246ZENBLU3 Zen Blue 3 Instruction Manual

246ZENBLU3 Zen Blue 3 Instruction Manual

Product Overview

1. **Power

**

2. **Input

**

3. **Bluetooth Pairing

**

4. **Output

**

5. **Modes

This button cycles through 3 operating modes:**

  * RX Mode
  * TX Mode
  * DAC Mode

6. **Codec and PCM

7. **kHz

**

kHz

LED| kHz
| 44.1/48
| 88.2 – 192

User Manual
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

Power switch

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

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.

Input channel selection and Volume control

1. 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)

2. 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.

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

TX Mode

DAC Mode

Audio Format (kHz) and Volume LED

1. 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
2. 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

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:

1. In this mode, tap this button to switch the Bluetooth codec.
2. Long press ≥2s to enter the low latency state of aptX Adaptive/Low Latency.

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)

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. BT voice prompt ON/OFF (Double tap)
   Double tap to turn the BT voice prompt on / off. It is on by default.

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.

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.

RCA analogue line input

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

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).

S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) output

Connect to a DAC or amplifier’s S/PDIF input.

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

Antenna
Please attach the enclosed antenna for maximum reception quality.

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 i Powers 5V or i Power X 5V.

DC 5V Power LED

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

SPECIFICATIONS:

DAC Chipset
Qualcomm QCC518x Series

4.4
Maximum supported sampling rate| 96kHz/24Bit| 96kHz/24Bit| Optical/Coaxial 192kHz/24Bit
| USB 96kHz/24Bit

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⼊
20Hz-90kHz (192kHz @ 0dBFS) @ S-PDIF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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