Made For Listening: Introducing the ZEN Air DAC 2
Southport, UK, May 30th, 2026–– iFi audio, a trailblazer in audio innovation, unveils the ZEN Air DAC 2, the latest evolution of their entry-level desktop DAC/Amp. The ZEN Air DAC 2 is your key to more involving music listening at home, bringing iFi audio’s emotionally engaging house sound to yours with little cost and complexity. Finished in midnight blue, this new generation introduces a more premium look and feel, a more expressive headphone listening experience, and a newly chosen DAC – selected for its natural ability to connect you with your music, not the technology behind it.
Key Features of the ZEN Air DAC 2 include:
- New Cirrus Logic DAC: Chosen for improved clarity, dynamics and distortion
- Balanced 4.4mm output: Ensures clean, expressive playback
- Up to 300% more output power: 484mW RMS output reveals depth and
- emotion in music
- XBass+ and PowerMatch: Tailor output to suit your headphones
- Refined design: New finish and features for a more premium user experience
Designed Around A New DAC
The ZEN Air DAC 2 is built around iFi audio’s favourite bit-perfect DAC from Cirrus Logic, selected for how naturally it presents detail without sounding forced or analytical. A proven design found in many of iFi’s award-winning portables, it is now being incorporated into one of their home devices for the first time. As a result, this generation brings measurable gains in clarity, dynamics and distortion, building a better connection between you and your music.
Now Balanced
The ZEN Air DAC 2 comes complete with a balanced 4.4mm headphone output. Previously reserved for the standard ZEN series, this feature represents a major upgrade for this generation of ZEN Air DAC. Pair it with your favourite balanced headphones to reduce noise and crosstalk, whilst unlocking more spacious, separated sound. For those with single-ended headphones, the ZEN Air DAC 2 brings with it the promise of even greater performance as your setup evolves.
*Peak output values used. Please see full specifications for RMS values.
Power, Upgraded
With the addition of balanced circuitry, amplification performance takes a significant step forward. Delivering up to 300% more headphone drive than its predecessor, the ZEN Air DAC 2 gives your headphones the control they need to reveal greater depth and emotion within each track.
Control The Feel
For moments when you’re wanting a little more from your favourite song, the ZEN Air DAC 2 includes two of iFi audio’s favourite analogue sonic features, which can be instantly toggled via the dedicated buttons on the fascia. XBass+ enhances low frequencies for additional energy and excitement, and is essential for restoring the bass frequencies that are often lost in open backed headphones. Meanwhile, PowerMatch unlocks an additional 6dB of gain to bring hardto-drive headphones to life.
Refined Design
Alongside the major changes and additions in features, the ZEN Air DAC 2 also includes a host of new quality-of-life features for an upgraded user experience in every moment. A new midnight blue finish and metal fascia bring a more premium look and feel when integrated into your setup. Meanwhile, a dedicated power button, added in response to user feedback, allows greater control over how the ZEN Air DAC is used in your system, without the hassle of adjusting cables or connections.
Pricing & Availability
The ZEN Air DAC 2 is available to purchase at ifi-audio.com and authorised dealers for
£129/$129 USD/€149/$189 CAD.
Vinyl, Revived: iFi launches ZEN Air Phono 2
Southport, UK, May 30th, 2026– iFi audio, a trailblazer in audio innovation, unveils the ZEN Air Phono 2, the latest evolution of their entry-level phono stage.
A growing audience is eager to experience the joys of classic vinyl listening, and they deserve to hear it as intended. The ZEN Air Phono 2 provides a drastically improved listening experience compared to the built-in phono stages of record players and amplifiers, offering an ultra-low noise floor for enhanced detail, and a precise RIAA EQ for authentic playback, as the artist and engineers intended.
iFi’s in-house subsonic filter corrects for record warp without removing bass or adding audio artifacts, while selectable MM and MC gain modes remove the worry of cartridge chouses and compatibility for newcomers.
Key Features of the iFi ZEN Air Phono 2 include:
- MM & MC cartridge support with selectable gain modes
- Precise RIAA Playback EQ within +/- 0.15dB accuracy
- Intelligent subsonic filter removes record warp and rumble
- Whisper-quiet noise floor of -151dBV EIN
- Symmetrical channel design with custom OV series op-amps
Ahead of the Curve
Vinyl records are cut with Inverse RIAA Equalisation, requiring accurate conversion to ensure authentic playback. This conversion from grooves in your recording to the analogue signal feeding your system is a critical moment in the playback process, and a lack of precision can be devastating for the quality of your listening experience.
The ZEN Air Phono 2 adopts iFi audio’s highly accurate RIAA playback curve, within a remarkable +/-0.15dB tolerance. With this level of accuracy, you can rely on the ZEN Phono 2 to deliver true, accurate music playback, that faithfully represents the intent of the original artists and recording engineers.
Everything Gained
Turntable cartridges come in two distinct types – Moving Magnet (MM) and Moving Coil (MC). While both designs turn analogue information on your records into an audio signal, the way they do this is quite different, and each required its own degree of amplification.
The ZEN Air Phono 2 is fully compatible with both. Simply switch the gain mode selector on the rear of the ZEN Air Phono 2 to the correct setting for your cartridge, and you’re ready to go.
Full Bass. No Rumble.
Older records can become prone to warping, which introduces low-frequency rumble during playback. While subsonic filters are not uncommon in phono stages, they are disliked by enthusiasts as they remove bass frequencies while filtering warp.
Since 2012, iFi have been solving this problem with their in-house intelligent subsonic filter. By analysing how records are cut and replayed, their filter treats vertical and lateral groove information differently. Only record warp is filtered, without attenuating low bass, and without adding group delay.
The result is an uncompromised listening experience, even on warped records, that retains the full depth of bass that was present in the original recording.
Details, Revealed
The noise floor of a typical phono stage is audible in a setup of even modest quality. This is because their noise floor is in fact louder than the low-level textures and detail of the music on your record. The result is a fundamentally compromised representation of the original song.
The ZEN Air Phono 2 stands apart from such phono stages. Boasting a super-silent noise floor with an EIN (Equivalent Input Noise) of -151dBV, the ZEN Air Phono pushes noise far below the music itself, revealing greater details and subtlety in your favourite records.
It achieves this through an innovative high-current power supply design, carefully isolated from the amplification stage.
The Beauty of Symmetry
The Zen Air Phono 2’s circuitry boasts a symmetrical channel layout. By designing the circuitry in this way, the ZEN Air Phono 2 offers similar benefits to balanced circuitry, such as lower crosstalk and improved channel separation. This type of circuitry design is extremely rare in phono stages at this price point – and iFi reinforces this design with premium components, including custom OV series operational amplifiers.
The result for the listener is an audiophile-grade vinyl experience at an entry-level price point – performance without the price tag.
Pricing & Availability
The iFi ZEN Air Phono 2 is available to purchase at ifi-audio.com and dealers for £129/$129 USD/€149/$189 CAD.
About iFi
Established in 2012 and headquartered in Southport, UK, iFi audio is a globally recognised developer and manufacturer of high-fidelity audio solutions. Its product portfolio encompasses portable, desktop, and lifestyle devices designed to deliver exceptional sound performance through advanced engineering and innovative design. Guided by a ‘music first’ philosophy, iFi’s products have received numerous international awards and acclaim from professionals and enthusiasts alike, reinforcing its position as one of the leading brands in modern audio. www.ifi-audio.com