iFi ZEN CAN is a high power, affordable headphone amp with both a balanced output and 6.5mm output. iFi ZEN CAN uses the same ZEN chassis and can be stacked with either the ZEN dac or ZEN Blue.
iFi ZEN CAN has regular line in via 3.5mm, RCA's, balanced 4.4mm input, balanced line out and two headphone outputs: 6.5mm and balanced 4.4mm.
Headfonics.com - 8.6/10 (rated higher than the more expensive schiit magnius and the budget topping l30)... a wonderful desktop headphone amplifier packed with a crazy amount of features, plenty of power, hefty construction, stackability with the ZEN DAC, Phono, and the Blue, and for a really modest price... the iFi ZEN CAN will sit atop my desk proudly displayed from now on in the form of an iFi ZEN Stack. In the price category it sits in, it is hard to beat.
The compact iFi ZEN CAN has an amp design that has trickled down from iFi's $2499 Pro amp and is feature packed:
*Computer, headphones, dac not included - shown stacked on top of ZEN DAC - dac is not included but matches perfectly
Great performance and compact size for the desk setup.
The Headphone Bar was once again a pleasure to deal with. The service was very good. I have a set of Sennhieiser HD599 cans and was told by The Headphone Bar they would respond favourably to the Xbass feature on the IFI amp. They were spot on. I am not a fan of bass boost at all but this is a great combination. This is a great little amp and I would highly recommend. BTW it it $20.00 cheaper than Amazon.
I was using the Zen dac to power my headphones and it performed just great however I decided to add the Zen can and use the two units together, that was a good idea. There is an improvement in the overall sound quality using the combo and now im ready to purchase almost any hard to drive headphone without having to worry about having enough juice to power them. This is my third ifi product and all 3 are built rock solid and function flawlessly.
Pretty happy with this combined with my ZEN DAC. Lots of power to drive almost anything out there. The bass boost is nice for headphones lacking that low end some may be wanting (I enjoy it with my Sindaras and 6XX.) Only thing keeping this from being perfect is the lack of a balanced cable in the box especially when it's marketed to complement the ZEN DAC.
Too soon to say for certain, but initial impression is very favorable. My headphones are low impedance suitable for portable devices, however they are planar magnetic so I was curious what a little power boost would do for them. Woke them up nicely, better bass presence, and vocal presentation even at lower volumes. Overall, can tell the drivers are performing better through all ranges with the extra power applied. Only drawback, had to get a 4.4mm x 4.4mm balanced cable custom made since they currently are not readily available. Equipment: iFi Zen Can amp, FiiO M11 pro, Cayin N6ii E02, DCA Aeon Flow 2 closed with balanced cable.