iFi Audio Valkyrie, storming the throne

I'll start with the least obvious aspect, which is nonetheless revealing. Let me explain. I was away from home when the delivery driver came to deliver the package. He left it at a pick-up point, which was quite far from my house, but not so far that I couldn't walk there. We're talking about an iFi Audio product, and they're all small in size. When I saw the box, I thought it was a mistake. It couldn't be, it was too big. When I picked it up, it was even worse, it was quite heavy. I didn't understand anything.

It was only when I opened the package that I understood everything. Instead of the typical cardboard box of the brand, it came in a beautiful wooden box with an elegant engraving. I'm telling you, it was gorgeous. It reminded me of the packaging for high-end headphones. To date, I've received many products, and all of them had packaging that served no other purpose than to preserve the product until it reached its destination. It's a disposable item and only has the function of providing adequate protection. Except for headphones, where a lot of care is taken with this aspect. Well, this product is no different.

The first thing that came to mind was that it would make a great gift for an enthusiast or a loved one who you want to give something really special. It works perfectly and is also nice to give as a gift because of the care taken with the protective case.

iFi Audio Valkyrie

My first impression in the room was that it reminded me of another product from the company, iFi Audio iDSD Diablo, although as the hours and days went by, I realized that this product surpassed it in every single parameter. One thing that really stood out for me was its huge battery, which makes it practically independent of the power supply. And, although its transformer is the latest generation of the brand's own X-Power, being able to do without this potential source of noise is simply wonderful. I charged it to the max on the first day and, as I used it mainly as the centerpiece of my digital audio system, it managed to stay up and running for days, working a few hours a day, sending the audio signal through the DIN 4.4 XLR connector to the integrated amplifier.

The brand's advertising repeatedly talks about "mastering" at home thanks to their product. It's a marketing phrase that has a grain of truth that I'd like to share with you. In a recording studio, the output of tracks or songs has its own characteristics. Let me explain: a singer may have recorded two rhythmic tracks, two more powerful ones for parties or discos, and a ballad in between. The aim of mastering is to ensure that the sound and audio output are stable throughout the recording, so that it is not necessary to adjust the amplifier volume for each track. Obviously, many other factors come into play, such as the producer's signature in the final result, the type of music recorded and its conventions and formalities, etc. Not to mention the complete modification of the vocals that is done in modern recordings of horrible musical styles, where the singer's voice matters little. Here, artificial intelligence will be able to greatly improve the quality of humans...

Well, if we understand mastering as the deliberate modification of the audio output, changing some of its main characteristics to add others that were not in its native format, then yes, we are partially mastering. In this case, the act of modifying the bass and treble knobs on an amplifier with such potentiometers could also be defined as such. Although in most cases, we would have to use the definition of impoverishing the signal by removing details; details that are the lifeblood of music.

To avoid this, iFi Audio Valkyrie performs "upsampling" (recoding at the highest level of the product) to DSD 1024. With this type of signal, it is much more effective to make fine and perceptible modifications to the level of detail that makes educated people smile. It is not the first product to incorporate these features, nor do I believe it will be the last. However, we have reached a level superior to other implementations.

However, I would like to focus on one of the problems with "upsampling." I will do so with an example that everyone will understand clearly. Just like in cooking, cooking for two is not the same as cooking for twenty. It is not a matter of multiplying the ingredients by ten, but of knowing how to balance the ingredients we are going to use so that the recipe is just as tasty for two as it is for twenty. When you increase the audio resolution, a whole series of sound additions appear that we have to eliminate by applying digital filters to ensure that the sound is not distorted or sounds unnatural. Now we begin to see the author's signature in the product, as wisdom and skill at this point make the difference between a good product (i.e., music) or something artificial and unnatural. The technical specifications mention "pre-ringing" and "post-ringing." I think the concept is clearer now. If these basic notions are not enough for you, you can search forums dedicated to PRO-Audio for lots of interesting thoughts on the correct treatment of transients, especially transients in high frequencies. It is at this point that large analog systems base their "theoretical superiority" over digital systems.

With so much work to do, such as real-time recoding, the heart of the device, the DAC, has to work quickly. As in conventional computing, the way to achieve greater speed has been to multiply the number of them. In this Valkyrie, we are talking about a Quad-Core Burr-Brown "inspired" by the legendary Phillips TDA1541A, taking the sound of the AMR CD-77 as a starting point, although improving some features, according to the manufacturer.

And as in the computer world, excess heat must be eliminated in the right way. In this regard, the Walkyrie chassis does a decent job, as it is suspended in the air by four legs and leaves enough space for air circulation, so this DAC does not overheat, maintaining a correct operating temperature, even during long sessions. To simplify the concept, it is a metal radiator that keeps the temperature within a satisfactory working range.

Equipment used in testing

Sound source:
»iFi Audio iDSD Valkyrie
» Roon Server
» Qobuz Studio
Power amplification:
» Bow Technologies Wazoo XL
» Engström Arne MKII
Speakers:
» RadioTehnika Giant FS-100N
Cables:
» Wires4Music for wiring:
    » Horus Hybrid RCA interconnection
    » Evolution on speakers and mains
HiFi rack:
» Artesanía Audio Exoteryc Rack PRO

The product reviewed here is part of a dynasty of portable devices that are more than just portable. It is easy to move around, carry in a suitcase, or transport from one place to another, although the same cannot be said for carrying it around as a headphone amplifier. At this point, I don't see the point, so I will treat it as a static system that can be easily moved.

If you have read carefully which music system I have paired it with, you will have seen immediately that I had no qualms about pairing it with one of the most highly rated integrated amplifiers on the market and one of the stars of the recent High End Munich 2025: the Engström Arne MKII. Surely, this should be the epilogue to this article, with nothing more to add.

Filters and tastes

To avoid repeating what you can easily find on the web, describing the names of the different filters and their functions in an endless copy and paste, I am going to recommend some of them, with the music I liked the most. It is a mix of analog and digital filters that has worked well in my room and in my setup.

With Bizet's opera, "Carmen," I opted for the combination of "Space" in analog and "Minimal" in digital. Is it the best? I don't know, but for my understanding of opera and how it should sound in my living room, yes. There is only one truth, and that is each person's own. And there are millions of us, and a few less who are enthusiasts. Let's be tolerant of different opinions and learn from each other.

In a true hi-fi classic, so you all have a clear idea of what I'm talking about, the Eagles' "Hotel California" in its most burned-out version, "Hell Freezes Over," I opted for "Space" and "Transcient Alignment." The room took up half the town where I live, which is something that enthusiasts love. Okay, I'm exaggerating a little, but you know what I mean. By the way, here's a personal anecdote related to this topic. At a demo of the Cambridge Audio EX series, the host asked for some special music to play. In a room full of store owners and some specialized media, someone suggested this song... The look of surprise on the audience's faces was incredible, and we almost ran out of there.

We are possibly reaching a point of no return when it comes to decoding musical samples. Let me explain: we can undoubtedly increase the speed or number of processors, but we will have to accept that this has to be compensated for in some way. Heat dissipation can be done passively or actively. In the professional world, active dissipation is used, i.e., fans. In high fidelity, passive dissipation is used, i.e., large metal containers where heat is transmitted for cooling by contact with the air.

Final conclusions

In the digital world, the products currently available exceed the level of music encoding commonly available on the market. For this reason, products such as this one guarantee flawless performance for many years to come, as it will take the recording industry quite some time to reach these levels.

iFi Audio Valkyrie is an oversized DAC in many respects to achieve high performance within a limited price and cost range. Its target audience is those who want a real PRO-AUDIO system, but without the constraints of this type of sound. The type of connections used and the performance of some of its components, such as the battery, amply demonstrate this.

It is not portable, it is portable. Therefore, it does not make sense to use it for unattended listening, but quite the opposite, to put all your senses into it. That's why you have to pay the price for the size. Its shape and design are a lesson in how to do things right to ensure that the potential internal enemy, temperature, is effectively dissipated.

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