I have been crying these days reviewing DACand I need to say that my time with the Zen DAC 3 has been enjoyable. It is an attractive machine that appears nice on a desk, with audio to match.
You get rather a lot for $229, and my solely criticism is that I want 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 presently out there instantly from ifi-audio.com or Amazon for $229. It hasn’t gone on sale because it was on Amazon, so for those who’re out there and test this out, there isn’t any higher time to purchase it.
For what you get, the worth is fairly stable as competing units do not have the identical quantity of options at this worth. If you need extra, you may must pay extra, typically talking.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Construct and Tuning
Constructed from aluminum, the Zen DAC 3 has a stable heft while you choose it up. All of the buttons present reassuring suggestions, the amount knob is easy and fantastically machined, and the ports are tight and really feel well-made. There are many 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, and the RCA enter mud covers on the again of the system. .
Many design parts had been properly thought-about and it exhibits.
There are rubber ft on the underside of the system, one other good element that can save the end on the underside. It is good as a result of these ft present additional grip on the underside when connecting or disconnecting cables. Plus, the unit is so light-weight that these rubber ft will hold the DAC from shifting round in your desk because of cable motion for those who’re fidgeting whereas listening to your tunes.
Lastly, once we discuss “constructing”, the inputs/outputs are positioned intuitively. There are I/O on the again of the Zen DAC 3, however it is sensible to have outputs there as a result of they connect with exterior units bigger than a pair of headphones.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Options
The Zen DAC 3 has two headphone jacks on the entrance. A 4.4mm balanced enter outputting 390mW into 64 ohms and a 6.3mm enter outputting 210mW into 32 ohms. Contained in the field, you may get a 3.5mm to six.3mm adapter, as there isn’t any enter for one of the frequent sorts of audio interfaces. Additionally on the entrance are the Energy Match and XBass Plus buttons. Energy Match supplies a acquire enhance for power-hungry headphones, whereas XBass is iFi’s signature analogue bass booster.
That lovely analog quantity management on the entrance additionally doubles as an audio format LED that lights up in seven totally different colours to point the audio format and pattern fee being obtained from the audio supply.
The rear of the unit is the place you may discover the USB-C enter with surge safety, a 5V DC enter, one other 4.4mm balanced output (2V-6.2V max variable, 4.2 mounted) and RCA outputs (1V-3.3V). max. variable, 2.1 V mounted). The output impedance of those is 200 ohms and 100 ohms, respectively. The RCA and 4.4mm outputs let you join this DAC/Amp as a preamp to a different amplifier or lively audio system. Since you could have these I/O choices, it was additionally good for iFi so as to add a set or variable output acquire swap on the again of the unit.
All of those outputs and their options are powered by a bit-perfect Burr Brown DSD and DXD DAC, supporting PCM as much as 768 kHz, DSD as much as DSD 512, and full MQA decoding.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Sound High quality
The 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 primary two. The phrase that greatest describes the Burr Brown chip is “easy.” Its tuning is just not as “clear” because the Kensei, however it makes the listening expertise with the Zen DAC 3 enjoyable and fascinating.
Considered one 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 take heed to as its easy prime finish mitigates the strident brass explosions. .
If you need a softer curve break in your decrease frequencies, the XBass Plus analog mode restores growl to the bass and sub-bass. However this isn’t a cloudy, compressed digital filter. The bass enhance is agency and managed. Turning this on makes listening to bass-heavy tracks fairly pleasing, particularly for those who use flatter headphones like a pair of Planar Magnetics. With out XBass Plus lively 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 punch.
Regardless of being easy, you continue to get nice stereo imaging, with a beautiful really feel for the devices and the place they overlap within the sound picture. And people photographs will at all times really feel good and full due to the Energy Match operate, which will increase the acquire and supplied sufficient output for my Sennheiser HD660S2 and HiFiMan HE-4XX that, relying on the observe, I by no means wanted to show that analog quantity up above 50 .% to 75% of its most. For my IEMs, with Energy Match disabled, I solely want to show the amount all the way down to 25% of its most output to get good, full audio.
The Zen DAC 3 is a superb all-around DAC that may be plugged into your laptop computer or desktop for a heat, easy sound that does not compromise midrange vocals or enable harsher sounds within the increased frequencies to change into grating. . I’d positively classify it as “enjoyable and entertaining” so far as DACs and lively listening go. It is nice for listening to music at a desk or watching films.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Competitors
There are some alternate options to the Zen DAC 3, however there are trade-offs. Many use totally different USB requirements, making cell phone connectivity troublesome. For instance, the Fiio K7 and Topping DX3 Professional Plus are nice choices, however they use USB-B connections. The great factor is that you’ll get optical and coaxial connectivity. The DX3 Professional Plus even has a built-in show.
Then there’s the Schiit Magni, which affords a USB-C connection. Have a look at the inner DAC choice, which can set you again $189 and provide you with lots of the options of the Zen DAC 3. The draw back to that is the headphone cable connectivity choices. On the entrance, you solely have a ¼” single-ended connector, also called 6.35mm. There isn’t a 3.5mm balanced connector out there, so you’ll have to use an adapter. It is price a glance.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Must you purchase it?
You should purchase the Zen DAC 3 if…
- Need a succesful laptop computer/cell phone/desktop DAC
- You need a DAC that may energy headphones or lively audio system
- You need high quality with out spending some huge cash
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 easy sound and has nice connectivity choices, the Zen DAC 3 is properly price its worth! You get an attractive piece of {hardware}, a set of good options, and loads of energy to drive virtually any pair of headphones or IEMs you plug in. XBass Plus makes the DAC one thing even bassists can get into!
The fantastic thing about the Zen line is that iFi simply launched a few new variations that, between them, ought to cowl the wants of just about anybody in search of a semi-mobile desktop DAC.
Easy desktop sounds!
iFi’s Zen DAC line has been a success with customers and this third-generation iteration must be too. Stable I/O choices, together with entertaining desktop sound, at a good worth, make this an incredible selection for having fun with high-resolution audio on the desktop.
