iFi Audio ZEN ONE Signature All-in-One DAC

ZEN One Signature takes the DAC stage from the ZEN DAC V2, adds S/PDIF inputs (optical and coaxial) alongside the USB port, stirs in Bluetooth technology from the ZEN Blue V2 and seasons the pot with Signature-grade circuit enhancements to create a delicious audio brew.

The result? The 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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.