Various Products – Firmware

Installation Instructions
Firmware Installation Instructions

Instructions to update firmware on Mac OSX
  1. Download the macOS firmware update program/s
  2. Double click on the disk image to mount it
  3. Double click on the firmware updater program
  4. If you receive a message that the program is blocked from running, please use option or alt + click on the program to get the menu and select ‘Open’, you can then choose to unblock the program
  5. Please do not shut down your Mac or disconnect the iFi device from your Mac while the firmware update program is running. Depending on your system speed it should complete within a few minutes at most.
  6. Once your iFi device has been successfully updated, you will see the following message on screen:
  7. If for whatever reason the Firmware update is not successful, you will see:

    In this case, please check all connections, make sure your iFi USB audio device is connected to your Mac and recognised as sound device. Make sure you are not currently playing music or other sounds via your iFi USB audio device. Please try again. If the error persists, contact support.

Addendum

How to check firmware version of iFi products on Mac OSX?

  1. Click on the apple icon on the system bar
  2. Select “About this Mac”
  3. Click the “System Report” button
  4. Find “USB” under “Hardware” and select it
  5. Find “iFi (by AMR) HD USB Audio” and select it
  6. Look at “Version:”
Instructions to update firmware on Windows

Preparation

  1. Ensure you have the latest iFi Windows driver (v2.20 or above)
  2. Connect the device to a Windows computer

Step 1: Run the upgrade program

  • It is NOT possible to double-click on the “xxxxx.bin” (it will NOT autorun).
  • Locate the file: C: Program Files>iFi>USB_HD_Audio_Driver
    (C:Program FilesiFiUSB_HD_Audio_DriveriFiHDUSBAudio_dfuapp.exe)

Step 2: Load the firmware file

Load the firmware file by pressing the “Browse…” button and locating the ‘xxx.bin’ file.

Step 3: Upgrading the firmware

Upgrade the firmware by clicking “Start”.

When it is done, it will say “Firmware upgrade finished successfully.”

After the upgrade, please unplug the iFi device from your computer and completely power it OFF before first use.

Note: On some computers, one needs to perform the upgrade process twice for the upgrade to be successful. After the first go, the firmware version may still report it has the original version, in which case, press “Start” again to perform another upgrade (sometimes it just takes two attempts).

If you have any further questions, please open a support ticket here: https://support.ifi-audio.com/.

PLEASE READ BEFORE UPGRADING FIRMWARE

PART ONE: Compatible products

  • The iFi XMOS firmware is heavily customised by iFi in-house. Under NO circumstances use this firmware on a non-iFi XMOS platform.
  • All firmware is unified (works across all listed machines):
    • ZEN DAC*
    • Hip DAC
    • xDSD
    • Micro iDSD, BL and Signature*
    • Micro iDAC 2
    • Nano iDSD original, BL and LE
    • Nano iONE
    • Retro Stereo 50

*(PLEASE check your product serial number to determine if it requires V5.0 OR 7.0 firmware).

No damage will ensure as the incorrect firmware will only fail to upload.

  • Downgrading firmware is possible. Example: 5.30 to 5.20. Or v7.0C > v7.0.
  • It is not possible to switch between V5.x and 7.x. There is no risk of damage as the firmware update will simply be unsuccessful.
  • Firmware updates inherently carry risk of damage to the unit and of voiding your warranty.
  • As with all firmware upgrades, there is a risk of bricking your product if something goes wrong during the upgrade process. If your iFi product is bricked, please send it back to the dealer/distributor for servicing.

We do not recommend upgrading or downgrading the firmware just for ‘fun’, only when necessary.

PART TWO: MQA LED explained

  • Magenta is the official MQA LED colour on iFi machines. Due to MQA technology being implemented after our legacy products when playing MQA this LED may not change to magenta. Some products have been revised since with MQA, depending on shipping date it will have an MQA sticker on the packaging. If you have an MQA sticker on the packaging your machine will display magenta for MQA, if not please refer to the table below. This is purely cosmetic only, the MQA filter is always active once firmware 5.3o or 5.30C is installed.

Legacy products:

micro iDSD BL Yellow
micro iDSD Yellow
micro iDAC2 White
nano iDSD White
nano iDSD BL Magenta
nano iDSD LE White
nano iONE White
Retro Stereo 50 Magenta or White

PART THREE: Incompatible products

  • iFi XMOS Firmware versions 5.30/5.20 are NOT suitable for:
    • Micro iDAC – Please do NOT FLASH this machine.
    • Micro iLink – Please do NOT FLASH this machine.
    • AMR DP-777 – Please do NOT FLASH this machine.

 

  • Only use the following firmware on those products listed above under ‘Important notes‘.

Newest firmware

Legacy firmware

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