ZEN One Signature | BLUETOOTH DAC

AVAYESYMPHONY

IFi ZEN One Signature

ONE to rule your home audio

Only DAC you’ll need (Bluetooth + USB + S/PDIF)

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ZEN One Signature

Our 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.

  • DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Converter)DACs convert digital information, stored or streamed by computers, into music we can hear through speakers or headphones.
    Every device that’s a source of digital sound has a built-in DAC (TVs, games consoles, CD players, phones, portable music players etc). Dedicated external DACs sound much better than standard DACs used in digital devices such as phones.
Home Hub DAC

Home Hub DAC

The ZEN One Signature is the first ZEN DAC to support all hi-res: DSD256, PCM384, MQA384kHz, Bluetooth 96KHz.

  • 96kHz Hi-Res Bluetooth: LDACTM, HWA/LHDC, aptX Adaptive/HD/LL, AAC
  • USB audio using 16 Core 2000MIPS XMOS low latency microcontroller (MQA decoder)

    MQA:Thanks to the XMOS 16 core tech, the ZEN One Signature is an MQA Decoder.

    This enables you to play back MQA audio files and streams, delivering the sound of the original master recording. The LED glows green or blue to indicate that the unit is decoding and playing an MQA stream or file, and denotes provenance to ensure that the sound is identical to that of the source material. It glows blue to indicate it is playing an MQA Studio file, which has either been approved in the studio by the artist/producer or has been verified by the copyright owner.

    MQA rendering technology (used in the original versions of some other iFi products) connects to an MQA Core signal and completes the final unfold of an MQA file. Core decoding is included in streaming services such as TIDAL, as well as select media players.

  • Fully balanced 4.4mm output

Purity of design, no headphone amp, no volume control. The ultimate DAC for all your home audio sources.


Discerning Digital

Discerning Digital

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

Signature Special

Signature Special

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
Burr-Brown True Native®

Burr-Brown True Native®

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.

All the current high-definition Bluetooth audio formats are supported...

All the current high-definition Bluetooth audio formats are supported...

We use 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 LDACTM and HWA’s LHDC, regular aptX and aptX Low Latency, AAC (Apple iOS devices) and SBC (the ‘plain vanilla’ Bluetooth codec).

Among the 24-bit-capable codecs, aptX HD supports up to 48kHz, whereas aptX Adaptive, LDACTM, and LHDC can reach 96kHz.

iFi’s ‘Bluetooth engine’ can also be updated over-the-air, so future codecs may be added.

MQA (Master Quality Authenticated)

MQA (Master Quality Authenticated)

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.

Visitmqa.co.uk for more information.

Balanced circuits reduce noise and crosstalk

Balanced circuits reduce noise and crosstalk

It is a superior method to the traditional single-ended circuit approach. Balanced circuits reduce noise and crosstalk. Less Interference – clearer sound.

You normally find this set-up in products at the higher end of the price spectrum such as the Pro iCAN Signature but iFi is now using this across its range to produce the best quality audio for all our customers.

TDK

TDK

MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) is supported through the USB with full decoding of MQA files up to 384kHz thanks to the processing power of the new 16-core XMOS chip.

TDK C0G (Class 1 ceramic) capacitors offer high stability and low losses for resonant circuit applications.

Getting ever closer to the theoretical ideal of pure, frequency-constant capacitance, these capacitors reduce capacitor-induced distortion to vanishingly low levels.

They are pricey but are a perfect addition to our products.

Vishay MELF resistors – complex, costly but superior.

Vishay MELF resistors – complex, costly but superior.

These metal electrode leadless face resistors have excellent accuracy, stability, reliability, and pulse load capability. They provide optimal power rating and pulse load capability. They show some of the lowest noise and distortion of any resistor available in the market, period.

Panasonic OS-CON

Panasonic OS-CON

Panasonic OS-CON caps totaling 5,410uF give very-low Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR), excellent noise reduction capability and frequency response characteristics. In addition, OS-CONs have a long-life span and its ESR changes little even at low temperatures since the electrolyte is solid.

Texas Instruments low-noise ICs offer

Texas Instruments low-noise ICs offer

Texas Instruments low-noise ICs offer great unity-gain bandwidth, very low noise and distortion, high output drive capability, Common-mode and Power Supply Rejection Ratios of over 100 dB, wide maximum-output-swing bandwidths and high slew rates.

muRata control-type

muRata control-type

muRata control-type, low-ESR high-Q multi-layer capacitors. The ‘ESR control’ aspect of the Murata is something special. Their noise suppression abilities are impressive.

ELNA Japan Silmi

ELNA Japan Silmi

We use ELNA Japan Silmic II capacitors for the power supplies.

The primary constituent of the newly developed dielectric is silk fibre. This material was believed as unfathomable as an aluminium electrolytic capacitor. The new material beats silk fibre and mixes it with Manila hemp fibre to provide the dielectric to an aluminium electrolytic capacitor used for high-grade music. The result is second-to-none superior acoustic properties and excellent linearity.

GMT (Global Master Timing)

GMT (Global Master Timing)

Extensive jitter-eradication technologies are applied to the digital stage, including our GMT (Global Master Timing) femto-precision clock and the intelligent memory buffer.

The low-jitter crystal clock has been updated to provide >20dB better performance

iFi Zen One Signature banner Zen One Signature Connection Guide front banner NEO iDSD 2 Connection Guidebanner
PowerDC 5V (centre pin +ve)
Digital inputsUSB3.0 Type B (USB2.0 compatible)
S/PDIF (coaxial, TOSLINK optical)
Bluetooth 5.1 (aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX LL, LDAC, LHDC/HWA, AAC and SBC codec)
Formats
PCM
DSD
DXD
MQA
Bluetooth
44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192kHz
2.8/3.1/5.6/6.1/11.3/12.3MHz
352.8/384kHz
Decoder
96kHz
Chipset
Bit-PerfectDSD & DXD DAC by Burr Brown
QualcommQCC 5100 Series
Analogue outputsCoaxial, Audio RCA L/R
4.4 Balanced Lineout
Frequency Response5Hz - 80kHz ±3dB
Outputs4V / 2V max. (BAL/UnBAL)
Output Impedance72Ω/36Ω (BAL/UnBAL)
SNR-105dB(A) @ 0dBFS (BAL/UnBAL)
THD + N<0.002% @ 0dBFS (BAL/UnBAL)
Power consumptionNo Signal ~0.7W/Max Signal ~1W
Dimensions158 x 100 x 35 mm
Net weight485g
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