iFi Unochat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

Numerous users repeatedly call the Uno a 'steal' at around 79-80 Euro, especially compared to iFi's pricier Zen DAC line. Several say it's a great entry point for cheapskate audiophiles who don't want to overspend.

@SandsOfArrakis

A few years ago I've bought an iFi Zen DAC V2 which is happily connected to my gaming laptop. I was looking for a similar DAC to connect my M1 MacBook Pro in the lviing room to my Cambridge Audio CXA81 amplifier without breaking the bank. For producing the sounds for my good old console games, watching movies streamed from my server and listening to music (Roon or Apple Music) the iFi Uno turned out to be a great little DAC.\n\nThe ring behind the volume knob does change color. It turned purple here when playing an MQA file through Roon. Similar to the Zen DAC V2. I haven't toyed with the EQ yet as the current sound is very similar to the Cambridge DacMagic 200M which handles both my CXN V2 streamer and CXC V2 CD transport. Yes, I am a Cambridge guy.\n\nIts pricetag of 79 Euro makes it a steal really. Far cheaper, and smaller, compared to the Zen DAC V2. Definitely a great little DAC to put on your shortlist if you are looking for a cheap and great sounding way to connect a device to your amplifier. No idea about headphones as I don't use those.launch

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May 18, 2024

@SandsOfArrakis

I've bought on of these to connect my M1 MacBook Pro in the living room to my Cambridge Audio CXA81 amplifier. Playing my good old console games and listening to music has become a very pleasant experience.\n\nThe Uno is also a lot smaller compared to iFi Zen DAC V2 which is connected to the laptop in my office.\n\nTiny and mighty indeed. And for 79 Euro it is a steal.launch

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May 17, 2024

@SandsOfArrakis

I've bought one to connect my M1 MacBook Pro to my Cambridge Audio CXA81 amplifier. It sounds really good. At least on par with my iFi Zen DAC V2 which is connected to my gaming laptop.\n\nPlaying my good old console games or listening to music (Apple Music) using the Uno is a great experience. Streaming Qobuz and Tidal through Roon also sounds very good. Not using any EQ settings so far.\n\n80 Euro is a very nice price for it.launch

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May 17, 2024

@housepianist

I bought the Uno a couple months ago and it really is a great dac/amp for the price. It really does make you question the need for something more expensive. The different sound EQs are kind of redundant as you stated. There is really no need to use them but I have experimented with the Music mode and it does add a decent amount of bass so that could come in handy if one has some bass-lite IEMs. I noticed you had the Blessing 3 plugged into it, which may need a bass boost? 😊\n\nProbably the only thing I don’t like about the Uno is that the volume is not very linear. There’s a bit of a delay between turning the knob and getting sound. One has to be careful, especially on sensitive IEMs, because as you gradually turn the volume up, you may not hear anything at all. Then suddenly, BOOM, instant deafness! 😂 Very fussy! Because of that, I ended up buying iFi’s ieMatch+ adapter which is essentially a dB reducer/“impedance” device. It does give you a much greater range of adjustment for the volume and it doesn’t affect the sound signature of the IEM. \n\nAll in all, if you’re a cheap audiophile like me and hate spending tons of money, the Uno is a really good dac/amp - clean, strong, maybe a hint of warmth as you stated Dave but generally, it’s quite neutral.launch

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May 7, 2023

Buyers describe the sound as neutral with a bit of warmth, clean and powerful, and comparable to pricier DACs like the Cambridge DacMagic 200M or iFi Zen DAC V2. It's said to make streamed hi-res content and console game audio sound very pleasant.

@SandsOfArrakis

A few years ago I've bought an iFi Zen DAC V2 which is happily connected to my gaming laptop. I was looking for a similar DAC to connect my M1 MacBook Pro in the lviing room to my Cambridge Audio CXA81 amplifier without breaking the bank. For producing the sounds for my good old console games, watching movies streamed from my server and listening to music (Roon or Apple Music) the iFi Uno turned out to be a great little DAC.\n\nThe ring behind the volume knob does change color. It turned purple here when playing an MQA file through Roon. Similar to the Zen DAC V2. I haven't toyed with the EQ yet as the current sound is very similar to the Cambridge DacMagic 200M which handles both my CXN V2 streamer and CXC V2 CD transport. Yes, I am a Cambridge guy.\n\nIts pricetag of 79 Euro makes it a steal really. Far cheaper, and smaller, compared to the Zen DAC V2. Definitely a great little DAC to put on your shortlist if you are looking for a cheap and great sounding way to connect a device to your amplifier. No idea about headphones as I don't use those.launch

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May 18, 2024

@SandsOfArrakis

I've bought on of these to connect my M1 MacBook Pro in the living room to my Cambridge Audio CXA81 amplifier. Playing my good old console games and listening to music has become a very pleasant experience.\n\nThe Uno is also a lot smaller compared to iFi Zen DAC V2 which is connected to the laptop in my office.\n\nTiny and mighty indeed. And for 79 Euro it is a steal.launch

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May 17, 2024

@SandsOfArrakis

I've bought one to connect my M1 MacBook Pro to my Cambridge Audio CXA81 amplifier. It sounds really good. At least on par with my iFi Zen DAC V2 which is connected to my gaming laptop.\n\nPlaying my good old console games or listening to music (Apple Music) using the Uno is a great experience. Streaming Qobuz and Tidal through Roon also sounds very good. Not using any EQ settings so far.\n\n80 Euro is a very nice price for it.launch

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May 17, 2024

@housepianist

I bought the Uno a couple months ago and it really is a great dac/amp for the price. It really does make you question the need for something more expensive. The different sound EQs are kind of redundant as you stated. There is really no need to use them but I have experimented with the Music mode and it does add a decent amount of bass so that could come in handy if one has some bass-lite IEMs. I noticed you had the Blessing 3 plugged into it, which may need a bass boost? 😊\n\nProbably the only thing I don’t like about the Uno is that the volume is not very linear. There’s a bit of a delay between turning the knob and getting sound. One has to be careful, especially on sensitive IEMs, because as you gradually turn the volume up, you may not hear anything at all. Then suddenly, BOOM, instant deafness! 😂 Very fussy! Because of that, I ended up buying iFi’s ieMatch+ adapter which is essentially a dB reducer/“impedance” device. It does give you a much greater range of adjustment for the volume and it doesn’t affect the sound signature of the IEM. \n\nAll in all, if you’re a cheap audiophile like me and hate spending tons of money, the Uno is a really good dac/amp - clean, strong, maybe a hint of warmth as you stated Dave but generally, it’s quite neutral.launch

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May 7, 2023

The Uno can be powered directly from the connected device (MacBook, iPad) with no external power supply needed, keeping the desk cable-free. Users also like that USB-C makes it easy to pair with phones for a portable hi-res setup.

@madarauchiha4298

I have seen type c to c cables on Ali. That would make this a hifi setup with a phone. Comparable to a DAP. Plus I can use it for gaming, just perfect.launch

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June 24, 2025

@housepianist

I bought one of these a couple months ago and love it. I’m a boomer like you and have been an audiophile since the 80’s but I’m not interested in expensive equipment. As far as the Uno goes, it sounds very nice. It has a neutral sound signature with a bit of warmth that’s clean and powerful. I use IEMs mostly which don’t require a lot of power so being able to drive them is no problem.\n\nThe EQ system on here essentially changes the frequency ranges. The left button (Game Mode) boost the treble for even greater clarity in games that require more detail, the center button (Movie mode) boost the midrange to bring dialog, or any voices, more forward, and the right button (Music mode) boost the bass/lower midrange. Personally, I don’t use any of these buttons but when I want some occassional fun to my music, I will use Music mode. It adds a tasteful amount of bass without bloat.\n\nOne of my favorite features of the Uno is that it can be powered by the device its plugged into. I use an M1 MacBook Air and iPad 9 for my music sources and both of these drive the Uno wonderfully. No external power supply needed, which is nice if you don’t want cables and adapters everywhere. Although the Uno comes with a USB A-to-USB C cable, you’ll have to use (or buy) a USB C-to-C or USB C-to-lightning to connect it to your Apple or Android device.\n\nThe only nit I have with this product is that the volume control is not very linear. Sometimes, there is a slight delay when turning the volume knob up and getting the sound output. It’s not a big deal but when you start turning the volume up, you don’t hear anything and then suddenly - BAM! - too loud! And if you use sensitive IEMs (I have the Thieaudio Legacy 4 with 9.5 ohms of impedence), there’s not much wiggle room available on the volume knob between “just audible” and “way too loud” . To fix that, I bought the iFi iEMatch+ sensitivity device which is an adapter that basically increases the impedence of sensitive IEMs and headphones. This allows for greater linearity and a broader range of volume adjustments. It definitely smooths out any harshness as well and really makes IEMs bloom! However, if the impedence of your IEMs/headphones are normal (32ohms and higher), an impedence device won’t be necessary.\n\nIf you’re an audiophile - and a cheapskate! - the iFi Uno is highly recommended! 👍launch

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February 23, 2023

@GabenHood

That little ifi is only 10 aus bucks cheaper than the zen air dac/amp over here. Seems pointless unless I really want a slightly more portable solution. USB-C is nice though.launch

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January 3, 2023

The Uno supports PCM up to 384kHz, DSD up to 256, and MQA decoding, with the ring LED changing color to indicate format (green, yellow/cyan, blue, magenta). Users appreciate being able to visually confirm hi-res playback.

@CharlesSeraphDrums

Lights do change on the UNO. It’s green up to 96, then cyan for 176 and 192, then white with DSD, and magenta for MQA. That being said, you actually need to install the drivers from their website and then configure it on your desktop. So, I run Tidal and Qobuz via Room and there are some adjustments you have to make because for some reason it defaults to 24/48, no MQA, and DSD to PCM. So directly on Roon you need to make the adjustments. Or Audirvana. Apparently, it does work from the native apps with just some toggle switch to make it wasapi exclusive. On my iPad, I know it does since it changes to cyan on Qobuz and magenta on Tidal.launch

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March 19, 2023

@gasolin75

From the ifi manual Audio Format LED (kHz)\r\nThe LED colour scheme indicates the audio format and sampling\r\nfrequency received by UNO from the music source.\r\nLED Mode\r\nGreen PCM 44.1/48/88.2/96kHz\r\nYellow PCM 176.4/192/352.8/384kHz\r\nCyan DSD 64/128\r\nBlue DSD 256\r\nMagenta MQAlaunch

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March 10, 2023

@florin8005

This amp can do more as is hi-rez , now depending of the content this dac is 32bits at 384 khz you need to change from audio settings in and you will see the color will change if is on the highest frequency like green orange, or blue for DSD decoding (support DSD256 max) if you have music on this format and a player who decode and MQA from Tidal , also this dac use passthrough PC is not playing (if you move the volume sound from windows is not making effect) just gives data to have the best quality and no noise background directly in dac , I own this dac and is really cheap for what is doing :)launch

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January 4, 2023

Multiple users report a big jump in sound quality when pairing the Uno with headphones like the Sennheiser Urbanite, HiFiman Sundara, M50x, and 6XX compared to onboard sound. One user said it made them fall in love with listening to music again.

@Joost9285

bought this because of your video and hooked it up to a sennheiser urbanite and this makes it much better.\nThis has motivated me to look further in to Headphones and now I have connected the Uno to a Hifiman sundara, WOW this is another world.\nI used to like listening to music, now I absolutely love listening to music. \nThank you for this!launch

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April 23, 2023

@9059

I've had this for a a few months now, and after playing with different USB cables and placements i feel it's 100% stable and it does wonder for my m50x and 6xx! It was abit of a struggle starting off, but getting it clear from non-shielded cables helped.launch

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March 17, 2023

Beyond the EQ presets, the Uno offers digital filters (bit perfect, minimum phase, standard) that users say make an audible difference with headphones like HiFiMans, yet this feature is rarely mentioned in reviews.

@punuq_

I know I'm so late but I think the dirty crackling sound you were hearing at higher volumes was due to the uno's moderately weak resistors. When I first got mine I used the eq settings, mostly the music, but if I ever did change the setting the resistor would POP. Literally pop. Eventually I learned that there are just basic digital filters you can apply without using any of the eq options available i.e. \"bit perfect\" \"minimum phase\" and \"standard\" respectively, and I moved on from the preset eq options completely.launch

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December 12, 2025

@Damarious25

I haven't seen any other review of the uno mention the digital filters. That's a great feature that gets overlooked. The filters make a difference with my HiFiMans. I don't know if the filters were added in a firmware update or not but they're completely overlooked.launch

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July 9, 2024

Users note the Uno takes up little desk space while still accommodating both speaker and headphone connections, and it's notably smaller than the iFi Zen DAC V2.

@SandsOfArrakis

I've bought on of these to connect my M1 MacBook Pro in the living room to my Cambridge Audio CXA81 amplifier. Playing my good old console games and listening to music has become a very pleasant experience.\n\nThe Uno is also a lot smaller compared to iFi Zen DAC V2 which is connected to the laptop in my office.\n\nTiny and mighty indeed. And for 79 Euro it is a steal.launch

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May 17, 2024

@MrYurik

Nice little dac/amp. I have connected speakers from the back and headphone to the front and it does not take a lot of space. It sounds quite good on my sennheiser hd560s but only if I don't use eq. Game and Video are unusable for me - very audible noise - like digital artefacts or what, it is not like static noise. On music setting this gets better but still audible. It gets much worse when other electronics are nearby. Thankfully the noise is not present when eq is off. Tested it on different headphones and pcs and android phone. Do you experience also the noise on headphone out?launch

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February 27, 2023