Do you expect these to work for super sensitive IEMs? I canceled my order(s) because of noise floor reports in early reviews. I simply can not deal with noise floors. And the Zen acts like a megaphone for noise from amps. This has been particularly problematic on BT sources. (Q5s-tc tried to kill me, despite wired being dead silent)
Iām a bit surprised that you can generate noise floor with battery-powered devices.
I have never heard that before.
Because it always tended to be said that with rechargeable batteries this is completely absent.
What you are talking about is grounding problems. Correct, that is gone when running without external power.
Amps still have a noise of their own. On sensitive iems, this comes across as a hiss if the amp isnāt built around solving this. For many people, a small amount of hiss doesnāt effect music. For me, in a bunch of music, it does.
I actually often donāt like poorly mastered recordings that have this. Diana krall is an offender here. In her tracks, itās not the amp, it is in the recording. When amp noise is added to that, it drives me bat crap crazy.
My favorite IEMs (dunu zen) seem to be particularly susceptible.
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100% you can when it comes to sensitive IEMās and you donāt even need to go to a C9 level tbh.
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Ah okay good to know.thanks guys for the info.
I hadnāt thought that far ahead.
Presumably Ifi Audio is not the main purpose of the Iem.
Letās see if you can solve it, since itās a completely new product, there are sometimes difficulties.
This was not usual with the other manufacturers.
Yes, mastered recordings, especially the older songs, Iām not a fan of them either, I think they lose so much of what they used to be.
But I donāt want to go into it here.
Of course itās also annoying when itās even more noisy than usual with the Iem.
But exactly such approaches can help Ifi Audio to improve their products. the support seems to be excellent compared to Topā¦ping, with the L product.
I use the Go Blu with the IEMs like the MEST Mk2!. That said, from a minor perspective usually isnāt a problem for me. Iām a huge fan of Campfire IEMs, and it is quite noticeable but then again Campfire IEMs are the most sensitive on the market outside of their DDs. Stuff like the 64 Audio Nio and Symphonium Helios sounds great with it.
Iām working on it with our team, but donāt really have any updates yet, just that we are aware of the hiss. Keep you guys posted as I know more.
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@sebastien_chiu_iFi thanks! The zen picks up everything. If an update comes out that addresses it, I will likely give it a whirl.
It arrived! hereās my extended intial impressions
This unit is being used for the first time, no prior burn in, and it was very early in the morning; all of this is subject to change and will change when I do a full review.
I have prior experience with ifi Zen Dacās xbass and no prior experience with 3d/xspaceā¦ Bluās xbass felt nowhere close to boost given by the Zen Dac, instead its very subtle (which I dig).
Xspace felt like a slight treble boost that expands the soundstage horizontally but loses verticality, maybe gains depth? again subtle change and need to test more.
I didnāt use xbass and xspace that much, only to compare and when specified.
I had rests between headphone swaps to clear my brain a bit.
Used my phone>ifi GO blu with LDAC only>
Diana Ross - Diana > Tidal MQA > Koss KSC75 SE / Audeze Sine BAL
The ksc75 have yaxi pads and headband mod. Descriptions are about the source, not the headphones.
Intimate soundstage, bassy everything but no bleed, Dianaās voice is good but not warm enough, gets properly warm and overall better with xbass, the lower mids are filled up the way I like.
Treble feels detailed but im getting a sense of dry, which I usually get with new products
and gets fixes with burn in.
I didnāt love that my ksc75 felt a little v-shaped, it was impressive, but definitely not for this record.
Same disc and chain, but with Audeze Sine (over-ear mod) BAL
For those who wonder Audeze Sine sounds 90% like an LCD2C but closed, more impact less detail, same presentation.
Ahh, the treble dryness is gone, the excessive drum kick warmth also gone, much better. This is a good pairing, I finished the second half of the disc with a smile on my face. I like intimate presentations and forward vocals, both were accomplished nicely, good synergy indeed.
Samurai Champloo Music Record - Tsutchie: playlist > PowerAmp MP3 320 > Koss kph30i SE / Nighthawks SE
I figured the kph30i (Grado G pads over stock pads) might have a better synergy, and poweramp is a big warm colored android player.
Most of the record has vinyl hiss sampled over it, when using xspace the vinyl effect sounds noticeably louder.
The treble is dry again, I think the Go blu needs burn in time or maybe my ears are more sensitive to treble this early in the morning, IDK.
Anyway the body of the bass kicks and bass guitar are impressive (specially with xbass), so is the instrument separation, again with an intimate presentation. This could be a killer product for lovers of the warmth and forward like me.
I enjoy this record more on larger soundstage headphones, so on the 6th out of 18 songs I swapped to:
Audioquest Nighthawk SE Velour pads
Oh boy this was enjoyable, it may seem like im just bashing kossās trebles against better headphones but I truly do enjoy the kosses on portable sources regardless of their competition, so it is what it is.
Liquid sounding (good flowing pans and transcients) with a little bit of emphasis in the upper midrange; synthesizer emphasis rather than drums compared to kph30i.
The bass felt weirdly ānot emphasizedā for the hawks so I turned the xbass and it wasnāt like bass boost, it was more like the bass was āfilled upā if that makes sense, so xbass stayed activated.
This was also the first time I really enjoyed the xbass+xspace combination, I think xspace works really well here to make the presentation feel a bit less intimate and more tridimensional.
Overall chill experience, some licks and sequences had me ādamn, thats good texture for a portable ampā
Wednesday Campanella - Watashi wo onigashima ni tsurette > Apple Lossless > Audio Technica wp900 BAL
I recently heard this album with the BTR5, the wp900 is source picky and it sounded decent but never really shone with that amp. I also recently heard this album like 50 times because im fucking addicted to it.
NICEEEEEE, from the first song it has so much body, with the wrong amp the wp900 can sound thin, bloated or both.
The pairing just works, the slight upper mids emphasis helps the vocals come out, the intimacy also helps, because the soundstage is smaller than usually but the body has more weight, and the instrument separation is also there.
On the second track I tested the xbass and xspace and they were too much, I mean they are ok for turning the wp900 into a bass canon, but its usually too much and bleeds, but its something nice to have it when I feel like it.
Xspace also sounded not necessary, like it was adding too much, emm (something?)
So I had a blast with the full album as the wp900 usually doesnāt sound this intimate but its very enjoyable to hear it differently.
Also on the 7th track, this is a track where I always want more, more dyanamics, more fordwardness, more stage, more everything, its a very special track to me; It has 2 huge drops and very trippy vocal arrangements.
So for that track I knew I had to turn on the xbass+xspaceā¦ And it delivered, extra punch and extra trippy, it was very fun.
Thatās it. Iāll see later if this can handle pickier and harder to drive headphones, for now, im satisfied and happy with the purchase.
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Thanks so much! Look forward to more of your feedback as time comes along, glad you love it.
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Gave the Go Blu a shot with some Hd800. Was worried about the power at 300 ohm because ifi only give us the voltage for this load with 5.6V, maybe the current would be limited!? 5,6V*5,6V/300Ohm would be 105mW. Not sure if such tiny device can deliver that.
Was using the Hd800 on a sabaj A10h with 110mW at 300 Ohm. In this configuration a preamp of - 12dB was applied for a low shelf EQ.
Both sources get equally loud. Neither Bass control nor Soundstage is lacking on the Go Blu compared to the Sabaj.
From memory the xBass was stronger on the ifi xCan. Hoping for some measurements in the future.
Biggest negative point is so far is the bluetooth signal strength. I am using headphones mostly on the TV. An elegiant Bluetooth transmitter is connected to the TV via toslink. The transmitter is 5 maybe 6m away from me without any obstacles, still the Go Blu suffers from some cut outs or even worse pop sounds louder than the normal audio. The nice looking and feeling brushed metal plate seems to contribute here. If the Go Blu is lying on my chest with the plastic side up it happens less. With the ifi logo up the cut outs get worse (aptx HD codec if that makes any difference)
Maybe I need to get one of those transmitter with 2 external antenna. Didnāt try a firmware update via the gaia app yet.
Also have to buy a shorter cable nowā¦
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I tested iFi Go Blu VS my FiiO Q3. Iem is FiiO FH3 (quite sensitive). My cable is 4.4. iFi Go Blu definitely sounds better. More dynamics. First few seconds I already know it sounds better. I am surprised considering it is bluetooth. I owned Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 before, sounds much inferior than FH3+Q3. Problem is a bit hiss, but no hiss when playing song. Maybe no hiss if 3.5 cable? It is also very small, nicely built and material. Another problem is sensitive volume knob. I am sure you will accidentally turn up/down the volume if put in pocket. For me, best choices for bluetooth are FiiO UTWS5 or iFi Go Blu. If you want best sound quality.
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So, @sebastien_chiu_iFi when can I get my hands on the xdsd gryphon? This is the dac/amp I have been waiting for.
I finally got the go blu and it has some issues for me. On top of the hiss on the Zen, it has on multiple occasions maxed the volume as I switch devices or headphones. I havenāt found the pattern that does it, but itās not good. Dangerously not good.
I was going to do a video comparison with my Qudelix, but the issues have been problematic enough to make a/b testing difficult.
The gryphon, however, is a mini micro signature with bluetooth. I am in. How do I get it? 
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ifi Zen Dac v1 or v2?
I was just thinking about getting the V2 and saw elsewhere that noise floor shouldnāt be an issueā¦ If itās the V2 that you have, howās the noise floor when you plug the Teas into it?
Neither, ifi go blu from this thread. Zen is Dunu Zen and Zen Pro IEM when used on the ifi go blu.
Never heard the ifi zen stack.
Oh heck completely different gear, totally misunderstood that sorry 
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Hey, @Dynamic thanks for introducing me to the Gryphon. I am
about it, itās got everything I need and looks like a great portable device. I was getting tired of lugging my iDSD Sig everywhere.
Now to decide if I should get it immediately or wait for Mojo 2 reviewsā¦
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The signature was a no go because of lack of Bluetooth for me. Best sounding source I have experienced though. I bought the go blu to try and get some of that magic. Didnāt really work. 
The gryphon though. So excited! Iematch almost certainly solves dunu zen issues if they exist at all (which it may not!)
To be honest, I use the entire zen stack (Stream, DAC, Can), with one of the most sensitive in-ears on the market, the Andromeda, and I didnāt hear the slightest hiss.
With the Go-Blue, the set volume of the player is taken over 1 to 1, which means that if you have turned your phone, iPad, PC ā¦ full to the max, the Go-Blue will play it back in exactly the same way. With the Go-Blue you can adjust the volume on both devices synchronously at any time, unlike on the BTR-5 or ES100, for example.
I am waiting for it too!
Itās already listed on Amazon, I guess we can order it from tomorrow (hopefully).
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Dunu Zen and Zen Pro IEMs. Hiss is loud on the go blu and makes music like piano guys unlistenable to me.
I have never heard the ifi Zen Stack. Micro signature on the other hand is fantastic.
By the way, compared to my mobile mini DAC amps, the sound of the Go-Blue is outstanding for me.
Anyone who has problems with in-ears or headphones that they perceive to be too āaggressiveā in the heights can have a whole new experience with the Go-Blue.
Interestingly, it causes headphones that sound a bit ādullā to be exactly the opposite.
Magic, technical sophistication, lucky hits, whatever, he sounds really grown up and deeply relaxed on most headphones.
In the order from left to right, I prefer my mini DACās in terms of sound.
In my entire āmobile portfolioā, the iDSD Signature is of course the number 1, followed by the xCan and the Go-Blue.
Just like the Signature, the Gryphon has an iEM match switch, so with all the in-ears there is actually dead silence in the background 
āāāā
Oh yes, a bulls-eye in terms of color and sound:
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