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iFi audio ZEN DAC - EISA Award Winner 'Best Value DAC 2020-21!
Nov 5, 2019 at 8:25 AM Post #91 of 1,162
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Ok so I have now had time to play with and assess the ifi Audio Zen DAC. First though I must give my thanks to ifi Audio for sending me one on loan together with an iP3 (more of which later).

Now I am sure many of you will know the details on this cunning little device but if not then you can find out all the details and tech here… https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-dac/

As I don’t fully understand all of this tech and still consider that music streaming to be a form of witchcraft it is probably better that you look to the ifi Audio web link for details.

I have tried quite a number of ifi Audio products over quite a number of years and have owned the iDSD micro, iCAN SE, iUSB power, various ifi cables and the iPurifier2. The majority of these items were recently “borrowed” by my younger son for his student flat which meant I could not compare it to the Zen.

Onto the music though and I used a variety of favourite tracks and albums from Tidal HiFi and Masters from my old and wheezy laptop. I used the Zen DAC with my Audio Technica ATH MSR7b headphones. These are closed back portable headphones with the option of a balanced cable (hence the “b”) using a 4.4mm plug. I also had both an Audioquest Dragonfly Black and Meridian Explorer 2 USB dacs to compare and my Cayin N5ii DAP. All of these can also run Tidal Masters but only the Cayin DAP has a balanced output.

The Zen DAC was clearly superior to all of these other DACs and DAPs in terms of the bass clarity, midrange neutrality and treble extension. The soundstage it creates is wide and with very good instrument and vocal positioning. The front to back depth of the soundstage was not at that same level at first but on connecting up the iPurifier 3 this added a lot more depth.

The Zen DAC is not very good for the money it is very good full stop! I am going to try it side by side with my main system shortly (Auralic Aries G1 with Vega DAC into a Cayin HA300 with Sennheiser HD800S) just to determine what I am missing because it does not feel like a lot (worryingly).

The iP3 is worthwhile if you have a creaky old noisy laptop like mine but it probably doesn’t make financial sense as it costs as much as the Zen DAC itself.

The Audio Technica headphones pair really well with the Zen DAC and especially as you get the balanced benefit. I tried the “True bass” button but I think its personal taste and music dependent. The boost to the bass is apparent and does not muddy things but I wasn’t sure that I liked it so I mostly used the Zen DAC without it.

I’m pretty sure that I once claimed the iPurifier 2 was the best product which ifi Audio made in “bang for your buck” terms. That is no longer the case as this Zen DAC is their best product I have heard for such a reasonable price.

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Nov 5, 2019 at 9:25 AM Post #92 of 1,162
Anyone got the new iFi Zen DAC as well as: FiiO K5 Pro (priced $150) and/or Monoprice Desktop Headphone Amplifier (Product # 11567 priced at $70)?
I would love to see a comparison...

I currently use the Monoprice at the office, driving (easily) Sennheiser HD569... Wonder whether the new FiiO or iFi be a worthy upgrade. I know both are technically better. I want to know how the sound compares. Not on paper or in graphs, but in real listening experience!
 
Nov 5, 2019 at 6:41 PM Post #95 of 1,162
dadracer2 said:


Ok so I have now had time to play with and assess the ifi Audio Zen DAC. First though I must give my thanks to ifi Audio for sending me one on loan together with an iP3 (more of which later).

Now I am sure many of you will know the details on this cunning little device but if not then you can find out all the details and tech here… https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-dac/

As I don’t fully understand all of this tech and still consider that music streaming to be a form of witchcraft it is probably better that you look to the ifi Audio web link for details.

I have tried quite a number of ifi Audio products over quite a number of years and have owned the iDSD micro, iCAN SE, iUSB power, various ifi cables and the iPurifier2. The majority of these items were recently “borrowed” by my younger son for his student flat which meant I could not compare it to the Zen.

Onto the music though and I used a variety of favourite tracks and albums from Tidal HiFi and Masters from my old and wheezy laptop. I used the Zen DAC with my Audio Technica ATH MSR7b headphones. These are closed back portable headphones with the option of a balanced cable (hence the “b”) using a 4.4mm plug. I also had both an Audioquest Dragonfly Black and Meridian Explorer 2 USB dacs to compare and my Cayin N5ii DAP. All of these can also run Tidal Masters but only the Cayin DAP has a balanced output.

The Zen DAC was clearly superior to all of these other DACs and DAPs in terms of the bass clarity, midrange neutrality and treble extension. The soundstage it creates is wide and with very good instrument and vocal positioning. The front to back depth of the soundstage was not at that same level at first but on connecting up the iPurifier 3 this added a lot more depth.

The Zen DAC is not very good for the money it is very good full stop! I am going to try it side by side with my main system shortly (Auralic Aries G1 with Vega DAC into a Cayin HA300 with Sennheiser HD800S) just to determine what I am missing because it does not feel like a lot (worryingly).

The iP3 is worthwhile if you have a creaky old noisy laptop like mine but it probably doesn’t make financial sense as it costs as much as the Zen DAC itself.

The Audio Technica headphones pair really well with the Zen DAC and especially as you get the balanced benefit. I tried the “True bass” button but I think its personal taste and music dependent. The boost to the bass is apparent and does not muddy things but I wasn’t sure that I liked it so I mostly used the Zen DAC without it.

I’m pretty sure that I once claimed the iPurifier 2 was the best product which ifi Audio made in “bang for your buck” terms. That is no longer the case as this Zen DAC is their best product I have heard for such a reasonable price.

[merged]
Click to expand...


There is no review here. Just a thank you note to iFI, and a pic. Seriously?
 
Nov 5, 2019 at 9:19 PM Post #96 of 1,162
I got ZEN DAC last week (thanks iFi for sending it my way). These are just some first, unorganized thoughts on it. First impression was - damn this thing looks and feels nice. Then I started listening to it primarily as a DAC in my amp/speakers setup (Cyrus 8vs2 + Acoustig Energy Aegis Evo 3), single ended connection. I liked the sound - big, very fluid (I can't stress this fluid part enough) with warmish bass, spatially a bit laid back. Tried it with several reasonably priced headphones too (AKG K92, Takstar Pro 82, several IEMs... still waiting for Senns HD6xx to arrive) and same sound signature remains - it sounded clearly better, more organized and fluid than Dragonfly Black. I liked the low//high gain mode, that way you can get comfortable with volume knob even with very sensitive headphones and not worry about channel balance at low volumes. There's bass boost too, I don't like that sort of things but to each its own.

Few days in I've decided to put a firmware with GTO filter and was very positively surprised. It made ZEN sound snappier and more focused, bass became faster and better controlled, vocals sounded cleaner and less laid back... To my ears it had no trouble pulling ahead of Schiit Modi 3. My feelings for Zen immediately changed from very good to great. Now this was the sound I could easily recommend to a friend. Last but not least, I hooked it to my linear power supply and Zen reacted positively to it sounding even more focused and energetic, easily becoming one of the best sounding DACs I've heard near this price point.

Now, this was all from the top of my head. I'm still testing and comparing it against other devices, taking notes for the full review (hoping to finish in few days so I'll share my final thoughts and a video review).
 
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Nov 6, 2019 at 7:30 AM Post #100 of 1,162
dcime said:
It's not preferred, its THE ONLY out of box available from iFI !!!
A plastic fork and knife also might be nice too !!! But no use your hands!!!
Click to expand...
Well I obviously meant, USB versus connecting some 5V source you have at home. So far it seems there is no point, no increase in sound quality.

So it's pretty lame to dramatise the fact iFi is not including one. This is a pretty cheap product for all that's offered, balanced 4.4mm, GTO, MQA, .....
 
Nov 6, 2019 at 9:18 AM Post #101 of 1,162
Out of curiosity I picked up a 5v3a power adapter to see if it would improve the Zen DAC at all and it did actually increase the output power slightly. Basically its just slightly louder than just running off USB alone. I didnt get any additional noise or negative effects at all, just a little more power.

I dont hear any change at all in sound quality so there is IMO no reason to worry about a power adapter unless you have a real crap USB port or you want to use it with a phone. I assume if you have the power adapter plugged in it wont drain your phones battery as much.
 
Nov 6, 2019 at 10:35 AM Post #102 of 1,162
dcime said:
There is no review here. Just a thank you note to iFI, and a pic. Seriously?
Click to expand...

Yes seriously. As noted in the impressions and discussion thread this is not the place for reviews (that would be the review section). If you have any questions as regards my impressions I would be happy to hear them.........seriously.
 
Nov 8, 2019 at 7:22 PM Post #104 of 1,162
This is one impressive DAC; especially for the price. Great full sound, clarity and separation. I was just going to try it out and, boom, it sounds like a keeper. Very well done. Billy F. Gibbons is rocking in my head. Cool!
 
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