If 2023 has seen the discharge of a slew of moveable headphone amp and DAC combos, iFi has definitely been main the cost. The FiiO KA13 and the Earfun UA100 have each been unveiled this 12 months, however the five-star iFi Go Hyperlink, recently-released iFi hip-dac 3 and now the brand new iDSD Diablo 2 have demonstrated simply how busy iFi has been over the previous 12 months.
Following on from the discharge of the primary iDSD DAC/headphone amp in 2021, the brand new iDSD Diablo 2 guarantees to be one in all iFi’s most high-performing fashions, constructed for purists who crave “pure, unadulterated sonic efficiency”. If that describes you, it could be time to make a take care of The Satan…
The Diablo 2 has been redesigned from the within out, incorporating a Burr-Brown DAC chip mixed with the model’s customized structure. As such, the chips are put in with an “interleaved” configuration, permitting 4 pairs of various sign paths for what iFi claims produces much less undesirable noise.
How about supported codecs? The iDSD Diablo 2 presents help for all ranges of DSD as much as DSD512 and PCM recordsdata as much as 32-bit/768kHz, in addition to decoding and upsampling of MQA recordsdata as much as 384kHz. The Diablo 2 provides aptX Lossless Bluetooth which suggests it ought to be able to streaming CD high quality losslessly (16-bit/44.1kHz).
It is definitely a intelligent unit with a lot packed into it. You are handled to a selection of three achieve settings and IEMatch which tailors the amp’s energy and efficiency to match the sensitivity of the headphones getting used, in addition to iFi’s distinctive circuit design which has been conceived to realize higher sonic purity and decreased noise.
For hooking up bodily, you’ll be able to join your supply units by way of the DAC’s USB-C port, whereas the unit additionally options coaxial/optical and 4.4mm balanced inputs. By way of outputs, the devilish DAC sports activities a 4.4mm balanced headphone port, a 6.3mm headphone port and a 4.4mm balanced line-level output.
The brand new mannequin’s battery lasts between 6-12 hours of playtime, though this relies on elements comparable to the amount at which you play your music and the ability/sensitivity of the headphones getting used.
In addition to the unit itself, the iDSD Diablo 2 comes outfitted with a number of equipment, together with a low-noise AC/DC adapter, a USB-C charging cable, a USB-C OTG cable, an prolonged USB-C cable and a Lightning to USB-C cable, to not point out a number of adapters, a desktop stand and even a journey case to guard the Diablo 2 on the go.
Wrapped in its distinctive pink end, the brand new iFi iDSD Diablo 2 is in the stores now for a value of £1299 / $1299 (additional costs pending). Contemplating how a lot intelligent tech the Diablo 2 packs in, although, you definitely appear to be getting your cash’s value, and it will likely be attention-grabbing to see how a extra premium mannequin fares in a market well-stocked with many funds alternate options.
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Learn our evaluate of the five-star iFi Go Hyperlink and the iFi hip-dac 2
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