Introduction: During my visit to Japan a few months ago, I went to
the Fujiya Avic Spring Headphone Festival and heading into the ifi suite I was
greeted by their welcoming reps and got to take a look at all their goodies,
however the xDSD with its svelte and modern look caught my attention almost
immediately; So when ifi reached out me and offered me a chance to review the
xDSD I leapt at that chance.
The xDSD is the first foray of a
new era of ifi products it seems, embracing a modern look and feel with the X
series, seemingly with the xDSD leading the charge being dubbed “Generation X”,
after a slew of popular and fantastic products like the iDSD BL Micro and Nano
among the popular ones that have entered the market. Does ifi successfully make
their transition? Or have they bitten off more than they can chew with some
radical changes? Read the full review below to find out,
Specifications: USB Input: up to PCM768kHz & DSD512
(24.6/22.6MHz)
S/PDIF Coaxial and Optical Input:
up to 192kHz/24Bit
Dynamic Range: > 113dB (A)
Volume Control: -101dB…0dB in 1dB
steps
Output power:
> 2.82V/500 mW @ 16 Ohm
> 3.7V/270mW @ 50 Ohm
> 3.8V/48 mW @ 300 Ohm
> 3.8V/24 mW @ 600 Ohm
Line out Level: > 2.1V @ 0dBFS
(& 0dB Volume)
THD &N (1V/16R): < 0.005%
Output Impedance: < 1 Ohm
Battery: 3.8V/2200mAh
Dimensions: 95 (l) x66.5 (w) x19
(h) mm
Weight: 127g (0.28 Ibs)
Warranty period: 12 months
Packaging and Accessories: The xDSD comes in about bog standard packaging
with an attractive thick white box containing the name, composite image, and the
specifications of the xDSD. Opening the box reveals a velour type string pouch
for storing the xDSD, the unit itself, some pamphlets and instructions, and a
box that contains all the cable connectors and accessories. What is noticeably
missing is a connection interface for mobile devices, at the premium price point one might argue that there should be more accessories but in the end it has everything you need to plug the product in and almost everyone should have a micro USB cable handy.
Build and Interface: The outer shell of the xDSD is composed of two
main parts the main part being magnesium alloy and matte plastic for the rear.
The faceplate has the 3.5mm ifi proprietary jack that functions as both
balanced and single ended outputs, a multifunction button that works as the
volume know and volume level indicator and a extra button that controls the 3D+
and XBass+ features. There are also 4 indicator LEDs that detail the type of input, type of file and bitrate being played as well as lights for if either 3D+ and XBass+ are activiated. The rear is where all the
inputs are located, with the male data USB port, 5v micro B power only USB
port though hopefully type-c is embraced by ifi soon, an optical in and a switch that turns filtering from Measure to Listen. The
rest of the physical build is 4 rubber and a Hi-Res sticker. The build quality
is very good, the seams where the shell comes together has no gaps, the
finishing and paint of the lettering is smooth, and while light, it feels very
solid and sturdy. The only thing I can note is that the volume knob/multifunction
button sometimes feels like its scratching the metal shell. Speaking of the
metal shell, the xDSD has a unique scalloped design and it is polished to a
near mirror like finish, this is very attractive in my opinion however this
renders the xDSD both extremely fingerprint and smudge prone and quite scratch
and ding prone. Because the reflective nature of the shell reveals imperfections
readily.
Usability: For desktop use the xDSD was plug and play for me and
did not require any sort of driver installation to properly interface with my
Windows 10 machine. Set up was mostly simple, connecting the data cable to my
computer and turning the unit on and plug and listen. However, it is important
to note that the instruction manual for the xDSD is very important to correctly
understand how it functions and how to change settings and the like. This is because
while it has a simple 1 button interface this leads to it being unintuitive
when trying to troubleshoot what is happening, like turning on or resetting
line out mode, changing from Bluetooth to USB or optical and the like, as this
takes a certain specific combination of holds and button presses to swap around
from the different settings. ifi recommends to maximize the in computer volume and use the xDSD as the control, and it has an indicator that changes the main LED color to correspond to a volume level.
For Bluetooth the setup is generally
pain free, most if not all devices I tried were able to detect and connect with
the xDSD properly with minimal fuss. However, with some devices I did
experience drops in the connection once or twice, that never seemed to be recurring,
so they were probably one of events. Nonetheless for the most part the xDSD is
a straightforward device to use daily and with a solid average of 7 to 9 hours of
juice from it, it should serve you well. One thing to note however is that if
you plan to use it wired with a phone, like a mentioned before you need to
acquire an OTG cable for yourself. Volume changing in this mode is courtesy of the source device and not on the xDSD.
Sound: Sound impressions were taken with a variety of devices. And
always a reminder that a while DACs and Amps can affect the sound of what you’re
listening to, to a degree it won’t radically change the sound signature and
qualities of your audio gear and can merely enhance or complement your gear.
The overall tonality of the xDSD
is mostly smooth and flat, with maybe a bump in the bass region adding a certain
warmth but not overtly so, this leads to a certain note thickness, especially
on the listen filter, swapping over to measure evens it out more if that is
something you would like to try. It seems to be very consistent device to
device, this is probably partly due to the OI being below 1 ohm, and it has enough
power to drive my HE400i at around 85% volume, though can struggle with super power-hungry
cans, (though I think ifi may have something for those 600ohm can owners soon.) The analogue circuits that can enhance the listening experience, namely XBass+ provide a nice pleasant bass bump that is not overbearing nor does it sound artificial, perfect for those with more neutral gear that would like to increase the dose of fun and bass response when listening to music. 3D+ on the other hand is supposed to increase the spatial 3D imaging of the music and the effects of these in my experience were hit or miss, some gear and music combinations responded to it well while others it seemed unnatural or I wouldn't really be able to tell any changes. On the technicality side the staging is accurate, though there seems to not be
a pronounced depth, just average, and for width we have a little bit wider than
normal, and details are good, while not uber transparent, is not lagging in
terms of clarity. Definitely pleasant as an overall daily device in sound, not dry
and has an ample level of engagement.
Conclusion: ifi has stepped into their modern age confidently with
the xDSD. Offering a futuristic design, good features, and specs in a relatively
compact size and light weight chassis, that while it has blemishes(literally) in
the design that might not make it for everyone, you can’t say it’s boring or
generic. It provides great sound and a feature set that can rival the
competition out there with Bluetooth and extensive file type support. It has
good ease of use especially if firmware updates continue to improve stability,
and while there is a learning curve to using all the features, keeping a copy
of the manual close by, whether physical or digital, will help ease you in and
most of what you’re going to do is simple enough to remember. It makes for a capable
mini desk DAP that can easily double as a portable option especially in Bluetooth
mode. If there was anything I could ask for only better mobile wired support
and USB type-C, maybe for the next revision. But overall at $399 it’s a capable
device that is highly recommended for those looking for a versatile and adaptable
DAC/Amp that is at worst capable and even excellent at multiple use cases.
No comments:
Post a Comment