iFi Neo iDSD Impressions

Introduction


Allow me to start by saying that I always felt like iFi stuff always felt kind of gimmicky in the sense that they've always felt like audio devices that just had way too many features. I lean much more in the direction of Schiit where the product is much more straightforward and purpose-built; they don't add things like bluetooth capability and the devices are exactly what it says on the tin. iFi is not like this, and to be honest, that's okay because as long as the features work as advertised (the question really becomes how much these features are worth it to the customer). I just prefer the Schiit method because I don't like having features on something I don't use because I just paid for something I won't use.

But I digress; in truth the Neo iDSD actually sounds pretty good and is something I can selectively recommend depending on the use case. As a product positioned to being a desktop all-in-one central hub, it has most features that most audiophiles could want and doesn't sound like ass while doing so. I don't think it will replace things like the Bifrost 2 in pure sonics alone; those who just want "best sound for the money" will probably want to look elsewhere.

Sonics (as just a DAC)

Let's get the bad out of the way first; I do not like the way the Neo does bass. I'm unsure if this is a characteristic of the Burr Brown chips used in the Neo, but the bass is a bit indistinct (think along the lines of classic Hifiman one-note), lacks a bit of texture (sounds a bit overly smooth and doesn't have that rumble), and doesn't particularly have great slam when compared to the Schiit R2R DACs. On top of this, the bass notes sound....slightly hollow? It's hard to describe and can sound a bit strange; the best example of this being the male vocals in the song "Instant Crush" by Daft Punk. The recording in and of itself has some strange synthesized vocals in the chorus section in particular that sounds a touch disjointed even with my Yggdrasil GS; however, with the Neo the disjointedness sounds a bit more pronounced. However, the issues I have with the Neo's bass presentation is not show-stopping at all; it's very important to note that the above issues are minor in both grand scale and in direct comparison to Schiit.

Everything else is actually not bad at all. Those used to the Schiit R2R sound will note that the Neo sounds more modern; think somewhat along the lines of Soekris 2541 (if the Bifrost 2 and the 2541 were on the ends of the scale, the Neo iDSD is about 65% of the way there towards 2541 in terms of timbre). The background is more black than the Bifrost 2 (which is a bit gray), but I did feel the Neo has a tiny bit of "haze" which is most evident in the midrange. Also, like the 2541, I don't find the Neo to be rolled off at the top at all. It's very even keeled, maybe a touch more sparkle in the upper treble and just a touch more energy in the upper mids in direct comparison to 2541. One could maybe, maybe accuse the Neo for having perhaps the slightest touch of digititus in the highs, but it was difficult for me to ascertain whether it was indeed digititus or perhaps a bit of ringing in the treble region that many R2R DACs exhibit.

Transients are for the most part are more along the modern, square ish sound minus the bass. The Neo doesn't do the Matrix X-Sabre thing where it overshoots the front edge though, and also the Neo doesn't sound "overly fast." Again, it reminds me a lot of the 2541.

Resolve and layering is where the Neo just doesn't hold up to the BF2 or the 2541. It's noticeably behind those two; vocal harmonies just don't get separated out the way they do with either of the other DACs.

I did not evaluate the stage on speakers, but on headphones I didn't hear anything particularly egregious. I suspect through extrapolating from SR1a though that the Neo will prove to sound a bit flat on the stage with images that aren't as fleshed out as the other well-regarded R2R DACs (although to be fair even the SR1a is not really what I'd call a super reliable indicator of "True Soundstage").

Amp Synergies

I won't go into too much detail here, but I felt the Neo sounds best when used in conjunction with amps that sound more solid state. Something like the DSHA-3F would be pretty much ideal. I wouldn't personally recommend very tubey-sounding amps with the way the Neo does bass; in my opinion it sound a bit too sloppy in the lows with tubey and bloomy amps.

Miscellaneous Features and Notes

So yes, the Neo has a ton of features just like any other iFi product. I'll go over them briefly in listing here, in no particular order:

• The USB is good. It's XMOS. Not sure how it compares in terms of overall fidelity compared to Unison or anything, but it works well and I didn't feel like it had any show-stopping WTF-ness to it.
• The Bluetooth feature actually does work very well. It supports a whole lot of formats (please peruse the iFi website for specifics since I am not going to list all of them here), and worked flawlessly with my phone's LDAC. I'd say it sounds marginally worse than the USB, but again I did not feel that it was unsatisfactory.
• Built-in headamp is not bad but not great. Especially avoid if you're a HD600 user or Focal user; the built-in headamp has a bit of upper midrange emphasis that can sound downright nasty with the wrong headphones. However, for casual use it's not terrible, and for IEMs the headamp is quiet enough to use without much issue.
• The coaxial sounded better than the optical from the Pi2AES, but this does not surprise me since I feel the optical is one of the weaker outputs from the Pi.
• The Neo is inherently a balanced design and sums the signal in order to achieve SE out. While I'm not sure what the exact delta is between the XLR and the SE outs, I can say without a doubt that the XLR-to-Freya S sounds better, more resolving, and more "effortless" than the SE out alone (unfortunately, I don't own any amps that are balanced).

Conclusion

From a purely sonic standpoint, I would say the Neo is an interesting option that is different sounding than the Schiit stuff, but ultimately the Bifrost 2 is a better option if you don't mind its warmer sound. That's not to say the Neo is bad; it's just unfortunate since the Bifrost 2 punches so much higher than its price point. It's also not the incorrect option to want something different, and the Neo provides that without being sonically terrible.

That being said, a portion of the Neo's value will depend on how much the user values the Bluetooth feature. While it is very nice to have and [in my case] worked flawlessly, I'm not sure how many people would actually use the feature except in passing curiosity or for shits and giggles. But hey, at least it's not something completely gimmicky and at least it works when used.

 

Absolutely. BF2 + Jot 2 is an awful lot of setup for the money (or BF2 + SW51), and the Neo as a standalone AIO doesn't stand a chance against that stack. However, it is important to note I don't feel the Neo is substantially behind the BF2 from a purely sonic standpoint; it's nothing like the Neo is bad value nor a bad-sounding DAC.

I do like the direction iFi is going. Seems like ever since I heard the Pro iDSD a year or two back, their stuff has steadily improved and they've had some real winners like the Zen Signature DAC and the Zen Phono.