| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Transient Design |
Posted - 2019/10/23 : 10:55:18
Nu släpper iFi Audio en mindre och billigare serie produkter i ny design kallad: ZEN. De två första modellerna som kommer inom kort är Blue och DAC. Pris till kund beräknas i Sverige bli 1690kr /st med moms. Om inte kronan sjunker ännu djupare... Sedan kommer det framöver troligen att komma även ett RIAA-steg i samma design och prisklass. Men vi vet ännu inget om detta.
Notera att det sitter en balanserad utgång på baksidan! Utgångsteget designat av den legendariske John Curl i samarbete med iFi#180;s egen Thorsten. |
| 10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Transient Design |
Posted - 2019/10/24 : 09:33:24
Och jag måste säga att jag tycker att det är rätt unikt och häftigt att de erbjuder balanserade utgångar på en DAC för 1700kr! Den nya 4,4 mm standarden verkar få mer och mer fäste på produkter. För alla lurar som man kan driva balanserat låter mycket bättre om man driver dem balanserat! Vissa av Hifimans lurar kommer redan som standard med en sådan kabel.
Sedan så kommer dessvärre dessa ZEN med en pytteliten väggbula med på köpet. Inte den iPower som brukar följa med alla iFi#180;s produkter! Så det är ju ett givetvis uppköp till alla som köper dessa ZEN. BYT UT VÄGGBULAN! Så blir det med stor sannolikhet ett mycket bättre ljud. Detta gör de eftersom priset på dessa ZEN är så pressat. |
| Transient Design |
Posted - 2019/10/23 : 11:21:12
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| Transient Design |
Posted - 2019/10/23 : 11:20:43
The 4.4mm output to the rear enables connection to amps and active speakers equipped with a balanced input #8211; either a Pentaconn 4.4mm input, or XLR inputs via a 4.4mm-to-XLR cable. Single-ended RCA outputs are also provided.
These line-level outputs #8211; both balanced and single-ended #8211; can be switched between #8216;variable#8217; and #8216;fixed#8217;, enhancing the ZEN DAC#8217;s versatility. The variable setting applies volume control to the audio signal, enabling the ZEN DAC to perform as a preamp feeding a power amp or active speakers. The fixed option bypasses the volume control, fixing the output at 4.2V (balanced) or 2.1V (single-ended) for connection to an external preamp or integrated amp.
The ZEN DAC#8217;s asynchronous USB Type B input supports the #8216;SuperSpeed#8217; USB 3.0 standard and is also compatible with USB 2.0.
In common with other ZEN Series products, the ZEN DAC sports a sturdy, smartly finished aluminium enclosure, neatly sized at 158x35x100mm (WxHxD). Even the rotary volume control is aluminium, giving a reassuringly solid feel #8211; impressive at the product#8217;s super-affordable price. Behind the volume control resides an LED that changes colour to indicate the sampling rate of the audio data received.
The iFi ZEN DAC is available from mid-October, at an RRP of £129. Further ZEN Series products are set to follow in the coming months.
More information at: https://media.ifi-audio.com/portfolio/zen-dac/ |
| Transient Design |
Posted - 2019/10/23 : 11:20:16
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| Transient Design |
Posted - 2019/10/23 : 11:19:13
Highly specified, super-affordable and simple to use, iFi#8217;s ZEN DAC elevates your digital audio experience to a higher plane
Southport, England #8211; Hot on the heels of the ZEN Blue hi-res Bluetooth streamer, iFi expands the ZEN family of desktop-sized audio products with the ZEN DAC #8211; a USB DAC/headphone amp offering a level of specification and performance that belies its eminently affordable £129 price tag.
Designed for home use #8211; on a desk, perhaps, or in the living room #8211; the ZEN DAC connects to PCs and Macs, or smart devices such as tablets or phones, via USB. Its hi-res digital-to-analogue conversation technology processes all forms of digital audio to a super-high standard, while the integrated analogue headphone amplifier delivers superb sound with all headphone types, from in-ear monitors to larger on- and over-ear designs.
Compared to simply plugging headphones directly into a computer or smart device, the ZEN DAC transforms the listening experience #8211; sound is clearer, more detailed, more expansive and engaging, making the most of whichever headphones are connected.
As well as driving headphones, the ZEN DAC can be used as a USB DAC in a home audio system, with or without its volume control engaged. What#8217;s more, whether you#8217;re hooking up headphones, an external amp or active speakers, you have a choice of single-ended or balanced connection #8211; a remarkable facility at the price.
Digital stage
The DAC section is based around a Burr-Brown DAC chip that iFi uses extensively, selected for its fluid, highly #8216;musical#8217; sound quality and #8216;True Native#8217; architecture. This, together with the XMOS chip used for input processing, enables iFi to deliver excellent sound quality across all manner of digital audio formats including hi-res PCM, #8216;bit-perfect#8217; DSD and MQA #8211; the hi-res streaming codec, as used by Tidal#8217;s #8216;Masters#8217; tier. Given the diminutive asking price, the ZEN DAC#8217;s digital audio credentials are highly impressive.
PCM and DXD audio data is supported up to 24-bit/384kHz, alongside DSD sampling rates from 2.8MHz to 12.4MHz (DSD256). Thanks to the Burr-Brown chip#8217;s True Native design, PCM and DSD take separate pathways #8211; this enables DSD to remain #8216;bit-perfect#8217; in its native form, right through to analogue conversion. Many DACs that claim DSD compatibility accept DSD data but then convert it to PCM; for DSD purists, the ZEN DAC is a fantastic affordable solution.
Another circuit feature that separates this and other DACs made by iFi from competing designs is iFi#8217;s in-house programming of the XMOS chip. While other manufacturers simply use the firmware that comes with the chip off-the-shelf, which is not typically optimised for audiophile-grade sound, iFi programs its own bespoke firmware to boost audio processing power.
iFi#8217;s continuous software development allows features to be added or optimised via firmware updates, enabling the ZEN DAC to be tailored to the user#8217;s playback priorities and ensuring it stays cutting-edge over time. Users can even download and install different versions of iFi firmware to experiment with different digital filters should they so desire.
Extensive clock-locking is used throughout the digital stage to eradicate jitter, maintaining the integrity of the digital signal until conversion. |
| Transient Design |
Posted - 2019/10/23 : 11:16:58
Strax efter denna info så fick vi även info om deras ZEN DAC! |
| Transient Design |
Posted - 2019/10/23 : 11:16:28
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| Transient Design |
Posted - 2019/10/23 : 11:15:47
None of this would mean much if the rest of the ZEN Blue#8217;s circuitry were not up to scratch. This is the first iFi product to benefit from the input of legendary audio designer John Curl, who has teamed up with the iFi electronics design team, led by Technical Director Thorsten Loesch, to ensure the circuit design of every product is fully optimised.
The ZEN Blue#8217;s analogue output stage is a balanced design #8211; highly unusual in a DAC anywhere near this price point. It incorporates a range of high-quality circuit components, carefully selected for their performance in an audio context, including professional-grade balanced line drivers, C0G capacitors from TDK and a precision low-noise power supply IC from Texas Instruments. It all adds up to a highly affordable Bluetooth streamer with a sound that punches well above its weight.
It#8217;s all connected
The ZEN Blue adds high-quality Bluetooth reception to any audio system via analogue or digital cable connections. A switch at the back dictates how the digital signal is routed; either through the DAC and analogue output stage, or directly to the digital outputs. On the analogue side, RCA stereo outputs allow connection to amplifiers, active speakers and the like, while a 4.4mm Pentaconn output enables balanced signal transfer to amps/speakers equipped with a balanced input #8211; either a 4.4mm input, or XLR inputs via a 4.4mm-to-XLR cable. For digital connections, optical and coaxial outputs are provided #8211; these allow connection to anything with a built-in DAC and corresponding digital input, such as an AV amp or an external hi-fi DAC.
The ZEN Blue #8216;remembers#8217; up to seven paired Bluetooth source devices, making it easy to switch from one device to another, with impressive reception range thanks to the latest Bluetooth 5 specification. The DAC stage handles sample rates well in excess of the maximum supported by the best hi-res Bluetooth formats #8211; of the current 24-bit-capable codecs, aptX HD#8217;s specification tops out at 48kHz, while LDAC and HWA support up to 96kHz.
The LED at the centre of the ZEN Blue#8217;s front panel changes colour to identify the Bluetooth codec being received, while another LED to the right indicates the sample rate. Qualcomm#8217;s QCC5100 chip can be updated over-the-air, enabling future Bluetooth codecs to be added to the ZEN Blue#8217;s specification.
Find your ZEN
Available from October, the ZEN Blue hi-res Bluetooth streamer is the first of a range of ZEN Series products, all of which share the same 158x35x100mm (WxHxD) aluminium case. It will be followed swiftly by the ZEN DAC, which swaps Bluetooth reception for a USB input and adds an integrated headphone amp. Further ZEN Series products will arrive in the coming months. |
| Transient Design |
Posted - 2019/10/23 : 11:15:14
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| Transient Design |
Posted - 2019/10/23 : 10:55:44
Första info om ZEN BLUE direkt från iFi Audio:
Southport, England #8211; iFi kicks off a new range of high-quality, super-affordable, desktop-sized audio products with the ZEN Blue #8211; the world#8217;s first Bluetooth receiver supporting all the latest hi-res codecs for the best-quality music streaming from smartphones, tablets, PCs and Macs to any audio system
The ZEN Blue immediately impresses with its sturdy aluminium enclosure, unusual at such a low price. But what really sets it apart is the circuitry within #8211; as always, iFi has gone to great lengths to ensure that sound quality over Bluetooth is the best it can be, even if it has to be designed from the ground up.
Bluetooth reception represents a mere convenience for many audio manufacturers, enabled in the simplest and cheapest way to #8216;tick a box#8217; on the features list. But the manner in which Bluetooth is implemented #8211; the quality of signal processing and the circuitry that surrounds it #8211; has a big impact on performance. Not all Bluetooth sounds the same, and iFi engineers its products to obtain the best possible performance from every audio source #8211; Bluetooth streaming included.
With the ZEN Blue, this starts with a state-of-the-art Qualcomm QCC5100 chip to process the incoming data #8211; the ZEN Blue is the first product of its kind to benefit from this new-generation Bluetooth IC.
All the latest hi-res Bluetooth audio formats are supported, including Qualcomm#8217;s aptX HD, Sony#8217;s LDAC and Huawei#8217;s HWA #8211; no other Bluetooth streamer boasts this hi-res specification. Other supported codecs include regular aptX, aptX Low Latency (for synching sound with visual media), AAC (the favoured format of iOS devices) and SBC (the #8216;plain vanilla#8217; Bluetooth codec). This means that every possible source device is covered, at the highest resolution its Bluetooth audio specification will allow.
The Qualcomm QCC5100 offers a #8216;system-on-a-chip#8217; Bluetooth solution, with all functions covered including D-to-A conversion. Many manufacturers would simply rely on this chip to deliver the DAC function, but this is not the iFi way. The ZEN Blue has separate digital and analogue stages; to feed the analogue stage, the processed digital signal is routed from the QCC5100 to a specialised DAC chip from ESS Technology#8217;s Sabre family to convert the signal from digital to analogue.
One of the key advantages of the ESS Sabre DAC chip is its Hyperstream architecture with integrated Time Domain Jitter Eliminator, which helps to deliver vanishingly low distortion and high dynamic range. iFi has found that this allies perfectly with the Qualcomm chip to deliver Bluetooth audio that sounds far better than the norm. |
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