So tv, all computers, all cellphones off all the time? Sadly not an option
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ifi Zen Blue Review (Bluetooth Receiver & DAC)
- Thread starter amirm
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OK, of course I meant to turn Bluetooth off.
For sure.
I suppose it's crappy PS provided, most probably better low noise LPS would improve it.
But LPS will multiply its price as original balanced cable do.
So, i use it with youtube and SQ is totally adequate. Maybe i'll buy v2 into main system later as digital bridge.
What are the benefits of using J-test signals to measure digital output?The thdn of a digital output is nonsense, you shoud do the jtest instead.
Read this. Jtest is not a simple sine wave.
https://www.bramjacobse.nl/wordpres...21/04/TN-118_Measuring_Jitter_with_J-Test.pdf
You test digtal outs by 1k thdn, normaly you'll just get the AP's DAC performance, wich is always similar.
But well, bluetooth is shit enough to screw AP's DAC thdn performance though.
My understanding is that the review is for V1.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #47
Yes. It is a 4.4 mm Jack used for headphone amps normally.
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If this is this is true, then @amirm might need to change the title of the review to reflect the V2 test unit.
L.E.: If you look closer to what Amir wrote and to the antenna you will see this is a V1.
But all measurments of Digital outs with a FFT at 1k are done with the same AP DAC, and still results differs between devices! That said Yes I'd like Jitter tests. Not only Bluetooth can make a digital signal not bit perfect and contain errors, but really I know what you mean, it would not make sense if there is no decoding, but in this case there is.Read this. Jtest is not a simple sine wave.
https://www.bramjacobse.nl/wordpres...21/04/TN-118_Measuring_Jitter_with_J-Test.pdf
You test digtal outs by 1k thdn, normaly you'll just get the AP's DAC performance, wich is always similar.
But well, bluetooth is shit enough to screw AP's DAC thdn performance though.
Thank you.Read this. Jtest is not a simple sine wave.
https://www.bramjacobse.nl/wordpres...21/04/TN-118_Measuring_Jitter_with_J-Test.pdf
You test digtal outs by 1k thdn, normaly you'll just get the AP's DAC performance, wich is always similar.
But well, bluetooth is shit enough to screw AP's DAC thdn performance though.
According to that document, J-Test is a signal for measuring the analog output of a DAC.
I will quote from the introduction.
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When a digital audio signal with jitter enters a D/A (Digital to Analog) converter, any jitter the converter is unable to correct will manifest itself as defects in the reconstructed analog audio waveform.
Therefore, under certain conditions, it is possible to measure the effect of jitter in the physical digital transport stream by analyzing the analog audio signal at the converter output.
The late Julian Dunn developed a special digital test signal for this purpose called J-test
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OP
- Thread Starter
- #53
No AP DAC is used in any of these measurements. Indeed I rarely if ever use that DAC output. If I am testing an analog device like an amplifier, I use its high performance analog waveform generator since it has lower distortion than its DAC. The DAC however is needed when the waveform is complex such as multitone. But again for testing digital products like DACs and this BT receiver, no DAC is involved as the device receives a digit bitstream to play.
Looking forward to see streaming tests for other DACs too (e.g.: D90/D90SE) and for dedicated Wi-Fi streamers like https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-stream/
The Version 1 the same model Amir tested is still £129 on Amazon U.K.Just looked here and it is £159 on Amazon UK.
I was thinking of getting one to compare with Airplay but maybe not here in the UK
►https://Amazon.co.uk/dp/B08616NCGC
With fully digital pipeline there shouldn't be any distortions/noise. Only the ones introduced by codec compression/decompression. Good achievement - but it should be achievable by every good company.
Then, in light of this, it is a real shame, at this price point, they didn't put a good DAC for analog tract. I cannot recommend this product for anyone. It is "half-baked", the engineer who developed this should be fired. Did the company test it? What did they think? And they still released it to the market?! Whoa!
Thanks for your review Amir and thank you all for your comments. Our aim is to become better and better, so we appreciate your feedback (good and bad), because it is what we can learn from. I'll also do my best to address your questions.
You are right. You pretty much already summed it all up. In our case, the price differences are a result of the different tax systems and regulatory mechanisms in the countries where you can find iFi products. In the UK and the EU member states there is a standard VAT rate that is charged on almost all purchases. The standard rate of VAT in the UK is currently 20% and this is the rate charged on most purchases.
In the United States, there isn’t a cohesive tax like VAT. This means a product can have different levels of taxation depending on where it's sold, that is why the tax is not included in the price. Different states have different sales taxes, so the same product may have a different tax based on which state it is sold in. Sometimes, different counties or even cities have their own taxes. So, much depends on the location of the company/store.
There are quite a few reasons why prices may differ. We need to take into account fluctuating currency exchange rates, etc.,
Just looked here and it is £159 on Amazon UK.
I was thinking of getting one to compare with Airplay but maybe not here in the UK
You are right. You pretty much already summed it all up. In our case, the price differences are a result of the different tax systems and regulatory mechanisms in the countries where you can find iFi products. In the UK and the EU member states there is a standard VAT rate that is charged on almost all purchases. The standard rate of VAT in the UK is currently 20% and this is the rate charged on most purchases.
In the United States, there isn’t a cohesive tax like VAT. This means a product can have different levels of taxation depending on where it's sold, that is why the tax is not included in the price. Different states have different sales taxes, so the same product may have a different tax based on which state it is sold in. Sometimes, different counties or even cities have their own taxes. So, much depends on the location of the company/store.
There are quite a few reasons why prices may differ. We need to take into account fluctuating currency exchange rates, etc.,
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