iFi Audio ZEN CAN Fully-Balanced High-Power Headphone Amplifier

ZEN CAN from iFi Audio is a fully-balanced, high-power, all-analogue headphone amplifier.

Sporting many features usually reserved for high-end headphone amps at many times the price, ZEN CAN has the ability to drive tough headphone loads, the balanced circuit design, the vanishingly low levels of distortion and versatile sonic tailoring options to optimise performance are all highly unusual at such an eminently affordable price tag. By combining them in one package, iFi is once again pushing the envelope of affordable desktop audio.

An all-analogue headphone amp, ZEN CAN has no digital input of any kind, USB or otherwise. It connects to any audio source with an analogue output, such as the headphone output from a DAP (Digital Audio Player), a laptop, a tablet or asmartphone, or the RCA outputs from a CD player or phono stage.

ZEN CAN could be paired with the iFi Audio ZEN Blue to add Bluetooth reception, or combined with the iFi Audio ZEN DAC to upgrade the DAC’s headphone amp stage.

As well as a headphone amp, ZEN CAN doubles as a preamp to feed a power amp and speakers, or a pair of active speakers.

The ZEN CAN circuitry is a balanced, symmetrical dual-mono design – a topology usually reserved for high-end headphone amps.

Offering prodigious drive capability for such a modestly priced headphone amp, ZEN CAN delivers 1600mW (7.2V) into 32 ohms from the single-ended output, with 15V+ available to loads of 300 ohms or more through the balanced output, ensuring it can take even current-hungry planar headphones in its stride.

The ZEN CAN’s circuitry utilises many discrete, high-grade surface-mounted components to maximise sonic purity, such as TDK C0G and Panasonic ECPU capacitors, and ultra-low-distortion thin-film resistors. iFi’s custom OV4627 quad- amp stage features four independent FET op-amps using a ‘folded cascade’ design, with low-impedance feedback circuitry to optimise performance.

Specifications

• Inputs:
• 4.4mm Pentacon BAL – 4.0V nominal @ 0dBFS, 24 kOhm Zin
• RCA L/R Socket SE – 2.0V nominal @ 0dBFS, 1 MegOhm Zin
• 3.5mm Jack SE – 1.0V nominal @ 0dBFS, 1 MegOhm Zin
• Max Output:
• Balanced: >15.1V/385 mW (@ 600 Ohm) / >11.0V/1890 mW (@ 64 Ohm)
• S-E: >7.6V/196 mW (@ 300 Ohm) / >7.2V/1600 mW (@ 32 Ohm)
• THD & N:
• Balanced: < 0.0007% (4V out, 600 Ohm, 1kHz)
• S-E: <0.006% (@ 100 mW/1.27V 16 Ohm)
• SNR
• Balanced: >120dBA (@ 15.2V)
• S-E: >118dBA (@ 7.6V)
• Max. Input:
• Balanced: 7.4V RMS
• RCA: 3.8V RMS
• 3.5mm: 1.92V RMS
• Gain: 0dB, 6dB, 12dB, 18dB
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz (+0dB / -0.03dB)
• Power consumption: No Signal – 5W / Max Signal – 13W
• Input voltage: DC 5V/2.5A AC 100 -240V, 50/60Hz
• Dimensions:158 x 117 x 35mm
• Net weight:515g (1.14 Ibs)
• Warranty period: 12 months

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