[Iamvtlik]

Thanks! This is a pretty big help.

Those numbers are pretty stout for a portable player, but it all depends on what headphones you want to use with it.

https://sites.google.com/view/quipa/power-calculator?authuser=0

https://headphones.com/pages/headphones-power-calculator

 

[dk60640]

Thanks! This is a pretty big help.

Something to keep in mind. The Z4's main crown jewel is its DAC(s), so if you end up having to use the LO and a headphone amp to drive high impedance cans, certainly not the end of the world.

Here's info about the pipeline:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/zishan-z4.25337/

 

[ldo77]

Any advice for a portable amp, connected on this Z4's LO ?

 

[dk60640]

I went with a knockoff naim from AliExpress but you can't go wrong with anything Schlitt makes either.

One of the main things with amps is how they rectify the power source to remove noise. So get the one with the best transformer coil you can afford is a good rule of thumb.

 

[InvisibleInk]

Any advice for a portable amp, connected on this Z4's LO ?

I use the Little Bear B-4X upgraded with Burson v5i opamps, and both an iFi iDSD Black Label and an xCAN. Depending on the mood and music.

 

[fidgeraldo]

Thanks! Mine is arriving in a few days and curious if it's powerful enough to drive some headphones or should I just stick with flatheads and iems?

Nope, you can easily listen to headphones. I use Z4 for walks and IEMs, but there are no issues driving a Sennheiser 300 Ohm with plenty of volume left (4.4 balanced). This is the best player you can buy if you consider the cost and the sound. It's just unheard of! The only Hi-Fi item I can think of with the same stunning performance and the price is VERUM 2.

Recently, I bought A&K Kann Alpha, which has 12 Vrms, which is 4 more than Z4, and according to A&K it has around 3-4 W at 32 Ohm. So it should be at least double the Z4, but I am not even sure if it has any more power than Z4, perhaps just a bit. That's how good Z4 is.

I loooove this DAP

Enjoy...Cheers!

 

[InvisibleInk]

Nope, you can easily listen to headphones. I use Z4 for walks and IEMs, but there are no issues driving a Sennheiser 300 Ohm with plenty of volume left (4.4 balanced). This is the best player you can buy if you consider the cost and the sound. It's just unheard of! The only Hi-Fi item I can think of with the same stunning performance and the price is VERUM 2.

Recently, I bought A&K Kann Alpha, which has 12 Vrms, which is 4 more than Z4, and according to A&K it has around 3-4 W at 32 Ohm. So it should be at least double the Z4, but I am not even sure if it has any more power than Z4, perhaps just a bit. That's how good Z4 is.

I loooove this DAP

Enjoy...Cheers!

I tend to agree. If it weren’t for the lack of playlists and gapless playback, I would be happy with this as my only DAP.

 

[Iamvtlik]

Nope, you can easily listen to headphones. I use Z4 for walks and IEMs, but there are no issues driving a Sennheiser 300 Ohm with plenty of volume left (4.4 balanced). This is the best player you can buy if you consider the cost and the sound. It's just unheard of! The only Hi-Fi item I can think of with the same stunning performance and the price is VERUM 2.

Recently, I bought A&K Kann Alpha, which has 12 Vrms, which is 4 more than Z4, and according to A&K it has around 3-4 W at 32 Ohm. So it should be at least double the Z4, but I am not even sure if it has any more power than Z4, perhaps just a bit. That's how good Z4 is.

I loooove this DAP

Enjoy...Cheers!

Mine just arrived in the country(as per Shopee). Now I'm excited all the more for it to be delivered. Waiting for the experience Zishan Z4 will give to me.

 

[Iamvtlik]

Nope, you can easily listen to headphones. I use Z4 for walks and IEMs, but there are no issues driving a Sennheiser 300 Ohm with plenty of volume left (4.4 balanced). This is the best player you can buy if you consider the cost and the sound. It's just unheard of! The only Hi-Fi item I can think of with the same stunning performance and the price is VERUM 2.

Recently, I bought A&K Kann Alpha, which has 12 Vrms, which is 4 more than Z4, and according to A&K it has around 3-4 W at 32 Ohm. So it should be at least double the Z4, but I am not even sure if it has any more power than Z4, perhaps just a bit. That's how good Z4 is.

I loooove this DAP

Enjoy...Cheers!

Heya man, it has finally arrived. Will be giving updates later on after my exams

 

[Iamvtlik]

Heya man, it has finally arrived. Will be giving updates later on after my exams

Unfortunately, seems like I got a defective unit. Volume is way too low, needs to stretch to 100 just to be able to hear something(even then it's very low)

 

[fidgeraldo]

Volume is way too low

Really? On 4.4 balanced?? I can drive Verum 2 even on unbalanced with absolutely no issues. Sennheiser 300Ohm as well, some planars, which is a bit harder to drive anyway, but goes smoothly. Monolith Monoprice 1060C are just so fun and energized with Z4. Hmm, are you sure you drive them on balanced 4.4?

Cheers!

 

[Iamvtlik]

Really? On 4.4 balanced?? I can drive Verum 2 even on unbalanced with absolutely no issues. Sennheiser 300Ohm as well, some planars, which is a bit harder to drive anyway, but goes smoothly. Monolith Monoprice 1060C are just so fun and energized with Z4. Hmm, are you sure you drive them on balanced 4.4?

Cheers!

Only used the 3.5mm SE as I only got iems/cables on 3.5mm SE right now.

Tanchjim Zero
QKZ AK6 Pro
QKZ x HBB
MyHifi E21

And also Glaciers from Kobe Audio(32ohms)

 

[fidgeraldo]

Only used the 3.5mm SE as I only got iems/cables on 3.5mm SE right now.

You have to buy 4.4 balanced to gain all the power. 3.5 mm is not enough for demanding headphones. Trust me, with 4.4 mm you will be amazed.
I just got this little thing from Aliexpress:
DLHiFi

And connected to Z4 it's insane how powerful it is right now.

Just get a balanced cable (4.4 mm)!
Or order DLHiFi

Cheers!

 

[Iamvtlik]

You have to buy 4.4 balanced to gain all the power. 3.5 mm is not enough for demanding headphones. Trust me, with 4.4 mm you will be amazed.
I just got this little thing from Aliexpress:
DLHiFi

And connected to Z4 it's insane how powerful it is right now.

Just get a balanced cable (4.4 mm)!
Or order DLHiFi

Cheers!

The item is on the process of being returned to the seller for a replacement item(hopefully). The seller has agreed that assuming that it wasn't functioning properly, I could possibly get a replacement unit from them.

The item is currently being shipped back under Shopee's Return/Refund scheme(will arrive in their warehouse for checking iirc).

I'll be giving an update here as to how the return and replacement goes and see if, hopefully, the replacement unit they'll send will be functioning properly.

 

[Iamvtlik]

You have to buy 4.4 balanced to gain all the power. 3.5 mm is not enough for demanding headphones. Trust me, with 4.4 mm you will be amazed.
I just got this little thing from Aliexpress:
DLHiFi

And connected to Z4 it's insane how powerful it is right now.

Just get a balanced cable (4.4 mm)!
Or order DLHiFi

Cheers!

Heya. My money has been refunded(apparently replacement items aren't allowed for Shopee so they just refunded the full amount). A lot of guys have been telling me to go for something else but my mind always wanna come back to Zishan. Do you think I should just reorder it? and pray that the new unit works?