nice post helping others on using qobuz with the zenstream - if i didn't use roon, i would've had to cross that bridge myself
excellent info
Streamer creates a Wow experience
I started streaming by running USB from my iPad to my DAC using Qobuz, and I thought it sounded pretty good and was happy. Then I compared this to playing CDs and much to my dismay I slightly preferred the CDs. This was a depressing moment. So I reached out to you guys and several of you assured me if I got a dedicated streamer it’d be much better, and while I always believed a streamer is important and can make a difference I still found myself a little skeptical how much improvement there would be.
So I decided to heed the advice here and after some research got an iFi Zen Stream with their upgraded power supply. After getting the Zen linked to my WiFi and using mconnectHD to be able to stream Qobuz through the iFi — Holy Crap!!! I expected some improvement but I was not prepared for the huge leap in sound quality I was hearing. Every aspect of sound improved markedly and my jaw was on the floor.
Anyway, you guys were so right in assuring me a streamer would make all the difference. And this is through my HeadFi rig and can’t wait to hear what this sounds like on the big rig. Thanks for your helpful advice and getting me through this. I’m one shocked and very happy camper.
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i had the ifi Zen Stream for 3 months and could not get it to work without disconnection errors. returned 3 of them. at the time i was using a NAD D1050 DAC. finally i bought the Bluesound 2i and it just worked flawlessly. it could have been incompatibility issue with my network or the NAD? another problem could have been that Tidal is only available in my area? there have been problems reported with Tidal users and the Zen Stream. and yes it does deliver great SQ and thats why i put up with it. my understanding is that a new version of the IFI Zen Stream is soon to be released which could be more universally compatible? i have since upgraded my DAC to a Denafrips DAC and would like to see if the IFI play better with the Denafrips. like to upgrade from the Bluesound. |
@arafiq I agree 1000% with you about the Innuos Sense sounding better than Roon. The difference is not subtle. You forgot to mention unlike Roon there is no fee, you just need to own an Innuos Streamer. If you can't live without Roon the Innuos does have their "Experimental Mode" that sounds better than Roon but not as good as Innuos Sense. |
I also bought the ifi Zen Stream to try streaming. I was able to take advantage of the DAC in my Marantz SA10 SACD player, which is not a DAC per se but works in a proprietary way, but only accepts 75 ohm coax SPIDF. I invested in a true coax cable from Canare for not much. So far have enjoyed the free streaming but it's not quite as good as CD through the Marantz. If I sample something I absolutely love, I'll just buy the CD. Since my ifi Zen Stream is plugged into my Shunyata Hydra Delta power conditioner, would I even benefit from a LPS, since as I understand it the LPS is designed to diminish power line noise? Or is the ifi's standard power supply itself adding noise back into the Stream? If anyone knows, I'd appreciate your insights. Thanks. |
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