iFi Audio iDSD NEO

Preamble


There is no end to iFi audio’s surprises on how they read my (and, of course, not only my) mind. I think it is a matter of the right marketing strategy and understanding of customer needs. In my opinion they do not just release some new products on the market to compete with other brands but have a clear understanding of why and for whom they are doing it. They do not just chase after numbers and the best measurements results just for the sake of results, but first they think several steps ahead of how this or that product will be perceived.


The first thing that surprised me, back in the fall, was the announcement of the iDSD Signature which became a modification of micro iDSD BL. The manufacturer took into account all the wishes of users, making the device almost ideal. We all know iDSD Diablo is coming, but that is another story.

In fact, I don't see any continuity between micro IDSD BL and Diablo, unlike the Signature, which is to me a logical upgrade for the BL.


The second point is just connected with the announcement of the Neo iDSD. At first, I could not understand what positioning the device would have.


As a matter of fact, I tried to find on the market a DAC with full MQA support up to 1000 USD with a good sound. Recently I began to listen to more jazz and classics, which more and more appear in the mqa format. My current Violectric DAC V800 becomes obsolete and does not support the mqa format, and it is limited to 24/96 kHz, which by modern standards is a serious lag. I do not listen to DSD very often, I practically do not have many, but I would like to listen to more mqa albums as stated above.


After seeing the announcement of a head-fi tour, I subscribed. Probably a month or so later, I received an email from ifi audio saying they are ready to provide me with the device through their distributor. To be honest, I did not expect it. It seems to be more real when a tour is in Europe and/or in the US, where there are no borders, where the number of participants is larger, where it is easier to coordinate such an event and the return on such tours is also higher. Therefore, I want to thank iFi audio and their Russian distributor Qvinta for the opportunity to test the device. I was allowed to test the device for about a week.


The main question that I wanted to clarify for me was:

Will NEO be able to cover my needs as an mqa DAC at the price up to 1000 USD?


Let’s dive deeper, NEO and see “how deep the rabbit-hole goes” (“The Matrix” movie) …



What is in the box?


As it has been mentioned in some previous reviews:


USB 3.0 cable, RCA interconnect cable, 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm adapter, iPower power supply, Bluetooth antenna, silicone feet, vertical stand, remote control.

Although, thinking of the positioning of the device as a fully balanced DAC, I would prefer to see XLR interconnect cables instead of RCA in the kit.


How it looks like?


I would skip all technical specs since this is available on the official website.


In terms of looks and styling, the device is unlike any other in the ifi range. Perhaps they plan to move on in this direction, we will see. I have not yet personally fully developed my attitude towards the new styling. But I like the way the DAC looks upright on a vertical stand. The device is quite compact both horizontally and vertically. But at the same time, it is quite weighty.


Dimensions: 214 x146 x 41mm

Weight: 970g

MQA and Roon setup


As far as I know, this is the second device of the company after Pro iDSD, which makes full decoding and playback of MQA files. It seems that the new iDSD Daiblo will be capable of this too.


Setting up mqa capabilities in Roon is simple, you need to select the Decoder and Renderer in the MQA section to get a complete unfold.


Information of file’s format is displayed on the screen.


By the way, Roon does not identify the device as Neo iDSD. Perhaps this will be fixed in the future, it can be on the Roon and not on ifi side, I do not know.


There is one nuance connected with this - when you turn the iDSD Signature on, while NEO is turned off, Roon defines it as an unidentified ifi audio device and assigns the NEO’s zone to it. And since Signature requires the first software unfold of mqa, unlike NEO, you must go into the settings and change it to Renderer. And visa verse, when you turn the NEO on, you must do the opposite procedure to get mqa on NEO. Which is not very convenient.


Controls


To be honest, I do not see a big value in describing the sections from the user guide here. There are not so many buttons here and the functions are tied to the central volume wheel. During testing I have never had to switch anything except for USB/Bluetooth input. When listening the device was on the factory settings.


The firmware was updated from 1.25 to 1.35 version.



Sound

(“You hear that, Mr. Anderson?...”)


Here I would again return to the question of positioning the device. Most reviews focus on NEO mainly as a DAC + Amp, using headphone outputs to evaluate sound. In my opinion the device is primarily a DAC for paring with an external balanced amplifier and then a headphone amplifier as a secondary application.



Ultra HD DAC


The following set-up was used for listening:


  • Intel NUC on ROCK (Roon Optimized Core Kit)

  • Fully balanced headphone amplifier (dual mono) MS Audio Laboratory FHA 1.3, with a power of about 8 watts at 32 ohms per channel.

  • Self-made XLR interconnect cables on Neutrik connectors, based on Viablue NF-S1 Silver Quatro and Oyaide PA-02 V2.

  • Snorry NM-1 TOTL planar-magnetic headphones (pre-production version with wooden cups, drivers upgraded to the production version), a rather difficult load (about 40 ohms at 90 dBa) for many amplifiers.

I think with NEO ifi audio want to introduce a new vision of sound and possibly the direction in which new products of the company will go. I can’t say that the sound has changed conceptually. The DNA remains the same and there is certainly a similarity in sound with the previous generation, but the tuning has become more towards neutral and reference sound with an emphasis on “technique” if I may say so.


I have to admit that it requires some burn-in time to perform its best.


Soundstage

I think due to a more linear and neutral approach the DAC is more about width than depth. Regarding the width, especially on several MQA recordings, the channels go far from the central axis to left and right and I believe with phones like HD800S you can clearly hear how wide it can go.


In general, there are no questions about the soundstage.


Separation

The separation of channels and instruments, considering the balanced circuity of the device, is at a really high level. You can clearly hear each instrument and its location.


Bass

I think there is more about mid than sub. The bass is very well controlled and fast. It does not draw attention to itself and does not climb into the mid range. It aligns harmoniously with the rest of the frequency ranges. Perhaps for some it will seem a little dry. It plays out right fast and technical genres, as is to be expected from such a device.


Mid frequencies

Here, too, there are no questions about the quality of this range. Technically it is clean and detailed. There are no peaks or dips. Everything is perceived quite naturally.


High frequencies

They are detailed and have an exceptionally good extension. I would not call NEO bright at all, unless, of course, you use bright headphones with it.


With the NM-1, which itself have a linear FR without any emphasize anywhere in the treble area, the NEO does everything accurate and clean without a hint of harshness and sibilance.

Well, it will also depend on the quality of recordings too.


PRaT

NEO is extremely fast and dynamic. You do not fall asleep with it. It keeps the rhythm! Good job here, ifi!


Comparison


Now I will shortly compare the device with my Violectric DAC V800, built on single TI BB PCM1792. At the start of sales back in 2011 (or may be earlier) the MSRP of the DAC was 1299 USD. I have it for about 1.5 years. I bought it new directly from Lake People in Germany in fall of 2019 for about 600 Euro (last stock unit under Black Friday deal). It seems to me that it was discontinued that year or so.


On the one hand, we are talking about DACs, roughly costing one - 700 and the other - 1300 USD. On the other hand, the subject of price and price positioning is not always related to the sound, as I think.


As you may know, V800 does not support DSD and MQA format. My version has a 24/96 kHz limitation, everything above is got down sampled. Nevertheless if you don't pay attention to the lack of support for modern formats like mqa, the V800 remains a solid performer up to this day.


The devices are similar in tonality, both are neutral and transparent, but the V800 is more in the warmer side of neutral and delivers everything a little smoother.


Neo sounds closer to the listener and more in your face. V800 moves the stage a couple of rows further. To me the sound of the German DAC is weightier, that is the notes are "weightier". I do not mean that Neo sounds "thin". But there are more "meat on the bones" with Violectric. There is a slight difference in bass section too. NEO is more about mid bass, the V800 adds more weight in the sub bass area. I think the level of details pulled out from music is at the same level. Violectric also sounds a bit deeper.

+ Headphone Amplifier


Here I’d like to draw parallels with the iDSD Signature, which I have had since the end of December. I immediately bought it as soon as it became available in my country. I was looking forward to this device, owning iDSD micro BL for quite a long. And I can say that I never regret about my purchase.


With IEM


For evaluation I used my reference IEM from Earsonics, S-EM6 V2.


I remember the wonderful synergy of these IEM with BL, and of course, the synergy they have with the Signature today; this paring has become even better.


On the one hand, these IEMs like amplification and do not perform well with weak sources; on the other hand, they are quite sensitive - 112 dB / mW. I remember with the ZEN DAC and Hip DAC (out of the 4.4 mm outputs) it was not possible to listen to them due to the background noise. Note that iDSD Signature (micro IDSD BL in the past) has no background noise at all at any gain or mode. There is just “dead silence”. Unfortunately, with NEO I also hear a distinct background noise from the amplifier with the S-EM6 V2. The sound signature of the amp section is like what I hear with an external amplifier – more on neutral side, detailed, fast.


With headphones


Naturally, there is no background noise with the Snorry NM-1. But the amp section of NEO is not able to drive these tight isodynamics to an acceptable level of their normal performance - need more current.


Make sure you choose headphones for NEO which are not overly sensitive and not very demanding on output power.


Bluetooth


I used Sony NW-A100 player as a source. Connecting devices does not cause any problems. They quickly find each other. In the past, owning xDSD and xCAN, I could see how great ifi audio managed to bring wireless sound to a new level. Sometimes to distinguish the sound from the wired one, I had to listen deeply to the recording. As expected NEO already with LDAC support is pushing this bar even higher. This will be highly estimated by those who are really looking for the latest wireless signal transfer technology.

Conclusion


Have I got the answer to my question after about a week of using the device? Yes, and the answer is yes.


NEO iDSD can confidently cover DAC needs in the range of devices up to 1000 USD, in case your tastes match with the general philosophy of sound that ifi audio is presenting to its audience today.


I also hope that the gap in portfolio between Neo iDSD and Pro iDSD will be filled with something interesting (desktop standalone DAC?) too.


I am really grateful to ifi audio for the great opportunity and wish them success in the further development of their products! I would also wish all of us to have a chance to listen and possibility to purchase these products in future.


It is time to return the unit.)