Joined in 2023 
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63 About this deal
What makes a “good amp” can be different to many people. For me, the measure of an amp is how evenly the unit amplifies the source material, how cleanly it amplifies, and how well it maintains the original “integrity” of the dynamics, spacing, and separation within a soundscape. (Staging, or whatever term you wish to use.) The original and new Zen V2 DACs both seem to be competitive for their price points for all of the aforementioned characteristics. I wouldn’t call either Zen DAC exactly “reference”, but they aren’t that far off. I’m going to say that I hear a little added coloring, (Slightly on the warm side) but both offer high quality and I consider a “fun” sound. See all of the iFi Audio Zen Stream’s specifications iFi Audio Zen DAC V2 and Zen Stream: configuration HiFiMan Sundara | Audio Technica ATH-AD900X | Beyerdynamic T1(v2) | Sennheiser HD650 | Gold Planar GL850 | Heddphone The Zen DAC clearly outperforms our MacBook Pro laptop easily, sounding clearer and more detailed. We listen to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and are impressed by the iFi’s expressive dynamics and its ability to reproduce the piano’s harmonic richness convincingly. The leading edges of notes are precise but not over etched, and there’s a good sense of authority to the sound.
Bass: presents itself well defined with good texture and control, the both Sub-Bass and Mid-Bass are respectively clean, nothing is emphasized until you hit that Xbass button. The Zen can as well as Zen DAC come in a attractive box with most of the accessories you might need. When using additional power supply there is a slight bass boost , maybe 1-2 db at max, very slight to hear AAW AXH (balanced): Now i'm a b*tch and swap to the 4.4 connector. Audible hiss, no more silence at zero volume. I really should use this IEM unbalanced only. Channel Balance is absolutely superb via both single ended RCA and balanced Pentaconn outputs. Via headphone output, Left and Right channels have a slight imbalance of less that half a decibel across entire frequency range. In practice this should not be of any notable detriment.Audible channel imbalance with almost every IEM at very low volume. For me it doesn't matter. Turn it up a little bit and it's gone. Fun fact: The same happened on the Oor, the right channel was louder on very low volume. The bottom line is: no matter what music I listened to, it had just a little more detail and depth when I listened to it on the Zen DAC V2 versus the V1. The Wrap Up I love the option to play around with firmware to change the filters. I’ve just changed to the GTO filter and so far I’m very impressed. Denon AH-D9200 (balanced): Well this thing needs no power, so that's fine. I gets very V-shaped with the bass function haha. It sounds clean, but i prefer it on the Oor for the class A goodness (a bit less sharp).
GL-850 – Moving up a step, the GL-850 was especially nuanced. (But it took more of the volume overhead than I was comfortable with.) Listening to “My Immortal” again, the song’s soundstage felt dynamic and had very good left-right soundstage size. The treble felt slightly forward, but this could also have been due to better detail retrieval and imaging. Detail and clarity were clearly the best so far. Whether you have a PC or Mac, laptop, tablet or Chromebook, listening to music while you surf, work or game is a constant pleasure. What’s less good is the sound quality – even if you’re using a pair of good quality headphones, the sound output is usually left wanting. The ZEN DAC (Digital to Analogue Convertor) V2 massively improves the sound by bypassing your computer’s soundcard and headphone output and replacing them with bespoke, audiophile grade components. The iFi Zen DAC V2 remains one of the best ways to upgrade your desktop headphone system.” ’What Hi-Fi?’ 2023 award-winner. With my first entry level amp, a JDS Labs El Amp 2 i had a static noise while turning the volume button, no noise with this unit, wohoo, good job iFi! Since the Gustard X26 Pro has only 2 outputs (which i use for the Oor and Echo), i also wanted an integrated DAC, alongside the small form factor. The Shanling UA5 was fine in terms of clean power, but a nuisance to use in a desktop setup.Smooth treble, but as equally detailed as the bass and the mids are. It is never bright or harsh, but very easy and comfortable. My kind of treble I should say. I really like it, and and the use case is perfect for me. I can absolutely see it as an easy, entry level first unit for not that hard to drive headphones. I have no medium to drive planar here like the Arya v2, so without testing, i would say that if you use something in that ballpark (more demanding), you get to its limits (Arya v3 Stealth should be totally fine, way easier to drive). It sounds clean and doesn't colour the sound. That's good for some headphones, but for others you may want to take the edges off. If you want to upgrade from it / spend more money, i would 100% go for a bit of a more coloured sound (either a clean tube amp (something like the Echo), or an entry level class A amp (like the rebel amp) ), a lot of headphones really benefit a lot from a warmer source. The iFi Audio Zen DAC V2 demonstrated a beautiful transparency and a noise-free sound. The TrueBass mode is an essential function of the headphone amplifier, optimizing the tonal balance in a very well controlled way. The sound became more vivid, coherent and natural when this analog filter was activated. The bass benefited from a better foundation, was deeper, better defined and more robust. The midrange was also reproduced more effectively and was more consistent with the TrueBass mode. The iFi Audio Zen DAC V2 provided a balanced reproduction and punchy lows when the TrueBass mode was activated. The Zen Dac is also easily transportable, USB powered, an ideal companion on holidays when you are away from your higher-end gear. I think it is also a great option for many audio enthusiasts as a secondary headphone system at your workplace or bedside cabinet. Mid bass is plenty, but also not blown up which to me is often a shortcoming of other similarly priced equipment.
True-bass is one of the more useful bass boost circuits I have heard as it doesn’t try and over-do the boost like so many do and it focuses a bit lower on the spectrum with most all of the effect coming below 200Hz and the biggest bump closer to 100Hz. It lifts the sub-bass about +2dB and will indeed give a bass-light headphone a bit more bass presence without a huge sacrifice in quality in the process. Far too many bass boost circuits turn the low end into a big boomy mess so it is nice to see a design that attempts to boost a bit without doing so. Kudos to iFi for that. The last ten years have been a revolution in the world of high fidelity, thanks to the drop in prices due to outsourcing to China. However, even just a few years ago, components and features of this type would have been unimaginable at such a low price. After all, it is considered as one of the best products of this range ever produced. The components are very respectable and used intelligently. Also on an aesthetic level, the workmanship is surprisingly robust and the design is well-finished. In addition, i bought a longer USB lead, longer RCA cables (the ones included in the box are really short) and finally an apple lightening to camera USB dongle thing.( i would have needed these if i’d bought a component unit anyway)
Chord Hugo 2
The Zen Dac presents a warm-neutral sound that matches especially well with bright and neutral sounding headphones. Both provided a somewhat warm sound with nice detail throughout the treble and midrange. Tonal balance is excellent on both. There’s really no part of the audioband that’s given undue attention, so they both get out of the way and let your headphones do their thing.
But in all. this unit out performed other more expensive like units. This DAC also has a balanced port if you should choose to (pay a lot) for balanced cables (it’s a 4.4mm plug just so you know). In all though, I am happy with the performance. The iFi Audio Zen DAC V2 is the perfect partner for the iFi Audio Zen Stream network player. They formed a perfect duo for a pure, transparent and lively sound, and were incredibly versatile as they managed to reproduce any style of music with efficiency and balance. Vocals were consistently natural and were reproduced with authority in the center of the scene. The reverberations were nicely sustained, in particular with the string instruments. The percussion instruments illuminated the soundstage and stood out with authority and power. The iFi Audio Zen DAC V2 ensures an optimal decoding of files streamed with the iFi Audio Zen Stream network player. iFi Audio Zen DAC V2: compared to… The bass boost on this is the real deal. This is the one part of the Zen DAC V2 that is not subtle. The True Bass function adds a satisfying and even boost to your low end, and a strong one. For me, this strength felt well-executed as it was balanced and didn’t come across as too bell-shaped or low-mid disrupting. As I’m sure you’d expect, you’re not gonna want to use this function constantly, and it fits some headphones better than others and some songs better than others. Yeah, I was one of those kids. I passed first semester Ear Training in a single week. I have always had the ear for the subtleties in music. One of the more basic exercises is a simple tuning test. The subject must listen to a series of pitches all within a few 'cents' of each other, and must match them exactly with no assistance. Only your ear can be your tool.
With the iFi Audio Zen DAC V2, the British manufacturer renews its most iconic DAC by offering an even purer and more transparent sound. The keys to the success of the previous model are still present, in particular the ultra compact and contemporary design which facilitates the integration of this DAC on any desk or hi-fi cabinet. The sound signature also remains very similar, with a luminous, lively soundstage and powerful bass when listening to headphones, provided that the TrueBass mode is activated. Finally, the soundstage could be slightly more open, but this does not hinder the precision of the reproduction. It is difficult to ask more from a DAC of this price, which is already very generous. Elysian Acoustic Gaea (unbalanced): Thankfully i have a very nice 4.4mm -> 3.5mm adapter (came with the Nanna). Hiss is gone. Bass boost sometimes too much, perfect! This arrived a day earler than scheduled, delivered by a courier and in very good condition. I wanted to connect my desktop tower PC to the Zen and connect that to a hifi amplifier tohear my music through my speakers. I have a great deal of music on my PC and I also listen to a couple of internet radio stations. I had a Logitech Duet for this , which worked very well, but finally, after almost 10 years, it died on me. Overall though I am extremely pleased with the Zen; build and sound quality is first class and the ‘Truebase’ and ‘Power Match’ features have real impact when listening through headphones. While the Chord Hugo 2 is, like the Mojo 2, battery-powered, its price, performance and connectivity make it just as suitable for system environments as desktop ones. This is essentially the Mojo 2 on steroids, offering one of the most transparent and musical performers on the market. “There isn’t another DAC around at anywhere near this sort of price able to communicate so torrentially, so unambiguously or so effortlessly,” we concluded in our review of the multi-award winner. (That said, those with bigger budgets and sonic ambitions can go up a model to the Chord Hugo TT2.)
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