ifi Zen CAN Review (Headphone Amp)

[domijack281]

Judging purely from the 300 ohm THD+N vs power graph, this amp is not bad specially it is comparing to Drop THX789. Of course now there is L30, this one becomes not good compare to it.

I heard L30 was so bad it was blowing up headphones and recommendation is to stay away from it lol.

 

[Veri]

I heard L30 was so bad it was blowing up headphones and recommendation is to stay away from it lol.

Only first few serial no. batches have such a flaw, and only with static discharge. Still safest to get a new one under warranty, but anyone that wants one can have a safe L30 that works perfectly so no, you heard wrong.

 

[lhimelfarb]

Compared to 2 other low-price options that I own this piece sounds lousy. I can't think of a reason that anyone would pick this over other options except for its looks. Also, don't be fooled by the entry price, without purchasing a power supply, which can be anywhere from $20 t0 $50 for a decent one. It sounds even worse without it... with Sennheiser HD800S, Grado GS1000 and Audeze LCD-XC.

 

[Berwhale]

View attachment 143570

Where is the 'unlike' button when I need it?

 

[domijack281]

Compared to 2 other low-price options that I own this piece sounds lousy. I can't think of a reason that anyone would pick this over other options except for its looks. Also, don't be fooled by the entry price, without purchasing a power supply, which can be anywhere from $20 t0 $50 for a decent one (it sounds even worse without it).

You mean the ifi power supply, the generic one they provide with it to cut costs is crappy? Just to be clear you mean Zen CAN, not Zen DAC that does not come with power supply?

 

[Atyne]

You say it provides the same power from the balanced and unbalanced output at 33ohms. But you also say the measurement from balanced is at 6dB gain and measurement from unbalanced is at 12dB gain.

 

[Riaz-Ahmed]

hi all - I have been experimenting with the Zen Can connected to the Bluesound NODE 2i and then the Topping EX5 and I can honestly say that the sound is improved for my ears somewhat.

I have DCA AEON Closed RT headphones and Fiio FH7 IEMs, here are my observations:

• The XBass on the Zen Can is always on as I like a boost in sub-bass when listening to my music (rock, indie, edm, hiphop) and this works really well, especially for the Aeon's which lack it slightly.
• I get ground loop issues with the FH7 and Bluesound Node 2i/Zen Can configuration.... not good! I don't have this issue with the EX5/Zen Can configuration. No ground loop with the Aeon's.
• The EX5 is a great DAC, much better sounding than the Bluesound in this configuration.
• The Zen Can has to be set to +6DB gain for Aeon's for best performance. It is set to 0db gain for the FH7 which are fairly easy to drive from the Zen Can.
• For those who care... MQA music via Tidal HiFi sounds so rich and super punchy in these configurations. I wonder if the Zen Can is adding some level fidelity and punch here?

I am have ordered the SMSL SU-9 DAC (directly from China with the firmware updated) to see if the pairing with the Zen Can can increase performance. I will report back here later this week/early next week.

Some pics

(connected to the Bluesound NODE 2i -- connected via RCA cables)

connected to the Topping EX5 -- connected via RCA cables

 

[Riaz-Ahmed]

Happy Friday all

As promised, here is my observation when pairing the SMLSL SU-9 with the Ifi Zen Can.

• Firstly, as mentioned many times, Zen Cans are very powerful and IMO can probably drive any HP or IEM easily.
• I did not observe any noise or distortion while playing a range of music at low and high volumes on my IEM and HP
• Like, the Topping EX5, the SMSL SU-9 DAC is very good. Clean and clear delivery of music. SU-9 has more thump and punch in its delivery than the EX5
• I did not get any ground loop buzzing on my Fiio FH7 IEMs like I did with the Bluesound Node 2i -- see my previous post this
• The FH7 sound very good with and without the XBass. With XBass they absolutely rocked and you could really feel the sub-bass and energy from some music.
  • it is very easy to drive the FH7's from the Zen Can. I leave it on 0db Gain
• The DCA AEON RT Closed headphones also sound very good, full of energy and life (again XBass is enabled).
• I think the Zen Can compliments the SU-9 DAC really well - a good combination in my opinion.

I am not using any software or hardware EQ to tweak the sound of the AEON RT Closed as suggested by a few folks to sort out the lack of the sub-bass.

Overall, I am very happy with the Zen Can and will be keeping them to power my IEM and Headphone.

So, here is a question folks...... there are headphone amps that measured much better than the Zen Can like the Topping L30, Singer SA-1, SMSL SH-9, etc. If I pair any of these with the SU-9 will I see a night-and-day difference in music delivery?

The main differentiator for me using the Zen Can vs the other HP amps is the XBass feature. With this I don't need to worry about EQ'ing. I just turn it on and get amazing bass boost. I also know that the signal from the source is pure and unedited. Especially good for delivering pure MQA audio to the DAC (sorry if I have offended some folks) and to my ears.

Cheers

 

[RHO]

If I pair any of these with the SU-9 will I see a night-and-day difference in music delivery?

Easy answer: no.
Nuanced answer: If you really need the extra bass, which the other amps will not give you without an external EQ (in any form you like), you will notice a dramatic difference in bass.

I question I have for you: How long do you have the DCA's?
I also have the Aeon RT's and at first I also found them lacking in bass/punch. I think the pads soften up a little over time (few weeks) and give a better seal. Especially when wearing glasses. This improves bass quality and quantity a lot! So be patient for a few weeks and let the pads settle.
Also, it could be that the bass from planars is just different than from a dynamic driver and you need to get used to it. (brain burn-in?)
When I listen to the DCA's now, I feel there is no lack in bass whatsoever and I don't even EQ them anymore.

 

[LaL]

XBass feature. With this I don't need to worry about EQ'ing. I just turn it on and get amazing bass boost.

I find this too, it really is great not to have to open EQ software. The XBass is actually quite subtle and really enhances headphones like the Ananda and HD600 without having to EQ them.

 

[domijack281]

I find this too, it really is great not to have to open EQ software. The XBass is actually quite subtle and really enhances headphones like the Ananda and HD600 without having to EQ them.

For me too with Sundara but only some tracks, in some cases it makes it too muddy and I turn it off. I use hip-dac.

I am curious about getting Zen CAN or even Magni3+ or Asgard3 (w software EQ) which opens up the most these planars for me.

I almost got Heresy and Modi3+ but Schiit cancelled my order without explanation vaguely suspecting fraud after I used different delivery from billing address and asking to use PayPal instead. Which is weird but this gave me time to rethink what to get. Maybe it is meant to mean I should get Zen CAN

 

[domijack281]

Heads up! They raised the price from $149 to $189 in the US.

 

[Riaz-Ahmed]

Heads up! They raised the price from $149 to $189 in the US.

Was that on the back of my glowing review

 

[Jimbob54]

You say it provides the same power from the balanced and unbalanced output at 33ohms. But you also say the measurement from balanced is at 6dB gain and measurement from unbalanced is at 12dB gain.

Yes. You max out the current into 33 ohms in 6db gain on balanced and 12db gain unbalanced. Put another way, you have a whole gain setting that's unusable into balanced 33ohm headphones as the distortion skyrockets after 1.2 Watts.

What's wrong with that analysis?

 

[domijack281]

In the end due to price difference I settled for Asgard 3. Looks like in high gain mode and class A operation up to 500mA, it will be solid in driving Sundara. I am still keeping hip-dac for portable use

 

[LaL]

Yes. You max out the current into 33 ohms in 6db gain on balanced and 12db gain unbalanced. Put another way, you have a whole gain setting that's unusable into balanced 33ohm headphones as the distortion skyrockets after 1.2 Watts.

What's wrong with that analysis?

Yes. You max out the current into 33 ohms in 6db gain on balanced and 12db gain unbalanced. Put another way, you have a whole gain setting that's unusable into balanced 33ohm headphones as the distortion skyrockets after 1.2 Watts.

What's wrong with that analysis?

Would you ever even get close to using 1.2 Watts into into 33 ohms ?
If I use my 25 ohm Ananda on the highest gain setting +18db it is already deafening by 9 o'clock. I think I would damage the drivers by 12 o'clock.

 

[Jimbob54]

Would you ever even get close to using 1.2 Watts into into 33 ohms ?
If I use my 25 ohm Ananda on the highest gain setting +18db it is already deafening by 9 o'clock. I think I would damage the drivers by 12 o'clock.

I very much doubt it . But user Atyne was implying the review was somehow flawed . It isn’t , they just didn’t understand the test.

 

[KeithPhantom]

Would you ever even get close to using 1.2 Watts into into 33 ohms ?

I will give you a trick: if the sensitivity of your headphones is 93 dB/mW:

1. 1 mW will get you 93 dB SPL.
2. 10 mW will get you 103 dB SPL.
3. 100 mW will get you 113 dB SPL.
4. 1 W will get you 123 dB SPL.

In a few words, every increase in the order of magnitude in power will get you 10 dB SPL. I use the baseline that any capable amplifier for a specific transducer should give me at least 120 dB peak SPL, so for the example case, I would get at least 1 W of power since this covers any high-amplitude transient at a pretty elevated average listening level. It is unlikely that you find this, but it is headroom just in case.

 

[LaL]

I will give you a trick: if the sensitivity of your headphones is 93 dB/mW:

1. 1 mW will get you 93 dB SPL.
2. 10 mW will get you 103 dB SPL.
3. 100 mW will get you 113 dB SPL.
4. 1 W will get you 123 dB SPL.

In a few words, every increase in the order of magnitude in power will get you 10 dB SPL. I use the baseline that any capable amplifier for a specific transducer should give me at least 120 dB peak SPL, so for the example case, I would get at least 1 W of power since this covers any high-amplitude transient at a pretty elevated average listening level. It is unlikely that you find this, but it is headroom just in case.

Good to know, thank you.

 

[Atyne]

Yes. You max out the current into 33 ohms in 6db gain on balanced and 12db gain unbalanced. Put another way, you have a whole gain setting that's unusable into balanced 33ohm headphones as the distortion skyrockets after 1.2 Watts.

What's wrong with that analysis?

I didn't realize there was clipping. My bad.