iFi Micro iCAN Headphone Amplifier

[7-month update: I *finally* found a pairing that I like with the ICan Micro. I was giving it one last shot before putting it up for sale, and tried something very unlikely, which was a comparison between the TEAC UD-501 + HD600s vs. the IPhone 5S + ICan Micro + HD600s. I knew the IPhone had a decent audio output with Cirrus Logic DAC chip, but I was really, really surprised at this combo. The slightly dull but exceptionally smooth IPhone sound was warmed up and given plenty of power, and the result seemed just as detailed while being more involving than the "honest" but very SS sound of the TEAC. I did some Googling and found fans of the Marantz HD-DAC-1 using the same language to describe that CS-based DAC. There are qualities in the under-rated CS chip/class D amp in the phone that, when fed to this sort of output stage, does something really special. The magic isn't there with any of my TI 1793/1795 DACs, where the ICan just seems unnecessary; and it's not enough to save the Macbook Air's CS-based vanilla audio out, either. I'm leaving my rating where it is, however, because this is a fairly limited rig: no hi-res or gapless playback using the player app that I need to use. My description below also remains very true to what I hear after giving it another shot. Looking forward to more time with it and the IPhone, however.]WHY do I keep buying headphone amplifiers??? Well, I know why: Ever tried to research audio gear without landing on Head-Fi threads? Some of the folks there are quite knowledgeable and realistic, so one keeps digging. But just a few of them seem to be sniffing the fumes from beneath the cavern of the Delphic Oracle. When I stay in their cave too long, I inevitably lose my grasp on reality, babbling begins to sound like prophecy, and then yet another headphone amp shows up at my door a week later. Suffice to say, having lived with the ICan and Asgard 2, plus many budget-level DAC/amps and sub $1k stereo components, I'm still waiting to be convinced that a simple op-amp circuit isn't enough to amplify a low-voltage signal with high fidelity to its source. The ICan--a larger/hotter/more costly class-A amp--does intentionally diverge from fidelity in order to provide a "flavor" of slight warmth. I thought it might be fun. It is not only slight, but not always welcome to my ears. It is what it is, though, and you might want one if you really do need the power for the power's sake or have a source/phones that need a little softening or warming up. 600-Ohms or planars not withstanding, a good DAC with discrete headphone circuit delivering 200mw or even less into 32 Ohms does it for even 300-Ohm phones, in my experience. Learn to do the actual math, though, and figure out for yourself how much power you really need. Even then, you may need less power than you think. The 80mw IDSD Nano came up a little short on my spreadsheet for the HD-600s, so I bundled in this headphone amp. Didn't really need it, as it turns out (maybe +2dB would be nice but not required), and I can't tell a tonal difference between the IDSD Nano straight vs. chaining it into this amp.The good:* Though not a large factor, the IFI "house sound" is a reality, based on the two components I have. I'm not a fanboy of it, but it is smooth and has a twinkle in the midrange (sorry for the metaphor: just skip it). It comes by this sound honestly, since it's likely the result of several analog components conferring an...analog sound. For example, the TEAC UD-501 sounds rather weightier, more resolved, and definitely more open by itself rather than feeding it to the ICan, but it's not as "interesting." I can't ultimately like that combo, however, while IDSD Nano + ICan is pretty much superfluous. I do like it with the HRT Microstreamer, though no way would I spend the cash for the small difference. The "house sound" is nice, though, sometimes.* low-noise wall wart.The bad:* more than twice the price of a Magni or O2* No on/off switch? Seriously? I added a $5 in-line power switch to plug the wall wart into.* Again on the "house sound," every time I go from UD-501 plus ICan combo to the UD501 straight, I notice a perceptible increase in clarity. There's a tiny lack of focus from the ICan, presumably just because it's a long analog signal path. Could be the stock cable that came with it, but I highly doubt it. I had the same experience with the Schiit Asgard 2, so I am apparently not a fan of Class-A. I think this effect is what fans of this amp call "smoothness" or "tube sound," but I lack enough experience to be certain.The Ugly:* Personally, I find it to be so. I just don't like the little slanty bits.The Ambivalent:* The high bass boost setting sounds bloated to me, reaching too far up. The "high" setting on the crossfeed sounds gimmicky and trebly to me (the entire sound image is "raised" vertically, which is a common perceptual effect of increased treble in the 1-4kHz "presence zone" responsible for sound image/stage). The "low" setting on bass is subtle and I leave it on--it's about the same as the IDSD Nano by itself. The low setting on the crossfeed switch collapses the sound stage, presumably to compensate on early stereo recordings where instruments are panned hard left/right. I've never preferred it, though, and they've done away with this setting on newer models like the ICan Nano and IDSD Micro. So, the switches turned out not to be useful for me. Note that some "professional" reviewers seem not to have read the manual or done proper comparisons, since they think they hear the "low" setting on crossfeed as expanding the soundstage, but just less aggressively than "high." It's expanded (top position), direct (nothing: center), and then low position (narrower).* One of the selling points is flexibility ("designing the amp for any headphones"). If you have a collection, this is a good thing. All of mine, though, are good enough that they don't need boomy bass or artificially expanded soundstage. Gain control is nice if you have IEMS. Seriously, though, if your phones lack bass and soundstage, isn't this amp a lot more expensive than your cheap headphones, and shouldn't you put the money simply into buying better ones (and ones that don't need a dedicated amp, while you're at it)? Between so-called "trigrid" design and the two switches, the device is about moving AWAY from the source signal, when you think about it. At the price, given that most of us pay for better fidelity, I'm not entirely sure who the audience is.* They love to brand commonplace engineering choices in order to sound more innovative than they are--which is sad and unnecessary, since they do make solid products. "DirectDrive"= DC-coupled, which is good but not rare. "Holographic"=analog crossfeed and the usual 3d button, "TubeState" and "TriGrid" aren't terms they strictly invented, but refer to the combination of transistor types. Again, to me, the Ican Micro and IDSD Nano (which doesn't boast "tubestate") sound virtually the same.I noticed in the Q&As several innacurate answers to questions about battery: this unit has no battery and requires the wall wart. Someone is confusing it with the ICan Nano.

I have two headphones that I use with the iCan. The Hifiman HE-500 and Grado SR 125i. The iCan has more than enough power for the HE-500 and the right adjustments to smooth the treble on the 125i. As a matter of fact,I like the Xbass and 3D on the highest setting with the 500,neutral bass and high 3D with the 125i. I passed on the provided cables for my own custom cables.Combined with an HRT Music Streamer III,I am content with my current set-up.

Works very well. It powered my 880 beyerdynamics, and my current senhieser 650's. More than enough volume too.

Great little desktop/transportable amp with plenty of juice for even the most demanding cans, I run it with an LCD-3 and Beyer T1 with no problem. The newest models come with the ipower wall wart power supply and it really cleans the sound up, especially in the highs. I pair it with an iDSD micro, which mates perfectly. The sound is slightly on the warmer side of neutral, thanks to the class A design and "tubestate" tech.

Pros: Good sound, sane price, drives pretty much everything you throw at it, 3D sound and X-Bass work well to help out otherwise deficient headphones. Excellent warm sound, Powerful, Detailed, Transparent, Black silent background, Great Form factor and design. Versatility from IEMs to Planars Magnet HeadPhones, excellent body to the sound, X-Bass and 3D switches, quality fun sound with authority. However this is the first Edition with 400mw power. Ifi launched the SE version with with 4000mw which is better.Cons: Not portable/battery power, could sound a bit warmer.The iCan’s 3D HolographicSound system is what intrigued me most about this amp. It’s nothing new, by any means, as it’s a ­variable cross feed switch. It’s the execution that makes this little guy so impressive. There are three stages to the cross feed: no cross feed, a mild cross feed, and a more liberal cross feed. Per the user’s guide, iFi recommends using the first cross feed level for recordings with “excessive” stereo effect and the second level for more flat recordings.The second switch on the iCan is a bass adjustment. Like the 3D switch it also has three different stages; no boost, a mild boost and a slightly more aggressive boost. When I was using the bass boost I found that the mild boost was the most pleasing with both my Fidelio X2 & V-Moda M100.There is one downside to the iCan. The first is that there is no power switch. This is an inconvenience for me as I don't want to leave an amp sitting on all the time and I'd prefer to have a button rather than to plug/unplug the amp whenever I'm using it.I managed to request the seller for the SE model which is not listed here by paying difference of Rs 3000 more. The SE model is much better and can drive all large size cans and has good volume power.

El ampli va de lujo, cuidado con auriculares de muy baja impedancia puede tener algo de ruido,pero con orejeros va genial, el 3D apenas se nota,el modo x bass se agradece para hacer sinergia con muchos auriculares, al ser un ampli de baja impedancia de salida pueden quedarse algo sosetes y el xbass va genial en ese aspecto, sin ensuciar ni distorsionar.

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