IFI iDSD Pro


I've been trying out this DAC/streamer in my home.  The first unit completely crashed in the first few seconds and had to be replaced (it went into "protected mode" and never came out).  The second one works.

Here's the lowdown - it sounds really good, particularly in certain filter modes (I prefer Gibbs-Transient, and sometimes DSD upsampling, interestingly, the tube modes don't do much for me).  However, the streaming functionality is not at all ready for prime time.  You can occasionally get bursts of white noise when switching program material via DLNA, or using chromecast to the optical input, and this morning it just crashed altogether in the middle of streaming. I had to reboot.

This is *after* updating the firmware as requested by IFI support. Prior to that it would switch off between tracks while streaming.

Also, the remote is absolute crap, just a sticker over two volume switches (one of them NA), and the "Muzo" app is just the worst piece of S**t I've seen. Fortunately, one doesn't have to use it.

The manual doesn't cover basics, such as how to set up wifi (Which is necessary for Muzo, even if you are wired for streaming, which I certainly am).  

So it seems a bit dangerous to keep.  I know it is a somewhat new product, but does anyone know if IFI firmware updates eventually even out the features in other products?
ahofer
My experience was similar to the negative experiences above. Gave up and sold it.
I grabbed an iFi iDSD Signature for my office, its got some issues for sure, but it does have a nice sound. My outstanding issues are
#1) Stopped playing DSD 256, switch to my RME and no issues
#2) The Led indicator when DSD256 was working was either always CYAN which indicates  DSD64/128 even when DSD 256 was playing, or it showed  BLUE which indicates DSD256 even when 64/128 was playing.

I was totally crashing it before, playing an ALAC followed by DSD256 and poof, had to power cycle to get it to work again. But in following up on this I hot issue #1 above. 

I did sanity tests with my RME ADI-2 Pro FS R and it has ZERO issues, using Colibri on an iMac Catalina. The RME is more detailed but what do you want from a piece of gear you can put in your pocket and use your phone as a source ;-) 

Let see how their support handle it, with Covid you have to be a lot more patient as things are just gonna take longer.
Yeah, I have an RME as well. It’s much better-engineered, and the dynamic loudness is a killer feature. I wish it had Roon streaming built-in.  I’ve got Pi streamers all over the place here, since I moved to Roon.  They work great, but extra box/cable/power.