Customer Reviews

Worth the purchase price

All in all a fairly nice unit with only a couple of downfalls: 1) There is definitely an improvement in sound resolution when streaming music through this device.... 2) The toslink input is somewhat "cheesy" as a small plastic adaptor piece needs to be inserted in order to then insert the actual toslink cable. 3) Trying to update the firmware is a rather "trying" experience :-). Plan for some low grade frustration. 4) The signal strength in both reception & transmission is excellent assuming no hard barriers. The unit broadcasts to a BT enabled amplifier 35' away. All in all this is still a good purchase.

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Very nice option for Bluetooth

Easy install and sounds great! No complaints so far.

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iFi Zen Blue 3

I don't believe my displeasure is the fault of ifi Zen Blue 3. It more than likely is a situation where one aspect of the unit's function got overlooked. Upon arrival, I opened the box grabbed the instructions and started the process of setting it up. I was excited. Unfortunately that feeling was short lived. I plugged the power supply cord into the Zen, then the outlet. No power up. Tried a different outlet, just in case, nothing. Looking again at the instruction's, in case I missed something, I noticed you can alternatively power the unit, using a usb cable. I tried that and it did power on. I ultimately decided I didn't want to take a chance with this particular device and arranged with Crutchfield to return it. I did not hook it up to see how it performed, once I discovered how to get it fired up. I put all the components carefully back inside the original package and shipped it back to Crutchfield for a refund. Not sure where to go from here? Disappointed.

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iFi Zen Blue 3

Well made, easy to connect, sound from track to track inconsistent

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iFi Zen Blue 3

Right out the box it sounded like the soundstage was wider and it will sound even better when gets broken in.

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Bittersweet/disappointment.

Though I love the DAC performance and in general like the Bluetooth performance, I've had some issues with the unit. Issues which I forwarded to ifi. Here are the of the issues from best recollection. 1) and the biggest, the multifunction button to raising and lower the volume its not user-friendly whatsoever. That in fact is potentially dangerous to the human ears. The tactile button is completely difficult to use, and have to be learned how to use correctly. A number of times I thought I was lowering the volume. It was either non responsive or went up considerably and momentarily hurt my ears. Another time the volume was so loud that it distorted the sound in my build in headphones speakers. Luckily the headphones were sitting on my lap. The tactile buttons need to be replaced by rotary left to right volume control button.2) Another problem I'm having with it is that the writing is so small (to read) on the ZEN that even with my reading glasses on, I have to use a flashlight to read to read them. 3) The ifi menu doesn't clearly explain if the ifi codec screen and the LED smallest screen is adjustable by the user, or if it is automatically set the ZEN. Which also leaves me to wonder if there's a defect with the unit. In DAC mode, the input is not always recognized when I cycle through the inputs. To counter this problem I turn off the Zen and put it back on. Lastly the optical and coaxial in and out should include an adapter for each. headphones speakers.

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iFi Zen Blue 3

Works as advertised, with one exception. I have an old Direct TV Genie and the USB does not connect. However, I use this to listen to the news while sitting on my deck, so that analog connect is just fine.

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Rare BT transmission with analog input

It's probably overkill for what I'm using it for (Bluetooth transmitter from turntable to wireless headphones) but there are not many transmitters that accept an analog signal as this does. So, overkill but I avoid the ADC. Performance wise - it's great. I know Bluetooth gets a bum wrap (compared to WiFi) but sending over the ZEN Blue 3 aptX Lossless transmitter is certainly not the weak link in my in-home setup (Planar P3 with Elys, Sonos 5 in room, and Bose QC Ultra cans). If anything, the ZEN Blue give options for an upgrade path on in-room listening when I get there.

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High quality at this price point

well built and highly capable gear. Very high quality sound.

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Save your $ & buy a Slurpee!

Expensive Paper weight, not worth the $. Just the fact that it doesn't even have an app to be able to see connections, etc etc. Not impressed with the Digital Amplification either. Believe it or not, my iFi GoBlu destroys this oversized paperweight. Getting sent back.

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Crutchfield response on 1/30/2025

Crystal, we're sorry you're having issues with your transmitter. Whenever you are not completely satisfied with anything you purchase from Crutchfield, please contact our Customer Support team at 1-800-955-9091. Purchases from Crutchfield can be returned or exchanged within 60 days of the purchase.

iFi Zen Blue 3

So far the blue tooth from my iphone is working great. Sound is pretty good.

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iFi Zen Blue 3

Hy. I have HP Desktop and two JBL Partybox 710 earing music from YouTube, but the quality sound is very poor I try boom 3d and I get a little better sound quality but is not enough. on Crutchfield I find a BT interface ifi Zen blue 3 and I get one when install to my PC. BOOM now I have JBL pro sound powerful crispy clear sound the music now listening perfect like a life performance. The ifi Zen blue 3 is what you really need and very easy to install. the BT ifi Zen Blue 3 connection is very powerful

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Great Compatibility, Easy to Setup, and Excellent Range

This thing does exactly what I needed it to do. It paired with my Beats Studio Pros with no effort at all. The auto-off function is nice as well. Last, the range is excellent and it will keep connected through walls and even floors of your house.

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Great unit

Impressive soundstage and overall sound, even with the AptX HD bluetooth codec at 572 kbps My new laptop does not support the BT codecs, had to purchase the Alternative A2DP Driver software for under $10 and bluetooth worked instantly

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iFi Zen Blue 3

A really beautiful little piece of equipment. I was blown away by the depth of the sound, particularly the vocals. Highly recommended

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Remarkable sound transmission

I can finally enjoy the full LDAC sound from my Sony XM5 headphones.

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Buy It !!

As a DAC it's unbeatable. I can't compare it to homed devices, but at under $1,000 price point, it's the best DAC I've owned, and Ive owned many. It pairs quickly and the sound quality is phenomenal. In both wired and Bluetooth modes I could not detect any difference in sound quality.

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iFi Zen Blue 3

I may have had a bad copy. Powering up was intermittent. When it did power up it Just wouldn't pair with common Sony wireless headphones. My computer and Denon network receiver paired fine with the same headphones. Returned this product. Perhaps it's worth a try for you. It does have great features if it works for you.

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Great hi-res Bluetooth sound quality

I'm crazy about my Zen Blue 3. I only use it in TX (transmitter) mode, so I can't comment on RX mode. I use it with a Focal Bathys headphone and they work great and sound great together. Both support aptX Adaptive. Low Latency can be switched on and this works great with videos. It has volume control in TX mode and the volume steps are fine enough to get just the right volume. My headphone stays connected anywhere in my home. Another review on this site complained about the unit timing out and switching off, but I consider this a useful feature. I don't have to get up to turn it off. Note: if you have a standard optical cable, you will need an adapter to connect to the Zen Blue 3. It would have been nice if iFi had included this adapter in the box.

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TX mode quirks

The Zen Blue3 offers dual Bluetooth modes ie Receiver (rx) and Transmit (tx). If your primary use case is tx mode there are two issues that IMO are irritating negatives (they do not apply to rx mode). Firstly - pairing with recipient bt device eg headphones is effectively " blind". ie because there is no iFi app available to show connectivity status ( the Zen Blue 3 can store up to 8 possible paired bt targets) So - one cannot see the various devices in a "connected menu". Pairing is affected by holding the recipient device eg headphones close to the iFi unit and waiting for LED indicators to signal that pairing is achieved. ( In rx mode this is not an issue because the Zen 3 obviously appears in the BT menu of whatever device you are sending from ). Without an app there is no way to edit the paired device list, or troubleshoot a pairing issue. Secondly, also only in in tx mode, the unit bizarrely powers off after 20 minutes without signal! This is not a standby/sleep feature, but a complete power shutdown requiring physically switching on again to continue using the unit. This "feature" cannot be defeated which makes it a "bug" unless you have the Zen Blue unit placed close enough to your listening location, to reach out restore power by switching it on. This makes no sense since a major advantage of Bluetooth is that one is not "tethered" to the device location. Deal breakers? Maybe - that's up to your use scenario.

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Day and Night!!!! Fantastic Quality Detailed Sound

Fantastic company!!! So far I own 3 of their products and will purchase the DAC 3 in a week or so. Sound quality is unreal and makes all my systems sound their best. People don't realize that the quality of mid price receivers built in DAC is lacking the detail that IFI products bring out. Once you hear what a Quality DAC provides it will change your mind instantly and forever. This is NOT trying to hear the difference between bi-wire or bi-amping. It is a Huge difference!!!! It will make you think you bought an entirely New System. I started out with the $99.00 phono pre-amp then got the $99.00 Zen air Blue before I got this $299.00 Amazing unit. IFI try's to make you think you need the expensive 5 volt supply but you Don't. IFI includes a short power cord but that's easy to fix with readily available longer cords or extension USB cable. Get a 5.5mm / 2.1mm center wire adapter and your all set. This unit is capable of Much more than the $99.00 Zen Air Blu but I bought it because I can afford it and might use the available extra features in the future. Get some IFI products depending on what you need and know you're buying something that Really makes a Dramatic difference for your system. Day and Night difference!!!!

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