Setup:

  • Foobar 2000
  • iFi nano iUSB3.0 USB conditioner
  • MSI GS40 Laptop
  • Chord Mojo
  • iFi micro iDSD
  • iFi Micro iDSD settings
  • Output: Direct
  • Power Mode: Normal
  • Polarity: Positive
  • Filter: Bit-perfect
  • iEMatch: Ultra High Sensitivity
  • XBass: On
  • 3D: Varied, mostly Off

Features:

  • XBass
  • Adds a bit of much needed sub-bass and mid-bass weight. It's not much but just enough.
  • Drums lacks an atmospheric presence with it off.
  • I've kept this setting on for this review.
  • 3D
  • Enables a more holographic and open sound. Much more energetic.
  • Much better separation with it turned on.
  • Only drawback: Does add a bright tilt and affects overall tonality and balance. Harsh and too busy at times.
  • I switched between on/off depending on the genre of music.

Lovesong - Adele - 21 (Unmastered) - 44/24

  • Mojo is juicy, groovy, euphonic, everything just sounds more real. sultry. more sedutctrive and low end textures to make the sound palpable. More intimate.
  • iFi too clean?
  • iFi good grip, very vibrant. The iFi actually sounds quite nice on this track. Pitch black background.
  • Super wide soundstage

How High the Moon - Jazz at the Pawnshop (DSD128)

  • vs Mojo
  • Amazing textures, smooth lower mids. Much better PRaT and bite. The audience in the intro sounds eerie on the Mojo.
  • iFi, you could hear the actual words spoken in the intro. It's quite a highly resolving DAC, perhaps clinical for some.
  • The iDSD has a beautiful sound, I really do appreciate the details and nuances. You hear more of the music, even vs the Mojo. I just wish it had more body as the overall sound is a bit thin and lacks some tonal hues and textures for a convincing sound.
  • I believe "polite" is the proper word for this DAC. It doesn't do anything wrong and presents the music in its most pristine form. Very proper DAC. Just doesn't pull in you in by the collar.

Emergency - Paramore - The Final Riot! (44/16)

  • vs GOV2
  • The GOV2 has vibrancy and energy but lacks cohesion and body. Also sound much flatter than the iDSD in comparison. It caused a bit of fatigue. The iDSD is obviously in another class.
  • vs Mojo
  • Mojo has more cohesion, body, slam, dynamics, sounds even more like a real concert. The bass response is unmatched. iDSD does better with resolution and separation.
  • I have to admit, the iDSD sounds quite nice even vs Mojo. You miss out on the warmth you would hear from an actual concert but it sounds very clean. I hear micro-details on the iDSD I don't hear on the Mojo. I think it would sound amazing with a tube stage along the chain or warmer/darker headphones/speakers.
  • The iDSD sounds completely different. It sounds like real music whereas the GOV2 sounds like a bit of a hot mess in comparison. Timbre and tonality is MUCH more precise and natural on the iDSD.
  • Good delineation of guitars, drums, and Haley Williams <3
  • Sounds like being at the actual concert minus the warmth.

New York 19 - The Modern Jazz Quartet (192/24)

  • vs Mojo
  • iDSD has better imaging and a very wide/deep soundstage.
  • Mojo: Sounds like you're there in the studio, that sesimic bass is quite addictive. iDSD lacks that weight, body, and meat-on-the-bones. Basically it lacks the richness that gives some of the performers life.
  • Outside of the drier presentation, it's a great sounding DAC. It's close to being analytical but not quite.

an amazing feat to have such a detailed DAC drier and polite, not euphonic, articulate without being abrasive steely, never sibilant very factual, an x-ray crisp without being cold straight-A student Value for money is outstanding set em and forget em richness drives every headphone not portable never congested