in Neutron based on one of Oratory's tunings and it brought a definite improvement in clarity and stage-closeness (stock was feeling too recessed to me). They're just spectacular once EQ'd.