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expirediconian | Staff posted Dec 08, 2022 08:17 PM
expirediconian | Staff posted Dec 08, 2022 08:17 PM

iFi AUDIO xDSD Portable Bluetooth USB DAC & Headphones Amplifier

+ Free Shipping

$179

$400

55% off
Adorama
64 Comments 23,146 Views
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Deal Details
Adorama has iFi AUDIO xDSD Portable Bluetooth USB DAC & Headphones Amplifier (XDSDTYPE-CVER1.4) for $179. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Deal Editor iconian for finding this deal.

Includes:
  • iFi AUDIO xDSD Bluetooth Portable USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier
  • 2.5mm to 2.5mm Cable
  • 3.5mm to 3.5mm Cable
  • Charging Cable
  • Pouch
Features:
  • You choose wireless via Bluetooth or wired via USB or SPDIFHi-res audio support is state-of-the-art with True Native playback
  • Battery life is up to 10 hours
  • Charging is via the separate USB charging cable included

Editor's Notes

  • About this deal:
    • This price is $220.99 lower (55% savings) than the list price of $399.99.
  • About this product:
    • iFi AUDIO 1 Year Limited Warranty
  • About this store:
    • Information about Adorama's return policy here.
  • Please read the Forum Thread for more deal discussion.

Original Post

Written by iconian | Staff
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Adorama has iFi AUDIO xDSD Portable Bluetooth USB DAC & Headphones Amplifier (XDSDTYPE-CVER1.4) for $179. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Deal Editor iconian for finding this deal.

Includes:
  • iFi AUDIO xDSD Bluetooth Portable USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier
  • 2.5mm to 2.5mm Cable
  • 3.5mm to 3.5mm Cable
  • Charging Cable
  • Pouch
Features:
  • You choose wireless via Bluetooth or wired via USB or SPDIFHi-res audio support is state-of-the-art with True Native playback
  • Battery life is up to 10 hours
  • Charging is via the separate USB charging cable included

Editor's Notes

  • About this deal:
    • This price is $220.99 lower (55% savings) than the list price of $399.99.
  • About this product:
    • iFi AUDIO 1 Year Limited Warranty
  • About this store:
    • Information about Adorama's return policy here.
  • Please read the Forum Thread for more deal discussion.

Original Post

Written by iconian | Staff

Community Voting

Deal Score
+24
Good Deal
Visit Adorama

Price Intelligence

Model: iFi AUDIO xDSD Bluetooth Portable USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier

Deal History 

Sort: Most Recent
Post Date Sold By Sale Price Activity
10/30/23Adorama$169
0
08/29/22Adorama$199
1
08/25/22Adorama$250
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Top Comments

tg9413
494 Posts
289 Reputation
around 200 or below with bluetooth, fiio btr5 / btr7 , qudelix 5k, ifi go blu. the xDSD's bluetooth is pretty outdated. Might be okay as a wired amp / dac, but defiantly better and cheaper options out there for bluetooth use.
etherealkev88
28 Posts
14 Reputation
That applies to more traditional wired DAC/Amps, but for portable bluetooth options, new IS better. Cheaper and better DAC chips continue to disrupt the market while better bluetooth tech (bluetooth 5 and above, with LDAC, LHDC and the latest AptX-Adaptive codec, and etc) have immensely closed to gap between wired and wireless compared to older tech.
KRT09
1009 Posts
108 Reputation
Most of those units have no battery and the ones that do have a much smaller battery. This has a 2200mAh battery with a decently powerful amp, the iFi Xbass features are a fun as well. You seem to be clueless as to what the intended use of a portable DAC / amp is and continue to spew nonsense.

I'm all for extra measurements but ASR has in many ways done a disservice to the audio community by convincing people that you should always follow SINAD and THD numbers. These numbers have been largely irrelevant for close to a decade because the tech has matured a lot and the vast majority of amps and DAC's will only distort at levels outside of human hearing or to levels that are severely ear damaging. That's not to say amps and DAC's can't sound different, but the number chasing game is mostly a pissing contest. Human ears are not measurement rigs.

64 Comments

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Dec 08, 2022 10:40 PM
42 Posts
Joined Dec 2021
LavenderLumber840Dec 08, 2022 10:40 PM
42 Posts
Great deal. Believe this is 2018 tech at this point but given I still listen to a DAC from 2008, there is real value here!!
Dec 08, 2022 10:44 PM
64 Posts
Joined Jan 2016
tokkyDec 08, 2022 10:44 PM
64 Posts
Quote from LavenderLumber840 :
Great deal. Believe this is 2018 tech at this point but given I still listen to a DAC from 2008, there is real value here!!
I haven't been following the trend lately with portable amps and DAC. What are some of the new products out there?
Dec 08, 2022 10:55 PM
494 Posts
Joined Dec 2009
tg9413Dec 08, 2022 10:55 PM
494 Posts
Quote from tokky :
I haven't been following the trend lately with portable amps and DAC. What are some of the new products out there?
around 200 or below with bluetooth, fiio btr5 / btr7 , qudelix 5k, ifi go blu. the xDSD's bluetooth is pretty outdated. Might be okay as a wired amp / dac, but defiantly better and cheaper options out there for bluetooth use.
Original Poster
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Sr. Deal Editor
Dec 08, 2022 10:56 PM
76,241 Posts
Joined Feb 2006
iconianDec 08, 2022 10:56 PM
Original Poster
Pro
Sr. Deal Editor
76,241 Posts
Quote from LavenderLumber840 :
Great deal. Believe this is 2018 tech at this point but given I still listen to a DAC from 2008, there is real value here!!
Quote from tokky :
I haven't been following the trend lately with portable amps and DAC. What are some of the new products out there?

i would argue, new is not better....
1
Dec 08, 2022 10:56 PM
146 Posts
Joined Nov 2019
LootPirateDec 08, 2022 10:56 PM
146 Posts
A few dollars more and a topping d50 would beat this by no small margin
1
Dec 08, 2022 10:58 PM
102 Posts
Joined Apr 2019
LordDangoDec 08, 2022 10:58 PM
102 Posts
I picked this one up, thanks OP! I needed this since the lcd i4 i just got with the cipher cables werent loud enough through BT only. Hopefully this should drive it better
Dec 08, 2022 11:03 PM
102 Posts
Joined Apr 2019
LordDangoDec 08, 2022 11:03 PM
102 Posts
Quote from LootPirate :
A few dollars more and a topping d50 would beat this by no small margin
Except the topping D50 is not portable at all... cant take it to go running or anything like that. The point of this is to be able to connect my wired headphones to a source that can drive it well. Most phones nowadays dont even have a headphone jack and even when you use a adapter, they suck and are terrible.

Also Ifi produces high quality stuff. I owned their black label amplifier and it was worth every penny. Could drive my ZMF headphones pretty well for a portable source. Meanwhile my experience with Topping products have been mediocre. i actually owned the amp you are referring to which died randomly on me in 6 months. The company is based in China so im not surprised their quality is so poor.
Last edited by LordDango December 8, 2022 at 03:06 PM.

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Dec 08, 2022 11:04 PM
102 Posts
Joined Apr 2019
LordDangoDec 08, 2022 11:04 PM
102 Posts
Quote from iconian :
i would argue, new is not better....
I would bet everyone is still using the chord mojo/hugo today
Original Poster
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Sr. Deal Editor
Dec 08, 2022 11:05 PM
76,241 Posts
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iconianDec 08, 2022 11:05 PM
Original Poster
Pro
Sr. Deal Editor
76,241 Posts
Quote from LordDango :
I would bet everyone is still using the chord mojo/hugo today
i use onkyp DAP from 2016... new onew dont offr anything to me, but a higher price
Dec 08, 2022 11:20 PM
28 Posts
Joined Apr 2012
ludens1020Dec 08, 2022 11:20 PM
28 Posts
Quote from iconian :
i would argue, new is not better....
That applies to more traditional wired DAC/Amps, but for portable bluetooth options, new IS better. Cheaper and better DAC chips continue to disrupt the market while better bluetooth tech (bluetooth 5 and above, with LDAC, LHDC and the latest AptX-Adaptive codec, and etc) have immensely closed to gap between wired and wireless compared to older tech.
Original Poster
Pro
Sr. Deal Editor
Dec 08, 2022 11:27 PM
76,241 Posts
Joined Feb 2006
iconianDec 08, 2022 11:27 PM
Original Poster
Pro
Sr. Deal Editor
76,241 Posts
Quote from etherealkev88 :
That applies to more traditional wired DAC/Amps, but for portable bluetooth options, new IS better. Cheaper and better DAC chips continue to disrupt the market while better bluetooth tech (bluetooth 5 and above, with LDAC, LHDC and the latest AptX-Adaptive codec, and etc) have immensely closed to gap between wired and wireless compared to older tech.

you're right re BT. i don't use bt for that. but i use it alot for tv viewing...
Dec 08, 2022 11:36 PM
500 Posts
Joined Jan 2008
blueis300Dec 08, 2022 11:36 PM
500 Posts
Quote from LootPirate :
A few dollars more and a topping d50 would beat this by no small margin
Brah~!~~ You are comparing apple to a watermelon. This iFi is portable unlike the Topping D50. Think before you talk please.
1
Dec 08, 2022 11:43 PM
691 Posts
Joined Nov 2006
d3a1zDec 08, 2022 11:43 PM
691 Posts
I have a fiio Btr7. This may have a decent dac but Ldac is the way to go for Bluetooth and the amp is super clean. That said I really like iFi. if this gets down to $150 I will jump on it.
Last edited by d3a1z January 4, 2023 at 01:11 PM.
Dec 09, 2022 12:31 AM
6,466 Posts
Joined Apr 2006
PreacherCruzDec 09, 2022 12:31 AM
6,466 Posts
Quote from tg9413 :
around 200 or below with bluetooth, fiio btr5 / btr7 , qudelix 5k, ifi go blu. the xDSD's bluetooth is pretty outdated. Might be okay as a wired amp / dac, but defiantly better and cheaper options out there for bluetooth use.
Defiantly and definitely are vastly different words. Good info otherwise....

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Dec 09, 2022 01:04 AM
146 Posts
Joined Nov 2019
LootPirateDec 09, 2022 01:04 AM
146 Posts
Quote from LordDango :
Except the topping D50 is not portable at all... cant take it to go running or anything like that. The point of this is to be able to connect my wired headphones to a source that can drive it well. Most phones nowadays dont even have a headphone jack and even when you use a adapter, they suck and are terrible.

Also Ifi produces high quality stuff. I owned their black label amplifier and it was worth every penny. Could drive my ZMF headphones pretty well for a portable source. Meanwhile my experience with Topping products have been mediocre. i actually owned the amp you are referring to which died randomly on me in 6 months. The company is based in China so im not surprised their quality is so poor.
Hmm. Where do you think this DAC is made in ? Have you seen any specs on this DAC especially sinead or snr? This is an ifi not a chord , mytek or rme. Not in an entirely different league. And I must ask as someone who runs himself, when was the last time you saw anyone run with these things. Two separate moving objects (phone and DAC) connected by short cable in one pocket, how good is that jog going to be ?
Last edited by LootPirate December 8, 2022 at 05:10 PM.

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