iFi Audio ZEN Can 3
Headphone Amplifier

Future-Proof Features.

The ZEN CAN 3 now supports IEMs using xMEMS, an innovative micro-speaker technology pushing the boundaries of headphone performance.

• Ultra-fast mechanical response, 150 times faster than a typical dynamic driver
• Flat 2° phase response for more accurate sound reproduction
• +/- 1° phase matching for more accurate spatial sound
• Silicon speaker diaphragm, 95 times more rigid than plastic, for reduced speaker break-up and a less muddy midrange

By incorporating the pioneering xMEMS amplification first found in the flagship iDSD Diablo-X, the ZEN CAN 3 can deliver the voltage required for optimal operation of this cutting-edge technology, bringing the power of xMEMS to a whole new audience and ensuring that you are ready for the future as it happens.

Prodigious Power.

With its impressive 2,000mW output power, the ZEN CAN 3 offers a significant upgrade to the way you experience music through headphones, with unprecedented clarity and headroom.

Its ability to handle dynamic peaks with ease means you can experience music as it was meant to be heard – vivid, immersive, and profoundly moving. It means more than just loudness – it’s about feeling the music resonate through you, stirring your soul and creating a connection that transcends mere sound.

Whether its planar magnetic headphones requiring more power to drive accurately, or high-impedance models that need ample current delivery, the ZEN CAN 3 rises to the challenge.

DSP-Free Purity.

Unlike other audiophile offerings, all the ZEN CAN 3’s features are done with analogue circuitry, as opposed to Digital Signal Processing (DSP), where the audio signal is manipulated before being converted to true analogue sound.

Instead, the ZEN CAN 3 leverages the natural advantages of analogue circuitry: it maintains the integrity of the sound, introduces less phase shift and distortion, and boasts a more natural-sounding adjustment of frequencies.

iFi’s signature analogue bass enhancement, XBass+, is designed to make bass hit harder without compromising the clarity of the midrange – perfect for when you’re listening with IEMs or open-back headphones that lack bass response.

XSpace recreates the expansive soundstage of speakers, transforming headphone listening from confined and ‘inside your head’ to natural and spacious. This technology makes music come alive, offering a concert-like sound experience without losing any detail or resolution – all achieved through the innovative design of our circuitry.

Sonically superior – richer, deeper.

The XBass® analogue bass correction system corrects for the missing headphone/speaker bass response.

As with many other iFi audio products, we’ve incorporated a custom OV Series operational-amplifier. This top-notch component contributes to the extremely low noise, low distortion (0.0001%) and wide bandwidth.

A Tokyo Cosmos Electric Co. (TOCOS) multi-track potentiometer is used. This has close channel matching tolerance for optimal performance (always use above 11 o’ clock).

TDK C0G (Class 1 ceramic) capacitors offer high stability and low losses for resonant circuit applications.

Getting ever closer to the theoretical ideal of pure, frequency-constant capacitance, these capacitors reduce capacitor-induced distortion to vanishingly low levels.

They are pricey but are a perfect addition to iFi products.

Texas Instruments low-noise ICs offer great unity-gain bandwidth, very low noise and distortion, high output drive capability, Common-mode and Power Supply Rejection Ratios of over 100 dB, wide maximum-output-swing bandwidths and high slew rates.

Class A Discrete is a circuit that has come straight out of iFi’s flagship headphone amplifier, the iCAN Phantom, which at £3,749 is 16 times the price of the ZEN CAN 3.