iFi Audio ZEN ONE Signature

Description

iFi Audio ZEN ONE Signature

The iFi Audio ZEN ONE Signature is a pure DAC (no built-in headphone amp and volume control) that serves 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.

Features

• The Zen One Signature use Qualcomm’s new QCC5100 Bluetooth processing IC in combination with proprietary circuits to create an audibly superior ‘Bluetooth engine’. All the current high-definition Bluetooth audio formats are supported – Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive and aptX HD, Sony’s LDAC and HWA’s LHDC, regular aptX and aptX Low Latency, AAC (Apple iOS devices) and SBC (the ‘plain vanilla’ Bluetooth codec). Of the 24-bit-capable codecs, aptX Adaptive and aptX HD support up to 48kHz, while LDAC and LHDC reach 96kHz. iFi’s ‘Bluetooth engine’ can also be updated over-the-air, so future codecs may be added.
• The 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. At 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.
• MQA (Master Quality Authenticated). MQA is an award-winning British technology that delivers the sound of the original master recording. The master MQA file is fully authenticated and is small enough to stream or download. The ZEN One Signature adopts MQA technology to receive and decode MQA audio and provide master-level sound. Visit mqa.co.uk for more information. It is a superior method to the traditional single-ended circuit approach. Balanced circuits reduce noise and crosstalk. Less Interference – clearer sound. You normally find this set-up in products at the higher end of the price spectrum such as the Pro iCAN Signature but iFi is now using this across its range to produce the best quality audio for all our customers.
• Vishay MELF resistors – complex, costly but superior. These metal electrode leadless face resistors have excellent accuracy, stability, reliability, and pulse load capability. They provide optimal power rating and pulse load capability. They show some of the lowest noise and distortion of any resistor available in the market, period.
• TDK C0G (Class 1 ceramic) capacitors offer high stability and low losses for resonant circuit applications. Getting ever closer to the theoretical ideal of pure, frequency-constant capacitance, these capacitors reduce capacitor-induced distortion to vanishingly low levels. They are pricey but are a perfect addition to our products.
• Panasonic OS-CON caps totaling 5,410uF give very-low Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR), excellent noise reduction capability and frequency response characteristics. In addition, OS-CONs have a long-life span and its ESR changes little even at low temperatures since the electrolyte is solid. They are not often found in products costing <NZD$1000.
• Extensive jitter-eradication technologies are applied to the digital stage, including our GMT (Global Master Timing) femto-precision clock and the intelligent memory buffer. The low-jitter crystal clock has been updated to provide >20dB better performance.
• ELNA Japan Silmic II capacitors are used for the power supplies. The primary constituent of the newly developed dielectric is silk fibre. This material was believed as unfathomable as an aluminium electrolytic capacitor. The new material beats silk fibre and mixes it with Manila hemp fibre to provide the dielectric to an aluminium electrolytic capacitor used for high-grade music. The result is second-to-none superior acoustic properties and excellent linearity.
• muRata control-type, low-ESR high-Q multi-layer capacitors. The ‘ESR control’ aspect of the Murata is something special. Their noise suppression abilities are impressive.
• Texas 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.

Home Hub DAC

The ZEN One Signature is the first ZEN DAC to support all hi-res: DSD256, PCM384, MQA384kHz, Bluetooth 96KHz.

• 96kHz Hi-Res Bluetooth: LDAC, HWA/LHDC, aptX Adaptive/HD/LL, AAC
• USB audio using 16 Core 2000MIPS XMOS low latency microcontroller (MQA decoder)
• Fully balanced 4.4mm output
• Purity of design, no headphone amp, no volume control. The ultimate DAC for all your home audio sources.

HD Bluetooth

The next-generation HD Bluetooth technology in the ZEN One Signature ensures the best sound from every source.

Extensive high-definition codec support – aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, LDAC and HWA/LHDC.

High-gain antenna delivers extended Bluetooth range.

You’ll love it.

Discerning Digital

The ZEN One Signature offers the following to transform home music enjoyment:

• True Native hi-res DAC – supports 32-bit/384kHz PCM and fully native DSD
• Powerful 16-core XMOS processor – performs full MQA decoding (to 384kHz)
• Upgraded GMT femto-precision clock and customised digital filter eradicate jitter and other forms of digital distortion
• Coaxial S/PDIF digital outputs support 24-bit/192kHz PCM

Awesome Analogue

Balanced circuitry is what the ZEN series is famed for. The ZEN One Signature continues the tradition:

• Balanced circuit design with Signature-grade circuit components delivers ultra-low distortion and exceptional sonic purity
• 4mm Balanced and RCA single-ended analogue outputs – connect to an integrated amp, preamp, headphone amp or active speakers

Signature Special

The Signature series always includes extra special additions:

• Low-jitter femto clock crystal provides >20dB performance
• 16 Core 2000MIPS XMOS low-latency microcontroller – 4x more processing power
• C0G capacitors – high-linearity, excellent temperature/frequency characteristics
• MELF resistors – high-precision and low-noise
• Taiyo Yuden and Murata inductors – low-impedance power supply rails
• High-gain antenna for extended range

Specifications