iFi has launched a special edition of its premium iDSD GR 2 DAC and headphone amplifier, the GR 2 MT.
The new DAC has been launched in collaboration with Steve Levine, a Brit Award-winning producer who has worked with the likes of the Beach Boys, Motörhead and Culture Club during his extensive career.
As with its predecessor, at the core of the new iDSD GR2 MT is a Burr-Brown PCM1795 DAC chip working alongside K2HD Technology, a harmonic restoration algorithm built to bring recordings nearer to their original character by “reintroducing subtle detail” and restoring musical tone.
So what’s the difference between this special edition DAC and its standard counterpart? For a start, the GR 2 MT uses a hydrocarbon ceramic circuit board in pursuit of “near-zero signal loss”, an upgrade over the fibreglass cloth and epoxy resin board of the original.
The new model also features “audiophile-grade” tantalum resistors as part of its DAC stage, and uses ‘Audio Note Kaesei’ capacitors as opposed to more standard electrolytic units.
The GR2 MT also comes loaded with two Levine-tuned digital filters which aim to deliver the “balance and emotional potency” of the original record.
As before, iFi’s special edition DAC sports a ridged aluminium chassis adorned with an OLED touchscreen and topped with a metal control knob, with the rear side of the "Master Tuned" unit now adorned with Levine's signature.
For physical connections, it features balanced 4.4mm and single-ended 3.5mm inputs and outputs, as well as a USB-C input alongside a combined optical/coaxial input.
For wireless listening, you can also accept a signal from a Bluetooth (5.4) source, with higher codec support coming in aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive and LDAC flavours.
According to Steve Levine himself: “The goal of any producer is to document the authenticity and emotion behind the artist’s performance. I have voiced the iDSD GR2 MT with this same goal in mind, and I hope you feel that when you listen.”
The iFi iDSD GR 2 MT is available now, priced at £699 / $699 / €729, a reasonable advance on the £529 / $529 / AU$849 of the standard iDSD GR 2 we reviewed recently.
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