Hi All,
I didn't see too many reviews on this yet so I thought to ask, has anyone here purchased/listened to the ifi Zen Dac yet? I recently purchased the ifi Zen Dac for home use with my desktop machine, and am not really sure what to make of it.
For anyone wondering, this thing here: https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-dac/
I know its an entry-level dac, and my other comparisons for this are as such: Asus Xonar DS, Asus Xonar DG, Asus Strix Raid Pro and LG V20.
Am not sure what bracket my LG qualifies in, however, I'm aware all of those Asus cards are also entry-level/mid-level(Strix Raid Pro).
The reason I'm mentioning all of these, is because I'm wondering if anyone else here had the chance to hear, and/or compare any of these with other dacs, and particularly the ifi Zen Dac.
Here's why I'm asking.
The Zen Dac is a nice looking box, with solid feel to it(heavy) full aluminium body. The Volume knob is very smooth, but doesn't feel flimsy, with an LED behind it that changes color to indicate the type of decoded signal - green for PCM, blue/purple/magenta for various DSD formats etc. Has one pentaconn balanced output and one 6.3 jack, as well as one pentaconn on the back(assuming for use only as DAC without amp).
Sound:
all reviews I've read(few) https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ifi-zen-dac-discussion-impression.917041/ the dac performed admirably for the price-range. However, here are my findings(am no professional so take it with a tea-spoon of salt):
Pro: I've found no audible hiss/pop/crack, nor any sort of discernible distortion(to my ear). There is definitely a lot of detail there, and most instruments can be heard clearly, voices can be heard clearly, almost crisp I'd say. I don't have any high impedance headsets, but considering the volume gets very loud when knowb is half way through, I'd say it could drive 300Ohm headsets easily(This from my 50Ohm HD579).
Cons: As I said before, I am no sound expert, but to me, this sounds a little lifeless. As in, there is detail, and you can focus on any individual instrument and you won't struggle to hear it, however, none have emphasis - they sound bland. Also, at times, it feels as if the sound is coming from behind - or back of the room, rather than in front, closer to the listener(me).
I know this is subjective, and not a very technical description(as I know of no way to measure that), but the device isn't fun to listen to when I compare it to, particularly the LG V20, and Xonar DS. The Strix Raid I find offers good detail even when compared to the V20, but the mids/lows are a bit obscured by its dark tone/emphasis on the bass - its not muddy, but maybe a bit leaking into the other ranges? With all that being said, the V20, Strix Pro and Xonar DS all are very fun to listen to - they're engaging - still detailed, but the music has more feeling to it/feels more expressive and natural. Also the sound is very forward(if that makes sense), present and near you, even though you can still get a good image and understand where each instrument is.
Note: When listening to the Zen Dac, for some reason my ears feel strained as well. Something I don't get with any of the other devices. Also, I can't precisely describe it, just feels like when you hear a harsh sound for prolonged times. But then, it doesn't sound at all harsh.
With all that being said, I'm not sure what to make of this device. I'm sure there is some bias in there, but has anyone else listened to any of these? Does the above sound legit, or am I just being crazy? Or are my references irrelevant?
The headsets I used are HD579 and ATH-M50x. (the weird strained feeling is stronger with the HD579s).
Apologies for the rant, and, if you lasted this far, let me know your thoughts. Am really curious if anyone else has encountered anything of the sort, or if ^^ sounds at all familiar.
Kind Regards,
George
P.S. Only double-blind comparison was done with the Zen Dac and the LG V20, Strix Pro. All others are personal impressions while testing myself.
I didn't see too many reviews on this yet so I thought to ask, has anyone here purchased/listened to the ifi Zen Dac yet? I recently purchased the ifi Zen Dac for home use with my desktop machine, and am not really sure what to make of it.
For anyone wondering, this thing here: https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-dac/
I know its an entry-level dac, and my other comparisons for this are as such: Asus Xonar DS, Asus Xonar DG, Asus Strix Raid Pro and LG V20.
Am not sure what bracket my LG qualifies in, however, I'm aware all of those Asus cards are also entry-level/mid-level(Strix Raid Pro).
The reason I'm mentioning all of these, is because I'm wondering if anyone else here had the chance to hear, and/or compare any of these with other dacs, and particularly the ifi Zen Dac.
Here's why I'm asking.
The Zen Dac is a nice looking box, with solid feel to it(heavy) full aluminium body. The Volume knob is very smooth, but doesn't feel flimsy, with an LED behind it that changes color to indicate the type of decoded signal - green for PCM, blue/purple/magenta for various DSD formats etc. Has one pentaconn balanced output and one 6.3 jack, as well as one pentaconn on the back(assuming for use only as DAC without amp).
Sound:
all reviews I've read(few) https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ifi-zen-dac-discussion-impression.917041/ the dac performed admirably for the price-range. However, here are my findings(am no professional so take it with a tea-spoon of salt):
Pro: I've found no audible hiss/pop/crack, nor any sort of discernible distortion(to my ear). There is definitely a lot of detail there, and most instruments can be heard clearly, voices can be heard clearly, almost crisp I'd say. I don't have any high impedance headsets, but considering the volume gets very loud when knowb is half way through, I'd say it could drive 300Ohm headsets easily(This from my 50Ohm HD579).
Cons: As I said before, I am no sound expert, but to me, this sounds a little lifeless. As in, there is detail, and you can focus on any individual instrument and you won't struggle to hear it, however, none have emphasis - they sound bland. Also, at times, it feels as if the sound is coming from behind - or back of the room, rather than in front, closer to the listener(me).
I know this is subjective, and not a very technical description(as I know of no way to measure that), but the device isn't fun to listen to when I compare it to, particularly the LG V20, and Xonar DS. The Strix Raid I find offers good detail even when compared to the V20, but the mids/lows are a bit obscured by its dark tone/emphasis on the bass - its not muddy, but maybe a bit leaking into the other ranges? With all that being said, the V20, Strix Pro and Xonar DS all are very fun to listen to - they're engaging - still detailed, but the music has more feeling to it/feels more expressive and natural. Also the sound is very forward(if that makes sense), present and near you, even though you can still get a good image and understand where each instrument is.
Note: When listening to the Zen Dac, for some reason my ears feel strained as well. Something I don't get with any of the other devices. Also, I can't precisely describe it, just feels like when you hear a harsh sound for prolonged times. But then, it doesn't sound at all harsh.
With all that being said, I'm not sure what to make of this device. I'm sure there is some bias in there, but has anyone else listened to any of these? Does the above sound legit, or am I just being crazy? Or are my references irrelevant?
The headsets I used are HD579 and ATH-M50x. (the weird strained feeling is stronger with the HD579s).
Apologies for the rant, and, if you lasted this far, let me know your thoughts. Am really curious if anyone else has encountered anything of the sort, or if ^^ sounds at all familiar.
Kind Regards,
George
P.S. Only double-blind comparison was done with the Zen Dac and the LG V20, Strix Pro. All others are personal impressions while testing myself.
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