ifi Audio Zen DAC 3 Digital Analogue Converter

This smart looking, sweet sounding little Digital to Analogue Converter/Headphone Amp is just the ticket if you want a better sound quality when you’re sat in front of the laptop on the office desk listening to your favourite streaming service. Able to drive most headphones with ease this unit comes in very good condition with its original box, manual and our standard three month warranty.
Please note that Zen DAC is powered by 5 volts, either via a USB cable (for connection to laptop or PC) or DC power supply (not included).
ifi Say….
ifi Audio, a trailblazer in high-fidelity audio components, proudly introduces its latest innovation: the ifi Zen DAC 3. Featuring a refreshed design and updated features, this home-based DAC has been designed to electrify gaming, casual listening, and critical audiophile experiences.
With both fixed and variable output gain options, the Zen DAC 3 seamlessly connects to headphones, amplifiers, or active speakers, providing unparalleled versatility for any audio setup. Featuring two 4.4mm balanced outputs – one dedicated to headphones and the other to all other Hi-Fi equipment – this innovative design minimises distortion, crosstalk, and noise, delivering pristine sound quality that truly immerses you in your music.
From PCM 768kHz to DSD 512 and full MQA decoding, it ensures that every nuance of your music is faithfully reproduced with remarkable clarity and detail. Furthermore, enhancements such as improved DC offset and USB-C input overvoltage protection guarantee peace of mind while enjoying your favourite tunes, ensuring reliable and safe operation.
Additional features such as XBass+ and PowerMatch analogue processing modes empowers you to customise your listening experience with precision and finesse.
The DAC section is based around a Burr-Brown DAC chip that iFi uses extensively, selected for its fluid, highly ‘musical’ sound quality and ‘True Native’ architecture. This, together with the XMOS chip used for input processing, enables ifi to deliver excellent sound quality across all manner of digital audio formats including hi-res PCM, ‘bit-perfect’ DSD and MQA – the hi-res streaming codec, as used by Tidal’s ‘Masters’ tier. Given the diminutive asking price, the Zen DAC 3’s digital audio credentials are highly impressive.
PCM and DXD audio data is supported up to 24-bit/384kHz, alongside DSD sampling rates from 2.8MHz to 12.4MHz (DSD256). Thanks to the Burr-Brown chip’s True Native design, PCM and DSD take separate pathways – this enables DSD to remain ‘bit-perfect’ in its native form, right through to analogue conversion. Many DACs that claim DSD compatibility accept DSD data but then convert it to PCM; for DSD purists, the Zen DAC 3 is a fantastic affordable solution.
Another circuit feature that separates this and other DACs made by ifi from competing designs is ifi’s in-house programming of the XMOS chip. While other manufacturers simply use the firmware that comes with the chip off-the-shelf, which is not typically optimised for audiophile-grade sound, ifi programs its own bespoke firmware to boost audio processing power.
ifi’s continuous software development allows features to be added or optimised via firmware updates, enabling the Zen DAC 3 to be tailored to the user’s playback priorities and ensuring it stays cutting-edge over time. Users can even download and install different versions of ifi firmware to experiment with different digital filters should they so desire. Extensive clock-locking is used throughout the digital stage to eradicate jitter, maintaining the integrity of the digital signal until conversion.
The Zen DAC 3’s analogue stage is a balanced design – highly unusual in a DAC/headphone amp anywhere near this price point. It incorporates a range of high-quality circuit components, carefully selected for their performance in an audio context, including C0G capacitors from TDK and a high quality analogue volume pot.
The Zen DAC 3 sports 4.4mm balanced outputs, both front and back – this is a relatively new interface type, designed to enable balanced signal transfer between compact products that cannot accommodate traditional XLR connections.
The front-mounted 4.4mm output sits alongside a standard, single-ended 6.3mm headphone socket – thus, the benefits of balanced headphone designs are fully utilised, whilst also accommodating every type of headphone, both balanced and single-ended. The 4.4mm output to the rear enables connection to amps and active speakers equipped with a balanced input – either a 4.4mm input, or XLR inputs via a 4.4mm-to-XLR cable. Single ended RCA outputs are also provided.
These line-level outputs – both balanced and single-ended – can be switched between ‘variable’ and ‘fixed’, enhancing the Zen DAC 3’s versatility. The variable setting applies volume control to the audio signal, enabling the Zen DAC 3 to perform as a preamp feeding a power amp or active speakers. The fixed option bypasses the volume control, fixing the output at 4.2V (balanced) or 2.1V (single-ended) for connection to an external preamp or integrated amp.
The Zen DAC 3 boasts a new USB Type-C input with input overvoltage protection. Moreover, the DC offset output voltage has been enhanced, leading to fewer audible clicks during function switches.
Specifications:
Input: USB-C
Formats: PCM: 768 kHz; DSD: 512; MQA: Full Decoder
DAC: Bit-Perfect DSD & DXD DAC by Burr Brown
Headphone Output: 4.4 mm (balanced); 6.3 mm (unbalanced)
Output Power (RMS): 390 mW @ 32 Ω; 7.2 V @ 600 Ω (balanced); 210 mW @ 32 Ω; 3.8 V @ 600 Ω (unbalanced)
Output Impedance: < 1 Ω
Signal to Noise Ratio: 109 dBA
Total Harmonic Distortion & Noise: < 0.006% (2.0 V @ 600 Ω) (balanced); < 0.006% (1.27 V @ 32 Ω) (unbalanced)
Line Output: 4.4 mm (balanced); RCA (unbalanced)
Output Power: 2 V – 6.2 V max. (variable); 4.2V (fixed) (balanced); 1 V – 3.3V max. (variable); 2.1 V (fixed) (unbalanced)
Output Impedance: < 200 Ω (balanced); < 100 Ω (unbalanced)
Frequency Response: 5 Hz – 90 kHz (± 3 dB)
Power Consumption: ~ 2.5 W Max Signal
Dimensions: 158 (W) x 115 (D) x 35 (H) mm
Weight: 456 g