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I’ve been on a tear lately reviewing DACsand I have to say, my time with the Zen DAC 3 was fun. It’s a beautiful machine that looks great on the desk, with sound cuts to match.
You get a lot for $229 and my only complaint is that I want to see it XSpace includes analog mode for IEMs and headphones where the soundstage is a bit lacking.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Price and availability
The iFi Zen DAC 3 is available now from ifi-audio.com or Amazon for $229. It hasn’t been on sale since it went on sale on Amazon, so if you’re in the market and looking at this, there’s no better time to get it.
The price is pretty solid for what you get, as competing devices don’t have the same number of features at this price point. If you want more, you’ll generally have to pay more.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Dry and match
Crafted from aluminum, the Zen DAC 3 feels solid when you pick it up. All the buttons provide reassuring click feedback, the volume rocker is smooth and nicely finished, and the ports are tight and well made. There are many small details to appreciate on the Zen DAC 3, from the various textures of brushed or pitted metal surfaces to the Sunburst Bronze accents, knobs and buttons, to the dust covers on the RCA inputs on the back of the unit.
Many design elements have been well considered and it shows.
The bottom of the device has rubber feet, another nice detail that will save the finish on the bottom. It’s smart because these feet provide extra grip underneath when you’re plugging/unplugging cables. In addition, the unit is so light that if you get confused while listening to your tunes, these rubber feet will prevent the DAC from moving around on your desk due to cable movement.
Finally, speaking of “build”, the inputs/outputs are intuitively placed. The Zen DAC 3 has I/O on the back, but it makes sense to have outputs there because they connect to larger external devices than just a pair of headphones.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Specs
Zen DAC 3 has two headphone jacks on the front. One balanced 4.4mm input pushes 390mW @ 64 ohms and one 6.3mm input pushes 210mW @ 32 ohms. Inside the box, you’ll get a 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter, as there’s no input for one of the most common types of audio interfaces. There are also Power Match and XBass Plus buttons on the front. Power Match provides a gain boost for power-hungry headphones, while XBass is iFi’s signature analog bass booster.
This beautiful analog volume on the front also functions as an audio format LED that lights up in seven different colors to indicate the audio format and sample rate received from the audio source.
On the back of the unit, you’ll find a surge-protected USB-C input, a DC 5V input, another balanced 4.4mm output (2V-6.2V max variable, 4.2 constant) and RCA outputs (1V-3.3V max variable, 2.1V constant). Their output impedance is 200ohm and 100ohm respectively. 4.4mm and RCA outputs allow this DAC/Amp to be connected to another amplifier or powered speakers as an amplifier. Since you have these I/O options, it was also smart for iFi to include a fixed or variable output gain switch on the back of the unit.
All these outputs and their features are powered by a bit-perfect DSD and DXD Burr Brown DAC that supports PCM up to 768kHz, DSD up to DSD 512 and full MQA encoding.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Sound quality
The sound quality puts the iFi GO blu and GO bar Kensei among our favorite DACs, both using Cirrus Logic chipsets, but the Zen DAC 3 uses a Burr Brown DAC, which has a different sound quality than the previous two. The word that best describes the Burr Brown chip is “smooth”. Its tuning is not as “transparent” as the Kensei, but it makes the listening experience with the Zen DAC 3 fun and engaging.
One of my regular test tracks, “Moanin’,” has some horn sections that can be quite harsh, but the Zen DAC 3 makes these sections easy to listen to, as its smooth top end dampens bursts of noise from the brass.
If you want a break from the smoother curve in your low frequencies, the XBass Plus analog mode brings the rumble back to the bass and sub-bass. But it’s not a muddy, compressed digital filter. Low end push is tight and controlled. Enabling this makes listening to bass-heavy tracks quite enjoyable, especially if you’re using flatter headphones like a pair of Planar Magnetics. Without XBass Plus active and using more balanced or flat headphones or IEMs, tracks like Skrillex’s “Mumbai Power” with its deep bass and sub-bass lose a bit of their bite.
Even though it’s smooth, you still get a great stereo image with instruments and a nice feel as they’re layered in the sonic image. And thanks to Power Match, which boosts the gain for the Sennheiser HD660S2 and HiFiMan HE-4XX and provides enough output, those images will always feel nice and full, so I never needed to increase the analog volume from 50% to 75% of maximum, depending on the track. For my IEMs, with Power Match turned off, I only need to turn the volume to 25% of its maximum output for a nice, full sound.
The Zen DAC 3 is an all-around great DAC to plug into your laptop or desktop for a warm, smooth sound that doesn’t distort mid-range vocals or let harsher sounds become distorted at higher frequencies. With DACs and active listening, I’d definitely put this in the “fun and entertaining” category. Great for listening to music or watching movies at your desk.
iFi Zen DAC 3: The Competition
There are several alternatives to the Zen DAC 3, but there are tradeoffs. Many use different USB standards, which makes mobile phone connection a pain. For example, the Fiio K7 and Topping DX3 Pro Plus are both great options, but use USB-B connections. On the top, you’ll get coaxial and optical connectivity. The DX3 Pro Plus even has a built-in display.
Then there’s the Schiit Magni, which offers USB-C connectivity. Check out the built-in DAC option, which will run you $189 and give you many of the features of the Zen DAC 3. The downside is the headphone cable connection options. On the front, you only get one ¼”, aka 6.35mm, single-ended jack. Balanced 3.5mm isn’t available, so you’ll have to use an adapter. Worth checking out.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Should you buy it?
You should buy the Zen DAC 3 if…
- You want a capable laptop/mobile phone/desktop DAC
- You need a DAC that can power headphones or active speakers
- You want quality without breaking the bank
You shouldn’t buy the Zen DAC 3 if…
- You want a Bluetooth connection
- You want a coaxial/optical audio connection
For a semi-mobile DAC with smooth sound and some great connectivity options, the Zen DAC 3 is well worth the price! You get a beautiful piece of hardware, a smart set of features, and plenty of power to drive any pair of headphones or IEMs you plug into it. XBass Plus makes DAC something even bass heads can plug into!
The beauty of the Zen line is that iFi has just released a few new versions that between the three should meet the needs of anyone looking for a semi-mobile desktop DAC.
Smooth desktop sounds!
iFi’s Zen DAC line has been a hit with consumers, and this third-generation iteration should be, too. Robust I/O options combined with fun desktop audio make this a great choice for enjoying desktop high-quality audio at an affordable price.
