IFI DIABLO

Finally tried Diablo iDSD on loud speaker setup vs some SMSL DAC & old flagship R2R DAC. 

Diablo setup is with iFi ipurifier3 (reclock) + iFi iDefender (USB conditioner) + 5V iFi iPower Elite on power to the iDefender with iFi Mercury 3.0 USB cable. 

beat SMSL M400 by alot. 

when compare to Sonic Frontier the old R2R tube/Dac combo, I can hear the Diablo only can win on soundstage & details with slight more airy. the Sonic Frontier dac wins on vocals with warmer sweet sound. 

now I know why they prefer Diablo over those expensive dac. 

@vinylvalet 

I own Neo iDSD before, but now using Diablo. 

I can say you'll be surprise the Diablo headphone amp part is far more better Neo iDSD. but when comes to balanced line out as a DAC, Neo iDSD is real good that can compare to Diablo line out. But Neo iDSD have to upgrade the iFi iPower Elite with ipurifier3 connect via iDefender to compare Diablo. 

that's my experience. 

@melm Thanks. You're spot on.

In his comparative review video Goldensound says the ifi iDSD Signature sounds better than the Diablo. And it costs less.

The audio marketplace is littered with products that made a strong first impression and got great reviews but which, upon long term listening, were soon up for sale on Audiogon, ebay and similar places.

Has anyone compared the Diablo to the ifi NEO iDSD? Thanks.

I have Diablo, it really sounds great like $8k Headphone amp. and it sound even better with 4.4 balanced line out to my cheap $150 tube amp, it makes my cheap tube amp become expensive sound. will send to my friends there try compare their R2R DAC vs Diablo on loud speaker. whether can blown their mine with this red devil. 😏

@laurier I would say impossible but I haven't heard the Diablo.

@laurier

Translation

Sorry in English now : I was at Montreal Audiofest yesterday (looking for a +-$3000 Dac) and in the Lemay Audio room, they are using an IFi Diablo Dac with their $200,000+ system. When I asked them why, they told me exactly the same thing Laurier wrote in his post / that they prefer it to most high end Dacs. Seems almost too good to be true. Anybody else has experience with this Dac in an home system (portability / headphones are unimportant)?

Bonjour Laurier, As-tu fait le test du Diablo? Hier j'étais au salon Audiofest de Montréal (à la recherche d'un bon Dac de +-$3000) et dans la salle de Lemay Audio, le Dac utilisé avec leur système à $200,000+ était justement le Diablo. Surpris, j'ai posé la question et j'ai eu exactement la même réponse (à savoir qu'après une écoute comparative, Lemay Audio préférait ce Dac aux Dacs 'haut de gamme', dont le Terminator). Il me semble que c'est trop beau pour être vrai et j'aimerais avoir une autre opinion.

Cela dependrait de la qualite du systeme dans lequel il est mis en ouevre.
Mais j'ai lu apres un certain point, aucune difference ne peut etre entendue.

I like Camembert in Saint Malo.
AND the butter.