Audio Video News

UK-based desktop audio specialist iFi audio has introduced a battery-powered ultra-portable amp/DAC (digital-to-analog converter) that makes hi-res audio transportable.

The xDSD ($399) is built around a Burr-Brown Hi-Res True Native DSD DAC chipset and certified as a Hi-Res Audio device by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) and Japan Audio Society (JAS). It supports MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) files, PCM up to 32/384 kHz, aptX-enabled Bluetooth streaming, and DSD up to 256 times the sample rate of a CD; PCM768kHz and DSD512 are also supported via a free firmware upgrade.

Encased in rugged magnesium-aluminum chassis, the xDSD is equipped with USB and S/PDIF inputs as well as a 3.5mm balanced TRRS headphone output and fixed 2-volt line-out for connection to an audio system or active speakers. Its amplifier is rated to deliver 500mW per channel — “enough to drive all but the most power-hungry headphones” — and listeners can choose how much power to apply via a feature called IEMatch (for in-ear monitor).

iFi says up to 8 hours of play time is possible when the xDSD’s internal 2200mAh lithium-polymer battery is fully charged.

Other features include XBass and 3D+ Matrix listening modes, the latter of which is said to “restore the correct sense of placement that the artist is in the room and outside your head.”

For more information, visit ifi-audio.com.