Pez Sez: iFi Retro Stereo 50

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Pez

Pez Sez: iFi Retro Stereo 50
« on: 25 Feb 2017, 09:34 pm »


Retro Stereo 50
One device to rule them all.




A Retrospective:
It was a standard year like any other at RMAF. Tyson and I roved the halls trying to find anything that would catch our interest. Having attended the show for several years we were pretty hard nosed about equipment at that point. You’ve seen one metal box you’ve seen the all. We decided to go into Canjam and check out what was going on. From previous years we knew the quality of iFi so we basically B-lined to the iFi booth. Always really fun to chat with the iFi crew. I always felt like they were part of the few who knew their products inside and out.


That year they had a gorgeous wood grain device sitting atop their table. My eyes were immediately drawn to it. I have always appreciated woodgrain on electronics. It sort of reminded me of my Grandfathers old tube gear. Yet it had bluetooth, it had a built in DAC, it had IEMatch built right into the headphone jack and a ton of modern updates. I had to give it a go. and of course what I heard was pure magic. One of the cleanest tubed headphone amps I had ever heard anywhere near the price. And the Retro looked, felt, and most importantly like a classic! It was like seeing that first piece of gear you fell in love with that first time you went into a Hifi shop. My brain instantly said ‘I WANT ONE!’

Not just a pretty face.
Every year we’d come by the Canjam room I would always stop by, play with the Retro, or just lust after it if someone else was using it. Like a kid going by the candy store. Always looking, never buying. This year was different, for this was the year the Retro made it’s way home to me! And I am proud to report, life with the Retro has fundamentally changed the way I listen from mostly my dedicated two channel room (check out my system for info) to almost exclusively to headphones. It has quite literally taken over my serious listening time in a way that no other piece of gear ever has.

Next I will discuss some of the ins and outs of the Retro. Stay tuned. More to come!

nature boy

Re: Pez Sez: iFi Retro Stereo 50
« Reply #1 on: 25 Feb 2017, 11:57 pm »
Nice old style from iFi!

NB

Pez

Re: Pez Sez: iFi Retro Stereo 50
« Reply #2 on: 28 Feb 2017, 05:10 pm »
Retro in action

One of the many things I love about the Retro is, while it is hardly what I would consider ‘Portable’ it is small enough that moving it around is neither chore nor problem. I use it at my desktop at work and I have also used it in my bedroom at night. Obviously not something you would take to the beach, but something easily portable within the home.

Left to right, Tone controls, Direct input switch (tone control bypass), 3D Matrix, Xbass, Digital Input switch, input, and finally volume controls.

The surprising thing about the Retro is its versatility. It is easily the most capable audio product I have ever used and I don’t even use half of it’s features. :o Vinyl section includes the same board as our iPhono ($399 value) and rather than fixed EQ you can utilize the tone controls combined with xBass and 3D to tailor the sound how you like. the Digital section includes wireless Bluetooth. Most bluetooth experiences I have had have been less than stellar. Not with the Retro, I can’t believe how good the Bluetooth feature sounds! It’s not going to rival DSD or anything, but it somehow makes listening to anything over bluetooth sound excellent. For me, The Retro is the first time bluetooth has ever sounded listenable let alone excellent! I find myself using it quite often for my smartphone. The DAC section is based on the original iDac2 ($350 value). When combined with the iUSB3.0 this digital section is a force of nature.

Lets take a look at the specs:

  • 25W+25W pure valve amplifier
  • Burr-Brown True Native chipset: Octa-Speed DSD512/Double-Speed 2xDXD/PCM768 kHz
  • Bluetooth aptX / Intelligent SPDIF® Coaxial/Optical Input,  high gain MC/MM phono stage
  • Ultra-Powerful Headphone amplifier : 8V/7000mW or 2V/250mW for iems
  • 3D Holographic Sound for Headphones® AND Speakers® and XBass systems



Rose Gold faceplate and classy brushed look.

Next I will discuss the Tube compliment and more tech info. Stay Tuned!
« Last Edit: 1 Mar 2017, 04:10 pm by Pez »

Pez

Re: Pez Sez: iFi Retro Stereo 50
« Reply #3 on: 6 Mar 2017, 11:25 pm »
What is the EL84x? And how is it different from other EL84 tubes?


Question from a customer…….

We found the EL84X from testing/measuring/auditioning tubes – as our passion is vinyl, SET and full-range speakers. Just like how we came across the GE5670 premium family compared to the generic family of 6922s.

The EL84X is an almost equivalent to the EL84, mainly with higher ratings and with a somewhat better sound quality (at least in the Stereo 50), compared to other current production EL84 tubes.

The sonic qualities of this particular brand/model of tube is down to the electrical parameters…for example, the peak cathode emission is higher than standard EL84, so higher peak current can be sustained. There are many other small aspects that make it in our book better than the rest.

In some EL84 amplifiers it can be just dropped in without changes, in some it does not. The Stereo 50 was designed to allow either tube (but please wait until the warranty has expired before rolling tubes).

For obvious reasons we scour the markets for tubes that are available in large quantities that offer good sound quality. This is how we found this one. It is a military tube, not advertised or specified for audio use.

In practice it makes a swell “super EL84”, hence the EL84X moniker

For obvious reasons we prefer not to disclose the precise Tube number. Replacements are available from iFi and will be so for a long time, generic EL84s are fully-compatible with the Stereo 50 and who knows, sooner or later some factory may very well make an EL84 that sounds better than our EL84X.