iFi Zen Can Signature 6XX & Zen DAC Signature Reviews | Fixing the 6XX

The iFi Zen Can Signature 6XX and Zen DAC Signature are two new offerings from a recent collaboration between iFi and Drop. The Zen Can Signature is out to try and fix the 6XX with a bass boost and sound stage boost. The DAC completes the setup to be a nice stack. However, the price tag is a concern of mine and I fear iFi tried to shoot too high.
Thanks for iFi for loaning me early samples of both for this review!
Zen Can Signature 6XX:
drop.com/buy/i...
Zen DAC Signature:
drop.com/buy/i...
Youkamoo 4.4mm Male to Male
www.amazon.com...
Youkamoo 4.4mm to XLR Adapter:
www.amazon.com...
MiniDSP EARS Measurements: Note that the MiniDSP EARS IS NOT an accurate measurement device. Do not take these measurements as infallible, because they are flawed. There are some pieces of the measurements that are caused by flaws in the device itself such as a dip, peak, dip pattern from 4.5K-6K~ and some general imbalance due to sealing issues.
imgur.com/a/3n...
Twitter:
/ maxsettingsyt
Want to loan me a headphone or contact me?
Email: [e-mail]
Where I get my music:
www.epidemicso...

[@SoundWaveTrax]

4.4mm is better than XLR for headphones. XLR is too bulky. I hope 4.4 gets adopted as a standard for portable balanced.

[@TheProgrn]

I was just thinking this too. I think the way this stack uses balanced cables is something all dac amp stacks start doing.

[@Viettzz]

@@TheProgrn But it's only 1 4.4mm balanced cable going from the DAC to Amp. The XLR balanced have 2 (left + right), so I thought that is better than the 4.4mm?

[@BobMarley-zu5sc]

@@Viettzz that doesnt make too much of a difference

[@RafiGish]

Max is just being an old fart here, 4.4 is getting used more and more nowadays.

[@PhotoTerco]

Thanks for the honest review!! I think is a bit overpriced.

[@sapphiro]

Well those are limited special edition version devices. Those are usually priced a little higher than universal versions. That's because this product is only for specific consumer, not for everyone.

[@hansnygaard9267]

Veldig bra

[@laowai2000]

Plenty of good value 2nd hand ifi stacks around. Good value in 2nd hand market.

[@turbomustang84]

Although not a big fan of either of the drop offerings you are wrong about the 789 being much more powerful the 789 has a claimed 800 milliwatts @ 300ohms while the Zen can has 756 milliwatts at 300ohms and in actual testing they are so close you could consider it a wash except the Zen Can actually sounds better to me but save money and buy the $169 Zen Can that when compared to the 789 or the 6XX version just might be the biggest bargain available and is actually balanced unlike the 789

[@fatdoi003]

thanks for review..... no hyped up reactions... I think drop/ifi missed their target audience. $500+cables for $200 headphone.... and the killer is that 6xx button making it a single headphone specific product no matter what they say otherwise.... one more point... that single usb input with the dac is so stingy.. at least they can do a combined spdif/optical

[@Zerviscos]

Thanks again Max. Too expensive imo though. As for 4.4mm interconnects, someone can probably have it custom-made for a lot cheaper than $90 lmao.

[@stvn4te]

Excellent review, thanks for the quality content!

[@Sonnymarrow]

Nice review. The price seems way too high for something like this, especially when targeted at a ~$200 headphone.

[@nonenothing4412]

6xx isn't really a 200 dollar headphone if u know what i mean

[@MichaelAW17]

This is a crash grab on the success of the 6XX. 500 dollars got me the SMSL SP200 and SU-8. This is ridiculous. I think they thought they ould over sell these because of the 6XX.

[@RafiGish]

​@@MichaelAW17 Yeah, this does seem like a cashgrab from Drop. But.. the SMSL SP200 isn't a balanced amp. I'd so prefer to get a balanced set for 500 bucks for a 6xx. So your setup isn't something to really advertise here either...

[@MichaelAW17]

@@RafiGish I have found little evidence to say balanced is superior to unbalanced. Would love to see how they are so different.

[@maverick2678]

@@nonenothing4412 yeah should be 90-150

[@darthdurkelthewise320]

Great review Max but I think you’re saying what we’re all thinking...Simply not worth the asking price with the caveats involved. And btw DROP, the cable should have been free! Review is great, but the set is a hard pass.

[@antoinep9733]

I like the look of that 6XX button, but as a 6XX owner I think Drop really missed the mark on this one. A Massdrop version of the iFi Zen Dac (it’s only USD$129) in the blue colourway, with the 6XX button, and an actual power button would have done the trick.

[@LazYevgen]

Fixing? Was it broken? Imo this piece of electronic is just overpriced and useless especially when talking about 6xx

[@hotam138]

My modi 3 and my modi multibit v1/v2 are nowhere as good as my Zen dac signature . I don’t know why this reviewer guy having a completely different opinion compared to mines. Maybe it depends on tastes

[@alexnicanovich3636]

Can you please put a wind break micro muff over microphone so we dont have to hear you swollow. Also for beginners the numbers at the start about ohm output mw please could spend a little extra time of what that means in terms of driving 300ohm zmf atticus or other headphones vs iem for example please. You spoke those bits to fast for me to hear, thank you.

[@OptLab]

I love the build quality but the extended shape of the front panel looks like 50 years old secretary glasses. I can't unsee it :D

[@1badMucker]

It seems like all they did was take the Zen dac and separate it into two units. Same Burr Brown chip, same bass boost button, literally the same product just with a fresh coat of paint. Pretty despicable and something I would expect from Drop but not from iFi.

[@Tacet137]

Not only that but ramped up price beyond reason, get a 99$ magni heresy, some 99$ dac, add software EQ and you have the same thing

[@oneeyeop-en6720]

@@Tacet137 mostly likely u will get not the same thing.... U will get way better performence with ur way. ( tone board + atom/ heresy "single" or soncoz la qxd1+ smsl sp 200 "balanced" )

[@dCotnijoeb]

I'm not sure where the notion that a manufacturer would sell the exact same product in 2 components expecting no one to notice came from. There's some general info about the products on the HF page with links to tech notes about the two products at the bottom of the post. www.head-fi.org/threads/ifi-audio-zen-can-signature-6xx-zen-dac-signature.936743/#post-15722307

[@sapphiro]

It's not the same. There are upgrades in components and electrical circuit. It comes with quality power supply as well. Overpriced is the interconnect cable. I have no idea why ifi doesn't make 4.4mm interconnects for their products since it's connection is still highly specific to their Zen model lines. Bass boost is quite different. Zen DAC has warmer more prominent constant sub bass rumble and fun, more relaxed sound with little less detail in the treble. New amp is more neutral, bass boost is not as strong and surround button widens the sound stage. Those are worthy upgrades imo if you are looking for more neutral sound presentation.

[@1badMucker]

@@sapphiro I have no doubt that slight changes were made to the components, however, I also have no doubt that it was done by cutting corners and as cheap as it could possibly be. How did iFi and Drop add $200 into that product? The bass boost is only a DSP change that you could do on any computer for free with software. It's really a sad day in the audio world when a product can be retargeted (similar to remarketing) and sold for 3X the price as the original. Unfortunately people line up to give away their hard earned money to a company that cares so little about them or the hobby they invest themselves in.

[@Alxtorr77]

Monolith liquid spark and smls M100.. Done!

[@RyanRos_33]

Nice review, been thinking of an amp upgrade. Is the Zen Can amp a substantial upgrade from JDS Labs Atom amp?

[@Tacet137]

Nope, not by any metric

[@oneeyeop-en6720]

Heavy downgrade actually....

[@heythere6983]

Depends, do you want thinner brighter sound? Go atom Slightly warmer more lush? Ifi And no warmer doesn’t mean muddier and brighter doesn’t mean more articulate

[@shopeeseller]

How would this stack compare to the iFi Zen Dac?

[@cowboyflipflopped]

I'll never buy anything with an MQA logo on it.

[@ninhbac04]

very strange that the company made a stack specifically for one headphone

[@antoinep9733]

Indie Guy They’ve sold over 105,000 of them and have an existing marketing and distribution channel to their customer base.

[@KittySneeze]

I agree that the price is a bit high for the stack. That said, I think the real value is just buying the amp-especially if you have high impedance cans.

[@sapphiro]

I would be cautious about other headphones. If you want more bass this bass boost switch also adds some treble at the same time so it might be a problem. I would recommend trying their universal ifi Zen CAN amp instead.

[@djhmax09]

That stack does look pretty handsome

[@filovirus1]

I'll just get Zen Can Signature 6XX and get a different DAC. thanks for the review.

[@donvittoriosierra]

same here

[@gamergtx2602]

Did you get the signature amp?

[@filovirus1]

@@gamergtx2602 almost. but did some more yt watching and decided to pull trigger on Schiit Fulla. and then their modius/magnius stack. and then I replaced Fulla with Hel 2. and now I got their entry hi-fi dac Bifrost 2 and matched it with Singxer SA1 amp. and no, I didn't sell any of it. I just keep buying Schiit and I'm pretty happy about it.

[@gamergtx2602]

@@filovirus1 Thats quite a lot gear :) Are you using them all only with the HD6XX or do you have any other headphones? I am still wondering the difference between the signature can vs the can. Not sure if the extra price would make a difference.

[@filovirus1]

@@gamergtx2602 yeah I feel like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole... haha I got myself Focal Elegia and let me tell you, it was like firework popping when I switched from HD6xx. now I can't go back to anything less than Bifrost+Singxer+Elegia. so if you find Zen can interesting and you already have hd6xx, go for it and don't look around till maybe 3 - 4 years. that's my advise before you start dumping in money like I have. in the span of just over a year!

[@arthurhaywood2184]

Finally! An honest review!

[@SilverDetroit]

Can you do a video on MQA testing? The DAC includes MQA it's the only reason I'm considering it. Seems the cheapest option for an Hardware MQA solution. The other one would be the SMSL M500 i believe.

[@1badMucker]

Earmen Donald Dac and Earmen Tr-Amp are both MQA and cost the same or less than the iFi.

[@TheDodgefan9]

The regular ifi Zen DAC has MQA and a headphone amp for less money in one unit.

[@Lockk9]

The regular iFi Zen-Dac/Amp is only $129

[@Check4040]

@@TheDodgefan9 so there's no reason to buy this combo of 2 items in order to enjoy MQA from Tidal? Thank you

[@musicxxa6678]

Zen dac + Zen can actually $130+$150. Drop is just robbing people with the ''signature'' thing.

[@Check4040]

What's the advantage to buy both of them instead of normal Ifi Zen Dac (149€ on Amazon)?

[@Princeton_James]

I've seeing all the videos and have read all the articles on the signature. It does not seem worth it at all. If I want to try it out I'll just go with the non-signature edition.

[@Blizniak666]

Got a bit rambly in the middle, could definitely cut out some fat to make a better paced review but still a pretty good one overall.

[@SoundWaveTrax]

I don't think the HD6X0 stuff distorts with some sub bass boost but the driver might start to rattle lol.

[@dapperbrick7516]

I found a guy called NLovell Audio Cables making decent 4.4mm cables in the $30 range... No idea why the "official" one is $90 :/

[@musicxxa6678]

It should be free with the stack lmao. They are disgusting.

[@Sinatra_Fan]

Nice review. No hype. Thanks for the comparison with the Asgard 3.

[@turbomustang84]

With the Zen can available for $169 makes this a bit silly that you are paying a huge premium for an EQ setting and a color change

[@RafiGish]

That's exactly why the Drop buyers needed to pay within 7 days, just before the regular Zen Can hit the stores ;-)

[@dennisalvin7307]

awesome review!!! i bought headphones because of this channel! keep up the good work!

[@hal9xxx321]

250 bucks? That's smsl sp200 money in my country. Isit worth it?

[@oneeyeop-en6720]

No.... Never ... Take the sp200 over this all day long

[@chuckyfox9284]

So this sounds better, than when I eq my HD600s sub-bass up a few db?

[@sapphiro]

Yes, software EQ adds signal distortions. This hardware solution although limited to one set value sounds cleaner without the need of additional software signal processing.

[@slipperysloop]

Drop it IN THE TRASH hehehe

[@ddh756]

Good review. Greedy product.

[@bozoc2572]

6xx don't need fixing ;)

[@malinyamato2291]

thanks for a honest review .. very different from that of Z-Review

[@gamergtx2602]

Z is a paid reviewer. I wouldn’t even call him a reviewer who talks blah blah about cables for a hour.

[@c29395]

You buy the exact same thing on Amazon for $169.99 USD . The only difference is the bass boost is labeled Xbass . Amazon has 2 day delivery , while Drop can take 2 months or longer.

[@thebadburrito1394]

He addresses this in the review. The Signature has better quality parts and the 6xx button is a less bass boost and upper mids boost.