Did a British Hi-Fi Company Just Create the Ultimate Desktop Amp?

iFi is best known for its tiny DACs, desktop amplifiers and portable hi-fi players, but now the British-based audio manufacturer is introducing a new flagship home device that delivers, according to the brand, its “most accomplished listening experience to date.”

Meet iFi’s iDSD Phantom.

iFi

Just add headphones

The iDSD Phantom is a high-end, “just add headphones” hi-fi component, combining a DAC, network streamer and a headphone amplifier into a single box. Naturally, it’s designed for serious audiophiles who want an elite private listening setup in their homes.

For those familiar with iFi’s offerings, the iDSD Phantom is essentially the next-generation version of its previous flagship player, the Pro iDSD, but iFi claims it’s been basically built from the ground up with a new “streaming engine, higher-precision conversion, markedly greater output headroom, and more granular user-control.”

iFi

The iDSD Phantom is very much a new-age hi-fi component primed to elevate your digital listening experience.

Its revamped streaming engine now supports many of the most popular lossless services and streaming methods, including AirPlay 2, Qobuz Connect, Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect. For those with extensive digital libraries, it works with external hard drives and NAS drives. And it has native 768kHz PCM and DSD512 support.

iFi

3 DAC/amp combinations

Maybe the most unique aspect of the iDSD Phantom is that supports three different outputs with two different output topologies — one solid state and one tubes. This allows the iDSD Phantom to work as three DAC/amp combinations in a single component.

So, with a flick of a switch, listeners can drastically change the sonic characteristics of their music.

iFi

First, there’s a dual-mono Solid-State mode for, according to the brand, delivering “lightning-fast precision and ultra-low distortion.”

There’s a dual-mono Tube mode that utilizes hand-matched NOS GE5670 valves to “provide warmth and liquid smoothness.” And third, a Tube+ mode that pushes “the tube character further still for greater body and a golden-era analogue feel.”

Finally, the Class A amplification has a peak headphone output of 7,747mW, meaning it should sufficient at powering a wide array of audiophile headphones.

iFi

Under the hood, iFi decked the iDSD Phantom with a vast array of audiophile technologies.

In collaboration with JVCKENWOOD, the iDSD Phantom has been integrated with K2HD processing technology, which has two modes to either restore a track’s original resolution or upscale it (to 24-bit/192kHz). According to iFi, this aims restore “harmonic content lost during post-production or encoding.”

iFi

There’s support for XBass Pro, a fully analogue variable shelving equalizer (with 10, 20, and 40Hz options) aims to restore impact and bass response; this is a common issue for listeners using open-back headphones.

And finally there’s support for XSpace Pro, a technology that creates a wider, more spacious soundstage. According to the brand, it adds “speaker-like depth to the more two-dimensional headphone experience.”

Price and availability

The iFi iDSD Phantom is available now from the company’s website as well as other authorized retailers. It costs $4,499, making it the brand’s most expensive hi-fi component to date.

iFi

iFi iDSD Phantom

iFi’s iDSD Phantom is a high-end, “just add headphones” hi-fi component that combines a DAC, network streamer, and headphone amplifier into a single box. It’s the successor to the brand’s previous flagship player, the Pro iDSD, but iFi claims it’s been basically built from the ground up with a new “streaming engine, higher-precision conversion, markedly greater output headroom, and more granular user-control.”

• $4,499 at iFi
• $4,499 at Bloom Audio

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