I’ve never found the auto update to work at all to be honest. I’ve had to switch to AIO mode and update manually. If you want to update to the beta, you can browse to ifi.local/dev and click on the “enable” button under the beta option. The screen will almost imperceptibly flash. Then browse back to ifi.local and run the update again under the system settings tab.
Wow, that seemed really uncalled for. Whether I’m incorrect about the issue, whether I didn’t convey what I meant to say adequately, or whether you misunderstood my post—I don’t appreciate the tone of your response or the implication that I’m uninformed about the topic.
It sounds perfect! As a micro computer it’ll transport every bit as well as your PC. If you only want a streamer and don’t care about DSD522, go with the Zen Stream. If you want to uuto dsd512, then get the ZS.
You are right, for DSD512 (and even 1024), it is possible with a compatible dac and a simple RPI4.
Have done the Beta update, lets see how it does.
I am glad you got a chance to try it out, maybe it's iFi "House Sound" or maybe it's the NEO itself, but it has become obvious to me in what I am looking for in the sound profile is given to me completely by the NEO Stream and it's internal DAC, and If I ever find something in terms of a DAC that I think is better, I have plenty of digital outs to connect it!!
I respectfully disagree with the comparison to the V2, if I had to pick another "DAC" from the iFi stable I would say it's closer to the Diablo in terms of its "sound signature"Well, I found its DAC section somewhere at the level of ZEN DAC Signature v2...I did not expect any magic here...
NS is a very capable streamer first of all, I think.
I agree that it may work if you don't have any stand-alone DAC at home.
I doubt that it can compete with a good `1000 USD desktop DAC...It could not compete with Composer 3XP, not at all...
So, I would be happy if ifi drop the DAC section in NS completely and make it as a pure streamerlet's say 300 USD less in price)
I have a V2 paired with the Zen Stream and like the sound of it through the Hegel H120 (with speakers and headphones). I like the tonal balance, its full, yet not congested, sound. Overall, I'd say it's pleasant, sounds natural and true to the music, especially acoustic music. But, has you've said, no offense taken. On the contrary, I'm always curious about possible improvements and these kind of comments are very useful in that regard. I don't have enough money to spend in useless upgrades and there's so many new DACs coming to the market nowadays that one gets lost with so much noise and brands. So, at the moment I ask myself: "should I sell the Zen Stream + V2 rig and buy the Neo, or would I be better just replacing the V2 by a better DAC, say the NEO iDSD, or something else at around that price point?". The NEO Stream is not exactly cheap, if you already own other equipment and are thinking about an upgrade. My rational self tells me that sticking to separates is the way to go, given the astonishing pace at which these digital devices are evolving and changing, but I'm reading so much good comments about the Neo Stream that I'm starting to question my rational side. As a matter of fact, the deep rational mind is telling me "do nothing and just enjoy the music with what you have now, after all it sounds great and all these novel gear will look old a year from now".
If I were in your situation I would hopefully find someone nearby who maybe you could get a listen to the NS, or if you had some reliable place to purchase with say a 30 day no questions asked return policy, then that would give you an opportunity to listen to the NEO before making any big changes.I have a V2 paired with the Zen Stream and like the sound of it through the Hegel H120 (with speakers and headphones). I like the tonal balance, its full, yet not congested, sound. Overall, I'd say it's pleasant, sounds natural and true to the music, especially acoustic music. But, has you've said, no offense taken. On the contrary, I'm always curious about possible improvements and these kind of comments are very useful in that regard. I don't have enough money to spend in useless upgrades and there's so many new DACs coming to the market nowadays that one gets lost with so much noise and brands. So, at the moment I ask myself: "should I sell the Zen Stream + V2 rig and buy the Neo, or would I be better just replacing the V2 by a better DAC, say the NEO iDSD, or something else at around that price point?". The NEO Stream is not exactly cheap, if you already own other equipment and are thinking about an upgrade. My rational self tells me that sticking to separates is the way to go, given the astonishing pace at which these digital devices are evolving and changing, but I'm reading so much good comments about the Neo Stream that I'm starting to question my rational side. As a matter of fact, the deep rational mind is telling me "do nothing and just enjoy the music with what you have now, after all it sounds great and all these novel gear will look old a year from now".
Yes it seems to have taken care of any dropouts I was having as well, although for me they were pretty infrequent it's still nice to see some progress on any issues we were having.
Well, I was not impressed by Diablo as a pure DAC either...again this is in comparison with a 1100+ USD desktop DAC on the ESS chip.
