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Description
iFi Zen Air DAC
DA converter
A breath of fresh air.
Get the best audio quality from your phone, tablet or computer.
ZEN Air DAC
Improve the quality of your Everyday audio with the ZEN Air DAC.
DAC stands for Digital to Analog converter. In a nutshell, a DAC converts the digital information in your source device – your computer, games console, tablet or Smartphone – to music that we can hear through speakers or headphones.
Every device that is a source of digital sound has a built-in DAC. External DACs sound much better than the standard DACs used inside these devices.
Hearing is believing
The ZEN Air DAC outputs very hi-res (high resolution) quality audio. This is much better than the standard audio you would get from just using your computer, games console, tablet or smartphone.
Imagine the difference in quality from a standard TV to a 4K Ultra HD TV — but in sound! This is the difference an external DAC makes to your music.
Once you hear it, you'll be converted (not just your audio)!
Simply better
The ZEN Air DAC functions as both a DAC and a headphone amp. It's a great first step if you are just starting on your audio journey.
Simply connect it to your computer or smart device via a USB cable. Then connect it to your headphones via the headphone jack at the front or to speakers via the RCA connections at the back.
If you already have an amp, you can use the ZEN DAC Air as a pure DAC with this amp or speakers.
Flexible formats
The ZEN Air DAC supports different file formats – PCM 32bit/384kHz, fully native DSD256 and MQA.
- PCM – Pulse Code Modulation is the file format used in CD, DVD, Blu-ray and other digital audio applications. It's the next step up from MP3.
- DSD – Direct Stream Digital is a very high-quality audio format, better than CD quality. The higher the number (sample rate), the better the recording – DSD64, 128, 256, 512 and 1024. Fully native means that it hasn't been altered in any way from the original recording.
- MQA – Master Quality Authenticated is an award-winning audio technology that enables music fans to stream the original master recording into their home, car or their mobile. With the ZEN Air DAC you can listen to MQA straight out of the box. Simply connect to Tidal Masters and check the option to stream MQA.
Sonic Tailoring
The ZEN Air DAC also sports a couple of unique Sonic tweaks from iFi.
PowerMatch adjusts the gain of the ZEN DAC Air so it functions at the right level for your headphones. Gain is just a unit of measurement that indicates how loud an audio source is and is measured in decibels (dB).
XBass+ allows you to tailor the bass to suit your headphones and your personal taste.
Both are designed to improve and personalize your listening experience.
And breathe…
Most DACs still use digital volume control – Ours is analogue.
What does this mean? When you reduce the volume on other DACs you remove data from the song or soundtrack. With analogue volume control, you reduce the volume while maintaining the quality.
Put simply, the ZEN Air DAC is an easy way to experience super clear, hi-res audio quality in your everyday listening.
Sift through the noise, Breathe in the Air.
Technology:
- Input voltage DC 5V/2.5A
- Input USB3.0 B Socket (USB2.0 compatible)
- Formats:
- 44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192/352.8/384kHz PCM
- 2.8/3.1/5.6/6.2/11.2/12.4MHz DSD
- 353/384KHz DXD
- MQA
- DAC Bit-Perfect DSD & DXD DAC by Burr Brown
- Power consumption No Signal ~0.5W / Max Signal ~2.5W
- Dimensions 158 x 117 x 35 mm
- Net weight 315 g
Line Section
- Output 1V / 3.3V max.
- Output Impedance ≤50Ω
- SNR <-113dB(A) @ 0dBFS
- DNR >113dB(A) @ -60dBFS
- THD+N <0.04% @ 0dBFS
Headphone Section
- Output 1V / 3.3V max. (variable)
- Output Power >280mW @ 32Ω ; >36mW @ 300Ω
- Output Impedance <1Ω
- THD+N <0.04% (100mW @ 16Ω)
- SNR >113dBA (3.3V