RMAF 2016: Accessorising with iFi Audio

Fifty dollar widgets. iFi Audio, AMR’s more affordable spin-off, had three new dongle fixes to show at RMAF/CanJam 2016.

The first is for headphone listeners. More specifically, those with highly sensitive IEMs who find their amplifier or DAP’s power output forces them to use lower volume levels, putting them closer to the noise floor and stifling dynamics.

The iEMatch is an inline attenuator that reduces headroom and re-introduces the listener to the potential for a wider dynamic range (should the recording support it).

But wait, there’s more: the iEMatch sports a 3.5mm 4-pole TRRS plug that’s switchable between balanced and single-ended operation. Not sure where that leaves 2.5mm TRRS Astell&Kern-ers or the balanced 4-pin connector adopted by Scotland’s RHA, but there ya go…

That was Sean Fowler, Team Leader of iFi’s Stateside arm.

Next up, the iDefender 3.0, a single purpose device that will stop ground loops in their tracks in the most obvious way possible: pulling the plug on USB power itself. Data will still pass freely. For USB inputs that need power to operate, the iDefender 3.0 accommodates the slipstreaming of a 5V feed from iFi’s own low-noise SMPS units – like that found in the DAR-KO Award-winning S/PDIF iPurifier‘s box but also sold separately – or you can BYO linear supply.

Here’s Fowler again with a short and sweet product introduction:

Lastly, iFi’s iSilencer 3.0 is their take on the AudioQuest Jitterbug: an accessory designed to cauterise electrically noisy USB feeds. The British company’s spec sheet edge over AudioQuest at time of writing is USB 3.0, which is fully backwards compatible with 2.0 devices. This should not be confused with USB Audio classes 1.0 and 2.0. Buy several to plug unused ports for even greater improvement.

Here’s Thorsten Loesch’s off-sider, Vincent Luke:

Skeptical about any of these accessories’ efficacy? iFi back all of their products with a 7-day satisfaction, money-back guarantee.

Further information: iFi Audio