Here at HI-FI Trends, we believe that high-end audio doesn’t necessarily mean high-priced audio. We say the designation “high-end audio” is an indication of design intent not price. Today, you can find a lot of capable budget components that are designed to satisfy audiophile sensibilities. Also with the current global economies of scale, you can get more for your money than ever before!
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Today we have a system for the headphone lovers out there, comprised of an extraordinary set of Planar Magnetic headphones along with a very capable Headphone Amp and stellar Desktop Digital to Analog Converter. This setup is not only high-quality but quite affordable, with the whole shebang coming in under $900.
The Setup:
- The Headphones: HIFIMAN Edition XS Planar Magnetic Hi-Fi Headphones ($499.00)
- The DAC: iFi Zen DAC V2 Desktop Digital Analog Converter ($189.00)
- The Headphone Amp: iFi ZEN CAN Balanced Desktop Headphone Amp ($199.00)
Total: $887
Not included: Laptop with music files/streaming service
The Headphones: HIFIMAN Edition XS Planar Magnetic Hi-Fi Headphones ($499.00)
The $499 Hifiman Edition XS‘ detail, dynamics, and imaging are off the charts for a $500 headphone. This combined with the exceptional soundstage makes them class-leading for headphones $500 and under. They are excellent all-rounders, meaning they sound good with all genres. That said, they need a headphone amp with solid power to really open up and shine, hence the DAC and Amp we’re pairing them with…
Specs:
- Impedance: 18Ω
- Frequency response range: 8Hz-50kHz
- Sensitivity: 92dB
- Weight: 405grams
- Cable termination: 3.5mm
Buy: Amazon
The DAC: iFi Zen DAC V2 Desktop Digital Analog Converter ($189.00)
While we loved the sound of the original ZEN DAC, the sonic upgrades present in the Zen DAC V2 put it on a whole other level. iFi did a great job of adding a bit more sophistication to the sound while still keeping the price low. Its depth and separation just open up the performance really nicely.
In addition, if you’re an MQA fan, it has a full MQA decoder that will give you the best sound the format has to offer. While its headphone amp section has excellent features and power in its own right, for this system I think it works best as a Digital to Analog Converter, passing the headphone amp duties over to the next component…
Specs:
- Input: USB3.0 B Socket (USB2.0 compatible)
- Formats: PCM (384/352.8/192/176.4/96/88.2/48/44.1kHz)
DSD (256/128/64), DXD(384/352.8kHz), MQA (Decoder) - Output Audio: RCA (SE) — 2.1V fixed
1V / 3.3V max. (variable)
4.4mm Pentaconn (BAL) — 4.2V fixed
2V / 6.2V max. (variable) - THD+N: < 0.0015% @ 0dBFS (BAL/SE)
- Output Power: (@1% THD) 4.4mm Pentaconn (BAL) 330mW@32 Ohm; 6.6V@600 Ohm; 6.3mm S-BAL (SE) 230mW@32 Ohm; 3.3V@600 Ohm
Buy: Amazon
The Headphone Amp: iFi ZEN CAN Balanced Desktop Headphone Amp ($199.00)
The $149 ZEN Can is an analog Headphone Amp that shares the same sleek aluminum chassis as the ZEN DAC V2. It provides a power upgrade to the amp stage in the ZEN DAC which is why we have it here. While the ZEN DAC’s headphone amp is capable of driving the Edition XS headphones, the ZEN CAN’s balanced, dual-mono circuit has additional headroom that will open them up fully.
Designed with the input of hi-fi legend John Curl, it pulls critical elements (Class A Discrete circuitry) from iFi’s flagship device, the Pro iCAN headphone amp, which retails for about $1799. Power is rated at a hefty 1600mW into 32 Ohms. Along with that, it also has four-step adjustable gain, plus iFi’s excellent 3D and XBass audio enhancements.
Specs:
- stereo unbalanced RCA inputs
- unbalanced 1/4″ stereo input
- balanced 4.4mm input
- balanced 4.4mm output for connecting a powered speaker or amp
- output impedance: 16-600 ohms (balanced); 16-300 ohms (unbalanced)
- output power (balanced):>1890mW @ 64 ohm />385mW @ 600 ohm
- output power (unbalanced):> 1600mW @ 32 ohm /> 196mW @ 300 ohm
Buy: Amazon
In the final analysis:
The combination of Hifiman Edition XS, iFi ZEN CAN, and iFi ZEN DAC V2 is one we really like here at Hifitrends. If you want to know what a highly capable headphone system sounds like, this is a great starting point. It sounds great with any music you throw at it, has plenty of detail, beautiful openness, and toe-tapping dynamics. By the way, it comes in at a price well under $1000.
Keep in mind, you will need a digital source like a laptop, digital audio player, or smartphone, and if you use a DAC or smartphone, you will also need a power supply for the ZEN DAC V2, since they probably won’t have enough USB power to run the DAC on their own. A laptop should be able to power it using the included USB cable.
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I’m an audio writer who started as a young audio salesman/consumer electronics professional back in the late 90s. That’s where I discovered the magic of 2-Channel sound. My hunger for great sound has led me on a delightful music quest that continues today.
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