IFI ZEN ONE SIGNATURE
iFi says that it named its newest DAC the ‘Zen One’ because it has universal connectivity. “The iFi Zen One Signature will deliver exceptional sound from every digital device in a home audio environment,” says George Poutakidis, of BusiSoft AV, which distributes iFi in Australia. “It takes the DAC stage from the Zen DAC V2, adds S/PDIF inputs (optical and coaxial) alongside the USB port, stirs in Bluetooth technology from the ZEN Blue V2 and seasons the pot with Signature-grade circuit enhancements to create a delicious audio brew. The result is a pure DAC (no built-in headphone amp or volume control) that will serve as a home audio hub for all your digital devices, from smartphones and tablets to PCs and Macs, disc players and audio servers to TVs and games consoles.”
The ZEN One Signature has a low-latency, 16-core XMOS microcontroller to process data from the USB and S/PDIF inputs that is then sent on to a Burr-Brown DAC chipset for digital-to-analogue conversion. “iFi’s in-house digital development team has programmed the XMOS firmware to optimise sound quality and ensure a perfect partnership with the Burr-Brown DAC,” says Poutakidis, “plus also incorporated are extensive jitter-eradication technologies into the digital stage including the latest generation of iFi’s GMT (Global Master Timing) femto-precision clock and intelligent memory buffer.”
The ZEN One Signature can accommodate 32-bit/384kHz PCM over USB (192kHz over S/PDIF), all levels of DSD to DSD256, and singleand double-speed DXD. The Burr-Brown DAC’s ‘True Native’ design means that PCM and DSD take separate pathways. MQA is also supported, with full ‘three unfold’ decoding of MQA files up to 384kHz, ideal for Tidal’s ‘HiFi Plus’ tier. The Bluetooth circuit uses Qualcomm’s latest four-core QCC5100 v5.1 BT processor, which supports all HD Bluetooth audio formats including aptX Adaptive and aptX HD, LDAC and HWA/LHDC as well as regular aptX and aptX Low Latency, AAC and SBC.
Available now, the iFi Zen One Signature retails for $519.