The iFi Audio iDSD Diablo is a balanced headphone and portable DAC combo amplifier designed for those who want to enjoy exceptional sound quality anywhere, anytime.

At the heart of the iDSD Diablo's conversion stage are two Burr-Brown DAC chips and a 16-core XMOS interface to receive and process USB and S/PDIF streams. Thus, the device is capable of supporting high-resolution files up to 32bit 768kHz PCM, DSD512 and DxD. The Diablo can also decode MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) files.

The balanced analog circuitry provides independent amplification of the left and right channels to significantly reduce noise and crosstalk. What's more, this dual-mono architecture, called PureWave, provides the power to accompany the vast majority of headphones on the market, including the most demanding models. Three modes allow you to adjust the gain level according to your listening device: "Turbo" for headphones requiring a significant amount of power, "Normal" to fit the majority of headphones, and "Eco" to accompany the more sensitive in-ear earphones. Negative feedback technology is used to compare the output signal to the input signal and correct errors.

A great deal of attention was also given to the design of the feed stage. The on-board battery provides the various circuits with a clean and stable electrical signal. A frequency step-up converter operating at 1.2MHz is also used, facilitating the filtering of the power supply for better linearity and ultra-low noise.

A high-bandwidth power supply circuit is dedicated to each critical part of the iDSD Diablo, with independent linear control providing excellent PSRR performance. Thus, the amplification stage avoids regulators in favor of Panasonic OS-CON capacitors. The DAC section benefits from a very low noise regulator with passive filtering to reduce THD and jitter. The USB input stage also benefits from dedicated regulation and multi-stage filtering.

The iDSD Diablo offers a USB-A input and a 3.5mm S/PDIF input for electrical and optical signals (via the supplied adapter). For the outputs, the device offers two headphone outputs: a first, unbalanced, 6.35mm jack format and a second, balanced, 4.4mm jack format. A third, balanced 4.4mm jack output allows the iDSD Diablo to be connected to an external amplifier.