iFi audio NEO Stream - Sweet Streams!

I'd have to ask about that, but IIRC this should be doable.

 

Question for you @iFi audio : How does the volume control on the Neo Stream operate? Does it throw away bits? I might try to use the Neo Stream as a digital pre in a small system.

Edit: (Or, I guess I should say, does the Neo Stream volume control do anything to prevent audible degradation, as I'm aware that a lot of (all?) digital volume control solutions involve reducing bits.)

Btw, the inclusion of the optical converter box, which I'd taken for a remote at first (for some reason), is a really nice touch.

 

NEO Stream attenuates volume via a resistor ladder inside a chip, so in the analog domain.

Thanks! We always try going the extra mile on utilities and that converter box REALLY should be used with NEO Stream

 

@iFi audio Thanks for the reply, and, yup, I'm incorporating the optical converter box in my chain now.

I was wrong a few posts up about the quick start materials not including the web address to set up the unit. I've also figured out a few other usability questions and discovered that setting the unit to All-In-One lets me use Roon and Spotify Connect interchangeably/on-the-fly. (In Roon Ready mode, Spotify doesn't seem to play well with the Neo Stream.)

One new quirk, however: In All-in-One mode, every time I come back to Spotify, the Neo Stream has forgotten to set the volume at maximum, and I have to go into my web browser and go to Settings and switch mixer type from "software" to "none." Saving this setting doesn't really make it an ongoing change, as it reverts to software volume every time I come back to Spotify with each listening session.

Any way of fixing this or something I'm missing?


Finally, I'm curious if you can tell us which DAC you have in the Neo Stream? Is it the same as the Neo iDSD? As the Zen DAC?

My chain is a little on the soft side. Do any of the DAC filter settings have more "slam" or "heft" than the others?

Thanks again.

 

The iFi Zen Stream might be a better choice if you're worried about money. It's cheaper at $399 vs $1299 for the iFi Neo Stream.

iFi website, SBAF thread

 

Yes I will post that in appropriate thread, misfire I though this was the zen stream thread haha

 

Yeah, I'd +1 @ilikebananafudge_

I think the reasons to get the Neo Stream are:

1) optical input if you have nervosa about data stream
2) built-in DAC (I'm not sure which DAC in iFi line-up; queried above)

Can't help on local file indexing, I'm afraid. Think the Zen does it fine?

 

+ I2S HDMI output

I'm enjoying mine with Rockna Wavedream, but there's small drop outs every few minutes. Not sure if it's the DAC re-synchronizing (buffer underrun) or if it's the NEO stream itself.
I think the sound is more articulated and more "saturated" than the Pi2 Mercury v1 + LPS-1.2, but the latter is great, too, and also much cheaper.

 

That's true about the I2S, though I'm just using the internal DAC at the moment.

Which I really don't have a bead on, for lack of anything to currently compare it to in my between-homes set-up. I suspect it of being a little soft sounding.

Generally speaking, I'm more or less happy with the Neo as a streamer, though I might not rec it at full price (I got a deal on mine). Whether through firmware updates or me tweaking my internet connection, it's more stable than it was at first.

 

Based on current trend in market more and more manufacturer will be coming up with fiber optic input in the streamer however with a pair of FMC, optic cable , 5v LPS and short UTP anyone can put it in their chain with existing streamer at a low cost.

 

Yeah, I tried that into my Lumin U1 Mini. Can't say I heard a difference or an improvement. Hence my note about nervosa above. Not necessarily discounting the possibility of improvements along this route. I just didn't in this particular context. But the Neo, for better or worse, let's you do it with a few less wires.

 

Can you say any more about this? I'm somewhat interested (to use with Wavedream) in anything that's a step up from the PI2AES but isn't $6000.

 

Thanks. Quite a few people have found the DAC circuit inside NEO Stream as a 'sleeper' utility that sounds positively surprising. Perhaps partially because it was considered as just one of those extras thrown in there on top of the core function of the product. So every time I see feedback about that DAC being useful, well, I smile

 

Just a follow-up on this @iFi audio

So, are you saying that the internal DAC on the Neo Stream is equivalent to... what, the Zen DACs?

Is there any advantage in adding the Neo DAC to the chain? I see that both it and the Stream use a Burr-Brown chipset. Is it the same chip? Thanks.

 

NEO Stream users...

There is a new firmware update available. V 2.16.6 This update brings Apple Airplay 2 to the NEO Stream.

Download and install using the Stream-iFi app or thru your local browser interface.

Enjoy,

Cheers!!

 

Another write-up on the NEO Stream...

Excellent NEO Stream reviews keep on coming! Here's the latest from leading independent audio-focused media brand HiFi PiG, which awards our excellent network streamer the full 'five hearts'!

Here's a quote: "It packs in a lot of proprietary tech to offer up one of the best-sounding streamers on the market... it was the sound that captivated me and left me wanting to listen to the music, not analyze it"

https://www.hifipig.com/ifi-neo-stream/

Cheers!!

 

Congratulations to the NEO Stream for winning an EISA award this year!!




https://eisa.eu/awards/ifi-audio-neo-stream/

We are very proud to say that this is our 6th EISA award in 10 years!!

And Thank You to all of you for your support!

Cheers!!

 

Thought I would share this here...

The NEO family has got a special deal running right now, Check it out here...

https://ifi-audio.com/products/neo-idsd-meze-99-neo-bundle/

Cheers

 

@iFi audio are there any plans to add Qobuz Connect support for the Neo Stream?

I've been using Qobuz for over a year, but after getting a Neo Stream I'm wondering if it would make more sense to switch to Tidal.