iFi Audio - ZEN Air DAC

Desktop DAC & Headphone Amp
Sale price₹ 7,999 Regular priceMRP: ₹ 9,999
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7 Day Easy Exchange

The iFi Audio - ZEN Air DAC is eligible for Easy Exchange within 7 days of delivery. Your exchange request will be accepted only once. We want to make sure that you end up with a product that you 100% love. 

An exchange will be allowed only if the product is returned in original condition (with brand’s/manufacturer's box, MRP tag intact, user manual, warranty card and all the accessories therein)

You will receive full Store Credit in your Headphone Zone account so that you may choose another product from our website which would be more suited to your needs. Refunds will NOT be possible under our 7 Day Easy Exchange Policy.

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7 Day Replacement Guarantee

In case you receive the iFi Audio - ZEN Air DAC with a manufacturing defect, please raise a return request within 7 days of delivery.

However, if you receive an incorrect / damaged / different product or one with missing accessories, please raise a return request within 24 hours of delivery. In case you receive a product with a missing, incorrect, or faulty accessory, you will be given a replacement accessory instead of the entire product.

Please make sure that the product is in the original packaging with all the accessories it came with. We'll also need an unboxing video and images of the parcel to investigate about the discrepancy. You may be asked to share images of the product and the packaging received for us to determine the damage or defect prior to approving the return request. The free replacement will be shipped only once the original order is returned.

A replacement will be issued only if:

- It is found to be defective 
- It is determined that the product was not damaged while in your possession
- The product is not different from what was shipped to you
- The product is returned in original condition (with brand’s/manufacturer's box, MRP tag intact, user manual, warranty card and all the accessories therein)

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Warranty & Services

This iFi Audio - ZEN Air DAC comes with a warranty from iFi Audio that covers manufacturing defects. All products featured on Headphone Zone are backed by an original manufacturer's warranty.

Read more about iFi Audio's warranty in India.

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Designed in the
UK

1 Year of
Warranty

Ideal for Audiophiles

These DAC & Amps are designed for discerning music lovers. If audio quality is important to you, a set of DAC & Amps like these would be ideal.

You can expect these DAC & Amps to present you with a refined listening experience. The audio quality exhibited by these DAC & Amps is a beautiful mix of musicality, technical brilliance and high precision.

These DAC & Amps deliver a spacious & open soundstage that makes you feel you are sitting at a live concert. Experience the magic and delve into pure sonic tranquility!

Ideal for
Indoor Use

Burr-Brown
DAC Chip

Pair with Laptop via USB

A majority of people use a laptop as the primary source device to listen to music or watch movies. Since the laptop is an essential part of the audio chain there are headphones and devices designed to work a laptop or computer system flawlessly. With the availability of USB connectivity, it becomes easier to pair various devices like an Amp, DAC or even headphones without worrying about drivers or any additional piece of software.

Connect With
USB3.0

>280mW @ 32Ω
Power Output

Volume Controls

If your DAC & Amps include volume controls or volume rockers, you can easily change the volume with a button press or volume knob turn.

DAC & Amps that have volume controls make its operation incredibly simple; turn up the volume on your smartphone or your source devices and then change the volume on DAC & Amps to the desired level.

This design feature allows you to have complete control over the desired volume according to your listening preferences.

If you need a DAC and an Amp for your desktop setup, you cannot get a more compelling product than the iFI ZEN Air DAC. They are incredibly affordable for their performance, and I think anyone who is using a headphone must experience the difference this can make to their music.
RAGHAV SOMANI

About RAGHAV SOMANI

Raghav Somani is the Founder & CEO of Headphone Zone. An avid audiophile and musician since 2008, his choice of headphones include STAX Electrostats, Audeze LCD 3, and for music on the go, the JH Audio Roxanne + Astell&Kern SP1000 is never too far away. On his playlist, you'll find A.R. Rahman, Michael Jackson, and the Eagles.

IFI AUDIO INTRODUCES THE ALL-NEW ZEN AIR DAC AND HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER

iFi Audio presents the ZEN Air DAC based on the award-winning ZEN Series. The ZEN Air range makes high-performance audio more accessible than ever before. The iFi Audio ZEN Air DAC is a versatile device that can act as a pure Hi-Res DAC with an amp and speakers and also fulfils the role of a headphone amp. The ZEN Air DAC can be used with PCs, Macs, Smartphones, Tablets and Gaming Consoles. ZEN Air DAC is capable of playing back Hi-res PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD256 natively and offers support for MQA rendering too.

ZEN Air DAC



Headphone-Zone-iFi Audio-ZEN Air DAC

EXPERIENCE REFINED PERFORMANCE WITHOUT ANY ARTEFACTS OR JITTER

ZEN Air DAC is the latest addition to the beloved and award-winning ZEN series devices from iFi Audio. The ZEN Air DAC offers a pure listening experience with the equipped 16-core XMOS chip. This new 16-core chip is fused with iFi optimised firmware and delivers double the clock speed and expanded memory as well as USB connectivity. Apart from optimising the sound, this XMOS chip improves the processing power, clock speed and memory. The other purpose that the chip fulfils is to feed an external amp, be it a headphone amp, or an amp and active speakers. This new and improved ZEN Air DAC elevates the sound quality of digital sources to a higher plane.

Headphone-Zone-iFi Audio-ZEN Air DAC
Headphone-Zone-iFi Audio-ZEN Air DAC

EMBEDDED WITH BURR-BROWN CHIP FOR IMMACULATE HI-RES AUDIO QUALITY

The iFi Audio ZEN Air DAC comes equipped with a Burr-Brown Native DSD DAC chip to deliver ‘Bit-Perfect’ audio with native PCM, DSD and DXD support. The iFi-programmed XMOS firmware which processes data received at the USB input, combined with jitter-eradicating audiophile-grade oscillators, contributes to exemplary handling of digital audio signals as they are received, and processed and converted to analogue form. This allows you to experience and enjoy your music in the highest quality. ZEN Air DAC supports Hi-Res True Native playback of all music formats from MP3 to DSD 256, PCM 32bit/384kHz and DXD 352.8/384kHz.
ZEN Air DAC

Headphone-Zone-iFi Audio-ZEN Air DAC

MQA RENDERING SUPPORT WITH POWERMATCH AND XBASS+ TECHNOLOGY

ZEN Air DAC MQA support through the USB connection with full rendering capability of MQA files thanks to the processing power of the new 16-core XMOS chip. With this, you can enjoy your music in the original master recording quality as the ZEN Air DAC can now render MQA files effortlessly. It also allows you to stream from popular services like Apple Music, Room and Tidal. With the ZEN Air DAC, you also capability to use the PowerMatch feature that adjusts the gain of the ZEN Air DAC so it functions at the right level for your headphones. ZEN Air DAC also offers unique sonic tailoring possibilities with XBass+ technology and Analogue Bass Boost. XBass+ technology and Analogue Bass allow you to tailor the audio to suit your headphones and your sonic taste by extending the bass response.
ZEN Air DAC

Headphone-Zone-iFi Audio-ZEN Air DAC
Headphone-Zone-iFi Audio-ZEN Air DAC

EQUIPPED WITH HIGH-QUALITY COMPONENTS FOR DISTORTION-FREE AUDIO

The new ZEN Air DAC comes equipped with high-grade components. The amplification stage in the ZEN Air DAC utilises an iFi Operational Amplifier OV2637 that delivers high performance with low noise and is capable of driving various headphones. ZEN Air DAC also embeds an advanced low jitter clock with a Texas Instruments precision low-noise power supply to complement the audio circuitry. Outstanding components like TDK C0G capacitors complete the design for the device. The iFi Audio ZEN Air DAC also offers a 6.3mm headphone output at the front with an added gold plated RCA socket at the back that allows you to maintain an immaculate audio signal.

Headphone-Zone-iFi Audio-ZEN Air DAC
Headphone-Zone-iFi Audio-ZEN Air DAC
Headphone-Zone-iFi Audio-ZEN Air DAC

EXPERTLY BUILT WITH AN INDICATIVE LED LIGHT FOR AUDIO FORMATS PLAYED

iFi Audio ZEN Air DAC comes equipped with a powerful LED that lights up on the front panel. This LED light is RGB enabled and doubles as an indicator light to display the file format of the played file. The specific colour of the LED is as follows - PCM 44.1/48/88.2/96kHz Green, PCM 176.4/192/352.8/384kHz Yellow, DSD 64/128 Teal, DSD 256 Blue and MQA files show a Magenta light. This LED light provides a quick visual cue for your played track and informs you quickly.

Headphone-Zone-iFi Audio-ZEN Air DAC
1 Year Warranty

Don't sweat it, this iFi Audio - ZEN Air DAC comes with a 1 Year warranty from iFi Audio that covers manufacturing defects. All products featured on Headphone Zone are backed by an original manufacturer's warranty.

Read more about iFi Audio's warranty in India.

Business Line

"The Zen Air is capable of playing back Hi-Res PCM up to 32-bits/384 kHz along with DSD256 and supports MQA, using the Burr-Brown DAC chipset to deliver bit-perfect sound."

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Most watched reviews for iFi Audio - ZEN Air DAC


Customer Reviews

Based on 46 reviews
59%
(27)
26%
(12)
4%
(2)
7%
(3)
4%
(2)
V
Vignan R (Bengaluru)
Design and Comfort:
Sound Quality:
Value for Money:
Bad

Headphone Zone delivered the product super fast and I appreciate that
I never used Zen Dac V1 or V2 so can't compare this Zen air Dac to those but this Zen Air Dac just doesn't sound as good as my $10 Dongle DACs I have like Odyssey HD, Abigail, Avani and CX Pro
Zen air Dac lacks clarity in the sound and also the vocals and highs sound harsh. Vocals are also pushed back a bit. My Dongle DACs mentioned above sound clean and more natural in comparison. Zen air dac has more power though than my Dongle Dacs
Xbass+ just adds a bit of sub bass but mid bass is nowhere to be seen. It feels like it reduces the mid bass when Xbass+ is activated
Tested all this with both Data and power USB cables connected to USB 3.0 ports on my Desktop and used multiple IEMs and Headphones
Also, this ZEN air Dac doesn't come with USB Type B 3.0 socket but it is a 2.0 port. IFI has incorrectly put it up as USB Type B 3.0 socket on their website. Type B 3.0 and 2.0 sockets are different so 3.0 cable can't be connected to a 2.0 socket
Overall, not satisfied with this product

We are extremely sorry for the disappointing experience you had to go through with us. We agree that the brand had given out the wrong information and we have rectified the issue with the brand as well. We appreciate your patience.

G
GAUTHAM PK (Mysore)
Design and Comfort:
Sound Quality:
Value for Money:
iFi Audio - ZEN Air DAC

I didn't expect fantastic output from that small box, even it is working perfectly with my Book shelf speaker aswell. I am totally satisfied ☺️

Hey there, nothing makes us happier than knowing you loved your purchase, hope you had a comfortable shopping experience & thank you for the great review & ratings!

S
Shivansh (Delhi)
Design and Comfort:
Sound Quality:
Value for Money:
After listening from it for a month this is my honest Opinion

Coming in from a Fiio E18 which has served me for about 8-9 years or so I was looking for a desktop DAC. Zeroed in on Zen DAC V2 but alas good things are seldom instock, Hence settled for the Air DAC. Given the innards are basically the similar to Zen V2 bar the metal build and balance output I suspected it should rather sound the same and surprise-surprise It does sound pretty good.

I have used my Vmoda M100 as my drivers for the last month and I have a preference for slightly punchier bit accentuated bass without any muddiness, no loss in mids and just clean Highs(complete flat singatures kinda sounds shrill to my ears) and DAC delivered the experience I wanted. Though I cant vouch for Xbass button, kinda makes my headphone sound like something from Beats.

The build is plastic but doesnt feel cheap, the Vol. knob is metal and smooth af. Overall I would be hard pressed to think of any other alternatives of the same calibre in this price range. Also thanks to headphonezone for timely delivery!

Hi Shivansh,
We are so happy you took out time & elaborately reviewed the product with a comparison. We are sure this will help our customers to make an even better & informed decision.

D
Dinesh Singh (Lucknow)
Design and Comfort:
Sound Quality:
Value for Money:
A good dac overall

Let me tell you one thing, it's a budget offering from ifi and for the price the multibit burr brown dsd1793 chip sounds like analogue. Volume control is very smooth, one RCA out is enough for your powered speakers and external amplifiers. The universal USB input is enough for connecting to various devices like PC, laptops, dap and mobile phones. Remember to get an OTG cable for your mobile. Rest the body is plastic, don't worry it is not that light in the weight and the plastic quality is quite satisfactory. Comes with a blue short USB A to USB B cable and a power cable for 5v dc. The DAC can also be powered using the 5v dc , however the best part is ...it can also be powered using the same USB cable through which it pulls the audio signal in case you have no power outlet near you.
So at 8k it's a very good purchase for budding and beginner audiophiles. It doesn't have any balanced headphones out but under 10k dac I hv no regrets. Although they should provide a 6.3mm to 3.5mm adaptor with it for its headphone jack .
280mw at 32ohms and 36mw at 300ohms is its headphone output power.
Supports 44.1 to 384khz sample rates and I tried all, gives you different color LED notification for each sample rate, it's not an MQA decoder but a renderer.
Supports dsd64/128 and 256. All works well.
Refer to my channel: techReviewPool for video review and unbox video :)

Judge.me YouTube video placeholder

Hi Dinesh Singh,
We are so happy you took out time & elaborately reviewed the product. We are sure this will help our customers to make an even better & informed decision.

R
Rebanta Mukherjee (Kolkata)
Design and Comfort:
Sound Quality:
Value for Money:
Excellent entry level desktop dac/amp, all you need for plenty

First off, shout out to Danesh from HZ team who assured me that this little unit is sufficient for my Hifiman HE400SE, and he was right!
Great service from HZ on the delivery as well, received it on the next day.

Build, accessories:
Coming to the Zen Air, it's a cute little dac amp with the unique iFi Zen design, made out of hard plastic.
Build quality is quite good and the volume knob is buttery smooth (it's an analogue volume knob).
The biggest con for me is the USB 2.0 Type B cable that ships with it - it's so short I don't understand how anyone at iFi thought it's ok for a desktop setup...
It also comes with a power cable with USB Type A for external 5V 2.5A DC power, which didn't make any noticeable difference to the sound.

Sound:
I was specifically looking at a budget amplifier good enough to drive my HE400SE, as these are my first planars and most difficult to drive headphones in my collection. The dongle dacs I have just don't do them justice.

Safe to say, the Zen Air is perfect for it. I don't care about balanced audio much, and this thing actually outputs more power from the SE output than the SE on the original Zen Dac!
Just hit powermatch, and you don't need to turn the volume over 1 o'clock (unless you want to damage your ears). And the bass boost feature - XBass - is quite tastefully done, adds a little rumble below 100 Hz, quite fun to try out on some tracks from time to time.
Overall you get a very musical sonic signature out of the Zen Air.
I won't call it colored, but it's hard to explain unless you have some ESS Sabre or Cirrus Logic dacs to compare... there's a hint of warmth here that's lacking in Chi-fi dacs, really loving it.

So if you're on a budget like me and want the best out of your harder to drive cans, these should be your first option.

HI R.Mukherjee,
We are so happy you took out time & elaborately reviewed the product with a comparison. We are sure this will help our customers to make an even better & informed decision.

M
Manish U V (Bengaluru)
Design and Comfort:
Sound Quality:
Value for Money:
Good for beginners audiophile

Nice built quality and has good features for a beginner and support most os the entry level headphones and items . Power match is only good for headphones not for items and if you are a bass head the it also cover you with xbass+ feature and is ok

We appreciate your honest review & awesome ratings, Manish U V!

R
R.G. (Nagpur)
Design and Comfort:
Sound Quality:
Value for Money:
Does it's job very well.

Few months ago I just wondered how different my experience could be while listening to music using better equipments. In came the Sennheiser's HD 560s and ifi Zen Air DAC since I always thought my laptop's soundcard delivers subpar output and this thing proved it, hell it even made my cheap active F&D speakers sound soo much better through the RCA output. I don't know or understand many of these "audiophile" buzzwords since I'm just a beginner but I felt the difference in quality between the sound this DAC produces compared to the one my laptop and phone does especially with Xbass+ switched on, this alone makes my purchase worth it. Wonder how much of a difference it would make when I'll hook it up with a hybrid tube amplifier which I'm looking forward to purchase from here in the future!

Few things everyone should know about, while doing my research on this DAC I came across numerous complaints about the sound delay issue, some Reddit members suggested that it got fixed with the 7.4c firmware upgrade. Before even testing it I installed the drivers and upgraded the firmware as per the instructions and I can say that I haven't faced any such issues. Next big issue was that the usb cable they provided gets stuck and never comes out which ifi fixed in the newer batches, the cable I got doesn't fully goes in the usb port of the DAC, maybe this is their "fix".. At last I'd say that the headphone socket beside the volume knob is indeed oddly placed.

My first purchase from Headphone Zone, always heard good things about them and they didn't disappoint, the DAC came in a very well packed box and was delivered before the expected date, brand new and sealed I had no complaints. Currently I'm listening to the songs mentioned in the music catalog of different genres that HPzone sent me!

Hi there, we are so happy you took out time and elaborately reviewed the product. We are sure this will help our customers to make an even better and informed decision.

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