iFi Zen DAC - HiFi Desktop Digital Analog Converter with USB3.0 B Input/Outputs: 6.3mm Unbalanced / 4.4mm Balanced/RCA (Unit Only) (Unit Only)

I'll preface this by saying this is my first desktop amp/DAC, so take what I say for what it is, but man do I love this thing. The sound, provided by the Burr Brown chipset, is just sublime. Detailed, rich, and smooth without coloring the sound too much. The gain should handle most cans no problem - with the gain turned on while powering my Sennheiser HD 660's I never even had to go past 12 o'clock.The build quality is unreal for the price. Absolutely everything is metal and the whole thing feels totally solid. The volume knob is beautifully milled and finished and is a joy to turn. The fact that the volume knob is backlit with different-colored LEDs that correspond to the audio file type? Splendid.The bass-boost can be a bit much sometimes, but through my Audeze LCD-X, it's like crack. It adds a ton to the sub-bass without tainting the mids too much. It definitely lends itself to certain styles of music. This thing can also decode MQA and it does so flawlessly, with none of the issues I've seen reported in other MQA DACs (chopping off the first bit of each track, audible clicks between tracks, etc).Drawbacks? The USB type B input is kinda weird, I wish it was USB-C. Also, there's no on-off switch which might be annoying to some people. I work from home so it doesn't bother me at all. These are extremely minor quibbles in my book.This is a fantastic amp/DAC for a beginner such as myself, and I am utterly addicted to how it has unlocked the potential of my headphones and the music I am passing through them. The value is just incredible.

This is my new second favorite audio product, can't believe the sound and build quality for the price. Right now my home setup is the Schiit Modi Multibit (Mimby) with the iFi Micro iCan and Massdrop TH-X00. This DAC/amp setup retailed for $550. This little Zen DAC basically sounds at least 95% the same for roughly 25% of the cost. I also have an Emotiva A-100 amp that I use with headphones (and the mimby) sometimes and I like the sound of this better. So this little guy definitely has some potential to hang with the big boys in the $500 price range. Here's a full review:BUILD QUALITYThe build quality is fantastic. It's actually probably better than the Micro iCan IHMO (which is the same chassis as the Micro iDSD), so you're basically getting that $500+ build quality and sound to match. I'd estimate that volume knob alone should cost at least 10% of the total price, so what they've accomplished here for this price is unreal.BASSI'm a full on basshead at home, quality and quantity. I use a Schiit Loki and bump the 20 Hz region by probably 15-20 dB with the XBass on my iCan and Loki (combined). The iCan XBass max setting is noticeably more powerful than the TrueBass here. However, the TrueBass is still fantastic and gives a bigger boost than I expected. I bought the Zen for use at the office, where I don't go full out basshead, so I will absolutely be satisfied by the boost it provides. I expect most people to be satisfied as well.MIDSNot much to say here. The other reviews praising this amp are accurate. It's clean, smooth, warm, detailed, etc. with a quiet background and absolutely improves the sound quality by all objective and subjective measures vs. a cell phone or motherboard.TREBLEThis is where I miss the Micro iCan. There's something about the 3D switch that brings higher frequency sounds (e.g. symbols) forward in an unobtrusive way while also making the whole spectrum of sound seem more detailed and bigger. It's hard to describe, but if you have the money to go with a more expensive iFi product, I personally think their 3D tech is absolutely worth the cost of entry if you're not a "purist" and just want to have more options (i.e. fun) for changing the sound depending on the musical genre or headphones you're listening to. Aside from that, this absolutely takes some serious critical listening effort to notice differences between it and my more expensive DACs / amps. If iFi ever releases a Zen DAC with their 3D tech, I'd gladly buy it.SOUNDSTAGE/IMAGING/DETAILNot much to say here either. You have to try really hard to notice differences between this little guy and the more expensive offerings I listed. The TH-X00 is known for having average imaging and soundstage in its price range though, so perhaps top-tier cans that excel in this section might have more noticeable differences.To summarize, one of my favorite, and least favorite, things about audio is how subjective it is. It's interesting to apply logic to a person's subjective opinions. For example, if A is better than B and B is better than C, then A must be better than C. If you apply that kind of thinking to my review here, you could basically argue that this thing sounds like a setup many times its actual cost. The DAC section is easily on par with the Mimby, which people say sounds equivalent to the Bifrost Multibit, and the amp section easily competes with my iCan, so there you go. Save yourself a few hundred bucks and buy this. Use the money you save for better headphones.Easy 10/10 in all categories.

Where to begin - just where to begin? Alright, I'm in the process of reviewing/blogging about 6 different budget DAC's (those below $150). As a matter of info, those are the iFi Zen Dac, the Soundavo HP-DAC1, the Schiit Modi 3, the Micca OriGen G2, the FX-Audio DAC-X6, and the Sabaj D3. It's fun and time consuming as you try to discern the differences between most of these units. After all, when you first turn them on, most budget models can sound a bit harsh/bright, and like any good audio gear, you should leave them on and run music through them for at least several days before rendering any judgements.Another issue with the majority of entry level (or budget) DAC's is that they initially all sound the same or are similar. Only time consuming listening sessions with various hi-quality audio material can cut through most of the confusion and small differences begin to arise.Now enter the iFI Zen DAC. I'm not going to describe the features, looks, and feel of this DAC 'cause so much has already been written about it (not to mention various You Tube reviews). It's built like a tank - so there!Now let me get this right out of the way, and that is this Zen Dac can compete with DAC's that I've heard at $1000 - it's that simple. Sound-wise, from the moment you turn it on (and by the way, make sure you have the latest firmware which will be the case if you order one new now), you are greeted with a sound signature that is bold, with much depth. Bass is full, deep, and yet tight. The Zen Dac has this way of taking your music (and putting you right there with an authority that I find missing in many DAC's - now go figure?Soundstaging is excellent with ample instrumental separation from left to right and from front to rear - but do take note that everything else you have in your music chain will either detract or add to the overall experience. Take classical music for instance - all of the instruments take on a weight that I've not noticed with most of the other DAC's I'm evaluating. High frequencies are pristine and instruments like strings take on an almost silky sheen. Midrange instruments like brass have that bite that sends chills up and down your spine. And bass - whether it be string bass, bass drum, kettle drums, or you name it, has an added (not necessarily artificial) weight to them that often defies description. Now it is important to keep in mind that the huge variable here is that my comments are based on my feeding it good source material - not the typical junk that many folks listen to. Feed the Zen Dac great (high quality) material and you will be rewarded with musical nirvana. Feed it horribly remixed or poor source material, and you'll soon want to turn it off to be sure. It let's you know what you're feeding it.So am I impressed with this ZenvDac? Hell yes, I am and of the 6 budget DAC's I'm evaluating at the moment, the ZenDac is so far in the front that it's not even a fair comparison. A close second is the Soundavo HP-DAC1 - another outstanding unit (look it up on Amazon) - and I'm very impressed with that one also. Following that (in order of my preferences) are the Schitt Modi 3, followed by the Sabaj D3, and then the Micca OriGen G2, and last place (but still a very nice sounding unit) is the FX-Audio DAC-X-6. YMMV.Folks, for some of you, just for a moment, put your nose-in-the-air standards temporarily aside and overlook the pittance that you'd expend for the ZenDac 'cause you will soon become hooked. I know I did...Highly recommended, thus my 5 star conclusion. Do note that I'm comparing the cost of this unit with a performance level that punches far above its weight.The gear I evaluated the Zen Dac with is/are:1. USB connection to a Windows 10 desktop PC with 64 Gigs of RAM. Cables used were the upgraded Audioquest Pearl USB A to USB B.2. Analog Cables used was a 1.5 foot run of World's Best Cables to a GoHiFiAudio S1 passive RCA Audio input/output switcher (which adds nothing and subtracts nothing while making comparisons). Cable used from the switcher to speakers is the Blue Jeans Cables LC-1 - a 3 foot run.3. Speakers used to evaluate - which are all active speakers. They were the Edifier R2000DB's, the Edifier R1850DB's, the Edifier R1700BT's, and the Edifier 3000 Pro's. The reason I used all 4 is that they represent different levels of investment and accuracy.Ben HerrmannFuquay Varina, NC

POR EL COSTO ES UN DAC DE PRIMERA CALIDAD SUPERANDO A OTROS QUE CUESTAN MUCHO MAS YO DE HECHO VOY A COMPRAR DOS MAS PARA MI NEGOSIO Y OFICINA Y EL VENDEDOR EXELENTE ME ADELANTO LA ENTREGA COMO UN FAVOR ESPECIAL LA MARCA IFI CADA VES MEJORA EN DISEÑO Y EFECIENCIA MUCHAS GRACIAS

Great product for a reasonable price! Upgraded from Dragonfly Black, when its headphone socket started acting up. This DAC sounds very good on its own but when stacked with Zen Can the soundstage becomes larger and everything sounds even more substantial and articulate.I have tried the DAC with Sennheiser Momentum 1.0 and 2.0 and went ahead and ordered Drop Sennheiser HD6XX and balanced cables as I could see very tangible improvement in sound quality with every of the above upgrades.I tried firmware 5.3c (GTO Filter) but found it somewhat harsh - the definition did improve but I felt that the DAC became too analytical so I rolled the firmware back to the factory version, which is 5.3 (Cookies and Cream) and did not look back. Granted I did it before installing the iFi USB drivers and properly setting up Tidal. I will revisit the GTO filter once I get Sennheiser HD6XX headphones to see if I like 5.3c firmware better, however, I am totally content with the out-of-the-box sound (i. e. firmware 5.3).To get the best out of the DAC make sure to install Windows USB drivers and set up Tidal correctly as shown in iFi videos on Youtube. If you are not satisfied with the sound quality it is likely not the DAC's fault and you need to use high-quality source and/or upgrade your headphones. I also highly recommend adding a Zen CAN amp if have harder to drive headphones. I will be using Zen DAC on its own for the office and stacked with Zen CAN in my home office.I think the short USB cable is actually a good option for desktop solutions as longer cables can be easily found and purchased if needed. However I strongly feel that a balanced interconnect cable should be supplied with the unit.

DAC/amp dal rapporto qualità/prezzo eccezionale. Sono un neofita del settore, ma anche la qualità del suono sembra essere ottima, per non parlare della qualità costruttiva che è eccezionale (la manopola si ruota come se fosse di burro e i pulsanti hanno un "click" gradevolissimo, morbido ma facilmente identificabile.Le funzionalità estese (power matching/high gain e bass boost/true bass) sono ottime, ritoccano le performance dell'unità senza però cambiarla drasticamente.Uso questo DAC per pilotare delle Fostex T20RP mk3 magneto-planari, notoriamente difficili da alimentare adeguatamente, e funziona egregiamente, magari non spacca i timpani, ma con l'high gain abilitato il volume è bello forte, tra l'altro senza neanche usare un alimentatore esterno, basta l'alimentazione fornita dall'USB 3.0 che funge da input audio.Non solo, ma comprando un'unità nuova da Amazon o shop simili riceverete uno Zen con seriale 5304 e firmware già aggiornato alla versione 7.2, che abilita la compatibilità con PS4 sia Legacy (le prime, quelle spigolose con la cover parzialmente lucida o ruvida) che Slim, che Pro. Nel mio caso, utilizzo una PS4 C chassis e funziona in maniera eccellente.Uniche pecche, per guardare il pelo nell'uovo: 1) la luce verde dietro la manopola e quella bianca delle funzionalità estese non si può spegnere, quindi se giocate o ascoltare musica al buio potrebbe dare fastidio, detto questo non è fortissima, girando l'unità si nota a malapena 2) il cavo USB fornito con l'unità è piuttosto corto, si parla di circa mezzo metro, forse qualcosa di più, quindi conviene fare qualche calcolo ed eventualmente oridnare insieme anche un cavo più lungo (si trova su Amazon per 5-10 euro)In conclusione, ottimo affare! Onestamente se non siete interessati alle funzionalità dello Zen V2 (piuttosto specifiche) potete tranquillamente risparmiare 10 euro e prendere questa V1.

I wanted really god amplifier. It has everything I wanted and much more. My Sennheiser HD 660S sounds incredible with it. I can only recommend.

coming from philips tda1311 to sound card based on wolfson 8772 dac to kit based ak4490 dac to ifi zen dac my listening impressions are as follows:PROS:-no harshness in high frequencies.-good amount of details while trying to preserve the natural balance of sound [ i.e. other dacs (based on ak4490) tend to compromise on mid instruments like snare drum pushing them behind in order to emphasize background details and vocals.] Zen dac does not entirely eat mid instruments to bring more details, instead manages to bring both,but is still not as balanced as a philips and wolfson dac .-good amount of smooth bass.-xmos based usb function with ifi drivers working good so far on windows 7 64 bit.CONS:Not as balanced as old dacs from philips and wolfson in terms of instrument placement.since voices and details are emphasized more zen dac loses on musicality and neutrality.If voices are pushed behind a bit and snare drums/lower midrange is brought forward then this dac will sound musical and close to neutral.Final Verdict:Now a days there are very less audio equipment manufacturers that give you well balanced sound.Back in time from 1990s-2010 manufacturers like Philips ,Sony,Pioneer,LG,Aiwa,Panasonic delivered good sounding products , which we dont get now a days.All the dacs currently available(even the high end ones) have similar sound signature i.e.voices and background details emphasized and lower midrange/snare drums pushed back.This needs to be stopped and neutral/balanced sounding dacs should be made.My creative sound blaster 5.1vx sound card easily beats ifi zen dac in terms of musicality due to comparatively balanced sound(no doubt it had won multiple awards back then).From experience modern usb dacs should be designed by taking reference from old dacs from philips(tda1311,tda1387),wolfson(wm8772,wm8728) and even some older burr brown dacs(pcm1727,pcm1742).