iFi adds 'wi-fi audio transport' Zen Stream to its compact and affordable Zen Series

[What Hi-Fi?]

Zen Stream is the latest addition to iFi’s bijou, wallet-friendly Zen Series and it is designed to offer flexible, high-quality network streaming to any audio environment.

iFi adds 'wi-fi audio transport' Zen Stream to its compact and affordable Zen Series : Read more

 

[manicm]

No MQA support?

 

[Gray]

Added to its range of budget products......but not quite as budget as them.

 

[doifeellucky]

This is a bizarre price from iFi. Based on features and functionality it should be probably £150-£200 max. You can get a raspberry pie and use Volumio for far less that that, which based on a review I saw is fundamentally the same as the Zen. Apparently the coax is ‘special’ in some way but certainly doesn’t justify what they’re charging. Also as the reviewer stated most people use something like the Zen DAC connected via a computer anyway so why is this even needed.

 

[Friesiansam]

If I bought one it would for me, as I see it, be doing the same job as the USB cable connected to my PC and, the free software on my PC (Foobar2000).

 

[ianmolynz]

Does seem a little expensive but iFi have always produced good kit. Would remove the need to use a PC as the source connect and there would potentially be some sonic gains in streaming directly from your router especially if the dedicated streaming modes work as described. Debatable if this is worth £400 though.

So I decided to take the plunge and have the unit directly connected to my router (LAN cable) and configured for Roon connected to the ifi DAC via USB. Initial impressions are very good. Plugged in the Fostex HD900 cans and definitely an improvement on connecting directly to the DAC via PC. Suspect it removes a lot of noise and jitter from the stream. Will need to do a bit of analysis on the streaming traffic to be certain. Worth £400? only time will tell. Plan to test with my mates Naim NDX2 streamer to see if it makes any discernible difference.

 

[Gray]

This is a bizarre price from iFi. Based on features and functionality it should be probably £150-£200 max. You can get a raspberry pie and use Volumio for far less that that, which based on a review I saw is fundamentally the same as the Zen. Apparently the coax is ‘special’ in some way but certainly doesn’t justify what they’re charging. Also as the reviewer stated most people use something like the Zen DAC connected via a computer anyway so why is this even needed.

As a Pi / Volumio user, I couldn't agree more.
As I was reading this story I was basing it on their usual £129-£149 pricing, thinking they'd sell loads.....then I saw the asking price. No doubt it's well made and will do its job well but....

 

[Tinman1952]

As a Pi / Volumio user, I couldn't agree more.
As I was reading this story I was basing it on their usual £129-£149 pricing, thinking they'd sell loads.....then I saw the asking price. No doubt it's well made and will do its job well but....

Yeah. They have obviously looked at products such as SOTM Neo and Lindemann Limetree bridge and thought…we could do that!
Wouldn't be surprised if they are soon heavily discounted…..