Pro iDSD Signature | DAC | HEADPHONE AMP

AVAYESYMPHONY

IFi Pro iDSD Signature

Standalone. Streamer. DAC/amp. All with the X-factor.

The Pro iDSD Signature is our new reference-class flagship.

*****

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Top of line DAC and so much more Banner
Top of line DAC and so much more

The Pro iDSD Signature is our new flagship reference class DAC and then some! The Signature edition builds on the strengths of the original, multi-award winning Pro iDSD.

  • DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Converter)

    DACs convert digital information, stored or streamed by computers, into music we can hear through speakers or headphones.

    Every device that’s a source of digital sound has a built-in DAC (TVs, games consoles, CD players, phones, portable music players etc). Dedicated external DACs sound much better than standard DACs used in digital devices such as phones.

It continues to cater for those who love good music delivered at the highest quality.

Use the Pro iDSD Signature as a standalone unit, a DAC/preamp, a network streamer and a headphone amplifier.

A Signature step up

A Signature step up

The Signature takes the original Pro iDSD and pushes it even further towards perfection.

The Pro iDSD Signature has:

  • a sonically darker background and a punchier bass
  • upgraded power -supply components to lower the overall system noise by 300%
  • precisely matched NOS GE5670s tubes
  • added support for USB1.0 (PS4/PS5)
  • a new aluminium remote control
  • a top-of the range iPower Elite power supply included
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Stacked. With tech.

The Pro iDSD Signature uses a quad-stack DAC – 4 x DACs in an interleaved configuration – to deliver exceptional resolution.

The powerful XMOS XU216 X-Core 200 series chipset processes incoming digital data and enables the Pro iDSD Signature to provide state of the art audio support – from MP3, 32-bit/768kHz PCM, DSD512, 2xDXD and full MQA decoding.

  • MQA decoding

    The Pro iDSD Signature is an MQA Decoder.

    This enables you to play back MQA audio files and streams, delivering the sound of the original master recording. The LED glows green or blue to indicate that the unit is decoding and playing an MQA stream or file, and denotes provenance to ensure that the sound is identical to that of the source material. It glows blue to indicate it is playing an MQA Studio file, which has either been approved in the studio by the artist/producer or has been verified by the copyright owner.

    MQA rendering technology (used in the original ZEN DAC among other iFi products) connects to an MQA Core signal (such as TIDAL) and completes the final unfold of an MQA file. Usually, the computer has carried out the decoding.

Thanks to the Crysopeia FPGA Digital Engine the Pro iDSD Signature brings studio grade DSD remastering to a wider audience. It can upconvert PCM and DSD files to DSD512 and DSD1024

  • DSD (Direct Stream Digital)

    DSD is a very high-quality digital audio format that’s even better than CD quality. The higher the ‘DSD rate’ – DSD64, 128, 256, 512 and 1024 – the greater the amount of music information available, which means better sound quality.

    Files can be remastered to higher file rates to improve sound quality. The pinnacle of this is DSD1024. Not many machines out there are capable of this feat.

And all controlled from an app in the palm of your hand.

E-tailoring

E-tailoring

The Pro iDSD Signature, like its predecessor, takes sonic tailoring to the extreme.

Listen to the your music to in solid-state, tube or tube+ modes, your choice, all at the flick of a switch.

  • Solid-state 'v' Tubes

    A solid-state amplifier uses electronics such as diodes and transistors to amplify the music signal. A tube amp uses valves/vacuum tubes to do the same job.

    There is a noticeable sound difference between the two methods. Some feel that tube amps create a warmer, more musical tone. Some companies choose to build ‘hybrid’ models that combine the two methods.

Our Crysopeia FPGA Digital Engine strikes again as it enables the Pro iDSD Signature to offer several options when it comes to digital filtering. The GTO filter adds gravitas and a new dimension, and while the Bit Perfect, Bit Perfect+, Apodising and Transient Aligned filters give you even more choices to tweak the sound.

The discrete, fully balanced Class A amplifier stage offers adjustable gain

  • Gainis the amount of increase in audio signal strength. Gain is often expressed in decibels (dB).
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Your choice. The only choice.
  • Stream wirelessly from Tidal, Spotify, Napster, QQ Music and more
  • Use Airplay to enjoy playback from your iPhone, iPad or Mac
  • Go wired via an Ethernet connection to play from a router or NAS (Network Attached Storage)
  • Use DLNA network audio playback with smartphones, tablets, Windows/Linux computers
  • Connect to a hard disc drive (HDD)
    • Pop in a USB memory stick or SDHC card

And with a variety of headphone outputs – Single-Ended 6.3mm, S-Balanced 3.5mm and Balanced 4.4mm – the only choice is your choice.

XMOS XU216 X-Core 200

XMOS XU216 X-Core 200

The Pro iDSD Signature employs the new XMOS XU216 X-Core 200 Series 16-Core processor. All-digital processing is Bit-Perfect unless particular digital filters are explicitly selected.

Galvanic isolation

Galvanic isolation

Galvanic isolation is the ‘holy grail’ of computer audio.

  • Galvanic isolationGalvanic isolation is a design technique that separates electrical circuits to eliminate stray currents that contain noise. Signals can pass between galvanically isolated circuits, but stray currents, such as differences in ground potential or currents induced by AC power, do not pass. This means little or no noise interference to the audio signal from stray currents.

All inputs are galvanically-isolated (including USB). The USB input section has its own separate power management system with multiple regulators and filtering operating from the galvanically-isolated voltage generated to power this section.

Bit-Perfect DSD and DXD DACs by Burr-Brown

Bit-Perfect DSD and DXD DACs by Burr-Brown

The Pro iDSD Signature has a ‘quad stack’ of Bit-Perfect DSD and DXD DACs by Burr-Brown. The ‘interleaved’ configuration means up to 8 pairs of differential signals can be used and mixed, equal to 4 pairs of signals per channel.

Upsampling to DSD1024

Upsampling to DSD1024

Upsampling to DSD1024 has previously only been available to a select few. The Pro iDSD Signature makes it available to a wider audience. The DSD1024 remastering is handled by the Crysopeia® FPGA and this is where we believe the FPGA excels.

Global Master Timing®

Global Master Timing®

Data is sent to the Memory Buffer from all inputs. Here it is de-jittered to eliminate any transmission of source jitter to the DAC output. The data from the Memory Buffer is further re-clocked by the low-jitter Global Master Timing® clock, which also drives the X-Core 200 and FPGA.

With LINKPLAY™ WiFi/network

With LINKPLAY™ WiFi/network

With LINKPLAY™ WiFi/network playback, built-in Spotify and Tidal, and wide protocol support for 32-Bit/192kHz and DSD64, the Pro iDSD Signature can be also used without a computer to stream audio directly.

General Electric 5670 tubes!

General Electric 5670 tubes!

Unlike other amplifiers that have the same circuit and just switch in/out the tube section, the original Pro iDSD and now the Pro iDSD Signature are among the very first to have two individual input circuits – one tube (General Electric 5670 tubes!) and one solid-state.

This results in the ‘best sonics of both worlds’.

Extra Tube+ setting

Extra Tube+ setting

The amplifier audio circuit is fully discrete, fully-balanced with either tube or J-FET input switchable, bipolar second stage and MOSFET-buffered bipolar Class A Power stage.

We’ve given the Pro iDSD Signature an extra Tube+ setting. This reduces overall loop-gain and negative feedback to the minimum and presents a different sonic perspective between the tube’s natural harmonics and transient performance.

premium components

premium components

The Pro iDSD Signature is packed full of premium components – a Japan Alps rotary volume potentiometer, audio-grade ELNA Silmic capacitors and a bank of Elna Dynacaps ‘super capacitors’.

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Sample ratesPCM 768kHz / DSD 49.152MHz (DSD 1024) / MQA 352.8KHz/DXD (2xDXD)
InputsUSB / AES3 (XLR) / S/PDIF (coaxial/optical combo) BNC / Ethernet / Wi-Fi / Micro SD
FiltersBit Perfect / Bit Perfect+ / Gibbs Transient Optimised / Apodising / Transient Aligned
GainUser-selectable: 0dB, 9dB and 18dB(headphone section)
Dynamic range119dBA
(solid-state, PCM, -60dBFS)
Balanced147dB(A)
Output Power (RMS)>4,200mW / >1,575mW (16Ω, balanced/single-ended)
Output voltage (RMS)>11.7V / >5.9V (600Ω, balanced/single-ended)
Input voltage (Pro iDSD)DC 9V/6.7A – 18V/3.35A
Input voltage (iPower Elite)AC 85 – 265V, 50/60Hz
Power consumption<22W idle, 50W max
Dimensions213 x 220x 63 mm
Net Weight1980 g
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