Tharbamar, thanks to your excellent review, I bought this DAC for my office stereo. Everything you said about this DAC is spot on. I am driving it with a high quality external DC power supply and am rewarded with incredible sound quality and musicality.
When the review starts from the sound of the product, and not the unpacking and design, you know you will get a true review of someone who actually listened to the device and knows how to compare it properly. For this, thank you very much. Nb: It would have been great to have a direct comparison to DAC in the same price range, because I'm surprised that it performs as close as those expensive ones you mention.
iFi products are pretty good. I bought their power supply socket and it improved the Zen Blue sound quality. However, I bought their AC purifier, there's no improvement in sound quality.
It’s a shame you can’t get hold of the Accuphase DAC60 module from the dealer you bought the E4000 from to try and review. There’s not a single TH-cam review on that DAC. I have about 70 hours on mine and it’s sounding very nice, I now prefer it over other DACs I’ve tried. It sounded flat at the beginning but as time goes by it’s opening up nicely. Using its coax input because I don’t know how to programme the USB input. It comes with a computer disc but I don’t understand that stuff.
With Burr Brown you feel the musicians take time to play and are happy to play. Everything rythmically rigorously in place and relaxed. With ess it's like they play with no feeling. Akm is a little more detailed but a little less relaxed too than bb but stay musical. At home i switch between akm 4493s and bb pcm1795 But i never tried newer ess
Hi and thanks for another great review. I have the wiim ultra and I'm thinking of trying to improve its dac. As this one only have a usb-c input is it posible to connect the ultra? If so do you think I will get any improvement or do you think It's no worth at all? Thanks!!!
Hi, I would play around with PEQ and EQ in the WiiM Ultra first to get the sound that you're looking for, it will sound different with iFi Zen DAC 3 but improvement is all depending on your preference and paring components, thanks
Exciting new product!! Thanks for sharing the news. I’ve enjoyed my IFI Zen 2 for years. Is it worth upgrading to the Zen 3 Burr Brown? If so, I need to reconsider my streamer upgrade path as well?
I also use the signature two. Would this be better? The bass of the two is not very strong and does not sound very clear. I also have the Mojo 2 and it is clearer than the Ifi and the bass is more punchy. Sorry for my english.
Hi Tharbamar thanks for your review . you have to review the Ifi Zen One Signature Dac that has the same chip Burr Brown that is a pure Dac with coaxial optical and USB inputs . No headphone amp. I hope you can review this and please try the coaxial input and the Rca outputs.thanks foe your review 😊
Interesting review ....but curious if you might consider trying a tiny chord mojo2 headphone dac / amp/ preamp? As some have used it in a hifi setup and raved about it!
This or the fosi audio zd3 with Sparkos opamps for best sound quality? I like versatility of the zd3 with a remote control. Is the Ifi also a preamp like the zd3?
Hi Tharbamar, my system consists of Nad c356bee, Focal Chora 826, Teac ud 301, Wiim mini, mini fanless PC with Daphile. In your opinion, does this ifi DAC sound the same or more musical than my Teac? Thanks and greetings from Sicily
Modi multibit is not real r2r. All schiit multibit are not. It is kind of fpga. I used almost all of schiit dacs up to Gumby A1 and all sounded rough and sleepy compared to Ifi’s offerings
@@seanb3303 that is why Schiit doesn’t put the norm r2r on their pr talk instead of a strange “multibit”. I once believed in their very good pr talk and tech notes and used exclusively their products. As I started opening my mind and trying other audio brands I quit the Schiit piety lol
Hi Tharbamar, thanks so much for another great review on an affordable HiFi product for us people who don't want to spend thousends of Dollars/Euros to just enjoy HiFi music like other high-end enthusiasts do who have infinite money to spend. My question: Is this iFi Audio ZEN DAC 3 better than the built in DAC in EVERSOLO DMP-A8 which you have reviewed as well already. My chain is: streamer EVERSOLO DMP-A8, pre-amp Musical Paradise MP-701 MK3, amplifier FM300A clone, speakers Wharfedale Elysian 4. If it is better, could you explain what in detail you think is better than the one in EVERSOLO.
In my above chain I have a vintage ARISTON CD player too with built in DAC chip Philips TDA1541. It has a good musical sound too and I am happy with it but do you think when using ZEN DAC 3 it could be even better?
Does this sound better than the SMSL DL200? Both of them are at a really similar price where i live and i mostly care about the listening experience not extra features, im looking for good soundstage, imaging and separation, and I've seen some people say the chips in the ifi zen dacs arent as good for that, i just wanna buy something once and forget about it, since I'm not too knowledgeable or meticulous but i like being confident about the purchases i make, thanks in advance for anyone who can share their insight :]
hi there Thank you again for the excellent reviews. Quick question what usbc to usb b and usbc to usbc cable would you recommend for connecting to DAC equivalent to Oyaide USB Cable Continental 5S. This is a usba cable and I use an apple adapter to convert to usbc. I would appreciate you input.
Tharbamar, it's clearly different and better than all those different Dacs you've reviewed. Effortless bass, wholesome, full-bodied voice, superb separation of voice and instruments. Have always felt digital sound to be too sibilant, too edgy. This is the best I've heard. Pity about the single input. Thank you for your review!
It depends. The DACs in most receivers are usually as not as good as separate DACs in terms of overall sound quality. Using a separate DAC on a ht receiver is only valid if you are doing 2 channel listening with the receiver in “pure audio” or “direct mode” which bypass the internal DSP on the receiver. Once you place a receiver in multichannel mode an additional layer of A/D and D/A conversion occurs for the purposes of time delay, equalization, and level settings which would negate any of the sonic benefits of a separate DAC.
If you are plugging in other devices to your AV receiver don’t use the cheap analog cables supplied. You will get a sound benefit by using better analog cables. I’ve done this test in the past and can easily hear a benefit. Everything Locomotive has said is correct.
@@locomotive282 I use it for 2 channel audio quite a bit. If use a separate dac, would that mean then it would negate Dirac? I wonder which would make the bigger difference. I've always kind of wanted to try separates, just hard to pull the trigger and thought this might be a halfway point
@@mcjonner It will not negate Dirac room equalization per se but it is important to understand. that Dirac/Audessy/YPAO processing occurs within the digital domain. This requires that analog inputs be converted to digital, processed, then converted back to analog via your receiver’s internal DAC to then be output to your speakers. Traditional 2 channel audio setups seek to minimize the signal path from the source to the speakers. I’ve have done some personal experimentation with this set up and I found that when I fed a DAC into my receiver with DSP enabled I noticed no benefits or detriments. When I placed the receiver in pure direct mode which bypasses DSP making my receiver function as an integrated amplifier I noticed and appreciated the benefits of the external DAC. I should point out that I have given up on using my home theater set up to do any critical music listening. I have a separate system for just two channel audio. I have the Zen Dac 2 and for the price it produces truly reference quality audio.
This is budget hi-fi's best kept secret, and for this price? cmon... I just installed it in my budget system with JBL 530 bookshelfs and a ZA3, the Zen 3 sounds awesome running directly from a Pi streamer without a power supply, I'm surprised, I bought it expecting to use it as a headphone amp but instead am using it with speakers because I thought it was too revealing and intense with the bass for my preference with headphones, however with speakers, it really wakes it up, and I tried other "fun-fi" options around this price which people recommend, but this Zen 3 is really a great DAC and I'm using its preamp functionality to control volume, the preamp itself is high quality, I'm very satisfied, Thank you for the recommendation truly!
you may have a gold nugget in your system but the design is flawed without an optical and/or coax inputs on this Zen DAC...really IFI? living in prehistoric era with only a USB C connector?
@callmevil no no I agree with them, yes you're correct in that rca is older, but only one type of input is tragic because uh, do they actually sell rca to usb c cables that actually just work and not a "let's see if it works" cuz what about streaming music from your phone? Might have a wiim and idk they can output that signal through their usb so it'd have to be some conversion from rca to usb and oh god does that sound like a pain
@ yea he used the term “prehistoric” tho.. he coulda used any other insult but that for his point.. Also the zen dac is not the only dac ifi makes.. its not their best and its not even their cheapest dac. Theres many other ifi dac with multi inputs. for the size of the pcb, where could ifi fit a proper input??? unless u want shitty implementations of those extra inputs. But then ifi will be critisized for having shitty inputs.. lol the zen dac is sized for a reason.. theres no space on that board for extras lol
@@callmevilproblem is many devices don't have a usb output. Cd players, TV's streamers. I don't use usb for music in my systems (except portable and desktop)
Tharbamar, thanks to your excellent review, I bought this DAC for my office stereo. Everything you said about this DAC is spot on. I am driving it with a high quality external DC power supply and am rewarded with incredible sound quality and musicality.
Great to hear that you're enjoying the DAC! Thanks for sharing.
When the review starts from the sound of the product, and not the unpacking and design, you know you will get a true review of someone who actually listened to the device and knows how to compare it properly. For this, thank you very much.
Nb: It would have been great to have a direct comparison to DAC in the same price range, because I'm surprised that it performs as close as those expensive ones you mention.
It's missing a coaxial input again.
iFi products are pretty good. I bought their power supply socket and it improved the Zen Blue sound quality. However, I bought their AC purifier, there's no improvement in sound quality.
It’s a shame you can’t get hold of the Accuphase DAC60 module from the dealer you bought the E4000 from to try and review. There’s not a single TH-cam review on that DAC. I have about 70 hours on mine and it’s sounding very nice, I now prefer it over other DACs I’ve tried. It sounded flat at the beginning but as time goes by it’s opening up nicely. Using its coax input because I don’t know how to programme the USB input. It comes with a computer disc but I don’t understand that stuff.
Love this guy. So much more likeable than every other home reviewer
With Burr Brown you feel the musicians take time to play and are happy to play. Everything rythmically rigorously in place and relaxed. With ess it's like they play with no feeling. Akm is a little more detailed but a little less relaxed too than bb but stay musical. At home i switch between akm 4493s and bb pcm1795 But i never tried newer ess
Agreed!
@@sebastiencouleau4330 exactly! ti burr browns are special..
Waiting to try one
Your thoughts?
@beslemeto amps underpowered but dac sounded OK. There's better bargains second hand like the ifi blk nano which I already owned.
Most musical USB DAC that money can buy?
Ok please come down to earth my friend.
"in my system", he said! 😂On your system, what is your system? If you don't have Accuphase etc etc, you can ignore this usb DAC 🤭
It is not about the price,but you already know that i guess...Synergy...
Hi and thanks for another great review. I have the wiim ultra and I'm thinking of trying to improve its dac. As this one only have a usb-c input is it posible to connect the ultra? If so do you think I will get any improvement or do you think It's no worth at all?
Thanks!!!
Hi, I would play around with PEQ and EQ in the WiiM Ultra first to get the sound that you're looking for, it will sound different with iFi Zen DAC 3 but improvement is all depending on your preference and paring components, thanks
Exciting new product!! Thanks for sharing the news. I’ve enjoyed my IFI Zen 2 for years. Is it worth upgrading to the Zen 3 Burr Brown? If so, I need to reconsider my streamer upgrade path as well?
Great question. I’m using Zen Dac 2 Signature and am very happy with it in my system. Should I upgrade is my question too!
I also use the signature two. Would this be better? The bass of the two is not very strong and does not sound very clear. I also have the Mojo 2 and it is clearer than the Ifi and the bass is more punchy. Sorry for my english.
Hi Tharbamar thanks for your review .
you have to review the Ifi Zen One Signature Dac that has the same chip Burr Brown that is a pure Dac with coaxial optical and USB inputs .
No headphone amp.
I hope you can review this and please try the coaxial input and the Rca outputs.thanks foe your review 😊
Interesting review ....but curious if you might consider trying a tiny chord mojo2 headphone dac / amp/ preamp? As some have used it in a hifi setup and raved about it!
This Burr brown dac sounds closer to that xduoo 05 tube somehow but with better details...
This or the fosi audio zd3 with Sparkos opamps for best sound quality? I like versatility of the zd3 with a remote control. Is the Ifi also a preamp like the zd3?
It might sound a strange question to ask, but for also movie watching, how good is it ?
Which firmware did you use for the test? Have you ever tried version 1.10C with the GTO filter?
I only pair with Sony music server so I don’t know which firmware it has.
What do you think of the power match button with speakers is it only for headphones as i cant find any info on this thank you
Thanks for sharing 👍
Hi Tharbamar, my system consists of Nad c356bee, Focal Chora 826, Teac ud 301, Wiim mini, mini fanless PC with Daphile. In your opinion, does this ifi DAC sound the same or more musical than my Teac? Thanks and greetings from Sicily
Oh I have not heard UD301 in my system to give you the answer, thanks
Thanks to you
I prefer my FiiO K11 R2R, thank you very much. I use it with a iFi power supply, though
Clean Power Clean Source Burr Brown is in w of my Sound ris and 3d deep depth Images get produced I have that in the unit with BB Zen V3
I didn’t know delta sigma could be multibit. I thought multibit was chip based R2R such as Modi Multibit
Modi multibit is not real r2r. All schiit multibit are not. It is kind of fpga. I used almost all of schiit dacs up to Gumby A1 and all sounded rough and sleepy compared to Ifi’s offerings
@ it’s confusing. I have FPGA chord dac but i believe that’s still considered sigma delta
@@seanb3303 that is why Schiit doesn’t put the norm r2r on their pr talk instead of a strange “multibit”. I once believed in their very good pr talk and tech notes and used exclusively their products. As I started opening my mind and trying other audio brands I quit the Schiit piety lol
Does it work with daphile? Thank you very much for your suggestions.
Hi I’m not Daphile user but it should work fine based on USB standard. Thanks
How it goes without the IFI added PSU ? What model is that PSU ?
Oh sorry I didn't look at the list underneath where everything is mentioned .
As always great honest review.Greay synergie with bright speaker,nice Touch of warmth to thé sound.Nice to know we have great options on a budget
What usb c are you using? And did you notice any difference in sound quality from rca and 4.4 balanced line out?
This will sound better than wiim ultra internal dac?
Hi, is there a DAC only version to be able to connect a CD player via coaxial cable?
Hi Tharbamar,
thanks so much for another great review on an affordable HiFi product for us people who don't want to spend thousends of Dollars/Euros to just enjoy HiFi music like other high-end enthusiasts do who have infinite money to spend.
My question:
Is this iFi Audio ZEN DAC 3 better than the built in DAC in EVERSOLO DMP-A8 which you have reviewed as well already. My chain is:
streamer EVERSOLO DMP-A8, pre-amp Musical Paradise MP-701 MK3, amplifier FM300A clone, speakers Wharfedale Elysian 4.
If it is better, could you explain what in detail you think is better than the one in EVERSOLO.
In my above chain I have a vintage ARISTON CD player too with built in DAC chip Philips TDA1541. It has a good musical sound too and I am happy with it but do you think when using ZEN DAC 3 it could be even better?
Does this sound better than the SMSL DL200? Both of them are at a really similar price where i live and i mostly care about the listening experience not extra features, im looking for good soundstage, imaging and separation, and I've seen some people say the chips in the ifi zen dacs arent as good for that, i just wanna buy something once and forget about it, since I'm not too knowledgeable or meticulous but i like being confident about the purchases i make, thanks in advance for anyone who can share their insight :]
It does sound different, you'll have to choose based on your paring components and personal taste, thanks
hi there Thank you again for the excellent reviews. Quick question what usbc to usb b and usbc to usbc cable would you recommend for connecting to DAC equivalent to Oyaide USB Cable Continental 5S. This is a usba cable and I use an apple adapter to convert to usbc. I would appreciate you input.
This or fosi zd3 for my Micca rb42?
Personally I like this one better.
@ thank you for the response
@@9XThunder not in my system I kept Zen DAC 3 not ZD3.
Did you hear this Dac with the TS A20?
Hi have you ever tested the Mogami W3103 12ga speaker wire. Thanks.
Can i use phone to rca cable for laptop to amplifier ?
Tharbamar, it's clearly different and better than all those different Dacs you've reviewed. Effortless bass, wholesome, full-bodied voice, superb separation of voice and instruments. Have always felt digital sound to be too sibilant, too edgy. This is the best I've heard. Pity about the single input. Thank you for your review!
It very much could be bettet than £3000 DAC!Sound is subjective and sometimes less is more!
Is it better than musical fidelity v90 dac?
Do you think adding a dac to a new $1700 home theater receiver would make a noticeable worthwhile difference?
It depends. The DACs in most receivers are usually as not as good as separate DACs in terms of overall sound quality. Using a separate DAC on a ht receiver is only valid if you are doing 2 channel listening with the receiver in “pure audio” or “direct mode” which bypass the internal DSP on the receiver. Once you place a receiver in multichannel mode an additional layer of A/D and D/A conversion occurs for the purposes of time delay, equalization, and level settings which would negate any of the sonic benefits of a separate DAC.
If you are plugging in other devices to your AV receiver don’t use the cheap analog cables supplied. You will get a sound benefit by using better analog cables. I’ve done this test in the past and can easily hear a benefit.
Everything Locomotive has said is correct.
@@locomotive282 I use it for 2 channel audio quite a bit. If use a separate dac, would that mean then it would negate Dirac? I wonder which would make the bigger difference. I've always kind of wanted to try separates, just hard to pull the trigger and thought this might be a halfway point
@@mcjonner It will not negate Dirac room equalization per se but it is important to understand. that Dirac/Audessy/YPAO processing occurs within the digital domain. This requires that analog inputs be converted to digital, processed, then converted back to analog via your receiver’s internal DAC to then be output to your speakers. Traditional 2 channel audio setups seek to minimize the signal path from the source to the speakers. I’ve have done some personal experimentation with this set up and I found that when I fed a DAC into my receiver with DSP enabled I noticed no benefits or detriments. When I placed the receiver in pure direct mode which bypasses DSP making my receiver function as an integrated amplifier I noticed and appreciated the benefits of the external DAC. I should point out that I have given up on using my home theater set up to do any critical music listening. I have a separate system for just two channel audio. I have the Zen Dac 2 and for the price it produces truly reference quality audio.
I have the Yamaha rx-a4a and the zen dac 2 sounds better to my ears. Better background and just warmer than the ESS dac in the Yamaha.
hallo een kleine hifi voor jbl 530 Wat is uw suggestie, zoals het smsl-model van de versterker?
Dude will make this DAC sell like crazy now! 😁
Nice review as always!
Would this work as preamp in a supersimple setup with an Aegir/2 with rca or balanced out if monoblocked? For speaker duty
Yes it will work as Pre DAC.
This is budget hi-fi's best kept secret, and for this price? cmon... I just installed it in my budget system with JBL 530 bookshelfs and a ZA3, the Zen 3 sounds awesome running directly from a Pi streamer without a power supply, I'm surprised, I bought it expecting to use it as a headphone amp but instead am using it with speakers because I thought it was too revealing and intense with the bass for my preference with headphones, however with speakers, it really wakes it up, and I tried other "fun-fi" options around this price which people recommend, but this Zen 3 is really a great DAC and I'm using its preamp functionality to control volume, the preamp itself is high quality, I'm very satisfied, Thank you for the recommendation truly!
It's nice to hear you're enjoying it.
I have V2. It is not bad but nothing special.
Happy 60th birthday Diana Krall
Expensive separate DAC had to watch out. Cheaper and smaller DAC is improving fast.
Correct
It’s just a matter of time
Jurassic
Zen One Signature has the things you wish the Zen 3 had
No comparision to other dacs in its price range nor how it stacks up to other dacs sub 1k
Kinda useless review
Multibit?😂 This is classical delta sigma
I'd be willing to buy if it was made in a different country.
you may have a gold nugget in your system but the design is flawed without an optical and/or coax inputs on this Zen DAC...really IFI? living in prehistoric era with only a USB C connector?
Prehistoric? Hmm coax and optical inputs predates usb C by decades..
@callmevil no no I agree with them, yes you're correct in that rca is older, but only one type of input is tragic because uh, do they actually sell rca to usb c cables that actually just work and not a "let's see if it works" cuz what about streaming music from your phone? Might have a wiim and idk they can output that signal through their usb so it'd have to be some conversion from rca to usb and oh god does that sound like a pain
@ yea he used the term “prehistoric” tho.. he coulda used any other insult but that for his point..
Also the zen dac is not the only dac ifi makes.. its not their best and its not even their cheapest dac. Theres many other ifi dac with multi inputs. for the size of the pcb, where could ifi fit a proper input??? unless u want shitty implementations of those extra inputs. But then ifi will be critisized for having shitty inputs.. lol the zen dac is sized for a reason.. theres no space on that board for extras lol
@@callmevilproblem is many devices don't have a usb output. Cd players, TV's streamers. I don't use usb for music in my systems (except portable and desktop)
@@hermangaviria690 'USB on the go' from phone should work with this DAC - I have the V1 of this DAC and have used it with Samsung S21 5G no problem. 👍
Better this or Zen One Signature?
Sounds awful. Harsh, thd a lot, sterile