[AVMiii]

In general the more expensive ones (with the same specs as the cheaper ones) have better filtering/lower noise. An LPS with higher current capacity will run cooler and have better headroom which is a good thing. Will it sound better than lower current capacity ones? May be, some are reporting better dynamics when using overdimentionaled LPS's.

The Teradak i am using (30W-14V) gets warm, but sounds good. Should i have to replace it, i would go for a 50W because of the lower heat dissipation.
I have tried a 25W-12V Breeze. Sounded inferior to the Teradak an got toasty hot. A Tiancoolkei 65W-12V had a nice smooth sound to it, but slightly lacked the dynamics of the 14V Teradak. It ran totaly cool to touch though.

Thanks for the comments. I've leaning torwards this one:
https://kamaudio.com/TeraDak-DC-30W-TOUCH-LPS-DC5V-DC9V-DC12V-Linear-power-supply
This "touch" version as described by the seller as
"Touch version with better regulator board.
Normal DC-30W is simple regulator.
The different is sounds quality."

 

[SHXMD]

Very much appreciate comments about Roon vs Tidal Connect.

Curious but always reluctant to increase complexity as chance of deterioration of signal/glitch/error rises.

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

In general the more expensive ones (with the same specs as the cheaper ones) have better filtering/lower noise. An LPS with higher current capacity will run cooler and have better headroom which is a good thing. Will it sound better than lower current capacity ones? May be, some are reporting better dynamics when using overdimentionaled LPS's.

The Teradak i am using (30W-14V) gets warm, but sounds good. Should i have to replace it, i would go for a 50W because of the lower heat dissipation.
I have tried a 25W-12V Breeze. Sounded inferior to the Teradak an got toasty hot. A Tiancoolkei 65W-12V had a nice smooth sound to it, but slightly lacked the dynamics of the 14V Teradak. It ran totaly cool to touch though.

Good info! I am going to bookmark this for future reference!

Thank You!

Cheers!!

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

Thanks for the comments. I've leaning torwards this one:
https://kamaudio.com/TeraDak-DC-30W-TOUCH-LPS-DC5V-DC9V-DC12V-Linear-power-supply
This "touch" version as described by the seller as
"Touch version with better regulator board.
Normal DC-30W is simple regulator.
The different is sounds quality."

When you have a moment if you get this please leave your impressions here for others to see!

Cheers!!

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

Very much appreciate comments about Roon vs Tidal Connect.

Curious but always reluctant to increase complexity as chance of deterioration of signal/glitch/error rises.

Best to try things, and form your own impressions, I am a Roon lover and believer, so my opinion is not based solely on the sound, but more on an overall experience.

Cheers!!

 

[DancingSea]

Hi!

Anyone with Tidal subscription that also have Roon?
Which one sounds better on ZS?
ZS and Tidal Connect vs ZS and Roon Ready (Endpoint), playing same track from Tidal?

Does CPU power of Roon Core have much to say in this equation?
Same quality, better, worse?
Experiences?
Roon is quite expensive, so is it worth the money...?

Cheers

Strictly for sound quality, I give the nod to Tidal Connect over Roon. What I like about Tidal Connect is it completely eliminates the sonic liabilities of a computer.
That said, Roon with HQPlayer, depending on the armada of possible HQP settings, does level the playing field.

Roon is a library management tool, and an excellent one, especially for blending local and streaming sources. It does that better than anything else on the market - by far - and is priced accordingly. But Roon is not a boon to sound quality.

Just wish the ZS provided an easier way to switch between Tidal and HQP modes. The tedious switch on the back is a pain for rack dwellers.

 

[GuiltyRocker]

Best to try things, and form your own impressions, I am a Roon lover and believer, so my opinion is not based solely on the sound, but more on an overall experience.

Cheers!!

I love Roon, I also find that Qobuz sounds better than Tidal and after the whole MQA fiasco I cancelled my Tidal subscription and moved to Qobuz, very happy with my move and it costs much less than Tidal.

 

[AVMiii]

When you have a moment if you get this please leave your impressions here for others to see!

Cheers!!

Will do. Just ordered it. Could be a 25 day delivery time though.
Still see issues with Tidal connect. In the short time (few days) that I've had the ZS I've only tried tidal connect (position 1 only--does this matter?). It doesn't seem to stay connected more than an hour or so. I thought that this was an old issue, with the finger pointed more at Tidal then iFi. I also thought that the issue had been resolved? Doesn't seem to be...

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

Will do. Just ordered it. Could be a 25 day delivery time though.
Still see issues with Tidal connect. In the short time (few days) that I've had the ZS I've only tried tidal connect (position 1 only--does this matter?). It doesn't seem to stay connected more than an hour or so. I thought that this was an old issue, with the finger pointed more at Tidal then iFi. I also thought that the issue had been resolved? Doesn't seem to be...

In my use, I tend to leave the Unit in AIO Mode #1

This way it is very easy to use whatever mode I need at the moment. If you are in AIO mode there is also the ability to turn the modes you don't want to use through the Settings menu. That way you get closer to the "dial" on the back priority setting, without having to switch it manually.

This is a blessing on the new NEO Stream as it is done with the front dial and display screen, but this is 3 times the cost of the ZS as well.

I will admit to hearing a slight difference in using the Dial on the Back, especially with Roon, but again AIO is more than enough for me to be happy.

In terms of Tidal "fault" or iFi fault, it seems like with many streamers there are a;ways folks saying Tidal this Tidal that, why this is I do not know, but as a comparison rarely do you hear folks saying Spotify connect has issue, or Qobuz and MConeect (pick your combo).

Not an excuse, just pointing out the commonality

Cheers!!

 

[WolfP]

Hi, did you solve this problem ? I also use external hdd and zen stream does not index wav albums. No problem with same disk with roon, bluos, jriver.

Hi, sorry for the late reply. Unfortunately the problem has not been solved. The only solution was to convert my wav albums to flac.

 

[WolfP]

Can anyone tell me the size of the output plug of the ZS ? Is it 5.5x2.1mm ?

 

[AVMiii]

Can anyone tell me the size of the output plug of the ZS ? Is it 5.5x2.1mm ?

That is the size quoted earlier in this thread (page 90), which I sure hope is accurate as I've ordered a PS with this configuration.

 

[GeorgeFromCL]

Hello guys,

Solved: the unit was dead, just got a new one

Hope you are doing well. I started to use my Zen Stream yesterday, no problems at all. But today i tried to use and the device is a brick. From yesterday to today nothing has been done in the device, it just stop working suddenly.

So, there is just one responsive bottom (power) to turn on and then freeze. There is just the tiny power led on, all the others led are off and bottoms not working. The reset just does not work, nothing happen. I tried to maintain the reset bottom for 2 secons, 3 seconds and so on and nothing happen

A few momentos ago i tried to unbrick through the usb C and the Ifi tools and files from MrBubbaHyde (thanks for the supoort!) but there is no way to get the reset mode on and be the device discovered by the tool

There is a video example of one of the multiple tries



Thanks in advance

 

[compcond]

I own two of these. The sound quality with a linear power supply is incredible, but both cannot maintain Tidal Connect. I contacted tech support and they blamed my network (one is at home, the other in my office.) I’m a networking professional so…

The office unit has since been replaced by a Wiim Pro, which works perfectly, and the home unit is about to fly out a window. I’m done with this crap.

 

[Vangelo]

How does sound quality of ZS compare to Wiim Pro?