ifi Zen DAC and Headphone Amp Review

[gvl]

Wrong panther or he's just happy he didn't spend $400 on it?

 

[restorer-john]

So...1960's styling and 1960's performance?

Nothing wrong with the 50s and 60s for style and performance...

Grace Kelly

Honor Blackman

Tania Mallet

 

[AndrewDavis]

Nothing wrong with the 50s and 60s for style and performance...

In all things save for amplifiers, I agree entirely.

 

[confucius_zero]

well... that's a disappointing release from IFI

 

[ryanwang0521]

Filter for USB port is really poor, Maybe use external power will much better?

 

[phoenixdogfan]

"It hearkens back to 1960s furniture style which would look out of place on most desktops".

It does have that Mid-century Modern look and would make a handsome accessory on Don Draper's desk.

If only it performed better!

 

[Kane1972]

RIP man I bought this dac and have issues it was good while it lasted but what am I gonna get for £129 there ain't no dac and amp combo

I'd add a JDS Atom to your SMSL SU-8. The Atom is "da bomb" for $99 if you pardon the pun.

 

[pcdinh]

Fiio K5 pro

Fiio K5 Pro is not measured well too. Not a good buy.

So, RIP Ifi Zen Dac

 

[Stellabagpuss]

Appreciate the review as usual Amir!

I actually thinks it looks pretty nice in person and feels well built but maybe my tastes are different lol.

Did you measure it off a USB 3.0 port or a 2.0? I find subjectively it sounds better off a 3.0 than a 2.0. Maybe it gets more power from it but I cant be sure.

Also did you try it with a power adapter? I added one and it seems like it puts out a little more power but I could be imaging that as well.

If not would be interesting to see if it performs better with an adapter.

I have been using it for 2 weeks now and it sounds quite good subjectively but I am not listening that loud and my headphones are not difficult to drive. I think its pretty good for 129 bucks if you are looking for a easy to transport DAC/AMP combo, though its never going to be as good as a nice amp/dac stack.

Also if you upgrade the firmware to the 5.3c one on the IFI website you can change to their GTO filter. It would be interesting if you could measure that as I am curious as to what it actually does. I tried it for a short while and thought it sounded worse to me than the default one so I changed back.

Yes , which firmware was used? l read thar does change the units quality for the better. Would have nice to see if there is a noise drop via a low noise psu; rather than noisy PC usb port,and a give away usb lead.

 

[AnikBanic]

Appreciate the review as usual Amir!

I actually thinks it looks pretty nice in person and feels well built but maybe my tastes are different lol.

Did you measure it off a USB 3.0 port or a 2.0? I find subjectively it sounds better off a 3.0 than a 2.0. Maybe it gets more power from it but I cant be sure.

Also did you try it with a power adapter? I added one and it seems like it puts out a little more power but I could be imaging that as well.

If not would be interesting to see if it performs better with an adapter.

I have been using it for 2 weeks now and it sounds quite good subjectively but I am not listening that loud and my headphones are not difficult to drive. I think its pretty good for 129 bucks if you are looking for a easy to transport DAC/AMP combo, though its never going to be as good as a nice amp/dac stack.

Also if you upgrade the firmware to the 5.3c one on the IFI website you can change to their GTO filter. It would be interesting if you could measure that as I am curious as to what it actually does. I tried it for a short while and thought it sounded worse to me than the default one so I changed back.

Hmm I downloaded driver and it says 5.3 on mine I guess I'm fine ?

 

[Joachim Herbert]

What a kind review. Considering what can be done for less than 200 Euros retail this is really disappointing. No surprise, however.

 

[Raimei Templar]

Hmm I downloaded driver and it says 5.3 on mine I guess I'm fine ?

The firmware you mean? 5.3 is the default one yeah so that employs the default TI filter which Amir measured here.

The 5.3C version uses the GTO filter instead.

It is quite awkward to need firmware updates to change the filter, but I understand its because they are using the XMOS chip to implement the GTO filter so no way to get around it.

They do also offer custom XMOS drivers on their website which I would recommend over the default windows ones too. They give you a control panel that allows you to chose the USB streaming latency. For some reason it defaults to safe rather than standard. Not sure if that impacts the measurements or not, but as I understand it the lower latency should in theory give less jitter though you have to be careful not to go too low or it causes drop outs. I set it for low latency and havent had any issues with dropouts so just left it on that.

 

[Stellabagpuss]

View attachment 38865
View attachment 38866
Filter for USB port is really poor, Maybe use external power will much better?

That could be a positive, meaning it could respond well to a low noise or battery psu supply

 

[maxxevv]

lol so basically i bought this dac and have issues where unless on ASIO this dac pops (hear it as a thump on headphones) when pausing a song and playing a song

maybe this unit is faulty, but then along with this review i am thinking of returning it

the thing is tho for £129 i don't know what amp to get, maybe up to £150

I have an SMSL SU-8 which has RCA Out, are there any amps with rca in to amplify

Just get a JDS Atom and be happy ! I run mine off a Khadas Tone Board mostly and couldn't be happier with it.

 

[Purité Audio]

That could be a positive, meaning it could respond well to a low noise or battery psu supply

Components ‘should’ have proper filtration/regulation built in.
Keith

 

[Stellabagpuss]

Components ‘should’ have proper filtration/regulation built in.
Keith

Are you saying there is nothing in the path?

 

[anmpr1]

Despite commonality of aluminum in audio products today, the Zen must be using some kind of steel for its shell as it is quite heavy for its size. And sturdy to boot.
/

The spec sheet says that it's 'military grade aluminum'. I don't know what that means, but I guess it's ready for war.

It doesn't come with a power supply/cord so the user can plug it in to something? Why would they not include that?

 

[ryanwang0521]

The spec sheet says that it's 'military grade aluminum'. I don't know what that means, but I guess it's ready for war.

It doesn't come with a power supply/cord so the user can plug it in to something? Why would they not include that?

It can power on by USB port.

 

[solderdude]

Components ‘should’ have proper filtration/regulation built in.
Keith

Indeed, and chances are C101 is a filter capacitor in which case (470uF) it is quite big.
Given the fact that the input voltage is 5V DC as well, chances are the 5V from the DC input and USB power port are combined anyway.

Without seeing a schematic I would not conclude the 5V isn't properly filtered or not so chances are it is properly filtered after all.
Given the output voltage there also is a chargepump in there anyway.

 

[Veri]

Amir, perhaps this is an ideal candidate with which to test the Jitterbug. Maybe we can see if the latter really does "[remove] parasitic resonance — a form of resonant distortion."

Didn't he already test jitterbug to do nothing at all?
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...regen-review-and-measurements.1829/post-47032