With the Atom, the Z1S just seems to present a very clear, precise and yet warm signature, something that I really enjoy for my preferred music genres (which is mainly focused on vocals and acoustic instruments). The manufacturer iFi Audio is launching the "Zen Air" series with four new devices, all of which aim at being scaled-down and more affordable versions of the Zen series.

I like the USB/BT DDC option (converting it to Coaxial), although, in my case, I would have actually liked the Optical output instead of the Coaxial. I understand that this is a completely personal scenario though. This function is very useful if you have the DAC feeding a headphone amplifier, with the source from a PC or cell phone, and then you can use the Coaxial output to feed a main speaker system, or into a receiver etc. Thus adding BT and USB functionality to any existing DAC. The Zen One Signature DAC can take digital signals from your Mac, PC, TV, Smartphone, or gaming console. It decodes the signal into a line-level analogue stereo signal, allowing other devices to amplify it into music. This product also works this way with gaming/video audio. iFi Audio is an award-winning audio tech company dedicated to enhancing your music enjoyment. With a mission to improve sound quality and eliminate noise, distortion, and hiss, iFi Audio offers a wide range of products that cater to headphones, speakers, portable audio devices, phones, and TVs. By doing so, they aim to deliver studio-quality audio that allows you to experience music as the artists intended. The Zen One Signature (which I am going to refer to as the Z1S for brevity) is a pure DAC, in other words there is no headphone amplifier in this device, nor is there a volume control, which follows the general aesthetics and build of the Zen line.

Intro

Balanced circuit design with Signature-grade circuit components delivers ultra-low distortion and exceptional sonic purity While seasoned audiophiles will naturally lean towards the ZEN One Signature DAC’s wired inputs and hi-res capabilities, its Bluetooth performance is what sets it apart from other DACs on the market and I can honestly one of its most impressive features. Listening to a 96kHz version of Phoebe Bridger’s take on that same Metallica song via Qobuz, I was hard-pressed to hear any perceivable difference in quality compared to a tethered USB listen a few minutes earlier. You should definitely think of Bluetooth as a “bonus” here, rather than a “compromise” - the addition of it in the ZEN One Signature DAC means that you’ll have far more reasons to jump in and simply enjoy your favourite music, whatever the occasion. Undoubtedly, this DAC offers an impressive amount of connectivity for the price. There’s an asynchronous USB Type B port on the rear panel for PCs, two S/PDIF inputs (optical and coaxial) for CD Transports, etc., and RCA analog outputs joined by a balanced 4.4mm output.

The Atom lives on my desk (fed from a Modi 3+) and is basically my permanent feed for the KPH40, which I use for conference calls, simple media consumption etc. throughout the day. Rather than be patient, I took the Atom and plugged the unbalanced feed from the Z1S to it and proceeded to enjoy the rest of the day. I actually enjoyed the combination so much that, although I brought another couple of amplifiers into the office, it was a few days before I finally got around to swapping out the amp. Well, iFi Audio seems to always have something new up their sleeve and they just launched another piece of gear and another way to inject their signature sound into a home audio setup or to a headphone amp and they call it the ZEN One Signature DAC.Other devices in your audio set-up might come and go, but the ZEN One Signature DAC has been designed to be a future-proof “everything” DAC that can remain in your headphone or stereo set-up long into the future. It’s ready for any conceivable flavour of digital file, and its balanced topology makes it a viable contender for partnering with any number of high-end devices in your audio chain. Add stong Bluetooth performance to the equation along with compatibility with the latest hi-res codecs and you’ll be hard-pressed to want for much more out of your standalone DAC.