iFi Audio - ZEN One Signature

ITS AWESOME...NO COMPLAINS....thank you headphonezone....

I replaced my Denon da300usb DAC. .. So I want Same sound signature dac ....trying to topping e30, Cambridge audio DAC magic 200m and chord 2qute but i m Not satisfied. .. I like burr brown chip.. So I decided to Buy this ifi Zen One signature really awesome. ..warm and detailed ,imaging also good. Happy to purchase this great product.

I recently upgraded from Zen one dac v2 / Zen blue v2 to single unit ZEN ONE SIGNATURE.
This compact device has completely transformed my audio experience and I am thrilled with the results and truly exceeded my expectations.
The sound quality is simply amazing - every note, instrument and voice is crystal clear, and the overall audio output is rich and dynamic. I have noticed a significant improvement in the sound quality of both my music
In terms of sound quality, the ZOS DAC definitely delivers. The sound is clear, crisp, and balanced, with a rich and detailed mid-range and a controlled and impactful bass. The treble is also well-extended and smooth, without any harshness or sibilance.
One minor drawback of the converter is its lack of volume control, meaning you'll need to adjust the volume using your audio source or amplifier. However, this is a small quibble in the grand scheme of things.
Overall, I highly recommend the ZOS Digital to Analog Converter to anyone looking to upgrade their audio setup. Its compatibility, sound quality, and ease of use make it a great investment for music lovers and audiophiles alike

In short, The Zen One Signature is one heck of a DAC. It is a tiny, aesthetically pleasant, metal bodied and in-hand feels like a meaty device with nice curves that can go along well with any luxurious setup.

Sound is tonally Balanced I would say, not too clinical and at the same time not too laid back. Best-in-class Bluetooth reception that I have ever seen in any device till date, because I have kept the Zen One in a shelf that is in one corner of my room, surrounded by walls & pillars and metal body objects all around like 2 stereo Amps but I can still listen to music without any drop in quality, no clicking or popping of any sort, from my phone and that too across 25 feet away inside another room or even if I am sitting in my balcony outside. Nice Job iFi.

The Sound:
It is a Burr Brown 1793 DAC with multibit DSD chip at its heart, so it has that Burr Brown sound signature, if you know what that is. Previously, I was using Asus Xonar STX soundcard having 1792A Burr Brown chip so I was well aware of its sound signature, and I didn’t want to change it as I was very happy with that setup as it goes well with my KEF Q300 bookshelf speakers along with my Cambridge Audio Azur 650A stereo amp which I have been using for a decade now. And with the Zen One, I was able to achieve my goal. Then you must be wondering why I purchased this DAC in the first place? Well I wanted to do a dedicated Tiny PC Roon Core setup and this DAC will be the heart of it.

The sound of both the DACs are very close, I would say, and not too noticeable to an untrained ear, but with enough listening sessions you can certainly and slowly begin to understand where the Zen One shines. In comparison, with certain songs, the Zen One has a tad bit more warmth with grunt that is both creamy ‘n smooth... which resolves better than my previous Xonar STX. Man, this low-end of the Zen One is so satisfying. The deep low ends like in Steffi – The Red Hunter album or Solomun – Home (from Nobody is Not Loved album), it hits you and you feel it and it’s like so satisfying that you instantly will get into that rhythm, that mood, while slowly your body starts to align with the music and then you realise what’s happening. Then there is a slight difference in the imaging & soundstage area between these 2 DACs where the mid-range vocals in Xonar felt slightly forward in-comparison to the Zen One where it is wee bit positioned backwards but don’t get me wrong here, it is like with Zen One, the Singer is on the stage sitting along on the same line as other musicians…. For reference, regarding the imaging, on Xonar STX, it is like listening to a good quality Sennheiser headphone and on Zen One, it is like listening to a pair of Beyerdynamic. The soundstage width is great I would give it 4 out of 5 rating and the depth of the soundstage for both is relatively close, but with Zen One, it is a bit more noticeable, and so it wins here with a bit more margin. Imaging is moderately precise in some songs while it is bang on in some other, so I would say it was the recordings rather than the DAC itself, so in conclusion imaging on Zen One is very good specially at this price point. The Highs… oh boy, it is so pleasant and precisely well-rounded at the top-end that anything higher will start to sound harsher, and so it resulted in a more relaxed long-term listening experience without any fatigue. For me it is like 2-steps down from being too harsh and sibilant. The extension is there and I don’t feel like I am loosing too much details of the recordings, I prefer it this way, it is just right. POLARITY – an acoustics jazz project by Hoff Ensemble and my all-time favourite, The Eagles - Hotel California (from Hell Freezes Over album) felt like I was right there when I closed my eyes. Now the mid-range vocals have the depth that I was looking for, female voices have that warm rounded finish along with the weight which will make anyone, at least for me, listen to One more song when I decided that I should call it a night. Male voices are on another level. Andrea Bocelli – Vivere song and Halie Loren – After Dark album along with Yao Si Ting – Eternal Singing Endless Love Collection albums, Man…, I can’t just stop listening. I think anyone will feel the same way.

Software:
Now my primary listening software is Roon. It worked well almost flawlessly with it. For me Roon sounded the best and not to mention almost same as foobar2000 to the point I can say they are equal in terms of sound quality. I thought I could have saved some money going with Audirvāna but ended up getting Roon as I also liked the UI, the ease and presentation of the software along with a big hole on my jean’s right pocket, as my money bag imploded… (Phun!! intended).

Cons:
No standby mode, no display screen and no remote to change inputs & volume control at this day n' age. If added would have been the perfect DAC. But we can live without those features considering how wonderfully this d...

I’ve had , heard various DACs in different price categories, from Schiit Modi 2 Uber to RME ADI 2 (20k to 1.3L). Based on this experience it’s safe to say the Burr Brown chipset , and the way it has been implemented in this Zen One Sig , has resulted in a DAC that sounds fabulous in the midrange with just the right oomph of treble and low end extension. If you have heard ESS DACs mostly this is going to be a quite discernible change in sonic signature.

I do not use headphones and my usage is with a Marantz integrated amp + Wharfedale Lintons. This DAC is a superior to the AKM4490 DAC inbuilt with the amp even though that has been tuned by Marantz. The sound from this is so sweet and can listen for hours (takes a couple of hours to get used to the sound signature) - I earlier returned a Topping E30 which had excellent clarity and loudness but started jarring quickly - too much detail unfortunately translates to harshness unless you only listen to a couple of songs a day. This sounds like velvet, and the few reviews found on online correctly describe it 'musical' (hard to describe unless you hear it).
Overall, this one is a keeper - i bought the 'one' as it has Bluetooth plus extra inputs but you could easily go for the Zen V2 Signature if you don't need these.
One negative, the power adaptor sent is a normal cheap one. Reviewers from other countries show a 'clean power' one which is expensive and partially why i chose to go with the Signature series, but very disappointed that Asia/India buyers get a normal one - to be fair i should have paid more attention as the HPZ page shows a picture of it. hence rated only 2 on Value for money.

It's a classy little audiophile grade gadget.

I simply love the IFI hip dac, and with the Zen one I could enjoy the same level of SQ in my Speaker set up.
The Bluetooth it self is adequate for me. And the multiple inputs allows me to connect my normal CD player to Zen one and it sounds much better. Initially was looking for Zen Blue but further thought processes and discussions with Varun from HPZ led me to decide on this. A big thanks to team HPZ who patiently helped me with the ordering, cancelling and reordering chaos that I made during this purchase.

Wrt to Sq these are more detailed than Topping BC30 and Btr5 which were my previous sources in my speaker set up. The overall sq is a pleasent balanced tone and I just simply enjoys it and I am happy that I made this decision.