[Lalerfy]

'

 

[Lalerfy]

That's good data - would you happen to know when manufacturers were told that they would NOT be able to receive the XU208 chip? As well, do you have a source link?

The new specs are on the product page and someone on Audio Science Review said the old chip is no longer available.
►https://iFi-audio.com/products/zen-dac-v2

 

[iFi audio]

Looks like the Xmos XU208 chip iFi used in V1 is no longer available for sale - so they're forced to use the newer XU216 chip instead.

Us being forced is a stretch

But we won't say no to a more powerful XMOS that can do more.

 

[Richard Wray]

Us being forced is a stretch

But we won't say no to a more powerful XMOS that can do more.

Define 'more'?

 

[iFi audio]

Define 'more'?

'More' as in: more computing power at our disposal to do various things in the digital domain, not only related to MQA.

 

[Richard Wray]

'More' as in: more computing power at our disposal to do various things in the digital domain, not only related to MQA.

Do tell us more

 

[iFi audio]

Do tell us more

There's nothing to talk about at this point and I don't want to make any promises. My point was that it's always good to have extra computing power at our disposal. One never knows when it might come in handy.

 

[Effigy]

I was hoping that ifi would actually answer that they were FORCED to go the way of taking on a new chip. By not being forced, it says something about the launch window for the DAC V2 and keeping customers informed. I am doing research and will post findings here. Yes, I have real data on chip availability, I am just not sure what it means yet.

So

1) I have a local retailer who has the v2 DAC in stock. ifi has shipped it. I bought it, and have already sold my v1.
2) I will let people know initial impressions on the differences. I suspect there will be none in terms of sound, but my hope is that issues present on the v1 are natively addressed on the v2. It is unlikely, but I am hoping for a mild surprise.

 

[ultraman31]

so on the product page, it says the v2 will be available to purchase in May. Also XMOS chip went from 8 core to 16 core. Here's screenshot from the page. I can't find any other info.

Also, just saw a V2 on Amazon with the price of $160. So price went up from $130 to $160?

 

[iFi audio]

I was hoping that ifi would actually answer that they were FORCED to go the way of taking on a new chip. By not being forced, it says something about the launch window for the DAC V2 and keeping customers informed. I am doing research and will post findings here. Yes, I have real data on chip availability, I am just not sure what it means yet.

I understand the need for transparency, but some aspects related to hardware upgrades or swaps are internal, and XMOS is one of them. More cores mean more computing power, and that's quite self-explanatory why ZEN DAC V2 was released

Suffice to say, this change was planned, it had to happen at some point and recent weekend was the date. That's all there is to it, there's no mysterious agenda at play or anything of the sort

 

[Richard Wray]

Suffice to say, this change was planned, it had to happen at some point and recent weekend was the date. That's all there is to it, there's no mysterious agenda at play or anything of the sort

Hmmmm. Planned hardware upgrades of your own products to keep them relevant in the market. ‘No mysterious agenda at play...’, you would say that wouldn’t you!!!!

I cry conspiracy and want to know who you are really working for? I smell Illuminati!!!!!

 

[iFi audio]

I cry conspiracy and want to know who you are really working for? I smell Illuminati!!!!!

You got me

Planned hardware upgrades of your own products to keep them relevant in the market.

Quite 'unusual', isn't it ?

 

[Richard Wray]

You got me

Quite 'unusual', isn't it ?

Gotcha!!!!!

We all know what at least one of the ‘I’s in IFI stand for!!!! Connect the dots people!!!!

Eye F Eye!!!!!

 

[Effigy]

I was hoping that ifi would actually answer that they were FORCED to go the way of taking on a new chip. By not being forced, it says something about the launch window for the DAC V2 and keeping customers informed. I am doing research and will post findings here. Yes, I have real data on chip availability, I am just not sure what it means yet.

So

1) I have a local retailer who has the v2 DAC in stock. ifi has shipped it. I bought it, and have already sold my v1.
2) I will let people know initial impressions on the differences. I suspect there will be none in terms of sound, but my hope is that issues present on the v1 are natively addressed on the v2. It is unlikely, but I am hoping for a mild surprise.

Alright - Initial impressions v2

1) Unboxing.

Same as v1. You will notice that there is a new sticker on the box that indicates "Zen upgraded." Its... get ready... GOLD.

The serial number also clearly indicates Zen DAC v2.

2) Hardware Setup.

- Same hardware wise. Noise related to running off USB DOES APPEAR TO BE REDUCED! Multiple genres and titles over a 1/2 hour, but my main test track where the I first heard the hiss on v1 is "I've got a whole where my heart should be" by the Sheepdogs, from the album Changing Colours. (Spelled CORRECTLY with a "U" ) Hiss does not seem there with/without linear power.

(Reduced means that if its present, I can't tell there is noise there.) This is good to hear. I need to test further, but initial impressions are promising. I don't trust my ear though, so I am going to blind test my family to see if they can notice. (This is a good "Dad" thing to do to your kids by the way... the right amount of annoying and fun. Not for them, but for me.)

- The LED for bitrate is brighter. Noticeably. And the colors are much clearer. Yellow is yellow - not sorta green. This appears to be directly correlated to a change in the LED light ring OR to the volume control. The light is either larger and new or the control is less recessed, and not covering the LED as much.

3) Software Setup.

Yup - its a full MQA decoder. See the following images from Roon and from Tidal in windows.

Both of these work as you would expect on WASAPI and ASIO. As per ifi (https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-dac-v2/):
"This enables you to play back MQA audio files and streams, delivering the sound of the original master recording. The LED glows green or blue to indicate that the unit is decoding and playing an MQA stream or file, and denotes provenance to ensure that the sound is identical to that of the source material. It glows blue to indicate it is playing an MQA Studio file, which has either been approved in the studio by the artist/producer or has been verified by the copyright owner."

4) Sound.

So, there is a difference to me. The out of the box filter sounds more like the 7.x GTO v1 filter BUT slightly warmer... just as "open" and clean though. Imaging is awesome. (It stood out immediately) Not sure as to what the cause is... full decode... etc.. or if I am unconsciously biased and making things up, but, I will tell you this... I really like it. With xbass on the CAN active, I find bass punches and rumbles but never overpowers in a way that is an improvement over v1. As the most righteous of hosts, Brian Phillips of Badseed tech (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOFH59uoSs8SUF0L_p3W0sg) laid it out - I got ridiculous "stank face" listening to some of my bass friendly hip hop tracks...I damn near snapped my neck listening to the collaboration between Bone Thugs 'N Harmony and Notorious B.I.G "Notorious Thugs."

I got good "angry" energy because I was FEELING IT!

Of course, I got this on v1 the first time I plugged the v1, fully powered (external linear low noise power) into the CAN. To get a bit of that back doesn't go unappreciated.

I honestly went into this purchase skeptical, consciously vexed at iFi for this last minute turn around and lack of transparency (I still am quite frankly.) v2 didn't cost me much after I sold my v1, so I really don't care to have to justify keeping this DAC if v2 ended up being simple marketing. So when I hear it, I am pleasantly surprised that it sounds appreciably better to me.

5) And in regards to the stupid clicking....

The clicking on bitrate change is still there, in fact its WORSE now in many cases. Its there at the start of almost every song. If you skip tracks in Roon, there is a DELAY in the click as the new music starts before the full bitrate change registers audibly. This means the music starts, and then CLICK! This was not a problem in v1. Think its better on WASAPI (Tidal)? Its worse than ASIO. Like LOUD.

6) Upgrade or no...

The sound is good when the music is playing... like "punch way above your weight class" good. This was true for v1, and is slightly more resounding for v2. That said, I really wish iFi would focus on fixing existing issues as a priority and not on net new things. To have a new product hit the market with absolutely unwanted and unnecessary older issues that impact sound in the same way (to me, worse) as its predecessor doesn't resonate "upgrade." The change in overall sound quality is present but not substantial. It's there, but iFi would do well to care more about fixing larger outstanding issues than minor feature improvements. These issues really take the polish off what could be an absolutely untouchable product. Where every vendor wants a home run, the product just gets on bass. (See what I did there?)

Is it worth the upgrade? If you can get a good price on selling your v1, I would say “Meh. Sure.”

If not, save your money.

 

[iFi audio]

We all know what at least one of the ‘I’s in IFI stand for!!!! Connect the dots people!!!!

Yup, we're everywhere

Alright - Initial impressions v2

1) Unboxing.

Same as v1. You will notice that there is a new sticker on the box that indicates "Zen upgraded." Its... get ready... GOLD.

The serial number also clearly indicates Zen DAC v2.

2) Hardware Setup.

- Same hardware wise. Noise related to running off USB DOES APPEAR TO BE REDUCED! Multiple genres and titles over a 1/2 hour, but my main test track where the I first heard the hiss on v1 is "I've got a whole where my heart should be" by the Sheepdogs, from the album Changing Colours. (Spelled CORRECTLY with a "U" ) Hiss does not seem there with/without linear power.

(Reduced means that if its present, I can't tell there is noise there.) This is good to hear. I need to test further, but initial impressions are promising. I don't trust my ear though, so I am going to blind test my family to see if they can notice. (This is a good "Dad" thing to do to your kids by the way... the right amount of annoying and fun. Not for them, but for me.)

- The LED for bitrate is brighter. Noticeably. And the colors are much clearer. Yellow is yellow - not sorta green. This appears to be directly correlated to a change in the LED light ring OR to the volume control. The light is either larger and new or the control is less recessed, and not covering the LED as much.


3) Software Setup.

Yup - its a full MQA decoder. See the following images from Roon and from Tidal in windows.

Both of these work as you would expect on WASAPI and ASIO. As per ifi (https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-dac-v2/):
"This enables you to play back MQA audio files and streams, delivering the sound of the original master recording. The LED glows green or blue to indicate that the unit is decoding and playing an MQA stream or file, and denotes provenance to ensure that the sound is identical to that of the source material. It glows blue to indicate it is playing an MQA Studio file, which has either been approved in the studio by the artist/producer or has been verified by the copyright owner."

4) Sound.

So, there is a difference to me. The out of the box filter sounds more like the 7.x GTO v1 filter BUT slightly warmer... just as "open" and clean though. Imaging is awesome. (It stood out immediately) Not sure as to what the cause is... full decode... etc.. or if I am unconsciously biased and making things up, but, I will tell you this... I really like it. With xbass on the CAN active, I find bass punches and rumbles but never overpowers in a way that is an improvement over v1. As the most righteous of hosts, Brian Phillips of Badseed tech (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOFH59uoSs8SUF0L_p3W0sg) laid it out - I got ridiculous "stank face" listening to some of my bass friendly hip hop tracks...I damn near snapped my neck listening to the collaboration between Bone Thugs 'N Harmony and Notorious B.I.G "Notorious Thugs."

I got good "angry" energy because I was FEELING IT!

Of course, I got this on v1 the first time I plugged the v1, fully powered (external linear low noise power) into the CAN. To get a bit of that back doesn't go unappreciated.

I honestly went into this purchase skeptical, consciously vexed at iFi for this last minute turn around and lack of transparency (I still am quite frankly.) v2 didn't cost me much after I sold my v1, so I really don't care to have to justify keeping this DAC if v2 ended up being simple marketing. So when I hear it, I am pleasantly surprised that it sounds appreciably better to me.

5) And in regards to the stupid clicking....

The clicking on bitrate change is still there, in fact its WORSE now in many cases. Its there at the start of almost every song. If you skip tracks in Roon, there is a DELAY in the click as the new music starts before the full bitrate change registers audibly. This means the music starts, and then CLICK! This was not a problem in v1. Think its better on WASAPI (Tidal)? Its worse than ASIO. Like LOUD.

6) Upgrade or no...

The sound is good when the music is playing... like "punch way above your weight class" good. This was true for v1, and is slightly more resounding for v2. That said, I really wish iFi would focus on fixing existing issues as a priority and not on net new things. To have a new product hit the market with absolutely unwanted and unnecessary older issues that impact sound in the same way (to me, worse) as its predecessor doesn't resonate "upgrade." The change in overall sound quality is present but not substantial. It's there, but iFi would do well to care more about fixing larger outstanding issues than minor feature improvements. These issues really take the polish off what could be an absolutely untouchable product. Where every vendor wants a home run, the product just gets on bass. (See what I did there?)

Is it worth the upgrade? If you can get a good price on selling your v1, I would say “Meh. Sure.”

If not, save your money.

Thanks a lot for your feedback and I hear you re clicking noise. We're aware of this and hopefully something can be done about this at some point. Once I have any new info on the subject, I'll gladly share it.