IFi ZEN CAN 3 Headphone Amplifier

Firstly I would extend my thanks Karina from iFi, and @IFIAUDIO, for kindly arranging the loan of the ZEN Can 3 headphone amplifier.
All opinions expressed in this review are my own, and are based upon my own experiences with this product over the loan period.

The product page, giving the full specifications of the unit can be found here:

https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-can-3/

Retailing here in the UK for £229.00, the ZEN Can 3 is the latest version of iFi’s popular head-amp, and replaces the original ZEN Can, which is one of the two amplifiers in my collection that I turn to on a regular basis (the other being the valve equipped Schiit Vali 2++). As a fan of the OG ZEN Can I was more than interested in hearing how the Can3 compares, so let’s find out.

Design.

The ZEN Can 3 is housed in the familiar lozenge case, as per other members of the family over the years, although this latest version features the new front panel styling also seen on the ZEN Phono 3, and ZEN Blue V3. I think it looks rather smart.
Connections on the back panel are a pair of RCA inputs, a 3.5mm input, plus a balanced 4.4mm input, along with a 4.4mm pre-out (a single ended output would be useful too), and a socket for the included power supply.
On the front panel are 6.35mm single ended, and 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs, along with power button, input selector, volume control, gain selector, and a button to switch between the various eq modes (X-Bass+, X-Space, game mode, movie mode), plus X-Mems which gives the amplifier compatibility with this new earphone driver technology.
I found the amplifier to be well constructed, and the various controls to be pleasant to use, and positive in their action, especially the volume control which is nicely weighted and very smooth.

Sound Impressions.

Most of the listening sessions involved using the ZEN Can 3 with iFi ZEN Stream via iFi ZEN ONE Signature dac, into the balanced input, plus fixed output from my Cyrus pre-amp into the RCA sockets, for vinyl, cassette, and CD listening. Headphones used were mainly HiFiman Sundara, plus Austrian Audio Hi-X15, and ancient Sennheiser HD-580 Precision.
With Sundara, used balanced, the sound was well balanced, with no particular emphasise on any part of the frequency range, and with a pretty expansive soundstage. Treble was clear and well extended, but not harsh or grating, whilst the midrange was well defined, making vocals easy to follow, and at the bottom end bass guitar was deep, but also tuneful. For example the new Jerry Cantrell album, “I Want Blood” can sound a touch murky, to my ears, with his lyrics a bit difficult to decipher, but using the ZEN Can 3 I had no such problems.
With rather more beautifully recorded music, “Prelude To Ecstasy” by The Last Dinner Party, this amp/headphone combo easily separated the different strands of the often quite busy arrangements, making it easy to listen to the mix in a technical sense. This also made for an involving listen, as I was able to focus on the emotions in the songs and performance, rather than just hearing things on a purely technical level. Ultimately technical performance is important, but getting the full emotional experience from the music is more important. Luckily the ZEN and Sundara combo does both excellently.

With the Hi-X15, and HD580, the results were very good too. Normally I find both these headphones to be thin sounding and bass light (Hi-X15), or harsh in the treble, and a very oppressive to listen to for extended periods (HD-580), but using the ZEN Can 3 much reduced these issues. The Austrian Audio ‘phones showed themselves to have a quite decent amount of tuneful bass, whilst the overall sound became much fuller, and far easier to enjoy. The HD-580 were the best I’ve heard them, with treble harshness much tamed, whilst the soundstage actually extended beyond my ears; not as much as with Sundara, but the Sennheiser’s are now a viable, and enjoyable listen.

With regards to power, the amplifier drove all three of the headphones to ear damaging levels whilst on minimum gain.

I briefly tried the EQ settings, and they did what the iFi product information said they would, but I preferred the sound without them. It’s a matter of personal preference, and it’s good to have the option.

Finally I hooked up my original ZEN Can, to compare with the new model . Head to head I found the Can 3 to be a much more well balanced performer, with the original sounding a little brash in the treble, and with less definition in the bass, while the Can 3 also had a more expansive soundstage. The original is still a great sounding amp, but to my ears, the new model is much more mature sounding, a trait that brings out more detail in recordings, and makes for a more emotionally involving listen. The Can 3 brought out the best in all the headphones I tried, whereas the original only really sang with the Sundara.

Conclusion.

In my mind the iFi ZEN Can 3 is an absolute bargain for the price, giving excellent sound quality, a fine range of connectivity options, and a useful set of features, all in a neat looking well made package.
Highly recommended.