I’ve been on a tear these days reviewing DACs, and I’ve to say that my time with the Zen DAC 3 has been enjoyable. It’s an exquisite machine that appears nice on a desk, with the audio chops to match.
You get lots for $229, and my solely gripe is that I’d prefer to see the XSpace analog mode included for IEMs and headphones whose soundstage is a bit missing.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Value and availability
The iFi Zen DAC 3 is at present out there direct from ifi-audio.com or Amazon for $229. It hasn’t gone on sale because it’s been on Amazon, so in the event you’re available in the market and taking a look at this, there is no such thing as a higher time to purchase it.
For what you’re getting, the worth is fairly stable as competing units don’t have the identical variety of options at this value. Need extra, you’ll should pay extra, typically talking.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Construct and match
Constructed of aluminum, the Zen DAC 3 has a stable heft once you choose it up. All the buttons give reassuring clicky suggestions, the amount knob is clean and superbly machined, and the ports are tight and really feel properly manufactured. There are a whole lot of little particulars to understand on the Zen DAC 3, from the varied textures of the brushed or dimpled steel surfaces to the Sunlit Bronze accents, buttons, and knobs to the mud covers on the RCA inputs on the again of the system.
Plenty of design parts had been properly thought of and it reveals.
There are rubber toes on the underside of the system, one other good element that can save the end on the underside. It’s good as a result of these toes present further grip on the underside as you plug/unplug cables. Moreover, the unit is so mild that these rubber toes will hold the DAC from shifting round in your desk on account of cable motion in the event you’re fidgety whereas listening to your tunes.
Lastly, after we speak “construct,” the enter/outputs are intuitively positioned. There may be I/O on the again of the Zen DAC 3, nevertheless it is smart to have outputs there as a result of they connect with bigger exterior units than a pair of headphones.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Options
The Zen DAC 3 has two headphone jacks within the entrance. One balanced 4.4mm enter pushing 390mW at 64ohms, and one 6.3mm enter pushing 210mW@32ohms. Contained in the field, you’ll get a 3.5mm to six.3mm adapter since there’s no enter for one of the vital widespread forms of audio interfaces. Additionally on the entrance are the Energy Match and XBass Plus buttons. Energy Match offers a acquire enhance for power-hungry headphones, whereas XBass is iFi’s signature analog bass enhancer.
That stunning analog quantity nob on the entrance additionally doubles as an audio format LED that glows in seven totally different colours indicating the audio format and sampling frequency being acquired from the audio supply.
The rear of the unit is the place you’ll discover the USB-C enter with overvoltage safety, a DC 5V enter, one other balanced 4.4mm out (2V-6.2V max variable, 4.2 mounted), and RCA outputs (1V-3.3V max variable, 2.1V mounted). The output impedance on these is 200ohm and 100ohms, respectively. The 4.4mm and RCA outputs assist you to join this DAC/Amp as a preamp to a different amp or energetic audio system. Since you will have these I/O choices, it was additionally good for iFi so as to add a hard and fast or variable output acquire swap to the again of the unit.
All of those outputs and their options are powered by a bit-perfect DSD and DXD Burr Brown DAC, which helps PCM as much as 768kHz, DSD as much as DSD 512, and full MQA decoding.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Sound high quality
Sound high quality locations the iFi GO blu and GO bar Kensei amongst my favourite DACs, each of which use Cirrus Logic chipsets, however the Zen DAC 3 makes use of a Burr Brown DAC whose sound high quality differs from the previous two. The phrase that greatest describes the Burr Brown chip is “clean.” Its tuning isn’t as “clear” because the Kensei, nevertheless it makes the listening expertise with the Zen DAC 3 enjoyable and fascinating.
One in every of my common check tracks, “Moanin’,” has some horn sections that may be fairly harsh, however the Zen DAC 3 makes these sections straightforward to hearken to as its clean high finish mitigates the shrill blasts from the brass.
If you’d like a break from the smoother curve in your decrease frequencies, the XBass Plus analog mode restores the growl again to bass and sub-bass. However this isn’t some muddy, compressed digital filter. The low finish enhance is tight and managed. Activating this makes listening to bass-heavy tracks fairly gratifying, particularly in the event you’re utilizing flatter headphones like a pair of Planar Magnetics. With out XBass Plus energetic, and utilizing extra balanced or flat headphones or IEMs, tracks like Skrillex’s “Mumbai Energy,” with its deep bass and sub-bass, lose a little bit of their chew.
Regardless of being clean, you continue to get nice stereo imaging, with a beautiful really feel for the devices and the place they’re layered within the sonic picture. And people photos will at all times really feel good and full because of the Energy Match characteristic, which boosts acquire and offered sufficient output for my Sennheiser HD660S2 and HiFiMan HE-4XX that, relying on the observe, I by no means wanted to push that analog quantity larger than 50% to 75% of its max. For my IEMs, with Energy Match off, I solely want to show the amount nob to 25% of its max output for good, full audio.
The Zen DAC 3 is an all-around nice DAC to hook up with your laptop computer or desktop for heat, clean sound that doesn’t compromise mid-range vocals or enable harsher sounds within the larger frequencies to change into grating. I’d positively categorize this as “enjoyable and entertaining” so far as DACs and energetic listening go. It is nice for listening to music at a desk or watching films.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Competitors
There are a number of alternate options to the Zen DAC 3, however there are trade-offs. Many use totally different USB requirements, making cell phone connectivity a ache. For instance, the Fiio K7 and Topping DX3 Professional Plus are each nice choices however make the most of USB-B connections. On the upside, you’ll get coax and optical connectivity. The DX3 Professional Plus even has a built-in display.
Then there’s the Schiit Magni, which does provide a USB-C connection. Have a look at the inner DAC possibility, which can run you $189 and provide you with lots of the options of the Zen DAC 3. The draw back to this one is the headphone cable connectivity choices. On the entrance, you get just one ¼”, aka 6.35mm, single-ended jack. No balanced 3.5mm is out there, so that you’ll have to make use of an adapter. It’s value testing.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Must you purchase it?
You can purchase the Zen DAC 3 if…
- You need a succesful laptop computer/cell phone/desktop DAC
- You need a DAC that may energy headphones or energetic audio system
- You need high quality with out breaking the financial institution
You should not purchase the Zen DAC 3 if…
- You need Bluetooth connectivity
- You need coaxial/optical audio connectivity
For a semi-mobile DAC that produces clean sound and has some nice connectivity choices, the Zen DAC 3 is properly value its price ticket! You get an exquisite piece of {hardware}, a wise characteristic set, and loads of energy to drive nearly any pair of headphones or IEMs you plug into it. XBass Plus makes the DAC one thing that even bass heads can get into!
The fantastic thing about the Zen line is that iFi simply launched a few new variations, which, between the three, ought to cowl the wants of nearly anybody searching for a semi-mobile desktop DAC.
Easy desktop sounds!
iFi’s Zen DAC line has been a success with shoppers and this third technology iteration ought to be as properly. Strong I/O choices, coupled with entertaining desktop sound, at a good value make this a fantastic alternative for desktop hi-resolution audio enjoyment.
