Why iFi Decided Its Flagship Headphone Amp Needed a Makeover
British hi-fi company iFi Audio has introduced the iCAN Phantom 1.5, an updated version of its flagship headphone amplifier. Rather than completely redesigning the original Phantom, iFi has focused on refining the areas that matter when pairing it with different headphones, from sensitive IEMs to demanding planar magnetic and electrostatic models.
The new iCAN Phantom 1.5 keeps the fundamental architecture of the original amplifier, including its separate solid-state and tube stages, integrated electrostatic energiser and extensive analogue sound-shaping controls. What has changed is the way users interact with the amplifier, along with several important adjustments intended to make it easier to match with a wider range of headphones.
At the heart of the amplifier are two separate Class A input stages. One uses a fully discrete solid-state circuit based on J-FETs, while the other uses a matched pair of General Electric 5670 tubes. Users can switch between Solid-State and Tube operation, while the Tube+ setting reduces overall loop gain and negative feedback to produce a different presentation with more emphasis on the natural harmonics of the tubes.
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The biggest technical change is the new gain structure. The original iCAN Phantom offered 0, 9 and 18 dB gain settings, while the Phantom 1.5 moves to 0, 12 and 24 dB. iFi says the revised settings provide greater separation between the gain levels and allow the amplifier to be matched more precisely to different headphone loads.
That change is particularly interesting because the Phantom has always been designed as something of an all-in-one headphone amplifier. It has enough power for demanding headphones, but the new model also retains a 0 dB setting intended for more sensitive headphones and IEMs. The IEMatch system has also been refined, providing up to 12 dB of attenuation from the single-ended output and up to 24 dB from the balanced output.
And there is a lot of power available when it is actually needed. iFi specifies more than 15,000 mW of maximum balanced output into 16 ohms, more than 5,760 mW from the single-ended output at the same load, and more than 27 V from the balanced output into 600-ohm headphones.
The Phantom 1.5 also continues to include iFi’s integrated iESL electrostatic energiser, meaning owners of compatible electrostatic headphones do not need a separate energiser box. The amplifier can provide up to 640 V for its custom/pro electrostatic output, while a separate normal output is rated at 230 V RMS.
iFi has also kept its analogue sound-shaping features. The XBass system provides three levels of low-frequency adjustment, while XSpace is designed to alter the perceived presentation and soundstage. For a high-end headphone collection containing several different headphone types, these controls give the Phantom 1.5 considerably more flexibility than a conventional fixed-voicing headphone amplifier.
There are some changes to the physical interface as well. The Phantom 1.5 gets a redesigned user interface and a new VU meter for real-time signal monitoring. iFi has also revised the motorised volume control, while the smoked-glass top panel and display receive an anti-fingerprint coating.
The connected side of the amplifier has been updated through iFi’s Nexis platform. The accompanying app can provide remote control and wireless firmware updates, while the latest system adds functions including device renaming, factory reset, diagnostics, and tube-status monitoring. iFi describes Nexis as a connected control platform that allows the amplifier to evolve beyond its physical controls.
Despite all these changes, the iCAN Phantom 1.5 remains an evolution of the original rather than a completely new amplifier. The new model retains iFi’s True Differential Balanced PureWavePRO architecture and the original concept of combining solid-state, tube and electrostatic headphone amplification in a single chassis.
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That may actually be the most interesting thing about the Phantom 1.5. Instead of adding another completely different flagship to its range, iFi has taken an already extremely versatile amplifier and concentrated on the areas that affect everyday use. The new gain settings, deeper IEM matching, revised controls and expanded Nexis functionality make the 1.5 a more refined version of an amplifier that was already designed to cover an unusually broad range of headphones.
The iFi Audio iCAN Phantom 1.5 is now available, with iFi listing a price of £3,749 on its UK site. The company has also announced European pricing at €3,749.
iFi iCAN Phantom 1.5 Specifications
| Specification | iCAN Phantom 1.5 |
|---|---|
| Amplification | Class A solid-state / Tube / Tube+ |
| Tubes | Matched GE 5670 pair |
| Gain | 0, 12, 24 dB |
| Balanced output | >15,000 mW max @ 16Ω |
| Single-ended output | >5,760 mW max @ 16Ω |
| Balanced voltage | >27 V @ 600Ω |
| Electrostatic output | 230 V / 500–640 V RMS |
| Frequency response | 0.5 Hz–500 kHz (-3 dB) |
| Dimensions | 256 × 185 × 120 mm |
| Weight | 4.2 kg |
| UK price | £3,749 |
| European price | €3,749 |
For headphone enthusiasts who own everything from sensitive IEMs to demanding planar magnetics and electrostatic headphones, the Phantom 1.5 remains an unusually comprehensive one-box solution. The key story here isn’t a completely new amplifier, but how iFi has refined its flagship to make that broad compatibility easier to use.
