Without you even knowing it, you probably use a DAC daily if you listen to music on anything other than vinyl or cassette tape. It is the key to transforming digital information into real audible sound, they live in your computer, cd player, mp3 player, tablets and phones but they are not all made in the same level of quality. The ifi Nano iDSD is the first serious portable DAC that can play ALL high-resolution formats PCM, DSD and DXD. It is a lightweight device weighing only 163g and as well as having a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, one charge lasting 10 hours, it really is completely portable, however the battery isn’t just for convenience it also means you get clearer audio without any background noise from the mains. PCM (32bit/384kHz), DSD256 (11.2MHz) and DXD (384kHz) via Computer or iPhone/iPad/Android sound fantastic through the iDSD, it unleashes a whole depth of sound that is ordinarily lost with a standard DAC, that’s not to say everyone will necessarily appreciate the difference, it’s like looking at a digital jpeg photograph and then looking at a medium format printed image, there is that layer and depth that enrichens the quality of the end product. It can be used with computers, smartphones or tablets and even features an SPDIF coax digital output for A/V receivers or similar to give it more flexibility. There is so much tech packed into this little gizmo so for the tech savvy amongst you will here is a quick overview of its specs; The Burr-Brown DAC chip used was developed by BB Japan and BB themselves, using trickle-down technology from AMR (who drafted the chipset code) to drive this Burr-Brown chipset, the original music format remains unchanged which is essential to attaining the zenith in high-end audio reproduction, it is able to play all formats, PCM from 16/44kHz all the way up to 32/384kHz, Quad-Speed DSD to 11.2/12.4MHz, DXD up to 384kHz. The iDSD has a 130mW headphone amplifier and for use at home, it is possible to run it off the iUSB Power (via USB port) just by powering on the iDSD prior to connection to the PC. The ‘clocks’ used in the iDSD which have been supplied by AMR, are military-grade temperature compensated master clock modules which avoid the creation of unwanted beat frequencies, reduce overall digital noise and it also employs AMR’s Zero Jitter® Lite technology. The iDSD does not only supply an analogue signal, but its digital coax output means it can feed any suitably-equipped coax-DAC such as an A/V Receiver, to play high-end computer audio. If you have stuck with me through that mass of info well done, I realise it is potentially a lot to take in but I just don’t want to do the iDSD the injustice of underselling, it truly is packed with specifically designed high end features that will change the way you will listen to music forever. RRP  £165

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4.8 out of 5

Pros

So much tech squeezed into one little packaged

Excellent sound quality

Solid build quality

Portable

Built in rechargeable battery (10 hour running with typical headphones)

Simple to use