The NEO iDSD was a bit of a surprise to me, as I really wasn't expecting as much of an improvement over my previous DAC (an iFi Micro iDAC2) as I ultimately realized. The NEO iDSD is a rare minimalist device from iFi among their DACs, with no choices of filters or other enhancements. What you do get is seamless and trouble free handling of both PCM and DSD files (up to quad-DSD) with exceptional sound quality. Inputs for USB, TOSLINK and Coax allow for easy integration to a proper home audio system. A very high quality analog volume control with remote allows skipping a preamp/line stage and feeding directly to a power amp, if you choose to go that way. It offers both single-ended and balanced outputs, and I've recently been using a tube line-stage with balanced inputs. There is definitely an improvement in sound quality using balanced connections. For those streaming from Tidal, the NEO iDSD is also a full MQA decoder and renderer. Regardless of anyone else's opinions of MQA, if you are streaming Tidal you are missing out on its best sound quality if your DAC doesn't handle both decoding and rendering. Streaming 24-bit from Qobuz through this DAC keeps me entertained for longer sessions than I've ever had when listening digitally.
I may be known as more of an analog/LP guy, but since the NEO iDSD has taken up permanent residence in my system the amount of time I spend listening digitally (Qobuz, Tidal, and lots of files stored on a hard drive) has increased dramatically.
