iFi audio ZEN CAN Signature 6XX / ZEN DAC Signature !!!

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iFi audio ZEN CAN Signature 6XX

As you may all know, iFi audio ZEN CAN Signature 6XX was originally to be Drop-branded. It's now iFi branded but will still launch as a Drop exclusive.

SEE IT ON DROP HERE!

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iFi audio ZEN CAN Signature 6XX features a (bypassable) high fidelity active EQ synergistic with the amplification circuit itself to tailor the sound of the amp to the characteristics of the popular Sennheiser HD6XX (also suitable for the Drop HD58X and the regular HD580 / 600 / 650 / 800S) to bring out the best in them, plus a (bypassable) highly realistic analog spatializer for transforming your headphones into a spacious home HiFi listening environment.

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iFi audio ZEN CAN Signature 6XX will feature sophisticated circuit design and high end components as also found on the Pro iCAN to produce class-leading results in the traditional measures of performance such as THD, noise floor, output power, etc.

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Here's a bit of extra information we're putting here, ahead of even the Drop post. The correction curve applied by iFi audio ZEN CAN Signature 6XX will be as follows:

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Specs

  • Inputs: RCA, 3.5 (single-ended), 4.4mm (balanced)
  • Headphone output: 6.35 mm, 4.4 mm
  • Gain: 0 dB, 6 dB,12 dB,18 dB adjust
  • THD+N (A-Weighting): 0.0066% (balanced), 0.0058% (single-ended)
  • Maximum output power (16 ohms): 3.0 V / 600 mW (balanced), 4.0 V / 1000 mW (single-ended)
  • Maximum output power (300 ohms): 15.1 V / 756 mW (balanced), 7.6 V / 196 mW (single-ended)
  • Maximum output power (600 ohms): 15.2 V / 385 mW (balanced), 7.6 V / 98 mW (single-ended)
  • SNR: -112 dB (balanced), -112 dB (single-ended)
  • Dynamic range: -112 dB (balanced), -112 dB (single-ended)
  • Frequency response (-3dB): 10 Hz – 200 kHz
  • Function Button: HD6XX adaption and/or XSpace; Bypass
  • IMD: 0.0098%
  • Crosstalk: -50 dB
  • Zout (headphone out): 0.25 ohms (single-ended), 0.5 ohms (balanced)
  • Zout (balanced line out): 200 ohms
  • Maximum power consumption: 13 W / 2.6A
  • Dimensions: 4.6 x 3.9 x 1.2 in (11.7 x 10 x 3 cm)
  • Weight: 1.87 Ibs (0.85 kg)


iFi audio ZEN DAC Signature
A Standout DAC Gets a Signature Upgrade

SEE IT ON DROP HERE!

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With a sleek form factor, solid build, and stellar sound, iFi audio’s ZEN DAC is one of the most talked-about USB DAC/amps on the market today. Now we're taking the conversation further in a Drop-exclusive model: the ZEN DAC Signature. Like the original ZEN DAC, this premium iteration can be powered by mains or a connected USB source. It boasts the same bit-perfect Hi-Res audio support, with PCM decoding to 384kHz, as well as native DSD and MQA decoding.

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Where the Signature stands out is its upgraded circuitry with premium parts selection for unparalleled analog conversion. The Signature features high-end, low-noise capacitors and resistors found in iFi’s flagship Pro series to preserve the signal in the purest form. Any downstream amplifier will sound crystal-clear when paired with this game-changing amp, but the ZEN DAC Signature (with its balanced circuit and 4.4mm output) makes an exceptional duo with the purpose co-designed ZEN CAN Signature 6XX.

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Specs:

  • Input: USB-B 3.0 socket (USB-B 2.0 compatible)
  • Supported formats:
    • 44.1 / 48 / 88.2 / 96 / 176.4 / 192 / 384 kHz, PCM
    • 2.8 / 3.1 / 5.6 / 6.2 / 11.2 / 12.4 mHz, DSD
    • 353 / 384 kHz, DXD
  • DAC: Bit-perfect DSD and DXD by Burr Brown
  • Power consumption: 5V / 174ma, P = 0.887W (on idle using included iPower)
  • Audio RCA output (unbalanced): 2.1 V fixed, 1 V – 3.3 V maximum (variable)
  • 4.4 mm Pentaconn output (balanced): 4.2 V fixed, 2 V – 6.2 V maximum (variable)
  • Z output (unbalanced): ≤ 100 ohms
  • Z output (balanced): ≤ 200 ohms
  • SNR: < -117 dB(A) at 0 dBFS (unbalanced / balanced)
  • DNR: > 117 dB(A) at -60 dBFS (unbalanced / balanced)
  • THD+N: <0.0011% at 0 dBFS (unbalanced / balanced)
  • Dimensions: 4.6 x 3.9 x 1.2 in (11.7 x 10 x 3 cm)
  • Weight: 1.65 lbs (0.75 kg)
 
iFi audio ZEN CAN Signature 6XX: Tech Note #1

Executive Summary

With a revolutionary analogue equaliser acting directly on the amplification stage to tailor the output to match, your Sennheiser HD6XX (or 650, 600, 800s, etc.) will sound like you’ve never heard before. Now add:

  • our renowned XSpace analogue headphone spatialiser,
  • true end-to-end differential full-balanced amp circuitry with latest 4.4mm socket
  • circuit design derived from our $3000 Pro iCAN, with a slew of premium parts

....and you have a new headamp that will punch well above its price class!
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Activ EQ. The iFi way.
The Massdrop X Sennheiser HD6XX (descended from Sennheiser HD650) is an excellent pair of headphones with first-rate musicality and massive sound stage. Why then does the 6XX need equalisation? The answer is straightforward. All headphones do. And this pair is no exception.

The HD6XX boasts a spectacularly balanced midrange, which has made it justifiably one of the most popular headphones across the globe. However, as with any headphones, there's room for an improvement:
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i. Bass under 100Hz is rolled-off,
ii. Upper treble is a little attenuated,
iii. There is a significant ‘hole’ in the frequency response in the upper presence region.

See here: https://www.innerfidelity.com/images/MassdropHD6XX.pdf

The True Zen path to equalisation
How to upgrade what is already very good to world-class level?
iFi audio comes with the solution!

The ZEN CAN Signature 6XX is your answer. Our ActivEQ equalisation solution is a (much) more elegant solution to EQ than seen elsewhere. It consists of active and passive components and its EQ curve is tailored specifically to the HD6XX to correct its frequency response problems with surgical precision.
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And in the analogue domain too! Which lets you use it on everything from vinyl records to SACDs to MQA recordings, all sorts of places DSP can never reach. And thanks to its revolutionary utilization of the amping process itself to shape the output, all this is accomplished without altering the midrange, worsening SNR, increasing distortion or anything bad you can think of.

The result moves the headphone closer to a neutral presentation with less midrange over-emphasis, with a full and natural bass and the oft-cited 'veil' over the treble lifted, helping the HD6XX become a real masterpiece.

This elegant beast with 1600mW (@32?) /15.3V (@600?) output will drive your headphones smoother than you could have imagined. Designed to be the ultimate affordable (in price only!) headphone amplifier for the Sennheiser HD6XX, it will also significantly correct the frequency response of the HD650, HD600, HD700, HD800S and even the original HD800 (where it has been first physically modded with one of the documented 6.5kHz reduction mods that originally inspired the HD800S).

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iFi audio ZEN DAC Signature: Tech Note #1

Executive Summary

Premium version of the What Hi-Fi 5-star winning ZEN DAC. The Signature edition simplifies the design and maxes out the audiophile goodness with:

  • enhanced circuit design,
  • end-to-end True Differential Balanced design, and
  • premium parts selection inspired from our $3000 Pro range,

A device that’s deceptive in its simplicity and a beast in performance.

Awesome Home Fi audio

Our best-selling ZEN DAC has a plethora of prestigious awards won, including the 5-stars What Hi-Fi award. We were tasked with an audiophile version of the entry-level ZEN DAC. We listened, delivered and hopefully, beat expectations. In collaboration with Drop (previously Massdrop), we created a powerful system with all audiophile-grade components complemented with state-of-the-art sonic design, drawing many cues from the $3000 Pro iDSD and Pro iCAN. Doubled the amount of audiophile componentry goodness and put the DAC and amp sections in separate products (they certainly won’t fit in the same box anymore). This is how the ZEN DAC Signature and ZEN CAN Signature 6XX were born.
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The ZEN DAC Signature offers a purist form designed for the demanding audiophile who is ready for the next level. The unique combination of 4.4mm balanced output, high-grade audio components and native MQA decoding means you enjoy the highest music quality at an approachable price. The product is so simple to control, that you will never have to worry about confusing settings and switches again. Less is more. We believe that simplicity is superior to elaborate embellishment.

Our engineers designed to empower the user with a choice in the ZEN DAC Signature. YOU decide whether or not the ZEN DAC analogue volume control is used. When set to 'Variable', it can be used to control the volume of powered speakers, or its volume as a preamp. If using with downstream equipment with their own volume control - set to 'Fixed' for bypass as if it were a ‘straight wire’ from the digital source to the analog amplifier.

Nothing but the best flagship ‘Pro series’ circuits.

Descended from the $3,000+ flagship Pro iDSD, the ZEN DAC Signature has quite special DNA, making it perform as a DAC on a much higher level sonically than the modest price suggests. Why does it sound so special?
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Clean power = Clean sound.

The power supply section is a masterpiece underpinning the digital and analogue section. In this vein, the ZEN DAC Signature uses among others, TI low-noise power supply ICs, well-designed ground planes for the PCB, ELNA Silmic II, Panasonic OS-CON and ECPU, Taiyo Yuden and muRata AND TDK C0G capacitors, and ingenious solutions to cleaning up the power for the DSD1793 chip. SMT and BiCMOS processes are employed to extract the very last bit of signal from noise.
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The hard work here pays off, giving performance in excess of what even the specs of the premium DACs and opamp chips used below would suggest.

Brimming with quality technology from end to end

From the USB input, the digital signal goes to the XMOS USB chip for support of all audio formats up to 32bits/384kHz, DSD512, and full native MQA decoding, which then feeds the Burr-Brown DSD1793 conversion chipset.
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Jitter from the source is eliminated using the separate Global Master Timing (GMT) circuit inherited from AMR, our high-end audio parent company. Taking audio data from the XMOS and clocking it according to the GMT, the BB DAC chip outputs the converted analogue signal to the end-to-end balanced analogue circuit with custom-designed premium OV2637A opamp, fitted with Vishay MELF resistors for suppression of thermal noise. The music signal can then be controlled by the ZEN’s multitrack analogue volume control (to feed powered speakers or power amps) or directly out to an integrated amp—or, of course, the matching ZEN CAN Signature.
 
Folks, we'll have our own 4.4mm-to-4.4mm cable.

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... and as far as ZEN Signature devices go, these two photos might come in handy:


 
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