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I’ve been on a tear lately reviewing DACs, and I have to say that my time with the Zen DAC 3 has been fun. It’s a beautiful machine that looks great on a desk, with the audio chops to match.
You get a lot for $229, and my only gripe is that I’d like to see the XSpace analog mode included for IEMs and headphones whose soundstage is a bit lacking.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Price and availability
The iFi Zen DAC 3 is currently available direct from ifi-audio.com or Amazon for $229. It hasn’t gone on sale since it’s been on Amazon, so if you’re in the market and looking at this, there is no better time to buy it.
For what you’re getting, the price is pretty solid as competing devices don’t have the same number of features at this price. Want more, you’ll have to pay more, generally speaking.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Build and fit
Constructed of aluminum, the Zen DAC 3 has a solid heft when you pick it up. All of the buttons give reassuring clicky feedback, the volume knob is smooth and beautifully machined, and the ports are tight and feel well manufactured. There are a lot of little details to appreciate on the Zen DAC 3, from the various textures of the brushed or dimpled metal surfaces to the Sunlit Bronze accents, buttons, and knobs to the dust covers on the RCA inputs on the back of the device.
A lot of design elements were well considered and it shows.
There are rubber feet on the bottom of the device, another nice detail that will save the finish on the bottom. It’s smart because those feet provide extra grip on the bottom as you plug/unplug cables. Additionally, the unit is so light that those rubber feet will keep the DAC from moving around on your desk due to cable movement if you’re fidgety while listening to your tunes.
Lastly, when we talk “build,” the input/outputs are intuitively placed. There is I/O on the back of the Zen DAC 3, but it makes sense to have outputs there because they connect to larger external devices than a pair of headphones.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Features
The Zen DAC 3 has two headphone jacks in the front. One balanced 4.4mm input pushing 390mW at 64ohms, and one 6.3mm input pushing 210mW@32ohms. Inside the box, you’ll get a 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter since there’s no input for one of the most common types of audio interfaces. Also on the front are the Power Match and XBass Plus buttons. Power Match provides a gain boost for power-hungry headphones, while XBass is iFi’s signature analog bass enhancer.
That beautiful analog volume nob on the front also doubles as an audio format LED that glows in seven different colors indicating the audio format and sampling frequency being received from the audio source.
The rear of the unit is where you’ll find the USB-C input with overvoltage protection, a DC 5V input, another balanced 4.4mm out (2V-6.2V max variable, 4.2 fixed), and RCA outputs (1V-3.3V max variable, 2.1V fixed). The output impedance on those is 200ohm and 100ohms, respectively. The 4.4mm and RCA outputs allow you to connect this DAC/Amp as a preamp to another amp or active speakers. Since you have these I/O options, it was also smart for iFi to add a fixed or variable output gain switch to the back of the unit.
All of these outputs and their features are powered by a bit-perfect DSD and DXD Burr Brown DAC, which supports PCM up to 768kHz, DSD up to DSD 512, and full MQA decoding.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Sound quality
Sound quality places the iFi GO blu and GO bar Kensei among my favorite DACs, both of which use Cirrus Logic chipsets, but the Zen DAC 3 utilizes a Burr Brown DAC whose sound quality differs from the former two. The word that best describes the Burr Brown chip is “smooth.” Its tuning isn’t 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 those sections easy to listen to as its smooth top end mitigates the shrill blasts from the brass.
If you want a break from the smoother curve in your lower frequencies, the XBass Plus analog mode restores the growl back to bass and sub-bass. But this isn’t some muddy, compressed digital filter. The low end boost is tight and controlled. Activating 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.
Despite being smooth, you still get great stereo imaging, with a wonderful feel for the instruments and where they’re layered in the sonic image. And those images will always feel nice and full thanks to the Power Match feature, which boosts gain and provided enough output for my Sennheiser HD660S2 and HiFiMan HE-4XX that, depending on the track, I never needed to push that analog volume higher than 50% to 75% of its max. For my IEMs, with Power Match off, I only need to turn the volume nob to 25% of its max output for nice, full audio.
The Zen DAC 3 is an all-around great DAC to connect to your laptop or desktop for warm, smooth sound that doesn’t compromise mid-range vocals or allow harsher sounds in the higher frequencies to become grating. I’d definitely categorize this as “fun and entertaining” as far as DACs and active listening go. It’s great for listening to music at a desk or watching movies.
iFi Zen DAC 3: Competition
There are a few alternatives to the Zen DAC 3, but there are trade-offs. Many use different USB standards, making mobile phone connectivity a pain. For example, the Fiio K7 and Topping DX3 Pro Plus are both great options but utilize USB-B connections. On the upside, you’ll get coax and optical connectivity. The DX3 Pro Plus even has a built-in screen.
Then there’s the Schiit Magni, which does offer a USB-C connection. Look at the internal DAC option, which will run you $189 and give you many of the features of the Zen DAC 3. The downside to this one is the headphone cable connectivity options. On the front, you get only one ¼”, aka 6.35mm, single-ended jack. No balanced 3.5mm is available, so you’ll have to use an adapter. It is 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 want 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 Bluetooth connectivity
- You want coaxial/optical audio connectivity
For a semi-mobile DAC that produces smooth sound and has some great connectivity options, the Zen DAC 3 is well worth its price tag! You get a beautiful piece of hardware, a smart feature set, and plenty of power to drive just about any pair of headphones or IEMs you plug into it. XBass Plus makes the DAC something that even bass heads can get into!
The beauty of the Zen line is that iFi just released a couple of new versions, which, between the three, should cover the needs of just about 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 as well. Solid I/O options, coupled with entertaining desktop sound, at a fair price make this a great choice for desktop hi-resolution audio enjoyment.
