iFi Micro iDSD Diablo

Ohmboy · January 28, 2021, 5:52pm

I think @M0N was rocking Stax otg lol

M0N · January 28, 2021, 6:45pm

I never said it was reasonable lol. Also yes the 003 mk2, sometimes I also take my senn he60 on the go (because it’s not as strange looking as stax or other estats) but not all that often for obs reasons

eskamobob1 · January 29, 2021, 12:59pm

Til about the he60. I assumed you meant he6 at first and was shocked something portable could even run it. Only portable with more power than the Diablo right now is the bx2plus, yah? (And thats amp only)

M0N · January 29, 2021, 1:57pm

Yeah not really lol, I do recall ray samuels made a portable dac/amp called the the intruder specifically with the goal of powering the he6 that some people like with it, but personally I didn’t find it all that satisfactory, and while the bx2 plus could get it loud it really doesn’t feel the same compared to running off a speaker amp

eskamobob1 · January 29, 2021, 2:53pm

Yah. Ultimateky voltage output is only like 1/4 the battle. You’d need an absurd battery to handle the kind of current those things need.

eskamobob1 · January 31, 2021, 3:33pm

So Ive been looking into the intruder out of cure curiosity and holy hell, are are specs just not even made public? I cant find max Vrms, max amerage, or even just rms power output (which I kinda hate as a spec tbh). Any memory of how it performs compared to something like the BX2Plus since both seem to be aimed at high current output and BX2Plus reviews would allow us to kinda proxy it to see how it stands up to the diablo?

M0N · January 31, 2021, 4:46pm

Don’t know, you would prob have to shoot him an email

Ignoring the built in dac of the rs, the bx2 plus greatly outperformed the intruder from memory in most every aspect imo, but admittedly it’s been a real long time since I heard one and also I didn’t get all that much time with it

eskamobob1 · January 31, 2021, 5:03pm

Fair on all accounts, and kinda expected. The intruder is something like 8 years old now. As far as portable are concerned thats a super long tome…

Fett_Injured_Hero · February 1, 2021, 5:55pm

I got to demo one at my local dealer and this thing is awesome. Neutral, reference, tons of power that can handle anything in a package that’s smaller and smoother than the Signature.

If you’re looking for more flexibility, Signature still gets my vote, but the Diablo is just fine at my volume levels on Eco mode with IEMs (exception maybe being the Andromeda).

I’m still not sure if I’m going to be eventually in the more headphone or IEM camp, but if you’re more headphones go Diablo, more IEMs go signature. Despite being neutral/reference out of the majority of iFi stuff, it really doesn’t need xbass with the right headphone pairing.

eskamobob1 · February 15, 2021, 12:57am

The Diablo is smaller than the signature? Thats not something I expected tbh

Fett_Injured_Hero · February 15, 2021, 5:42pm

It feels smaller because it’s smoother/more circular/not as boxy in design.

Length and width wise they are pretty much the same.

eskamobob1 · February 15, 2021, 5:54pm

Ah, got it. Ty for the info

Fett_Injured_Hero · February 16, 2021, 6:14pm

Yep! Of course.

Fett_Injured_Hero · March 2, 2021, 6:10pm

Pretty sure this is going to be my next upgrade once I get my end-of-month bonus in this month.

Can’t wait for my first TOTL dac/amp!

M0N · March 2, 2021, 6:16pm

Forgot this had a thread, heard it recently, some thoughts on it I posted somewhere else

Luxury Precision P6/P6 Pro R2R DAP

Some random thoughts on the diablo so far. Actually like this one a decent bit, it doesn’t compete at all with the stuff mentioned above, but as an all in one, it’s a solid offering and a step up over a micro bl, but with less features and a different signature that the micro bl enthusiasts may not be pleased with. The signature is more in line with something like the xdsd, where it’s more neutral slightly warmer and fuller sounding but a bit more forward than the xdsd, and honestly this isn’t a bad thing for most headphones. It’s a step up in control, resolution, dynamics, and refinement, although it’s staging feels somewhat mediocre and less expansive than the black label (it’s more accurate in placement but the bl feels more spacious). It really feels more headphone focused rather than the equally headphone equally iem focused micro bl. Using it as a line out, it’s a bit better in the dac section than the micro bl and also carries along that more neural but a bit of warmer fun signature the diablo has, but it doesn’t feel like a big improvement over the bl. Specifically regarding the bass, the micro bl is much more rounded, a bit looser, and more boosted, where the diablo is fairly clean, tight, and punchy. Man I wish this thing had an xbass boost lol (and a line in). Also looks/fit and finish, give me back the old micro bl design imo

To further elaborate on the stage thing, I think while staging does feel more tight and precise, it feels less open and a bit more squashed compared to the older ifi, it’s not bad, but it’s also not something I would consider an improvement over the predecessors.