iFi iDSD Phantom Boasts DSD2048 & K2HD Tech

The iDSD Phantom is iFi’s new flagship home device. It unites a reference-class DAC, an ultra-resolution network streamer, and a powerful headphone amplifier. According to iFi, this results in its “most accomplished listening experience to date.”

To that end, the Phantom features an improved streaming engine, more precise digital-to-analogue audio conversion, increased power output, and more detailed user control, according to the brand.

The Phantom supports Qobuz Connect, Tidal & Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2, and more. It will “unlock” your library and allow you to manage and access “ultra-res digital audio” from your networked storage. For the first time, iFi’s Chrysopoeia FPGA-based Remastering Engine brings studio-grade DSD2048 conversion to your listening space.

We’re told that iFi uses this FPGA to apply proprietary remastering algorithms and reduce jitter, ensuring the DSD signal is clean, stable, and precisely timed before it reaches the conversion stage.

The DSD bitstream is directly converted to analogue using the same delta-sigma modulator as in DSD recording. No digital filtering or volume control is applied to DSD. Volume is handled in the analogue domain, preserving the signal’s purity.

Four Burr-Brown DSD1793 DACs run in a custom interleaved configuration. This draws inspiration from the company’s work with the legendary TDA1541A. In 'Normal' mode, DSD signals go straight to the DAC, while PCM signals pass through a user-selected digital filter. In 'Remastered' mode, each DAC can process up to DSD1024. This enables native decoding for DSD512, DSD1024, or DSD2048.

iFi says that “DSD Remastering deepens resolution and minimises distortion through its incredibly high sample rates.” At DSD2048, the 1-bit stream is sampled about 90 million times per second. This pushes quantisation noise far outside the audio band. This, they say, results in exceptionally low in-band distortion, “unlocking a level of fidelity once reserved for only the world’s most prestigious mastering suites.”

You don’t have to choose just tubes or solid state. At the flick of a switch, you can move between dual-mono Solid-State mode, where discrete J-FETs deliver precision and ultra-low distortion; dual mono Tube mode, where hand-matched NOS GE5670 valves provide warmth and mellifluousness; and Tube+, which enhances the second harmonic by +6dB for a greater tube character. With the Phantom’s claimed 7,747 mW of peak headphone output, you should find synergy with most headphones.

The iDSD Phantom continues the brand's collaboration with JVCKENWOOD and uses K2HD Technology. This is said to restore harmonic content lost during post-production or encoding. The Phantom offers ‘K2’ mode, preserving the file’s original resolution, and ‘K2HD’, which optionally upscales to 192kHz/24-bit.

XBass Pro is a fully analogue variable shelving EQ, available in 10, 20, and 40Hz options. It is ideal for restoring impact and bass response that are often lost in open-back headphones. It lifts low frequencies without clouding the midrange. The settings allow you to tailor this restoration to your headphones and preferences.

XSpace creates a spacious audio field and adds speaker-like depth to headphones. Crossfeed is a general term for such effects. XSpace is not Bauer/Linkwitz, or Meier enhanced crossfeed. Apparently, it comes from the Ministry of Radio and TV in East Berlin’s research into headphone and speaker replay. The results stand apart from and surpass all other crossfeed variants.

XSpace Pro is the brand’s “most advanced form of XSpace.” It recreates the spaciousness of speaker playback with more detail and customisability. With 30-, 60-, and 90-degree settings, you can choose the most natural, lifelike presentation for your setup.

You get a suite of digital filters for subtle time-domain sculpting. Bit-Perfect and Bit-Perfect+ offer pure playback, closest to the raw recording. GTO upsamples to 352.8/384kHz with minimal filtering and post-ringing, adding density and detail. Transient Aligned provides balanced filtering, reducing high-frequency noise for a relaxed listening experience. Apodising upsamples to 705.6/768kHz, with greater post-ringing, like a softer-edged GTO.

The iDSD Phantom hardware includes galvanic isolation on its Ethernet, S/PDIF, and AES/EBU inputs. This separates it from sources at a circuit level, blocking electrical noise while allowing audio data to pass unimpeded.

For further refinement, the Phantom offers iFi’s Exclusive Modes. These shut down unused system processes during streaming. This improves operating efficiency and reduces signal noise.

The iFi Nexis app now supports Wi-Fi linking. This makes it easier to connect and queue music to the Phantom from anywhere in your home.

The iFi iDSD Phantom is available for £4,499 | US$4,499 | €4,695 | CAD$6,999.

For more information visit iFi Audio