iFI Zen DAC v2: This Changes EVERYTHING
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- Опубліковано 30 сер 2021
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👇 PULL IT DOWN FOR THE GOOD STUFF 👇
Guys....this is my bad. FINALLY reviewed the iFI Zen DAC v2 and this completely changes my recommendations for an entry level dac/amp. Even with the MQA discussion, this thing is still incredibly impressive for the price.
✅IFI ZEN DAC V2 (affiliate link) - geni.us/gwvtl
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✅GOLDENSOUND'S VIDEO ON MQA CONTROVERSY
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#ifi #zendac #mqa - Наука та технологія
You are what got me into understanding what a DAC/AMP was and got a Schet Heil. Good to see the future is getting better.
Why the Schet Heil over the Zendac?
@@Backyard_Brouhaha i watched a lot or reviews on it. No reason as I didn’t know about the other one. However I have since moved on to a Fiio K7
Bought this for about a year ago and never been so pleased. Especially after you install the GTO-filter. It will definitely not let you down!
Just bought one of these a week ago. Happily surprised to see you cover it.
Ifi have released a firmware update for the V2 that should now allow it to work with the ps5. Also major props for mentioning the whole MQA situation, the more consumers learn about it the more chance that we can get companies to stop buying into it
Ah NICE on the PS5. That’s great to see.
Really?! Can you please send a link
Oh, would this work with the Switch? As, I was thinking of getting the JDS Labs Atom DAC.
Any chance with the Xbox or back of the TV like the CX?
Does ifi hip work too?
I still haven't found a way to replace my V1. Even with a Zen Can, I prefer the TrueBass on the Zen DAC to XBass on the Zen Can. Also haven't found anything that doesn't pair well with it. Great for those of us that like warm/smooth sound. Cool review 👍 ☕
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THIS OR K5 PRO?? Seeing this a lot so here goes: Only buy the K5 if you need an optical input - otherwise Zen DAC offers much more in terms of features, build quality, and upgrade path. I didn't opt to keep the K5 so I can't offer any commentary about the audio performance of one vs the other. If you already own the K5, I see no reason to sidegrade unless you specifically want to get into balanced gear.
1
I know everyone is already talking about the Truebass bass boost implementation, but I thought I'd chime in with my take on it. It sounds great for being a simple bass boost button without ever overpowering mids or highs and all without even muddying the bass at all. The kicker for me is that it allows you to use bass light headphones as daily drivers and if a bass heavy track comes out, you can hear it more fully instead of having to switch out your headphones to fully enjoy that song/album.
Noice!
Not the same product but yup I use ifi hip dac with hd660s when not at my desktop and the bass boost on it is perfect for pretty much all songs except the already heavy bass songs
The manual for this DAC on the iFi Audio official website clarifies this interesting point about the Xbass+ button. : "Sonically-hindering DSP is NOT used for XBass+ systems. The Xbass+ systems use highest-quality discrete components and operate purely in the analogue domain. Hence all the clarity and resolution of the original music is retained".
The real "pro" point with the IFI is the totally clean background you get from it. Great review.
Bought the Zen dac v2 a couple of months ago. Absolutely no regrets. Great review as always
You have chosen wisely 😁
Awesome work bro! I’m loving the Zen DAC v2 as well.
Adding a proper power source significantly improved sound clarity and quality even though it ran with power from the USB connection in my experience. I am using the upgraded wall wort from iFi I have the V1 which compares well with my $300+ DACs.
I think you got me started with your Aeon Open X review. Now I have a JDS El 2 stack with custom hollow knight and dark souls engraving, a darkvoice, an xduoo mt-602, a hip dac, a qudelix 5k, ZMF aeolus, aeon closed x, lcd2c, 6xx, er2xr, blessing 2 dusk, etc. What a rabbit hole
There are plenty of Zen Dac v1's at the used market at the moment for 70-100€, MONSTER value for everyone who wants to step into the hobby for even cheaper. The difference between the v1 and v2 are mostly just the MQA decoder, so the V1 is also a really good investment. Rocking Hifiman HE400SE and the Zen Dac V1, sounds amazing and the Truebass is the cherry on the top with these planars, love it.
Agreed the V1 I picked up is mine blowing and for sub 100 shut up and take my money if you find it sec hand pull the trigger
Where can you find it at that price point? I'm in Europe
What if I want something that can hook up to my PC and have standard speaker wire connections with my two bookshelf speakers and then also a headphone jack which will mute the speakers when I plug into it?
@@JonJonJonJonJon the only thing that I can think of is the Loxjie A30. But you have to manually switch outputs, I’m pretty sure. I’m not sure of anything that auto switches output without some sort of physical switch or digital menu control. There may be something out there, but I’m guess that you’ll have to pay a bit for an aio like that. Probably better luck looking at building a stack with a preamp that has that capability, but once again, way more expensive. There’s also stereo receivers, but unless you’re willing to shell out some good money, the headphone out circuits tends to be an afterthought and not very good.
@@JonJonJonJonJon I use a cheap class d amp for my speakers and just turn that off when I'm using my headphones from the zen dac. You can switch the output of the rca or 4.5mm balanced jack to ignore the volume control or include it. I set mine to ignore the volume control.
Nice to see this pop up on your channel! I got my Zen DAC v2 & Zen CAN stack when my Heresy decided to blow up.. on day one -_- That Schiit aside, iFi is doing good business! Love it on my 660S & Sundara's, real powerhouse!
I have the V1 paired with my DT 1990's, it's a great combo and the truebass button is magical.
I have a Zen v2 in my office at work feeding an Asgard 3. Great little platform to run everything from. The A3 feeds a set of Mackie monitors and I've got the 1/4 inch on the A3, Zen, and the 4.4mm for when/if I have cans with me and want to use them instead.
I would be really interested to see you cover the full Zen stack and how you think it sounds compared to competitors.
I believe I tried v1, I enjoyed it, I can only imagine the upgraded version being just as quality
Just picked this and the Can AMP up for my PS5 today, was plug and play and sounds great. Thx for the great information on the unit.
THANK YOU for showing a product thats actually available in Canada!
Just got my schit stack last month with my hd58x. Can't say I regret it even after watching this but I will be recommending this amp fax to friends that like my set up but don't want to spend that much.
Might even get my gf this for her bday with a good pair of headphones if that's what she wants.
Looking forward to the next video!
I'm looking for a headphone amp that has analog IN to use after the GoXLR in my chain (goxlr isn't quite giving enough juice for my HD 6XX).
I previously had a Schiit Magni Heresy but it needs to be repaired and since I live in Canada, it's not worth the money/time to send it back to them for repair. So ideally something I can grab from Amazon.
Any suggestions?
Been hooked since the last 2,5 years on your vids Bryan, awesome review again. I’ve been asking Joshua Valour to do a review of the Topping MX3 DAC/AMP, which I own. It cost just $129. It’s got the same headphone power output as the iFi Zen DAC but also has a built in amp for passive speakers. I’ve got them hooked to some Q Acoustics 3020i’s and a HD58X, and that’s a sub $500 dollar desktop BANGER of a system. Would absolutely LOVE to see a review of them. Cheers from the Netherlands!
I recently purchased the Zen Dac v2 and insane value for money. I don't have 600 ohm headphones so this is all I really need. To get a significant boost in performance you'd have to spend £500 like he said. At this price there's nothing better with the features on offer.
thanks for a quick and thorough review, no frills to the point
I saw Zeos losing his mind over this baby, but his content can be a bit odd at times hahhaa, I really appreciate you making this review, it helps to confirm this stuff
Anime girls intensify
@@johnlocke2694 THICC waifus
I have a JDS Labs Atom+ Stack and got this just to see how it sound out of curiosity. It definitely has a smoother sound which I prefer because at occasions with the JDS, some highs can sound too bright for me, which is never the case with the iFi. But as a tradeoff it doesn't reach that sparkle you can get with the JDS. After some A/B'ing I felt that the iFi has noticeably subtler bass than the JDS as well. With the JDS it's like you feel the bass, the kick, the oomf.. with the iFi you just hear the bass. It might be because I only have it powered via USB. Bought a regular PSU to see if the bass will improve. Overall I think the JDS sounds cleaner but can also be sharp occasionally. If it wouldn't be for the weak bass, I would keep the iFi, I'll see in a few days if it'll improve with the PSU.
@@henrygg295 have you tried the mayflower arc?
@@thejessejames623 nope, just the JDS and iFi
Would be curious to see how you compare this to the Fiio K5 Pro which is in a similar price range. It was my personal introduction to DAC/AMP's and am really happy with it. Currently saving up to go for the shiit stack with the loki added onto it.
Thanks for all the info you provided in all your videos. It's what made me more confident in buying audio gear!
I have this paired with the Zen Can. Sounds great with the Sennheiser HD560 S. It also makes a great preamp for powered monitors.
Debating on what to get with my HD560s either this possibly or a schiit stack or fulla/hel
was choosing a dac/amp combo a while back when I got my sennheiser hD 660S from my wife. Doubted a lot between the zen dac and a topping (viewing Joshua's channel), nobody had a (decent) review up on the zen dac, but choose the zen dac anyways because of the looks. Man, it is great. I now have it hooked up on my new work-from-home office, connected via a docking station for the input, and outputing to my headphones and a pair of white Jamo PM 801 bookshelf speakers (thanks to Joshua and recovering audiophile's review). Looks stunning and really deliveres great sound for the money. I was about 159€ when I bought it from amazon france, but in Europe we always note the price with the taxes included ;)
Ah good, man! Glad you're enjoying it. I haven't got into Topping yet. Right around the time I was, there was a unit out that was frying headphones? So it made keep my distance until they got all that sorted.
@@badseedtech yea L30 it was haha
Hey I just got the 660s and was wondering if ur still using the same ones or if u think it’s better I get the schiit stack
@@tiredmask I'm still using these. I live in Belgium, centre of Europe. Schitt is more expensive over here, don't have of their things and don't see the need to change
@@dwazeke ok thank you I’m really excited for my 660s to arrive! Just was worried about the amp and dac or if I even needed one tbh
I literally just received my magni/modi stack before finding out about this lol. I really like that this one has a balanced output too. As soon as you buy anything something better comes out!
The iFi Zen DAC isn't exactly new tbf.. the update is, but the difference to the original v1 should be so marginal it's not even worth the mention. Can always pick up a v1 used if you want to give it a try despite your purchase. Either way, enjoy!
This is it. This is the video I needed to see. Adding this to the short list, thanks man!
Good one! I really like your brass knuckle coffee cup. Gotta get one of those.
subtly dropping that he has an 8xx is such a nice flex can't wait for that review
I wish EVERYONE spoke like this guy, no stuttering "ums/ers" no bullshit, direct clear and complete sentences. It's so refreshing!
I have my iFi Zen Dac connected with my Yamaha HS8, Hifiman Sundara, ATH-R70X, and the Moondrop B2. The Truebass is such a versatile and useful feature I can't even consider buying another DAC/AMP without it. The HS8 is known to be very flat and boring for audiophiles, but with Truebass I have the studio quality monitor with buttery smooth bass boost tonality. Sundara open back is also known for the heavy subbass drop but with Truebass it becomes a very pleasing headphone to listen to. Most importantly, I can connect the Zen Dac with my PS5 and laptop without needing to go back and forth EQing my audio, since some people are only listening to music on PC. I just wish they have a device selector. Great review brother spot on!
Wait, there is an update of ifi Zen Dac v2 for PS5 compability?
I got R70x and B2 Dusk too 😳 cant wait for my v2 to arrive - my first dac ever!
@@kokomisclam6625 the R70X is such a treat coupled with the truebass. The headphone can handle so much power and won’t hurt your ears, you can literally make it vibrate around your ear 😁 but do take care of your ears lol
Love your videos and positive vibes. Keep it up and I look forward to more!
Hey man, usually iam just watching and liking your videos and enjoying your content. You opened up my personal box of pandorra and the love for higher end sound equipment that blends in with my simracing love.
Music as well for sure ;).
Well im currently out on a Fiio K5 driving a Dt770 250 ohm set and it could use a bit more of "punch". would the IFI close that gap for me? I guess yes but not totally sure because i would have some upgrades to buy for the simrig as well. Just trying to prioritize.
Much love from Germany man. Keep on with your awesome work
Great video! As someone with a bunch of high end headphones (Focal Clears, Anandas, etc run through an Adi2Pro) I've been astonished at the performance of cheap ChiFi iems. Got myself the Moondrop Arias and a Qudelix BT/dac/amp and the results are frankly not what I was expecting. Where was cheap good audio when I was a broke a** college student daggummit?
Do try and get your hands on a few of these hybrid iems (Moondrop, KHZ, Fiio, etc), would love your take on them!
How does the Ananda sound paired with the ifi zen dac v2? Have you done any extra EQ'ing?
I've had the old zen dac for over a year and loved it, I bought the zen can somewhat recently to power some stronger headphones. Fun fact, you can stack the bass boost for some serious punch
Thank you for confirming this. Can you tell a difference from the bass boost on each unit?
Have the v1 and love it. I use the RCA out at fixed setting for my Creative Labs T20ii multimedia speakers, which is powered and have a volume knob. This lets me have different volumes on my speaker and headphones. My only gripe about the v1 is how tight the 4.4mm socket is. I literally have to hold down the whole unit securely with one hand if I want to unplug the 4.4mm. Checked with iFi and they said that's just how it is made. :(
It also looks pleasing sitting right under my monitor, but that is a matter of personal taste. I know people who think it's the ugliest ever piece of equipment. lol
Hello Alex, do you need to unplug the headphones if you would like to play on the speakers?
Thanks for another great video. I went with the Sennheiser GSX 1000 and Schiit Fulla E. I will be using it for gaming hopefully one will be notably better than the other.
I love your review because you translate the technical into the practical. Here is my dilemma… I’ve settled on Grado’s but I use losses from my iPhone sure there are probably better options. I have the Zen dac signature v. 2 but that means I would need a zen blue+ the CAN. So three devices, so I’m thinking I sell it get the zen one and the can so I’m down to 2 and that or should I keep the Zen DAC 2 signature
You holding the zen dac like that really puts how big you are into perspective
I will totally buy one of those...in a year or two....used on eBay for about $50-$80.
You mentioned at 7:02 that adding a ZEN Can (and thus returning total cost to above $400) makes it a completely different comparison and a different video. I'm curious what the other contenders would be and how they'd stack up? Perhaps something for a future video?
Once you try the iFI BASS Boost(TrueBass) on their Dac/Amps it's hard to go back to anything else. It's pretty addicting if you're a Bass lover
For me Xbass>true bass. Subtle but full.
@@pinoyxbox Yeah I've got the IDSD Black Label and would agree that the XBass is better. The 3D+ is also a cool effect at times. Especially when gaming
Have you guys paired it with tubes and hit true bass just saying you’ll smile
@@gabrielmoreno5775 i have tubes and its bloated as fuck lol
@@gabrielmoreno5775 Might be ok with low-bass planars. My Sennheiser 6xx are borderline ok with tubes and bass button. The Hifiman 4XX, also a planer, is too much, same with dynamic ones like Focal Elegia and Sivga Phoenix are too much, even without a tube amp for my taste (though my Elegia's are EQ'd up a bit to begin with). That said certain songs are fun with it, but for the most part, I find it just becomes too much and muddies the mids (though far better than most bass boost functions)
Thank you this was exactly what I was looking for
Solid review. I was looking for options on what to get formy first DAC/AMP, but I think I’ve decided after watching this video, I was considering something from FiiO but the Truebass button ended up convincing me, hope they work good with my SHP9500.
I have a V1 and it works great with the SHP9500s. Truebass YMMV, I think the 9500s have nicely balanced bass to begin with, adding more doesn't really improve anything. Just be warned, that Balanced Output sounds even better than the Single Ended with some HD58Xs plugged into it...
Came for the review; had to comment on the beard! Best beard I’ve ever seen. You’re the beard champ!
Ordered this just today as my first ever dedicated Amp or a DAC and this video came out so recently from you. Thanks, BadSeed Tech!
You’ll love it bro!
@@LorenzoFrausto I do hope that. I'll post my findings tomorrow.
@@primeshmohanty7701 looking forwards to it 👍🏽
@@primeshmohanty7701how was it ?
My god love your humor in videos🤣 crushed it as always my guy!
Thank you sir!
I enjoyed this on my setup dali oberon+smsl da-9 for speaker setup and zen stack for the sundara and ananda but already sold the v2 to pickup the denafrips ares 2 :)
I bought schitt stack b-stock direct.. saved like 20$ which I used for pyst cable... I love it.
I have the V1 and I love it!
But I wish it stopped playing on the speakers when you plug in headphones. Switching the speaker input every time on a daily basis is quite annoying.
Sometimes I forget that the speaker is playing at the same time as the headphones and I end up blasting audio through the speakers at 2 am… 😅
make it a habit to turn the volume down before turning on your setup. saves me from jumpscares
Excellent review, thanks :)
So just for listening to music from my laptop to a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBB headphones, this will be enough, plenty loud etc or do I need to consider the ifi AMP as well?
It might be weird, but i like when they use usb is 3.0 type B. It seems like a more rigid and stronger connector.
Hey Brian, love the straight-forward reviews. 18 mo later, is the zen still the great value with a new price of $200 - Any new competetitors you'd suggest?
I also noticed the prices on most of the stuff went up. Have you ordered one? Finding a dac / amp set up is harder than choosing a set of headphones
The Hidizs S9 Pro dongle is a microscope into music but the Sanskrit 2 is an electron microscope. I'm sure other dacs are great as well and people without a seperate dac will
most likely be very happy with most dacs over $100.
i got SMSL M100 and SP100 as DAC/AMP powering a hd6xx , the soundstage is widly large and warm yet so precise
I love your B roll in this video! I think you could frame your A roll shot a little more I want to see the top of your head when you zoom in and when you are at the wide shot I would like to see the entire bad seed light but I can’t talk I only work live production.
TLDR: I watch your content for free and have comments idk.
Keep up the amazing vids!
wish you had this vid out about 1.5 months ago, as I'm that far into my 3-4 month waitlist for a Schiit Fulla 4 :(
Going to be real sad when you get it and it bricks itself
Seriously I just bought a Schiit Fulla :)! Missed this by one day.
Great review, thanks. Two questions: I’ll be primarily using with my iPad Pro and Focal Celeste headphones. Is this a good combination? Do you recommend the 5V power adapter with this setup? Thanks again.
Good stuff, bought the Topping A30/D30 Pro a few months back and I've been kicking myself for not saving some money and going with the ZenDac/ZenCan stack.
I was considering the A30/D30 Pro but ended up getting the Zen Dac v2. For me the former stack would have been slightly overkill so I thought I'd save a few bucks and the performance is still pretty damn good
Hey man...merry Christmas! Loving the content...what headset with mic will you recommend pairing this with specifically for gaming and some occasional music listening?
Thanks Brian! Spent a lot on a monitor upgrade but saving this to refer to later as audio is next on the list and this sounds like the go.
If you could recommend one set of headphones strictly for listening for audio queues (footsteps) in FPS games would it still be the Drop x AKG 7XX?
This vs K5 Pro if you're only using single ended headphones? Great video btw!
+1 on this. I'm actually also curious
USB B terminations are preferable because they're simply bigger and more suitable in a professional environment.
PS some deoxit in the volume pot should remove that scratchiness.
This sounds awesome. Sadly I'm looking for a stack, or to be precise a seperate DAC and AMP, so that I can put an analog mixer in between for my mic, guitar etc... Thankfully my behringer q502 does the job for now with my DT770 pros being the hardest headphones it has to drive
I purchased a soundblaster G6 based on your review of it. G6 or this? And would the schit stack be a good upgrade from either or not worth it? What would be a good budget friendly upgrade?
I found G6 less expensive for me in my country. However, Im not sure if this will work out as good as ifi zen dac v2.
Hey man…just ran across your review and liked it. You know your shit and quickly kicked the reviews ass. No wasted words or bullshit. Brevity is impressive. You didn’t say useless shit to prove how smart you are…which shows how smart you are..
Matt in Texas
I’ve got the v1 to complement HD 58X and the thing kicks ass
Whoa the different set looks awesome.
Would you end up looking at more expensive dac/amps? I have an Elements II and I'd love to see what you think about it.
Best buy of 2021 for me.
Had the V1 too but this V2 does full render of MQA tracks.😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
And....considering that Schitt doesn’t like MQA, no go Schitt. And USA stuff like Schitt is hard to come by in The Netherlands 🇳🇱
With Schiit sending no stock to the eu store seems like this is the way. Thank you!
What the the actual advantage of balanced output? I have a X3 DAC/AMP currently (also a Dragonfly Red for music listening and travel) and switch between Tygr 300Rs (any chance of a review of these) and HD6XX (so chill to listen to). Would the balanced output provide any real noticeable benefit for these headphones?
Thank you for the video! I'm new to the channel and I'm wondering what dac/amp is more suitable for the ps5 since the sen dac v2 isn't working on console?
"this outputs over headphones and externals at the same time"
This is exactly the information I've been struggling to find. Thank you for mentioning it
this is such a bummer, such a deal breaker for me..
@@Justintricate really? I was specifically hoping it could do this. I wanted to listen to music with my partner using this as my DAC, and multiple pairs of headphones. My Zen DAC acting simultaneously as a headphone amp, and a pre-amp for my Schiit IEMagni lets us do exactly that with individual volume control. It's perfect
Probably the last device to double down on support for MQA. I know a lot of people who have said they jumped the Tidal ship after Apple released Hi-res audio and Amazon music got cheaper.
So if I could afford a schiit stack, should I go with the zen stack or the schiit? Looking for my beginner set up. Sounds like you recommend the zen because of the price and what you get for it
I really liked your comment on console compatibility. That’s what I’m after primarily but music is a close second. Anyways great video
The Creative G6 might be what you are looking for. I had one and it worked well with my consoles and PC. I ended up going to the X3 for the chat/volume mix since I started playing some games with friends during the pandemic. But I'm tempted by the Zen DAC v2.
I use a khadas tone board v1 and an atom amp non plus personally and im very happy with it. Considering upgrading from my he4xx to the sundara but not sure if i should make the jump.
Got myself one of these awhile ago and while it's true that the sound quality, Truebass, and etc are amazing, I had to return it for a seemingly dumb reason.
The Zen Dac overrides windows volume controls, and you're not able to control Windows volume through your keyboard/media control buttons.
As I have my PC quite out of reach this is a deal breaker, I change volume frequently and it's a pain to have to stretch to reach the Zen Dac for volume changes. I'm surprised that most reviews don't cover this little nuisance that might or might not be a deal breaker for some.
Also if anyone knows a good DAC or DAC/AMP combo that retains Windows volume controls, hmu as i really need a good option. I know audiophiles all want the volume controls on the DAC/AMP itself for the best sound quality but tbh im mostly listening to Spotify and watching UA-cam and I can't really tell a difference.
Using the DT177x GO for now, planning on splurging on the DCA Aeon Noires soon if I get to save up.
if your source is just spotify and youtube. you probably don't need a more expensive DAC. Just get a decent sounding cheap DAC that works well with your needs. It is pretty common that whenever you use a dedicated DAC, the volume control will be done in the device itself as it overrides your pc. (can't find the right words for it but you get the point) You are using the DAC so it's common sense that the volume will be controlled on the device itself. Why else would they put a volume knob on the device. As for DAC that suits your need, you might want to try a dongle instead. It was my first external DAC, a CX PRO to be exact and it satisfied my needs for a while until i decided to upgrade.
@@evilkamatis542 hey thanks for the answer brother. it's the answer i needed to hear but at the time i was just looking for an excuse to find a higher end DAC to splurge on lol.
As for windows volume control, what you said makes sense but for my specific use case, i really do need my keyboard volume controls (my PC is placed very far away from where i sit, and i have to use a wireless keyboard/mouse lol).
I picked up the Fulla Schitt and it works great for this, still allows windows volume controls and sounds great! Also it's a got a mic input for my PC38x. Maybe this might help someone out there that has this extremely edge case scenario like myself.
The mqa dsp bullshit is to blame there. V1 has no problems with windows volume control...
Wow, didn't know about you before today. Very professional video. It's nice that you get to the point without the juvenile humor that I see on other review channels.
How would this do for running a Mac Mini into a stereo receiver? Also, any recommendation for an Apple app to use for playback? My biggest issue is that it must play gapless. Enjoy your stuff!
I've recently purchased a pc with Z490 Gaming Edge mobo and Z906 speakers. I've got HD598SE headphones, Astro A40 and I'm considering beyerdynamic 990 Pro.
I mostly use PC for games, then work then music/UA-cam/movies.
Also have PS5 and Series X.
Would this make a significant difference to headphone and speaker sound quality from PC? Console use would be a bonus but admit I love PS5 3D Audio with Arctis 7p already. Thanks for any thoughts!
0:53 to 1:00
That just made my day. :D
PS.
Holy cow, dude. Thank you so much for just being honest and straight to the point. Subscribed.
Thanks for the video! Just purchased my first okay pair of headphones (sennheiser 660s). Still confused if i need an amp to go with the zen dac v2?
I'd love to see a review of the Topping DX3 Pro, as it has some interesting features as well.
Should I buy this or the mayflower mk2. Mostly gonna be used for PS4/ps5? Headphones are dt 1990, sundara, 660s
very helpful, thank you man.
Dude - Great tube. Informative, dense, balanced. New Sub!
Thanks so much
Would you say this is on par or slightly better than the schiit stack?. I bought it in your recommendation but it has developed the knob hiss which is very annoying. I have since accumulated a few planar cans and want to go in further down the rabbit hole.
If you have EQ settings (via softwared) on your PC do those EQ tweaks carry over to the DAC or is only sending the flat signal to the DAC?
Zen Air DAC just dropped!
Please review it sir, how it compared to Zen DAC v2 and which one should a beginner go for.
Great video. Much appreciated.
I have the zen DAC 1 and I love it, it has no problem driving my beyerdynamic DT770pro 250 ohm headphones, love it love it love it. Was the first DAC APM I’ve used and I have zero regrets. At the time I got it I could have got the zen DAC 2, but I don’t have any MQA audio so I decided to save a few bucks, and for my use age they’re essentially the same.
Will the Zen DAC v2 drive the DT 990 Pro 250 ohm too? What position do you have the volume control at (like 12 o'clock?)
@@Caribano it should be fine. The 990 is essentially an open back 770, apart from that they’re pretty much the same. If minimum volume on the zen dac is 7 o’clock, and full is 5 o’clock, I usually have it about 2 o’clock for loud but comfortable (with power match turned on) 3 and 4 o’clock can leave you with a slight ringing on some tracks, and at least with Apple Music on my Mac mini, 24bit 192KHz play back slightly quieter than 16/24bit 44.1/88.2/96KHz files. Tidal seems to be the same volume as 24/192 regardless of file type.
@@millar876 awesome information man, exactly what I was looking for. Thanks, I'm buying it!
Just bought the iFI Zen DAC v2 & Sennheiser HD560S as my first leap into the audiophile world I'm excited for them to show up!
How is this setup going for you? I’m thinking about going the same route
@@alfonsosaavedra8009 I wish I never bought that setup because it sent me down a very large rabbit hole upgrading gear once I heard it haha ... I went from that to spending $10,000 on audio equipment over a period of time.
Once you hear that setup - you won't go back... So YES I recommend but also at the same time DON'T DO IT RUN WHILE YOU CAN HELP ME THEY HAVE ME HOSTAGE...
Hey BadSeed!
You do such great videos , can just tell it over and over again.
But now i am hella confused of what i should by myself
I want to use it only on my PC-Setup
The first question, where peoples opionion splits is -----> DO I WANT DAC+AMP-Combo or is just an AMP enough?
Devices i researched and i want to decide between are:
DAC/AMP:
Creative Sound Blaster X3
Creative Sound BlasterX G6
Schiit Fulla 4 - E
Syba Sonic
AMP:
Schiit Audio Magni // Heresy
iFi Audio Zen CAN
FiiO K5 Pro
Fosi Audio Q4 DAC
JDS Labs Atom Amp
iFi Hip DAC
What would you say i should go for?
Regards,
Benny
I would love to see how the iFI Zen DAC v2 compares to the FiiO K5 Pro!!!
As soon as I watched this video, I changed my order from the FiiO K5 Pro to the Zen DAC v2! I'm buying the DT 990 Pro 250 ohm headphones to use with the Zen DAC v2. Will it comfortably drive these headphones? (I know you said it drives your DT 1990 well but I want to make sure, thanks!)
Id like to know this as well as im considering getting the exact same combo?
DT 990 Pro 250 ohm sounds great on the ifi zen dac v2.