I have this amp dac, it's incredible. Especially for my He4xx, which really soar with the bass boost and power. I did download the GTO filter firmware update and flashed it to the Zen and it was even better. I recommend that. Great review!
After you flashed the firmware, did the led color stay on yellow for all PCM? Mine doesn't change colors at all except when running an MQA stream through it.
@@MarkSubsonik I'm having this same issue actually. It will switch to yellow, cyan, blue, and magenta, but won't switch to green under any circumstance. Before the firmware update it would stay green full time; I will have to reach back out to Lawrance and get some insight. I found some DSD files (of all types) to experiment with and am happy to report that it does indeed work properly, but that green light doesn't come on. Theoretically it should when you're just playing a FLAC file from Tidal. The only reason I was able to snag a picture of Green in this video (in explaining the different colors) is that when you first plug it in, it flashes green for a split second before settling on yellow. Because I had my tripod set up, I was able to time it and snag a picture in that very short time frame.
@@MarkSubsonik i believe after you flash the device, the LED stays that yellow color all the time. But Im not so sophisticated with my digital music, I dont have large variety of different sources to test this, so I dont know how to test this with different formats. I do know that my unit has the yellow led, and that's consistent with what I heard on a review of one of the effects of a unit with the firmware update
@@HomeStudioBasics Wow, that is strange. Mine didn't behave like that at all. Before firmware update, all the colors would display properly, even green for 44.1. I tested with Tidal, Qobuz and my local library. After the update, yellow is the only color displayed for every sample rate except MQA which will show magenta.
Bought one of these a couple weeks ago and have been waiting on someone to review it properly. I use the HD58X balanced with it and it's like they were made for each other. Thanks for the review!
This amp is incredible. The reason it's so good is because it combines warmth with detail pretty much effortlessly. Plus that build is just impeccable. Thanks for the love man!
It does sound great and I find myself backing further and further away from EQ every day because of how natural and dynamic it makes whatever I put through it sound. I would say most of the DAC/AMP combos I've used so far have colored the sound so much, I always needed to "correct" it to be able to listen to them comfortably. I'm a fan, so far!
@@MarkSubsonik Hi. Did you notice a difference between balanced and unbalanced with the hd58x ? I have the zen dac and that headphone, and I was considering buying a balanced cable. They cost around 40€ where I live so I want to make sure I don't buy anything not worth it.
@@salamaltar7 Hey! Oh yes, I would definitely grab one man. The added power is totally worth it in my humble opinion. As for any improvement in sound quality, I'm not sure my ears can hear a difference but, running the 58x balanced is just a whole new level of better.
@@salamaltar7 I forgot to add, when you run the 58x balanced, the Zen DAC really opens up. what I mean by that is, it kind of 'wakes' my music up whereas in SE, songs kind of sound flat in comparison. Is that a change in dynamic range or overall quality? I have no idea. I DO know that It's so much better! Hope this helps you out man! Good luck
Lovely review and swell comparisons. I came for the information but stayed for the humor and personality! Big question, how do these compare to like a hybrid tube amp or tube amp. I never had an dac/amplifier before; I just purchased my first midfi setup, the HD6XX. I found them to be great but lacking so I had the chance to go to a retail store that had a lot of Schiit products. I very much particularly liked the Vali 2 tube amp with the Heresy coming next. I think I liked the warmth, headroom, and bass response while keeping clarity from the Vali 2 (which I heard is like neutral and warm). I can get the volume to like 1-2 o'clock max (both Heresy and Vali 2 with Vali 2 being louder despite having less power) and I don't hear any distortion (unless I'm bad at hearing them). What I want to know is how does the Zen Dac provide in comparison to the warmth of a hybrid tube or just tube in general? Will it be sufficient based on your experience with a Sennheiser cans? I really love the warmth and bass it gave and I'm not sure if the Zen Dac is enough or if I should really spend for the Vali 2 + Modi 3. I hope I can hear from your opinion about it!
Hey man thank you so much for your kind words and continued support! As far as a comparison to tubes, there's really nothing like a tube amp (think something like a Bottlehead Crack), but Amps like the Zen and K5 Pro are certainly getting there in terms of overall warmth. The K5 Pro is a bit warmer than a Zen, and the Zen isn't quite neutral. I'd say it's just a bit warmer than a typical Amp with a very low output impedance (something like an Objective 2, NX4, Magni, etc.) It's almost like a hybrid. Very enjoyable sound. Smooth. Relaxed, etc. I believe the Zen's output impedance is around 1 (maybe a bit less than 1? I can't remember the exact number), whereas the K5 Pro sits at 1.2. For comparisons sake, the neutral amps mentioned above are very low (0.54,
@@HomeStudioBasics I don't have tidal yet. But i do buy the hires files to listen. So you mean the 4.4mm balanced does matter with the sound from Zena Dac?
I bought Ifi zen one signature. It sounds good, I like it, but it gives me background noise in the speakers. I turned on the amplifier without sound and from half to maximum there is a background noise with the dac on. I'm thinking of returning it and buying Cambridge 200m. Thank you.
Ima buy the O2 +SDAC/AMP for Christmas!!! I was going to buy a rca connector which connects the left and right rca into a aux female port so I could plug my speakers into the DAC/AMP also, but my first question is would using a rca connector like I described remove signal quality removing sound quality? Second question would plugging my speakers that have a aux male into the rca connector into the DAC/AMP benefit my speakers in sound quality? I will be pairing my 58X HD jubilee’s with this amp and the edifier Luna’s with them!! Amazing video I love hearing about new sound tech so keep posting and I will keep watching! :)
Hey man! What cable would you be using specifically to plug into your speakers? RCA to 3.5mm? You should be fine! :) Thanks so much for the love brother.
Hey man! Well, considering all of the colors here are represented, I would say yes. Lol. Everything is in working order. Here's the article where you can see them as well. Just scroll 'til you see "Shoot 2": homestudiobasics.com/ifi-zen-amp-dac-review/
@@mikemcguinness1304 Hey man I'm going to have to write a little guide in the article about that. I will try and remember to message you when it's done, but in the meantime just go to their site, download drivers first, then the firmware.
Is there any hiss or other sound issues with IEM's in the 18-26 ohm range? I will mostly be using the rca outputs to my powered speakers. Thanks. This is my first time on your channel. I appreciated the detailed review. I am interested in the Zen or the Fiio k5 pro. I see you also have it and saw your reply in the comments and your comparison for moon dragon. Would you still recommend the Zen over the k5pro for someone who will be using it 95% for powered speakers via the rca output? Thanks in advance.
Hey man! Listening right now with the 16 Ohm (Sorry I don't have anything 18-26) HIFIMAN RE600S and Mac Miller's "Ascension." No hiss! It's really hard to say as both can output to powered speakers. The determinant may just be the fact that you can add some bass with the Zen via it's True Bass button. The K5 Pro doesn't have a bass switch. I do think overall, the Zen is a tad cleaner so there's that as well. Also will you be using Tidal or DSD? The Zen is built for Tidal specifically, while both will play DSD. For me, the K5 Pro doesn't register anything above 48kHz inside Tidal (Yellow Light) *unless* I sync Tidal with a program like Audirvana. Without that, I have no idea if it's reading. With Tidal, all colors worked for me but Green was being finicky *after* the Firmware update. Something to keep in mind. I'm not really sure what the deal is with that, but everything else is kosher. The main takeaway is that yes, both amps can be a bit finicky/temperamental with regard to playback. It's not a deal breaker but does annoy me at times. Hope that helps! Let me know :)
@@HomeStudioBasics First off thanks for the prompt reply, and detailed reply! will not be using Tidal or dsd. However, I do use Amazon music HD which is similar to Tidal. I like the formatting and presentation better than what I saw on Tidal. I am currently using a dragonfly black v1.5 from 2-3 yrs ago. My speakers are Emotiva biamped and am happy with them. I do very very little listening with headphones at home. I have a pair of B&O H7 which sound quite good. BTW, I assume the k5 or Zen will sound better than the dragonfly??? Forget the added versatility. It appears you do favor the sound abit more on the Zen, and I value your opinion. BTW, I would probably not use the bass button on the Zen. In general I prefer my music flat and natural without EQing. Kook forward to your reply. Best regards
@@roblloyd9582 My pleasure man! Yeah you'll find the Zen and K5 Pro are both better than the DF Black. DF Red is very good though and an upgrade over the Black as well. I'm listening now with it. I don't actually own a Black version. I would say the differences between the 3 (Red vs. Zen vs. K5) are very, very subtle. I went back and forth on a Master of "Come Together" by the Beatles (A song I'm very familiar with) through the AKG K702. The K5 Pro sounded slightly warmer and maybe a bit less expansive, while the DF Red sounded a bit more open and airy than the Zen. Zen being kind of in the middle of the 2. It was a really marginal difference though and could be my imagination. I've always perceived the DF Red to have very good Soundstaging and expansiveness throughout the frequency spectrum. It just seems like everything has a bit more life to it. Still, I wouldn't stress over it. I still say for your situation, the Zen is a perfect solution for what you need to accomplish. I think if you ever plan on upgrading headphones, the K5 would be the better choice as it has more power than the Zen at 1.5W. The Zen isn't under powered by any stretch, but it does have less. Can you tell me the exact model of your Emotiva?
thanks again for your input and opinions. The Emotiva's are ASM-4S, 4" woofer and 1"+ ribbon teeter, each driver with a 25watt RMS amp., and have both rca and xlr jacks. I doubt I will change my HP. I never use it. I just sold on Ebay my Oppo PM3 planars and a pair of AKG 240 sextets. The Oppos I used once and the AKG never used. My ears are not what they used to be at 72! I have sold off all my other higher end equipment also. regards @@HomeStudioBasics
@@roblloyd9582 Oh wow. Love the PM3 but yeah, wayyyy dark. I do love them but can understand where you're coming from. Also owned the K240M for awhile. Would have kept them but they guy on eBay failed to mention the slight buzzing sound in the left ear. You couldn't really hear it with music playing but it kind of irritated me that he didn't point it out. Bloody brilliant sound though. I ended up selling off like 9+ headphones because I just didn't use them. Right now all that's left is an HD600, SHP9500, and I just bought a K702 for Gaming :P Yeah for you I'd do RCA to XLR into the speakers. I assume you'll just plug the Zen into your laptop and have it in the same space as well? Let me know what you plan to do.
@@NaveedKhan-bs1sc You wouldn't want to use an adapter as the cable would still be unbalanced, therefore loosing the benefits of a balanced connection. You're better off staying with unbalanced imo.
Yeah man should be fine. You'll be using power match but my guess is around 1-2 'o clock. If it's not enough for you, stack it with the Zen CAN Silver: homestudiobasics.com/ifi-zen-dac-amp-zen-can-amp-stack-vs-ifi-zen-can-signature-6xx-stack/ Keep me posted!
Hi Stu, can u please tell me only about the sound and power differences between zen and hip dac? Single ended only. Will mostly be using with a laptop, hence either are fine. Also, i have an e12 for additional amplification. Headphones are 6xx, 400i and isines.
Nice review. Got mine today, to use with my desktop & Grado SR325e's (which I know you aren't keen on, but all subjective) & Amazon HD FLAC offerings. Can't wait to try it out via usb but I'll have to wait a little longer as the cable (as you point out) is very short. My SFF computer is on the floor and that puny short cable they supply won't even touch the top of it. New longer cable ordered, however, not all bad as anticipation is good and from yours and other reviews of the Zen it should be worth the wait.
Thanks man! I don't know if 9dB bumps at 2kHz are anything but objective though, haha. I do think with EQ most Grado cans sound very good though. I really like the bass and find the Soundstage and detail to be extremely good. It's just way too much of a good thing in the mids, but I digress. Please keep me posted on your findings and how you're enjoying the amp/dac when you get everything squared away!
@@HomeStudioBasics I certainly will Sir, still waiting for the cable to arrive. Just picked up a pair of Sennheiser HD 599s for £99 quid (black Friday deal) in the UK to try out. Just dabbling really in the big scheme in the headphone game really and initially I was an AKG fan boy, but on all 3 sets I bought I had the right channel cut out, the build quality was/is shocking. I threw a pair of K550's in the bin. Same on the Grados, very hit and miss. Sent the first pair of SR325e's back and was immediately sent a new pair followed by full a refund in error as well, so I got those for nothing...result. I agree, detailed but they are pretty tiring on a long listening session.
Nice! Keep me posted on the 599 for sure. Anytime you comment on the blog it's much easier for me to see as far as follow up replies and chatting :) homestudiobasics.com/ifi-zen-amp-dac-review/
@@HomeStudioBasics and have you considered doing a review of the GoldPlanar GL2000 (double magnet version)? I've heard from Zeos that it's the end all of high end headphones. And it only costs $550USD on Drop right now.
as always enjoyable review. does truebass work with speaker? and if this DAC amp has the certain "tonality", does it mean it is not good for monitoring? i use audient id4 for headphones with computer but want to upgrade it because even my fiio m5 sound more Dynamic. and m5 has a big D elay when using it as D ac. i cannot hear delayed sound because i play guitar and csgo.
Thanks for the love! Great question brother. I'm really kicking myself for selling my studio monitors now, as I can't really test some of this great equipment with them at the moment. I don't have a rock solid answer for that, but I'm assuming yes - that the bass boost will and should work. I used the Zen and the HD600's to mix some kick drums the other day (for the intro song) and I would say it turned out well but I'm hyper critical of my work. It's a subtle warmth though; I think it's less gooey than say a Mojo, but still retains a great sense of detail. You will notice some other, more neutral offerings ARE more sterile by contrast, but I wouldn't say "Don't mix with it." And yeah, as good as audio interfaces are, I wouldn't ever solely rely on them to listen to music through headphones, though I did it for quite awhile with some M50's way back when I had the 2i2. If I didn't rap, I would probably just use an Amp like the Zen or Atom to output to monitors and call it a day.
Hey. I have a question - I have a traditional hifi and I am wanting to add an entry level DAC to stream from an iPhone. I know you've reviewed both the iFi Zen here and also the Dragonfly Red, both are a similar pricepoint. Can you offer any words of wisdom, would you pick one over the other?
Hey man! If you have an iPhone I really like the Q1 as it's geared more towards apple users. What headphones do you have though? That would also depend on if I recommend the DF Red or Q1. Zen is fantastic but it's more for desktop usage with a laptop/PC.
Thanks for the love man! Yeah I did :) That beats fairly new but has been sitting for awhile. I may keep working on it and try to add a bass line. How you been?
Hey man, I was thinking to buy the hd650 or hd6xx, just wanted to know if I could use my phone as a music source with the dac-amp. I will power it passively via the power chord or USB.
Yeah man! Great question. You would just need something like a USB 2.0 to micro converter (or Type-C) depending on your phone. So in essence an OTG cable. ifi-audio.com/products/otg-cables/ Anything I can do to steer you towards either a 650 or 6XX? What's holding you back? Let me know if you have any questions.
@@HomeStudioBasics Hello Stu, I really respect your opinion and I'd definitely go for the sennheiser hd 6xx if it was possible. Drop (massdrop) doesn't export/sell/ship their products in my country... So I need to save more money to get the hd650 😢
thank you for the great video. I just brought the sennheiser HD58X and I'm currently just powering it via my 2013 iMac. Would the iFi Zen be a good match for the 58X? the Zen costs $20 over what i paid for the 58X so i'll only be upgraded if it makes a noticeable difference.
Yeah man I think it will be a great match! Noticeable difference? Hard to say as I'm not really a Mac user. The cool thing about the Zen and the 58X/600 series is that you can run balanced cables via the 4.4mm input on the front if you want to as well. Do you run Tidal?
Home Studio Basics yeah I considered a balanced cable but then it really starts to add up in cost. Haha funny you mention tidal because I just signed up for a 30 day trial. Don’t know if I’m going to keep it because a lot of my music on my computer has been chosen for the mastering. I got heaps of vinyl rips, sacd ect.
Hi , i want to use this for powered monitor speakers (its has own volume control each speaker) , if i plug into zen via balanced line out , should i switch to fixed mode? or leave it variable mode? Whats different either variable and fixed mode ?
Hey there! You'd put it on variable that just sends the audio to the monitors really. Fixed is for headphones via USB. For example I ran RCA from the Zen into the K5 Pro so I could use the K5 as the amp and switched the Zen to variable. What speakers are you looking at?
@@HomeStudioBasics yamaha hs5 its powered speakers and each speakers has its own volume control , honestly i dont mind at all to adjust volume either from the speakers or from the zen , i just want to know which one is better also sometimes i using headphone at night (msr7b with 4.4 balanced cable , the speakers connected to 4.4 balanced line out using dual 3pin xlr to 4.4) its complicated situation i dont want to unplug the line out cable at rear whenever i want to use my headphone. any advise?
Hey man! I'm a little biased in that I don't really like Schiit all that much. I had the Magni 2 and it was alright. Kind of grainy and harsh in comparison to other amps like the Objective 2 and ATOM (both of which are superior in my opinion). Haven't tried the Magni 3. I know it has more power but that's about all I can tell you. If I had to guess from specs, sound is about the same. Zen is cheaper and you won't have to buy a separate DAC. Zen is a great amp. You can run balanced 4.4mm and output to separate speakers if you want. Listening now with the 4XX through the Zen with a Master file of Postal Service's "District Sleeps Alone Tonight" and it sounds superb! You will notice that the 4XX/400i/Sundara is a bit more demanding at around 93dB Sensitivity. I'm also noticing a bit of "ess" on the 4XX around 9-10k but the Sundara really doesn't have that issue. It's more tamed in the treble. I've got the power match button on and it's around 2 o'clock with the 4XX. With my HD600 I'm good at around 12-1. Still, there's some headroom but perhaps not as much as you might want. I don't know. Either way, it will drive the HIFMAN's to loud volumes so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I used to own an M50. If I had to guess, you'll be somewhere around 9-10 o'clock and be completely fine. I love the Zen because it can play a wide variety of source files and supports high PCM. For me, it makes complete sense because I run Tidal. It just sounds fantastic with MQA files. If you plan to run Tidal, it's a really easy recommendation. Let me know your thoughts! As always, if you use any of my links in description I will get a kick back. Thank you in advance as it really helps out the blog and channel. Looking forward to hearing from you. -Stu
Thanks man! I was wondering how it sounded to others. May continue to work on it regardless. There's a few things I'm hearing that need to be cleaned up.
Hey man! They don't supply one and it will draw bus power from your PC/Laptop. As for doing something to the sound, I can't really comment on that. You're going to be mostly listening at your desktop I presume?
Hello. Thank you for your great review and responds to comments. I am planning on getting this and a Sundara. If I understood corectly, from the comments, you found it worked fine with an external power supply and power match on. (true bass as per taste). Is this accurate ? Cheers.
Hey man!! Thank you so much for stopping by and for the nice comment! Did you mean to say "you found it worked fine without an external power supply and power match on" ?? I did not have a power supply with this one and still don't. It basically just runs on bus power on my PC. I believe you can purchase an external brick from iFi but it's not mandatory or anything. But yeah, you'll find that it's completely fine with power match on at around 1-2 o' clock. The people saying the Zen doesn't have enough power are ridiculous. Without going off on a rant, elitism in this hobby is becoming rampant and out of control lol. True bass to taste!! Let me know your thoughts :)
@@CraciunAlexandruGh Hey again! No haven't used a Sundara with the Zen specifically, but I'm running the DEVA now, single ended, bus power. Similar specs. Has more than enough power. Will be fine with the Sundara. That headphone is not very hard to drive even with it's low Sensitivity because it also has a low impedance. Same with DEVA although DEVA's is a bit lower at 18 Ohms. 18 vs. 37 is pretty much negligible though.
@@HomeStudioBasics Thank you for your feedback. Based on your review and others, I have decided on the Deva, but some people are saying that the Zen tops out around 1oclock and starts distorting at 2oclock.
Nice! Let me know how you like them! I would ignore those people. They have no idea what they're talking about lol. First off, there's no distortion. That's asinine. If a person claims they can hear distortion moving the dial literally a millimeter, then I'm inclined to believe they can also hear grass growing. Secondly, you can't really even push it much past 2 with high gain on. It's way too loud. So there's no practical basis for such a ludicrous claim because no one is ever going to listen at that volume. If a person's ears are that destroyed where they have to max the d**m dial, maybe they should just stop listening to music altogether. XD
@@HomeStudioBasics It just arrived and it's everything i hoped for. Sound great and feels premium! Im happy i found your video and decided on this! Thank you very much!
Nice, i am curious too would like to buy one, just what did you mean when you said "considering ALL the things you can do with the,,,," did you just mean plug it in ? IE digtal line etc?. or is there some stuff I do not know about in the amp?. Cheers for the review AWESOME!! await your answer
Hey man! Thanks for the love. I was referring to being able to output to studio monitors/speakers via RCA out or 4.4mm out, and it's also a perfect Amp/DAC for Tidal users and/or people who play a lot of DSD files. You can also listen through the amp with balanced 4.4mm cables on your headphones if you choose. It's just a great all around investment. Where are you located?
Hmmm... Do you need bass and gain, and do you prefer on-board controls? The DF Red is pretty bare bones as far as features other than lighting up different colors according to source file. Both are Tidal MQA compatible though. Do you listen through Tidal?
Either will be more than enough power for the 770 my friend! If both phone and PC, you'll want to go with a DF Red. :) You're not going to be disappointed with it I'll tell you that much.. If all you care about is good sound and enough power, Go with the Red and don't hesitate. I wouldn't bother with the Cobalt. Not worth the extra $100. Check my comparison here: th-cam.com/video/Is_2tCwsuS4/w-d-xo.html If you use a link in that description for the Red I do get a small kick back which helps the blog and channel immensely! Let me know your thoughts.
Hi again! I’ve been using this dac and dt990s now for a week or so. The sound is something I have not experienced before 🙈 liking it alot. I actually threw you a question in our earlier comment section but you missed it. But yeah needed advice with windows sample rate and ifi driver settings, should I just keep my windows sample rate at 32bit 48khz which should be original sample rate my games and music is or should I use bigger sample rate? And I’m bit confused with ifi drivers settings (reliable,safe) etc.. thanks for the help man 😊🤙
Hmm. Are you running Tidal and is the color changing to Magenta when playing a Master? Also do you run any files higher than 48? I got a chance to demo all DSD but I don't really care about DSD because those files can be replicated by standard PCM files. Plus 48 is fine because a 48k file still only comes out at half that per the Nyquist Shannon Theorem (aka you can't even hear anything over 20k and most people can't even hear much past 16). So yeah your sample rate in Windows is fine. The amp will adjust accordingly. I think I'm understanding you right? Let me know.
Home Studio Basics I’m not running tidal. And I only use spotify and play some competitive games. Color in the dac is allways green and I think all my files should be 44.1 or 48k. So yea you basicly answered the question. The reason why I’m thinking about ifi drivers buffer settings is because I’ dont know exactly how it works. I checked ifi homepage and there were short explanation it has something to do with latencies and if the settings are incorrect you might experience latency and glitches. I’ve had no problem otherwise than windows notification sound glitches sometimes in the start (kinda like minor buzz sound) but everything else works fine (music,games,youtube). I just thought can it be the buffer settings? I dont think the problem is in hardware because the windows notification is the only thing that has this ”glitch”.
Yo! I found the problem. It is valorants riot vanguard. Should have guessed it because it denies the usage of msi afterburner too xd i guess it doesnt let the drivers work properly or something
My pleasure Nick! Nah you don't even really need it. I think I edited somewhere (probably my article below) to say it didn't really matter as you'll have this plugged into your PC/Laptop full time and it will draw bus power. Highly recommended Amp/DAC! Let me know if you purchase one. If you use the link below I do get a kick back so it would be much appreciated. :) I also wrote an amazon review as well. Keep me posted bro!
@@HomeStudioBasics ya friend! I already purchased one (much because of your reviews). Guess I'm wondering if wall power is better than USB bus power. Maybe it depends on your cpu. Your saying stellar things about it just from USB haha.
I would say yes but don't quote me on it. They do have a lower Sensitivity than the 600's but I wasn't even close to maxing out with power match button on. I'd say go for it. Def keep me posted! If you use my link (in description) I would get a kick back :)
@@HomeStudioBasics would love to support but in my country only one internet store has some ifi stuff (i am in Europe). so i will probably buy this and later the k712 (for 200 dollars by the way)). 170 bucks not bad price for Zen i guess? later will look some tube amp. thinking about loxjie, heard about it? seems a beast at 89 bucks.
@@nonenothing4412 No worries man! Hmm $170? That's still a good price I would say. What's up with UK pricing though lol. We talked about this before didn't we. I know it's the dollar value but sheesh. K712 for $200 is a great price. Have heard about the Loxjie but haven't tried it. I'm trying to get a Bravo Ocean demo unit soon from my friend In To It reviews. You should go and sub his channel as well: th-cam.com/channels/DhV3KByLSY2roqZ2aQ0XKg.html
@@HomeStudioBasics already subbed, green man good. need to look if i will get any taxes ordering from uk, thanks for idea. heard about bravo and even could get some models for very cheap, but heard a lot about their qc issues and kept away.
@@nonenothing4412 Heard about those too. Gumby doesn't seem to have any troubles so it kind of made me interested again. I'm thinking about getting a Bottlehead Crack. Heard it at my friend Luke's house and loved it.
Hey there! That's just the sample rate (384k) which doesn't really matter because you cant hear anything over 20k lol. And yeah you can play FLAC and all that stuffs.
@Dino Someone just commented a couple days ago freaking out about how good it made the Zen sound. I guess it's that new thing iFi is selling on the website. May have to inquire about it.
@Dino Nah for me I don't really care about having one for the Zen. Just wanted to see if iFi would send me their new one for demo so I could see if it's worth the hype.
Hi! Awesome review 🤙 I’ve been thinking about getting this with dt 990 pro 250ohms. I’m new to audio game so could you help me with couple questions. Should I download drivers and firmware if my only use is spotify and gaming on my pc? Or is it just plug ang play? And on those headphones do you recommend using the gain button? Damn audio is hard ;D
Thanks bro! Yeah the firmware updates are mostly for Tidal I believe (IIRC). You'll def want to download drivers first though. And yeah you'll probably be using the gain button with that model 990, but it should get plenty loud enough so no worries. I think this would be a good match for the 990 too because it can be a bit essy/shrill in the highs and the Zen is a bit of a warmer/smoother affair. It will likely help to tame the 990 a bit. Well if you think audio is hard, you're in the right place! Home Studio Basics always aims to make things as simple as possible :) Keep me posted man!! Where are you located?
Home Studio Basics thanks for fast answer! :) I’m from finland. I gave a test for dt 1990 at my friends house and ordered the zen dac and headphones. So I only download drivers? And yea I keep you posted! 😁
Home Studio Basics Sorry I wrote it in confusing way, I ordered dt990s. I heard dt 1990 has that same ”high pitch” treble as dt990 and I couldnt get to test 990 in any store so my friends 1990s were the closest to try
@@sakutahtinen3584 Yeah man I still think you'll love the 990's though. They're immensely open and airy sounding, and very comfortable too! But yeah download the drivers first. Let me know how it goes and if you have any other questions :)
Hey man! What kind of turntable do you have? If you have the Zen DAC/Amp original combo, you cannot as it only has RCA outputs. You'd need something with RCA ins like a K5 Pro.
Nah man. The Zen needs inputs and doesn't have them. You'd need a different Amp/DAC if you want to listen to vinyl through headphones. For instance, I'm using my ATLP60 into the K5 Pro right now because it has RCA inputs. Does the LP120 have a phono preamp built in? If so, all you'd need to do is swap out the Zen Amp/DAC for something else. I can also use the Zen Can Signature Amp because it also has RCA inputs on the back. I pair that with the Zen DAC. Did you see my comparison? th-cam.com/video/L5Re-lra1hM/w-d-xo.html
Tried w iPhone 7 w lightning to usb. No power supply. Will NOT work. How can we get it to work w iPhone 7 lightning out? (Update: Got it to work w addition of AC phone charger connected to a lightning to usb 3 camera adapter. Attach lightning cable to the lightning input of camera adapter, other end connected to AC wall outlet through the USB wall outlet adapter). A little finicky in that Tidal or TuneIn don’t want to always connect, but eventually they did. Not the best logistical arrangement for me but at least I can work w this for now. BTW, the DAC is driving ELAC Navis powered speakers.
Hey man! Got this response from Lawrance today. "Sorry for the late response. You would need an apple CCK to connect via lightning, can't connect directly to lightning." I see you already hooked it up. Doesn't sound as convoluted as it seems. I also honestly could have told you that but I suppose my unfamiliarity with Apple kind of threw me off. It's the same basic concept as using an Android adapter with a DragonFly Redr really. How are you liking the sound?
Home Studio Basics Another cheap alternative is to get the $10 Universal Power Supply and set it at 5V and using the correct connector tip. This with a straight lightning cable is actually a better option than the apple lightning camera cable because it does not result in any clicks/pops when attaching the iPhone. I am impressed with the ZEN DAC product at this price. Sound quality is excellent. What makes the dragonfly red so appealing is you don’t need any sort of power supply. Basically what I have been looking for is a dragonfly w volume control w no additional requirements. It is not out there and I think the ZEN DAC is a good option for me at this point.
Hope someone can answer my question I have a zen dac and will be buying 5v power supply for it, do I still need the usb connected to the laptop and how will the amp know to draw power from the wall as apposed from the usb.
Hey man check out my shootout video and let me know what you think! A lot of people had been asking me about that: th-cam.com/video/ZeKYnErN_6U/w-d-xo.html
Hey man! Thanks for the love. Well the xCAN is a Bluetooth Analog unit primarily, with the DAC only being responsible for the conversion of the BT signal. Kind of different animals to be honest. The xDSD would be a more logical comparison (as it's also an Amp/DAC) but: I think it comes down to if you want to pair it with your phone. If so, the xCAN or xDSD are ideal. I absolutely loved the xCAN. It was so intuitive and simple to use. My lady friend really loved it when I let her borrow it and the HD600. If you're looking for a dedicated desktop amp that can also connect to speakers/monitors, the Zen is just incredible. At it's price point and considering it's build quality, nothing really competes. Be on the lookout for a FiiO K5 Pro Review though (also Amp/DAC under $200 that can be used for console gaming via optical in). I'm actually using the Zen Blue paired with the K5 for some wireless music through my phone and Tidal as well. Great set up!
Hey man! I'd probably not do that unless you're going to run them balanced. :) Edit: Hmm. I forgot the HD800 is pretty efficient at 102dB/mW. You might could get away with the Zen. I run my HD600's on it without an issue at around 1-2 o'clock unbalanced and they're less efficient than the 800's.
@@HomeStudioBasics thanks so much for the reply man, the hd800s are coming with a 4.4 cable so I think I’m probably going to run it balanced , is zen dac the best solution to start with the hd800s if I’m on a budget at the moment or will there be any recommendations too? Again thanks a lot !
It appears you are getting a lot at this price and a reason there is no power supply as you readily don't need one. iFi does make an audiophile power supply for $50 which should compliment this unit very well. As for the USB cable being rather short, it truly helps to keep all cables short whenever possible. Cheers!
Hey man! Yeah if you read my article I mentioned the fact that you don't really need a power brick. homestudiobasics.com/ifi-zen-amp-dac-review/ As for the cable, it's a pretty awful one. It's extremely rigid too and just doesn't work very well with my set up. Your mileage may vary. Could you explain for others why you believe it helps to keep the cable short?
Seems this is more DAC than amp, as it does things, processes file types that only DACs in the $1,000.00 plus range usually handle . MQA, DSD etc. It doesn't have enough power in from the USB to be a serious headphone amp. I believe you are mistaken about the variable/fixed switch, Its purpose i believe, is to use the DAC into a preamp, amp or directly to powered speakers, disabling the gain variance of the "volume" knob.
Hey Shawn! I'm going to have to reach out to Lawrance (iFi) and get his input once and for all on the variable/fixed thing as far as what it actually *means* when you switch from one to the other. You very well may be right. I've just seen too much conflicting info about this. As far as it's value, I think it's an incredible option for most people and ticks a ridiculous amount of boxes for the price (I mean they're basically giving it away). I also don't believe it to be underpowered like some would suggest. Surely, it's not going to power much over 300 Ohm but for the majority of headphones that people listen with, the Zen is perfect. Plenty of reviews, comments, and testimonials from my followers can attest to that. I do think it makes a great DAC though (for instance with the more powerful Zen CAN), so def agree there. I just don't think it's mandatory to get this and then immediately upgrade. I've been using one for almost 2 years and love it. Plenty of power for anything I have. Thanks for stopping by! I will def let you know what he says.
@@HomeStudioBasics Thanks for the reply. I just ordered one, partially based on your review. I have been using my Shiit Modi DAC to my Schiit Magni 2, and now Schiit Valhalla , tube amp for my headphone listening and as a pre-amp for my turntable(using Shiit Mani Phone pre) into my Kanto Tuk Powered speakers. The Tuks have their own Phono Stage and headphone amp but they are noticeably inferior to my Schiit gear. I listen to Records 80% probably lately, but I listen to Tidal streaming to preview records i might want to buy, or stream music I don't have on vinyl. I just today realized I am not getting full quality, becasue Schiit doesn't support MQA. I also want to try out some DSD files(noticed your dislike for them), but they are what SACDs are, right? Anyway, thanks for your review. I can't wait to slide the Ifi Zen in the loop, mostly as a preamp, and nighttime headphone listening through my HD 600s.
@@HomeStudioBasics I got mine yesterday. I have found that the "fixed" position disables bass boost, match, and volume control to the RCA outs. I love this thing so far. Thank You.. Those who think MQAs don't sound better than other streams have never had a dac that renders MQAs. They will play on any DAC without the extra 8 bits of info, so a lot of people think they are not anything special.
Hey man! More than sufficient. 70mW @600 Ohm balanced. HD600/650 require roughly 20mW from an amp. I find the unbalanced provides more than enough as well. :) Hope that helps! It's a fantastic investment. Keep me posted.
92dB Sensitivity and 50 Ohm? I would say yes, but I haven't tested them. I will try and get my buddy In To It on this thread because I think he has them and has demoed the Zen as well.
t50rp's are notoriously hard to drive. I believe it will power them them, yes, but not well. They might sound somewhat thin or lacking in the bass, but I hear they will get up to listening levels according to other reviews. This surprises me, because listening on a centrance barely gets them to listening levels on high gain, and that's 775mw... the zen dac is less without the power match (not listed with the power match). If you want something to power t50's, I'd only use the zen dac as a dac, and get something like the SMSL SP200, an atom from JDS labs, a schitt heresy, a geshelli labs archel pro 2, or if you're not measurement focused, something like the Bravo Ocean as an external power amp. Just did a review of the ocean here: th-cam.com/video/x5FnUHI6Kmk/w-d-xo.html
@@intoitreviews sp200 is very good for shure,but i'm not in to it becouse of price,i think topping A50 will do it,and i think atom is ok too ,but hard to get overhere and same situation is with schiit.. right now i use my zoom uac 2 usb 3 as DAC and for amp i use copy of bayerdynamic A1 amp which is good for my DT770 & HD650 but not for T50RP....any thoughts about loxije p20.... it's under 80$ and i already have balanced out from dac and custom cable for hd650..or toping A50 is better investment?
@@nelsondjordjemijic1533 I've not heard the A50 yet. I've heard the A30 which wasn't my favorite. I'm sure the A50 is better though. I LOVE my P20. It is my recommended amp for HD650's for sure... if you run them balanced. Single ended lacks power. As far as t50rp goes however... there probably is not enough power there from the single ended output. I can test with my mk2 and let you know... but mk3 is more power hungry than the mark2 even...
@@intoitreviews By the way for the CEntrance, 775mW total right? I was surprised to find myself maxing out with gain on paired with my 600's in some circumstances. It didn't have quite as much headroom as I was expecting but I'm going to listen some more later. Did you find this the case at all?
Will this be powerful enough (alone) to drive the dt770 pro 250 ohms? Maybe the 80 ohms is better driven though. Also is the ifi hip dac also powerful enough? That amp/dac is a better alternative to me cause I will be connecting it to my phone! Great review btw:)👍
Hey thanks man! Yeah it will be enough. If you're going the phone route, def consider the hip. Check this article: homestudiobasics.com/ifi-hip-dac-amp-review/ and let me know what you think!
@@HomeStudioBasics The specs is similar to the zen dac, And it seems like a really good deal considering it's portable. Now with that specs should I go 80 ohms or 250 ohms? (Which will sound better?) I looked up a guy that reviewed this and used it with the dt1770 pro and thought it was good driven. I don't know which ohm version he had thought but it seems like it's only one ohm version of that pair which is 318 ohms. Then maybe 250 ohms is the better choice for me with the dt 770 pro?
Hm hip-dac has plenty so you'll be fine 250. I'm running K712 out of it right now and I have power match on but barely have to turn up the volume. 712 is really inefficient so yeah. 770 250 of course has higher impedance but also more efficient so you'll be good. If you're really worried about it just get the 80 but I wouldn't stress about it.
@@HomeStudioBasics I will go for the 80 ohms just to be safe:) When I did some more research most people that tries these headphones with the hip dac goes for the 80 ohms, and they say it's a perfect match:) I also did some calculation which gives me 97 mW with 250 ohms, 100mW is recommend for these headphones, 64mW is required! With 80 ohms the mW is around 180, that's 80 mW more then the recommendation! So yeah definitely a better choice in my opinion:) Btw: thx for your information:)👍
@@HomeStudioBasics Could U suggest me any "just DAC" under 250$ as well? I want to upgrade my setup step by step, but I don't know how to start. It shouldn't be too bright.
@@HomeStudioBasics It's not available in my region. What do you think about DacMagic 100 + Little Dot MkII?Or could u suggest me any DAC with preamp only?
Hey man thanks so much for the love! Seems a few people have been asking about this. I think I'm going to do an article on it next week, but: quick comparison of a few that I wrote awhile back for someone else on this thread: ++++ "My pleasure man! Yeah you'll find the Zen and K5 Pro are both better than the DF Black. DF Red is very good though and an upgrade over the Black as well. I'm listening now with it. I don't actually own a Black version. I would say the differences between the 3 (Red vs. Zen vs. K5) are very, very subtle. I went back and forth on a Master of "Come Together" by the Beatles (A song I'm very familiar with) through the AKG K702. The K5 Pro sounded slightly warmer and maybe a bit less expansive, while the DF Red sounded a bit more open and airy than the Zen. Zen being kind of in the middle of the 2. It was a really marginal difference though and could be my imagination. I've always perceived the DF Red to have very good Soundstaging and expansiveness throughout the frequency spectrum. It just seems like everything has a bit more life to it. Still, I wouldn't stress over it. I still say for your situation, the Zen is a perfect solution for what you need to accomplish. I think if you ever plan on upgrading headphones, the K5 would be the better choice as it has more power than the Zen at 1.5W. The Zen isn't under powered by any stretch, but it does have less. Can you tell me the exact model of your Emotiva?" ++++ Hope that helps! Let me know what you think :)
@@HomeStudioBasics much thanks for your time buddy , i have hd599 and in future wanna buy a hd660 . its my first experience for buy a desktop amp, A friend told me the sound of the K5PRO is boring and the zen is much more musical and better for long listening. And they advised me you have to use zen with a special adapter to see the true power. im confused now ! The comment you was pinned different from the comment you gave me about ZEN !!!
Hi buddy! Could you tell me how this dac is suitable for heavy metal music? Is it good for this or is it better to try something else? Schiit, Fiio, Topping etc?
Hey man! I would say very good, but let me do a bit of a demo and get back to you yeah? What artists are you into? Give me a couple of albums and I will listen. :) I'm mostly into RATM, a little Megadeth, and some prog metal.
@@HomeStudioBasics Oh, that would be great. Try to listen to the Scandinavian melodic death bands ( Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Children of Bodom, In Flames), then some classic like Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Scorpions and tell me your opinion. Thanks for the response!
@@HomeStudioBasics This post is exactly what I was looking for. Looking forward to your opinion on this, with regard to hard rock and metal. Bought the Khadas Tone Board, a couple of months ago (my first dac, so I decided to take it somewhat conservatively cost wise) in order to upgrade from the possibly $10, crappy, on board sound card of my pc. Very good reviews everywhere, so I pulled the trigger. From the get go sound was much clearer, vocals and lead guitars more detailed, expressive and in your face, bass guitars distinguishable (a huge plus) tight and fast, snare-kick-toms-floor tom also having tight attack, body and decay. Very lively and not laid back, overall character. Minimal muddiness. Compared to my 20year old Marantz CD player differences were much less prominent but still there. As expected. However, the big fail, (even with the crappy pc sound card!!!) was/is with rhythm guitars. Something that, for a metalhead, is probably 50% of the whole story and a big NO NO...It simply drains the life out of them. Like listening to a different mix or as if rhythm guitars were a couple of rooms away from the rest of the band! I'm talking albums, with which I'm super familiar with for decades now. Through vinyl, cd, flac, 320 mp3s. Preferences are Sabbath, Priest, Rainbow, Dio, Saxon, Maiden, Accept, Rush, Uriah Heep, Thin Lizzy, Dokken as well as Queensryche, Candlemass, Nevermore, Fates Warning, Symphony X, Metal Church, Overkill, Skyclad etc. I usually don't use any eq in the whole chain. My headphones are Sennheiser's Momentum 2. Plz excuse the length of my post, but I really feel I wasted my money, so any help from a really good ear will help greatly, when I'll get rid of this thing...which btw came with no screws for the extra box you have to buy...Totally hilarious!
Hey man! I have been looking for this comment for like 3 days now lol. I'm sorry I didn't get back with you yet. I couldn't find your comment but thankfully someone else commented on the thread. I will for sure update you tmw first thing in the morning. I'll do some demos of the songs you mentioned and let you know what I think.
Hey man! Yeah you will be good. Power match will be on, but I'd wager you'll be around 2 o'clock on the dial. Love the Zen! Let me know your thoughts. Where are you located?
I'm from Germany I bought the Zen(sounds awesome) and I'm looking for a par of opened back headphones . Just wanted to know if I can go for the 250 ohm
I'd probably take the Zen. Less finicky, more intuitive. As far as pure sound, I've always said the Mojo is the best (along with the Bryston) I've heard but I would have to do an A/B again and see. Haven't heard one in awhile. The Zen is incredible!
@@HomeStudioBasics I actually prefer a warmer sound but the zen dac is warm already so I'm thinking an atom may balance everything out. What do you think?
Plz i connect my zen with windows 10 People says i need to instal asio or wasabi or foobar 2000💔 Does i need to do that just to listen to music or watching moveis? Please i need this informations man💜
Hey man! Just install the latest drivers from iFi and then the firmware. I think I mentioned this in the video? Yeah.. 5:39 man.. that's what you'll want to do. ASIO basically allows an audio interface to directly communicate with a software program, cutting out the middleman i.e Windows, reducing latency in the process and providing a better quality sound. Traditionally it's been used by musicians such as myself with programs like Reason, FL Studio, and Steinberg applications, as it makes recording music that much smoother and easier. Think of me banging out a sample on my drum pad and it taking anywhere from 3ms to 5 seconds to register in the software. That's what ASIO fixes essentially. I suppose whoever told you to do all that is basically trying to use the protocol as a way of applying the same concept with the Zen and a software program like Foobar. That's some real audiophile snob sh** but whatever lol. I will concede that it *is* basically bit perfect at a digital level, but: You don't NEED it to get music playing, and I really don't personally care about doing it myself. If I were you, I would try that out LATER once you are up and running. It's not something you have to do right away although you could if you really wanted to. What do you think?
@@HomeStudioBasics all the thoughts in my head its just (wow thanks for that lovely respones🖤💫) ... I realy appreciate that I will do the same you were do.. i actually thinking about that and what i figuered out it's (mendoksy) just a waste of time and i dont need that for my basic setup💥 Thanks again you help for many things not just this one 💭🌹
Woo hah! That's a tough one man. The K5 Pro to my ears sounds a bit warmer but maybe not quite as resolving. It's a close call. I love both and own the K5 Pro. That is going to be my full time console gaming rig actually. Let me do another back and forth and get back to you. Either way you go, the 6XX pairs well with both.
Ok my friend, I'm back. Would have been back sooner but got distracted after my listening session lol. I listened to 9 songs: "Feel It (feat. Tunji Ige)" by GTA and What So Not, "Change Ya Mind" by Mac Ayres, "Bubble Dream" by Chon, "Doves in the Wind" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, "TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME" by the 1975, Ghostface Killah - "One", BenZel & Ryn Weaver - "Touch", Police - "Every Breath You Take", and Steely Dan - "Reelin' in the Years" My impressions are that the differences are kind of subtle, but still definitely noticeable. The Zen overall has this snappier, tighter character to it. It's more cohesive and whole. It sounds really focused and perhaps a bit more detailed. The K5 Pro lags behind just a smidgen. It's a bit warmer, but kind of loosey goosey by contrast. With the K5 Pro, I feel like I want to just listen to the song as a whole. With the Zen, I found myself honing in on specific instruments, especially during the bridge on "Every Breath You Take" starting with "Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace" The bass line during that section sounded absolutely sublime through the Zen. Both are very good amps, and very detailed. If you held a gun to my head and forced me to choose, I would go with the Zen. Build is a bit better, and sound is as well. Both can output to other sources via RCA, but the K5 Pro does have the RCA inputs so you can hook it up to another DAC. K5 Pro also has Optical input for use with a console. Zen has a balanced 4.4mm output but also works with balanced headphones. Both have DSD support, but I'm not entirely sure if the K5 is MQA supported in Tidal. Both have gain, but only the Zen has the bass boost. Another reason I prefer it. I love being able to press that button and get some extra impact down low. Overall, the K5 Pro is a bit more versatile but I like the sound of the Zen better. Hope that helps! Keep me posted on your thoughts. -Stu
@@HomeStudioBasics Thank you for a well written response and time you took to answer my question. Now i am convinced about Zen. The guy who made me buy a 6xx there is no reason to question your preferences. Its good that Zen have that bass boost done right. I dont wanna loose that midrange that the 600 line have but i would like a litle bit more bass and Zen gives that. Thanks again. Your channel should get much more views, honesty is what i like.
@@moondragon5630 No worries my friend! Really glad to do it. Thank you for your continued support as well. I really do believe in the power of the Zen. :) If you purchase one through the link below I will get a kick back so it's much appreciated brother. I also wrote a review on amazon. Let me know how it goes and keep me posted!!
Damn...i cant stop playing with those chicken drum sticks. I must be very talented maestro musician. Wife: what are you watching? Me: magical lego twerking dac+amp review. Wife: dials 911.
@@HomeStudioBasics im currently in japan .......not a native tho..just a grad student.....was just lookin for a portable amp/dac.....made the mistake of buyin a 250 ohm headphone(dint know too much about headphones).....sounded great on my friends dac so wanted to get my own
Hey man no problem! Really all you need to worry about is the RCA Outs and the balanced 4.4mm output. To keep it simple, I would just utilize the RCA's. You can use them to connect to another amp via RCA to RCA, or RCA to XLR into some studio monitors/speakers.
I really enjoyed your review and honest opinions of the iFi Zen, so I have subbed and signed up for your newsletter. I currently use a gen 1 iFi iDSD Nano as my desktop amp/DAC and it has worked great for about five years now. But I have been wondering about a possible update and this new Zen may be the ticket, plus it is a bit more attractive, IMHO. Anyhoo, thank you for the review and keep up the good work, sir!
@@HomeStudioBasics Currently, I'm using Grado SR-60s and Audio Technica ATH-50s for my cans. I recently jumped into the IEM world with some BLON BL-03s. Nothing crazy.
@@Brown_Sound Yeah man I don't see why you wouldn't upgrade to the Zen. It will likely blow you away, and if you decide to upgrade down the road, as it will drive the majority of headphones needing a bit more juice. That's kind of why I asked; I wanted to see what kind of Impedance/Sensitivity ranges you had on your current crop. The M50 and SR60 are both very easy to drive. The Zen is great though because it's really versatile as you gathered from the video. Would be fantastic with Tidal if you have that already or decide to take the plunge. Let me know what you think!
@@HomeStudioBasics Hey Stu, well I went ahead and bought the Zen, as a late Xmas present to myself. So far I am liking it quite a bit. It looks great and is built like a tank. Not that the iDSD Nano is ugly but it ain't as sexy as the Zen! I will verify from one of your earlier commenters, if you are using Linux as your desktop, you will need to borrow a WIN or MAC desktop for the firmware update. This was nonissue for me, since I have a separate boot HDD for Windows 7 on my Linux desktop. Anyhoo, I ended up rolling mine back from the GTO firmware, anyway. The GTO update seems to upsample all of the non-DSD stuff to high PCM, which makes everything "too smooth", IMHO. I had the same issue with the iDSD Nano a few years ago, you could upsample everything to DSD512, which was sort of cool, but it made everything a little un-natural, once again, IMO. Yer mileage may vary, so to each their own, eh? I'm still working on the MQA/Tidal setup. It has been about a month since I had Windows booted up, it's a rarity really, and the latest Tidal update is killing my Tidal desktop app. The browser version of Tidal still works that doesn't do MQA. I think Tidal is trying to force me off of Windows 7, so I'll need to work on doing an upgrade to Windows 10, grrr. But that's a whole different issue, outside of the scope of this group. So thank you once again for the detailed and informative review of the Zen DAC and have a great day, sir!
Hey man! Thank you for the nice comment. I mention source @ 8:00 lower left. In the future I think it would be helpful to make it more obvious and also make the text bigger. Also good call on the last bit. It would be helpful to also mention if I listened on PC or through phone. Most of my viewers know I prefer listening through my laptop but it would be beneficial for others to know that too. Thank you!
Hmm.. What headphones are you listening on? I haven't finished the beat yet. I will have to go back and see what it sounds like. Perhaps need to adjust the bass a bit. Thank you for your nice comment!
His review is inconsistent with many people's impressions of the amp. His amazon review claiming it doesn't have enough power is clearly false. It provides plenty. Some of the other comments here can attest to that. His claim of distortion - false. There is no distortion at higher levels and the amp doesn't even need to be pushed that hard anyway. I'm honestly just kind of tired of all that. There's a place for measuring things, sure. But it's getting over the top and obsessive to the point of: "Why even try it for yourself at all? We have measurements to tell us what's good and what's not." That said, it is a subjective hobby. Measure away if that's what you're into, but it takes some of the fun out of it. I will say that I'm also sick of the never ending influx of amps and dacs flooding the market, but that's a separate issue altogether.
@@HomeStudioBasics Science does not care about random impressions. I don't know which impressions are paid, which one comes from iFi marketing team. Bad measurements are results of bad engineering. Yes, it is cheap so I can't expect very good engineering quality. But at least, it makes me think of alternatives at the same price range.
@@wemustgo Maybe you (and ASR) should try basing your opinions of a product on *how it sounds*.... You may be surprised. Measurements are not everything. Give this video from Paul of PS Audio a watch: th-cam.com/video/VDyM_M6lIPw/w-d-xo.html
@@wemustgo Peoples impressions of the sound will always be the basis of a review, no matter how much ASR wants to throw numbers around all day. All I'm saying is that his claims don't line up with what I or many others hear, not even close. There's no distortion at all, whatsoever. Period. It's a baseless claim. Lack of power = baseless claim, especially when lots of other people say otherwise. I don't need a measurement from Audio Science to tell me that. I can use those things that I use to listen to music, you know, they're called ears or something. That type of stuff is going to ruin this hobby. All it does it get people more in a tizzy about what to buy, and there's already too much. The fact of the matter is that from DAC to DAC, there aren't huge differences, not by a damn sight. It comes down to output impedance mostly. There's your science. So they love the Atom but don't like the Zen? Give me a break. There's like, very very little difference in the way those 2 amps sound side by side (if any). They both sound great. What people ultimately go with depends more on features than anything, what they need the amp to accomplish within their own set up/space, and not much else outside of that. The biggest differences between amps/dacs that I've found after demoing close to 30 is 1) Output Impedance, 2) Warm tilt or neutral 3) Power Output. The rest of that stuff is overblown.
Dont do videos high if you want to be taken seriously with toys and stuff in the shot!
th-cam.com/video/HQfzwFloVqA/w-d-xo.html
@@HomeStudioBasics th-cam.com/video/7rJqiEiw2mU/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/Qw9oX-kZ_9k/w-d-xo.html
@@dcime1 giphy.com/gifs/8VLpscHZJ3Rm0/html5
@R Sarabin Maybe your high.
Build - 0:49 Features & Usage - 2:27 Firmware Update/Drivers - 5:37 Sound - 6:42 Chicken Drumsticks/Album List - 7:45 Top 3 Desktop/Final Word - 12:20 Twerk/Rap - 13:37
I have this amp dac, it's incredible. Especially for my He4xx, which really soar with the bass boost and power. I did download the GTO filter firmware update and flashed it to the Zen and it was even better. I recommend that. Great review!
After you flashed the firmware, did the led color stay on yellow for all PCM? Mine doesn't change colors at all except when running an MQA stream through it.
Thanks brother!
@@MarkSubsonik I'm having this same issue actually. It will switch to yellow, cyan, blue, and magenta, but won't switch to green under any circumstance. Before the firmware update it would stay green full time; I will have to reach back out to Lawrance and get some insight. I found some DSD files (of all types) to experiment with and am happy to report that it does indeed work properly, but that green light doesn't come on. Theoretically it should when you're just playing a FLAC file from Tidal. The only reason I was able to snag a picture of Green in this video (in explaining the different colors) is that when you first plug it in, it flashes green for a split second before settling on yellow. Because I had my tripod set up, I was able to time it and snag a picture in that very short time frame.
@@MarkSubsonik i believe after you flash the device, the LED stays that yellow color all the time. But Im not so sophisticated with my digital music, I dont have large variety of different sources to test this, so I dont know how to test this with different formats. I do know that my unit has the yellow led, and that's consistent with what I heard on a review of one of the effects of a unit with the firmware update
@@HomeStudioBasics Wow, that is strange. Mine didn't behave like that at all. Before firmware update, all the colors would display properly, even green for 44.1. I tested with Tidal, Qobuz and my local library. After the update, yellow is the only color displayed for every sample rate except MQA which will show magenta.
Bought one of these a couple weeks ago and have been waiting on someone to review it properly. I use the HD58X balanced with it and it's like they were made for each other. Thanks for the review!
This amp is incredible. The reason it's so good is because it combines warmth with detail pretty much effortlessly. Plus that build is just impeccable. Thanks for the love man!
It does sound great and I find myself backing further and further away from EQ every day because of how natural and dynamic it makes whatever I put through it sound. I would say most of the DAC/AMP combos I've used so far have colored the sound so much, I always needed to "correct" it to be able to listen to them comfortably. I'm a fan, so far!
@@MarkSubsonik Hi. Did you notice a difference between balanced and unbalanced with the hd58x ? I have the zen dac and that headphone, and I was considering buying a balanced cable. They cost around 40€ where I live so I want to make sure I don't buy anything not worth it.
@@salamaltar7 Hey! Oh yes, I would definitely grab one man. The added power is totally worth it in my humble opinion. As for any improvement in sound quality, I'm not sure my ears can hear a difference but, running the 58x balanced is just a whole new level of better.
@@salamaltar7 I forgot to add, when you run the 58x balanced, the Zen DAC really opens up. what I mean by that is, it kind of 'wakes' my music up whereas in SE, songs kind of sound flat in comparison. Is that a change in dynamic range or overall quality? I have no idea. I DO know that It's so much better! Hope this helps you out man! Good luck
Lovely review and swell comparisons. I came for the information but stayed for the humor and personality!
Big question, how do these compare to like a hybrid tube amp or tube amp.
I never had an dac/amplifier before; I just purchased my first midfi setup, the HD6XX. I found them to be great but lacking so I had the chance to go to a retail store that had a lot of Schiit products. I very much particularly liked the Vali 2 tube amp with the Heresy coming next.
I think I liked the warmth, headroom, and bass response while keeping clarity from the Vali 2 (which I heard is like neutral and warm). I can get the volume to like 1-2 o'clock max (both Heresy and Vali 2 with Vali 2 being louder despite having less power) and I don't hear any distortion (unless I'm bad at hearing them). What I want to know is how does the Zen Dac provide in comparison to the warmth of a hybrid tube or just tube in general? Will it be sufficient based on your experience with a Sennheiser cans?
I really love the warmth and bass it gave and I'm not sure if the Zen Dac is enough or if I should really spend for the Vali 2 + Modi 3.
I hope I can hear from your opinion about it!
Hey man thank you so much for your kind words and continued support!
As far as a comparison to tubes, there's really nothing like a tube amp (think something like a Bottlehead Crack), but Amps like the Zen and K5 Pro are certainly getting there in terms of overall warmth. The K5 Pro is a bit warmer than a Zen, and the Zen isn't quite neutral. I'd say it's just a bit warmer than a typical Amp with a very low output impedance (something like an Objective 2, NX4, Magni, etc.)
It's almost like a hybrid. Very enjoyable sound. Smooth. Relaxed, etc. I believe the Zen's output impedance is around 1 (maybe a bit less than 1? I can't remember the exact number), whereas the K5 Pro sits at 1.2. For comparisons sake, the neutral amps mentioned above are very low (0.54,
should I buy this over the FIIO K5pro cos I have Sony MDR 1AM2 with 4.4mm jack cable?
Yup! Absolutely man! Do you run Tidal?
@@HomeStudioBasics I don't have tidal yet. But i do buy the hires files to listen. So you mean the 4.4mm balanced does matter with the sound from Zena Dac?
I bought Ifi zen one signature. It sounds good, I like it, but it gives me background noise in the speakers. I turned on the amplifier without sound and from half to maximum there is a background noise with the dac on. I'm thinking of returning it and buying Cambridge 200m. Thank you.
Ima buy the O2 +SDAC/AMP for Christmas!!! I was going to buy a rca connector which connects the left and right rca into a aux female port so I could plug my speakers into the DAC/AMP also, but my first question is would using a rca connector like I described remove signal quality removing sound quality? Second question would plugging my speakers that have a aux male into the rca connector into the DAC/AMP benefit my speakers in sound quality? I will be pairing my 58X HD jubilee’s with this amp and the edifier Luna’s with them!! Amazing video I love hearing about new sound tech so keep posting and I will keep watching! :)
Hey man! What cable would you be using specifically to plug into your speakers? RCA to 3.5mm? You should be fine! :) Thanks so much for the love brother.
Home Studio Basics yes 3.55mm TY for the response:)
Did you download all the drivers for example the mqa compatibility update, software update and the windows driver??
Hey man! Well, considering all of the colors here are represented, I would say yes. Lol. Everything is in working order. Here's the article where you can see them as well. Just scroll 'til you see "Shoot 2": homestudiobasics.com/ifi-zen-amp-dac-review/
I'm trying to install mine but I ain't got a clue.. It's doing my head in
@@mikemcguinness1304 Hey man I'm going to have to write a little guide in the article about that. I will try and remember to message you when it's done, but in the meantime just go to their site, download drivers first, then the firmware.
Is there any hiss or other sound issues with IEM's in the 18-26 ohm range? I will mostly be using the rca outputs to my powered speakers. Thanks. This is my first time on your channel. I appreciated the detailed review. I am interested in the Zen or the Fiio k5 pro. I see you also have it and saw your reply in the comments and your comparison for moon dragon. Would you still recommend the Zen over the k5pro for someone who will be using it 95% for powered speakers via the rca output? Thanks in advance.
Hey man! Listening right now with the 16 Ohm (Sorry I don't have anything 18-26) HIFIMAN RE600S and Mac Miller's "Ascension." No hiss! It's really hard to say as both can output to powered speakers. The determinant may just be the fact that you can add some bass with the Zen via it's True Bass button. The K5 Pro doesn't have a bass switch. I do think overall, the Zen is a tad cleaner so there's that as well. Also will you be using Tidal or DSD? The Zen is built for Tidal specifically, while both will play DSD.
For me, the K5 Pro doesn't register anything above 48kHz inside Tidal (Yellow Light) *unless* I sync Tidal with a program like Audirvana. Without that, I have no idea if it's reading. With Tidal, all colors worked for me but Green was being finicky *after* the Firmware update. Something to keep in mind. I'm not really sure what the deal is with that, but everything else is kosher.
The main takeaway is that yes, both amps can be a bit finicky/temperamental with regard to playback. It's not a deal breaker but does annoy me at times.
Hope that helps! Let me know :)
@@HomeStudioBasics
First off thanks for the prompt reply, and detailed reply! will not be using Tidal or dsd. However, I do use Amazon music HD which is similar to Tidal. I like the formatting and presentation better than what I saw on Tidal. I am currently using a dragonfly black v1.5 from 2-3 yrs ago. My speakers are Emotiva biamped and am happy with them. I do very very little listening with headphones at home. I have a pair of B&O H7 which sound quite good. BTW, I assume the k5 or Zen will sound better than the dragonfly??? Forget the added versatility. It appears you do favor the sound abit more on the Zen, and I value your opinion. BTW, I would probably not use the bass button on the Zen. In general I prefer my music flat and natural without EQing. Kook forward to your reply. Best regards
@@roblloyd9582 My pleasure man! Yeah you'll find the Zen and K5 Pro are both better than the DF Black. DF Red is very good though and an upgrade over the Black as well. I'm listening now with it. I don't actually own a Black version. I would say the differences between the 3 (Red vs. Zen vs. K5) are very, very subtle. I went back and forth on a Master of "Come Together" by the Beatles (A song I'm very familiar with) through the AKG K702. The K5 Pro sounded slightly warmer and maybe a bit less expansive, while the DF Red sounded a bit more open and airy than the Zen. Zen being kind of in the middle of the 2. It was a really marginal difference though and could be my imagination.
I've always perceived the DF Red to have very good Soundstaging and expansiveness throughout the frequency spectrum. It just seems like everything has a bit more life to it. Still, I wouldn't stress over it. I still say for your situation, the Zen is a perfect solution for what you need to accomplish. I think if you ever plan on upgrading headphones, the K5 would be the better choice as it has more power than the Zen at 1.5W. The Zen isn't under powered by any stretch, but it does have less. Can you tell me the exact model of your Emotiva?
thanks again for your input and opinions. The Emotiva's are ASM-4S, 4" woofer and 1"+ ribbon teeter, each driver with a 25watt RMS amp., and have both rca and xlr jacks. I doubt I will change my HP. I never use it. I just sold on Ebay my Oppo PM3 planars and a pair of AKG 240 sextets. The Oppos I used once and the AKG never used. My ears are not what they used to be at 72! I have sold off all my other higher end equipment also. regards @@HomeStudioBasics
@@roblloyd9582 Oh wow. Love the PM3 but yeah, wayyyy dark. I do love them but can understand where you're coming from. Also owned the K240M for awhile. Would have kept them but they guy on eBay failed to mention the slight buzzing sound in the left ear. You couldn't really hear it with music playing but it kind of irritated me that he didn't point it out. Bloody brilliant sound though. I ended up selling off like 9+ headphones because I just didn't use them. Right now all that's left is an HD600, SHP9500, and I just bought a K702 for Gaming :P
Yeah for you I'd do RCA to XLR into the speakers. I assume you'll just plug the Zen into your laptop and have it in the same space as well? Let me know what you plan to do.
How does this compare with the Zen air dac?
Hope someone can answer my question. I have a zen dac and the hd650 how do I use the 4.4 pentacon input on the front of the unit.
You need to buy a balanced cable made for the 650 HDs.
@@limewireomochao thanks for the answer. is there not an adapter or a cheaper alternative.
@@NaveedKhan-bs1sc You wouldn't want to use an adapter as the cable would still be unbalanced, therefore loosing the benefits of a balanced connection. You're better off staying with unbalanced imo.
@@limewireomochao ok that makes sense :)
Hey man I put a link to a balanced cable in the description. It's the one that I'm going to get once I purchase one for my HD600's. :)
Will it be enough and good for Hifiman HE400i 2020?
Yeah man should be fine. You'll be using power match but my guess is around 1-2 'o clock. If it's not enough for you, stack it with the Zen CAN Silver: homestudiobasics.com/ifi-zen-dac-amp-zen-can-amp-stack-vs-ifi-zen-can-signature-6xx-stack/ Keep me posted!
Hi Stu, can u please tell me only about the sound and power differences between zen and hip dac? Single ended only. Will mostly be using with a laptop, hence either are fine. Also, i have an e12 for additional amplification. Headphones are 6xx, 400i and isines.
Hey man lol I replied to this in like 4 places. Let me know your thoughts!
Home Studio Basics hey! Thanks! Ill go through them and get back to you!
Nice review. Got mine today, to use with my desktop & Grado SR325e's (which I know you aren't keen on, but all subjective) & Amazon HD FLAC offerings. Can't wait to try it out via usb but I'll have to wait a little longer as the cable (as you point out) is very short. My SFF computer is on the floor and that puny short cable they supply won't even touch the top of it. New longer cable ordered, however, not all bad as anticipation is good and from yours and other reviews of the Zen it should be worth the wait.
Thanks man! I don't know if 9dB bumps at 2kHz are anything but objective though, haha. I do think with EQ most Grado cans sound very good though. I really like the bass and find the Soundstage and detail to be extremely good. It's just way too much of a good thing in the mids, but I digress. Please keep me posted on your findings and how you're enjoying the amp/dac when you get everything squared away!
@@HomeStudioBasics I certainly will Sir, still waiting for the cable to arrive. Just picked up a pair of Sennheiser HD 599s for £99 quid (black Friday deal) in the UK to try out. Just dabbling really in the big scheme in the headphone game really and initially I was an AKG fan boy, but on all 3 sets I bought I had the right channel cut out, the build quality was/is shocking. I threw a pair of K550's in the bin. Same on the Grados, very hit and miss. Sent the first pair of SR325e's back and was immediately sent a new pair followed by full a refund in error as well, so I got those for nothing...result. I agree, detailed but they are pretty tiring on a long listening session.
Nice! Keep me posted on the 599 for sure. Anytime you comment on the blog it's much easier for me to see as far as follow up replies and chatting :) homestudiobasics.com/ifi-zen-amp-dac-review/
watching this video with my zen dac. thank you for the review.
Hey man thank you for stopping by! What headphones are you listening with?
@@HomeStudioBasics Philips SHP9600. Pretty smooth.
@@Sir_Corgerus SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIII lol. So glad you're enjoying it! I have that one now too!
@@HomeStudioBasics and have you considered doing a review of the GoldPlanar GL2000 (double magnet version)? I've heard from Zeos that it's the end all of high end headphones. And it only costs $550USD on Drop right now.
@@Sir_Corgerus have the same headphones, do they benefit from the zen dac? Hos does it sound?
as always enjoyable review. does truebass work with speaker? and if this DAC amp has the certain "tonality", does it mean it is not good for monitoring? i use audient id4 for headphones with computer but want to upgrade it because even my fiio m5 sound more Dynamic. and m5 has a big D elay when using it as D ac. i cannot hear delayed sound because i play guitar and csgo.
Thanks for the love! Great question brother. I'm really kicking myself for selling my studio monitors now, as I can't really test some of this great equipment with them at the moment. I don't have a rock solid answer for that, but I'm assuming yes - that the bass boost will and should work.
I used the Zen and the HD600's to mix some kick drums the other day (for the intro song) and I would say it turned out well but I'm hyper critical of my work. It's a subtle warmth though; I think it's less gooey than say a Mojo, but still retains a great sense of detail. You will notice some other, more neutral offerings ARE more sterile by contrast, but I wouldn't say "Don't mix with it."
And yeah, as good as audio interfaces are, I wouldn't ever solely rely on them to listen to music through headphones, though I did it for quite awhile with some M50's way back when I had the 2i2. If I didn't rap, I would probably just use an Amp like the Zen or Atom to output to monitors and call it a day.
True bass does NOT work with speakers. Headphone output only.
@@cobrabucket one can always plug them into headphone out...
@@cobrabucket Thanks for the clarification!!
Awesome review as always! A cleaner edit and background sound too ! ^-^
Means a lot man thank you so much!
Hey. I have a question - I have a traditional hifi and I am wanting to add an entry level DAC to stream from an iPhone. I know you've reviewed both the iFi Zen here and also the Dragonfly Red, both are a similar pricepoint. Can you offer any words of wisdom, would you pick one over the other?
Hey man! If you have an iPhone I really like the Q1 as it's geared more towards apple users. What headphones do you have though? That would also depend on if I recommend the DF Red or Q1. Zen is fantastic but it's more for desktop usage with a laptop/PC.
Did you make the new intro song? Sounds great!
Thanks for the love man! Yeah I did :) That beats fairly new but has been sitting for awhile. I may keep working on it and try to add a bass line. How you been?
Can You test Loxjie d10?
I want one over this bc for me it is 50 bucks cheaper. This is 180 vs 130 of the Loxjie.
Zen is 180? Where are you?
Mexico.
Any updates?
165, the Loxjie still being lower at 130.
Hey man, I was thinking to buy the hd650 or hd6xx, just wanted to know if I could use my phone as a music source with the dac-amp. I will power it passively via the power chord or USB.
Yeah man! Great question. You would just need something like a USB 2.0 to micro converter (or Type-C) depending on your phone. So in essence an OTG cable. ifi-audio.com/products/otg-cables/ Anything I can do to steer you towards either a 650 or 6XX? What's holding you back? Let me know if you have any questions.
@@HomeStudioBasics Hello Stu, I really respect your opinion and I'd definitely go for the sennheiser hd 6xx if it was possible. Drop (massdrop) doesn't export/sell/ship their products in my country... So I need to save more money to get the hd650 😢
thank you for the great video. I just brought the sennheiser HD58X and I'm currently just powering it via my 2013 iMac. Would the iFi Zen be a good match for the 58X? the Zen costs $20 over what i paid for the 58X so i'll only be upgraded if it makes a noticeable difference.
Yeah man I think it will be a great match! Noticeable difference? Hard to say as I'm not really a Mac user. The cool thing about the Zen and the 58X/600 series is that you can run balanced cables via the 4.4mm input on the front if you want to as well. Do you run Tidal?
Home Studio Basics yeah I considered a balanced cable but then it really starts to add up in cost. Haha funny you mention tidal because I just signed up for a 30 day trial. Don’t know if I’m going to keep it because a lot of my music on my computer has been chosen for the mastering. I got heaps of vinyl rips, sacd ect.
Hi , i want to use this for powered monitor speakers (its has own volume control each speaker) , if i plug into zen via balanced line out , should i switch to fixed mode? or leave it variable mode?
Whats different either variable and fixed mode ?
Hey there! You'd put it on variable that just sends the audio to the monitors really. Fixed is for headphones via USB. For example I ran RCA from the Zen into the K5 Pro so I could use the K5 as the amp and switched the Zen to variable. What speakers are you looking at?
@@HomeStudioBasics yamaha hs5 its powered speakers and each speakers has its own volume control , honestly i dont mind at all to adjust volume either from the speakers or from the zen , i just want to know which one is better
also sometimes i using headphone at night (msr7b with 4.4 balanced cable , the speakers connected to 4.4 balanced line out using dual 3pin xlr to 4.4)
its complicated situation i dont want to unplug the line out cable at rear whenever i want to use my headphone.
any advise?
Not complicated man! You'd just switch the Zen to variable when using the HS5's, and fixed when using headphones. :)
@@HomeStudioBasics thanks a lot man , i will try it later
Which would be better for hifiman sundara and m50x ? Ifi zen or schiit magni 3?? Thankyou.idont like lot of bass tho
Hey man! I'm a little biased in that I don't really like Schiit all that much. I had the Magni 2 and it was alright. Kind of grainy and harsh in comparison to other amps like the Objective 2 and ATOM (both of which are superior in my opinion). Haven't tried the Magni 3. I know it has more power but that's about all I can tell you. If I had to guess from specs, sound is about the same. Zen is cheaper and you won't have to buy a separate DAC. Zen is a great amp. You can run balanced 4.4mm and output to separate speakers if you want.
Listening now with the 4XX through the Zen with a Master file of Postal Service's "District Sleeps Alone Tonight" and it sounds superb! You will notice that the 4XX/400i/Sundara is a bit more demanding at around 93dB Sensitivity. I'm also noticing a bit of "ess" on the 4XX around 9-10k but the Sundara really doesn't have that issue. It's more tamed in the treble. I've got the power match button on and it's around 2 o'clock with the 4XX. With my HD600 I'm good at around 12-1. Still, there's some headroom but perhaps not as much as you might want. I don't know. Either way, it will drive the HIFMAN's to loud volumes so I wouldn't worry too much about it.
I used to own an M50. If I had to guess, you'll be somewhere around 9-10 o'clock and be completely fine. I love the Zen because it can play a wide variety of source files and supports high PCM. For me, it makes complete sense because I run Tidal. It just sounds fantastic with MQA files. If you plan to run Tidal, it's a really easy recommendation. Let me know your thoughts! As always, if you use any of my links in description I will get a kick back. Thank you in advance as it really helps out the blog and channel. Looking forward to hearing from you.
-Stu
@@HomeStudioBasics thanks man ...really appreciated ...thank you for the time and energy . i think i might get zen then.
@@onii-chan9407 No worries mate! Keep me posted on your impressions of the Amp!
The new outro sounds great!
Thanks man! I was wondering how it sounded to others. May continue to work on it regardless. There's a few things I'm hearing that need to be cleaned up.
Sure man, keep working on it till it makes you happy ;D
Do you think the external power does something to the sound or its not needed?
Hey man! They don't supply one and it will draw bus power from your PC/Laptop. As for doing something to the sound, I can't really comment on that. You're going to be mostly listening at your desktop I presume?
Mostly desktop, sometimes laptop. But always at home
@@YoZasuke I think the Zen is perfect for you if that's the case man! Let me know what you think..
Hello. Thank you for your great review and responds to comments. I am planning on getting this and a Sundara. If I understood corectly, from the comments, you found it worked fine with an external power supply and power match on. (true bass as per taste). Is this accurate ? Cheers.
Hey man!! Thank you so much for stopping by and for the nice comment!
Did you mean to say "you found it worked fine without an external power supply and power match on" ??
I did not have a power supply with this one and still don't. It basically just runs on bus power on my PC. I believe you can purchase an external brick from iFi but it's not mandatory or anything.
But yeah, you'll find that it's completely fine with power match on at around 1-2 o' clock. The people saying the Zen doesn't have enough power are ridiculous. Without going off on a rant, elitism in this hobby is becoming rampant and out of control lol.
True bass to taste!!
Let me know your thoughts :)
@@HomeStudioBasics Wait....you ran the Sundara with zen of usb bus power? Did you run them single ended or balanced?
@@CraciunAlexandruGh Hey again! No haven't used a Sundara with the Zen specifically, but I'm running the DEVA now, single ended, bus power. Similar specs. Has more than enough power. Will be fine with the Sundara. That headphone is not very hard to drive even with it's low Sensitivity because it also has a low impedance. Same with DEVA although DEVA's is a bit lower at 18 Ohms. 18 vs. 37 is pretty much negligible though.
@@HomeStudioBasics Thank you for your feedback. Based on your review and others, I have decided on the Deva, but some people are saying that the Zen tops out around 1oclock and starts distorting at 2oclock.
Nice! Let me know how you like them!
I would ignore those people. They have no idea what they're talking about lol. First off, there's no distortion. That's asinine. If a person claims they can hear distortion moving the dial literally a millimeter, then I'm inclined to believe they can also hear grass growing.
Secondly, you can't really even push it much past 2 with high gain on. It's way too loud. So there's no practical basis for such a ludicrous claim because no one is ever going to listen at that volume. If a person's ears are that destroyed where they have to max the d**m dial, maybe they should just stop listening to music altogether. XD
Thank you for this wonderful review! Very excited to try this thing out!
Nice!!! Keep me posted for sure man! It's a daily driver for me for sure :)
@@HomeStudioBasics It just arrived and it's everything i hoped for. Sound great and feels premium! Im happy i found your video and decided on this! Thank you very much!
@@MrGeilo123 Thanks so much man! So glad you're enjoying it. What headphones are you rocking and where are you from?
Nice, i am curious too would like to buy one, just what did you mean when you said "considering ALL the things you can do with the,,,," did you just mean plug it in ? IE digtal line etc?. or is there some stuff I do not know about in the amp?. Cheers for the review AWESOME!! await your answer
Hey man! Thanks for the love. I was referring to being able to output to studio monitors/speakers via RCA out or 4.4mm out, and it's also a perfect Amp/DAC for Tidal users and/or people who play a lot of DSD files. You can also listen through the amp with balanced 4.4mm cables on your headphones if you choose. It's just a great all around investment. Where are you located?
How would this compare with dragonfly cobalt?
Hey man! Cobalt is a bit more open/airy sounding. Did you see my shootout? th-cam.com/video/Is_2tCwsuS4/w-d-xo.html
@@HomeStudioBasics Thanks. I try to decide between these...
Hmmm... Do you need bass and gain, and do you prefer on-board controls? The DF Red is pretty bare bones as far as features other than lighting up different colors according to source file. Both are Tidal MQA compatible though. Do you listen through Tidal?
@@HomeStudioBasics TH-cam music and CD quality track in the phone or computer. I need just a good sound and ability to drive DT 770 pro 80 ohm.
Either will be more than enough power for the 770 my friend! If both phone and PC, you'll want to go with a DF Red. :) You're not going to be disappointed with it I'll tell you that much.. If all you care about is good sound and enough power, Go with the Red and don't hesitate. I wouldn't bother with the Cobalt. Not worth the extra $100. Check my comparison here: th-cam.com/video/Is_2tCwsuS4/w-d-xo.html If you use a link in that description for the Red I do get a small kick back which helps the blog and channel immensely! Let me know your thoughts.
Hi again! I’ve been using this dac and dt990s now for a week or so. The sound is something I have not experienced before 🙈 liking it alot. I actually threw you a question in our earlier comment section but you missed it. But yeah needed advice with windows sample rate and ifi driver settings, should I just keep my windows sample rate at 32bit 48khz which should be original sample rate my games and music is or should I use bigger sample rate? And I’m bit confused with ifi drivers settings (reliable,safe) etc.. thanks for the help man 😊🤙
My buffer settings are now safe and asio is at auto
Hmm. Are you running Tidal and is the color changing to Magenta when playing a Master? Also do you run any files higher than 48? I got a chance to demo all DSD but I don't really care about DSD because those files can be replicated by standard PCM files. Plus 48 is fine because a 48k file still only comes out at half that per the Nyquist Shannon Theorem (aka you can't even hear anything over 20k and most people can't even hear much past 16). So yeah your sample rate in Windows is fine. The amp will adjust accordingly. I think I'm understanding you right? Let me know.
Home Studio Basics I’m not running tidal. And I only use spotify and play some competitive games. Color in the dac is allways green and I think all my files should be 44.1 or 48k. So yea you basicly answered the question. The reason why I’m thinking about ifi drivers buffer settings is because I’ dont know exactly how it works. I checked ifi homepage and there were short explanation it has something to do with latencies and if the settings are incorrect you might experience latency and glitches. I’ve had no problem otherwise than windows notification sound glitches sometimes in the start (kinda like minor buzz sound) but everything else works fine (music,games,youtube). I just thought can it be the buffer settings? I dont think the problem is in hardware because the windows notification is the only thing that has this ”glitch”.
Yo! I found the problem. It is valorants riot vanguard. Should have guessed it because it denies the usage of msi afterburner too xd i guess it doesnt let the drivers work properly or something
Good sir! Thanks for the review. Do you recommend purchasing the additional 5v external power source?
My pleasure Nick! Nah you don't even really need it. I think I edited somewhere (probably my article below) to say it didn't really matter as you'll have this plugged into your PC/Laptop full time and it will draw bus power. Highly recommended Amp/DAC! Let me know if you purchase one. If you use the link below I do get a kick back so it would be much appreciated. :) I also wrote an amazon review as well. Keep me posted bro!
@@HomeStudioBasics ya friend! I already purchased one (much because of your reviews).
Guess I'm wondering if wall power is better than USB bus power. Maybe it depends on your cpu. Your saying stellar things about it just from USB haha.
hey Stu, will Zen DAC power the k712? it got available in my country, so I'm thinking about it.
I would say yes but don't quote me on it. They do have a lower Sensitivity than the 600's but I wasn't even close to maxing out with power match button on. I'd say go for it. Def keep me posted! If you use my link (in description) I would get a kick back :)
@@HomeStudioBasics would love to support but in my country only one internet store has some ifi stuff (i am in Europe). so i will probably buy this and later the k712 (for 200 dollars by the way)). 170 bucks not bad price for Zen i guess?
later will look some tube amp. thinking about loxjie, heard about it? seems a beast at 89 bucks.
@@nonenothing4412 No worries man! Hmm $170? That's still a good price I would say. What's up with UK pricing though lol. We talked about this before didn't we. I know it's the dollar value but sheesh. K712 for $200 is a great price. Have heard about the Loxjie but haven't tried it. I'm trying to get a Bravo Ocean demo unit soon from my friend In To It reviews. You should go and sub his channel as well: th-cam.com/channels/DhV3KByLSY2roqZ2aQ0XKg.html
@@HomeStudioBasics already subbed, green man good.
need to look if i will get any taxes ordering from uk, thanks for idea.
heard about bravo and even could get some models for very cheap, but heard a lot about their qc issues and kept away.
@@nonenothing4412 Heard about those too. Gumby doesn't seem to have any troubles so it kind of made me interested again. I'm thinking about getting a Bottlehead Crack. Heard it at my friend Luke's house and loved it.
I have a Q/: plz whats mean dsd 384 or pcm that inclouding on ifi zen
And is that mean i can play a flac files(1411 bit)
Hey there! That's just the sample rate (384k) which doesn't really matter because you cant hear anything over 20k lol. And yeah you can play FLAC and all that stuffs.
@@HomeStudioBasics hahaha i just wanna a confirmation from you
Thanks dude keep up😌💜
My pleasure man! Keep me posted :)
Do you know if it sounds better with mains cable?
@Dino What's mains cable? Also thanks for helping out with this one :)
@Dino You bought one separate right?
@Dino Someone just commented a couple days ago freaking out about how good it made the Zen sound. I guess it's that new thing iFi is selling on the website. May have to inquire about it.
@Dino Nah for me I don't really care about having one for the Zen. Just wanted to see if iFi would send me their new one for demo so I could see if it's worth the hype.
does yours remove the update after you plug it to another usb port? or after restarting it?
I don't believe so man! What update are you referring to?
Hi! Awesome review 🤙 I’ve been thinking about getting this with dt 990 pro 250ohms. I’m new to audio game so could you help me with couple questions. Should I download drivers and firmware if my only use is spotify and gaming on my pc? Or is it just plug ang play? And on those headphones do you recommend using the gain button? Damn audio is hard ;D
Thanks bro! Yeah the firmware updates are mostly for Tidal I believe (IIRC). You'll def want to download drivers first though. And yeah you'll probably be using the gain button with that model 990, but it should get plenty loud enough so no worries. I think this would be a good match for the 990 too because it can be a bit essy/shrill in the highs and the Zen is a bit of a warmer/smoother affair. It will likely help to tame the 990 a bit.
Well if you think audio is hard, you're in the right place! Home Studio Basics always aims to make things as simple as possible :)
Keep me posted man!! Where are you located?
Home Studio Basics thanks for fast answer! :) I’m from finland. I gave a test for dt 1990 at my friends house and ordered the zen dac and headphones. So I only download drivers? And yea I keep you posted! 😁
@@sakutahtinen3584 Wait 990 or 1990? You wrote 990 in original reply..
Home Studio Basics Sorry I wrote it in confusing way, I ordered dt990s. I heard dt 1990 has that same ”high pitch” treble as dt990 and I couldnt get to test 990 in any store so my friends 1990s were the closest to try
@@sakutahtinen3584 Yeah man I still think you'll love the 990's though. They're immensely open and airy sounding, and very comfortable too! But yeah download the drivers first. Let me know how it goes and if you have any other questions :)
Hey man, how do I connect my turntable to iFi Zen DAC/Amp? Can I use this as my headphone amp?
Hey man! What kind of turntable do you have? If you have the Zen DAC/Amp original combo, you cannot as it only has RCA outputs. You'd need something with RCA ins like a K5 Pro.
Home Studio Basics I’m using audio technica LP120
Home Studio Basics is there any adaptor that i can use?
Nah man. The Zen needs inputs and doesn't have them. You'd need a different Amp/DAC if you want to listen to vinyl through headphones. For instance, I'm using my ATLP60 into the K5 Pro right now because it has RCA inputs. Does the LP120 have a phono preamp built in? If so, all you'd need to do is swap out the Zen Amp/DAC for something else.
I can also use the Zen Can Signature Amp because it also has RCA inputs on the back. I pair that with the Zen DAC. Did you see my comparison? th-cam.com/video/L5Re-lra1hM/w-d-xo.html
Tried w iPhone 7 w lightning to usb. No power supply. Will NOT work. How can we get it to work w iPhone 7 lightning out? (Update: Got it to work w addition of AC phone charger connected to a lightning to usb 3 camera adapter. Attach lightning cable to the lightning input of camera adapter, other end connected to AC wall outlet through the USB wall outlet adapter). A little finicky in that Tidal or TuneIn don’t want to always connect, but eventually they did. Not the best logistical arrangement for me but at least I can work w this for now. BTW, the DAC is driving ELAC Navis powered speakers.
Hey man! I have contacted Lawrance at iFi and will get back to you once he emails me back :)
Hey man! Got this response from Lawrance today. "Sorry for the late response. You would need an apple CCK to connect via lightning, can't connect directly to lightning." I see you already hooked it up. Doesn't sound as convoluted as it seems. I also honestly could have told you that but I suppose my unfamiliarity with Apple kind of threw me off. It's the same basic concept as using an Android adapter with a DragonFly Redr really. How are you liking the sound?
Home Studio Basics Another cheap alternative is to get the $10 Universal Power Supply and set it at 5V and using the correct connector tip. This with a straight lightning cable is actually a better option than the apple lightning camera cable because it does not result in any clicks/pops when attaching the iPhone.
I am impressed with the ZEN DAC product at this price. Sound quality is excellent.
What makes the dragonfly red so appealing is you don’t need any sort of power supply. Basically what I have been looking for is a dragonfly w volume control w no additional requirements. It is not out there and I think the ZEN DAC is a good option for me at this point.
Hope someone can answer my question I have a zen dac and will be buying 5v power supply for it, do I still need the usb connected to the laptop and how will the amp know to draw power from the wall as apposed from the usb.
Hey man yeah you still need USB or your PC won't recognize it but it will draw power from the Wall AFAIK.
@@HomeStudioBasics perfect thanks bro
I'm considering between this and the Fiio K5 pro, which would you personally recommend?
Hey man check out my shootout video and let me know what you think! A lot of people had been asking me about that: th-cam.com/video/ZeKYnErN_6U/w-d-xo.html
@@HomeStudioBasics that video is exactly what I'm looking for, Thanks!
My pleasure man! Did it help you decide?
@@HomeStudioBasics Yeap! I got the ifi zen dac! It's pretty awesome
Is the volume knob plastic or metal?
It's metal and it feels luxurious IMO.
@@MarkSubsonik It's to die for. Well maybe not that good, but man that thing feels amazing.
Great review. Difficult to find an amp dac that is balanced under 200 from a respected company.
How would you compare this to the ifi Xcan?
fiio not respected?))
Hey man! Thanks for the love. Well the xCAN is a Bluetooth Analog unit primarily, with the DAC only being responsible for the conversion of the BT signal. Kind of different animals to be honest. The xDSD would be a more logical comparison (as it's also an Amp/DAC) but: I think it comes down to if you want to pair it with your phone. If so, the xCAN or xDSD are ideal. I absolutely loved the xCAN. It was so intuitive and simple to use. My lady friend really loved it when I let her borrow it and the HD600.
If you're looking for a dedicated desktop amp that can also connect to speakers/monitors, the Zen is just incredible. At it's price point and considering it's build quality, nothing really competes. Be on the lookout for a FiiO K5 Pro Review though (also Amp/DAC under $200 that can be used for console gaming via optical in). I'm actually using the Zen Blue paired with the K5 for some wireless music through my phone and Tidal as well. Great set up!
@@nonenothing4412 Yes, check my above response :)
@@HomeStudioBasics why i love this channel... getting 100x better response for free than in a damn audio store)))
@@nonenothing4412 Thanks bro. I always strive to be as thorough as possible.
Can it drive the hd800s ?
Hey man! I'd probably not do that unless you're going to run them balanced. :) Edit: Hmm. I forgot the HD800 is pretty efficient at 102dB/mW. You might could get away with the Zen. I run my HD600's on it without an issue at around 1-2 o'clock unbalanced and they're less efficient than the 800's.
@@HomeStudioBasics thanks so much for the reply man, the hd800s are coming with a 4.4 cable so I think I’m probably going to run it balanced , is zen dac the best solution to start with the hd800s if I’m on a budget at the moment or will there be any recommendations too? Again thanks a lot !
It appears you are getting a lot at this price and a reason there is no power supply as you readily don't need one. iFi does make an audiophile power supply for $50 which should compliment this unit very well. As for the USB cable being rather short, it truly helps to keep all cables short whenever possible. Cheers!
Hey man! Yeah if you read my article I mentioned the fact that you don't really need a power brick. homestudiobasics.com/ifi-zen-amp-dac-review/ As for the cable, it's a pretty awful one. It's extremely rigid too and just doesn't work very well with my set up. Your mileage may vary. Could you explain for others why you believe it helps to keep the cable short?
Seems this is more DAC than amp, as it does things, processes file types that only DACs in the $1,000.00 plus range usually handle . MQA, DSD etc. It doesn't have enough power in from the USB to be a serious headphone amp. I believe you are mistaken about the variable/fixed switch, Its purpose i believe, is to use the DAC into a preamp, amp or directly to powered speakers, disabling the gain variance of the "volume" knob.
Hey Shawn! I'm going to have to reach out to Lawrance (iFi) and get his input once and for all on the variable/fixed thing as far as what it actually *means* when you switch from one to the other. You very well may be right. I've just seen too much conflicting info about this.
As far as it's value, I think it's an incredible option for most people and ticks a ridiculous amount of boxes for the price (I mean they're basically giving it away). I also don't believe it to be underpowered like some would suggest. Surely, it's not going to power much over 300 Ohm but for the majority of headphones that people listen with, the Zen is perfect. Plenty of reviews, comments, and testimonials from my followers can attest to that.
I do think it makes a great DAC though (for instance with the more powerful Zen CAN), so def agree there. I just don't think it's mandatory to get this and then immediately upgrade. I've been using one for almost 2 years and love it. Plenty of power for anything I have.
Thanks for stopping by! I will def let you know what he says.
@@HomeStudioBasics Thanks for the reply. I just ordered one, partially based on your review. I have been using my Shiit Modi DAC to my Schiit Magni 2, and now Schiit Valhalla , tube amp for my headphone listening and as a pre-amp for my turntable(using Shiit Mani Phone pre) into my Kanto Tuk Powered speakers. The Tuks have their own Phono Stage and headphone amp but they are noticeably inferior to my Schiit gear. I listen to Records 80% probably lately, but I listen to Tidal streaming to preview records i might want to buy, or stream music I don't have on vinyl. I just today realized I am not getting full quality, becasue Schiit doesn't support MQA. I also want to try out some DSD files(noticed your dislike for them), but they are what SACDs are, right? Anyway, thanks for your review. I can't wait to slide the Ifi Zen in the loop, mostly as a preamp, and nighttime headphone listening through my HD 600s.
@@HomeStudioBasics I got mine yesterday. I have found that the "fixed" position disables bass boost, match, and volume control to the RCA outs. I love this thing so far. Thank You.. Those who think MQAs don't sound better than other streams have never had a dac that renders MQAs. They will play on any DAC without the extra 8 bits of info, so a lot of people think they are not anything special.
Sufficient for HD650 when running balanced?
Hey man! More than sufficient. 70mW @600 Ohm balanced. HD600/650 require roughly 20mW from an amp. I find the unbalanced provides more than enough as well. :) Hope that helps! It's a fantastic investment. Keep me posted.
can ifi zen dac move fostex t50 rp mk3 ?
92dB Sensitivity and 50 Ohm? I would say yes, but I haven't tested them. I will try and get my buddy In To It on this thread because I think he has them and has demoed the Zen as well.
t50rp's are notoriously hard to drive. I believe it will power them them, yes, but not well. They might sound somewhat thin or lacking in the bass, but I hear they will get up to listening levels according to other reviews. This surprises me, because listening on a centrance barely gets them to listening levels on high gain, and that's 775mw... the zen dac is less without the power match (not listed with the power match). If you want something to power t50's, I'd only use the zen dac as a dac, and get something like the SMSL SP200, an atom from JDS labs, a schitt heresy, a geshelli labs archel pro 2, or if you're not measurement focused, something like the Bravo Ocean as an external power amp. Just did a review of the ocean here: th-cam.com/video/x5FnUHI6Kmk/w-d-xo.html
@@intoitreviews sp200 is very good for shure,but i'm not in to it becouse of price,i think topping A50 will do it,and i think atom is ok too ,but hard to get overhere and same situation is with schiit.. right now i use my zoom uac 2 usb 3 as DAC and for amp i use copy of bayerdynamic A1 amp which is good for my DT770 & HD650 but not for T50RP....any thoughts about loxije p20.... it's under 80$ and i already have balanced out from dac and custom cable for hd650..or toping A50 is better investment?
@@nelsondjordjemijic1533 I've not heard the A50 yet. I've heard the A30 which wasn't my favorite. I'm sure the A50 is better though. I LOVE my P20. It is my recommended amp for HD650's for sure... if you run them balanced. Single ended lacks power. As far as t50rp goes however... there probably is not enough power there from the single ended output. I can test with my mk2 and let you know... but mk3 is more power hungry than the mark2 even...
@@intoitreviews By the way for the CEntrance, 775mW total right? I was surprised to find myself maxing out with gain on paired with my 600's in some circumstances. It didn't have quite as much headroom as I was expecting but I'm going to listen some more later. Did you find this the case at all?
Will this be powerful enough (alone) to drive the dt770 pro 250 ohms? Maybe the 80 ohms is better driven though.
Also is the ifi hip dac also powerful enough? That amp/dac is a better alternative to me cause I will be connecting it to my phone!
Great review btw:)👍
Hey thanks man! Yeah it will be enough. If you're going the phone route, def consider the hip. Check this article: homestudiobasics.com/ifi-hip-dac-amp-review/ and let me know what you think!
@@HomeStudioBasics The specs is similar to the zen dac, And it seems like a really good deal considering it's portable.
Now with that specs should I go 80 ohms or 250 ohms? (Which will sound better?)
I looked up a guy that reviewed this and used it with the dt1770 pro and thought it was good driven. I don't know which ohm version he had thought but it seems like it's only one ohm version of that pair which is 318 ohms. Then maybe 250 ohms is the better choice for me with the dt 770 pro?
Hm hip-dac has plenty so you'll be fine 250. I'm running K712 out of it right now and I have power match on but barely have to turn up the volume. 712 is really inefficient so yeah. 770 250 of course has higher impedance but also more efficient so you'll be good. If you're really worried about it just get the 80 but I wouldn't stress about it.
@@HomeStudioBasics I will go for the 80 ohms just to be safe:) When I did some more research most people that tries these headphones with the hip dac goes for the 80 ohms, and they say it's a perfect match:)
I also did some calculation which gives me 97 mW with 250 ohms, 100mW is recommend for these headphones, 64mW is required! With 80 ohms the mW is around 180, that's 80 mW more then the recommendation! So yeah definitely a better choice in my opinion:)
Btw: thx for your information:)👍
My pleasure man! Keep me posted :)
Hi, what about soundstage?
Hey man! I would say Soundstage is more dependent on the headphone in question. What are you rockin'?
@@HomeStudioBasics ATH-SR9
@@HomeStudioBasics Could U suggest me any "just DAC" under 250$ as well? I want to upgrade my setup step by step, but I don't know how to start. It shouldn't be too bright.
@@nqmt9968 Hmm. Have you thought about the OL DAC + ATOM from JDS Labs? That would be a fantastic start.
@@HomeStudioBasics It's not available in my region. What do you think about DacMagic 100 + Little Dot MkII?Or could u suggest me any DAC with preamp only?
hey dude, honesty i love your review
i see k5pro in this video, if you want Compared with zen dac what is your opinion ?
Hey man thanks so much for the love! Seems a few people have been asking about this. I think I'm going to do an article on it next week, but: quick comparison of a few that I wrote awhile back for someone else on this thread:
++++
"My pleasure man! Yeah you'll find the Zen and K5 Pro are both better than the DF Black. DF Red is very good though and an upgrade over the Black as well. I'm listening now with it. I don't actually own a Black version. I would say the differences between the 3 (Red vs. Zen vs. K5) are very, very subtle. I went back and forth on a Master of "Come Together" by the Beatles (A song I'm very familiar with) through the AKG K702. The K5 Pro sounded slightly warmer and maybe a bit less expansive, while the DF Red sounded a bit more open and airy than the Zen. Zen being kind of in the middle of the 2. It was a really marginal difference though and could be my imagination.
I've always perceived the DF Red to have very good Soundstaging and expansiveness throughout the frequency spectrum. It just seems like everything has a bit more life to it. Still, I wouldn't stress over it. I still say for your situation, the Zen is a perfect solution for what you need to accomplish. I think if you ever plan on upgrading headphones, the K5 would be the better choice as it has more power than the Zen at 1.5W. The Zen isn't under powered by any stretch, but it does have less. Can you tell me the exact model of your Emotiva?"
++++
Hope that helps! Let me know what you think :)
@@HomeStudioBasics much thanks for your time buddy , i have hd599 and in future wanna buy a hd660 . its my first experience for buy a desktop amp, A friend told me the sound of the K5PRO is boring and the zen is much more musical and better for long listening. And they advised me you have to use zen with a special adapter to see the true power. im confused now ! The comment you was pinned different from the comment you gave me about ZEN !!!
Hi buddy! Could you tell me how this dac is suitable for heavy metal music? Is it good for this or is it better to try something else? Schiit, Fiio, Topping etc?
Hey man! I would say very good, but let me do a bit of a demo and get back to you yeah? What artists are you into? Give me a couple of albums and I will listen. :) I'm mostly into RATM, a little Megadeth, and some prog metal.
@@HomeStudioBasics Oh, that would be great. Try to listen to the Scandinavian melodic death bands ( Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Children of Bodom, In Flames), then some classic like Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Scorpions and tell me your opinion. Thanks for the response!
@@Spirit_Of_Knowledge No worries bloke! I will get back with you in a bit. Am working on a vid at the moment but sit tight! :)
@@HomeStudioBasics This post is exactly what I was looking for. Looking forward to your opinion on this, with regard to hard rock and metal. Bought the Khadas Tone Board, a couple of months ago (my first dac, so I decided to take it somewhat conservatively cost wise) in order to upgrade from the possibly $10, crappy, on board sound card of my pc. Very good reviews everywhere, so I pulled the trigger.
From the get go sound was much clearer, vocals and lead guitars more detailed, expressive and in your face, bass guitars distinguishable (a huge plus) tight and fast, snare-kick-toms-floor tom also having tight attack, body and decay. Very lively and not laid back, overall character. Minimal muddiness. Compared to my 20year old Marantz CD player differences were much less prominent but still there. As expected.
However, the big fail, (even with the crappy pc sound card!!!) was/is with rhythm guitars. Something that, for a metalhead, is probably 50% of the whole story and a big NO NO...It simply drains the life out of them. Like listening to a different mix or as if rhythm guitars were a couple of rooms away from the rest of the band! I'm talking albums, with which I'm super familiar with for decades now. Through vinyl, cd, flac, 320 mp3s.
Preferences are Sabbath, Priest, Rainbow, Dio, Saxon, Maiden, Accept, Rush, Uriah Heep, Thin Lizzy, Dokken as well as Queensryche, Candlemass, Nevermore, Fates Warning, Symphony X, Metal Church, Overkill, Skyclad etc. I usually don't use any eq in the whole chain. My headphones are Sennheiser's Momentum 2. Plz excuse the length of my post, but I really feel I wasted my money, so any help from a really good ear will help greatly, when I'll get rid of this thing...which btw came with no screws for the extra box you have to buy...Totally hilarious!
Hey man! I have been looking for this comment for like 3 days now lol. I'm sorry I didn't get back with you yet. I couldn't find your comment but thankfully someone else commented on the thread. I will for sure update you tmw first thing in the morning. I'll do some demos of the songs you mentioned and let you know what I think.
can the zen dac drive 250 ohm ? beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO
Hey man! Yeah you will be good. Power match will be on, but I'd wager you'll be around 2 o'clock on the dial. Love the Zen! Let me know your thoughts. Where are you located?
I'm from Germany I bought the Zen(sounds awesome) and I'm looking for a par of opened back headphones . Just wanted to know if I can go for the 250 ohm
@@Zig08 Absolutely man! Keep me posted.
ifi zen dac vr chord mojo Who's better?
I'd probably take the Zen. Less finicky, more intuitive. As far as pure sound, I've always said the Mojo is the best (along with the Bryston) I've heard but I would have to do an A/B again and see. Haven't heard one in awhile. The Zen is incredible!
Ifi zen dac vs ifi xdsd van chrod mojo ??
@@milosss1989 Do you need DAC with phone or no?
Home Studio Basics what do you mean phone phono ???? Fro turn table you mean
@@milosss1989 No I mean do you need an Amp/DAC with your phone, or not?
That thumbnail looking clean.
Thanks bro I really liked how it came out. :)
I want to buy an amp to pair with the zen dac what would you recommend?
Hey man! Hmm. K5 Pro makes a great pair! You could also go with something like an Objective 2 or ATOM. Do you like more neutral sound or warmer?
@@HomeStudioBasics I actually prefer a warmer sound but the zen dac is warm already so I'm thinking an atom may balance everything out. What do you think?
Yeah why not?! Love the ATOM man. did you decide on anything?
@@HomeStudioBasics not yet but very likely that I will get the atom
Plz i connect my zen with windows 10
People says i need to instal asio or wasabi or foobar 2000💔
Does i need to do that just to listen to music or watching moveis?
Please i need this informations man💜
Hey man! Just install the latest drivers from iFi and then the firmware. I think I mentioned this in the video? Yeah.. 5:39 man.. that's what you'll want to do.
ASIO basically allows an audio interface to directly communicate with a software program, cutting out the middleman i.e Windows, reducing latency in the process and providing a better quality sound. Traditionally it's been used by musicians such as myself with programs like Reason, FL Studio, and Steinberg applications, as it makes recording music that much smoother and easier. Think of me banging out a sample on my drum pad and it taking anywhere from 3ms to 5 seconds to register in the software. That's what ASIO fixes essentially.
I suppose whoever told you to do all that is basically trying to use the protocol as a way of applying the same concept with the Zen and a software program like Foobar. That's some real audiophile snob sh** but whatever lol. I will concede that it *is* basically bit perfect at a digital level, but: You don't NEED it to get music playing, and I really don't personally care about doing it myself. If I were you, I would try that out LATER once you are up and running. It's not something you have to do right away although you could if you really wanted to.
What do you think?
@@HomeStudioBasics
all the thoughts in my head its just (wow thanks for that lovely respones🖤💫) ... I realy appreciate that
I will do the same you were do.. i actually thinking about that and what i figuered out it's (mendoksy) just a waste of time and i dont need that for my basic setup💥
Thanks again you help for many things not just this one 💭🌹
Yeah man my pleasure! Keep me posted on your experiences with the Zen!!
@@HomeStudioBasics thats very kind ☺️❤️
@@HomeStudioBasics bro what amp shall I pair with the zen dac and will it change the sound if i do.
I'm now realizing, does it come with an adapter to 3.5m out?
Do you mean does the amp come with a 1/4" adapter?
@@HomeStudioBasics Yeah, does it?
Hello again friend, how would this be when paired with our beloved 6xx?, thinking of kind of getting an better desctop amp, this or fiio k5pro?
Woo hah! That's a tough one man. The K5 Pro to my ears sounds a bit warmer but maybe not quite as resolving. It's a close call. I love both and own the K5 Pro. That is going to be my full time console gaming rig actually. Let me do another back and forth and get back to you. Either way you go, the 6XX pairs well with both.
Ok my friend, I'm back. Would have been back sooner but got distracted after my listening session lol. I listened to 9 songs: "Feel It (feat. Tunji Ige)" by GTA and What So Not, "Change Ya Mind" by Mac Ayres, "Bubble Dream" by Chon, "Doves in the Wind" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, "TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME" by the 1975, Ghostface Killah - "One", BenZel & Ryn Weaver - "Touch", Police - "Every Breath You Take", and Steely Dan - "Reelin' in the Years"
My impressions are that the differences are kind of subtle, but still definitely noticeable. The Zen overall has this snappier, tighter character to it. It's more cohesive and whole. It sounds really focused and perhaps a bit more detailed. The K5 Pro lags behind just a smidgen. It's a bit warmer, but kind of loosey goosey by contrast.
With the K5 Pro, I feel like I want to just listen to the song as a whole. With the Zen, I found myself honing in on specific instruments, especially during the bridge on "Every Breath You Take" starting with "Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace" The bass line during that section sounded absolutely sublime through the Zen.
Both are very good amps, and very detailed. If you held a gun to my head and forced me to choose, I would go with the Zen. Build is a bit better, and sound is as well. Both can output to other sources via RCA, but the K5 Pro does have the RCA inputs so you can hook it up to another DAC. K5 Pro also has Optical input for use with a console. Zen has a balanced 4.4mm output but also works with balanced headphones. Both have DSD support, but I'm not entirely sure if the K5 is MQA supported in Tidal. Both have gain, but only the Zen has the bass boost. Another reason I prefer it. I love being able to press that button and get some extra impact down low.
Overall, the K5 Pro is a bit more versatile but I like the sound of the Zen better. Hope that helps! Keep me posted on your thoughts.
-Stu
@@HomeStudioBasics Thank you for a well written response and time you took to answer my question. Now i am convinced about Zen. The guy who made me buy a 6xx there is no reason to question your preferences. Its good that Zen have that bass boost done right. I dont wanna loose that midrange that the 600 line have but i would like a litle bit more bass and Zen gives that. Thanks again. Your channel should get much more views, honesty is what i like.
@@moondragon5630 No worries my friend! Really glad to do it. Thank you for your continued support as well. I really do believe in the power of the Zen. :) If you purchase one through the link below I will get a kick back so it's much appreciated brother. I also wrote a review on amazon. Let me know how it goes and keep me posted!!
Damn...i cant stop playing with those chicken drum sticks. I must be very talented maestro musician.
Wife: what are you watching?
Me: magical lego twerking dac+amp review.
Wife: dials 911.
LOL! Hide yo kids hide yo wife ish
can i use it with a laptop
Hey did you watch the video?
@@HomeStudioBasics yeah i did.... just wanted to know if it will drain the battery fast on a laptop since it does not come with a power brick😅
@@karamarcas9482 Hey man! Nah I haven't had any issues at all. Running it right now actually.
Where are you located?
@@HomeStudioBasics im currently in japan .......not a native tho..just a grad student.....was just lookin for a portable amp/dac.....made the mistake of buyin a 250 ohm headphone(dint know too much about headphones).....sounded great on my friends dac so wanted to get my own
As as I only listen to my headphones in bed. The supplied usb cable is ideal.
Good to know, man!
I am really interested in the ifi zen ! Thank you, Yet i wish if i fully grasp all the ports and how to utilize them properly
Hey man no problem! Really all you need to worry about is the RCA Outs and the balanced 4.4mm output. To keep it simple, I would just utilize the RCA's. You can use them to connect to another amp via RCA to RCA, or RCA to XLR into some studio monitors/speakers.
I really enjoyed your review and honest opinions of the iFi Zen, so I have subbed and signed up for your newsletter. I currently use a gen 1 iFi iDSD Nano as my desktop amp/DAC and it has worked great for about five years now. But I have been wondering about a possible update and this new Zen may be the ticket, plus it is a bit more attractive, IMHO. Anyhoo, thank you for the review and keep up the good work, sir!
Thank you so much brother! Love the Zen! What kind of headphones do you have currently?
@@HomeStudioBasics Currently, I'm using Grado SR-60s and Audio Technica ATH-50s for my cans. I recently jumped into the IEM world with some BLON BL-03s. Nothing crazy.
@@Brown_Sound Yeah man I don't see why you wouldn't upgrade to the Zen. It will likely blow you away, and if you decide to upgrade down the road, as it will drive the majority of headphones needing a bit more juice. That's kind of why I asked; I wanted to see what kind of Impedance/Sensitivity ranges you had on your current crop. The M50 and SR60 are both very easy to drive. The Zen is great though because it's really versatile as you gathered from the video. Would be fantastic with Tidal if you have that already or decide to take the plunge. Let me know what you think!
@@HomeStudioBasics Hey Stu, well I went ahead and bought the Zen, as a late Xmas present to myself. So far I am liking it quite a bit. It looks great and is built like a tank. Not that the iDSD Nano is ugly but it ain't as sexy as the Zen!
I will verify from one of your earlier commenters, if you are using Linux as your desktop, you will need to borrow a WIN or MAC desktop for the firmware update. This was nonissue for me, since I have a separate boot HDD for Windows 7 on my Linux desktop. Anyhoo, I ended up rolling mine back from the GTO firmware, anyway. The GTO update seems to upsample all of the non-DSD stuff to high PCM, which makes everything "too smooth", IMHO. I had the same issue with the iDSD Nano a few years ago, you could upsample everything to DSD512, which was sort of cool, but it made everything a little un-natural, once again, IMO. Yer mileage may vary, so to each their own, eh?
I'm still working on the MQA/Tidal setup. It has been about a month since I had Windows booted up, it's a rarity really, and the latest Tidal update is killing my Tidal desktop app. The browser version of Tidal still works that doesn't do MQA. I think Tidal is trying to force me off of Windows 7, so I'll need to work on doing an upgrade to Windows 10, grrr. But that's a whole different issue, outside of the scope of this group. So thank you once again for the detailed and informative review of the Zen DAC and have a great day, sir!
@@Brown_Sound No worries man! How's it going with the Zen?
mqa worth it?
Most certainly Adam!
Enjoyed the review but why is the source never mentioned in these reviews? Flac , wav, bit rate , computer etc.
Hey man! Thank you for the nice comment. I mention source @ 8:00 lower left. In the future I think it would be helpful to make it more obvious and also make the text bigger. Also good call on the last bit. It would be helpful to also mention if I listened on PC or through phone. Most of my viewers know I prefer listening through my laptop but it would be beneficial for others to know that too. Thank you!
Great review👌🏻👌🏻
Thanks so much Harman!
Review was lovely and informative but your entry music had way too much bass......?
Hmm.. What headphones are you listening on? I haven't finished the beat yet. I will have to go back and see what it sounds like. Perhaps need to adjust the bass a bit. Thank you for your nice comment!
@@HomeStudioBasics Beyerdynamics DT770 Pro 80 ohms (studio) direct into laptop.
hi there
Ello there, mate! Gonna get one?
@@HomeStudioBasics how did u know! yes i recommended to frnd
Great review! Keep it up! Check out my review on the unit as well. It's a goodie.
I watched it a few days ago and left a like. Been meaning to comment as well. Thanks for the love bro!
First
:)
AudioScienceReview has measured it and it is quite bad
His review is inconsistent with many people's impressions of the amp. His amazon review claiming it doesn't have enough power is clearly false. It provides plenty. Some of the other comments here can attest to that. His claim of distortion - false. There is no distortion at higher levels and the amp doesn't even need to be pushed that hard anyway. I'm honestly just kind of tired of all that. There's a place for measuring things, sure. But it's getting over the top and obsessive to the point of: "Why even try it for yourself at all? We have measurements to tell us what's good and what's not."
That said, it is a subjective hobby. Measure away if that's what you're into, but it takes some of the fun out of it. I will say that I'm also sick of the never ending influx of amps and dacs flooding the market, but that's a separate issue altogether.
@@HomeStudioBasics Science does not care about random impressions. I don't know which impressions are paid, which one comes from iFi marketing team. Bad measurements are results of bad engineering. Yes, it is cheap so I can't expect very good engineering quality. But at least, it makes me think of alternatives at the same price range.
@@wemustgo Maybe you (and ASR) should try basing your opinions of a product on *how it sounds*.... You may be surprised.
Measurements are not everything. Give this video from Paul of PS Audio a watch: th-cam.com/video/VDyM_M6lIPw/w-d-xo.html
@@wemustgo Peoples impressions of the sound will always be the basis of a review, no matter how much ASR wants to throw numbers around all day. All I'm saying is that his claims don't line up with what I or many others hear, not even close. There's no distortion at all, whatsoever. Period. It's a baseless claim. Lack of power = baseless claim, especially when lots of other people say otherwise. I don't need a measurement from Audio Science to tell me that. I can use those things that I use to listen to music, you know, they're called ears or something. That type of stuff is going to ruin this hobby. All it does it get people more in a tizzy about what to buy, and there's already too much.
The fact of the matter is that from DAC to DAC, there aren't huge differences, not by a damn sight. It comes down to output impedance mostly. There's your science. So they love the Atom but don't like the Zen? Give me a break. There's like, very very little difference in the way those 2 amps sound side by side (if any). They both sound great. What people ultimately go with depends more on features than anything, what they need the amp to accomplish within their own set up/space, and not much else outside of that. The biggest differences between amps/dacs that I've found after demoing close to 30 is 1) Output Impedance, 2) Warm tilt or neutral 3) Power Output. The rest of that stuff is overblown.
@@Netherspark0_0 Exactly. Will watch that video tmw and get back to you.