Drop x iFi ZEN DAC Signature Review and Measurements

I've only heard the iFi of the lot so can't offer any comments about how the three compare to each other, but if you're asking about "synergy" then it would help to mention what other components you'll be having in the chain

 

High impedance dynamic single-ended open full-size. Similar tonal balance to the HD600/650, but greater resolution and smoother. A bit harder to drive.

I once had it running from an ODAC + Violectric V100 and did enjoy the neutral and pleasant sounding combo. Somewhat lively and full-bodied. Not dry at all, at least compared to the memory of the Yulong D100 Dac/Amp unit I had previously owned. But maybe not necessarily the most transparent either. Long time ago.

Currently have a Meridian Explorer 2 Dac + 1watt Cmoy and I'm not very happy with this combo. It's similarly neutral and the Cmoy has a lot of power and appears to be reasonably transparent, but sounds a little grainy, compressed, very glary, somewhat thin and brittle with my headphones. Love the small form factor, but it's not very practical to use tbh. Higher quality power supply transforms the Meridian, but the Cmoy doesn't scale nearly as much (helps a little).

I'm looking for a similarly neutral and transparent sound, but more resolving and smoother. Something that I can listen to and enjoy for hours, but without necessarily imparting too much coloration to the sound, or muting the treble, or boosting the bass, or trying to slap me with fun or details in the face. Just refined, smooth and normal sounding without being dry and boring... as much as transparency allows or as close to that as possible in this low price range.

I like the neutral character of the Explorer's Dac, but I'm not sure it's smooth/resolving enough to keep me satisfied with a better amp. The SDAC is not available anywhere so I have my eyes on this iFi Zen Sig. Might be slightly warmer than neutral vs the Meridian's Dac, but hopefully not so much that it detracts from normality. I see the balanced outputs are superior, but I worry that pairing it with the iFi Zen Can tilts the combo too much away from neutrality + I fantasize that it might synergize well with the THX One Linear and I want to get my wishful thinking validated because I have already ordered both devices.

Forget about the Magnius. Upon further reading, don't think it's what I'm looking for and I can't get it anyway. The Magni 3+ could be a better contender, but also not available in Europe.

Open to other suggestions if pertinent.

tl;dr just looking for opinions on the best amp pairings with this Dac for people who are looking for its kind of sound, but particularly iFi Zen Dac Sig + THX One Linear combo vs the iFi stack.

 

No longer identifiable. It used to be a German Maestro GMP 400. I've been modifying it little by little over the years quite invasively. Sounds very papery and unpleasantly bright in stock form (weird cross between K701/HD600/Grado sound), but, when fully modded, it has virtually perfect tonal balance (audibly and measurably) and makes every other headphone sound papery instead. Weighs well over 500g and looks stupid/cool as hell, but it's worth it. People should be strength training their necks (among other things) a lot more these days anyway.

I can see the lack of dynamics of the THX being a potential issue. Will see how it works. Fully modded, the headphone gives the perception of a very lifelike palpability to its sound (very apparent with voices and real world materials), so I don't feel it necessarily needs a warm upstream chain to recreate that illusion of body for me. I can tweak it in ways to compromise with a worthwhile upstream chain. It should at least improve upon the Cmoy, I hope. Musicality is very subjective, but if it doesn't work I have the possibility to get an iFi Zen Can or some other amp to compare. Maybe iFi's Diablo + a more neutral Dac would be would be a better match, but way over my budget unfrtunately.

 

Looking forward to your findings, whatever that might be

 

That's correct, most our products are tuned to sound that way. We've been always more into tone than details

 

For some reason, I can't edit my last comment...

@iFi audio What is the voltage tolerance for the DC inputs of this Dac and the Zen Can amp? Could a 5.5v or even 6v psu be safely used?

 

The ZEN range was designed with 5V in mind, so I wouldn't go any higher than 5.5V. Thanks!

 

Has anyone tested rather they can tell a difference with using the I Power adapter that it included vs a normal ac adapter?

THe original V1 was bundled with the I Power X while the V2 seems to come with the I Power II. If I am understanding correctly, the I Power X is a higher end model than the II. I wonder if that might be why Noodlez thought the V1 sounded better.

I am considering picking one up because I have been curious about it, prices in Japan suck right now so they are pretty expensive. Curious if its worth seeking out one that has the I Power X included or if just buying a used one without the adapter is better.

 

I owned a ZDS V1. I did prefer the Allo Shanti over the iFi iPower X. With the Shanti, there was a slight improvement in performance and the treble was a tad smoother and more refined. Not a significant difference though. Regardless of the PSU, the strengths, weakness and tone of the ZDS remained the same. I liked the mids even with the iPowerX and disliked the treble even with the Shanti.

 

Thanks, from this I gather that you like what our iPower does