iFi Pro iDSD Signature

Roll out the red carpet for for your digital music sources

iFi's well-equipped Pro iDSD Signature packs an incredible level of audio performance and versatility into its compact chassis. It will let you hear detail and dimensionality from your favorite digital music sources — from high-res downloads to lossy MP3s, and everything between. And it fits into almost any digital system, whether you listen to music through a two-channel amp-and-speakers rig, a desktop powered speaker system, or a pair of audiophile-grade headphones.

First and foremost, the Pro iDSD Signature is a state-of-the-art DAC (digital-to-analog converter) that uses four high-resolution Burr-Brown chips to reveal nuances in your music you've probably never noticed before. It can also function as a stereo preamplifier, with an array of inputs for handling your digital music sources, plus both RCA and balanced XLR outputs for connecting directly to an amplifier.

And last but not least, the Pro iDSD Signature is a network music player, with app-controllable streaming for audio sources like TIDAL, Qobuz, and Spotify®, using either a wired Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection.

New Signature features

All of the high-performance features that make the original Pro iDSD such a fantastic piece of kit remain intact in the Signature. The new bells and whistles include an upgraded polished aluminum remote with expanded control, including filter switching. Upgraded galvanically isolated internal componentry reduces overall system noise by more than 300%, bringing you closer to that disappearing noise floor we all desire. And you get special sauce in the tube stage with a precisely matched pair of new-old-stock (NOS) GE5670s.

iFi's top-of-the-line iPower Elite outboard power supply is also now included. You'll notice heft of its aircraft-grade aluminum chassis, and you'll hear its ultra-quiet, clean power. To put it in perspective, a typical power supply has an audio band noise floor of 1,000 microvolts (μV); the iPower Elite achieves an amazing 1 μV.

Feed your head(phones)

The Pro iDSD also has a terrific built-in headphone amplifier, with standard 1/4" and 3.5mm outputs, along with a 4.4mm balanced output. The latter, developed by Sony, has become the new industry standard balanced connection. It cuts down on signal noise and distortion, and a growing list of headphones from multiple brands use it.

This DAC/amp combo performs well with most headphones and in-ear monitors, but if you own a pair of power-hungry premium cans, check out iFi's more powerful flagship headphone amp, the Pro iCAN.

Class A tube and solid-state output stages

The Pro iDSD offers three distinct output stages that color the sound in beautiful ways. Solid-state uses a fully discrete Class A topology for assertive but balanced output over an extremely quiet noise floor. You'll get characteristic "valve" warmth when you use either of the two tube output modes. Tube and Tube+ modes both use the previously mentioned matched pair of General Electric GE5670 tubes to drive this stage. Tube+ reduces negative feedback even further to emphasize the tubes' ineffably pleasing musical harmonics.

Powerful PCM and DSD upsampling options

For PCM-based signals, you can choose from five digital filter settings. Think of them as seasonings that subtly enhance the flavors of your music. It's a cool way to tweak and fine-tune the DAC's sound to match your system and room. The Pro iDSD employs a powerful FPGA (field programmable gate array) that runs on iFi's custom firmware and is responsible for digital filtering and upsampling.

DSD (Direct Stream Digital) is a high-quality digital audio format that some audiophiles prefer to PCM. The higher the DSD rate — DSD64, 128, 256, 512 and 1024 — the greater the amount of music information. The pinnacle of this is Studio Grade DSD1024, which is rarely found, even on the most expensive DACs. You can use the DSD modes not only for DSD content, but also for "remastering" PCM-based files.

Key to all of this processing is the Pro Signature's femto clock, which measures time down to the femtosecond — one quadrillionth of a second — for amazingly smooth, precise audio.

All the right connections for your digital audio gear

Flexible connections accommodate practically all types of digital audio sources. There's one combo coaxial/mini-optical input for use with any network streaming music player with that type of output. You also get a balanced digital XLR (AES/EBU) input that provides an ultra-low-noise connection for compatible high-performance CD transports. These inputs can handle files up to 24-bit/192kHz.

For higher-res files, use the USB Type A input to plug in a thumb drive, connect your computer via USB Type B, or stream files over your network (wired Ethernet connections recommended).

A few nice touches

The illuminated iFi logo at the top left of the front panel indicates power-on in four different states: green for warming up, white for solid-state mode, orange for tube mode, red for protection mode. And the circular OLED display provides useful information about the signal and processing mode.

While the Pro iDSD Signature includes an aluminum remote with expanded features from the original, you can also use the free WiiM Home app for your favorite Apple® or Android™ device, which integrates all your music choices into one simple interface. From the music stored on your home network devices, to thousands of internet radio stations, to streaming services like Spotify, this app puts everything at your fingertips.