The ZEN DAC V2 is powered from 5V DC, obtained from a USB socket. There's no on/off switch, which suggests the items might be meant to be left powered-up. The streamer gets mildly warm to the touch after an hour or so, but the DAC doesn't, even when powering headphones at fairly high volume levels. Even using some old low-efficiency AKG K340s, I could achieve fairly high volume levels with the volume around the 2 o'clock setting.īoth these iFi products run fairly cool. Headphone power output is claimed to be 280mW (unbalanced) or 380mW (balanced) into headphones with an impedance of 120 to 600 ohms. When I increased the volume level on the lower gain setting, it sounded smoother and less immediate. The higher gain option sounds sharper and more immediate. I found a small but noticeable difference in sound quality between the high and low Power Match options, by the way. TrueBass only affects the headphone outputs. There's a Power Match option for headphone users to optimise output for IEM and over-ear headphones, plus a TrueBass feature to boost the bass performance for a more even response between high and low frequencies. The former seems to sound slightly better than the variable and is around 3dB louder too. Both 6.3mm unbalanced and 4.4mm balanced Pentaconn headphone sockets can be found on the front panel, plus a balanced 4.4mm line output round the back.Ī standard set of unbalanced RCA audio outputs is fitted, with a switch to toggle between fixed and variable operation. Although usable as part of a hi-fi system, it's very much aimed at headphone users wanting a high-quality DAC/headphone amp at a keen price. It's a compact 32-bit desktop design, built to partner USB sources, so there is no S/PIDF coaxial or optical TOSLINK optical input. I also tried iFi's matching £299 ZEN DAC V2 (pictured directly above and below) running its latest firmware during this review. For example, many people have their specific favourites that they've built their systems around and don't want to change them. The ZEN Stream is designed to work with any USB DAC, which is great because you don't have to commit to another DAC when you buy this streamer. If partnered with a ZEN DAC V2, it powers the latter via its USB socket, and iFi supplies the correct USB cable. It's powered by an external plug-top 9V DC power supply, and there are dual USB sockets plus a S/PDIF coaxial RCA output. A series of coloured LEDs indicate the sampling rate and format in use, but lack of space precludes visual display of your album artwork. It is compatible with a wide range of audio formats up to 384kHz PCM and DSD256, and its open-source architecture means that more functionality is promised via future firmware updates. It is uniquely flexible for its £399 price, allowing direct connection to services such as Spotify Connect, Qobuz and Tidal Connect (with decoding of MQA mastered material), UPnP, AirPlay, and Roon, via the matching app. What's not to like about this cute little bit of kit? iFi's new ZEN Stream is a small streamer designed to be partnered with any USB DAC – such as the company's own ZEN DAC V2, more of which later.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |