expired Posted by TheEdge • Mar 3, 2025
Mar 3, 2025 6:02 PM
Item 1 of 2
Item 1 of 2
expired Posted by TheEdge • Mar 3, 2025
Mar 3, 2025 6:02 PM
iFi Audio Micro iDSD Signature Finale Portable Headphone Amp and DAC - $249 + FS - Adorama
$249
$749
66% offAdorama
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I have this, the black edition, and the standard edition (as well as a Diablo) and this is going to give you that *almost* valve warmth that is expected from anything with multibit. Lots of toggles. I can get a completely dark background on any of my headphones and iems. Ifi bloats their wattage claims a bit (what brand doesn't do this). They claim 4.1w but that's in bursts when it detects a spike is needed... it's actually about half of that (but that's still more than a lot of desktop amps and way more power than most headphones need to get their full range of motion). Xbass and 3D plus are gimmicky but you may see them improve a few headphones here and there. Separate power and audio usb ports which is a plus to some, negative to others.... requires a fiddly usb(whatever your device of choice takes) to usb A (female) to connect to a phone or laptop, but there are good cheap options for that on amazon. You would really have a hard time getting better sound for portable or desktop use at this pricepoint, and that isn't an exaggeration.
Some quick cons...
- The setup card's QR code takes you to an empty YouTube playlist. What's the point of taking me to a playlist to see a setup video if there's no video? I don't REALLY need to see it, but that's kinda beside the point.
- As "Truth" noted above, it's separate USB for data (you'll need to connect using a female USB-A) and power (USB-C). To essentially use it as a desktop amp means you'd need to have two USB cables coming out of it -- one out of the side and one out of the back. Not convenient at all. And the USB A to USB C cable they give you to power it is quite short and, for all intents, worthless.
Some pros...
- Feels well made for a portable amp. Unless you drop this from a high position onto a hard surface, I think it could absorb a few falls with no problem.
- Sound quality / imaging / details / dynamics is (are) solid and packs a punch for a device this size. I could see myself using it in lieu of a desktop headphone amp at my standing desk setup.
Other thoughts...
- I wouln't go as far as to call it "gimmicky", but the Xbass doesn't make a huge difference. That being said, what it does add doesn't feel bloated or artificial. It just adds a bit to the low end. Will it satisfy the biggest bass heads? Probably not. But I think it's a nice option to have.
- The 3D toggle does add a bit of airy-ness. It feels more like an EQ shift than a soundstage change, however.
Would I ever pay full price for this? Nope. But $249 + tax / FS seems solid for what it can do. If you're looking for desktop only, I'd probably look elsewhere as you can get a solid desktop HP amp for this price or a bit less. If you want portable -or- the flexibility to go either way, I think it's a strong candidate to suit your needs.