{"product_id":"ifi-zen-air-dac-desktop-usb-dac-amp-clearance-open-box","title":"iFi Audio Zen Air DAC Desktop USB DAC\/AMP - Clearance \/ Open Box","description":"\u003ch3\u003eZEN Air DAC\u003c\/h3\u003e \u003cp\u003eImprove the quality of your everyday audio with the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eZEN Air DAC\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDAC 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.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvery device that is a source of digital sound has a built-in DAC. External DACs sound much better that the standard DACs used inside these devices.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ch3\u003eHearing is believing\u003c\/h3\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eZEN Air DAC\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eoutputs 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.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eImagine 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.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOnce you hear it, you’ll be converted (not just your audio)!\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ch3\u003eSimply better\u003c\/h3\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eZEN Air DAC\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efunctions as both a DAC and a headphone amp. It’s a great first step if you are just starting on your audio journey.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSimply 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.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIf you already have an amp, you can use the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eZEN DAC Air\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eas a pure DAC with this amp or speakers.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ch3\u003eFlexible formats\u003c\/h3\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eZEN Air DAC\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003esupports different file formats – PCM 32bit\/384kHz, fully native DSD256 and MQA.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePCM\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e–\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ePulse Code Modulation\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis the file format used in CD, DVD, Blu-ray and other digital audio applications. It’s the next step up from MP3.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDSD\u003c\/strong\u003e – \u003cem\u003eDirect Stream Digital\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis 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.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMQA\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e–\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eMaster Quality Authenticated\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eis an award-winning audio technology that enables music fans to stream the original master recording into their home, car or their mobile. With the\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eZEN Air DAC\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eyou can listen to MQA straight out of the box. Simply  connect to Tidal Masters and check the option to stream MQA.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ch3\u003eSonic tailoring\u003c\/h3\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eZEN Air DAC\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ealso sports a couple of unique sonic tweaks from iFi.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePowerMatch\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eadjusts the gain of the\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eZEN DAC Air\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eso 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).\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eXBass+\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eallows you to tailor the bass to suit your headphones and your personal taste.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBoth are designed to improve and personalise your listening experience.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003carticle class=\"w-grid-item size_1x1 post-37167 info_block type-info_block status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry ifi_product_id-hip-dac ifi_product_id-micro-idac2 ifi_product_id-micro-idsd ifi_product_id-micro-idsd-black-label ifi_product_id-micro-idsd-signature ifi_product_id-nano-idsd-black-label ifi_product_id-nano-ione ifi_product_id-pro-idsd ifi_product_id-xdsd ifi_product_id-zen-air-dac ifi_product_id-zen-dac\" data-id=\"37167\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/MQA-Ready.png\" ref=\"magnificPopup\" aria-label=\"MQA\" class=\"inited\"\u003e\u003cimg width=\"181\" height=\"70\" src=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/MQA-Ready-300x116.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/MQA-Ready-300x116.png 300w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/MQA-Ready-225x87.png 225w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/MQA-Ready-180x70.png 180w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/MQA-Ready.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003cp\u003eListen to Master Quality Authenticated audio straight out of the box. Connect to Tidal Masters and check the option to stream MQA.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMQA is an award-winning audio technology that enables music fans to stream the original master recording into their home, car or on their mobile. In the words of Gilbert O’Sullivan, iconic Irish-born singer-songwriter, “The great thing about MQA is that it delivers the finesse that was there in the desk sound. It’s tremendous, it sounds really good.”\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOur video tutorials on \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/iFiAudio\/featured?view_as=public\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003eYou Tube\u003c\/a\u003e show you how.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003carticle class=\"w-grid-item post-37169 info_block type-info_block status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry ifi_product_id-hip-dac ifi_product_id-hip-dac2 ifi_product_id-idsd-diablo ifi_product_id-idsd-diablo-x ifi_product_id-micro-idac2 ifi_product_id-micro-idsd-black-label ifi_product_id-micro-idsd-signature ifi_product_id-nano-idsd-black-label ifi_product_id-nano-idsd-le ifi_product_id-nano-ione ifi_product_id-neo-idsd ifi_product_id-xdsd ifi_product_id-xdsd-gryphon ifi_product_id-zen-air-dac ifi_product_id-zen-dac ifi_product_id-zen-dac-signature ifi_product_id-zen-dac-signature-v2 ifi_product_id-zen-dac-v2 ifi_product_id-zen-one-signature\" data-id=\"37169\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/BB-1793_iCon-1.png\" ref=\"magnificPopup\" aria-label=\"Burr Brown\" class=\"inited\"\u003e\u003cimg width=\"157\" height=\"56\" src=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/BB-1793_iCon-1-300x107.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/BB-1793_iCon-1-300x107.png 300w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/BB-1793_iCon-1-1024x364.png 1024w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/BB-1793_iCon-1-768x273.png 768w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/BB-1793_iCon-1-225x80.png 225w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/BB-1793_iCon-1-180x64.png 180w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/BB-1793_iCon-1-600x213.png 600w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/BB-1793_iCon-1.png 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Burr-Brown True Native® chipset means file formats remain unchanged or ‘bit-perfect’. This means you are listening to music as the artist intended in the format in which it was recorded.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAt iFi we use Burr Brown extensively in our products having selected it for its natural-sounding ‘musicality’ and True Native architecture. Our experience with this IC means we know how to make the most of it.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003carticle class=\"w-grid-item post-43701 info_block type-info_block status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry ifi_product_id-hip-dac2 ifi_product_id-zen-air-dac\" data-id=\"43701\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Xmos16core.png\" ref=\"magnificPopup\" aria-label=\"XMOS 16x hipdac2\" class=\"inited\"\u003e\u003cimg width=\"138\" height=\"138\" src=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Xmos16core-300x300.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Xmos16core-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Xmos16core-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Xmos16core-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Xmos16core-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Xmos16core-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Xmos16core-225x225.png 225w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Xmos16core-180x180.png 180w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Xmos16core.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe XMOS 16-Core chip processes the audio data received via the USB digital input.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis new low-latency XMOS microcontroller has greatly enhanced processing power. Compared to the current generation of eight-core chips, this new 16-core IC delivers double the clock speed (2000MIPS) and four times the memory (512KB), as well as the latest SuperSpeed USB standard.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eiFi’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.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/op-amp-v.jpg\" ref=\"magnificPopup\" aria-label=\"Op-amp Series\" class=\"inited\"\u003e\u003cimg width=\"141\" height=\"144\" src=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/op-amp-v-294x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/op-amp-v-294x300.jpg 294w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/op-amp-v-220x225.jpg 220w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/op-amp-v-176x180.jpg 176w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/op-amp-v-600x613.jpg 600w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/op-amp-v.jpg 747w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 294px) 100vw, 294px\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs with many other iFi audio products, we’ve incorporated a custom OV Series operational-amplifier. This top-notch component contributes to the extremely low noise, low distortion (0.0001%) and wide bandwidth.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/TDK-e1593865852978.png\" ref=\"magnificPopup\" aria-label=\"TDK C0G\" class=\"inited\"\u003e\u003cimg width=\"175\" height=\"46\" src=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/TDK-e1593865852978-300x79.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/TDK-e1593865852978-300x79.png 300w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/TDK-e1593865852978-1024x269.png 1024w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/TDK-e1593865852978-768x201.png 768w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/TDK-e1593865852978-225x59.png 225w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/TDK-e1593865852978-180x47.png 180w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/TDK-e1593865852978-600x157.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003cp\u003eTDK C0G (Class 1 ceramic) capacitors offer high stability and low losses for resonant circuit applications.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGetting ever closer to the theoretical ideal of pure, frequency-constant capacitance, these capacitors reduce capacitor-induced distortion to vanishingly low levels.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThey are pricey but are a perfect addition to our products.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Texas-Instruments.jpg\" ref=\"magnificPopup\" aria-label=\"Texas Instruments IC\" class=\"inited\"\u003e\u003cimg width=\"162\" height=\"55\" src=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Texas-Instruments-300x102.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Texas-Instruments-300x102.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Texas-Instruments-225x76.jpg 225w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Texas-Instruments-180x61.jpg 180w, https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Texas-Instruments.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003cp\u003eTexas Instruments low-noise ICs offer great unity-gain bandwidth, very low noise and distortion, high output drive capability, Common-mode and Power Supply Rejection Ratios of over 100 dB, wide maximum-output-swing bandwidths and high slew rates.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/ZEN-Air-DAC-Manual_Ver3.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"User Manual\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUser Manual\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ifi-audio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Zen-Air-DAC-Connection-Guide-1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Connection Guide\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConnection Guide\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003c\/article\u003e \u003c\/article\u003e \u003c\/article\u003e","brand":"iFi","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44601480380575,"sku":"IFI-OBX-ZENAIRDAC","price":59.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0495\/6910\/4031\/files\/93287f0d-c133-499d-add4-39eb02a9f2b2.jpg?v=1750858984","url":"https:\/\/listenup.com\/products\/ifi-zen-air-dac-desktop-usb-dac-amp-clearance-open-box","provider":"ListenUp","version":"1.0","type":"link"}