I guess this is a review
Hitching your star to someone else's wagon is always a risky proposition. This marriage appears to be a success.
The most important thing is that not only is it plug and play, but it is also complete. It has a premium pigtail to connect the dac and amplification. It comes with a selectable eq curve and a premium cord for the Meze headphones. thankfully setup is easy, and the unit is truly plug and play. You will however need an adapter/converter if you choose to utilize your smartphone as a "streamer. Because the cables are 4.4 meter you will need 1/4" adapter. i am yet to find one. Iam currently using the stock 3.5 mm cord and quarter inch adapter. Luckily, I already owned these and was spared additional expense. Not to worry they are not expensive.
Fit and finish
Excellent on all the units. I am having a problem with the premium headphone cord. iFi Audio has agreed to replace it, but I have not received it yet.
Low price and small size are no excuse for poor quality. Quality parts are used throughout. That goes right down to cosmetics. They will fit in nicely with your decor on your desk or bedroom nightstand. They have a quality feel to the knobs and switches. One thing is the power cords are a bit unwieldy. I am told this is duo to the insulation. You can smooth it out just by placing it between thumb and forefinger and pulling it through.
Zen dac signature is a standalone unit. That means you can insert it in stream path without amplification. That is connected directly to your phone or computer. It has choice of variable or fixed level. It appears to be always live
The Zenn can signature is essentially an integrated amp. with choice of inputs and level, volume control eq and X-Space (TM). It has two balanced headphones jacks.4.4.mm and quarter inch. on the rear is output for active speakers. I did not have any active speakers on hand.
I used Tidal. If Qobuz is better, it must be damn good. Congratulations for those who use it. Personally, I don't like it. I talked to the rep at this year's CAF. I told him I did not like it. And that it would not let me join. He got a big laugh when he responded that the reason I did not like is because I could not join. I can't get any help form customer service. Oh well.
Run in is crucial, as it sounded awful out of the block.
Sound
Soundstage and imaging
Of course, this is a headphone. The soundstage is 3d and can be slightly enhanced by X-Space button. Lateral staging is wide and deep. It follows what you expect depending on the recording. Imaging is very good. vocals are embodying with realistic scale. Instruments are similar. they can be localized and give the illusion of presence.\dynamics
The system has low level resolution everything remains stable as the volume. dynamic contrasts are very good and not exaggerated. You don't find yourself grabbing the volume control. No breakup occurs as the volume increases. You will need to experiment to find the correct level for the dac. Nor you can just go fixed.
Noise is not an issue.
The system has no problem keeping pace when the music speeds up and gets louder.
Overall presence is a little laid back. I found that opinion a little ironic given my reference is tubes.
Even during the run in I wanted to listen for prolonged presence.
you can listen to the headphones or da separately, or you can switch the headphones out. I tried it with the Sennheiser HD 800S. It worked just fine.
Yes, you can get by with just the dac/amp. I highly recommend the full stack which can be added later. It is a just a better bargain purchased all at once.
Believe me iFi audio has many upgrade paths.
Highly recommended if you are in the market. I do not know how long the price discount last.
Discography
I listened to allot of music from Tidal, my primary source.
TOk TOK TOK I Wish
The Look of Love
Day Tripper
Tidal