As interest in lossless audio grows in the mainstream, iFi has launched what it claims to be "the world's first" wireless digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) that can both transmit and receive high-resolution sound without any data loss – the ZEN Blue 3.
The British brand – a self-described "a trailblazer in high-fidelity audio" – has had a busy year filled with releases, including the GO Bar Kensei crafted from Japanese stainless-steel that we previously featured.
Now, arriving in a mostly grey, almost all-metal construction, iFi has released the ZEN Blue 3 – a premium yet affordably priced DAC that's been built to last both inside and out. The ZEN Blue 3 features brass-colored face buttons for a premium touch, as well as a small centered display thats lets users see their chosen settings at a glance; the new DAC also comes with the latest Bluetooth 5.4 module that supports bidirectional data transfer, allowing the ZEN Blue 3 to both send and receive incredibly detailed high-resolution audio at a bitrate of 1,200kbps.
iFi has covered all the bases when it comes to codec support and its latest DAC supports a host of these including LHDC/HWA, aptX Adaptive, aptX, AAC and SBC. Users can even take advantage of high-resolution 96kHz streaming via LDAC. These features combine to make ZEN Blue 3 an incredibly versatile device and from the perspective of both the materials used on the outside and the internals chosen by iFi, the ZEN Blue 3 is a DAC that's been future-proofed.
It's not often that Bluetooth and lossless audio are spoken of in the same breath. For most people, the convenience of using an audio device over Bluetooth outweighs the cost – that is to say that going wireless in exchange for a dip in audio quality is generally considered a fair trade. This is especially true for those amongst us who are less inclined to notice (or care) if a song they're playing is a 192kbps MP3 file or an uncompressed WAV. And, generally speaking, audio transmitted and listened to over a wireless connection will incur some level of quality loss owing to the inherent compression that comes with territory.
While this is true for most devices, iFi has opted to use Qualcomm's QCC518x in the ZEN Blue 3 – a new system-on-chip (SoC) the chipmaker is calling a "breakthrough", one that's been designed specifically for high-resolution audio use cases. This super SoC is married perfectly with Qualcomm's other technological advance, the Snapdragon Sound aptX Lossless codec, allowing users to experience CD quality music wirelessly between multiple devices.
You can pick up the ZEN Blue 3 now directly via iFi online priced at £299 GBP / $299 USD / €299 EUR.
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