iFi Audio - ZEN DAC

Works beautifully with all 3 of my headphones hd660s , k712 pro and he400i 2020 , has a neutral smooth tone with just a bit of warmth added and smoothness in top end , very laid back , all in all a value product.

iFi Audio - ZEN DAC

Bought this a recently to pair up with my HD 6XX, to be perfectly honest I never knew my headphones could get this loud. This thing also just screams high quality, with it's hefty size and weight. Really happy with my purchase, it's brought more life than ever to what I'm hearing and I've loving every bit of it.

I already have a Chord Mojo but I got the Zen DAC because I needed a DAC to be perpetually connected to my computer and this fit the bill perfectly as it is powered off USB 3.0 and does not need a separate brick (though you can attach one; more on that later). First impressions after a few weeks of usage through its standard RCA ouput was that it was pretty darn good for the price and definitely better than the one inside my Cambridge Audio CXA81. The sound compared to the inbuilt one inside the CXA81 was more soothing and softer, yet containing all the details. However, compared to my Chord Mojo, it was a no contest. The Chord Mojo just had better tone and texture and more adept and revealing microdetails. Since the CXA81 accepts balanced XLR inputs, i got myself an ifi 4.4mm pentaconn to XLR cable. After hooking the Zen DAC up with the XLR cable, the background became quieter during songs which helped in dynamics, especially bass sounded cleaner with the overall presentation becoming bolder. This can be easily checked as you can run both outputs i.e. XLR and RCA simultaneously and quick switching between the two clearly reveals the substantial gains to be had with a balanced connection. However, it was still no match for the Chord Mojo which still had that better texture and tone. Then came a revelation in the form of the GTO filter which is a firmware upgrade which costs nothing and takes less than a minute to install. Next thing i knew, i could not tell the difference in sound quality between the Zen DAC and the Chord Mojo, Multiple A/B quick switch tests later, i guess the Mojo is still better with leading edges but it could be my imagination and I could not tell the difference during blind tests. Now, the 4.4mm pentaconn to XLR cable does not come cheap and brings the cost up to 21K but thats still terrific if it managed to beat the Mojo. I'm getting an Allo Shanti Linear PSU (which again is not cheap at 8K) to see if it improves the performance even further and it'll be something if it manages to outdo the Mojo but that remains to be seen. Also, its headphone section is excellent and its trubass function adds a delicious dose of bass in the lower frequencies without bloating it or congesting the mids - its truly non intrusive and fantastic for listening at low volumes when dynamics and bass go missing. This is especially helpful for my bass shy Hifiman HE400is which simply sound bright and anaemic with the Chord Mojo. All in all, colour me impressed with this cheap piece of chifi wonder. Oh, and it may be cheap but its build quality is superb and definitely looks and feels much more premium than its Topping and FX Audio counterparts. In fact, i'd daresay that at the very least, its build quality is at par with my Mojo if not better while it convincingly trounces it in the looks department though that is very subjective.

For reference, the amps that I tested it with were the (i) Cambridge Audio CXA81(balanced XLR), (ii) Crown XLS1502 (balanced XLR), (iii) Marantz PM6006 (RCA), and (iv) Marantz SR6013(RCA) and the loudspeakers were (i) Quad S5, (ii) KEF Q350, (iii) Wharfedale Evo 4.2, (iv) Boston Acoustics A26. Subwoofers were dual REL T9i's. 3.5mm cable used with the Chord Mojo was Audioquest Golden Gate and usb cable was Audioquest pearl whereas the RCA cable used with the Ifi Zen DAC was the Mogami Gold and balanced cable was Ifi 4.4mm pentaconn to XLR while the USB cable was a generic Amazonbasics 3.0 6 feet usb cable. Both units were connected to the laptop through an Audioquest jitterbug USB noise filter.

Got my HiFiMan Sundara a few months back. So far was pairing them with a old FiiO portable dac/amp but the headphone was asking for more power and also missing MQA. After a lot of online research settled on ZEN DAC.
Initial impressions weren’t amazing, until I turned on “power match”, this is basically the gain setting. Running in power match improved the overall sound quality hugely. It’s more open, transparent and full spectrum. Replaying my old favourites has been a revealing experience.

Overall I am extremely happy with my purchase. As usual headphonezone service has been flawless.

Please note

1. Power match should not be needed for lower impedance headphones. Even for Sundara, the volume can get very high quickly, so be careful with the volume knob :)
2. I am running my USB connection through iPurifier3. Don’t know how much that impacts sound quality in this setup, haven’t tested without.

I purchased this to use it with HiFiMan Deva. Previously I was using Deva directly though Laptop, but must say this DAC definitely brings difference in both sound quality and level. I haven't spent much time with it, but so far so amazing!

This is my first dac amp that I got after a lot of research. For all beginners out their, simply putting, connect this to your pc, you then get dac which can act as an amp for your headphone. You also get rca out which means you drive your speakers which have rca input.

Firstly, I have to mention this is my first ever dac and first step into entering this audiophile rabbit hole. I'm currently using Hifiman HE-400I headphones and I paired this along with them. I've done a lot of research before buying this one and trust me it makes a significant difference(atleast to my headphones)

Build quality-
It feels like solid steel block made of high quality materials, the look and feel is awesome. Volume knob is buttery smooth. The only thing which could be added is on/off button but that is fine. It also has 4.4mm balanced output. The DAC can be powered with just USB, so it contributes to desktop setup

Sound impression-
It greatly improves the sound quality, the details which we can't be noticed usually can now be heard easily bringing out all the frequencies of high resolution audio (FLAC, DSD, WAV, MQA)
Adding this between headphones and source makes a humongous difference to the listening experience. The music🎼 becomes more enjoyable, bass becomes tighter, vocals🎙 become clear, highs become crisp, instrument 🎸🎹🎺🎻🥁🪘🎷separation become lively and beautiful. Feels like Artist is performing in front of you.
Truebass feature improves the bass detail, especially helpful if you are using open back headphones.
Powermatch feature helps the circuit internally to provide optimal power and sound to plugged in gear
I tried with local music files and Tidal too.
Listening to Opeth, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson, Porcupine Tree, Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Linkin Park, AR Rehman, Ilayaraja feels blissful

Conclusion-
Overall it's a great DAC/Amp combo for this price. I feel it's worth the investment(atleast for my headphones).
I cannot compare it with any other DACs coz I don't have😆. All the impressions are based on my opinion and my ability of perceiving music. If something is not quite right please forgive me.