ZenDAC Review and Comparison
I recently purchased an iFI ZenDAC from Headphones.com (thank you @andrew and @taronlissimore) for $129. I needed a DAC for separate home listening station and didn’t own anything with a Burr-Brown chipset.
What is this product?
In my opinion, iFi often releases products with odd form-factors, confusing functions, and opaque user interfaces. I’d ignored their products previously because I didn’t want to decode their too-clever insider intentions. The ZenDAC is no different, and has a 1960s space-age appearance to boot. [I’ve grown to like its unique looks over time.]
The ZenDAC is sold as a USB DAC, but it presents itself as an all-in-one headphone amp from the front. It has a gain switch, bass boost, volume control, single-ended headphone jack, and 4.4mm balanced headphone jack. There’s a fixed-versus-variable output switch on the back to change between pure DAC and all-in-one DAC/amp use.
ZenDAC on the bottom:
So, this review is divided into two sections: (1) ZenDAC as a DAC, and (2) ZenDAC as an all-in-one.
The price of modernity
The ZenDAC has a $129 retail price, but be aware of its reliance on new and relatively uncommon 4.4mm connectors and cables. The balanced outputs on both the front (headphone) and back (DAC) are 4.4mm. Buying new cables all around could easily double the cost and drive it from the entry-level budget bracket. As I already owned several balanced cables and adapters, my listening setups became very odd and bulky.
ZenDAC as a DAC
This product is great for those who want a standard, common tone profile from all amps and headphones. Natural milk will separate into cream, butter, and whey. The milk you buy in the store and what iFI released here is homogenized. You won’t experience terribly strong personality differences between amps and headphones.
You won’t experience this:
You will experience this:
What does this mean? The ZenDAC is mid-focused, mid-bass-thick, and rolls of the treble. It’s a people-pleasing, easy-on-the-ears tone profile. My headphones (tested with Focal Clear and Sennheiser HD-600) moved in the direction of the HD-650/6XX or Koss Porta Pro. It became harder to hear the unique characteristics of each set of headphones or each amp – Burr-Brown/ZenDAC treble details are subdued versus my AKM 4490 DAC.
I do like the ZenDAC (DAC mode) for a laid back, casual listening experience. However, if you haven’t tried a more technical or treble-focused DAC you might not know what you are missing – good and bad – with your headphones and amps.
ZenDAC as a headphone amp
To be fair to iFi, the ZenDAC’s $129 price tag is a lot lower than separate entry-level DACs and amps (e.g., the Schiit, Topping, or JDS Labs combos cost around $100 + $100). The ZenDAC amp is a solid deal for a $29 price bump, and pretty good for some headphones. However, it doesn’t compete well against separate $100 amps.
In amp mode the top-end remains subdued and easy-on-the-ears, but not very technical. Its biggest weakness is bass, as it doesn’t go deep and tends to be one-note and boomy. In using the balanced output, the Clear in particular had artificially boosted but shallow bass. The bass boost function filled out the mid range in a good way but resulted in overwhelming shallow bass. The HD-600 faired better, as its bass potential seemed perfectly matched to the ZenDAC. Good performance, but the HD-600 can do better.
Amp comparisons ($100 bracket):
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Schiit Magni 3+: This has a fuller and more natural tone than the ZenDAC’s amp. If one wants to boost the bass (HD-600), the Schiit Loki’s lowest range knob is far better than the ZenDAC’s boomy bass boost button. I hear high-range hiss on many single-ended amps, including the Magni 3+, so it wouldn’t be my first pick.
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Loxjie P20 (power supply upgrade and triple mica tubes; <$150): This was the best amp by far, as it generates much more natural (non-boomy) bass and a smooth/clean high end. Again, a slight Loki boost to the lows gets one to the tonal potential of the HD-600 (when restricted to the $500 system category).
Overall
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I recommend the ZenDAC as a warm and easy-going entry-level DAC. Buyers should be aware that they can miss high-range details and personality versus other DACs. It’s not a DAC for technical comparisons or music production.
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The ZenDAC includes a very good $29 amp, but it competes with $50 amps rather than $100 amps. Given the often high cost of 4.4mm cables and adapters, I recommend that budget-minded buyers ignore its balanced features. Use the RCA output jacks and direct funds toward a separate $100 amp.