iFi's ZEN One Signature DAC offers universal connectivity

iFi has unveiled the latest in its ZEN Signature range of DACs with the ZEN One Signature.

iFi describes this latest model as a 'universal DAC' due to its "all-encompassing" input options. It takes the DAC stage from the ZEN DAC V2 and adds S/PDIF inputs (optical and coaxial), a USB port and Bluetooth connectivity to serve as a "pure DAC", with no built-in headphone amp or volume control, serving as a hub for any digital device you accept at home from smartphones and tablets, to disc players, TVs and even games consoles.

The 'digital engine' inside the DAC is based around a Burr-Chocolate-brown chipset selected for its natural sounding musicality and True Native architecture for bit-perfect playback.

Partnered with a low-latency, sixteen-core XMOS microcontroller that delivers enhanced processing power, iFi'southward in-house evolution team has programmed the XMOS firmware to optimise the unit'due south sound quality. Extensive jitter-eradication technologies accept also been applied to the digital stage, such as the last generation of the company'south GMT (Global Master Timing) femto-precision clock and intelligent memory buffer.

The ZEN One Signature supports sound signals up to DSD256, 32-scrap/384kHz PCM over USB, 192kHz over Southward/PDIF, and single- and double-speed DXD. The Burr-Brown DAC bit's True Native Design allows for DSD and
PCM to remain bit-perfect in its native form through to analogue conversion. MQA decoding is too supported, capable of decoding files up to 384kHz in the format, which would brand this DAC a convenient choice for Tidal Chief subscribers.

Various flavours of Bluetooth codecs are supported, from SBC and AAC, to aptX and aptX Depression Latency, and higher-quality forms such as aptX Adaptive and aptX Hard disk, LDAC and HWA/LHDC, and then the ZEN I Signature tin can handle whatever source audio you beam to information technology at its highest quality.

On the front end panel are buttons for power and switching betwixt USB, Due south/PDIF and Bluetooth inputs, likewise as colour-irresolute LEDs that denote the incoming audio format and sample rate. Another button switch can plough the LEDs on/off and activate Bluetooth pairing mode.

Check around the dorsum and there's an asynchronous USB Blazon B port, alongside two S/PDIF inputs – optical and coaxial, with the latter doubling as a digital output. RCA analogue outputs are accompanied by a balanced four.4mm output. Connexion over USB can be optimised by purchasing iFi's ultra-depression noise iPower2 DC power supply at £69.

Bachelor in a Deep Space Blue cease (the same equally the rest of the ZEN One series), the iFi ZEN One Signature is available from the 14th January for the cost of £349.