iFi Neo iDSD - The new headphone DAC/amp from iFi

[@MMRSean]

Can’t wait for the Jotunheim 2 review!

[@TechnoGuy11]

A very nice and detailed review as always. After having mine for about a month now I absolutely love it and it sounds great with my 2 favorite headphones. I use it as a combo and with my A50s and xDuoo TA-20 amp and they all sound great. I find it does have a open clean sound with a slight touch of warmth that works great with my AP2000ti but even with a warm headphone like my Z1R the Neo brings the mids a little more forward and I really enjoy that. Overall I'm very happy with it and I've finally found my desktop setup that I'll use for quite a while.

[@ZensōMusic]

Great review. I tried this unit but found the SE output lacking, which was a deal breaker for me. As you mentioned, I also found the noise floor unacceptably high. I ended up with the RME ADI-2 DAC fs, which of course is more expensive, but provides plenty of power and ultra-low noise for nearly any conceivable situation.

[@arturomartinez3354]

You read my mind. It is a cheaper RMI ADI-2. Comparison might be useful at this point.

[@mox05]

Alan are you still happy with the adi2? What headphones are you using? You use it on a pc?

[@benholland7609]

another great review, content like this is why i subscribed and come back time and time again!

[@athathsonty2925]

Highly informative and comprehensive review. I don't see many/any Customers lining up for this Product.

[@dixieflatline1189]

Pretty tired of separates churn, so a good one box desktop solution really appeals right now. Interested how the ifi compares to the matrix audio mini 3 pro if you have this on your radar.

[@akorus_master]

I am a big fan of vertical mounting, it is a excellent choice for Ifi to have included that feature. It really clears out desk space. I went from a big Audio GD to Questyle for that reason.

[@TorToroPorco]

Thanks for another useful review. Definitely a crowded price point...

[@trevor7849]

I purchased this a couple of months ago. I really love the sound. Very clean. My 6xx sounds great. It sounds great with the fiio FH7 IEM - there is a tiny bit of background noise but you only hear it with the music off.

[@stevezeidman7224]

I just watched today’s Jotunheim 2 review. I thought it was great. I noticed comments are disabled. I was hoping to make this comment for that video. You explain technology extremely well. I bought the Bifrost 2 based on your review. Your explanation really closed it for me. I also liked it is made here in the US. I hope you’ll consider reopening comments for your videos. Thanks for your consideration.

[@antontreeofwisdom]

Very good and detailed review, thank you. Is that hiss on IEMs some bad indication or something to worry about?

[@Currawong]

Not anything bad. A few people like to use IEMs with desktop amps, and some design choices in the amplifier circuit can result in more or less hiss with very sensitive IEMs.

[@antontreeofwisdom]

@@Currawong Thank you very much for the reply. How would you say the sound signature compares to a Dragonfly Cobalt. I'm powering an HD 599, and was looking for an upgrade of DAC.

[@Currawong]

www.hear.audio/faq :) (I've not had the Dragonfly here since the original.)

[@ychilds99]

I saw this device on your desk in a review you did over a month ago. I've been waiting for this review. Thank you! Still thinking I'm going to pull the trigger on an Audio-gd R-27 at some point though.

[@jooyoungkim7156]

Would you please review ifi micro idsd signature? Thanks!

[@Currawong]

Yes, that's coming.

[@theodorezurla496]

Currently rocking the smsl su9/thx 789 .was cool to see my baby's thrown in this video lol

[@HiFiGOAudio]

Your reviews are always excellent, very easy to understand too!! Keep up the good work!! Happy new year to you and your family!!

[@Currawong]

Happy new year!

[@BigBoss-kk8hq]

Debating to whether buy this or wait for the Cambridge Evo 150...🤔

[@johnsweda2999]

You can power off a battery bank for phone charging that would be the best scenario try it

[@xiaoxingjin8063]

You also reviewed Schiit vali and modi. How do you compare them with this IFI? Please explain the sound difference.

[@Currawong]

Wait for my Vali 2 and Modi 3+ videos.

[@felipedantas4666]

Great channel, good source of knowledge for me. Looking to start building a system out of a headphone/preamp/dac combo. After some research it looks like this combo could be an option adding a power amp down the road. However I have seen a review that rates its preamp capabilities as "lacking". Any inputs on that? Was looking for a mytek brooklyn bridge but it is waaaay over my budget. So far I have also considering matrix audio I3 pro. Any thoughts TIA

[@jeremyabramson4343]

This only delivers one watt of power in balanced mode. Is that strong enough for planar magnetic headphones like the Arya?

[@Currawong]

Unless you listen hearing-damagingly loud, it'll work. Not sure about synergy though.

[@zyghom]

hi there, happy New Year. Is this any upgrade from iFi ZEN DAC/CAN/BLUE stack (i.e. with Sundara) or the stack would be better (quality/power output)? thx

[@avroman100]

Love that device

[@derzemel]

Does it have an output selector switch to choose between the heaphone outputs and the back outputs? For example, when using on desktop, I want to leave headphones connected and switch to xlr/rca variable outputs. If it has this functionality built in, does it remember the headphones volume when I switch back to them (to not blow them up)? Does it do Bluetooth transmission, or only receiving? P.S.: the remote looks cheap and flimsy. I think a phone app to control the Neo through BT would be a great addition.

[@Currawong]

No switch, and only Bluetooth receiving. Control via a phone app would be great, but it would be a great deal more complex to implement, pushing the price up considerably.

[@zeek781]

Do you think the asgard 3 amp will be warmer sounding then the monoprice thx 788 amp? Please and thanks

[@Currawong]

Did you see my Asgard 3 review? kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIDaZIqraZqMZpI Basically, yes it is.

[@zeek781]

@@Currawong thank you very much ill watch that now!!

[@insertaghere]

Im always worried about damaging my hearing. Do you have a specific methodology to determine how many decibels your headphones are putting out? Or should I just buy a decibel meter and stick it between my headphones?

[@Currawong]

A sound meter app on your phone will do it. Just put the phone's microphone close up to the driver in one of your headphones or IEMs when measuring to get a general idea.

[@allansh828]

Which cable for Utopia is it on the thumbnail?

[@Currawong]

Norne Audio Silvergarde.

[@anupambphoto]

Is the neo that light to hold ?

[@eyribalt99]

It weighs 970g if that helps.

[@leoluck68]

Sorry for what I think may be a stupid question. Are there 6.3 adapters to the Pentagon? The standard 6.3 is single ended. Hence, I don't think it is possible. Please help me out. Thanks Leo

[@Currawong]

You can't adapt a non-balanced cable to a balanced one. If you cross the signal returns, you'll likely damage the amp.

[@mattrismatt]

@@Currawong I bought a 2.5mm male -to- 3.5mm female adapter (on eBay) that I use to listen to my SE headphones through a balanced connection. It works perfectly. I know that Amazon has many of these balanced-to-unbalanced cables/adapters, so they do exist.

[@Currawong]

That doesn't mean that you are either damaging your gear, or that it is a good idea to do universally.

[@mattrismatt]

@@Currawong The adapter must only be utilizing the (+) signals, not the (-) to avoid a shared ground. If so, the gear used would suffer no damage.

[@Currawong]

Then you may as well just used the 6.3mm output.

[@georgemccormack3279]

Thank you for a very informative review. The NEO iDSD supports full MQA unfold via S/PDIF. I own the Android version of MConnect Player app which can "cast" Tidal MQA files to iFi's Pro iDSD. I also have a Chromecast Audio. Will it pass through MQA files "cast" from MConnect to the NEO iDSD's S/DIF for full unfold? I am not interested in MQA via USB. Happy New Year!

[@Currawong]

As long as the transfer is bit-perfect, MQA will be passed through properly. However, note that MQA is lossy, the 2nd or greater "unfolds" are really just up-sampling, and most TIDAL MQA has been distorted by whatever processing they use.

[@christopher1800]

Latest firmware has filters.

[@looyoo0-u6i]

I spy a jotenheim 2 👀

[@adeadcrab]

fascinating