nano iDSD Black Label

“The iFi Nano iDSD BL is a product that we recommend more than warmly by the editorial staff and even more if you are looking for a DAC / mobile headphone amplifier given its format, its autonomy, its weight and the excellent musical performances it offers. offers, especially in headphone output. It is also a pure happiness for its price in line output, even if one would have preferred an RCA output rather than jack, simple practical question.

Makes audio quality from your cellular telephone sound better if you are using headphones. It requires recharging about once a day with a usb b cable.

Had been running my audio via a cheap Fiio optical DAC into a modded (upgraded the internal op-amp to OPA2227) Creative Labs speaker system. I decided to smarten it all up a bit with something more advanced. After some research I settled on this unit.

The dual headphone outputs gave some improved options further down the line if I decided to go more exotic headphone wise. The pure DAC only output is great to pump into my amplified speaker setup. I doubt I’ll use it with my phone or mobile but the option is there. The range of digital media it can handle is pretty wide too.

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“With the Nano iDSD BL, ifi continues its run of quality devices aimed at both the novice and serious audio enthusiast who demands more quality than what most phone makers deem sufficient for today’s fast-paced, disposable-music lifestyle. Given a quality source, the Nano BL will render your music with finesse, and do justice to all but the most stubbornly insensitive headphones. “

Love the quality of sounds I got with just Pandora Premium and beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 250 Ohm and KZ ZS10.
Love all the extra adapters that came with the unit.
Love the compact size.
Don’t like the long USB cable came with it. Too stiff. I replaced it with my own cable.
Don’t like how you have to remember to plug it in first before turning it on if you don’t want to use the internal battery.
Over all still loves it.

I bought the iFi Nano as a second source for my headphone collection. I was mainly attracted by the ability to be able to stream music from my phone and it certainly hasn’t disappointed. Build quality is top notch and the specs are very impressive . I would quite happily use the iFi as my main source as it sounds every bit as good as my two box desktop solution.

I am using it to power a pair of HiFiMan Sundara headphones. I find that I only need to use about 25% of the available volume. Trying to run them directly from my phone was futile, so this little box has done the trick. It is also nice to be able to support a UK Hi-Fi company. I honestly don’t think that there is a better solution around at the moment for the money.

Excellent product, which I use with an iPhone, i pad and computer. With quality headphones, of course. (Beyerdynamics, for example)
I recommend.

Good

I’ve been using ifi products like iphono2, itube2 and some filters.
Always happy with the sound quality.
I thing best price/value headphone amp.

As many have said before me, this is a great little unit. I use it with Tidal on a Macbook Pro and it’s clean and clear — drives my Hifiman He560s just fine. My only gripe is a 1-second gap at the beginning of every MQA encoded track. Seems like the MQA decoder is disabled at the ned of one track and takes a second to engage again at the beginning of the next.

iFi makes great gear. This is a great little portable amp and it sounds terrific. I listen to a lot of classical music and there is a high bar for sound quality. I used this to power some HiFiMan HE4xx from Drop. It brought out a sound stage that I could not hear using just my phone to power the headphones.. When listening to Mahler Symphony No. 2 I could hear better imaging and you could hear that the 300 voice chorus was above the orchestra and behind the Tympani!!…

Bought to add to my iMac to get a better audio to my AKG headphones – works really well and brings the sound to life with better detail and soundstage and an overall excellent sound. Really enjoying (I can’t say anything about the battery life as I have not used it on battery as yet).

Sound quality is great and the way it words (sic) with Tidal makes music fun again!

Just amazing!
Even with CD quality files, I rediscover all my albums.
I use this DAC with my Sennheiser headphones.
I can’t wait to find Hi-res or DSD files so I can listen to the differences …

Had an issue with mqa tracks via Tidal, but new firmware update solved it. Now having a great time with this dac/amp.

This is a great small dac/headphone amp. Definitely drives my on ear cans effortlessly. Haven’t tried larger ones but there is plenty of power. No audible hiss.

I gave away my Schiit Fulla after 1 session with the iFi Nano. No comparison. Absolutely terrific product at this price point. The sound quality is excellent.

Perfect, very good sound, associated with Meze 99 classic that happiness.

Easy to use sounds great ??

For my 1st real dac/headphone amp it sounds awesome. Hooking it up was fairly easy and then just awesome sound. I play off of YouTube and Pandora alot, and just hearing music off these apps is breathtaking. It is nice to be able to control the volume.

This is a great dac and I’m hoping to buy ifi products again and soon. Thank you!

I did not seriously consider a DAC/Headphone amp until I read video reviews about this unit that offers quality and features of units costing 2-10 times this one.

The design and construction are of high quality and solid despite the reasonable cost. It is also quite compact and worked with MQA streaming and files with no problem. Highly recommend!

A high quality and hefty (in a good way) piece of electronic kit from iFi. The DSD Black Label DAC and headphone amplifier is top shelf and a steal at 200$.

If you’re thinking about this model or are considering a DAC amp combo, look no further.

I love this thing!

I use this primarily with my laptop. Immediately could hear subtle differences and as time has gone on it seems as though the unit increased the soundstage on my HD660S as well as providing better bass and overall better sound even at low volumes.

I picked up an 3.5 mm adapter to go with the 4.4mm provided by the headphone co. At this stage the sound came alive. Well worth the purchase especially in balanced

A superb little device, for those who are looking for a nice DAC/AMP that can give a good amount of power for not extremely hard to drive headphones, and with a competitive price. If you also like to listen to your in ear monitors with these types of devices, I just can’t recommend it enough. It’s flexible, built to last, useful and compact. Most importantly, it sounds flawless for the money. Just go for it.

Does what it is supposed to do as far as I can tell. Rugged unit.

If you can get the Ifi Nano iDSD Black Label to work with your phone, or you intend to use it with your computer, you’ll love the sound it can produce.

This device is built for audiophiles on the go, and it produces a beautifully detailed and present sound. There’s an ever-so-slight boost in the lows and highs, which translates to a small dip in mid-range — but not enough to make the DAC sound unnatural in any way.

Great sound, small, compact device with MQA Support. Works perfect with Tidal.

This little Black Label portable kicks butt. It drives a Massdrop/Sennheiser HD6XX no problem. I’m listening to TIDAL as I type. Takes your PC output to several next levels. Would buy again if needed.

Use it as a home device with PC and with powered speakers . For this price very satisfied !!

One nice Amp….. Very pleased

People considering buying this device should know what they are doing. This amp powered HD650 significantly better than O2/ODAC and it’s highly portable. I also used it to drive HD800. It’s not as enjoyable as pairing with HD650. But that’s likely due to HD800’s unforgiving revealing power.

If you don’t mind dragging a device when enjoying music, this is the one to get. I personally found the listening experience is much better with simple setup, like HD598 for open back and Sony 7506 for close back.

Anyhow, you won’t regret buying it if you have the right headphones

You get a good deal of quality for your money from this DAC.

The measurement of this small item is descent. Sound stage is clear, and very musical.

I purchased this mainly to listen to Tidal MQA streaming, it’s very well built and sounds very clean connected to my Little Dot headphone Amplifier. Go on and buy with confidence, Unit has an LED that changes colour dependant on Input signal
Has a built in battery and is nice and portable too.

The Nano iDSD is a terrific value. It does not provide the SQ of a full out home system dac but what it does provide especially while streaming an MQA file is remarkable. It has plenty of power to drive most headphones with ease as 50% volume on mine is an ear bleed.

Oh golly, what an upgrade! It’s warm, smooth, detailed and punchy. Now, to be clear, I am using it with the tidal desktop app on a desktop computer in my office with an audioquest USB cable (iFi has the converter you need to get from USB-B to female USB-A right in the box), not in a portable mode. And so far I have just tried it with my office Grado SR325e’s and Tidal Hi-Fi (lossless) and Master- which the 5.30 firmware on my unit automatically recognizes and switches to MQA mode. (The current Tidal app automatically recognized IT as a MQA device too, and switched mode to outboard renderer by itself- how easy is that?) So I can’t say how it sounds with lesser sound sources. But as a desktop headphone front end it just sounds bloody marvelous for the price, much better than my old d/a. Which has already been tossed in a drawer where it will be living from now on. It’s small, unobtrusive, and well-built, with a very smooth volume control- which you NEED playing MQA since the Tidal app disables its own volume control when it detects an MQA sound device. If all you need to do is to drive headphones from a usb source this is an easy choice- the Nano has a number of iFi big brothers if you need more connections and choices. DO get the driver from iFi and install it first before connecting it to Windows 7 for the best installation experience.

With the Black Label you can drive pretty much everything… I had no headphone that I couldn’t drive with it.

Super happy with the BL Nano. I’ve come from a Dragonfly Red and this trumps it both in usage/flexibility, and sound (particularly the clear midrange and also the slightly fuller bass). I particularly love: the volume knob, which is smooth and easy to set (though probably too light if looking to use this in your pocket); the two outputs for different impedance headphones; the line out; MQA’s from Tidal sound great; the small form factor and build quality. This isn’t really a portable (as in walkaround) device, but I use it primarily at my home office desk and when working remotely e.g. from hotels, for which usage it’s absolutely perfect. I can also see the line out getting some heavy use. Really excellent and flexible little unit and I can’t imagine getting anything better for the money.

The nano iDSD BL is a knock-out product that deserves a space in your stable of iFi gear and accessories. If you care about sound quality enough to purchase good headphones and run dedicated media player software (like Aiudirvana Plus, Roon, Amarra, or TIDAL desktop), you owe it to yourself to buy a dedicated DAC/Amp, and the nano iDSD BL is a great place to start.

Absolutely the best portable DAC – w/ MQA! Listened to this vs Dragonfly Black 1.5, Red, Ifi micro iDSD Black label, ifi iDSD nano Black, Meridian – hands down winner the Ifi nano iDSD back Label.

So how big of a difference is MQA on a great DAC? Here’s my story; I had been critical listening for about 2 days with the micro swapping between the Hifiman X, 800, & Clear with several HIRES Flacs. Then I swapped with the Dragonfly Red / Black and listened on Tidal master – Great music the MQA unfolding was good. Critical listening for a few hours. The next day I dropped in the Ifi iDSD Nano BL …. OMG – Seriously. OMG.. that has got to be the most incredible audio experience I’ve had in a while.. Chills .. goose bumps. Yeah the unfolding was fantastic better – sounded like the artists were sitting in your living room playing. That was awesome.

A compact unit, ideal for mobile use, the nano iDSD proved to offer superb sound for its diminutive size. Covering a range of resolutions and connectivity options, the iFi Nano iDSD BL provides excellent value for money too.

The iFi nano iDSD Black Label is the heir to the global best–seller; nano iDSD. It has the same MultiBit Burr-Brown DAC with True Native DSD256/PCM384/DXD as the rest of the iFi range.

I received the Nano iDSD Black from dukkanhifi, the official distributor of iFi Audio in Turkey. Special thanks to them for sending out the device. It goes for 200$ on the market. I’m not affiliated with the iFi brand and this review reflects my own, unbiased thoughts like always.

Rarely, if ever, have I classified a piece of gear, in this case a transportable rechargeable battery powered headphone amp/DAC as a no brainer. Sure, the unit has some flaws, nobody’s prefect, but at the price £199 you cannot fault it for what it is able to do in such a small package. I’m well aware of the gravity of that opening statement, but I stand by it.

nano BL in general is a more sincere product, the main advantage is that the function is rich, in the outside phone, in the home to pick up the computer is more convenient, there are no sorry portable decode the name of the decode, the sound quality is also the value of this price.

Have a lot of gear at work and at home? Worried if the iFi Nano iDSD Black can work with all your gear? Well here’s a post of the Nano Black and all the gear I connected it to.

I don’t want to make it controversial but that’s what I heard. Whether it holds or not, it’s really up to you to decide. The question is, where do I stand by I’ll let you guys know at the end. Let see if this small black box lives up to the hype.

This time their latest Black Label product the iDSD Nano brings MQA support into the portable realm. Overall I found it’s sound to be spacious and black with a super light compact body and priced right at $199.

The product’s well built with minimal seams in the chassis and non-invasive screw placement. It features a unique USB Type A male connector housed seamlessly into the chassis. It’s well built and light, the power switch is built into the volume knob and otherwise the only other moving part is the digital filter switch on the back.