Packaging and Accessories: iFi Pro iDSD Signature

Now we get to unboxing the actual product with the iFi Pro iDSD Signature coming in a box that has the same design language and contents as the larger box sleeve we saw before. This means we can get to removing it and take out the inner box which itself opens up to reveal a layered unboxing experience beginning with a very handy user manual (online copy here) that is almost a must to go through to make the most of the Pro iDSD Signature. The product itself is well protected by thick foam again and is easy enough to remove with the machined cutouts having some room on the side—I would not have minded some actual finger holes though! Underneath is where you will see two accessory boxes with space left for a hypothetical third, but this does mean iFi could also have gone with a more efficient packaging to avoid wasted space and materials.


The larger of the two accessory boxes contains a premium looking and feeling aluminium remote control that gets a durable matte black finish throughout. I am not sure if a new unit will come with the necessary CR2025 battery but this did not have one. Note that the remote also allows for volume control if you have the iFi Pro iCAN Signature amplifier too, but otherwise it's well laid out and allows for easy use of the DAC section of the Pro iDSD Signature. There's a plastic tool to access some of the controls on the unit itself and iFi also provides a branded set of RCA interconnects.


A second warranty guide specific to the Pro iDSD Signature is found in the other box which also contains a WiFi antenna with a rotary joint. It may look and feel like a Bluetooth antenna provided by most, less expensive DACs but that's one of the many ways the Pro iDSD Signature differs. Last, and certainly not least, is a USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB 3.0) Type-A to Type-B cable, once again differentiating from the more common USB 2.0 Type-B cable provided. Type-C connectivity here would have been nice to see though!