Owners Manual

Terms & Conditions
ifi-audio.com
iFi guarantees that this iFi product shall be free from defects in
materials and workmanship for a period of 1 year for parts and labour.
The warranty period begins at the date of retail sale by an authorized
iFi distributor/dealer and is subject to the following requirements and
understandings:
• It is the responsibility of the buyer within 30 days from the original
sale, to register and activate the product warranty with the iFi
website.
• The original invoice must be produced for authentication prior to
any warranty claim.
• The iFi product must not have been modified in any manner
whatsoever, or the warranty will immediately become void.
• The iFi warranty is only valid in the country of original sale.
• The product must not have been stored in a humid environment;
nor subjected to weather, water, or saltwater spray.
• iFi shall not, under any circumstances, be liable for any
incidental or consequential damages arising from the loss of property
or other damage or losses due to the failure of an iFi product. iFi is not
liable for loss of use or inconvenience caused by the failure of an iFi
product. iFi is not liable for damage caused to other audio
components because of the failure of an iFi product.
• During the warranty period, iFi will repair the product to
working order, or, at iFi's option, replace the defective module with a
similar available product.
• All repairs performed after expiry of the warranty period will be
charged to the owner and will carry a 180-day warranty on parts and
labour. The customer is responsible for shipping the unit to the iFi
distributor in the original packaging. This includes the payment of any
shipping charges and related taxes.
• Should any warranty issues arise, the decision of iFi is full and
final.
ifi-audio.com
Ver1.0
LED
LED Color
Magenta
Blue
Cyan
White
Yellow
Green
Green(Flashing)
Red
None
Mode
DSD512 22.5/24.5MHz
DSD256 11.2/12.2MHz
DSD128/DSD64 2.8/3.1/5.6/6.2MHz
DXD705/768kHz
176/192kHz DXD352/384kHz
44/48/88/96kHz
Awaiting USB Connection
Battery Low
Battery Empty
Power ON:
Power OFF:
LED Color
Blue*
Mode
Charging
When the iDSD is fully-charged, the Blue LED will no longer be lit.
Specifications
Formats supported:
DSD512/256/128/64, Octa/Quad/Double/Single-
Speed DSD
DXD(768/705.6/384/352.8kHz), Double/Single-
Speed DXD
PCM(768/705.6/384/352.8/192/176.4/96/88.2/
48/44.1kHz)
Filters:
PCM - Bit-Perfect Processing/Minimum
Phase/Standard
DSD - Extreme/Extended/Standard Bandwidth
DXD - Bit-Perfect Processing
Digital Inputs:
High-Speed Asynchronous USB 2.0 (32bit/768kHz)
SPDIF Coaxial/Optical
Digital Output: SPDIF Coaxial
Audio Input: 3.5mm
Audio Output:
6.3mm
RCA Line out (2V fixed/2V-5V variable)
Power Output:
Turbo (8.0V max/4,000 mW @ 16 Ohm)
Normal (4.0V/1,000 mW @ 16 Ohm)
Eco (2.0V/250mW@16 Ohm)
Battery: Lithium-polymer 4800mAh
Power System: USB BCP V1.2 compliant up to
1500mA charging current
Power (max): <2W idle, 4W max
Dimensions: 177(l) x 67(w) x 28(h) mm
Weight: 310g (0.68 lbs)
Warranty period:12 months
1. Combo SPDIF Coaxial/
Optical Input and Output
The Combo SPDIF socket is auto-switching.
With USB audio signal applied:
- SPDIF Output: Coaxial
Without USB audio signal applied:
- SPDIF Input: Coaxial/Optical (Toslink Mini-Plug)
Input
Tip: a Toslink Mini-Plug to Toslink adaptor is included for
connecting a normal Toslink optical cable.
Tip: The SPDIF standard supports only PCM up to 192kHz.
2. RCA Line Output
To amplifier, receiver, HiFi system
or similar. See Section12 for details.
Tip: on the underside, it is possible to select
‘Direct’ or ‘Pre-Amplifier’ mode. In the
Pre-Amplifier mode, the iDSD functions as a
DAC/pre-amplifier (only make the selection with the unit
powered off ).
3. USB Input
From a computer, connect via USB cable (this also
provides charging for the internal battery.)
From a Smart Device, such as iPhone use a Camera
Connection Kit/ Lighting-to-USB Camera Adapter.
Tip: To use the micro iDSD in Battery Power mode, power
on the micro iDSD BEFORE connection to the PC otherwise
the iDSD will run in USB Power mode.
micro
iDSD
warranty
In order to activate the warranty for this iFi
product, you must register with the iFi
website.
Component :
Serial no:
4. Headphone jack 6.3mm
Connect headphones.
Tip: With a new pair of IEMs/Headphones, ALWAYS start
with the volume no higher than 9 o' clock and with the
Power Mode set to ‘Eco’.
5. XBass® Plus
XBass® Plus was uniquely-designed to extend bass
response to suit different headphones.
● For bass shy headphones.
- Direct.
6. Input 3.5mm
From a music source with 3.5mm connection for
feeding a direct audio signal (e.g. 3.5mm output from
an iPhone.)
7. 3D®Matrix Plus
● ON
- OFF
3D®Matrix Plus for Headphones: recreates a
holographic sound field like listening to a pair of
speakers.
- This is activated when a 6.3mm headphone has
been inserted.
3D®Matrix Plus for Speakers: puts the bass
frequencies back outside of the speakers, in-line with
the treble and mid-range.
- This is activated when no 6.3mm headphone plug
has been inserted.
Tip: These two analogue signal processing systems (3D®
Matrix Plus for Headphones and 3D® Matrix Plus for
Speakers) are distinctly different and designed for their
respective types of audio output.
Battery Power
Turn ON the power first, and then connect to the computer.
8. Analogue Volume Control
Power on/off and volume control.
USB Power
Connect to the computer first, and then turn ON the power.
Tip: Under Battery Power mode, the micro iDSD will
continue to use battery power even if the USB cable is
connected afterwards.
Tip: For Apple iPhone/ iPad/iPod Touch, Android devices,
please use Battery Power, otherwise you may receive error
messages from your device.
Tip: For connection to Apple devices, the Apple USB
Camera Adapter is required. For connection to Android
devices, an OTG cable and appropriate OS support are
required. For more information, please refer to www.ifi-
audio.com.
9
10 11
12. Line Direct/Preamplifier Mode
Direct: fixed RCA output
(bypass, FULL volume)
Preamplifier: the iDSD functions as a
DAC/preamplifier. The volume control
is now enabled for the RCA line output
and when used in conjunction with the
Power Mode offers gain of:
Eco = for high-sensitivity IEMs
(Default, ~12 hours).
Normal = for medium-sensitivity headphones
(~9 hours).
Turbo = for the most-demanding headphones
(~6 hours).
Tip: See section 12. For how Power mode is used in
conjunction with Direct/Preamplifier mode.
WARNING: when first starting out, do not set the
volume control higher than 9 o' clock and only in
‘Eco’ mode as the headphone amplifier of the iDSD
is exceptionally powerful. iFi is not responsible for
any headphone/hearing damage arising from
incorrect use.
10. Polarity
Adjustable signal polarity of music
playback. For a digital signal source only (ie. not for an
analogue signal via the 3.5mm input.)
11. Digital Filter
The following are user-selectable:
DSD: Extreme/Extended/
Standard Range (analogue) filters
PCM: Bit-Perfect/Minimum-Phase/Standard (digital)
filters
DXD: Bit-Perfect Processing (fixed) analogue filter
Tip: For PCM we recommend ‘Bit-Perfect’ for listening and
‘Standard’ for measurements. For DSD, select
Extreme/Extended/Standard to find the one that sounds
best for listening and ‘Standard Range’ for
measurements.
9. Power Mode
There are 3 different types of power
output levels to drive different head
phones from the most sensitive In-Ear-Monitors(IEMs)
through to the most demanding over-the-ear
headphones.
Approximate listening time (in Battery mode with
typical headphones)
14. SmartPower®
The USB type ‘A’ port located to the
side is able to recharge a Smart device.
SmartPower® will automatically detect an
iPhone/Android or similar and commence charging.
However, the micro iDSD must be switched OFF as it
cannot charge and playback music simultaneously.
Tip: Any USB connected device can be recharged but with
larger devices such as tablets, the SmartPower battery
will charge, but will be rapidly drained. Hence, it is not
recommended for such applications
Tip: MAC OSX has built-in native support for the iDSD.
MS Windows , please download and install the driver
software BEFORE connecting the iDSD to the computer
(www.ifi-audio.com).
Tip: For the best sound quality, always set the volume
control on the computer and the playback software to
100%.
14
Tip: The USB input is specially designed so that it can be
directly connected to an Apple Camera Connection
Kit/Lighting-to-USB Camera Adapter or Android OTG
without the need for any adaptor.
Tip: Sonically-hindering DSP is NOT used for XBass® Plus
nor 3D® Matrix Plus systems. They use the highest-quality
discrete components and operate purely in the analogue
domain. Hence all the clarity and resolution of the
original music is retained.
R
L
OUTPUT
DIGITAL INPUT
1
2
3
Eco = 0 dB
Normal/Turbo = 9dB
Tip: Only make the selection with the unit powered off.
13. iEMatch switch
With the iEMatch, even the most
sensitive In-Ear-Monitors (IEMs) can
be matched to the iDSD.
Off
High Sensitivity: For High Sensitivity IEMs.
Ultra Sensitivity: For Ultra Sensitivity IEMs.
3.5mm
INPUT
4
5
6
7 8
OFF
Bass
X
+
+
Volu me
Fil ter
Hea dphon es
ifi- audio .com
mic ro
Technol ogy lic ensed f rom AMR -Audi o, UK Ass emble d in Chin a
Dig ital In put
• Octa -DSD5 12/PC M768 an d 2X DXD
• Dua l-Core N ative D SD/PC M Burr- Brown ch ipset
• Perfo rman ce-tu ned 3D® M atrix Pl us and XB ass® Pl us
• Zero Jitter /Femt o clock sy stem up graded fo r lower
pha se-no ise/j itter
• Dig ital eng ine upg raded w ith iFi c ustom ul tra-l ow
noi se Op-A mp OV202 8
• Ana logue s ectio n upgrad ed with i Fi cust om ultra -low
noi se Op-A mp OV262 7
• Ult ra-low i mpeda nce OS- CON pol ymer ca pacito rs
and Pa nason ic audi o-gra de ECPU fi lm capa citor s
Out put
Sma rtPowe r®
Cha rging
5V/1 .5A
4800m AH
Bas s
X
Inp ut
iEM atch®
High
Sens itivi ty
Off
Pola rity
Powe r Mode
Mini mum
Bit- Perfec t
Stan dard
Norm al
Eco
Turbo
Dire ct
Prea mplif ier
Coa xial (I n/Out )
Opt ical In put
＋
－
Ultra
Sens itivi ty
Phas e
®
Bass
X
®
Direct Stream Digital
8X
4X
2X
1X
Digital eXtreme Definition
2X
1X
BLAC K LABEL e ditio n
BLAC KLABEL
®
Direc t Drive
Charg eable US B
X
2
768
384
352
705
PC M
Pulse Code Modulation
+
+
+
+
V
12
13
• Performance-tuned 3D® Plus and XBass® Plus
• ZeroJitter/Femto clock system upgraded for lower
phase-noise/jitter
• Digital engine upgraded with iFi custom ultra-low
noise Op-Amp OV2028
• Analogue section upgraded with iFi custom
ultra-low noise Op-Amp OV2627
• Ultra-low impedance OS-CON polymer capacitors
and Panasonic audio-grade ECPU film capacitors
BLACK LABEL edition
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
BLACKLABEL