Table of Contents
Zen Blue 3 Bluetooth decoder with Bluetooth User Manual
Zen Blue 3 Bluetooth decoder with Bluetooth User Manual
(2A5QJZENBLUE3)
ZEN Blue 3 User Manual_Ver1.0 ()
FEATURES
Equipped with Qualcomm’’s flagship Bluetooth QCC5181 chip featuring Bluetooth 5.4, supports the latest aptX Lossless codec, capable of streaming lossless CD-quality audio without sacrificing quality
Supports lossless CD quality (44kHz/16bit) and Hi-Res (96kHz/24bit) Bluetooth playback (RX) and transmit (TX)
Supports aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX, LDAC, LHDC (HWA), AAC and SBC codecs
Three operation modes: Bluetooth RX; Bluetooth TX and USB/S-PDIF DAC mode
Quick-access button for aptX Low-Latency connection, ideal for gaming and video
Control your music via Bluetooth with your favourite music app on smart devices or computers and relax
External antenna for enhanced connectivity and extended range
Balanced 4.4mm line output
Contents
- Power switch
- Operating mode selector
- Input channel selection
- Bluetooth codec and PCM display
- Audio Format LED (kHz)
- TX MODE/LOW LATENCY
- Bluetooth pairing/LED display ON/OFF
- Balanced 4.4mm analogue line output
- RCA analogue line output
- RCA analogue line input
- S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) input
- S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) output
- USB-C audio and power input
- Antenna
- DC 5V Power Supply Connection
- DC 5V Power LED
Power switch
Power switch, Long press >2S to switch on/off.
Operating mode selector
This button cycles through 3 operating mode:
RX Mode > TX Mode > DAC Mode
RX Mode
In receive Bluetooth signal mode, the ZEN Blue 3 acts as a Bluetooth signal receiver/decoder only, allowing Bluetooth pairing with mobile phones or other devices to transmit audio signals in lossless CD sound quality.
Connection to back-end devices is possible via (8) Balanced 4.4mm, (9) RCA and (12) S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) (See item 8/9/12).
Note: ZEN Blue 3 supports aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX, LDAC, LHDC/HWA, AAC and SBC to receive Bluetooth signals(See item 4)……
TX Mode
In DAC mode, the ZEN Blue 3 acts as a decoder only and can be output via (8) balanced 4.4mm and (9) RCA and (12) S/PDIF (optical/coaxial) (see item 8/9/12) when the input channels are (13) USB, (11) S/PDIF (optical/coaxial).
When the input channel is (10) RCA, outputs are available via (8) balanced 4.4mm and (12) S/PDIF (optical/coaxial) (see item 8/12).
Note: The Note: ZEN Blue 3 supports aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX, LDAC and SBC emitting Bluetooth signals (See item 4).
Please adjust your Bluetooth receiving device to Bluetooth pairing mode and bring your device as close as possible to ZEN Blue 3 (avoid connecting to other Bluetooth products), ZEN Blue 3 will automatically pair and connect your Bluetooth product, if the connection fails, re-adjust ZEN Blue 3 and your Bluetooth product to Bluetooth pairing mode, you can connect it dynamically. (Remarks: The time of successful auto-pairing will be a little different each time).
If the connection keeps failing, please check if ZEN Blue 3 has been paired with other devices or select the reset setting in GAIA APP.
DAC Mode
In DAC mode, the ZEN Blue 3 acts as a D/A converter (when the input channels are (13) USB, (11) S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) and (10) RCA inputs) to connect via (8) Balanced 4.4mm and (9) RCA and (12) S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) (See item 8/9/12) Output.
Note: standard supports up to PCM Bluetooth 96kHz, S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) 192kHz, USB 96kHz.
Input channel selection
Use the button to choose between the following 4 input options:
- Input 1: USB (See item 13)
- Input 2: Coaxia (See item 11)
- Input 3: Optical (See item 11)
- Input 4: RAC (See item 10)
Bluetooth codec and PCM display
The colour of the ‘iFi’ logo in the centre of the front display represents the file format received:
RX Mode
| LED | Format |
| Off | SBC |
| Yellow | AAC |
| Blue | aptX |
| Magenta | aptX HD |
| Green | aptX Adaptive |
| White | aptX Lossless |
| Cyan | LDAC |
| Red | LHDC/HWA |
TX Mode
| LED | Format |
| Off | SBC |
| Blue | aptX |
| Magenta | aptX HD |
| Green | aptX Adaptive |
| White | aptX Lossless |
| Cyan | LDAC |
DAC Mode
| LED | Format |
| White | PCM |
Audio Format LED (kHz)
The LED colour scheme indicates the audio format and sampling frequency received by the ZEN Blue 3 from the music source.
| LED Mode Indicator | |
| Yellow | PCM 44.1/48kHz |
| White | PCM 88.2/96/176.4/192kHz |
TX MODE/LOW LATENCY
RX MODE/DAC MODE:
tapping is invalid
TX MODE:
- In this mode, tap this button to switch the Bluetooth format.
- long press >2s to enter the low latency state of aptX Adaptive/Low Latency.
Bluetooth pairing/LED display ON/OFF
– Bluetooth pairing (long press >3s)
– LED display ON/OFF (Single tap)
Bluetooth Pairing
From switch on, the ZEN Blue 3 will blink blue as it searches for a previously paired device. If a stored device is not found, it will automatically enter pairing mode and blink blue/red.
To enter pairing mode, press and hold the front leftmost button until the ‘Bluetooth mode LED’ is blinking blue/red. To pair, on your handset, look for ‘iFi Lossless Audio’ in the list of available Bluetooth devices.
The ZEN Blue 3 is able to store up to 8 paired Bluetooth devices. When the 9th device is paired, the initially paired Bluetooth device will be removed from the pairing list and you may still need to manually reconnect it when using it.
LED display ON/OFF
Single tap to switch off (4) Bluetooth codec and PCM display and (5) Sampling frequency
LED (kHz) LED.
Balanced 4.4mm analogue line output
This is an analogue output via 4.4mm > XLR or other balanced interconnects. You can use this to connect to active speakers or amplifiers that have a volume control.
RCA analogue line output
This is an analogue output via RCA > RCA or other single-ended interconnects. You can use this to connect to active speakers or amplifiers that have a volume control.
RCA analogue line input
This is an analogue input. Connect an analogue RCA interconnects to an RCA Line output.
S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) input
Connect an S/PDIF source such as Apple TV, Google Chromecast, PS5, Xbox, a high-end CD transport, etc.
S/PDIF (Optical/Coaxial) output
Connect to the DAC or amplifier’ s S/PDIF input.
USB-C audio and power input
This is a USB-C input. It connects ZEN Blue 3 to the computer audio source and provides the power supply.
Antenna
Please attach the enclosed antenna for maximum reception quality.
DC 5V Power Supply Connection
ZEN Blue 3 is powered by 5 volts, either via the enclosed USB-A to USB-C cable (for connection to laptop or PC) or DC power supply (not included).
DC 5V Power LED
The LED lights up when powered from a DC 5V supply.
SPECIFICATIONS:
