The iDSD Phantom DAC promises iFi’s “most accomplished” audio yet

iFi has replaced its Pro iDSD with a new flagship DAC: the iDSD Phantom.

The firm claims that the new DAC / streamer / headphone amp improves on its predecessor in every key area, with a rebuilt streaming engine, higher-precision conversion, much more output headroom and more granular user control.

It claims the new flagship provides the brand’s “most accomplished listening experience to date”.

The iDSD Phantom comes seven years after the launch of the Pro iDSD.

Inside is DSD Remastering up to DSD2048 and K2HD Technology for pro-grade sonic control, while you get a greater degree of personalisation courtesy of XBass Pro and XSpace Pro technologies, digital filters and real-time circuitry switching.

The network streamer element supports digital audio files up to 768kHz PCM and DSD512, features Qobuz Connect, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and more, while also promising enhanced stability, smoother web radio performance and a more intuitive user interface. Meanwhile, the K2HD tech restores harmonics lost in the production/encoding process for a more natural sound.

With a peak output of 7747mW of Class A amplification, it should be able to power a wide range of headphones, and the Quad DAC architecture combines four Burr-Brown DACs for multi-bit chipset musicality and better low-level linearity.

Signal purity is preserved thanks to galvanic isolation on the ethernet, S/PDIF and AES/EBU inputs, separating it from its sources at a circuit level to stop electrical noise interfering with the audio.

It also has iFi's signature Exclusive Modes, which shut down redundant system processes when streaming to make the system more efficient and reduce the likelihood of any interference from signal noise.

iFi has customised its DSD Remastering technology at every step of the signal's journey through the conversion process, while also using its own Chrysopoeia FPGA-based Remastering Engine to bring studio-grade DSD2048 conversion into the home for the first time. That way, the signal should be clean, stable and precisely timed before it reaches the conversion stage.

The DSD bitstream is then converted to analogue using the same delta-sigma modulator used in DSD recording, with no digital filtering or volume control to preserve the signal's purity.

At DSD2048, the 1-bit stream is sampled roughly 90 million times per second. This phenomenally high sample-rate results in very low in-band distortion, leading to the kind of fidelity usually heard only in high-end mastering suites.

That’s the promise, at least.

You also get three different listening modes courtesy of two output topologies: one solid state, the other tube-based. It’s the same concept as the Pro iDSD, but re-engineered for greater drive with reduced distortion for a more dynamic sound. Just flick a switch to select from the three modes: a dual-mono Solid-State for fast precision and low distortion; a warm and smooth dual-mono Tube mode; and Tube+, which pushes the tube character further for more body and a “golden-era analogue feel”.

And if you plan on using the iDSD Phantom with headphones, iFi has some further treats in store. XBass Pro restores the impact and bass response often lost in open-backed headphones (which can sacrifice bass for spacial openness). iFi claims that XBass Pro “lifts low frequencies without clouding the midrange”, with enough settings to tailor the sound to both the headphones and your own personal taste.

XSpace, meanwhile, creates a greater sense of space, “adding speaker-like depth to the more two-dimensional headphone experience.” iFi claims this is a more advanced technology than any kind of crossfeed that aims to do much the same thing.

XBass Pro, XSpace Pro and DSD Remastering should all work in harmony thanks to iFi's new constant impedance negative feedback system. This should help preserve clarity and low-noise performance.

Once you have selected your circuit topology, restored harmonics with K2HD and applied analogue shaping, a range of digital filters come into play. These include Bit-Perfect and Bit-Perfect+ (“the closest you’ll get to the raw recording”), GTO for upsampling to 352.8/384kHz with minimal filtering, Transient Aligned for balanced filtering while reducing high-frequency noise, and Apodising (which is like GTO but with a softer edge).

Impressive stuff. But can iFi improve on the Pro iDSD's four-star score? Stay tuned for a review…

The iFi iDSD Phantom is out now for £4499 / $4499 (around AU$9000).

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Read our iFi Pro iDSD review

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