IFi ZEN Blue V3
BLUETOOTH DAC

Let That Sync In...

Whether you’re getting lost in a great movie or immersing yourself in your favourite video game, few things take you out of the moment quite like a delay in the audio. This is a notorious issue with other Bluetooth products, but for the ZEN Blue 3 this is simply another place to excel.

When using ZEN Blue 3’s Low Latency mode with a device receiver that supports aptX Low Latency, the time taken to send and receive audio is drastically reduced. When your eyes see it, your ears hear it – putting you right back in the moment, where you belong.

Balance in All Things.

Even with all this innovation on show, the ZEN Blue 3 has even more tricks up its sleeve. Leveraging the capabilities of the Qualcomm QCC518x chipset paired with a dedicated ESS Sabre DAC and Hi-Fi circuitry, it outperforms most Bluetooth transmitters and receivers.

The ZEN Blue 3 is also able to function as a fully wired DAC, offering 96kHz/24Bit audio via USB-C, or 192kHz/24Bit audio via SPDIF, which can be output via 4.4 balanced or RCA analogue outputs.

Separate Bluetooth, DAC, and Amp stages

We take inspiration from Hi-Fi architecture in our approach to Bluetooth implementation. Unlike the standard SOC (System On a Chip) used elsewhere, we combine high-quality components to optimise performance at every stage.

A Qualcomm chip handles the raw digital Bluetooth signal, passing it to a dedicated DAC chip for precise digital-to-analogue conversion. From there, the signal flows to our amp stage, featuring our custom OV series op amps. To ensure ultimate accuracy, our GMT femto-precision clock system eliminates jitter, delivering Bluetooth performance that stands above the rest.

Hi-Res 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.