Price: 149€
Where to buy: https://amzn.to/3fhoQWZ (Italy); https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-dac/
Specifications (from ifi-audio.com):
Input: USB3.0 B Socket (USB2.0 compatible)
Formats: DSD256/128/64, Octa/Quad/Double/Single-Speed DSD DXD(384/352.8kHz), PCM(384/352.8/192/176.4/96/88.2/48/44.1kHz) MQA
DAC: Bit-Perfect DSD & DXD DAC by Burr Brown
Line Section
Output Audio RCA (SE) — 2.1V fixed 1V / 3.3V max. (variable) 4.4mm Pentaconn (BAL) — 4.2V fixed 2V / 6.2V max. (variable)
Zout: <= 200 Ohm (BAL) <= 100 Ohm (SE)
SNR: < -116dB(A) @ 0dBFS (BAL/SE)
DNR: > 116dB(A) @ -60dBFS (BAL/SE)
THD+N : < 0.0015% @ 0dBFS (BAL/SE)
Headphone Section
Output Power (@1% THD): 4.4mm Pentaconn (BAL) 330mW@32 Ohm; 6.6V@600 Ohm; 16 Ohm - 600 Ohm Headphone 6.3mm S-BAL (SE) 230mW@32 Ohm; 3.3V@600 Ohm 16 Ohm - 600 Ohm Headphone Note: Using 5v power. If powered from USB, power output may vary.
Output Impedance: < 1 Ω (BAL/SE)
THD & N: < 0.005% (125mW @ 32R)
SNR: > 113dBA (6.2V BAL/3.3V SE)
Power consumption: < 1.5W via USB power OR 5v DC (power supply not included)
Dimensions: 117(l) x 100(w) x 30(h)mm
Weight (Gross): 0.8 kg (1.8 lbs)
Warranty period: 12 months
I’ve bought this unit directly from iFi with a small discount provided.
Unboxing and first impressions
Unlike the other iFi products we’ve reviewed in the past, this one has a bigger box (because it’s meant for a desktop use). It’s white with some touches of color and some information about the DAC/Amp. Inside there’s the Zen DAC itself, as well as a USB type B 3.0 to type A cable (way too short and with a blue color and a finish which don’t match the design of the product at all). No quarter inch adapter, no wall plug adapter. With a computer, you won’t need external power (even using a USB 2.0 cable, I’ve personally tested), but with your phone or DAP you can’t use this DAC without buying a power supply.
The design is particular and reminds me of some 60’s furniture. There’s a big volume knob – with some channel unbalance when set to low steps. There aren’t real steps, it is a fluid knob, and it’s pretty well-built (with a strange shape, because it’s not rounded). What’s less well-built are the buttons, which are unstable and don’t give a premium feel at all. There are two headphone outputs on the front: a 6.35mm single ended and a 4.4mm Pentaconn balanced (this interface is, in fact, full balanced, powered by a BurrBrown DAC). On the back there’s a 4.4mm Pentaconn line out to bypass the amping and connecting an external one – even though you have to find a 4.4 to dual XLR cable to adapt something like an SMSL SP200. You can also use the RCA outputs to go inside an amplifier unbalanced.
Sound
This DAC supports MQA encoding. That means you can use TIDAL at maximum quality. I was a TIDAL user (this works perfectly and the front light changes color whenever you are listening to MQA) but I prefer my offline library made of FLAC (16 or 24 bit, rarely 32) and MP3. I don’t use DSD or DXD. I’m also colorblind, so I don’t see any utility on using different colors to tell which file you are playing. That’s the case of the xDSD too (review here) which I didn’t appreciate that much – mainly because of its price. This Zen DAC comes at a much more affordable cost, and the similar sound, for me, is now justified. The BurrBrown DAC has a warmer feel than most of the other manufacturers’ DACs like the ESS Sabre series. That’s what many call a “colored” sound. If you compare this situation with the earphone world, cheap models usually are v-shaped (we’re talking about the frequency response graph), while to get a flat response you usually spend more. That’s why I feel this model has a justification to provide a warm and “fun” character, while the more expensive xDSD doesn’t – even if listened to while in “measure”mode.
I like the Zen DAC. My Meze 99 Classics (review here) with the Meze Silver upgrade cable (review here) sound amazing through the 4.4 balanced output, providing a better dynamic range, more clarity and obviously more volume than the unbalanced connection. A feature that I really appreciate is the “truebass” function, which is a bass booster that I find more effective than the one they’ve put in their xDSD, which was less impactful. IEMs can take advantage from this function, which can be appreciated especially in earphones like the Tin HiFi P1 (the orthodynamic model by that company, review here): they provide amazing mids and highs, but their bass is tamed when listened with no eq: the “truebass” function really makes it punch. Lovely.
There’s another button called “power match” which simply is a high gain switch. That’s useful for demanding headphones but also with the aforementioned P1, which require a lot of power to be driven. I’m mostly an in-ear user, so I don’t usually need that high gain function turned on. This is my first dedicated desktop DAC/amp, apart from my beloved USB interface that I use for music production, so I can’t really compare it to other similar products. There’s a portable one though, the TOPPING NX4 (review here), which I find similar for functions and quality: it has both the bass boost and the high gain switch, but lacks a balanced output. I’d rather the sound of the NX4 when it comes to analyze earphones, because I find it more on a reference side. However, it’s too big to carry around and too small to be my desktop DAC, so I don’t really use it that much. For a mobile use I have the amazing Lotoo Paw S1 and the Zen DAC is perfect for my desktop needs. The latter works flawlessly on Mac OS and Windows, even with a USB 2.0 cable (the 3.0 provided is way too short to be useful); and without external power!
My next upgrade will be a dedicated amplifier to connect balanced, so I’ll be comparing the sound of the stock amp to the external one. Is it an upgrade I actually need? No. This setup is perfect for what I’m doing right now. But “I” is not “us” and the team is expanding, we have new gear every month and we must be ready.
Conclusions
I would recommend this product to anyone, unlike other products by iFi. I would, if only their Hip DAC didn’t exist: it is a portable alternative, with USB C, same 4.4 connection and same performances. I didn’t have the chance to try it, but I can see a public for it who could prefer it to the Zen DAC. I’m appreciating the Zen series by iFi, their best yet in my opinion: really nice design, good I/O and an easy sound for most of the people. I am finally recommending an iFi product with no hesitation!
Pros
Design
I/O
Sound quality
Power output
Cons
Buttons quality
No provided power supply