Pro iCAN User Manual
Thank you for purchasing this Pro series iCAN Signature. The Pro iCAN Signature is both : (i) a professional headphone amplifier (ii) a fully-fledged, high-end preamplifier WARNING: The Pro iCAN Signature is VERY POWERFUL and can offer very large amounts of sub-bass boost. As a starting point, always use the lowest gain possible and start with the volume set low and ® set to OFF. iFi is not responsible for any ancillary equipment damage caused by the Pro iCAN Signature.
1 2 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 2 3 4 6a 78 5 6b 6c 6d 9 LED Logo (illuminated) Power Switch Input Selector ® Bass Correction System Operation Modes (Solid-State/Tube/Tube+) Headphone Output Sockets P.4 P.4 P.4 P.4 P.5 P.6 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 10 11 Holographic for Headphones® / Holographic for Loudspeakers® Systems NOS GE5670 Tubes Gain Selection Volume Control IR Remote Control P.7 P.9 P.9 P.10 P.
12 12. 13. 14. 15. Balanced Input Unbalanced Inputs 1-3 Balanced Line Output Unbalanced Line Outputs 13 14 P.10 P.10 P.10 P.10 16. 17. 18. 19. 15 18 16 17 19 Quad-Damped Isolation Base Mount DC Loop-Out Connector for iFi Electrostatic Add-On Module DC Power Supply Input P.11 P.11 P.11 P.
1. LED Logo Warming-up: Orange (flashing) Tube/Tube+ mode: Orange Solid-State mode: White Protection: Red Tip: See Section 5 for details of the different operation modes. 2. Power Switch ON/OFF. Note: When switched on, the Pro iCAN Signature will go through a warm-up sequence of 45 seconds before it is operational. 3. Input Selector Input 1-3: RCA, single-ended. Input balanced: XLR, balanced.
® is disabled (this allows the ‘direct’ sound to be enjoyed). OFF: 10Hz: for headphones/loudspeakers missing only the very lowest bass (below 40Hz). 20Hz: for headphones/loudspeakers missing some bass (below 80Hz). 40Hz: for headphones/loudspeakers missing substantial bass including some mid-bass (below 160Hz). ® settings especially at high gain and high volume control settings, as even the most power-hungry headphones Note: Please be careful with the may be damaged by the power of the Pro iCAN Signature.
Tip: For the first time, one can enjoy both the sound of Solid-State and Tubes in a single package (rather than as an ‘Effect Type’ add-on within an otherwise conventional solid-state design) and be able to switch in real-time. For some recordings and headphones/loudspeakers, Solid-State may sound more lively. For others, Tube and Tube+ (especially Tube+) will sound more luxurious. Select the one that sounds best for that particular moment, be it the recording, the mood or even the weather.
6d. 4.4mm (Balanced, TRRS standard) 4.4mm TRRS Balanced headphones. Tip: If possible, always use balanced headphones to take full advantage of the true balanced nature of the Pro iCAN Signature circuitry. 7. Holographic for Headphones® / Holographic for Loudspeakers® Systems There are two separate Analogue Signal Processing (ASP) matrix circuits that switch automatically between headphone and loudspeaker use. Note: When using the headphone outputs, the Holographic matrix for headphones is engaged.
Tip: Holographic for Headphones® is not based on a standard cross-feed system, as found in some high-end headphone amplifiers. Many so called ‘3D systems’ are usually DSP based. This artificially effects the sound and adds unwanted reverb in order to simulate a ‘spacious‘ type of sound. It’s true that traditional cross-feed tends to produce an ‘out of head’ sound, but with much diminished spatial components and a narrower soundstage, sometimes almost approaching mono.
iv. 60˚+: This matrix corrects (’+’) the spatial distortion caused by the recording/mixing/mastering process and adds an approximate 60˚ to the apparent width of the soundstage. This is close to the ‘wide’ placement preferred by some audiophiles. The Holographic circuit for loudspeakers corrects a distortion of the sound field caused by recording via microphones and playback via loudspeakers.
10. Volume Control To control the volume. Tip: For loud but normal listening levels, the volume control should be between 10 and 2 o’clock. Adjust the gain upwards if the volume is unsatisfactory. If one cannot turn up the volume to even 10 o’clock (at the lowest gain setting), please connect the headphone to the iEMatch embedded 3.5mm connections, which are matched to high-sensitivity headphones such as in-ear-monitors and other high-sensitivity modern headphones designed to operate from portable devices.
16. Quad-Damped Isolation Base Mount Base support, please set the Pro iCAN Signature on a flat surface. Tip: The Quad-damped Isolation Base Mount was specially-designed to provide the ultimate vibration damping control and electromagnetic shielding. It consists of a custom quad-layer sandwich; dual layer elastomers (silicone layer and copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate layer), and a dual-layer of metal alloy (aluminium alloy layer and ferrous alloy layer finished with special honeycomb coating).
Design Notes from the AMR/iFi Research & Development department: The Pro iCAN Signature circuit is fully-balanced with completely equal circuit sections for Positive (Hot) and Negative (Cold) signal phase of each channel. The volume control is a 6-way motorized ALPS type, 4 tracks are used to adjust the volume for the balanced signal, the other two are used for monitoring the volume control operation. Maximum Output is > 20V in balanced mode, > 10V in single ended mode, maximum peak current is 1.
If enabled, the Holographic matrix fundamentally re-shapes the transfer function of the actual amplifying circuit to do its job. So again, the fidelity of the signal is as if the Holographic matrix was designed integral to the circuit. This is a highly-unusual design, as normally signal processing functions add extra circuits to the main amplification circuit. Such additional circuitry cannot but negatively impact sound quality when in use and often even when disabled.
