The iFi Zen stream is a fantastic bit of kit. This video is a bit of an introduction to streamers and digital sources in general and how they can make a difference.
If you’d like to see full measurements of the Zen Stream I posted them previously here: https://goldensound.audio/2021/07/22/ifi-zen-stream-measurements/
The Zen Stream can be purchased here: https://headphones.com/products/ifi-audio-zen-stream
Nice job! I was an earlier adopter of the ZEN Stream back in 2021. The product had a rocky start with faulty SMPS units and flakey firmware, but it’s been solid for nearly a year now. It’s been my most consistently recommended Roon endpoint device…especially given that Raspberry Pi boards have been unavailable in the US.
Can you please describe the symptoms of the SMPS in your environment? Was the SMPS iPower 9V?
Yes. SMPS that it came with my ZEN Stream was 9V, but I measured 6.5V with nothing connected. Over a period of about 20 minutes, the voltage would slowly drop from 6.5V to 5.5V.
The ZEN Stream would boot up okay initially, but once the voltage dropped too low, it would crash. Puzzling at first, but the reason became clear once I measured the output of the supplied power adapter. iFi replaced it with a new 12 V iPower; however, I’m using a 9V iPower X that I bought myself, and I’ve had no issues.
Holo Red :red_square: – we are waiting very much
Hoping you can clarify something about streaming via UPnP. Does this unit (and Holo Red) require a music player such as Foobar, JRiver, Audirvana, in order to play music? Can I simply stream directly from my NAS using MinimServer like I do with my ultraRendu and control it with something like Linn Kazoo? Thanks!
I looked at your previous measurement of noise but only SPDIF was measured. Any chance you might have also tested the USB out?
Thanks
Deric
Would you be reviewing the iFi Neo Stream anytime soon? Would be good to see how its measurements compare to the Zen!