iFi Zen DAC 3 review

iFi’s Zen DAC was launched back in 2019. Since then, it has remained a sensible buy for those looking for a quality digital-to-analogue converter at an affordable price. This distinctively-shaped unit has proved ideal for improving a computer's sound when using headphones or feeding a conventional speaker-based hi-fi system. 

The iFi Zen DAC V2 is a former What Hi-Fi? Award winner; we have the third generation Zen DAC model on test here and it proves reassuringly familiar in most ways.

Design

The design has evolved, of course. The highlights are a shift from the last generation’s USB-Type B input to a USB-C and improved file compatibility that now takes in 32-bit/768kHz PCM and DSD512 hi-res music streams. MQA decoding ability continues too, though given Tidal’s move away from the format, that doesn’t seem so significant for most people.

Take a look inside the iFi Zen DAC 3 and you will find a 16-core XMOS processor running iFi’s in-house software and feeding a four-channel Burr-Brown DAC chip. PCM and DSD datastreams have their dedicated pathways so they remain ‘bit-perfect’ as they get processed. Elsewhere, this new DAC is claimed to have lower DC offset at its output and ‘over-voltage’ protection for its USB input. 

Power output figures remain unchanged from before, with iFi quoting 210mW into a 32-ohm load from the single-ended 6.3mm output, rising to 390mW into 64 ohms for the balanced 4.4mm socket. We certainly didn’t have any loudness issues with any of the headphones we tried with this DAC.

When it comes to connectivity, there is only one signal input, the USB-C port. This also accepts power, so the Zen DAC 3 can be run off your computer and doesn’t necessarily need a mains feed to work. It is possible to add an optional power supply called the Power 2, which costs £69 / $79 / AU$110 in the required 5 volt DC form. 

While our review sample of the Zen DAC 3 wasn’t supplied with one, we have enough experience of iFi’s external power supplies to know that this is something well worth investigating.

As for outputs, there are two for headphones – a 6.3mm and 4.4mm balanced – on the front panel and the combination of line-level stereo RCAs and balanced 4.4mm on the back. Here you will also find a switch to change the DAC 3’s line output from fixed (when it is used with an external amplifier) to variable (for use with active speakers). These options make the Zen DAC 3 a vastly more flexible performer than the similarly-priced Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt USB DAC.

Build & features

General build quality of the Zen DAC 3 is good. The casework is essentially unchanged from the last generation model and is none the worse for that. This is a compact design that takes up less desk space than a typical paperback. There is a fresh look to the front panel and volume dial that makes them look a little smarter than before, but beyond that it feels like business as usual. 

The ‘Power Match’ button, as seen on the previous generation, makes a return, and proves useful; it adjusts the amplifier’s gain to allow the volume control to work with greater subtlety across a range of headphones with differing sensitivities.

Next to that is the XBass+ button that aims to compensate for the relative bass shortfall that open-back headphones suffer from when compared to closed designs. This can also be thought of as a conventional bass boost control. Regardless, it is fairly subtle in use and offers a useful bass bump with thinner-sounding recordings or headphones. 

The Zen DAC 3 takes a leaf out of Chord Electronics’ book and uses the colour of the LED light ring around the volume control to indicate the resolution of the incoming digital data stream. Initially, this forces us to go back to the user manual repeatedly to check what the colour shown means, but soon becomes intuitive.

We partner the iFi DAC with our usual Apple MacBook Pro laptop and try out a number of headphones including the Sennheiser HD 650 and Grado SR325x open-backs, the premium Sony MDR-Z1 and Shure SE535 in-ears. To see how the Zen DAC 3 performs in a conventional hi-fi system, we put together a set-up of a Rega Brio amplifier and KEF LS50 Meta speakers. 

Audioquest’s Award-winning DragonFly Cobalt (now reduced to $179 / $199 / AU$369) is the most obvious competitor, while the pricier Chord Mojo 2 (currently available for £395 / $555 / AU£799) provides a broader context.

Sound

The iFi Zen DAC 3’s first hurdle is to sound better than the headphone output of our MacBook Pro, and it does that. As we work our way through a collection of playlists from Tidal (using Audirvana music software) it doesn’t take long to decide that the iFi delivers far more in the way of resolution, authority and dynamic finesse than the laptop by itself. Consider that box ticked.

Next is the comparison with the previous generation Zen DAC V2 model. This proves interesting and not as one-sided as we would have hoped. There is no doubt that the new DAC 3 delivers cleaner, clearer and slightly more detailed results than its predecessor. 

It sounds bigger too, delivering a greater sense of space and scale. Yet, it isn’t all one-way traffic. The older model sounds punchier, slightly more dynamic and is a little more surefooted when it comes to rhythmic drive.

On its own terms, however, there is no denying that the Zen DAC 3 remains a good performer. We listen to a 24-bit/192kHz recording of Mahler’s Symphony No.4 and like the understated way that it renders the sound. This new generation model has a smooth yet even presentation that is packed with a good amount of detail for the money. Instrumental textures are rendered with care, and it is impressive just how uncluttered and spacious it all sounds. 

There is a pleasing sense of scale, and the iFi delivers it with convincing authority. Stereo imaging is crisp, expansive and nicely layered, making the DragonFly Cobalt sound smaller and a little cluttered. The tables are turned when it comes to dynamics, though. Here, the Audioquest DAC shows more in the way of punch and expression, leaving the iFi sounding a little flat-footed in comparison.

A DSD recording of Aimee Mann’s Lost In Space highlights the DAC 3’s main strengths. It has a lovely midrange performance that brims with texture and subtlety. Mann’s singing comes through with clarity, the DAC ensuring that little of her vocal subtlety and emotion are lost. It is an easy-going sound that suits the music well, and is delivered with impressive refinement and lack of edge. 

If you want an undemanding presentation that can just wash over you after a hard day at work, then this DAC could be exactly what you need. However, it isn’t quite an all-rounder by current class standards.

This is made obvious when we switch to Michael Jackson’s Blood On The Dancefloor set (16-bit/44.1kHz). It seems that the Zen DAC 3 takes its name a little too literally when asked to play hard-charging music such as the title track or Ghosts. For all the iFi’s insight and clarity, music such as this makes it feel soft centered. It lacks the verve, dynamic punch and rhythmic drive of the Audioquest, preferring to offer the listener a more sanitised version of events. 

The sense of polite smoothness that works so well on gentle vocal-based music, such as the Aimee Mann set, doesn't pay dividends here and leaves us feeling just a little short-changed.

The Audioquest DragonFly Cobalt doesn’t offer balanced connectivity though. We compare the Zen DAC 3’s sound through both the 6.3mm output and the balanced 4.4mm alternative using a pair of Sony MDR-Z1 headphones and find that the balanced option produces bolder and punchier results. 

So, if you have headphones with this feature it is well worth trying – though it has to be said that none of our recommended price-appropriate headphones do.

Using the iFi in a stereo speaker system context simply reinforces our view of its sonic character. It is a capable and easy going performer, though not the most entertaining around.

Verdict

The Zen DAC 3 is a pleasing product in many ways. It is undemanding of source material and generally manages to produce likeable results. However, it doesn’t represent a clear step up over the last generation model and now also finds itself in broad price parity with Audioquest’s hugely talented Cobalt. 

This dents the Zen DAC’s appeal a little, though if you value the iFi’s easy integration into a speaker-based hi-fi system, then it is certainly worth checking out.

First reviewed: March 2025

SCORE

• Sound 4
• Build 5
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Audioquest DragonFly Cobalt

Also consider the Chord Mojo 2

Best DACs: USB, desktop and portable digital-to-analogue converters