I upgraded ZS from Elite to Ferrum Hypsos and do not regret that...
Biggest difference in silent background, deeper bass, pinpointing and transparency.
Very nice also that you can trim voltage from 5-30VDC for future use...
Adding my voice to the others who have upgraded their power supply to the iPower Elite (12V) from the originally included SMPS. It has made a huge difference on both of my Zen Stream's—one with my headphone stack feeding an mTT2 and another feeding an older Wyred4Sound DAC-2v2SE for my speaker system (FIR and IIR filter settings now make a clear difference—whereas changes were more vague before).
I'm a bit ashamed of being both a "streamer makes a difference" and "PS mods to the streamer make a difference" denier for years. Even as I plugged the Elite into my system for the first time, I thought to myself, "really doubt I'll be able to tell", but this one experiment has proven me wrong. It's made such a drastic difference in my systems I'm kicking myself for not sorting this out much sooner. Characteristics of my systems that I just shrugged and attributed to limitations of my speakers and headphones were issues with what my streamer was feeding my stack.
I'd almost say that the Elite should be an "add-on" upgrade at point-of-purchase because if the buyer can afford it, I'd consider it mandatory.
Love that iFi has made such a brilliant piece of kit so affordable—and that they make (and keep improving) a high quality, low noise SMPS available for purchase. As much as I appreciate LPS's in other applications, I actually value the high efficiency (less electrical energy waste) of an SMPS.
…
Now, I'm curious what difference a high-end streamer like an Auralic Aries or the like would do in my systems. My wife is like…
Adding my voice to the others who have upgraded their power supply to the iPower Elite. It has made a huge difference on both of my Zen Stream's—one with my headphone stack feeding an mTT2 and another feeding an older Wyred4Sound DAC-2v2SE for my speaker system (FIR and IIR filter settings now make a clear difference—whereas changes were more vague before).
I'm a bit ashamed of being both a "streamer makes a difference" and "PS mods to the streamer make a difference" denier for years. Even as I plugged the Elite into my system for the first time, I thought to myself, "really doubt I'll be able to tell", but this one experiment has proven me wrong. It's made such a drastic difference in my systems I'm kicking myself for not sorting this out much sooner. Characteristics of my systems that I just shrugged and attributed to limitations of my speakers and headphones were issues with what my streamer was feeding my stack.
I'd almost say that the Elite should be an "add-on" upgrade at point-of-purchase because if the buyer can afford it, I'd consider it mandatory.
Love that iFi has made such a brilliant piece of kit so affordable—and that they make (and keep improving) a high quality, low noise SMPS available for purchase. As much as I appreciate LPS's in other applications, I actually value the high efficiency (less electrical energy waste) of an SMPS.
…
Now, I'm curious what difference a high-end streamer like an Auralic Aries or the like would do in my systems. My wife is like…
The perceived improvement is compared to the original SMPS that came with the ZS. The Elite I purchased is the 12V version. Great question. I'll edit my original post for clarity.
Elite always sounds better than hypsos on my end across all devices as i use q conditioner. Elite performs as it promises.
Meanwhile im having an odd situation where ZS doesnt stream to tidal using the tplink archer (sim card mode) but works okay on the home isp. I've updated everything possible but no dice. Wiim pro and fiio r7 works with tidal connect and tplink archer but they sound inferior per usual.
Yesterday I replaced the iPower X (15v) with a SBooster (12-13,5v). And now the Zen Stream sounds even better - amazing it is
The iFi Zen Stream is such an overachiever. I just love finding components like this: superb engineering that can be improved by simply upgrading (twice!) the power supply. Someone just did a fantastic job navigating constraints with this product given it’s price point
This was just supposed to be a temporary solution while I auditioned and saved up for greater things. Now I’m not sure if it’s even worth the effort… Sure there are streamers that are more prestigious to own but some of them have been seriously underwhelming in comparison.
Update
Having now used the new power supply for a while I’m actually not sure what’s behind the improved SQ. Is it going from 15v to 12v, going from SMPS to LPS or both?
Apart from a change in tonal balance there is also a slightly different presentation, more laidback. I’m very pleased with the better tonal balance but unsure about the presentation.
The tweaker in me now needs to hear the iPower X 12v
As before there appears a very loose consensus among users in various forums that 12volts is the “ideal”. I have used the provide 12 volt wall wart and “X”. I upgraded to 12 volt LPS (small green computer) entry level and I am never going back.
Update
Having now used the new power supply for a while I’m actually not sure what’s behind the improved SQ. Is it going from 15v to 12v, going from SMPS to LPS or both?
Apart from a change in tonal balance there is also a slightly different presentation, more laidback. I’m very pleased with the better tonal balance but unsure about the presentation.
The tweaker in me now needs to hear the iPower X 12v
So this may seem a bit farfetched but bear with me. The different presentations I heard may be down to using different apps.
I’m actually comparing the Zen Stream against another streamer. I was playing to the Zen Stream from my computer and the other streamer on it’s own software (Innuos Sense). I just moved the USB cable between them to compare.
After I had written the post above about the being unsure about the presentation I decided to try something called ”uPnP integration” in Innuos Sense. That gave me the opportunity to also play directly to the iFi Zen Stream without using my computer. All of the sudden the presentation was very similar between the Innuos streamer and Zen Stream. When I switched back to the ifi iPower X the presentation was now instead a bit too forward!
P.S. The Zen Stream with upgraded power supply compares surprisingly well, like really well
So this may seem a bit farfetched but bear with me. The different presentations I heard may be down to using different apps.
I’m actually comparing the Zen Stream against another streamer. I was playing to the Zen Stream from my computer and the other streamer on it’s own software (Innuos Sense). I just moved the USB cable between them to compare.
After I had written the post above about the being unsure about the presentation I decided to try something called ”uPnP integration” in Innuos Sense. That gave me the opportunity to also play directly to the iFi Zen Stream without using my computer. All of the sudden the presentation was very similar between the Innuos streamer and Zen Stream. When I switched back to the ifi iPower X the presentation was now instead a bit too forward!
P.S. The Zen Stream with upgraded power supply compares surprisingly well, like really well
The Zen Stream clearly improves with better power. It takes a big step in quality with something like the iFi iPower X (SMPS) and a much bigger step up with something like the SBooster (LPS). The improvements you can expect to hear when going from a cheap SMPS to something better like iPower X is a lower noise floor (”increased blackness”), wider soundstage, better imaging and separation across the stage and tighter bass.
When upgrading from a SMPS to a LPS like the SBooster the difference is actually surprisingly large. The sound calms down but this could impart be because of the different voltages: SMPS at 15v vs LPS at 12v. The even bigger change is an expansion of the soundstage; there is depth and layering to the stage that is clearly missing with the SMPS. The frequency respone also improves. The bass is deeper and better defined, the treble lighter with better extension and definition.
It’s a pain comparing power supplies, especially while also comparing it with other streamers, so this is it for me. There are of course other power supplies than those I’ve tried (stock, iFi iPower X and SBooster) but with the SBooster all/alot of what I can hear with other, much more expensive streamers is there.
This is such an overachiever
Disclaimer: This is in my system, with my ears and preferences.
+1 to reinforce the experience of the Zen Stream taking a big leap with upgraded PSU's.
…
The difference between the included iPower SMPS to the iPower Elite, in my case, was profound. I went from not really believing that the streaming source mattered—especially given many DAC's nowadays are designed to field for some of those issues, to realizing that streamers and PSU's can make or break a system's presentation of sound. In my case, I attributed a lot of flaws of my system to various components. I was completely wrong in my hypothesis and assumptions.
SPEAKER:
Wyred 4 Sound DAC2v2 SE (mostly) or Chord mTT2 (rarely) > LFD Zero mk3 > Harbeth SHL5 Plus
HEADPHONE:
Chord mTT2 > Headamp GSX mk2 > Focal Utopia / Sennheiser HD800 (balanced) / Sennheiser HD600 (balanced)
Chord mTT2 > Eddie Current Zana Deux (og) > Sennheiser HD580
On the months leading to when I upgraded the PSU for my Zen Stream, I started messing around with changing out certain components—speakers because I thought some of the brightness/glare might be my speakers, and started considering DAC changes because I thought perhaps my Chord mTT2 setup contributed to some of that given what I'd read from some owners.
Instead, the PSU upgrade removed the "glare" and brightness that I was experiencing—and on both speaker system and headphone system—soundstage went from in-between speakers/drivers to expanding far out and beyond the drivers—I even gained verticality in the soundstage, which I've never experienced at home in speakers or headphones. Timbral accuracy took a leap forward in quality. On both fronts, I went from a system I enjoyed while accepting flaws to one where I needed relearn what the entire chain was reproducing.
However, with the iPower Elite, there was a mild, underlying "sameness" to all the music I was hearing—like the new presentation had a particular sonic character that could be heard no matter what kind of music I played. It wasn't very noticeable, but it was there. Regardless, it was easily a sound I could live with and enjoy my music for the long run. In fact, my speaker system now played with such enjoyable ease that I'd be happy living with that for good.
…
The question I posed a few posts in this thread ago of "what an Auralic Aries would bring" remained, because looking into a streamer upgrade is what caused me to try the iPower Elite on the Zen Stream first. If I couldn't tell a difference, I would forget about differences in streamers and turn my attention elsewhere, but if I could, I'd entertain the idea of upgrading the streamer.
Recently, the opportunity came up to pick up an Auralic Aries G2 with an Hoer-Wege PSU installed in it already at a good price, and I jumped on it.
The long and short of it—that I didn't want to believe is possible—is that, yes, there's still way more to gain by going upmarket with streamers.
The Aries solved the underlying "sameness", which disappeared from both my systems. Micro details, micro dynamics and timbre again took a leap up, but most startling was the ease in which music flowed out of either the speaker system or the headphone system. In the past, with the Zen Stream, the mTT2 never sounded "good" through the speaker system, so I kept the W4S dac, because it had the more enjoyable sound. It was definitely not as "accurate" or "true" in conveying acoustic instruments or soundscape as the mTT2, but it wasn't bright nor did it carry a mild glare—even with the mTT2 fed by the Zen Stream, sonic characteristics converged between the 2 DAC's, but I still prefer the W4S dac for casual listening.
Now with the Aries, the mTT2 sounds natural—in BOTH systems. I think I can consolidate down to 1 DAC now.
Bass and sub-bass reproduction changed dramatically in both speaker and headphone systems.
ZS with stock iPower SMPS didn't deliver any sub-bass in any of my systems/signal chains. In my speaker system, using my W4S, there was always an overly accentuated bass/mid-bass area which I thought might be a room mode or speaker resonance since some measurements of the SHL5 shows some resonance in that area, but swapping in the mTT2, the mid-bass hump went away and I got more bass—still no sub-bass. I had started to consider a REL sub to bring in sub-bass prior to this exercise.
ZS/Elite eliminated the mid-bass hump issue with the W4S, and gave a bit more bass and perhaps a wee bit of sub-bass for the first time.
Aries G2 H-W brought in an even bass spectrum reproduction from sub-bass through mid-bass. I actually experienced deep bass with both the Focal Utopia's and HD800's for the first time. It's always confusing when I read from a scarce few owners of the HD800 who feel the HD800 isn't missing bass to them. I always thought, "Ah, perhaps they hear differently from me, or perhaps their music doesn't really need deep bass." My HD800's actually have deep bass now. Smh.
It's still hard for me to wrap my head around, because for the decades I've been an audiophile, I thought streamers and digital front-ends (before the DAC stage) are expenditures that are waste of money because even if it made a difference, it couldn't make that big of a difference, right? Wow, I've been so wrong for so long. The only change in this experiment has been the streamer!
The guy I bought the Aries from also made a similar journey as an audiophile, and has now come to believe that the source is the most important stage of the hifi chain—because if you can't feed the chain with accurate data, the rest of the chain suffers. I'm not sure if I am of the same belief, but I am surely sympathetic to the idea.
I need to always remind myself to stay open to learning from those with different experiences.
+1 to reinforce the experience of the Zen Stream taking a big leap with upgraded PSU's.
…
The difference between the included iPower SMPS to the iPower Elite, in my case, was profound. I went from not really believing that the streaming source mattered—especially given many DAC's nowadays are designed to field for some of those issues, to realizing that streamers and PSU's can make or break a system's presentation of sound. In my case, I attributed a lot of flaws of my system to various components. I was completely wrong in my hypothesis and assumptions.
SPEAKER:
Wyred 4 Sound DAC2v2 SE (mostly) or Chord mTT2 (rarely) > LFD Zero mk3 > Harbeth SHL5 Plus
HEADPHONE:
Chord mTT2 > Headamp GSX mk2 > Focal Utopia / Sennheiser HD800 (balanced) / Sennheiser HD600 (balanced)
Chord mTT2 > Eddie Current Zana Deux (og) > Sennheiser HD580
On the months leading to when I upgraded the PSU for my Zen Stream, I started messing around with changing out certain components—speakers because I thought some of the brightness/glare might be my speakers, and started considering DAC changes because I thought perhaps my Chord mTT2 setup contributed to some of that given what I'd read from some owners.
Instead, the PSU upgrade removed the "glare" and brightness that I was experiencing—and on both speaker system and headphone system—soundstage went from in-between speakers/drivers to expanding far out and beyond the drivers—I even gained verticality in the soundstage, which I've never experienced at home in speakers or headphones. Timbral accuracy took a leap forward in quality. On both fronts, I went from a system I enjoyed while accepting flaws to one where I needed relearn what the entire chain was reproducing.
However, with the iPower Elite, there was a mild, underlying "sameness" to all the music I was hearing—like the new presentation had a particular sonic character that could be heard no matter what kind of music I played. It wasn't very noticeable, but it was there. Regardless, it was easily a sound I could live with and enjoy my music for the long run. In fact, my speaker system now played with such enjoyable ease that I'd be happy living with that for good.
…
The question I posed a few posts in this thread ago of "what an Auralic Aries would bring" remained, because looking into a streamer upgrade is what caused me to try the iPower Elite on the Zen Stream first. If I couldn't tell a difference, I would forget about differences in streamers and turn my attention elsewhere, but if I could, I'd entertain the idea of upgrading the streamer.
Recently, the opportunity came up to pick up an Auralic Aries G2 with an Hoer-Wege PSU installed in it already at a good price, and I jumped on it.
The long and short of it—that I didn't want to believe is possible—is that, yes, there's still way more to gain by going upmarket with streamers.
The Aries solved the underlying "sameness", which disappeared from both my systems. Micro details, micro dynamics and timbre again took a leap up, but most startling was the ease in which music flowed out of either the speaker system or the headphone system. In the past, with the Zen Stream, the mTT2 never sounded "good" through the speaker system, so I kept the W4S dac, because it had the more enjoyable sound. It was definitely not as "accurate" or "true" in conveying acoustic instruments or soundscape as the mTT2, but it wasn't bright nor did it carry a mild glare—even with the mTT2 fed by the Zen Stream, sonic characteristics converged between the 2 DAC's, but I still prefer the W4S dac for casual listening.
Now with the Aries, the mTT2 sounds natural—in BOTH systems. I think I can consolidate down to 1 DAC now.
Bass and sub-bass reproduction changed dramatically in both speaker and headphone systems.
ZS with stock iPower SMPS didn't deliver any sub-bass in any of my systems/signal chains. In my speaker system, using my W4S, there was always an overly accentuated bass/mid-bass area which I thought might be a room mode or speaker resonance since some measurements of the SHL5 shows some resonance in that area, but swapping in the mTT2, the mid-bass hump went away and I got more bass—still no sub-bass. I had started to consider a REL sub to bring in sub-bass prior to this exercise.
ZS/Elite eliminated the mid-bass hump issue with the W4S, and gave a bit more bass and perhaps a wee bit of sub-bass for the first time.
Aries G2 H-W brought in an even bass spectrum reproduction from sub-bass through mid-bass. I actually experienced deep bass with both the Focal Utopia's and HD800's for the first time. It's always confusing when I read from a scarce few owners of the HD800 who feel the HD800 isn't missing bass to them. I always thought, "Ah, perhaps they hear differently from me, or perhaps their music doesn't really need deep bass." My HD800's actually have deep bass now. Smh.
It's still hard for me to wrap my head around, because for the decades I've been an audiophile, I thought streamers and digital front-ends (before the DAC stage) are expenditures that are waste of money because even if it made a difference, it couldn't make that big of a difference, right? Wow, I've been so wrong for so long. The only change in this experiment has been the streamer!
The guy I bought the Aries from also made a similar journey as an audiophile, and has now come to believe that the source is the most important stage of the hifi chain—because if you can't feed the chain with accurate data, the rest of the chain suffers. I'm not sure if I am of the same belief, but I am surely sympathetic to the idea.
I need to always remind myself to stay open to learning from those with different experiences.
Right now I’m auditioning an Aires G2.1. And I get what you mean with the Zen Stream having a certain ”character” to its way of presenting music. A degree of ”Sameness” is actually a really good way to describe it.
Right now I’m auditioning an Aires G2.1. And I get what you mean with the Zen Stream having a certain ”character” to its way of presenting music. A degree of ”Sameness” is actually a really good way to describe it.
Glad I'm not the only one. The strange thing with the Zen Stream is, with the included iPower SMPS, the soundstage was pretty small and lacked all the benefits of the PSU upgrade, but, at least recordings sounded their own. It was after the upgrade that the "sameness" was more apparent.
Perhaps, it's like lowering the water level and now the rocks in the river become more apparent? IDK, this is all too difficult to sort out. The ZS is a great little device, and seeing what goes into the Aries, I don't hold its performance against it. Both products designed for a very different market value/price tier.
Hello
I'm facing a persistent problem with my Zen Stream and need assistance. Despite using an ethernet connection, I've been experiencing network dropouts, indicated by a red light on the left. To address this, I updated the firmware to version 2.32.9.
When streaming music via Roon, I experience brief audio cut-outs that activate the "mute" relay on my Yggy. This disruption occurs with both local files and Qobuz streaming, and it's consistent regardless of the file's bit depth or other variables. The issue arises whether I'm in the All-In-One or "Roon only" mode.
Additionally, I cannot switch off the WiFi. Even after setting "Wireless Network" to off, which temporarily disconnects from Roon, the WiFi turns back on as soon as I check the Network settings.
I've confirmed that the problem isn't with the Roon core, as other connected devices are functioning fine. As a potential fix, I'm trying to increase the "audio buffer size" and "buffer before play" settings. I'll evaluate this solution over the next few days to see if it resolves the issue. Edit: It did not work
Hi @elrey, have you tried reaching out to iFi support? I had an issue with one of my Zen Streams that—after a good amount of troubleshooting—resulted in an out-of-warranty return/diagnosis/repair for me. They were pretty solid to work with throughout the process.
Hi @elrey, have you tried reaching out to iFi support? I had an issue with one of my Zen Streams that—after a good amount of troubleshooting—resulted in an out-of-warranty return/diagnosis/repair for me. They were pretty solid to work with throughout the process.
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My wife is like… 
