Yes, okay, I can get a bit carried away from time to time. But....
.... seriously, you WILL want one of these.
Now, Metal-maestro CN has been using one of this product-range in his setup and appears to be very happy with it, and my own experience has pointed in the direction of Jitter-removal being essential for digital signal integrity. The Oehlbach reclocker on my USB streaming-source does make a big improvement but what about SPDIF? Can that benefit in a similar way?
Enter the Ifi SPDIF iPurifier2. Little white plug-thingy about as big as a cigarette lighter. Plug & Play - No Experience Necessary. Just insert it between your coax or optical connection at the DAC, power it up with its' own (hefty) PSU, and you're off.
What does it do? Well it tidies up and straightens out the data-stream with absolute precision determined by an internal clocking chip. Galvanic isolation means that no EM nasties are transmitted further to disturb the receiving unit. No upsampling - what goes in is what comes out - just better, 'bit-perfect' is the claim. The SPDIF signal carries its own timing information, so the iPurifier can ensure that any jitter-caused disturbance to the synchronicity of the audio information can be eradicated.
How does it sound then? Right, starting in the obvious place with the Kiss DVD player upstairs. Putting the iPurifier in place takes about 30 seconds, press Play and go. When I got hold of this player I was impressed by the level of detail and dynamics it produces, but it did come over as a touch flat and lifeless - well, with the Ifi plug in place the sound is transformed into a full, rich living entity. Space, 3D, subtlety, delicacy! Switching over to the Volumio PC / upsampled and reclocked USB input with the same tracks, there was very little difference to discern and CD playback was coming through with an equally stunning SQ as the streamer.
First impression is that this is a superb upgrade unit, stick it into a DAC with a reasonable CD or DVD player and you have something that will sonically compete with megabuck, high-end CD transports. Price is here €200 which isn't cheap but it is a game-changer.
Next up, I'll try this out in a headphone setup with a Pi / Allo DigiOne streamer and see what it does there. The trick is now to find out where it will give the most use and benefit. Otherwise I will just have to go and get a handful of the things.
'Ifi I was a rich man ... dada dadadada -dum.'
