I can’t make any iDSD Diablo comments specifically, since I’ve never seen, let alone heard, one.
But in general, going from a balanced output on a DAC or Amp to single-ended connection is a good way to fry the source/amp. You’re shorting the grounds doing that. Some amps will just go into protection. Some will simply die (with, or without, the loss of “magic smoke”, or sometimes rather more spectacularly). Others might work for a bit and then fail.
Coming from a single-ended output on the DAC or amp, and splitting the ground to feed a balanced headphone is fine.
It seems like the custom XLR is not connecting one of the grounds (no pin 3 connection) so there is only one ground connection and nothing to sum.
Inside the headphone the single ground will connect to both left and right channels, when normally (for a balanced connection) each channel would have a separate ground.
My review is alo available in Spanish (and English) on my blog and also in Spanish on YouTube, links at the bottom of this post.
The iFi Audio Diablo has been loaned to me by iFi for the purpose of this review, for which I am very grateful. As always, I will be as impartial as possible giving my honest opinions of the device, however, it is always good to take into consideration that it has not cost me anything to try this device.
Intro…
The iFi Audio Diablo is a very recent release from the company and is a portable DAC/Amp coming in at just under 1000€ (at the time of this review).
The price is obviously not cheap, however, the specifications and usability of this device may just make it a perfect all in one solution for many people.
This is not the first device of this style that iFi have released, their portable (or transportable) DAC/Amps are well known by the majority of those in the headphone world. I haven’t really had chance to try out the other models that they offer, although I did review the iDSD Neo recently (Review - iFi Audio iDSD Neo), but I am very interested to find out if something like the Diablo would fit my needs and use cases (which are many).
But anyway, let’s get on with the review!
Presentation…
As this is a review unit, I am not the first person to open it, however, I believe that the contents are complete and match those included with a retail model.
It arrives in a plain white box, covered with a cardboard sleeve showing an image of the product, along with some specifications and other information. The box is rather large and heavy in comparison to the unit itself, but that is due to the amount of accessories included.
Inside the box, under the top layer of foam, sits the Diablo along with a couple of quick start manuals. After opening such a large and heavy box, the small size and weight of the Diablo is a bit of a surprise.
Under the top layer, we get 2 smaller boxes and a rather nice carrying case that is large enough for the unit and it’s accessories. The accessories included are:
Carrying case
iFi USB Purifier
4.4mm pentacon to 2x XLR cable
USB male to female cable
USB-C OTG cable
Power supply
Power connector to USB-C adapter
USB adapter
3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter
Optic to 3.5mm optic
As you can see, there are quite a lot of accessories included, which is appreciated, all of them seemingly of good quality.
Build and aesthetics…
It’s red. Very red.
Now, I am not saying that as a bad thing (or a good thing) as colour preferences are just as personal as musical tastes, but let’s just say that it won’t be easy to misplace. In fact, a simple yellow hazard sticker would probably guarantee that I would have it inspected at every airport
Forgetting the colour though (again, a personal preference thing), The unit seems to be very well built. The size is approximately the same size as my phone and about 3 times as thick. This is something that is not going to be comfortable in a pocket, at least while in use, so I would count it more as transportable than portable. It will fit nicely in a small bag, or even in a jacket pocket, but the carrying case included is large enough to fit all the accessories which then converts it into something that would be better in a backpack for transportation purposes, or just use the carrying case as a bag as it has the hooks to add the included strap.
The volume wheel is nice and smooth, being pleasurable to use. All in all, it is a very simple but well built unit.
Functionality…
The Diablo is a simple unit, however it does include more functionality than meets the eye at a simple glance.
Starting from the back panel, from left to right, we have an S/PDIF input, of the 3.5mm type, which allows you to use this with devices that are not USB.
To the right of this there is a 4.4mm balanced output. This allows the Diablo to be used with external balanced amplifiers. As noted in the accessories, iFi includes a 4.4mm to dual XLR adapter cable which is appreciated as it is not a cable that is very common in most setups.
In the center of the back panel, we have the USB-C port which is strictly for charging. iFi includes a 5v 2.4A charger, however, I am a little confused as to why the power supply terminates in a barrel connector and then a barrel to USB-C is included in the accessories. Maybe I am missing something here and this is for the PSU to be used in another way or with different equipment, but I can’t understand why it didn’t just terminate in a USB-C connector and skipped an extra adapter that could be lost. There is a small LED at the side of this connector that indicates battery level and charging etc.
Finally, to the right side of the back panel we have the USB data connection port. As is habit with iFi Audio on their portable products, this connector is a male A-Type USB connector that is recessed into the body of the unit. This means that the connector for the unit needs to be a USB Type-A female, like the ones found on USB extension cables. iFi again includes a decent USB cable with the Diablo, but finding decent alternatives in different lengths, if needed, may prove more difficult than if it were something like USB-C.
I can understand that this cable/connector setup is far more robust than USB-C, which is obviously a good thing, but the extra size of the connector and the thickness of the cable does add extra bulk and size, definitely tipping the scale from portable to transportable, in my opinion of course.
Moving around to the front of the Diablo, on the left there is a 6.35mm TRS for the unbalanced output. Due to the size and shape of the Diablo, I like the 6.35mm much more than other 3.5mm commonly found on anything in the portable category. It again adds to the robustness and an adapter to 3.5mm is probably the easiest audio connector to source in the world (iFi also includes a nice one anyway).
Moving on, we have a 4.4mm balanced headphone output. Again, it is nice to find robustness in the connectors and a 4.4mm is much better than a 2.5mm, especially as we already have a 6.35mm on the unit which means there is more than enough space for it.
In the center of the front panel we have the gain switch, or mode switch in the case of the Diablo. This is a very small 3 position toggle switch that you will find easier to switch using your nail but can be done with a finger without issue, except for when the 4.4mm port is being used, which makes it a little more difficult but still doable. It is great that the switch is not easily accessed as we will see in just a moment.
The three mode levels are ECO, Normal and Turbo, which are basically low/medium/high gain modes. ECO mode reduces power to enable the Diablo to be used with more sensitive headphones and IEMs. In Normal mode, this amplifier is already pushing as much power (or more) as most portable options, or even desktop units, and once switching to Turbo mode, well, the specs speak for themselves:
Balanced output: Over 19.2V/611 mW (@ 600 Ohm) and over 12.6V/4,980 mW (@ 32 Ohm)
Single Ended: Over 9.6V/153 mW (@ 600 Ohm) and over 8.8V/2,417 mW (@ 32 Ohm)
So in Turbo mode, with balanced out, this unit is approaching 5W at 32 Ohms! It is highly recommended to check the mode setting before turning on the Diablo!
Continuing with the front panel, there is a large LED that indicates the unit is on and also changes colour to indicate the format of the signal being received. While the LED is large, it is not overly bright which is nice when using the Diablo in low lighted areas.
Finally we have the volume knob which also serves to turn the unit on or off. The knob is nice to use and they have left enough of a gap at the bottom of the unit to make it easy to use when the Diablo is sitting on a table.
Well, after all of that, I haven’t really mentioned functionality, just the connections and controls. So, let me briefly say how all of this works…
Connect USB or S/PDIF cable, depending on your use case.
Connect headphones or IEMs
Check the Mode level
Turn on and adjust volume to taste
Enjoy!
The Diablo is a very simple to use device that still has all the necessary options. The only function I could see this unit missing for some is the possibility to use it as an amplifier only, being fed from a different DAC. I can understand this being very useful to some, although not for me personally.
Versatility…
Now, before I get to the sound, which I will in just a moment, even though the sound differences of DACs and amps are something that I dread having to explain, I want to first mention how I have been using the Diablo and finding it to be a very versatile product.
My main listening stations are at my PC at home and also at my desk at work, in which case, the Diablo is quite easy to implement. Just plug into a USB port and I have enough power and quality to run any headphones that I own (and I should imagine that enough for 90% of headphones that exist).
However, at my desk I have complete systems already and apart from taking up less real estate (which is not an issue) or any differences in sound (again, I’ll get there in a moment), it really doesn’t add any benefit.
As soon as I am away from either of those places, that is where the Diablo starts to shine. My house has RJ45 network ports distributed in various locations of all the rooms, so paired with a Raspberry Pi running RopieeeXL, I have a perfect set up to play all of my local content, easily controlled by any of my phones/tablets/pc’s. I can literally experience the same quality of reproduction and power in any room of my house in a package that is easily transported in one hand.
Another great use for the Diablo (in my case) is travel. Admittedly travel has been very limited over the past year or so but my job entails a lot of travelling and the Diablo comes in perfect for my use case. Not so much during the actual travelling itself (I don’t see me using the Diablo on a plane) but as having the same SQ available everywhere, whether it is in a hotel, on a ship or just at the beach house. The Diablo connected to a DAP or phone/tablet gives me a perfect reference set up for trying out headphones and IEMs no matter where I may be, or just for sitting back and relaxing.
There are more situations in which I can see it being a great solution but I think I gave you enough of an idea already, so, finally, on to the sound.
Sound…
As I have mentioned in other reviews of DACs and amplifiers, I find describing the sound to be a very difficult thing to do, as I am never sure what I am really hearing and what my brain is adding to the equation. But anyhow, I will share my subjective opinions on the Diablo.
As is usual with iFi Audio, the Diablo is based on a Burr-Brown chip, as was the NEO iDSD I reviewed previously. With the NEO I found it to be smoother than the set ups I usually use for reference and in the case of the Diablo, I again feel that it is smoother than my other current options, although (going totally by memory) I don’t find it to be quite as obvious as with the NEO.
For the comparison tests, I currently only have one SS amplifier which is the JDS Labs Atom (which I always use for comparisons anyway) being fed from an SMSL SU-8. My other amps are currently hybrid so are not really a relevant comparison, although I did do some quick references against the CTH fed by a Modi 3, using S/PDIF.
I used my usual three headphones, the Sennheiser HD6XX, Beyerdynamic DT1990 (with foam discs) and Hifiman Ananda, along with a selection of my IEMs. However, as I have a few recent arrivals that I will be reviewing in the coming weeks, I also tried the Diablo with the Hifiman Arya, Hifiman HE1000SE and a couple of recently received IEMs such as the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk and the Audeze iSine LX.
Throughout the majority of my listening periods, I felt that I could hear a smoother sound from the Diablo in comparison to my SU-8 + Atom, however, it is just as detailed (or more) and was a great improvement with some headphones, whereas it wasn’t as noticeable on other sets.
With the Hifiman Ananda, which is really my favourite headphone out of those that I own, I found it to match great. I really love the Ananda for its sound stage and details (you can read my Ananda review here: Review - Hifiman Ananda) and while plugged into a hybrid it does sound nice and smooth, I like the cleanliness of a solid state with it. In the case of the Diablo, the Ananda are as clear as ever but seem to be smoother. There is no lack of detail, but it all seems to flow better, if that makes any sense.
I found I preferred the Ananda on “Normal” mode with a lower volume level on the knob than on “ECO” with the volume raised to match. This could again be just psychological, I am not saying it isn’t, but it seemed to provide better performance on “Normal”.
Plugging in the Sennheiser HD6XX, a headphone that I have a love/hate relationship with (see details here: Review - HD6XX), I was greeted with great sound. Now maybe it was one of my inspired moments with the HD6XX (you will understand if you read the review) but I feel that it is possibly the best pairing I have heard with these headphones yet, at least in my experience with SS and Hybrid amps.
With the Sennheisers I got them to around 11 o’clock on Turbo mode but that was way above my usual listening levels. My usual listening levels were just below 9 o’clock on Turbo or just above 10 o’clock on Turbo, pushing up to around 1 o’clock if I wanted to stay in ECO mode. Again, it could just be me and my brain, but I found I preferred Normal mode over ECO mode for the HD6XX, even when matching volumes.
The last of my usual three, the Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro, well, these sounded like the DT1990 Pro. These headphones really don’t exhibit much change at all, they sound just like they always do but with the possibility of reaching ear bleeding levels, especially as mine are modified to run balanced and have the foam discs to tame that 8.5k.
As far as IEMs, I tried a few but more to get a feeling for how the Diablo performs with IEMs rather than in search of sound differences. My IEM collection is mostly all budget aimed stuff and I do not feel that any of my IEMs are detailed enough to spot differences between good amplifiers (unless an amplifier has a high-impedance output, which is not the case).
Here are the volume levels that I consider to be my usual listening levels (I do not listen loud) with what are probably my most sensitive IEMs at the moment, I did not experience any background noise with any of them:
Audeze iSine LX (16 Ω / 110dB) - Just over 10 o’clock in ECO
As you can see, I didn’t have much of a volume control but, as I said, I don’t listen very loudly. Anyone who listens at higher levels than me will obviously have more travel. I am told (by iFi) that for very sensitive IEMs or for low levels like I listen at, an additional iFi IEM match would be recommended. To be honest, I don’t have any complaints as, although I don’t get much travel, there is zero background noise and my listening levels are above any channel imbalance issues (found only at the very bottom of the range).
Conclusion…
The iFi Audio Diablo is a very practical device that is a great option for many situations. For someone who takes their headphones set up to and from the office every day, this is a great sounding and extremely powerful all-in-one solution that will easily fit in a bag.
For those who travel, for pleasure or for work, this is again a great set up that will not condition the headphones you want to use. It will also be difficult to forget in a hotel room due to the colour!
With IEMs, if you don’t listen at very high levels, then I would say that an IEM Match would be a good thing to have. Although I have found it very usable as is.
The Diablo accepts almost any format you will think of throwing at it and also does the complete unfolding of MQA if that is something you use. The included accessories are also a nice option, even the USB Purifier. I personally did not find I needed to use the purifier, or rather, I did not notice a difference when not using it because my system doesn’t suffer noise via USB but it will certainly be useful for many.
I hope after all this time rambling on, there is some useful information for those interested in the Diablo but to recap briefly, it is a great (trans)portable device that should offer a great solution for anyone looking to have great SQ anywhere.
does anyone have any leads on a cheap female 4 pin XLR, to male 4.4mm pentaconn adapter? The ones on amazon take a couple weeks to ship, and I need one in pretty short order here. If anyone has any leads that don’t cost the 150USD that the Woo Audio Adapter costs, I’d really appreciate it. Having trouble finding one.
I have to be honest, every reputable cable maker I know of is really overloaded. If it were me I would try Blue Jeans to see if they’ll make you something, but I don’t know if they have 4.4.
I’m guessing that Corpse can turn these around pretty quickly, based on my past experience with them. They’re not cheap, but still less than the Woo Audio adapters.
I’ve received a loaner of both the iDSD Diablo and iDSD Signature from iFi to review for my blog. The packaging with signature is pretty much the same as the Black Labels was, but the Diablo has a cool travel bag thing and a 4.4mm to dual 3 pin XLR for connecting to an amp or pre amp as a DAC. Pretty impressed with both so far. I really like the understated look of the signature, and the sound of the Diablo as a DAC with my Kinki EXM1 in my speaker system has been impressing me today. It sounds similar to the Neo iDSD, but I think I might even prefer the Diablo, need to do more listening to be sure of this though. I’m going to try and get a 4.4mm to 4pin XLR convertor to try with my Susvara and Abyss, as the Diablo should do especially well in that regards.
Today we are having a look at not one, but two interesting pieces of gear. The iFi iDSD Signature, and the iDSD Diablo. The Signature is essentially a refined version of one of my favourite bits of gear, the previous iDSD Black Label. The iDSD Diablo is an all new model, aimed at being their best transportable iDSD product yet! How did they fare? Lets find out. (From here on out, I will refer to the iDSD Signature as the “Sig” and the iDSD Diablo as the “Diablo.”)
The iDSD Black Label was my favourite piece of transportable source equipment I had owned or used. It was fairly affordable, packed with features, and powerful. The Sig. has improved upon the BL in all areas in my opinion. The layout makes more sense and is less “fiddly” than the BL, it has a tiny bit more power, and features iFi’s “S Balanced” circuitry. This circuitry is said to deliver the benefits of balanced connections, to those with single ended topology. Now, I’m not on board with balanced being better ALL the time, I think a good single ended piece of gear will beat a poor balanced piece of gear, and vice versa. However, in this instance, the Sig does sound slightly more refined than the previous BL. New on both the Sig and Diablo is the 4.4mm Pentaconn output, which is a welcome feature as more and more manufacturers are using this standard nowadays.
The Sig features many of the things that the BL did. It has the XBASS feature, and the 3D crossfeed feature. It feature iFi’s IEMatch, as well as low, medium, and high gain settings. This, combined with the 100mw more power with 4100mw at 16ohms, means that the Sig can drive most headphones very well. From hard to drive planer magnetics, to very sensitive IEMs, the Sig has you covered. In addition to the 1/4” and 4.4mm outputs on the front, the Sig also has RCA outputs on the rear, as well as a 3.5mm combo SPDIF/Optical input for those who would rather not use USB as their data connection. One thing that has changed, and it is the only thing I actively prefer on the BL, is the separation of the Data and Power inputs. On the BL, it was very simple, one USB input dealt with both Data and Power, with the option to use the SPDIF input for data if you would prefer. On both the Sig and Diablo, the Data and Power inputs have been separated. Now, this does bring sonic benefits in terms of there being less noise from the power being picked up by the data line, and ending up in whatever you are listening to. However, if you want to use the Sig or Diablo off of mains power, and not their battery, you now need to make sure they are plugged into something like iFi’s 5v iPOWER adapter, or run two usb cables from your computer. This isn’t the end of the world by any means, but I found it a bit frustrating at times, and not as user friendly as the BL. Perhaps it would have been wise to separate the power and data inputs on the Diablo, as it is shooting for “ultimate” sound quality, but leave it as it was on the Sig, as that is a more “all round” type of device.
In terms of sonic performance, I found the Sig to be very similar to its predecessor, with slight refinements. In terms of tonal balance, it is mostly the same, neutral verging on slightly warm. Decent detail retrieval, both macro and micro, across the board. This may have been placebo, but I did find it to sound slightly more dynamic sounding than the BL, and perhaps that has something to do with the implementation of the new S Balanced circuitry. I am fully willing to admit that may just be in my mind however, as the differences were not huge. From sensitive IEMs to my Susvara and Abyss, the Sig fared well as a transportable option. Being able to run such a wide variety of headphones from such a small, easy to use package is tremendously attractive. The XBASS, and 3D implementations again reminded me of the BL, but the 3D feature did seem to be a bit more cohesive and well tuned sounding. As was my experience with the BL, these are not for everyone, and although I do find that I use the XBASS quite a lot, the 3D feature does see less use. A bit of fun with some types of music however, to be sure.
Now, on to the Diablo. The Diablo is an all new approach to the transportable iDSD form factor. It is a stripped down, fully balanced, more powerful, “track version” vs the “road car” that is the Signature. The Diablo has no XBass or 3D Feature, it has no IEMatch feature. You do get the same low, medium, and high gain modes that you see on the Sig, but that is about it in terms of similarities.
The Diablo comes out the box with a few great accessories. It has a nice tote bag, a 5v iPOWER adapter, and an iPURIFIER3. The iPURIFIER3 is one of iFi’s little USB noise cleaners, and it works well. At the MSRP of the Diablo, $899USD, this is a welcome addition. It also comes with a 4.4mm to dual 3pin XLR cable, which can be use with the 4.4mm output on the rear of the device, to use the Diablo as a DAC only, into whichever amplifier you choose.
So, it has less features, but costs over $200USD more than the Sig, you may be asking? Yes. That is it exactly. iFi was clear that the Diablo is meant to be a stripped down, all out performance piece of gear. The best they can currently manage in the small transportable iDSD form factor. By ridding it of the small features the Sig contains, they were able to add on more ultimate performance. Listening to the Diablo, I think they managed.
The Diablo sound more similar to the Neo iDSD which I reviewed, than the BL. Less warm, more detailed, more dynamic. All across the board, it takes the base performance of the Sig and improves it. It is a much more neutral sounding device, and worked well with all three of my main headphones (Susvara, AB1266TC, and Verite.) Due to the fully balanced circuitry vs. The S Balanced of the Sig, the Diablo is able to manage 5000mw into 32ohms peak power, 900mw more than the Sig. This is helpful when you are working with the AB1266TC and especially the Hifiman Susvara (or HE6.) There is no question in my mind, that if you have a particularly hard to drive pair of headphones, and want a transportable option to drive them, the iDSD Diablo is the current standard to beat. There are other options, but none of them present the power, feature set, sound quality, and ease of use that the Diablo does.
This leaves me with a dilemma however. The Diablo is the better sounding of the two devices, yes. Absolutely, there is no question about that in my mind. BUT……if you are driving IEMs primarily, the IEmatch and feature set of the Sig makes it a much more convincing argument to me. If you are driving hard to drive headphones primarily, then I would suggest taking a look at proper desktop size devices, which at the MSRP of the Diablo can be found in forms which will drive those hard to drive headphones in a much more convincing manner.
So. Who is the iDSD Diablo for then? I think if you are a headphone user, don’t really use IEMs at all, and could care less about the XBass and 3D features, then the Diablo is worth looking at. Apart from that however, I have to recommend the iDSD Signature. It is a more complete package, and cheaper to boot. Most people who are looking for a transportable option, will want it for a wide array of uses. Not just to drive one or two pairs of headphones in particular, whilst at home. Thus, the Diablos use case is much more limited. It does provide the sound quality that is better, there is no doubt about that. It outperforms the Signature in every area of “sound quality”, in my opinion.
The Signature is a welcome refinement of the already great piece of equipment that iDSD Black Label was. It has taken everything, made it more streamlined, and added slight sonic refinements whilst doing it. The Diablo is an interesting top of the line transportable piece of equipment, that if it fits your use case, is unbeaten in my opinion currently. I do however recommend that you really think about the headphones, and IEMs you own, think about how you will use the iDSD of your choice, and try to purchase the one which better fits how you will use it. For me, if I had to choose, I would choose the iDSD Signature. This is due to the fact that I would mostly use my headphones with full on desktop gear, and any transportable option I own, would also be used with IEMs. Thus, the Signature much better fits my needs and uses. However, make no mistake about it, if I wanted a transportable option for my Susvara or Abyss, the Diablo would be the option I would choose, not only against the Signature, but against anything else on the market.
Great write up. I think based on yours and others comments my choice would also be the signature. Not sure I’d use the 3d much but the iem match and the xBass I would definitely use!
