The NEO and The Zen Stream…
At this point we have come to a head-to-head battle of the NS and ZS, the purpose was to see whether one delivers a better streaming sound/experience over the other. What follows is what was used for the test that I put together over the course of two days. I have had the Zen Stream since June of 2021, and the NEO since October of this year.
After some thought and feedback from members The equipment I used here will hopefully give a fair insight into what both of these fantastic units will bring to your system.
Equipment used:
iFi Audio ZEN Stream
iFi Audio NEO Stream w/Optibox
Denafrips Ares II
Geshelli Labs Archel 2.5XL
The streamers were connected using Wireworld Ultraviolet Coaxial cables direct to the two inputs of the Ares II to allow for easy switching. Roon was used because of the ability to output to two zones simultaneously, and all music came from Qobuz in their original sample rate. I did not list headphones as I used many including IEMs, some are listed in my signature. The output of the Ares II was XLR direct to the Geshelli. Both the NS and the ZS were using a wired ethernet connection.
General thoughts…
Both of these streamers offer a solid streaming experience over and above a direct PC connection. Both of these streamers deliver solid performance, are there hiccups or glitches occasionally in both, yes of course, and honestly I haven’t owned a streamer or PC/MAC that didn’t have the occasional snafu, be it the streamer itself or the streaming service or the actual network in use. I think we can all agree that simply sometimes there are just inconsistencies, nothing is perfect… nothing.
My thoughts…
The differences between these two streamers are immense, that is in terms of the Units themselves, one is a basic unit, and one is a “full-blown tricked out” unit offering extensively more outputs and features over the other. There is such a difference between these two that it is almost unfair to compare one to the other in terms of what they offer and on top of that one is 3x the price! This to me overall, is not fair and may lead to unfair opinions, much like we have seen with the new “Hockey Puck” that came on the market and the “It’s Bit-perfect” mantra that has many posters saying anything else is a waste of money! I never understood this mentality, and try to avoid it as much as I can, ie it’s your money, make your own decisions. If you hear no difference, it does not mean that someone else might not hear one, perhaps they have better ears, better amps, better cans, better systems overall, and of course, we all have differences in hearing.
What I hear…
As most know I am a huge supporter of the ZS and have been so since its release and I will always be an advocate. For me, the ZS is the best entry into the “Audiophile” tier of the streaming sector. I came from direct PC/MAC connections, From Napster to Roon, and from USB to 10MHZ “World Clocks” and DDCs so I humbly say I have seen and heard quite a bit, and nothing impressed me in terms of what it brought to the table as the ZS did.
But I must say that the NEO has notched itself slightly higher in the sound quality department, and I believe that this is brought on by growing tech in the isolation and signal path. I believe the inclusion of the Optibox optical isolation included with the NS, and in additional inclusion of the iPower X series as the power base for it, is a big part of where the advantage comes from. There are technologies from iFi included in both the ZS and the NS, but the aforementioned tech is part of the NS package.
Some of the advantages of the NEO over the ZS are audible in the form of perceived soundstage, and this advantage is not always immediately noticeable. If you are listening to “busy” music it is not going to be as apparent at first, but in more meticulously recorded, lighter fair “at times” can be more than obvious. The spacing around instruments, the “room”, and the feel of that well-recorded bass track are all enhanced on the NEO Stream, just a few notches above the ZEN Stream. In essence, it is that next step on the ladder just above the other, I guess it would depend on how long your legs are, and how big that step seems to you.
As an example Track, 2 “Dance of The Knights” on Gautier Capucon's “Sensations” in the first minute of the track the Snare drum musings on the ZS were Left/Center while on the NS they were clearly more to the left, with a fairly substantial better sense of space/Room around it than on the ZS. This is just an example of things that I perceived, but there were numerous instances of this type during my listening, leading me to believe that in terms of music presentation and the feeling of “Being in the Room” would seem to be easier to have with the NEO stream over the Zen Stream.
Final Thoughts…
For my money, and in all honesty, the 400-dollar Zen Stream will give most just about the best “sounding” streaming that you can get in that price range. Yes, I believe streamers can have a “sound” and I believe I have heard it. In hindsight I never liked the sound my Cambridge CXN V2 gave me, which led me to various Raspberry Pi’s, and many other pieces of equipment until I got the ZS and for me, there was a night and day difference. I believe even as I write this that the NEO Stream brings me closer to what I had in the aesthetics and form factor of the Cambridge, while also elevating the sound I had with the ZS, so for me it’s a winner, and the one I am sticking with. I am also keeping my ZS for other listening areas.
Whether or not the NEO Stream is a superior unit to the Zen Stream the answer for me and my needs/wants is an emphatic yes! Whether it brings the same thing for you can only be decided by you trying it. I was lucky enough to have some other equipment that gave me the ability to more or less compare them directly and at the same time from the same source at the same time, many won’t have that, and I am thankful to have it, and I am also thankful to you for taking the time to read this.
Cheers!!
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