iFi Audio NEO Stream

The Neo Stream is the current flagship streamer from iFi, and is sold for $1299 MSRP. The Stream is a significant upgrade over their previous Zen Stream device and this review unit was sent to me directly from iFi to take a look at.

The Neo Stream comes in an all-aluminum metal chassis, and in a relatively small package. It's larger than the Zen series, but is significantly smaller than a traditional audio component, and takes up about 30% of the space of my Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE DAC or Holo Bliss headphone amplifiers, which are the traditional ~17 x ~12 inch width sizes of normal full-sized audio devices.

The Neo Stream is meant to be a desktop device, and can be placed horizontal with included feet, or placed vertically with a base stand included in the box. For most of my testing, it made the most sense to place it horizontally on top of my Holo system, but for many, the vertical stack on the desk may provide the best space savings, and it would fit neatly next to a desktop speaker. It also pairs perfectly with the Neo iDSD or iDSD 2 all-in-one DAC & Headphone Amp, as they use the same chassis design.

Input/Output​

The front of the device has a small display screen on the left side that can display album art and information, as well as displays the menu and options. The center of the front panel has a large multi-functional knob that controls volume and scrolling through menu options. On the right side are a menu button and a power button, as well as a USB-C input.



The back of the device has a large array of input/output options. For inputs, there is an additional USB-A input, and ethernet connector. There is also an optical to ethernet adapter in the box as well for those who want to use this functionality. In addition, there is an included Wi-Fi antenna, which is my preferred option for input signal.

On the output end, I2S (HDMI), S/PDIF (Toslink and Coaxial) as well as AES/EBU outputs are available. There is also a USB-A output to DAC included too.

Finally, this NeoStream also has a custom DAC built-in that can also output via traditional stereo RCA and a 4.4mm output for those who want balanced output. Most users who use this option will need a 4.4mm to dual XLR 3-Pin cable to connect to your speakers or amplifiers.

Device Usage​

For my configuration, I used wireless Wifi to send data from my Roon Core server to this device, or via my iPad using Tidal Connect or Airplay 2. There is also option for Spotify Connect and DNLA. The Neo Stream was connected to my Holo Spring 3 KTE DAC using I2S connection, and also directly to my Holo Bliss Headphone Amplifier using 4.4mm to XLR balanced connectors. I connected directly to see how the internal DAC performed, but more on this later.

The initial setup of the device was fairly straight forward, as long as you follow the manual. Once you plug it in and power it on, you'll want to move the menu option to enable the Hot Spot mode. This allows you to connect your computer, phone or tablet, to the Neo Stream's internal hotspot network. Once there, you can assess the setup page in your browser and configure it to connect to your wireless network.



After that, I was able to quickly find the streamer on my Roon software without any additional work. This device is Roon Ready, so that makes it a breeze.

Sound Quality​

For sound impressions, I tried the Neo Stream in both digital and analog output. In the first scenario, my Roon Server sent music via wifi to the iFi device, and I used I2S to send to my Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE, and from there, it was XLR to the Holo Audio Bliss headphone amplifier to my Hifiman Susvara. That's a lot of H's and I's in one paragraph!

I turned on Nanna's How to Start a Garden record from 2023, and right away, I was impressed by the clarity and slightly forward sound of the Of Monsters and Men vocalist. Nanna's voice was delicate and resolving, and the Icelandic vocalist's breathiness was captured quite well in this setup. I wouldn't have expected less, as I would prefer to have as transparent of a sound as possible from a streamer who's job was to only to be a digital transport.

I enabled Group mode in Roon with the Spring 3 on USB and also connected to the Neo Stream and swapped back and forth between inputs to see if I could hear any significant or appreciable differences between with and without the digital streamer.




The one thing that caught my eye was the trailing end of each line of lyric on "Disaster Master," my favorite track on this record. The Neo Streamer has just a touch of a brighter edge to these notes, and a generally brighter tonality throughout. It's subtle, and perhaps borders on the sibilance if given the right track, but this provides that sense of clarity to the track.

The rest of the tonal curve seemed fairly inline with and without the streamer in the chain.

Interestingly enough, these trailing high "spots" didn't seen to present itself when I swapped to analog out -- sending signal from the Streamer through its built-in DAC to my Holo Bliss headphone amplifier, bypassing the Spring 3 altogether.

In this configuration, it seemed less bright than having it connected through the DAC, but it lacked the depth and felt a little smaller in stage than with the R2R Spring 3 KTE in the picture. This felt very much clean and neutral, with a slight touch of warmth and body that I believe the Holo Bliss provides.

Comparing this to a normal DAC such as the SMSL DO300SE that I use primarily at work, or any number of dongles I have at home, I find the sound output from the Neo Stream DAC to be resolving and well-tuned and balanced as a neutral player. It doesn't sound as bright as some of circa 2020-2021 iFi products which I disliked, but has a sound that is more aligned with their recent offerings which are neutral but not too bright.

Wrap-Up​

In my current setup, which is a bit more unique than others with an R-2R DAC in the chain, I find the Neo Stream added a tad of brightness to the system that was not present when I went directly to the amplifier itself. This was a bit strange, since I don't hear this same brightness without the Neo Stream, but that could just be a setup synergy thing too.

The Neo Stream was fairly easy to setup and operate, and is well-built. The screen is a tad small for my taste, and I wish this device came with a remote, as it operates kind of clunky through the front panel knob and buttons.

Other than that, it's provides strong clarity, and neutral tonality, and has a ton of input/output features that makes anyone deep into digital audio a very happy person with many choices.

𝙄𝙁𝙄 𝘼𝙐𝘿𝙄𝙊 𝙉𝙀𝙊 𝙎𝙏𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙈 𝘿𝘼𝘾

I must admit that writing a DAC review in 2023 is not easy . There is lots of competition out there , the market is full of products with various features and in various price categories .

So what's so special about the IFI audio company???? Well IFI audio actually listens to its clients and builds audio gear we as customers want to see in the market .
Enter Ifi audio Neo streamer , Dac and streamer rold in one . And mind you what you get is an equally good design dac and very good streamer. The ifi team made sure that none of its elements are afterthought. This is a well executed product .

Just look at the back of the unit and you will know that you got a solid product in your hands.

absolutely everything you will ever need and more in the way of SC optical input and m12 type connection if required. Of course there is RJ45 to complete the array of ethernet connections .
Well you will see above that there is no usb B connection it is because you connect to Neo stream via network and this is the best way to do it anyway.

2 usb connections are to connect your music on hdd or use other usb A as digital output to another dac if you wish to use that way.( USB output is marked for audio use and uses ANC technology)

Although space on the back is limited, IFI still provides balanced connection on the 4.4 mm connector for greater flexibility. One thing is missing is espresso maker hahahahaha

It's worth mentioning that Ifi audio includes an OPTI box which attaches to your router via rj45 and sends signal to NEO Streamer via optical cable so you are fully covered .

I personally used Neo Stream with my Elac active studio monitors and custom tube preamplifier which prove to be a great company for each other .

I played my music from HDD straight from NEO STREAM without a computer but of course i tested AUDIRVANA also. Listen to Qubuz from my android phone using the Mconnect app. The truth is it does not matter how you use it just works and quickly you can enjoy your favorite tunes .
I had it set to various ethernet protocols so I could easily switch between Qubuz ,Apple music and Spotify without problem. You can access all settings from a web browser on a MAC easily and adjust settings accordingly to your needs . I use an old mac air so it was nice to see that you can adjust buffer size and percentage of track to be preloaded which allowed me to stream upsampled tracks to dsd 128 or 256 without problem. Normally my old MAC can struggle with that task .

On the technical side you have here various configurations to choose from you can even use NEO as dedicated streamer if you wish ( i did just that and works as intended)

Well how NEO actually sounds it might depend on your amplifier and speakers ( synergy is a key here ) so my impressions refer to my own setup .

As it was with its brother Neo Stream sounds fantastic. It is a clean resolving dac without being analytical or overly aggressive . In fact it has a very involving and inviting type of sound signature . It allows you to just sit down and relax and get lost in music . It just works well with my system even without a tube preamplifier that sound signature is very apparent.
The Soundstage is well defined with great separation. All instruments have their own place but they are all connected at the same time into one coherent piece .

As I said before, reviewing DAC is quite daunting since there are lots of other elements that can influence the sound you hear . So when I listened to NEO , it's presentation was well balanced, nothing aggressive, no part of the spectrum jumps at you, it is all presented in a beautiful cohesive way which draws you into the music in a very addictive manner . This is the best way I can describe music I can hear through NEO. Music is an emotion which sometimes is difficult to describe in simple words. There are plenty of emotions while listening to Neo stream and that is what counts. If a piece of equipment connects you to music ,makes you want to listen more, allows you to relax and not to analyse music all the time , it is a trait of a great piece of equipment .

Nothing is perfect and Neo stream is no different. Application provided by Ifia audio (more accurately web browser ) which controle DAC is ok but it's not going to replace ROON OR AUDIRVANA anytime soon . A Lot of my albums were missing artwork and the general appearance of the software is crude for 2023. Obviously all this can be addressed by an update and I hope ifi will work on that. This is the only thing I can think of that detracts from otherwise fantastic products with sound quality which can go against big boys on the market.

I would like to say thank you to the IFi audio team, especially Ricardo Anton for continuously allowing me to spend some time with Ifi products.

thank you until next time

A Jack of most trades

Introduction

iFi Audio is a company that specializes in various types of audio gear, such as: home audio, portable audio, power, cables, and accessories. The company has created a device that is a Jack of all trades, and is very good for those who want a highly capable music streamer. This music streamer is called the NEO Stream.

Versatile connections​

Inputs

• Dual-band Wi-Fi reception (2.4GHz and 5GHz) with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac support
• Gigabit Ethernet (LAN) – 1x RJ45; 1x M12; 1x Optical LAN (see below for more information)
• 2x USB-A (USB2.0 and SuperSpeed USB3.0 supported)
• 1x USB-C system update port (OTA – Over The Air – updates also available)

Outputs

• Analogue – 1x stereo RCA; 1x 4.4mm balanced
• Ultra-res digital (PCM 768kHz, DSD512) – 1x HDMI-I2S; 1x USB-A (USB3.0)
• Hi-res S/PDIF digital (PCM 192kHz) – 1x optical; 1x coaxial; 1x AES/EBU

NEO setup…​

The NEO was not the easiest to set up, but that could have been because I didn’t read the manual in its entirety to play everything that I wanted to. The main issue at first was that I had no way to choose USB output, as the options on the interface was “Analog”, “Digital”, and nothing else. The quick start pamphlet specifically showed USB output as an option, but after trying various ways to get USB output to show, it never showed. The only way for me to utilize USB output, was to go through the iFi Audio application (thanks to Wayne at The Source AV in Torrance for suggesting that option), and going through that process after a micro SD card was inserted with an adapter into the USB-C port.

Here's an excerpt from hypethesonics.com (minihype - it's been published for a few months):

The iFi NEO Stream measured with a Df-histogram median of -46.2 decibels. (Less is better, with -∞ being a perfect score.)



What We Think

The iFi NEO Stream is an interesting and comprehensive box of streaming tricks, but might not be for everyone. The NEO Stream uses either wired or wireless ethernet, is Roon-ready, capable of streaming from DNLA, Spotify, Tidal (with MQA decoding), Qobuz, and also supports local playback from an attached USB drive. However, it has some issues to be aware of. The manual is pretty spartan and makes no mention at all of the (absolutely essential) smartphone app. The NEO Stream can take a very long time to process the files on an attached USB drive and it's not possible to browse by folders before this scan is completed. Analog sound quality is only average, and its output impedance via the rear 4.4 mm pentacon socket is an unbelievably-high 70 Ohms, so we'd conclude this device is best used for either digital output (to a separate DAC) or for causal streaming to room speakers, not for direct/critical listening via headphones.

Is it Worth the Hype?

For the right user, it might be.

Overall Thoughts

Once the connections were secure, the streamer worked as intended. Even though it might not be the most perfect application for my needs, I can see how it is a very versatile and powerful music streamer.

Price: $1,299 USD