ifi have a good history when it comes to DAC’s and this particular design is no exception. As you may have already worked out, this is the third device to bear the Zen name and when you consider the Zen has been awarded the WHAT Hi-Fi? ‘Best DAC below £200’ for four years in a row (The original in 2020, the Zen 2 in 2021-2023), you can see why they’re continuously updating this little device! Although the 3 has moved beyond the ‘under £200’ tag so we’ll see if it gets an award in 2024…
For those not in the know, the Zen is a USB-based DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) that you can attach as an intermediary between your player and your chosen audio device that helps to clear up the background sound and provide a much purer, cleaner sound – more akin to whatever the original artist had in mind. The Zen 3 improves on the 2 by doubling its digital capabilities to 768kHz resolution (for those that have 768 kHz recordings!), DSD512 (the highest sampling rate currently achievable on DSD recordings) and MQA decoding, giving you the ability to listen to most audio recordings as close as possible to the original recording as done by the artist in the studio.
From a button pushing perspective, the Zen 3 has a variety of features that ensure purer sound quality. The USB port is restricted to only transferring data when an external power source is connected for example as well as having overvoltage protection and a reduction in DC offset (in very simple terms, the distortion generated by flicking switches) in comparison to the 2 helps keep the sound consistent while you’re making use of it. All in all, the Zen 3 has got as many bells and whistles (not literally, obviously!) as you need at a price that most of us would be happy to pay to listen to most of your audio in as good a condition as most of us will need. RRP £229
- Ability to convert the most up-to-date music files accurately
- Good provenance
- Built-in headphone amplifier that fits both 4.4 and 6.3mm jacks
- Variable or Fixed output switch
- When it gets to a certain point, is the difference really worth it for the average punter?