iFi audio ZEN Blue 3 Balanced Hi-Res Wireless Bluetooth DAC User Manual

iFi audio ZEN Blue 3 Balanced Hi-Res Wireless Bluetooth DAC

Specifications:

• Bluetooth Chip: Qualcomm QCC5181
• Bluetooth Version: 5.4
• Codecs Supported: aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, aptX Low Latency, aptX HD, aptX, LDAC, LHDC (HWA), AAC, SBC
• Audio Quality: Lossless CD (44kHz/16bit), Hi-Res (96kHz/24bit)
• Operation Modes: Bluetooth RX, Bluetooth TX, USB/S-PDIF DAC
• Connectivity: External antenna for enhanced range
• Output: Balanced 4.4mm line output

Product Usage Instructions

Power Switch
Press and hold the power switch for 2 seconds to turn the device on or off.

Operating Mode Selector
The button cycles through 3 modes: RX Mode, TX Mode, DAC Mode.
Select the desired mode for receiving Bluetooth signals, transmitting Bluetooth signals, or using the device as a digital-to-analog converter.

Input Channel Selection and Volume Control
Input Channel Selection: Use the button to choose between USB, S/PDIF (Coaxial), S/PDIF (Optical), and RCA inputs.
Volume Control: In TX mode, long press to increase volume and short press to decrease volume.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

1. Q: How do I pair ZEN Blue 3 with my Bluetooth device?
   A: To pair ZEN Blue 3 with your Bluetooth device, ensure the device is in RX or TX mode, then activate Bluetooth on your device and search for ZEN Blue 3 in the list of available devices. Select it to establish a connection.

2. Q: What is the purpose of the balanced line output?
   A: The balanced 4.4mm line output provides a balanced connection for audio output, which can be used to connect to compatible devices like active speakers or amplifiers that support balanced interconnects.

Thank you for purchasing the Blue 3 from the ZEN series. The Blue 3 is a Hi- Res Bluetooth DAC.
Unlock aptX Lossless and LDAC high-resolution audio transmission for your Bluetooth headphones and Hi-Fi system with our new Lossless Bluetooth transmitter and receiver, the ZEN Blue 3. Featuring three exciting operation modes and unbeatable Bluetooth codecs, you’ll never have to settle for lossy codecs again. The ZEN Blue 3 boasts three operation modes: RX mode for receiving Bluetooth signals from your smartphone and outputting to your Hi-Fi system; TX mode for transmitting audio from your TV, set-top box, gaming console, or CD player to your wireless headphones; and DAC mode for high- resolution music playback from USB and S-PDIF connections.
The ZEN Blue 3 is the ultimate lossless Bluetooth transmitter and receiver, excelling in lossless/hi-res Bluetooth audio transmission for your wireless headphones and Hi-Fi system.

FEATURES

• 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 aptX 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

Contents

1. Power switch

2. Operating mode selector

3. Input channel selection and Volume control

4. Bluetooth codec and PCM display

5. Audio Format (kHz) and Volume LED

6. TX MODE/LOW LATENCY

7. Bluetooth pairing and LED display ON/OFF and BT voice prompt

8. Balanced 4.4mm analogue line output

9. RCA analogue line output

10. RCA analogue line input

11. S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) input

12. S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) output

13. USB-C audio and power input

14. Antenna

15. DC 5V Power Supply Connection

16. DC 5V Power LED

17. Power switch
    Power switch, Long press ≥2s to switch on/off.

18. Operating mode selector
    This button cycles through 3 operating modes:
    RX Mode ＞ TX Mode ＞ DAC Mode
    RX Mode
    In receive Bluetooth signal mode, the ZEN Blue 3 acts as a Bluetooth signal receiver/decoder only, allowing Bluetooth pairing with mobile phones or other devices to transmit audio signals in lossless CD sound quality.
    Connection to back-end devices is possible via (8) Balanced 4.4mm, (9) RCA and (12) S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) (See item 8/9/12).
    Note: In RX mode, ZEN Blue 3 fully receives and supports codecs such as aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX, LDAC, LHDC/HWA, AAC and SBC to receive Bluetooth signals(See item 4).
    TX Mode
    In TX mode, the ZEN Blue 3 acts as a decoder only, you can use outputs from your phone/laptop/TV/set-top box/game console or CD player, including (13) USB, (10) RCA, (11) S/PDIF (optical/coaxial), etc. to transmit Bluetooth signals to wireless headphones, another Bluetooth receiver, Bluetooth speakers, or other Bluetooth devices.
    Note: In TX mode, ZEN Blue 3 fully transmits codecs such as aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX, LDAC and SBC (See item 4) to compatible devices.
    Please set your Bluetooth receiving device to Bluetooth pairing mode and bring your device as close as possible to ZEN Blue 3 (avoid connecting to other Bluetooth products). ZEN Blue 3 will automatically pair and connect to your Bluetooth product. If the connection fails, re-set ZEN Blue 3 and your Bluetooth product to Bluetooth pairing mode, and try to pair again (Remarks: The time of successful auto-pairing will be a little different each time).
    If the connection keeps failing, please check if ZEN Blue 3 has been paired with other devices or select the reset setting in GAIA APP.
    DAC Mode
    In DAC mode, the ZEN Blue 3 acts as a D/A converter (when the input channels are (13) USB, (11) S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) and (10) RCA inputs) to output via (8) Balanced 4.4mm and (9) RCA and (12) S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) (See item 8/9/12) Output.
    Note: In DAC mode, ZEN Blue 3 supports up to S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) 192kHz, USB 96kHz.

19. Input channel selection and Volume control
    Input channel selection
    Use the button to choose between the following 4 input options:
    Input 1: USB (See item 13)
    Input 2: S/PDIF (Coaxial) (See item 11)
    Input 3: S/PDIF (Optical) (See item 11)
    Input 4: RCA (See item 10)
    Volume Control (TX mode only)
    To increase the volume, long press (3), to decrease the volume, short press (3) <1s, then long press (3). When the volume control button is pressed to adjust the volume, (5) will blink and indicate the current volume level by the colour of the different LED.

20. Bluetooth codec and PCM display
    The colour of the ‘iFi’ logo in the centre of the front display represents the file format received:
    RX Mode
    LED Format

    • Off  SBC

    • Yellow AAC

    • Blue  aptX

    • Magenta aptX HD

    • Green aptX Adaptive

    • White aptX Lossless

    • Cyan LDAC

    • Red LHDC/HWA
      TX Mode
      LED Format

    • Off SBC

    • Blue aptX

    • Magenta aptX HD

    • Green aptX Adaptive

    • White aptX Lossless

    • Cyan LDAC
      DAC Mode
      LED Format

    • White PCM

21. Audio Format (kHz) and Volume LED
    Audio Format LED (kHz)
    The LED colour scheme indicates the audio format and sampling frequency received by the ZEN Blue 3 from the music source.
    LED Mode

    • Yellow PCM 44.1/48kHz

    • White PCM 88.2/96/176.4/192kHz
      Volume LED
      The LED colour scheme indicates the current volume level.
      LED Volume

    • Blue Mute to 24

    • Magenta 25 to 44

    • Cyan 45 to 59

    • Green 60 to 74

    • Yellow 75 to 89

    • Red 90 to 100

22. TX MODE/LOW LATENCY
    RX MODE/DAC MODE:
    Low Latency and Bluetooth transmission codecs cannot be adjusted when using ZEN Blue 3 in RX or DAC mode
    TX MODE:
    

23. In this mode, tap this button to switch the Bluetooth codec.

24. Long press ≥2s to enter the low latency state of aptX Adaptive/Low Latency.

25. Bluetooth pairing and LED display ON/OFF and BT voice prompt

    • Bluetooth pairing (long press ≥3s)
    • LED display ON/OFF (Single tap)
    • BT voice prompt ON/OFF (Double tap)
      Bluetooth Pairing (long press ≥3s)
      From switch on, the ZEN Blue 3 will blink blue as it searches for a previously paired device. If a stored device is not found, it will automatically enter pairing mode and blink blue/red.
      To enter pairing mode, press and hold the front rightmost button until the ‘Bluetooth mode LED’is blinking blue/red. To pair, on your handset, look for ‘iFi Lossless Audio’ in the list of available Bluetooth devices.
      The ZEN Blue 3 is able to store up to 8 paired Bluetooth devices. When the 9th device is paired, the initially paired Bluetooth device will be removed from the pairing list and you may need to manually reconnect it when using it.
      LED display ON/OFF (Single tap)
      Single tap to switch off (4) Bluetooth codec and PCM display and (5) Sampling frequency LED (kHz) LED. It is on by default.
      BT voice prompt ON/OFF (Double tap)
      Double tap to turn the BT voice prompt on / off. It is on by default.

26. Balanced 4.4mm analogue line output
    This is an analogue output via 4.4mm > XLR or other balanced interconnects. You can use this to connect to active speakers or amplifiers that have a volume control.
    Tip: As ZEN Blue 3 is balanced, this is the recommended output.

27. RCA analogue line output
    This is an analogue output via RCA > RCA or other single-ended interconnects. You can use this to connect to active speakers or amplifiers that have a volume control.

28. RCA analogue line input
    This is an analogue input. Connect analogue RCA interconnects to an RCA Line output.

29. S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) input
    Connect a S/PDIF source such as Apple TV, Google Chromecast, PS5, Xbox, a high-end CD transport, etc.
    Note: S/PDIF coaxial is implemented by 3.5mm jack (Tip – Signal; Sleeve – GND).

30. S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) output
    Connect to a DAC or amplifier’s S/PDIF input.

31. USB-C audio and power input
    This is a USB-C input. It connects ZEN Blue 3 to the computer audio source and provides the power supply.

32. Antenna
    Please attach the enclosed antenna for maximum reception quality.

33. DC 5V Power Supply Connection
    ZEN Blue 3 is powered by 5 volts, either via the enclosed USB-A to USB-C cable (for connection to laptop or PC) or DC power supply.
    Tip: For best performance upgrade the power supply to a super-low noise power adapter such as iPower2 5V or iPower X 5V.

34. DC 5V Power LED
    The LED lights up when powered from a DC 5V supply.

SPECIFICATIONS

DAC Chipset
Qualcomm QCC518x
Series

Line Output
Output Voltage

• Balanced 4.4mm 4.1Vrms (0dBFS@1kHz)
• Single-Ended RCA 2.05Vrms (0dBFS@1kHz)

Output Impedance:

• Balanced 4.4mm ≤102Ω
• Single-Ended RCA ≤51Ω
• SNR: 109dB
• DNR: 109dB (0dBFS @ 1kHz) +A
• THD + N: < 0.005% (10K Load)@(20-20kHz)

Frequency Response:

• RX MODE 20Hz-41kHz (LDAC）

• TX MODE 20Hz-42kHz (LDAC）

• DAC MODE 20Hz-42kHz (96kHz @ 0dBFS) @ USB输入
  20Hz-90kHz (192kHz @ 0dBFS) @ S-PDIF输入

• Power supply requirement: USB-C or DC 5V/≥0.5A (centre +ve)

• Power consumption: ＜1W

• Dimensions: 158 x 106 x 35 mm (6.2″ x 4.5″ x 1.4″)

• Net Weight: 447 g (0.99 lbs)

• Limited Warranty: 12 months*

*12 months typical or as permitted/required by local reseller laws.
**Specifications are subject to change without notice.
^See FAQ at ifi-audio.com for more information.

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