Review by Noam Bronstein Continuing my Bluetooth / aptX journey begun a few weeks ago, here is the first of a series of mini-reviews of audio gear that tries to make the most of these technologies. iFi Audio’s Zen Blue is a wireless DAC – specifically, it’s billed as a high-resolution Bluetooth streamer. This is a dedicated Bluetooth unit: it has a range of output options, but the only way it can receive a signal is from a Bluetooth device (smartphone, tablet, computer). Blessing it with a retail price of only $179 CAD, iFi is looking to put the Zen Blue into existing systems, be they traditional hi-fi’s, or powered speakers that lack a wireless option. It does not have a headphone output. The idea here is a DAC that takes (wireless) music, as data from your device, and sends it (with wires) to your stereo. It’s an interface. The Zen Blue comes well packaged and has a purposeful, chunky feel. Small, but solid. It’s simple to set up and connect. First you’ll need to decide on an output – traditional analog with an RCA interconnect, digital with a coaxial or optical cable, or balanced to a [...]
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