iFiAUDIO micro iDSD Signature Finale Portable Headphone Amp and DAC, MIDI Switcher & Distribution Hub, Portable DAC

I started off with the original Ifi Hip dac years ago, then I bought the Micro Idsd Black Label used on ebay (still use to this day!) And last year I purchased the Signature Finale. I prefer this over the Ifi Diablo. Why? Ifi Diablo is overpriced compared to this for very similar performance. Diablo also has way to many QC issues. The Signature Finale has amazing value and endless power for basically any headphone or IEM on the market. Sounds great, very detailed, etc.

Small formfactor, build as a tank and great sound quality. A well-deserved successor of ifi micro black edition

First off I want to say that this is in no way a reflection of the seller the seller was awesome. This has to do with ifi audio marketing. What I mean by that is simple the company markets this device as the final line in the idsd line. When you look at the marketing they address some issues that people had with the original idsd signature and they say that this model, the signature finale, not only have they fixed those issues but this offers a refinement as the last Model in that product line. They marketed it as a balanced Dac/amp with 4 watts of power per Channel however after doing some digging, what I found was this is not a balanced amp. It is a single channel amp that has a 4.4 mm headphone jack with ifi's proprietary circuitry called s balance. This is a simulated balanced output that they use on a lot of their lower priced products. It is not a true balance device like the signature before it. As far as the product it worked fine. Plenty of power it will drive anything. And it is chock-full of their in house ifi sound stage and profile. However I was looking for a replacement for my signature and I was told that this was the upgrade. However how can this be an upgrade when the signature was a perfectly balanced portable headphone dac amp and this one is a single ended just like the models before the signature. If you are not looking for a true balanced device and you need something to power big planars or more demanding Dynamic driver headphones than this product will work just fine.The noise floor was dead quiet the sound was great, xbass is amazing, and the fact that it's portable with four watts of power on board is spectacular. Everything I listened to sounded great hip hop Rock country and especially classical music and movie scores. This device drove my XS, lcd-gx, 4xx,m1070, Sundaras as well as a plethora of Iems to their truest potential.My only caveat about the device is it's not a true balanced item but I cannot deny the power, great battery life, and awesome sound output from this device.

I have the last version of this unit which has much less emphasis in the treble region. For example, I need to use a copper cable on my headphones with this unit due to excessive treble or glare, something seems like it may not be quite right. Perhaps it's only my unit but I would test this out first during the return period.Edit: I’m now using this with a tube amp and it sounds great. I like this dac (burr brown chip) because of its versatility and also its natural timbre. If you have a tube app, for example, and are sensitive to treble I would definitely recommend this!

Great until the battery dies, not practical to have it sent back for a replacement and designed in such a way that removing a swollen battery may not even be feasable. I think planned obsolescence design strategies are what they are called.

Update: the unit is dead and won’t take a charge. I called Adorama Camera where I purchased the unit. They said to contact IFI. The IFI phone number supplied is not valid and the IFI website is down and useless. At this point I would stay away from both Adorama and IFI.