iFiZEN CAN Balanced Desktop Headphone Amp and Preamp with 4.4mm Outputs [US Pin]

My unit was shipped with an unbranded 5v/2.4a power adapter when the launch edition is supposed to ship with the iFI iPower 5v/2.5a power adapter. Thankfully, Amazon was able to credit me a partial refund so I could buy the real one that was supposed to come with it originally. However, I was only able to use this credit on items that are shipped AND sold by Amazon and the power adapter wasn't. I was fine with this because I was able to use that credit on something else that I wanted.At first, my Zen CAN sounded very comparable to my Zen DAC so I didn't think the power adapter made much of a difference. I then had the suspicion that the generic adapter wasn't powering the amp fully after getting a pair of DT 880 600Ω headphones. After finally deciding to get the iFI iPower adapter, this was definitely the case. There is a substantial difference in sound quality between the power adapters. It is very noticeable on all my headphones, but most noticeable on my DT880s. They are now getting the clean and full power that they should have been getting. There was also noticeable noise whenever cycling between the XBass and 3D settings that is now far less noticeable with the iFI adapter.I wanted to make a PSA that somehow this happened and that if this happened to anyone else they should 100% get the iFI iPower 5v/2.5a power supply it was originally supposed to come with if they were credited a partial refund. It was from a reputable seller who had a very positive feedback rating with a high number of ratings, more positive than iFI's store rating in fact. That being said, I would get it directly from iFI or their official store on Amazon (if they have it in stock) to avoid this potential issue. Otherwise, this amp is a fantastic choice at this price-point and is a worthy upgrade and addition to the Zen DAC.

After about a month of use, the ZEN CAN performance is exceed my expectation. Slightly bass boost and roll of high and still very details, a typical iFi sound signature. TLDR: very pleasant/enjoyment listening time.There are plenty of power to drive the most headphone on the market. The gain goes up by every 6db with 4 gain levels goes from 0 to 18. Most of my headphones have Impedance of 30 - 250 Ohm with Sound pressure level of 95 ~ 120 dB and can get plenty loud at only at +6db gain. The CAN also does not distorted my IEMS.Buttery smooth volume knob combined the entire case made out of metals do scream quality, except the rattling button make it feel cheap. Speaking of which my other complain about this button is that I have to press it in hard and hold it for half of a second for the CAN to turn on, not sure if this is a feature?The manufacture claim to use tech from higher end flagship product line which have some class A parts, this causing the unit to run very warm after a minutes or two and stay at high temperature until the power is off. There is no auto on/off and power saving mode that I know of. This will become a routine to manually turn the ZEN CAN on and off every time it needed.

In early July I got the iFi Zen DAC v2 along with Beyerdynamic DT-770 (250 ohm) headphones as my first headphone kit to begin to get back into serious music appreciation. While the Zen DAC could drive the headphones, you could tell that it was taxing the integrated amplifier circuit a bit to push them to moderate volume levels. The sounds was good, but it just didn't seem to reach the potential, and I hoped adding the iFi Zen CAN would be the solution, and I wasn't wrong.I received the Zen CAN early in August, along with an upgraded iFi 5v power supply and 4.4mm balanced interconnect cable to make sure I got the most out of it. Once it was set up, I tried the 4 different gain options, and while the 12db setting worked fine, I set it to 18db where the volume knob sits between 9:00 and 10:00 for "normal" listening levels. It has plenty of headroom at this setting and that's what one of the things I prefer in audio gear, headroom.As for the sound difference between the integrated amp in the DAC vs. the CAN, I wouldn't say it's night and day. There is a significant difference, especially with more power hungry headphones, and I could tell that the extra power opened up the sound to reach the potential on the DT-770s. To me, the CAN sounds just a bit on the "warm" side, which for the DT-770s is perfect since they tend to be "bright" and analytical. I can't really speak to the detail or sound stage since I don't (yet) have anything to compare and contrast, but I can say that the listening experience is very enjoyable.For me and my (first) setup, the iFi Zen Can is the perfect complement with the iFi Zen DAC v2 and the DT-770 headphones.

Ifi states that it's normal for the ifi zen can to get warm/hot when it use. So I am not too worried. The amp is strong and the many gain switches help with different ohm powered headphones. The xbass and 3D bass switches also help with my closed back headphones and even my open back ones. Give some music a better sound and different sound. Old songs that lack bass or loudness I put the gain level one notch higher and for modern songs I lower the gain switch. This helps old music sound more modern. I have my ifi zen can paired with my ifi zen dac 2. I love it. Huge upgrade in sound, very fun amp. The only con is the fact the amp gets warm to fast.

I went Zen and never looked back, the dac v2 was so good but the amp is extra special, you have more control but the xspace or 3D effect made my hifiman edition xs sound like 2000 dollar headphones... Just as good as it can get for sound.. The combo is perfect and the amp adds another 60% to fullness... Get the combo if you love bass, clean sound and wide soundstageAnd the amp comes with ifi power brick.. Just perfect

I needed a good headphone amp for my PC and DAC as I have had other ifi products in the past I had a feeling that this headphone amp would be worth trying out and it did not disappoint sound quality is very good solid controlled bass open wide soundstage I use my pioneer HRM-5 headphones with it and they now sound amazing thanks to this ifi headphone amp build quality is very good in this case you do get what you pay for and its worth every penny!!

I consider myself a borderline audiophile. I appreciate a good product and like a nice sound. I don’t subscribe to buying overpriced cables that supposedly make my system sound better, instead looking for an understated, good value alternative.So I started my journey with ifi when I bought a hipdac2. I’d been a bit disappointed with my headphone experience and I was blown away by what a decent headphone amp could do. My home hifi amp doesn’t have a headphone socket (more audiophile nonsense) so I’d had to buy a headphone amp and despite it being from the manufacturer of the amp it was seriously disappointing. Having been so pleased with the hipdac2 I thought I’d try the ifi zen can. Well, it didn’t disappoint. My big headphone found a new lease of life. They’ve never sounded quite so good.The only fly in the ointment, and I’d like to think is a one off, my zen can didn’t come with a power supply, despite being listed with one. In all fairness the seller stepped up and having first got in touch with ifi then sent one out, although it did take a week to arrive which took the edge off the joy of a shiny new toy a little.

Nice headphone amp, does the job well. The only thing that lets it down is the warmth in the bass boost is a little too subtle compared alongside the Zen Dac V2.Perhaps this will be addressed in the V2 version of the Zen Can? If that is the case , it would be an unbeatable piece of kit at this price point!!

I’ve had this for nearly 2 years now and the upgrade was worth every Penny I teamed this up with a moto m2 audio interface it had plenty of power for all my headphones, LCD X and Meze 99 Clasics and my cheapo cans K361 , all totally different headphones and all work together perfectly, the LCD X and Meze 99 Classics all run on the balance connector 4.4mm , best buy I have done in years