I need a DAC for my desk, I have never purchased a desktop DAC till this date. Ifi zen dac V2 is looking good. Is anyone having it? I’m currently using W2 and I like it but I need good sound on my desk too and that volume knob… I wanna try it. Should I give it a try? I’m confused :x
1 Like
Have not tried that dac/amp but someone in here must be rocking it
1 Like
Any review?
I’m going to put filters in nozzle as the accustune have nothing. And will review both configs. As is it is quite intense
Are you looking for standalone DAC or DAC/AMP combo? Because for DAC only there are much better options (like Topping D10s, SMSL SU6), but you would need to add amplifier on top of that. For DAC/AMP combos there are also better options like Fiio K5 Pro ESS or AKM, Topping DX3Pro+ (this one has BT, but it is limitted in use with very low imp. headophones) and maybe semi desktop semi-portable XDuoo XD-05 Plus.
1 Like
I need a standalone DAC for IEMs only. It should have a 4.4MM balanced port. Zen Dac seems fine from reviews. It will go on sale tonight (in my region) I will still be paying 10$ extra but it’s alright.
Basically I need a decent sounding DAC for my desk with a balanced port like W2.
1 Like
Ok, you need DAC/AMP combo then, as you want to drive your earphones directly from that (which Zen DAC in fact is) 
I have hip dac from ifi which is basically portable version of Zen Dac with a little bit more of power. While it sounds ok, has this xBass, plenty of power and pentagonn output it measures extremely poorly in terms of how clean is the signal. Some people say they like this “warm sound”, but I think there is nothing that you could not add in EQ yourself and it is best to have clean signal to work on in my opinion than to have a dirty one and have to live with that. ifi Zen DAC and Headphone Amp Review | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum
Edit: check on Topping NX7 or Topping A50s for balanced output AMPLIFIER. You could give it signal directly from inbuilt DAC in your computer/phone or buy extra some dongle DAC like Apple DAC, CX-Pro for 10$ and have decent setup with plenty of power
2 Likes
Sure? I can grab NX7. Well that sounds even more better.
3 Likes
We don’t mention people around here that can tell you how good a DAC sounds from it’s fr chart 
But back to topic the zen DAC is a nice little DAC Amp that’s definitely a bit more tilted to the warm side and it’s noise floor can be a bit high when your source isn’t the cleanest with sensitive iems, but otherwise a Solid choice
The small su and sh 6 stack should be also a decent contender that’s more neutral, some might call it a bit flat and often those Chinesium measure monster have some soundstage deficiencies
But all in all you won’t do much wrong with those, simply pick the sound you like more or the one that looks better to you 
Edit
Sorry did over look the 4.4 requirement 
Then you’ll had to upgrade to something like sh8s that one should also have pentacon if i remember correctly
Personally, I have the ifi Zen DAC, and you will have issues with the noise floor with many IEMs. It’s not just about sensitivity either - I think a rep from ifi answered this question a while back (search for it). E.g., only my Shuoer S12 handles balanced output without hiss; Oxygen, Aladdin, Mele, all have a noticeable noise floor.
Edit: I really like the Zen DAC, but you need to be aware of the noise floor. E.g., I have no hiss at all from my Qudelix balanced.
1 Like
I do like warm sound, that burr brown chip will do it for me. And I just saw Zeos reviews for Zen Dac V2… it’s really positive. I’ll get it ig.
Huh i don’t listen to much from my zen DAC but I can’t remember it to have many noise floor problem with my teas or ta l2
Balanced or SE? Obviously IEM dependent. I’ll try to dig up my posts on this…was a while ago.
Both balanced
While I agree that the FR is never the whole story for me it is obvious that it is always better to have clean signal (at least from DAC) that you can color if you wish to with some lamp amp, EQ or whatever fits your taste, than to have dirty signal to deal with already at this stage
There is also this issue that highly sensitive IEMs are hard to dial even on low gain in HipDac even SE as the settings must be extremely low and there you get channel imbalance. I have this problem on Mangird Tea, where I need to turn down the volume on computer to get rid of that.
1 Like
Wew. I thought it will be warm neutral from few reviews that i gather. Well, need to wait for more reviews.
see Nymz posts on that device. He praises it really highly, it is generally very well received device (both in reviews and in measurements ;), that only lacks internal DAC to be complete killer.
2 Likes
NX7 insane. Just plug it to a dongle or a BT amp and u settled.
The better the dac, the less volume output u need on the NX7.
3 Likes
Looks like a great combo honestly but it might be too neutral/clean for me ig.
Will it pair decently with Olina and S12 through balanced output?