INTRODUCTION

   Whether you're in the market for a new sound card for your PC or you just want to improve audio coming from your laptop, tablet, smartphone or even from your TV a DAC (digital-to-analog converter) could be the way to go. For all of you who may not know what DACs do well they basically improve audio quality by converting digital audio into analog thus providing superior results across the board. One of the key selling points of standalone DACs is their balanced outputs which optimize audio quality by pretty much eliminating issues like crosstalk and noise. Today with me i have what could be the most affordable MQA capable USB DAC & Headphone Amp in the market today, the ZEN Air by iFi audio.

   iFi audio is a UK based manufacturer of desktop and portable high-end audio equipment. Innovative high-end audio should be available to everyone, everywhere, so iFi uses the latest technology, materials and consumer feedback to provide an audiophile quality listening experience at an affordable price. You listen to music, we listen to you.

   The iFi audio ZEN Air (and the rest of the new ZEN line) was introduced back in early 2022 with a single goal in mind, to continue the successful path laid out by the original ZEN series and win the hearts and minds of audiophiles on a tight budget. To achieve that inside the plastic housing of the ZEN Air iFi audio has placed a 16-core XMOS microcontroller, Bit-perfect DSD & DXD DAC by Burr Brown, OPA2673 High Output Current OP-amp by Texas Instruments and C0G capacitors by TDK. Thanks to this combination the ZEN Air can output PCM and DXD at up to 384kHz and DSD at up to 12.4MHz and has a single headphone output rated at 230mW at 32Ω and 36mW at 300Ω (1Ω impedance). iFi audio has also added features like their Power Match and Xbass+ which can be used to produce more power and richer bass respectively. Yes, this might be an entry-level DAC but it does seem quite interesting so let's see just how good it really is.