The affordable desktop DAC/Amp has received some major improvements. Ifi, one of the most notable manufacturers around, is releasing their popular ZEN DAC model with some new editions. On the outside, it’s the same design you know and love, but with some extra goodies.
16-Core Chipset
One of the main additions is the upgrade from an 8-core XMOS chip to a 16-core chip. This makes for a more capable system while still keeping its generous price point. Instead of being an MQA renderer, the new ZEN DAC V2 becomes an MQA renderer. The LED glows green or blue to indicate that the unit is decoding and playing an MQA stream or file, and denotes provenance to ensure that the sound is identical to that of the source material. It glows blue to indicate it is playing an MQA Studio file, which has either been approved in the studio by the artist/producer or has been verified by the copyright owner.
New Jitter ClockÂ
The improved jitter crystal clock delivers >20dB better performance. Low noise performance means theZEN DAC V2 will remain quiet even in noisy situations such as yachts or RVs. The ZEN DAC V2 sports Pentaconn 4.4mm balanced outputs at both the front and back. On the front, there’s also the popular 6.3mm headphone socket.
The iFi ZEN DAC V2 is available at Audio 46.
