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iFi Zen Blue 3 - Hi-Fi Lossless Bluetooth 5.4 DAC – Transmitter & Receiver with Qualcomm QCC5181 Chipset - aptX Lossless - LDAC, LHDC/HWA - USB DAC Functionality, and Dual RCA/4.4mm Balanced Outputs

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$299.00

$ 99 .00 $99.00

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About this item

  • Equipped with Qualcomm's flagship Bluetooth QCC5181 chip featuring Bluetooth 5.4, supports the latest aptX Lossless codec, capable of streaming lossless CD-quality audio without sacrificing quality.
  • Supports lossless CD quality (44kHz/16bit) and Hi-Res (96kHz/24bit) Bluetooth playback (RX) and transmission (TX).
  • Supports aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, aptX Low Latency, aptX HD, aptX, LDAC, LHDC (HWA), AAC and SBC codecs.
  • Three operation modes: Bluetooth RX; Bluetooth TX and USB/S-PDIF DAC mode.
  • Quick-access button for low-latency connection, ideal for gaming and video.
  • Control your music via Bluetooth with your favourite music app on smart devices or computers and relax.
  • External antenna for enhanced connectivity and extended range.
  • Balanced 4.4mm line output.



Product Description

Zen Blue 1
Zen Blue 2
Zen Blue 3
Zen Blue 4
Zen Blue 5

Alejandro Frias Velazquez
Reviewed in Mexico on March 5, 2025
Muy buena marca y buenas prestaciones , le falta una buena guia de conexiones para personas no tan profesionales, creo que el equipo da más de lo que uno supone
JORGE RODRIGUEZ CORREA
Reviewed in Spain on March 12, 2025
Buen producto. Es muy práctico. Suena bastante bien
Mario Alfonso Gaitán Cepeda
Reviewed in Mexico on January 17, 2025
Ya cuento con el Ifi Zen blue , el de inicio, después adquirí el Ifi Zen Blue Signature un gran avance en calidad de sonido.Me dejé llevar por los comentarios y recomendaciones de los "especialistas" en internet y YouTube, , gran error de mi parte. Nada que ver respecto al Signature. Aún con el BlueTooth 5.4NO LO VUELVO A HACER son unos mercenarios TODOS.No malgasten su dinero. NO VALE LA PENA , ni con las múltiples opciones de conectividad.Para mi lo más importante MEJORAR LA CALIDAD DE SONIDO. No se obtiene.
Crudg
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2024
I tried other Bluetooth transmitters. They are toys compared to this which offers many other functions. You know the old saying: you get what you pay for. I'm so pleased.
Florida Man
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2024
I'm using the Zen Blue 3 solely as a Bluetooth transmitter to Sony WH1000-XM5 headphones. The source is a MacBook Pro playing lossless and some hi-resolution files via Apple Music. I haven't tried the unit wired, balanced, or in any other way.I purchased the Zen Blue 3 to improve the quality of Bluetooth wireless listening, as it's the only device with all the cutting-edge Bluetooth codecs and the latest BT radio. LDAC is the Bluetooth high-resolution codec (up to 24-bit/96kHz lossy) for the Sony WH1000-XM5. The Zen Blue 3 transmits LDAC and Apt-X Lossless, among other codecs.At first listen, you wonder if the Zen Blue 3 is more impressive because it boasts a tremendous amount of gain, enough to blow your head off. (Be sure to ride the volume control when you hit "Play.") However, it takes only a few seconds to realize that the sound is substantially better than either the iPhone 14 Pro or the M1 MacBook Pro's Bluetooth. In fact, it's better than either of those devices WIRED--and easily the best Bluetooth sound I've ever heard. There's copious detail, muscular bass, clean treble, and impactful dynamic range. I wanted to listen for longer because listener fatigue (a problem with so much expected information missing in Bluetooth music) is a thing of the past.Pairing was a hassle. There's no real software for the iFi device. (iFi offers a firmware update app, but it's beyond horrible and won't help during pairing.) And Sony's app doesn't let you know that something's trying to pair. iFi says that pairing will be automatic if you wait. How about that, they were right...if you wait a looooooonnnnng time, many minutes. (As a contrast, Apple AirPods and Beats headphones pair in like two seconds with confirmation via app and prompts.) I finally learned that it's good to leave the room and get yourself a meal while Bluetooth pairing with the Zen Blue 3, instead of sitting there grinding my teeth.The other con is it's a total mystery which volume level you'll get when you start listening via Bluetooth. The only thing you can count on is that it'll be way too loud. It's an unfortunate way to start off a listening session, nervously riding the volume control.But I'll put up with just about anything for that phenomenal sound. Also, the thing is built like a tank. Metal everywhere. Five stars for both performance and industrial design.
Eugenio A.
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2024
Producto de excelente calidad y prestaciones, lo unico a criticar es que el cable de alimentacion es muy corto
Ronald K
Reviewed in Canada on December 9, 2024
The WiiM Ultra will pair with Bluetooth headphones. However equalizer settings in the WiiM Ultra are not applied to Bluetooth output. The Zen Blue 3 provides a way to have equalizer settings in the WiiM Ultra applied to a Bluetooth signal output, for use with Sony WH-1000XM4 and Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless headphones I own. As well it supports high definition codecs for use with both of these headphones, which the WiiM Ultra doesn't offer.The headphones needed to be setup first with their respective apps on a smartphone, and then disconnected and forgotten on the phone, as the Zen Blue 3 won't connect to the headphones if another device is already connected.The SPDIF outputs of the WiiM Ultra can be adjusted to match the requirements of the Zen Blue 3 and Bluetooth headphones. Both bit depth and sample rate to the SPIDF optical or coax outputs can be adjusted, which is ideal for connecting to the optical or coax input on the Zen Blue 3. The bit depth can be set to 24, but for the Momentum 4 headphones the sample rate needs to be set to a maximum or 48Khz, as that is the max sample rate for aptX Adaptive codec. For LDAC the max sample rate is 96Khz.The max supported sample rate on the USB input is 96Khz but no adjustment is required and not possible on the WiiM Ultra.Volume control on Bluetooth headphones and ANC still function normally. However, next song using the touchpad on the headphones doesn't work. You must use the WiiM Home app or remote control to skip to the next song, pause or stop playback. Removing the headphones from your head won't pause playback.The Zen Blue 3 will function as a DAC, providing a balanced analogue audio signal to the Zen Can headphone amp, for high quality sound on wired headphones. Equalizer settings in the WiiM Ultra are applied. In the WiiM Ultra the max sample rate can be set to 192Khz for SPDIF optical or coax output, when in DAC operation mode of the Zen Blue 3. However, as one reviewer has already noted, when using the DAC function, the first half to full second of a music track is often cut off. I did upgrade the firmware to the latest at the time of writing this review, V1.61, but this issue wasn't fixed. Also, in the time between tracks there is sometimes, (infrequently), a ping sound from the left channel which hopefully won't get so loud that it would have the potential to cause hearing damage.Overall I'm happy with the Zen Blue 3. I'm happy that it supports high definition audio for use with my Bluetooth headphones. I'm happy that settings are saved between uses, so that I don't have to reselect the codec I want to use each time. Until the issues mentioned above are fixed, I'll use the DAC output from the WiiM Ultra to drive the Zen Can amp, instead of using the DAC output of the Zen Blue 3.Printing the user manual was a big help in setting it up. You can find that manual on the ifi-audio product information page. Scroll to the bottom and click on Support.
Jimmy Mac
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2024
I have purchased many iFi products over the years and I truly regret this purchase.I have had issues with Bluetooth connections, especially with my Pi8 earphones. Those few times that I have connected there was no aptx Lossless signal. Unit goes to sleep after way too short of a time.But my main issue, which remains unsolved, is the audio delay when in Dac mode. There is a 2 second delay when starting to play a new song or video. I opened up a ticket on October 14th and it is now December 19th.Here are some transcripts of my communication with Tech Support.Here is an update on the audio delay issue which I reported on October 11th. Issue is still not resolved and it appears that iFi has no clue on how to fix the problem. Just thought you might like to have this information if any of your customers complain.Support reply on October 15thI have replicated the issue with a unit here in our service centre. I will pass this information on to our product development team, and will let you know when any further updates regarding this are available. Thank you.Reply received early December after asking for update after two months with no resolution.The delay you experienced is the Zen Blue 3’s Auto Mute feature. We have made a request that this auto mute be shortened in a future firmware update. The automute feature on Zen Blue 3 is designed to improve the listening experience by reducing unwanted noise when the audio signal is interrupted or absent.When there’s no input signal or the DAC transitions between tracks, sources, or sample rates, the automute feature silences the output. This prevents any residual noise, such as hiss, static, or pops, from being amplified and heard. Switching between audio sources or formats (e.g., PCM to DSD) can generate audible pops or clicks. Automute suppresses these artifacts by muting the output temporarily during transitions. As well as this, loud transient sounds caused by signal interruptions can damage sensitive equipment (like speakers or headphones) or cause discomfort. Automute mitigates this risk.While automute is generally helpful, there are scenarios where users might find it problematic, such delays in unmuting, leading to missed parts of audio (e.g., the beginning of a track).We have found that a third-party app, named Sound Keeper, is able to prevent the auto mute feature from engaging. It does not do this in a way that interferes with audio quality, so your listening experience should be unaffected. Please see below for a link to the Sound Keeper app webpage, containing information about the app and a download linkSound Keeper v1.3.3As I am using this with my Mac mini and Apple TV the Sound Keeper solution is no solution. When I replied back stating I could not use their “solution” this is the reply I received.Thank you for your patience, unfortunately, there isn’t anything that we can find. The only possible way that we have seen other users have success is by emulating SoundKeeper by looping a silent audio clip in Quicktime or something similar. It’s not great but until there is a firmware that stops the auto-mute for people who don’t want it, it’s the only workaround really on macOS.I’m sorry that there isn’t a better solution right now.My reply to message stating they were closing the ticket.I do not know why you are closing this ticket as this is still an ongoing issue and you have provided no resolution. Missing the first few seconds of audio is not something that I would accept in any audio product, mush less. than one that claims to be of “audiophile” quality.Support reply on December 13th.As stated, this should provide a suitable workaround for the meantime, while we continue working toward a permanent fix for this issue. If you have any further questions or queries, please feel free to reply to this support ticket and we will be happy to help.Thank you for getting back in touch, I’m sorry to see that you are unhappy with the auto-mute future and I completely understand it but I don’t have a good solution for you at the moment so I closed your ticket. We are working on it, we understand some users do not like the mute at all and it doesn’t work for them and the way they intend to use the device. We’re looking into it and will hopefully find a good solution. If you would rather I keep the ticket ope, I will.
TCHA
Reviewed in Canada on October 10, 2024
Very nice look design, easy pairing and almost very good sound for a compact unitVery happy with it
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