The 4.4mm are TRRS Balanced outputs not analog for anyone thinking about this little dac/amp. That does equate to more power being available from the balanced 4.4mm front headphone jack, (that is measurable). This is actually documented in the measurements for this unit. To find balanced in this price range is uncommon and one of the selling points for this DAC/Amp. The main difference between V2 and V1 is the processor as you mentioned being 8 vs 16. Oh and I didn't catch if you mentioned the "Power Match" is simply a gain switch like found on most devices today? I wish I had seen this review earlier to make those who read comments aware that is it actually a balanced unit.
Yes, especially with headphones that are harder to drive it's advantageous. I've read some posts saying it has better sound quality, which I wasn't sure I noticed. - Luke
@@MajorHiFi at my age, louder can be better 😎, but your point is well taken. It can all be subjective, and the placebo effect could be in place. One thing I’m sure of- MQA mastered music by tidal did turn my dial magenta on my ifi zen dac. Some songs didn’t appear to benefit. But songs from Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors and some of Led Zeppelin’s songs had intricacies I’ve never heard on green. It was almost mesmerizing in a way. I started expecting that on every song, but it just doesn’t happen. Am I being pulled down the rabbit hole? I can’t help but think if I had better equipment it might sound even better, and not just certain songs. Regardless, I can’t put thousands of dollars into this at this time. Just my musings.
@@slinkybandinky2775 Hi! I own Sennheiser HD650 and I'd like to ask you if you notice that the volume on one channel (right or left) lowers when you lower the volume to a low volume. I guess with unbalanced output, it doesn't happen. but what about balanced output? I ask you because I was decided to buy this amp/dac but as it doesn't work well ato low volumes...I don't know...
@@germancopleston1857 I had not noticed it, but I played music again, specifically looking to see if it would happen. It did not. I tried it with power adapter and without.
If I could add something to your review…I have the V2 which I use for listening using my iPad Pro with the Celestes. I found that I needed the 5V power supply that I had to buy for an additional $69. I would often get the pop up on the iPad that said that there was not enough power to drive the V2. Using a laptop or PC wouldn’t be a problem, just when using the iPad or iPhone. Also it lacks a power button which would be handy. I also had problems with the balanced phone jack, it would need to be fiddled with to maintain the connection. If you need a longer USB wire, it needs to be a 3.0. I’ll be moving this setup to my den and am waiting for the Monolith by Monoprice Liquid Gold Balanced Headphone Amplifier and DAC by Alex Cavelli (which I just got for 50% off!) and the Focal Clear Mg to use as my main headphone system. Looking forward to hear the difference between the closed and open back cans. I like your reviews and hope you will test the Monolith line soon.
Thanks for the no nonsense to the point review. I picked one up as an all in one an done solution for use as a ps5 dac amp for late night gaming an music listening its replaced the quidlex 5k I was using which now gets used solely for the on the go purpose I originally intended. The quidlex 5k is an amazing multi purpose device but as a USB dac amp on ps5 an my laptop the Zen dac 2 is miles better.
Outstanding review, you said everything I needed to know! You also have a calming presence so the video felt pleasing to watch. I will definitely be buying the Zen dac and use it to feed my Xduoo mt-604 amp. Since the amp has balanced only input the Zen is perfect!
Fantastic review of the details. This is the best review of the iFi Zen DAC V2 that I have seen. Mine arrives tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to trying it with my Focal Radiance.
Wonder if using the iPower or XPower would show a more drastic the improvement with the V2...... more than just powering off the USB port of your laptop?
Got mine a month ago and have the same issue as others. There is an awful channel imbalance (no matter how I adjust the volume-knob). I switched back to my old dac and because I can't return the V2 it's collecting dust. Does anybody know if there is a fix for this, since I want the same amount of volume on each ear!!!
Are you able to select 16/24 bit and various Hz in windows 10? I need 24bit/48hz for the best atmos settings because if it's stuck on 32 bit it's not selectable. I had this issue with Monoprice's liquid spark dac and had to return.
Less Jitter, so clearer definition of singers or instruments due to the new xmos processor. Seems to have higher resistance against power supply induced jitter as well. But would still profit from a better power supply.
Great review bro, I heard that the first zen dac has a warm sound sign and I would like to know if that sign is still warm or if the sign change in what way does the sign change? Is it more cold? More warm? More analogic? And do you notice a quality difference between the renderer and decoder method?, Greetings friend
The new version seems to be more about updating the sound quality than the sound character. I noticed a higher quality sound from the decoder yes, though the sound coloring between the two amps I did not see any distinct differences between, and I don't believe there is meant to be one. - Luke
Just got my ZEN DAC V2 and I noticed when I lower the volume, where I can barely listen to music, the left channel cuts out and I only hear audio from the right channel. At the lowest volume setting from the DAC I only hear audio from my right ear. Audio slowly starts to come in the left channel as I increase DAC volume. I also think that the right side is louder? Instruments seem to be more pronounced on the right channel
@@jorgeevii4800 It's a characteristic of analogue volume control. That's why some users don't like to use the Zen DAC with sensitive IEM. ifi position about it: ifi-audio.com/faqs/channel-imbalance/ thread post: www.head-fi.org/threads/ifi-audio-idsd-signature-the-saga-continues.944241/page-93
Thanks for this post! I'm considering buying a zen dac II, but as I read many posts like yours (ex. amazon.com), I think I'll buy other brand. I´ll continue my research...
im having a hard time deciding if i want the zen or get the thx 789/Grace Design Standard DAC. somebody help me decide please! as of now i have a soundblaster g6. spend the extra money on the 789??? i have the dt177x go by the way.
@@raymondt7237 I am using this combo now. It sounds amazing. You need to keep it on high gain (power match) always. I usually listen from Apple Music. Few DSD's I played using Foobar2000 has less sound, otherwise I hardly have to raise the volume knob beyond 2 o clock.
@@tsanket2564 Thank you for the follow up reply!! I nearly purchased the Zen 2. But after days of research, including some really technical reviews. I have purchased a Topping DX3 Pro V2 DAC/AMP. It provides a bit more power to easily run the DT 990 250 Ohms. Waiting for them to arrive. Has optical so just a few options. Otherwise the Zen looked reallly nice.
What is the difference between 4.4 and 6.3 outputs if I want to use iFi Zen dac v2 with headphones, for instance DT 770? Should I buy adapter for it or using unbalanced 6.3 is ok?
I have the 770 too, I think if we want the 770 to be balanced we need to mod the wire(www.head-fi.org/threads/beyerdynamic-dt770-panzer-mod-balanced-paint-and-pads.854712/)
For headphones, no. For passive speakers, yes. For powered Speakers no. I use Zen dac V1 with Loxjie A30 amp powering B&W M1 speakers. Also tiny sub REL T-Zero connected to A30. Sounds great.
hi very good review ! is it worthy to upgrade from zen dac to zen dac II ? im listening mainly tidal and mqa when is possible , is iz worhty spend extra money and sell old one and buy v2?
Mad sold as a dac/amp that changes color according to type of music files It does not From what I understand because of filter update this was done away with I know sound is most important thing but at $160 it is should give us what it advertised
All sound is subjective? This is nonsense. If a sound is strident, it IS strident. If it's too loud, it IS too loud. Hearing IS subjective, sounds aren't.
Yes that’s what I meant, all sound perception is subjective, we can of course get some objective analysis of sound from spectrum analyzers, decibel meters, etc. and at certain extremities of harshness, brightness, darkness etc nearly everyone will have similar reactions, though still somewhat differing upon more detailed analysis like we’re doing here. Thanks for clarifying. - Luke
Nothing great. I did a A/B comparison with my old Audioquest Dragonfly V 1.2 and wasnt really impressed. So if you have a decent existing DAC save your money......
