Stereo_Electronics

Nano series & iRack at CanMania (Capital Audiofest 2014, Washington, DC) “The iFi iRack was so cute and beautifully manufactured. It housed the iDSD Nano and the iCAN Nano. The iDSD ‘is the world’s smallest, portable (only 163g), battery-powered, serious DAC that plays all high-resolution formats: PCM/DSD/DXD natively’. The The iFi iCAN Nano is the battery-powered headphone amplifier. The sound through Sennheiser headphones was lively and dynamic. Not as refined as some of the multi thousand dollar headphone amplifiers you will read about later in the report, but damn fine for the low price. Add the iRack and you have a really good personal home system.” Thanks Audiophilia Staff! Capital Audiofest 2014 — Washington, DC

Philips, Armin Van Buuren paired up for A5 Pro DJ Headphones A combination of wisdom of a Dutch brand and a world-class renowned DJ, Buuren gave his insights on what’s important for a travelling professional DJ to have and came up with a handful of unique features and extreme quality that will withstand the innovation of music and technology. The must try headphones is now ready to be heard exclusively at Stereo!

Micro iDSD impresses Stereosound! "I’d love to introduce products that impressed me while overwhelmed by the atmosphere of such a venue (Pota Institute 2014 summer). Micro iDSD of iFI-Audio is unrivalled in the specification and state-of-the-art specs. I have fallen in love with a robust casing and overwhelming sound quality…It is surprising to spec that corresponds to the PCM768 and DSD512, but advanced specifications which can also DSD playback and high resolution using HF Player + HD Player Pack by Lightning-only adapter is also great” Thanks Stereosound! StereoStereo online

It's time to get moving and be fit with the new Plantronics Backbeat Fit! A wireless, flexible and sweat-proof earphones meant to withstand your outdoor trainings. The safety-oriented eartip design and reflective finish let you hear your surroundings and be seen at night. Enjoy days of workouts with up to 8 hours of playback time plus a storage pouch that is convertible into an armband. Now available at Stereo Electronics!

Presenting the Carbon Audio Zooka, a bluetooth wireless portable speaker that features dual speakers providing good quality sound with its functional design that ensures a snug fit on your iPad, laptop or mobile phones. Zooka sees to it that our camera lens stay visible while powerful speakers boost our sound to get through the day. Available in a myriad of colors only at Stereo@Plaza Singapura or Stereo@ION Orchard.

Introducing the JBL Voyager speaker, the new wireless home audio system with a detachable wireless speaker. Its main dock has full-range drivers and a subwoofer perfect for a home set-up and also works as a portable speaker that you can always carry on the go. TeamStereo Louie has just unboxed our newly arrived demo unit. Hear them out now only at Stereo!

Introducing the new Sport version of the Street by 50, In-Ear and On-Ear Wired Street Headphones. Their class leading technology and studio mastered sound is perfect for your active lifestyle that will not sacrifice the good quality sound. Features IPX4 rating for maximum resistance to sweat and water. Check them out now at Stereo Electronics!

HiFi Choice says micro iCAN gets perfect 5 stars HiFi Choice (Poland) gives the diminutive micro iCAN a perfect 5 stars and lavishes praise on it, “has a big heart and lots of class” Thank you iFi Poland (Moje Audio) and of course Mr Dyba of HiFi Choice! http://ifi-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/HiFiChoicePolish_micro_ican.pdf

Unique Melody Mentor in one of the most famous color combinations of Baby Blue and Baby Pink. Without a doubt, it is a beauty inside and out.

Michael Lavorgna’s Favorite DACs: iDSD Nano makes the list! “The iFi nano iDSD DAC supports up to 32/384, DXD, as well as single, double, and quad rate DSD. While that’s all well and good on paper, I’d rather have a 24/96 DAC that sounds good and avoid the numbers race. The thing is the iDSD DAC sounds good. Really good, exhibiting a natural smoothness and a lovely dimensional quality that belies its price.” Thanks Michael! We’re honored to be among-st your favorite DAC’s! Favorite Bits Digital to Analog Converters | AudioStream Full review here iFi nano iDSD DAC/Headphone Amp | AudioStream

August 2014 promotion updated

Introducing headphones that is ideal for kids, JVC HA-KD5! Features low volume specification with its volume limiter that is safe for kids, soft ear pads to ensure wearing comfort for extended use and a wide headband that can be decorated with the supplied stickers or your own. Choose a funky color of Pink or Yellow only at $49. Now Available at Stereo@ Plaza Singapura and IONOrchard!

Vmoda Crossfade M-100, M80, LPs and XS re-stocked! Try them on today at our stores:s12::s12:

HDPhonic tries the iDSD Nano at Munich! “At the iFi Audio booth there was only one new product: the Nano-iDSD, the smallest portable DA converter in the world that supports PCM up to 384 kHz and DSD up to 6.2 MHz with dual BB1795 chip developed exclusively by Burr-Brown Japan. The peculiarity of this DAC is the direct conversion of native DSD directly to analog without intermediate steps. We got to hear this DAC with both a LCD-2 and with our HD 600 thanks to the kindness and courtesy of Vincent Luke, marketing coordinator of iFi Audio. Our first impressions of the DAC using DSD files of records that we know quite well, were extremely positive as regards the overall sonic performance. The sound was spacious, clean and warm at the same time and very close to that of a studio master tape played back from a one-inch recorder. iFi Audio has put a product on the market that will be talked about not just because of its price of $ 189.” Thanks HDPhonic! Munich High End 2014 - HDPhonic

Ho ho ho....We just received a batch of iFi Audio Micro iDSD(partial shipment) and we will be calling up the early early birds that had pre-ordered from us soon. You guys will be the first 512 owners around the world to get your paws on them yeah!:s12:

SmartPower® (part 2) Cont'd from our previous article. Full cycles not good for any battery Of course, full cycles stress the battery most, so try not to do it all the time, normally 200-400 Cycles can be expected until the battery capacity has dropped to 70% (official definition of when the "battery needs replacing")... And always, if you do not play music for 3 minutes, the iDSD micro goes to sleep, wakeup is ~1 second... So you can probably save a fair few cycles just from that. iBattery? Additionally the latest revision of the battery management system and software also automatically and transparently handles iPhone, iPad and Android Phones/Tablets WITHOUT first engaging battery mode. They do not produce "accessory draws too much power" errors, as for example happens with the iDSD nano if battery mode is not engaged. However some power is however drawn from the phone/pad, so to maximise the battery play time in your smart device you should still engage battery mode. In Battery mode even in sleep-charge mode the iDSD micro will not draw power from a Smart device, only from full power USB ports and chargers. On the other hand, if turned off by the power switch, the iDSD micro will charge from any power source offered (it won’t even scoff at an iPhone or iPad) at the maximum rate supported. Use Apple Charger or Higher-Power USB ports Nowadays, higher-powered ports/charges are becoming more ubiquitous. The micro iDSD takes advantage of this so it recharges faster. Dedicated chargers complying with USB IF BC1.2 standards (anything but Apple, in essence) are detected as offering much higher charge currents, as are the high-power USB ports on many recent desktop and laptop PC’s. Such chargers# and USB ports can support charging at much faster rates than a standard PC USB Port, offering as much as three times the current of a standard USB port, cutting charge time down drastically. This is a table of the different chargers and their typical charge times with the micro iDSD. Source - Est Charge Time High-Power Charger - 6-10 hours Normal-Power Charger - 10-20 hours Low-Power Charger - 20+ hours As USB charging is 5v, then using even the most high-powered iPad charger at 5.1v is fine. As you can see, the Battery management system alone is so smart; it should a PhD or two, really. Summary Outta the box, with the unit off, give the micro iDSD its first full charge: when the blue light is out = 100% full. Micro iDSD is able to take advantage of latest generation high-power USB ports found in the newest laptops SmartPower® means Micro iDSD automatically goes into sleep mode if no input or output signal has been absent for a time Battery protection circuitry ensures customer has to do nothing as it covers virtually every eventuality Maximum battery life measures means you always get the most juice all of the time for the longest time Full-compatible with Apple and similar smart devices, no more “this draws too much power message” All Apple chargers work including the iPad charger, these charger faster from 0%>100% so less than 12-24 hours for a full charge on standard USB ports. Only use genuine chargers from Apple/Samsung or similar. Ideally use latest design USB cables such as the supplied USB3.0 or Mercury or Gemini USB cables as these carry the maximum current. While on the exterior, the battery inside the micro iDSD just gets on with things, believe us when we say, OMG this bugger was hard to implement!!! # Please make sure to only buy genuine branded chargers/adapters, many cheap Apple copies and other cheap chargers offered via the net and by street vendors not only do not work correctly (they rarely offer the supposed current) but many also fail electrical safety standards. In some cases such chargers have been linked to severe injury and even death!

SmartPower® Some say, it is so smart it should have a PhD. Ahead of the global launch on 28 July, this article sheds some light on SmartPower® which is the complete battery power management/Smart device recharge functionality of the micro iDSD. How, why and what the battery recharging function does in the upcoming micro iDSD. IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Upon first receiving your micro iDSD, we strongly recommend that it undergoes a full-24 Hour charge with the unit turned OFF. This gives it the absolute best start and maintenance for many years to come. In addition, after a long period of disuse or after the battery has gone completely flat, please allow a full 24-Hour charge cycle. Also, different USB cables are able to carry different amounts of current. We recommend the USB 3.0 cable (supplied in the micro iDSD) for fastest recharging. Afterwards, you can mostly relax about the battery. Background operational information If the PC goes into normal standby, it is usually possible to set it to keep the USB ports alive. The iDSD micro’s power and battery management system is designed with the maximum “smarts” built-in to look after your battery. The battery we use includes protection circuitry that will self-disconnect in case of overvoltage, excessive load current or low-voltage. The protection circuitry is self-resetting and even under low-voltage shutdown, the battery can be charged. This way the battery is maximally-protected from conditions that may damage it. This is built-into the battery itself and independent from anything we at iFi do. But we go out of our way to make sure the protection circuitry has a cushy job, it just comes to the office, pours itself a cup of coffee and then puts its feet up on the desk. Normally there is never any work for it... Power-save: when no signal is detected The iDSD micro likes to guzzle juice, especially in Turbo mode. So, we implemented a power-save mode to cover all eventualities. If there is no signal on either SPDIF or USB input the iDSD will go to sleep after either: After 3 minutes on battery or After 15 minutes on USB power Only the SPDIF input and the ARM Cortex remain powered if there is no USB (otherwise USB is also powered up) and will be set to the lowest power consumption, in total a few 10 milli-ampere. This maximises play time on battery and on USB power allows charging at the maximum rate while “sleeping” when turned on. Works while it sleeps Even better, while in battery mode with a USB source attached the iDSD micro will attempt to detect if it is attached to a charger or computer or a smart device. If attached to PC or charger even in battery mode, the iDSD micro will charge when in sleep mode, it will switch back to 100% battery power when playback resumes. At the lowest power-save sleep rate of discharge a full battery can last 4 days before the iDSD micro will go into full shutdown, as the battery charge becomes too low. Even at that point there is enough charge remaining to avoid engaging the battery’s own protection circuitry for several weeks. Measures to maximise battery life In addition, we have implemented the maximum possible measures to extend battery life, including different charging end voltages for "always on" and "cycle" use. As long as the iDSD micro is switched on, the battery is charged to a lower voltage, this makes the battery’s lifespan essentially the same as the shelf-life, as it is never stressed. This limits battery capacity to around 80%, which is still plenty, unless you are wearing your K1000's out on the subway and you need to run Turbo mode with the volume maxed out. If charging with the iDSD micro switched off, the battery is charged to 100%, so if you do and switch to Economy mode you should have juice enough for LAX (Los Angeles) > NRT (Narita) or ICN (Incheon) non-stop listening all the time including a couple of hours in the waiting lounge... To be cont'd. iDSD micro Crowd-Designed. Phase 2: What speakers did you use to develop the micro iDSD? (page 101) - Page 98

Worry no more! Have your Unique Melody IEM without the hassle of making ear impressions and additional costs with its Universal Fit! Same built quality. Still artwork-friendly. Undeniably hand-crafted with love.

For Octa-Adopters' eyes only... For the first 512 owners around the world, this is what you will receive as part of the Octa-Adopter edition micro iDSD. Cont'd iDSD micro Crowd-Designed. Phase 2: for Octa-Adopters' eyes only (page 97) - Page 97

iFi Audio iUSB Power: Marvelous new upgrade for USB-powered DACs says George of Computeraudiophile! “the bottom line is that the original power source is the computer, or perhaps a powered USB hub; not the most prepossessing of power sources….The USB output of my laptop (which I use as a music server) fed into the input of the iUSB, and the DragonFly plugged into the “Music + Power” USB “A” output of the iUSB power supply. From then -on everything else was as before…I couldn’t believe the difference! The DragonFly v.1.2 was noticeably quieter – especially through ‘phones. But through speakers, the soundstage opened-up, image specificity became more precise, the bass tightened-up noticeably, and the top end became even smoother, and more open, with more “air” around the instruments. This is a dynamite upgrade to already great sounding DAC. I recommend that you try to hear it for yourself!” iFi Audio iUSB Power Thanks George AKA gmgraves2@comcast.net of computeraudiophile.com! Marvelous new upgrade for those using USB-powered DACs such as the DragonFly!

Team iFi udates micro iDSD: Those Pesky Bugs! Hi all, The software revisions following the power increase took a couple of days longer than expected to fully-implement. Last week, we crunched through the night, every night, through the weekend and then some. There were some software bugs that needed squashing and they took somewhat longer than expected. Just about everything in the micro iDSD is inter-related so we could not change the hardware without changing the software - for the battery recognition alone, there are a few thousands lines of code. Here is a screenshot of some of that: This gives you a small insight into how much of a pain it was to debug. Given we write our own code, we were the only ones who could sort it out! The good news is that it has been sorted. The bad news is that this added 3-4 days of delay so now, all retailers should have their units ~Monday 28th July (instead of 22nd July). Cont'd iDSD micro Crowd-Design. The Meaty Monsters are flying out! (page 95) - Page 90

iFi Audio Micro iDSD pre-order for the Limited Edition 512 batch is now officially closed. Thank you for the overwhelming response.

Power Matters Over the last few days, we have been a little quiet. You guys have emailed and PM'd us about the micro iDSD but we have keep mum because we wanted to nail a last few items down before going public. Besides getting the one unit to Japan for the Net Audio photoshoot, we have been fine tuning the power output of the micro iDSD. In turn, we had to modify the software to allow these higher power levels, as our power supplies are controlled by the microprocessor and the software. The thought to just send out the micro iDSD as is, had crossed our mind, but given our OCD for implementing the very best technology, we just had to do that one last thing. Well, below, you will see the revised power output figures as measured on the AP2. We have underlined the most important power changes. Salient Points Turbo mode - the continuous power has been uprated from 1000mW to 1,560mW. This increased power means in actual listening, better dynamic grip and bass response is better for the most demanding of headphones*. Normal mode - continuous power is also up from 500mW to 950mW. Same as Turbo but for medium-efficiency headphones. Eco mode – minor adjustment for maximum power from 250mW to 500mW, the continuous power of 250mW remains unchanged. We tested using the Hifi Man HE-6 and now, from heavy metal through to jazz tracks, these headphones are even more enjoyable than before and when required, these drivers move some serious air. Regardless, whichever headphone you use with the micro iDSD, it should retain an overall even better control/grip of that headphone, especially during dynamic swings and when the bass goes loooow. Things have not changed much for IEMs (as these are most likely to be used in Eco mode). In the next few days, we will also update you on the battery-side of things as behind-the-scenes, it is quite complex. As a result of this, the worldwide launch date (when it should be in retailers) has been shifted from 15th July > 22nd July. We know you are somewhat eager to get your hands on the micro iDSD - but we think you will find the additional 1-week wait was worth it. Cont'd iDSD micro Crowd-Design. iDSD Tutorial: MP3>DSD256/512. Get more out of those compressed tunes! (page 93) - Page 86

iFi Audio Nano iDSD impresses Richard of HiFi Wigwam! “After reading a rave review of the iFi iDSD Nano on the Audiostream site, I thought I would give that a go. I don’t actually really need another DAC, but at 165 pounds for the Nano, I thought ‘what the hell’….After listening to the iDSD for the past two or three weeks, I am incredibly impressed. It has a slightly sweeter, ‘richer’ sound than the HRT. It is very detailed without throwing the detail in your face – I find I can follow the words that people are singing very easily. The JBLs have a very solid stereo image and with the Nano, the image just sits there nicely in space. Acoustic instruments sound a lot like acoustic instruments – there is no artificial ‘digital brightness’, they are just detailed and rich, and yet powerful and dynamic.” Thanks Richard Dale (Hifi Wigwam)! JBL LSR305/iFi iDSD Nano/BeagleBone Black computer audio system iFi Audio Nano iDSD DAC and Headphone Amp is retailing at $249 only at Stereo Electronics and comes with our 7-days 100% Money Back Guarantee. Terms and conditions apply.

The Best Evolution Yet: Sennheiser HD25 Aluminum In celebration of the legendary HD 25’s 25th Anniversary, comes an exciting new look and features of the latest HD25 Aluminum. Designed to meet the demands of the working professional, this headphone is encased in a sturdy aluminum shell for maximum durability. The ear capsules can be rotated for one-ear sound monitoring with a replaceable single-sided steel cable. Its lightweight, ergonomic design remains comfortable even after extended period of time. Now available at Stereo Electronics - Stereo@Plaza Singapura or Stereo@ION Orchard!