iFi audio ZEN Stream

While I think this should get its own thread to not pollute the Zen Stream’s, I should mention that the xMEM IEMs I heard at CanJam SoCAL were really promising!
The company had put their transducer in 3D printed enclosures and needed a special amplifier (probably for bias voltage?) and some EQ to sound right (which they let the users play with).
It was a really cool demo.

 

That's correct, yup. xMEMs need specific bias voltage to get going.

 

The iFi Audio Zen Stream has made The Abso!ute Sounds "2023 Best Music Servers under $10,000 List!!!"

Check out the article here...

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/2023-editors-choice-best-music-servers-under-10000/

Cheers!!

 

would love a comparison between the zen stream and mercury, has anyone done this

 

@GoldenOne has a review of the mercury V1 and the ifi zen stream on his web site.

 

I am not clear if I can easily stream Quboz ? Thats who I listen to
best,
Josh

 

Can I stream Quboz without additional software?
best,
Josh

 

Personally, I’m using Roon to play Qobuz to my Zen Stream via HQPlayer, used to play directly via Roon before I had the latter—and never tried anything else, so the following options are just theoretical, but should work:

• If you’re using the Qobuz app on your computer, playing to the UPNP input of the Zen Stream should work. (Doesn’t work with the mobile apps, though.)
  
• With an Apple phone or tablet, you can use AirPlay with the Qobuz app, though with the inherent limitations of AirPlay, i.e. 48/24 max.
• Not exactly “no additional software”, but with BubbleUPNP on an Android device or mconnect on an Apple device, you can stream Qobuz to the UPNP input of the Zen Stream. Also, HQPlayer can be used without Roon to stream Qobuz to the NAA input of the Zen Stream, too. And, of course, Roon works flawlessly.

Bottom line: It’s about time for the long-rumoured Qobuz Connect to finally appear.

 

At the moment there is no Qobuz Connect they are working on this feature. So you must use a third-party software for Qobuz and Zen Stream to work.

MConnect is very effective and the Lite version is free to try. and the paid version is very inexpensive.

Cheers!!

 

I picked up an ifi zen stream on ebay to replace a failed allo usbridge sig player for my USB only dac. I read all the stuff earlier in the thread about off brand power bricks being supplied in all but the first 1k units, but mine came with an Uptone Audio 7.5v brick, which is below the 9v-15v requirement listed on the back of the unit and in the documentation.

Is a 7.5v brick going to power this? or do I need to go back to the seller and complain?

----edit----
I found a spare 12v supply and am currently using it, but would still like to know about the 7.5v
---edit2----
Question - it seems like the zen stream can output to either the SPDIF or the USB, but not both (eg., I can't hook the USB to one dac and the SPDIF to another)... unless I go into the zen stream web page settings and manually switch the audio playback settings... which causes the thing to restart... which fouls up the audio settings in roon (I have to re-enable the device). Is there any possible way to have the zen stream output to both without the gymnastics?
----edit3----
Also found that I can't set the switch on the back of the zen stream to Roon Ready exclusive because it then locks out the web interface (which I need to use to switch the output devices).
----edit4----
@iFi audio , can either the edit2 & edit3 limitations be addressed in a future firmware update? Or are these hardware limitations?
-----edit5-----
took awhile, but finally found a link to the UpTone-branded 7.5V/4.8A/36W SMPS that was sent with the ifi zen I purchased. It faked me out into thinking it was an LPS, but it appears that its an SMPS that ships with one of Uptone's LPS's. Apparently this internally shunts to ground... so it's not a standards SMPS... not sure if that's good or bad for this use case or if it needs to be used specifically with Uptone's LPS. All input/advice welcome

 

Yeah Uptone's supercap-based LPSes (LPS-1 & 2) came with I think a Meanwell SMPS to charge them that they said was better than average or whatever to stave off nervosa. I've underpowered a number of devices voltage-wise (you never want to do this amperage-wise, obviously, but 4.8A I'd think is plenty for something like the Zen Stream) by give or take two to three volts, but they've all been stuff I haven't cared about much (network switch, that kind of thing) and not expensive audio gear, so unsure what to advise. It might be fine. If the seller sent it to you you would think they used it with the unit, but you could also just buy another Meanwell SMPS or a chi-fi LPS or whatever if you feel anxious about it.

 

In my limited experience with both Volumio and moOde, both seem to require MPD to restart to switch output between USB and COAX (COAX meaning all outputs that aren't USB, such as RCA connector, BNC, AES/EBU - these all play, but USB does not until the MPD restart). This was true on my allo usbridge signature, which I originally purchased with COAX and USB. This was the same on my zen stream. Heck, even Urd does either USB or COAX (RCA and AES/EBU output).

Maybe someone with more intimate knowledge of the inner workings of what has to happen on the streamer to output COAX vs USB can explain, but I just don't think you can output USB and COAX simultaneously, at least in my experience.

 

Hmm... Mercury could, but I got the zen because I want to move the Mercury and because the USB from the zen sounds cleaner/less harsh than the USB from the Mercury (as expected, Mercury USB is Compute based and similar to USB straight from a RPi).

To clarify, I'm not really looking for simultaneous output (ie., I only use one dac at a time). But I would like to be able to see both the spdif and USB in roon and set them both up without having to go back to zen settings, restart the zen, and then go back to roon settings to reenable everytime I want to use the other dac.