The CAN does have a balanced output in the back as well. 3 rear inputs (RCA/4.4mm/Aux), as well as an 1 output - bal 4.4mm.
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I used the capital letters for 4.4mm âOUTPUTâ on purpose ⌠as already clarified; the Zen CAN has 3 inputs and 1 balanced pre-out (also in 4.4mm format).
I apologizeâŚI wasnât thinking of the actual 4,4mm Pentacon headphone connector.
Now you are confusing me a bit with the âheadphone connectorâ. The use of the 4.4mm Pentacon is a bit exotic however⌠Probably I try to summarize it a bit more systematically:
ZenCAN Inputs (all on the back):
1 = RCA (cinch) Single Ended
2 = 3.5mm Single Ended Aux
3 = 4.4mm Pentacon Balanced (uses all 5 rings - incl. the Sleve for ground)
Input is selectable by a switch on front
ZenCAN Outputs:
Front:
- 6.3mm Single Ended amped headphone out
- 4.4mm Pentacon Balanced amped headphone out (typically only the 4 TRRR rings of the 5 TRRRS are used for headphone cables)
Back:
- 4.4mm Pentacon Balanced Pre-Out (i.e. variable output); uses all 5 rings - incl. the Sleve for ground
Headphone outputs and the pre-out are simultaneously active.
The balanced pre-out puts out also the filtered and volume-controlled signals of the single ended inputs .
Hope that helpsâŚ
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oh heckâŚyouâre right. I totally missed seeing that 4.4mm Pentacon out entirely.
The 4.4mm for Line-In/Pre-Out is an odd choice indeed but it has the potential to completely replace the bulky 2-times-3pol-XLR connectors (m and f) for all balanced connections between active components since the ground connection is also provided (TRRRS = L+/L-/R+/R-/GND).
I guess it lets you share the DAC with another balanced amp.
how does it perform in left right seperation with only -50 db crosstalk ?
I guess that is a typo on the Drop page (or the âSignatureâ CAN is worse than the normal one - which is unlikely). According to the technical specs in
from the ifi web site, the crosstalk in the ifi ZEN CAN is -90 dB
Which seems to be correct.
Anyone know if either the Zen CAN Signature 6XX or the non-Drop Zen CAN amp pass their EQ (bass boost or 3D feature) through their pre-out?
Just tried it on my Zen CAN. Yes it the XBass and 3D does pass out of the CAN out. Its extremely subtle, bass is more noticeable than the 3D. Iâd say those features are more useful with headphones connected directly to the CAN than using the out.
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Cool. Thanks.
Has anyone actually gotten one yet?
Oh yes! I received mine from DROP here in Germany on November 13th (took two weeks for transit and customs) and it replaced my ânormalâ Zen CAN (non-signature/6xx version). I was however the first or second one to order one on Drop when they were announced.
The Zen CAN Signature 6xx came with the ifi iPowerX 5v (about 100 EUR/USD when bought separately) while the normal Zen CAN came with the iPower 5v (no âXâ = 50 EUR/USD).
I am not running it with the ZenDAC (although I have an 4.4mm-balanced-interconnect) but prefer it with the SONCOZ LA-QXD1 as DAC using a DIY 4.4mm-to-2x3polXLR cable.
I have no need for the XSpace function but I actually like the âHD6xxâ button a lot with my 6xx and 660s headphones. Much better than the bass boost on my normal ZenCAN or ZenDAC. Everything else in sound and function is identical to the normal ZenCAN.
Itâs listed back in stock and for sale with the Zen DAC on drop if anyone was waiting for it. 
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Has anyone here compared just the vanilla, no effects enabled sound of the signature and the standard zen can?
Thoughts on the Zen Signature amp/dac stack compared to Asgard 3 with E30 or Modius? Strictly for desktop use, so I donât need a ton of connection options. Using for Beyers, 6XX, and hopefully a good planar later on.
If youâll use a zen stack i would recommend the normal zen DAC can stack cause I havenât heard that the signature line is really different
Otherwise I can recommend the zen DAC with Asgard 3 as it can drive most HP to a good degree