Ifi Zen DAC 3 Review – Life in Technicolor

The Ifi Zen DAC 3 is a competent expression of the Ifi house sound in a well-executed package.

Introduction

Ifi have always preferred making their own road when it comes to audio gear. Right from the distinct art-deco retro-futurist-inspired Zen series to the elongated extruded DAC amplifier of the iDSD series you’d immediately recognize their creations. And it doesn’t stop at looks, most of the Ifi audio gear has a certain house sound that some swear by but others sneer. Needless to say at the very worst it’s never boring with Ifi.

The Ifi Zen DAC 3 is the third iteration of their more affordable desktop audio line. Let’s delve deeper and find out whether the audio iconoclasts of Ifi can duke it out with their peers!

Specifications

Physical Things and Usability

Build quality

There’s no doubt that the Ifi Zen DAC 3 is sharp-looking. Love or hate the departure from a more traditional boxy shape, this DAC won’t ever be mistaken for anything else on the market. Compared to the first and the second iterations of the Zen DAC, this time we have a more ornate three-color faceplate with brushed anodized aluminum working together with faux leather. I personally like it a lot.

I have no real qualms in terms of build quality. All of the connections feel sturdy and both front panel buttons have a clicky short-throw button behind them. The potentiometer is small, therefore the knob-feel is quite light but nicely dampened. The shape of the enclosure makes the Ifi Zen DAC 3 a bit awkward to stack with other gear unless you put it on top of something.

In use

Operating the Ifi Zen DAC 3 is quite effortless. You either use it as a dedicated DAC or a combined DAC/amp unit as it has both SE and BAL outputs for headphones. All of the audio outputs are always on, so if you’re using the Zen DAC 3 in a headphone and speaker setup, you’ll want some way to mute your speakers as headphones at least can be pulled out. A switch on the back is said to engage the volume control for the line-outputs. In reality, it just routes the headphone outputs to SE and BAL outs, so you can change the volume and get some extra gain.

Under the hood

I didn’t have to open the Ifi Zen DAC to go poking inside as the company website has pretty detailed pictures of the circuit board. As is evident from the dedicated DC input and the fact that the unit can be powered fully from USB as well, it runs off of a single +5VDC line. A switching converter is used to create the main voltages which are then regulated down to what the individual components use. I don’t see many other inductors on the board which means that the local regulation is done by linear regulators. It would be interesting to try what effect one of Ifi’s fancy dedicated power supplies has on the Zen DAC 3.

As there’s only USB input, the XMOS does all of the number crunching and then sends pristine I2S over to the unnamed Burr-Brown DAC chip. On the one hand, I’m not too crazy about Ifi keeping mum about the specific DAC chip they’re using but on the other, I understand not invoking bias that surrounds one chip or the other. There’s more to a DAC than the chip, everything counts! Of course, keeping us in the dark also pours water on the rumor mill.

The output stage on the Zen 3 DAC looks to be opamp-based. There’s also an extra chip that does headphone amp duty and can be introduced to line outputs once the variable output is engaged. I used to be more biased against IC-based output stages but after hearing a few good ones I was forced to change my ways. Good sound is good sound no matter the method!

Sound quality and signature

Test setup: I mostly used the Ifi Zen 3 DAC with its buddy amp, the Zen CAN 3. To better gauge the DAC’s performance ceiling, I also used it with a Feliks Audio Euforia Evo and SMSL SH-X amps.  Downstream the ThieAudio Monarch MK3, Simgot EA1000, Sennheiser HD6XX, ZMF Auteur Classic headphones were used. I used a pair of FiiO SP3 desktop speakers to evaluate its imaging performance.

I powered the Zen 3 DAC from my PC’s USB port, and with its 500mA maximum power draw, there was never a problem. While I generally prefer using BAL connections in my setup due to shoddy grounding in my apartment, the Zen 3 DAC uses an unusual 4.4mm output which I would then have to adapt to another 4.4mm, XLR, or even TRS to connect my amps. Therefore all listening was done via RCA with only headphones using the 6.35mm and 4.4mm headphone outs.

One problem I encountered with very sensitive IEMs was noise. The headphone drive stage seemed to be the culprit as the same IEMs showed no hiss when I used any of my dedicated amps. Overall I found the on-board headphone amp okay. It fully conveys the character of the Zen DAC 3 and on high gain was able to drive my higher-impedance headphones as well. Compared to my dedicated amps there was a bit less impact on higher intensity sections.

The overall sound of the Ifi Zen DAC 3 was very much in line with other Ifi DACs I’ve heard previously – a high-impact vivid sound that never veers too much into being garish. As far as non-neutral sources go, it’s one of my favorites as it pairs very nicely with most music. Can it be too much of a good thing and cause ear fatigue? With particularly abrasive technical death metal or industrial music – sure.

Technicalities like resolution and imaging are conveyed rather expertly by the Ifi Zen DAC 3. I’m aware that on paper it has a lower SNR figure than most of its peers but apart from the hissy headphone output with highly sensitive IEMs I couldn’t detect it impacting resolution. It was about what I was expecting from a device of this caliber. Besting it would require doubling or tripling the budget. The only downside is that the coloration usually draws attention to itself so finer things tend to be less apparent in the overall sonic picture.

Select comparisons

Topping D50 III
Topping is a known quantity in the audio electronics world with superbly measuring products throughout the vast range it offers. The D50 III employs mid-range ESS chips with an opamp output stage which drives its true balanced and SE outputs. I was quite impressed with it in my review and did a brief comparison with it there.

The main thing that will dictate your choice is whether you’re okay with Ifi’s house sound. If you end up enjoying it, the D50 III won’t win your heart with more comprehensive IO options and the handy on-board parametric EQ. While it’s true that the Zen DAC 3 has more character, some prefer versatility and neutrality over that.

Pairing notes

I loved the pairing of Ifi Zen DAC 3 and its companion amp, the Zen CAN 3. Most headphone choices worked well but some more shouty options like the IO Sogno tended to bring about ear fatigue faster than darker pairings.

Concluding Remarks

I like that Ifi Zen DAC 3 brings a product with actual interesting sonic character at an affordable price. And the built-in headphone amp for many will make it a one-stop shop for all things audio. The USB-only approach will upset more traditional listeners with CD players and the like so the target audience for the Zen DAC 3 seems computer-based listeners. I think it’s a great start to an audio journey and will scale with amplifiers in a similar price range. More seasoned listeners might welcome the departure from ESS and AKM-based DACs which every John and Barry seem to be using these days.

My verdict – 4/5