iFi Zen Stream Streamer

This smart looking, little box is the ifi ZEN Stream. An ideal solution if you want to add streaming to your current set-up – simply plug into your existing DAC and you’ll soon be enjoying music from a vast array of sources, whether via a Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection. This unit comes in very good condition with its original box and accessories. And yes, you get our 3-month warranty as well!
ifi Say….
Beneath its classy exterior, the ZEN Stream is a technological streamer-de-force. It has one purpose – to send music simply from the Internet to your DAC with no loss of quality.
True hi-res performance of PCM384/DSD256 via Wi-Fi/LAN. Just add your smart device as a remote and away you go.
Optimised open-source architecture – works with multiple dedicated platforms, completely and perfectly future-proofed as it is constantly updated.
ZEN Stream is a true ground-up design by ifi — the hardware and software implementation is quite exceptional:
Two SuperSpeed USB3.0 ports with Active Noise Cancellation II
S/PDIF out with the iPurifier built-in
ifi software developed with Volumio open source as the starting point, then coded and optimised by us to achieve the purest streaming software bar none
The ZEN Stream has one of the most fully optimised software platforms in the world.
From the device’s drivers to the kernel (the heart of the operating system), to the shell (which interfaces with the kernel), to the applications and the user interface — everything is fully optimised for seamless operation and excellent sonic performance.
An ingenious part of the ZEN Stream’s design is the ability to select between ‘Exclusive’ modes – individual settings dedicated to specific modes of operation to deliver the purest possible performance. All other programs are shut down – to minimise ‘software jitter’ — an often overlooked aspect that negatively impacts the quality of computer audio playback.
This ensures that the ZEN Stream is not merely a ‘jack of all trades’, but a master of all too.
ROON Ready
Tidal streaming
NAA streaming
DLNA streaming
Beneath the unassuming casework sits some serious horsepower in terms of both technologies and components:
Powerful 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex microprocessor
USB and S/PDIF interfaces regulated by femto-precision GMT clock to eradicate jitter
Active Noise Cancellation II and iPurifier technologies for USB and S/PDIF interfaces respectively
Intelligent Ethernet switch controller
High-PSRR, low idle current, low-dropout voltage regulators with soft start
Synchronous 1.6 MHz high-speed precision power supply controller
C0G capacitors and Taiyo Yuden and Murata low ESR inductors
Specifications:
Input voltage: DC 9 V/1.8 A-15 V/0.8 A; AC 100 -240 V, 50/60 Hz
Input: Wi-Fi / Ethernet / USB HDD
Formats: PCM 384; DSD 256 (MQA passthrough)
Output: USB 3.0 (Type-A Socket) x2; SPDIF (Coaxial)
Power consumption: No Signal ~6 W; Max Signal ~10 W
Dimensions: 158 (W) x 100 (D) x 35 (H) mm
Net weight: 578 g

To read a review from specialist magazine Hi-Fi Critic please click here