ASR iFi ZEN can review. questions...

is it me or the Xbass measurements curve look almost photoshopped?

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/ifi-zen-can-review-headphone-amp.25224/

https://www.hifinews.com/content/ifi-audio-zen-can-headphone-amp-lab-report

why does the ASR graph looks almost hand modified vs the hifinews measurements report?

 

Yeah something is off. I had the Zen Can and played around with the Xbass setting. It's more of a +5-8db increase in subbass. I also had the Zen DAC at the time and there when I turned its bass boost feature on, on top of the Xbass of the Zen Can, then I would say I was getting those 12db of bass boost if not more. Sounded oddly fun with some cheap KOSS KSC on ears xD

 

With how the XBass stuff appears to be growing more refined over time (just a bit more pronounced in the Zen Can and Black Label series Micro iDSD vs the original Micro), I think +12dB looks a bit egregiously bad. Would anyone at @iFi audio care to comment on whether this appears representative of the model in question?

 

It may more measurements. But, here's what JA@Stereophile measured with Zen Can "Sig" (i.e., product-specific EQ).



Blue/red curves are for earlier model (6XX-specific eq) while black/green ones mean HFM model. I do think Zen Can 'non signature' obviously used different one..

That being said, +12db@20hz looks too much, but kinda not impossible to me depending on what ifi was looking after -- I vaguely remember pro ican's the most intensive (40hz one) bass booster was roughly that level at 20hz. But again, re-measurements or ifi's clarification are required to make sure as Amir's blog post is far from being credible source (either malicious will or immature skill/knowledge).

Pinging @iFi audio

 

I'll ask internally, but can't promise anything specific.