iFi ZEN Air DAC

The iFi ZEN Air DAC is a compact desktop DAC and headphone amp for clearer daily listening across computers mobiles and consoles. It replaces the lower-grade audio stage built into everyday devices with a dedicated Burr-Brown DAC design helping your music games and streamed audio sound more detailed and composed. For a first external DAC it keeps t... morehe process simple while still offering support for serious audio formats. USB connectivity makes setup straightforward while the front headphone output and rear RCA connections let it fit easily into headphone and speaker-based systems. Support for PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz fully native DSD256 MQA and DXD gives you broad playback compatibility. PowerMatch adds extra gain for less sensitive headphones XBass+ adjusts low-end response and analog volume control helps maintain audio quality when listening at lower levels.

Improve the quality of your everyday audio with the ZEN Air DAC. DAC stands for Digital to Analogue converter. In a nutshell, a DAC converts the digital info 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 soun... mored has a built-in DAC. External DACs sound much better that 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 that 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 an 8K 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 personalise your listening experience.