iFi Zen DAC V2 | Desktop Digital Analog Converter with USB 3.0 B Input only/Outputs: 6.3mm Unbalanced / 4.4mm Balanced/RCA - MQA DECODER - Audio System Upgrade (Unit only)

Came here to mention that after owning and using some of the most incredible DACs you can buy, I always come back to my trusty old ifi Zen DAC V2 for that warm, analog-like burr brown DAC chip inside this beautifully designed ornamental piece of technology. RME ADI-2 DAC FS - Best ESS-chipped DAC ever, bar none. Loudness feature is beautifully integrated. Insane pre-amp! Fiio K13 R2R - NOS mode and ELNA Capacitors do magic with this DAC, but does not have an active pre-amp stage. ifi Zen DAC v2 - True Bass is an amazing feature for thin sounding headphones and/or speakers. Analog sound! Headphones Usage For the money, there is nothing that gives you a warmer, creamier presentation. There is a lot of body in the music. I can hear the micro-dynamics in the bass frequencies more than any other DAC I've used in this price category...and that's without True Bass ON. Pre-amp Usage For the money, nothing will touch it. I don't know if it has an active pre-amp stage (highly doubt, but my guess could be wrong), but this thing sounds fantastic with active speakers. I love the True Bass sound on the V2 more than the XBass on the V3. Your milage may vary. If you're unsure, buy both! Ifi's entry-level DACs are phenomenal for what they are. Value for money Top-notch. This thing is built like a tank. Amazing quality and construction. Mine has lasted for years and still looks, feels, and sounds like I took it out of the box yesterday. I think this thing sounds better over the years, no joke. Burn-in perhaps? My Usage Zen DAC V2 with Fiio FT1 closed-back headphones = Monster sound!

Any of these are going to greatly improve the sound over plugging your headphones directly into the mini-jack on a computer. Listening was done with a few different headphones but mostly with beyerdynamic DT 700 PRO X Closed-Back Studio Headphones. Music source was a laptop connected to the DAC/Headphone Amp via USB. If an external power supply was included, I used that. If not, power came via USB. I've kept notes on my impressions brief and included comparisons amongst the DAC/Amp's in this list. They are listed below in my order of preference with my favorites at the top. If you want flowery vocabulary I'm sure in depth reviews are available out there on the web. Headphones make the greatest difference in sound - spend more on them, if necessary. The DAC/Amp is secondary but does add its own flavor to the music. --- iFi Zen DAC V2 | Desktop Digital Analog Converter (Listening only with "TRUEBASS" off.) Very good. Slightly better than the FiiO K7. Better vocal clarity and slightly fuller bass. I ended up comparing this with the FX-Audio DAC-X6 head to head, which continued to surprise me as I put it up against significantly more expensive competitors. Across several hours and many pieces of music, I prefer the iFi... but the difference is infinitesimal. Possibly the iFi has a little more punch to the bass? Maybe a bit more space ans separation? If you're working to a budget, get the FX-Audio and put the extra cash towards better headphones. FX-Audio DAC-X6 Mini HiFi 2.0 Digital Audio Decoder DAC This thing is good. Surprisingly good. I ended up putting it head-to-head with amps costing three times its price. Slightly warmer sound, with slightly less detail in the vocals than the iFi Zen Air, but more space in the music, and more enjoyable to listen to. Slightly better clarity than the Topping. FiiO K7 Full Balanced HiFi DAC Headphone Amplifier This is indeed better than the K5 version. Vocals are more lifelike. And a particular emphasis on the mid-treble heard in the K5 is absent. There is more separation between the instruments. Very close call with the iFi V2, with my preference going to the iFi for better vocal clarity and slightly fuller bass. iFi Zen Air DAC Not quite as good as the V2, but close. Closer than the FiiO K5 is to the K7. There is, again, a comparative emphasis in mid-treble and the vocals get a bit lost. The sound is slightly thin compared to rivals at this price point. FiiO K5 Pro Headphone Amps Portable Desktop DAC and Amplifier Not quite as good as the K7, but at half the price one cannot really complain. Vocals are not quite as lifelike and there is more mid-treble - but not in a good way. Topping DX1 Mini Stereo DAC Headphone Amplifier Combo Very good little unit. Bass is slightly overemphasized. Fosi Audio K5 Pro Gaming DAC Headphone Amplifier I thought this unit was DOA. Turns out that you must long press the volume knob to turn it on. (Short press to select input.) Not terrible, but not as musical as the others in this test. Also, the only one with bass and treble knobs. And only a mini-jack - no 1/4" jack. Pro-Ject Head Box S2 Digital This DAC/Amp had an issue that makes it unlistenable. The sound is very nice... but... there's some faint static. Only in the music, not in silence. A faint crackling.... Can't have that.

I've owned this DAC for over 6 months now and listened to it daily, so I'll get right into sound impressions. What I initially noticed was how tonally balanced this DAC sounds. Bass is slightly dark, like a wave of warmth washing over you, but retains a good amount of texture and rumble. Mids aren't recessed or forward, just right where they belong. They come off as slightly dry at times, but this can either be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the music. Highs are well controlled and nicely balanced - very detailed with nothing missing but there's a slight grain present. The V2 sounds open despite having a slightly hazy background. Textures and transients have snap and lots of detail. The soundstage is moderately wide with good depth - not the best but not the worst. There's even some slight saturation effect at signal peak levels, like how the distortion in a tube amp alters the sound. Overall these effects combine into a fun sounding DAC, a tastefully done wall of sound that keeps you engaged. The DAC begs to be turned up, but beware of listening fatigue. I have no issues with the build quality, everything feels great and works as it should. I don't use the bass or matching features, but they sound good for what they are. The power supply is the weakness on this DAC. Don't bother with the overpriced iFi iPower brick, pick up a $35 Meanwell power supply instead. What really helps this DAC is an LC power filtering stage in between the power supply brick and the DAC itself. You can build this yourself if you're so inclined and you'll be rewarded with snappier bass and a clearer, less grey background.

This is one secret I with I'd known about before. I've always used Fiio and Diablo's etc. Then I got these recommended. I thought "why do I need mid tier DAC"? Because this is amazingly good, that's why! I mean beyond $1000+ DAC's easily! I put on Pink Floyd DSOTM with Sennheiser HD600's and nearly fell over! Sound is truly incredible with clarity and depths I was not expecting! Then I hit the "Truebass" button expecting the usual muffed scrubbed highs and mids, but no. Truebass is actually amazingly good and adds without taking anything away! Punchy pure clean sounds that are so good I cannot believe it. Build quality is really sturdy with a really interesting shape. Brushed metal and a volume knob so smooth you'd expect in a Bentley. Has balanced and non balanced front and back, digital in and USB can be supported with a DC (not included) power brick. There is a led behind the volume knob that detects with the input is flac, mp3, MQA, MQA studio etc and will change colour so you can see instantly with your listening to, really nice touch. In fact, I would say try this Zen DAC V2 before you break your bank account. I'm the most fussy audiophile on the planet. For me to be this enthusiastic about any sound tech after 50 years of audio engineering means it's good, really really good! Remember, this doesn't come with a power brick. The Zen power bricks are very expensive! It will run, very well without one. Just the USB (check the type. It's not anything you probably have) will run just fine. Zen does supply the USB but it's very very short. Don't fall for the gold USB from Mars nonsense. Digital is 1's and 0's and just a regular cable is plenty. But add the power brick and it's got more oomph. All power is handled automatically, there is no on switch, if you add a power brick to the USB it's automatically dealt with. Just sit back and enjoy... It's amazing.

Since everyone else has already talked about the DAC's sound quality, I'll cover things that are not mentioned. On PC, you have to install this USB audio driver for the DAC, iFi support says it ensures the DAC is performing optimally by overriding Windows audio. The downside of that is you can no longer control Windows volume with Windows, such as using your keyboard, maybe mouse, or whatever accessories you may have that you can control volume with through Windows. Because of that, I had to change my setup a bit just to move the DAC a bit closer to me on my desk for me to reach for the volume knob on the DAC and giving up on Windows volume control. However, there are 2 ways to override this issue; according to iFi support, you can close the USB audio software, which gives control back to Windows, at the cost of losing sound quality. Alternatively, you can look up the Reddit post "Ifi Zen DAC v2 windows volume controller", too long for me to type the instructions here. Scroll down to look at the comments on how to install the program "Voicemeeter" and it's plugin (to show the visible windows volume level on top left corner of the screen when you adjust volume). Of these 2 alternative options, whether you can tell a difference in loss of sound quality is up to each individual person, so it is up to you. If you can live with not having control over windows controlling your volume anymore, then this DAC is a fantastic option for you. I'm just an average gamer that wants enhanced audio, and this DAC does what I need it to do, so I'm mostly happy, despite it's inconveniences. The things I like: 1. Universal compatibility for gamers & Ease of Usage - This DAC works for PC, PS5, and the Nintendo Switch seamlessly, not a lot of DAC/Amps can do that. All you need is a USB-A to USB-B cable, which I would recommend buying your own, because the included USB-A to USB-B cable is very, very short, only 20 inches long. I bought 2x JSAUX 6.6ft USB-A to USB-B cables, one for PC, and the other for PS5 and Nintendo Switch, it is much easier to handle than unplugging from PC to PS5 and vice versa. For PC, you need to install the firmware and USB audio software in order for the DAC to work optimally and properly. For PS5 and Nintendo Switch, it is just plug and play, no software. I don't have an Xbox to test to see if the DAC works for Xbox. 2. Sound & Build Quality - I'm not an audiophile, so I can't comment on all the micro details of sound. But as an average gamer, this DAC definitely enhances the sound quality of everything that I use it on, which is PC, PS5, and Nintendo Switch. The Amp gives you a bit of head room of max volume on PC, but just enough for PS5 and Nintendo Switch, but that's personal preference of how loud you want it, up to you if you want to add a separate amp to it. The DAC is mostly fully metallic, it feels very high quality and solid, feels like it was built well. Furthermore, there is no power button on the DAC, so you can't turn it on or off, but iFi support says it is fine to leave it on for 24/7. Since they said it uses very little power when there are no sounds playing, I also don't feel any heat coming from it, so it shouldn't burn out. Overall, I'd give it like 4.5 stars out of 5. The benefits it offers me outweighs the losses, so I'll still be keeping this DAC/Amp, because it is a must have for PS5 and Nintendo Switch when you want to play them with headphones. Edit: I think I got unlucky and the V2 DAC went defective on me 3 weeks in, since my new one is fine. Which I've upgraded to the Zen DAC V3 instead, since its only $30 more. Honestly I'd recommend the V3 over the V2 if you're buying this DAC, since the power port is now USB C instead of USB B, which is way easier and more compatible with modern devices. There are 3 differences that I've noticed, new visual look of the DAC, USB C instead of USB B, and when you put your PC to sleep/off, the DAC will now automatically turn off. Other than that, there's not a huge difference in sound quality or build quality, so you're better off spending $30 more for even more universal compatibility.

This is a fantastic DAC for the price with so many features that I love. The build is of the highest quality, very durable metal, and the volume knob is as smooth as it gets, just amazing. There is plenty of power on this DAC unless you need huge amounts of power (You would need a dedicated amp for really high impedance headphones). The "true bass" feature is very impressive: it does muddle the sound a bit but this is by far the best implementation of a bass boost that have ever heard. More than likely you will need another cable since the one provided is so small, that would by the only negative criticism I have for this DAC. If you are using IEM's on this DACI would recommend an impedance adapter. For IEMs this DAC is too noisy. The only IEM that I can use without any issues are Planar IEMs since they benefit from the extra power. I would stick to headphones.

My experience/history: As a musician/guitarist I can learn songs by ear, have a small personal recording studio with all the gear/interfaces/mic pres/channel strips/plugins/DAW/many mics and multiple tube amps and guitar cabs. Just my opinion but look no further than the ifi Zen Dac v2 ...for $200 this is it. No need to look any further ...no need to do any further research. Amazing build quality and sound quality. I am a huge fan of Burr Brown converters ...they are smooth, warm, sublime. I have them in my interfaces and power amps. They help take the edge off of the "digital harshness" that is inherent in digital music. The bass boost is amazing adding low end weight to songs that are lacking in the lower mids and bass. It works better on certain songs and certain headphone combinations. Worth every penny. Stop thinking, just buy it.

Let’s start this off by saying I followed Zeos on this one and he’s very well informed in the audio community. I swiped this up immediately after watching his review. As soon as I touched the ifi Zen Dac I knew I was holding quality. I came from the Creative Z in direct mode and the E10k-TC, the latter, which I bought last year. The Zen Dac has much better soundstage and control on the highs. It is feature galore and if you are simply looking at features, then this is probably the best value for the money. However, if you’re like me and don’t care about MQA, DSD, or balanced, then this is not the best option. Get the Fiio K5 Pro, because it’s the better product in sound and build quality. I returned my Zen Dac, and here’s why. With USB power or USB power plus DC, I was unable to get this DAC to activate properly after my computer went to sleep and woke up. I troubleshot, downloaded the latest drivers & BIOS, and tried different ports. I disabled USB power suspension too. Nothing I could do could get the ifi Zen Dac v2 to work after I put my computer to sleep and woke it back up. This was 100% a deal breaker for me and I tried 3-4 different cables too. Nothing helped. I read that I could have purchased a powered USB strip and chained that way, but I didn’t go this route because I didn’t need the features enough. I exchanged this for the Fiio K5 pro and I’m extremely happy I did. Not only do the drivers work flawlessly (plug & play), but the Fiio K5 pro sounds significantly better. The amp is way better and the connections on the back are better too. The Fiio K5 Pro uses a standard USB B to A cable and not the USB 3.0 B to A. The K5 is more compatible. In terms of sound, the K5 blew me away because I had never had an amp or DAC this expensive. The soundstage is about the same as the ifi Zen Dac. The bass and treble are significantly smoother though. The highs are especially smoother on the K5 Pro. I recommend the K5 big time unless you need DSD/MQA and you don’t experience the USB issues I faced on my modern 3900x system. More gripes about the Zen Dac: It can’t power itself off. This makes the Zen Dac feel like an inferior & low-grade product. The volume knob is nice and the lighting is fantastic, but not being able to turn it off at all is amateur. I know if I was engineering this myself, then there’s no way I would have let that part fly. Shame on it for that. I said this before, but the amp is really not that great in the Zen Dac. It’s okay, but not really worth nearly $200. You could probably buy a better dedicated amp and an E10k-TC and get nearly if not better sound for the same price. Final Thoughts: The Zen Dac is a decent product and it’s doing some things better than every other amp/dac combo in its price range. However, it’s also doing some things very poorly from its competition. I don’t think that those that are super serious about DSD and MQA are really looking at this unless they’re setting up some sort of budget secondary system. All the features here don’t really make up for its shortcomings. The Fiio K5 Pro for example, cost about the same but offers so much more for the $. The amp even in the Soundblaster Z is way better than the amp in the Zen Dac. Even with balanced, this product doesn’t output that much power for a nearly $200 competitor. Not a fan of this product, but if there’s a V3 then ifi, if you’re listening, take my concerns into consideration. If there’s a V3 and it fixes these issues, then it will dwarf the competition.

I bought This Amp/dac for powering up my ATH-M50X which this headphone dose not need a powerful amp but this zen dac v2 was not a joke. it was soo good to be true and the balance output was in another level of sound quality which it was perfect for a balance neutral sound headphones. I even tried a more power hunger headphones like the dt 770 pro 250ohm and this amp/dac really surprised me, it drove it with ease. I really recommend for everyone that wants a powerful amp/dac and dose not want to put a fortune on it. 10/10 product no problem or issue with, Just a reminder to anyone wants to use it on a console update the firmware for the device to the latest update

1.8万円で買えた時代からすると高い部類になるが、今でも色あせないDAC。 パワーマッチボタンを押すとそれまで聞いていたスティックDACとちがって濃厚な押し出しサウンド健在。 バーブラウンの音はOPA629で聞いていたので質感がそのまま早い音でビシビシ来る感じです。

I have given this little beauty 6 months on my desk before committing to a review. I chose this version instead of the Zen Blu V2 as I wanted to have a front facing headphone output to use my balanced 4.4mm IEMs at night. This tiny desktop DAC Amp is powered by my PC (using a 4-way Anker USB hub) as I wanted to see whether I would regret not buying the separate power supply. I don't regret it, it works really well, although I am sure someone will tell me that there might be a marginal improvement in sound quality if I do. I have the RCA outputs connected to my RuarkAudio MR1 Mk2 speakers and they have an output to a small Rel (Quake) subwoofer. Initial thoughts were 'wow'! I predominantly listen to BBC sounds and Amazon music but I do watch a few movies and stare at a lot of YT vids, and this system is absolutely perfect for it. Clarity is exceptional, the volume knob is perfect for reach and it feels great too, and the added bass-boost comes in great when I want to annoy the village. Oh, it's loud enough alright. I haven't had anything other than MQA codec passing through it so the light has always been green. I'm in my 50's, and the difference between some codecs is too subtle for my ears to detect despite having been a musician for many many years. I find the sound amazing. There are 3 'less than perfect' aspects to describe: Firstly, I sometimes leave my PC on, and after it switches back on after sleeping it reverts to PC speaker system. As I have the desktop 4-way USB hub it is not a problem as it just requires pulling out and reinserting but some commenters have found this a bit annoying. Secondly, there is no 'power' switch. If my PC stays in sleep mode it remains on, but if I hibernate the PC it does turn off. Again, not a deal breaker, and I prefer to have it turn off when I shut down as it would stay on if it had its own power supply. Finally, if you are listening with headphones, the output to speakers from the rear is still live and so I have to remember to turn my Ruarks off. It does mention this somewhere in the blurb, but I hadn't noticed until my wife told me to turn it down at 1am!! A weird setup, but it isn't a dedicated headphone amp and I can live with it. Regardless of these issues I'm more than happy with my setup. There was some annoying background noise coming from my sub initially but this has been resolved with the iFi iSilencer+ USB-A plugging directly into the USB hub. I wasn't sure it would work but it actually did. This system looks gorgeous, feels sublime, and sounds utterly brilliant. I can't think of anything that can do the job better for this price. I'm not being sponsored, these are my own words and not AI generated cos I wouldn't know how to! Will I get more iFi desktop stuff? I think that will probably happen in the future, I just don't know what, when, why, and how to tell the wife! Go on ... treat yourself, you know you want to. EDIT: Jan 2026 It is still sublime. We've moved house, I got a clever under-counter bracket thing to hold it, I've changed PC, but it is still amazing.

Lo uso como dac en el pc,conectado al zen Can y he de decir que ya estaba contento con la versión 1.Que decir pues de la versión 2?Pues que es lo mismo pero más mejor?Pues si,mejor si,pero tampoco te va a volar la cabeza.Que este decodifica en vez de renderizar el mqa...vale lo que tú digas.Que es más potente y por ende mejor teóricamente?...Vaya,pues es que yo no noto mucho.A ver tengo unos buenos altavoces,un buen equipo,y este cacharrito(la versión anterior)Da un calidad de espanto.Sonido claro,cálido,buena calidad y separación..vamos que no voy a hacer un análisis de su firma ni de sus chips internos,hay muchos vídeos y análisis por ahí.El salto de ir a 'pelo' a esto ...No te lo crees.Tienes tidal máster?A por el.Qobuz?Tambien,a por el!Es que además te da un montón de opciones,salidas,mqa...nadie da tanto y tan bien por tan poco.De verdad.Ahora bien,que merece el v1 frente al v2? No Añadirle el ampli de auris zen can(los duros de verdad los mueve,pero no con la cultura debidda...tengo unos amiron home) y la cosa se vuelve estelar.Yo estoy encantado. Poco más que decir.Conparable a aparatos mucho más caros,y nada que envidiarles.

Fantastic DAC, brought great sound to both of my headphone monitors. Recommended