[rwelles]

Everything else is junk.

Since you're posting in the ZS thread, I'm assuming you've owned one at some point.

Bold statements require substantial explanation. Please expound further.

 

[Thetaburn]

The best products ifi makes are the Zen Blue Bluetooth, and the power supplies. Everything else is junk.

Zen Stream is not junk territory.
IF you can get it working, the product is quite good.

Issue is getting to work and making it work consistently....lol

 

[SHXMD]

Sounds like trolling to me…

 

[yaps66]

Zen Stream is not junk territory.
IF you can get it working, the product is quite good.

Issue is getting to work and making it work consistently....lol

+1. Fortunately, I no longer have issues for over a year and it works well. I have either Roon or iFi app streaming music through the Zen Stream into the Topping D70s into a pair of Swan speakers. Previously, when I replaced the Topping D70s with a Musician Pegasus R2R Dac, it caused all sorts of issues and I wanted to return it. Thankfully I had the D70s lying around and decided to try it.

 

[Lvivske]

For the issue I mentioned the other day, after a bunch more testing, it really only goes out on the first track of an (Airplay) listening session (otherwise I've seen the play counter go on for hours without hitch). But more interestingly, I noticed my DAC displays its lost the signal lock on the Zen when this happens, despite Airplay never losing connection on my laptop's end

buffer is set to max fwiw

btw I also got a USB cable today to try out that and this started happening on my first song:
https://imgur.com/a/PDxtTfw

audio crackling / cutting out randomly, for long enough that I was able to record video. I since rebooted everything involved and made it 2 tracks without any issue so....I'll keep testing

 

[iFi audio]

For the issue I mentioned the other day, after a bunch more testing, it really only goes out on the first track of an (Airplay) listening session (otherwise I've seen the play counter go on for hours without hitch). But more interestingly, I noticed my DAC displays its lost the signal lock on the Zen when this happens, despite Airplay never losing connection on my laptop's end

buffer is set to max fwiw

btw I also got a USB cable today to try out that and this started happening on my first song:
https://imgur.com/a/PDxtTfw

audio crackling / cutting out randomly, for long enough that I was able to record video. I since rebooted everything involved and made it 2 tracks without any issue so....I'll keep testing

The connection from the Zen to DAC is USB I assume, does the same thing happen when using Spdif?

Curious...

Cheers!!

 

[Lvivske]

The connection from the Zen to DAC is USB I assume, does the same thing happen when using Spdif?

Curious...

Cheers!!

the audio momentarily cutting out early in a session was more prevalent on spdif, the separate issue in the video where it got super choppy was via USB and has happened twice (so several days apart)

 

[iFi audio]

the audio momentarily cutting out early in a session was more prevalent on spdif, the separate issue in the video where it got super choppy was via USB and has happened twice (so several days apart)

Gotcha,

I would take a moment to report it to support when you have time, as perhaps they may be able to direct you further on this topic.

https://support.ifi-audio.com/

Cheers!!

 

[iFi audio]

For all Zen Stream/Roon users...

It was mentioned to me earlier today that "Early Access" Roon folks have got the "Tidal Max" update, meaning no more MQA on the Zen.

Hopefully, our update will be not far away for those Non-Roon users to have the correct access to "Max FLAC".

Cheers!!

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

I believe the official release of Roon Update was today, this now officially supports "Tidal Max" so for Zen stream users wishing for no more MQA, at least for now if you are a Roon user you won't see this.

Hopefully, our update will be not far away.

Cheers!!

 

[DancingSea]

I'm selling my Zen Stream/ iFi Elite combo here on HeadFi. Price is negotiable...

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/ifi-zen-stream-ifi-elite-12v-power-supply.62167/

 

[Lvivske]

Going to write this mashup review/comparison of my experience going from the Wiim Pro to the iFi Zen Stream here, and try to summarize my notes after headphone testing (the dac used is my VMV D1, my current fav)

Wiim Pro coax vs Toslink outputs​

I ran both optical and coaxial outputs into a spdif converter and back into my DAC, with the internal clock mode disabled so any issues in jitter or w/e wouldn't be corrected.

• Ultimately I found the toslink output, once converted or passed thru, to be mostly the same, so my DAC didn't care much which input it was receiving from that same source, but I slightly preferred coax (by a hair, which may have been placebo it was so slight)
• However, I did find an immediate difference when using the coax output. Coax had a wider soundstage, smoother, and slightly better impact, while converting that same coax output to toslink was harsher while retaining the soundstage that beat the Wiim's toslink output. I'll chalk this up to implementation, since jitter is known to measure equally, but it is a cheaper device.
• Wiim's internal clock was always worse than letting my DAC reclock the signal, which immediately made the sound crisper with more detail, and the stock Wiim presented as softer and less resolving, almost compressed. I'll chalk this up to jitter. I always stuck to reclocked mode when using the Wiim, no question.

• TLDR; Wiim optical output was a sort of bottleneck, coax much better, and the Wiim's internal clock was noticeably worse than my DAC's 100Mhz reclocked signal

I then bought the iFi Zen Stream to compare

iFi Zen Stream, coax and USB outputs:​

• Zen Stream's coax output, with iPurifier tech built in (which reclocks to 10Mhz, among other marketed features) has better separation and a realistic "ASMR-like" presence on the soundstage, when compared to the DAC's reclocked signal. This was impressive and showed how important it is to get the source right rather than need to fix it downstream.
• I then tried the USB output, allowing my DAC to sync with the Zen's clock. Unfortunately it was too cumbersome to do any hot swapping (quick toggling) so had to make some longer term impressions, but found it to be airier with more lifelike spacing in the room. Specifically wrote down that I felt a guitar player on a particular track was actually behind me at one point. FWIW I used a silver plated, shielded, slick looking USB cable I got from Aliexpress, so quality construction but nothing esoteric or over the top.
• I also found when using the Zen Stream I've had less listening fatigue across the board

• TLDR; iFi handily beat the Wiim Pro. The iPurifier reclocked coax was not only better than Wiim but also my DAC's clock. USB was even better.

I did one additional comparison, using my NAD M51 DAC that reclocks everything at 108Mhz (no option to disable), between the Wiim's toslink and IFI's coax. The DAC is special in that changing inputs with the remote has zero lag, so its easy to just A/B and pick things out without losing focus (which can happen because you got up, or because of a 1 second silence when switching). In this case, the DAC equalizes everything and I found the two identical and not worth further testing. The takeaway here is that if you have a DAC that reclocks well without an option to bypass it or sync w/ USB, the benefits of the IFI aren't going to be appreciated and the Wiim measures good enough to not be an issue.

iFi PSUs:​

Letting the good times roll, I went out and bought an iFi iPower 15v adapter. I read some other users prefer the 15v over the more expensive models' 12v so just ran with it, the price was right.

• Since its time consuming and distracting to change power supplies, I wanted to focus on one album or a couple songs to isolate my listening in the A/B. Gotta get up, unplug, plug back in, reboot, wait, reconnect to stream play again...too many demo tracks would make it easier to get confused. Instead I just played the new remaster of Van Halen's ***. and stuck to a couple tracks, since they were fresh in memory. My first impressions on the iPower I wrote down (after being used to the stock psu) were that the vocals sounded strained, but bass and drum kicks were punchy and airy, and the bass guitar itself had greater resonance.
• When going back to the stock power, the vocals became more forward, bass muddier/smeared, and kickdrums also more forward but weaker, less impactful (like a pop gun by comparison, just no weight). I also noticed on Pleasuredome I was getting some fatigue from those forward vocals, but they also came across more defined
• iPower, after doing this a while, I found the above stuck: vocals recessed but less fatiguing, more punch on drums and bass, and more defined bass. I think part of the 'recession' and change in spacing is why it was less fatiguing, things werent all center stage hitting me in the forehead anymore, by comparison.
• Update: I ended up trying other albums after posting this, and had similar findings

• TLDR; Upgraded PSU was hard to review but appeared to make a net improvement in presentation, especially on drums, but a possible negative to vocals. Listening fatigue was virtually eliminated.

So to summarize the quality ranking goes:

iFi USB > iFi Coax > Wiim Coax > Wiim Toslink

If you're on a budget and have a DAC that reclocks, the Wiim may be a safer option when it works.[1] But if you have a cheaper DAC that doesn't clean things up, spending on the Zen Stream is a great upgrade. If you have a high quality DAC with a USB input, the benefits of going from a cheap streamer should be noticeable. Since upgrading to the Zen Stream and going USB & iPower I've been incredibly satisfied and going over old albums again like they're new - feels good, man

1. I've found all Wiim products I've purchased to have spotty performance and horrible customer support and can't recommend them to anyone

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

Going to write this mashup review/comparison of my experience going from the Wiim Pro to the iFi Zen Stream here, and try to summarize my notes after headphone testing (the dac used is my VMV D1, my current fav)

Wiim Pro coax vs Toslink outputs​

I ran both optical and coaxial outputs into a spdif converter and back into my DAC, with the internal clock mode disabled so any issues in jitter or w/e wouldn't be corrected.

• Ultimately I found the toslink output, once converted or passed thru, to be mostly the same, so my DAC didn't care much which input it was receiving from that same source, but I slightly preferred coax (by a hair, which may have been placebo it was so slight)
• However, I did find an immediate difference when using the coax output. Coax had a wider soundstage, smoother, and slightly better impact, while converting that same coax output to toslink was harsher while retaining the soundstage that beat the Wiim's toslink output. I'll chalk this up to implementation, since jitter is known to measure equally, but it is a cheaper device.
• Wiim's internal clock was always worse than letting my DAC reclock the signal, which immediately made the sound crisper with more detail, and the stock Wiim presented as softer and less resolving, almost compressed. I'll chalk this up to jitter. I always stuck to reclocked mode when using the Wiim, no question.

• TLDR; Wiim optical output was a sort of bottleneck, coax much better, and the Wiim's internal clock was noticeably worse than my DAC's 100Mhz reclocked signal

I then bought the iFi Zen Stream to compare

iFi Zen Stream, coax and USB outputs:​

• Zen Stream's coax output, with iPurifier tech built in (which reclocks to 10Mhz, among other marketed features) has better separation and a realistic "ASMR-like" presence on the soundstage, when compared to the DAC's reclocked signal. This was impressive and showed how important it is to get the source right rather than need to fix it downstream.
• I then tried the USB output, allowing my DAC to sync with the Zen's clock. Unfortunately it was too cumbersome to do any hot swapping (quick toggling) so had to make some longer term impressions, but found it to be airier with more lifelike spacing in the room. Specifically wrote down that I felt a guitar player on a particular track was actually behind me at one point. FWIW I used a silver plated, shielded, slick looking USB cable I got from Aliexpress, so quality construction but nothing esoteric or over the top.
• I also found when using the Zen Stream I've had less listening fatigue across the board

• TLDR; iFi handily beat the Wiim Pro. The iPurifier reclocked coax was not only better than Wiim but also my DAC's clock. USB was even better.

I did one additional comparison, using my NAD M51 DAC that reclocks everything at 108Mhz (no option to disable), between the Wiim's toslink and IFI's coax. The DAC is special in that changing inputs with the remote has zero lag, so its easy to just A/B and pick things out without losing focus (which can happen because you got up, or because of a 1 second silence when switching). In this case, the DAC equalizes everything and I found the two identical and not worth further testing. The takeaway here is that if you have a DAC that reclocks well without an option to bypass it or sync w/ USB, the benefits of the IFI aren't going to be appreciated and the Wiim measures good enough to not be an issue.

iFi PSUs:​

Letting the good times roll, I went out and bought an iFi iPower 15v adapter. I read some other users prefer the 15v over the more expensive models' 12v so just ran with it, the price was right.

• Since its time consuming and distracting to change power supplies, I wanted to focus on one album or a couple songs to isolate my listening in the A/B. Gotta get up, unplug, plug back in, reboot, wait, reconnect to stream play again...too many demo tracks would make it easier to get confused. Instead I just played the new remaster of Van Halen's ***. and stuck to a couple tracks, since they were fresh in memory. My first impressions on the iPower I wrote down (after being used to the stock psu) were that the vocals sounded strained, but bass and drum kicks were punchy and airy, and the bass guitar itself had greater resonance.
• When going back to the stock power, the vocals became more forward, bass muddier/smeared, and kickdrums also more forward but weaker, less impactful (like a pop gun by comparison, just no weight). I also noticed on Pleasuredome I was getting some fatigue from those forward vocals, but they also came across more defined
• iPower, after doing this a while, I found the above stuck: vocals recessed but less fatiguing, more punch on drums and bass, and more defined bass. I think part of the 'recession' and change in spacing is why it was less fatiguing, things werent all center stage hitting me in the forehead anymore, by comparison.

• TLDR; Upgraded PSU was hard to review but appeared to make a net improvement in presentation, especially on drums

So to summarize the quality ranking goes:

iFi USB > iFi Coax > Wiim Coax > Wiim Toslink

If you're on a budget and have a DAC that reclocks, the Wiim may be a safer option when it works.[1] But if you have a cheaper DAC that doesn't clean things up, spending on the Zen Stream is a great upgrade. If you have a high quality DAC with a USB input, the benefits of going from a cheap streamer should be noticeable. Since upgrading to the Zen Stream and going USB & iPower I've been incredibly satisfied and going over old albums again like they're new - feels good, man

1. I've found all Wiim products I've purchased to have spotty performance and horrible customer support and can't recommend them to anyone

Thanks very much for the thorough review and comparison, very much appreciated and should help others!

Cheers!!

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

The first post has been updated with a "Tidal Connect" issue with Mac, and it's solution that @SHXMD found, and was kind enough to send me a brief rundown.

Thank you Sir!

Cheers!!

Here is a link to his original post...

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ifi...evated-to-a-higher-plane.958391/post-17963222

 

[Lvivske]

I watched a youtube setup video where the presenter said that even if you use USB out selected in settings, SPDIF is still active at all times. In my testing, this isn't the case.

Is there a way to have both usb and coax out working at the same time?

(and bonus question, has anyone ever gotten the ifi.local url to work? i always have to access the device with the full IP)