Firstly I would like to thank iFi Audio for the loan Zen Stream for review.
*disclaimer: This sample was provided on loan for the purpose of writing a review, no incentive was given to write a favourable review. All opinions expressed are my own subjective findings
Gear Used:
Roon Rock core > Zen Stream > JDS Labs Atom DAC+ > Marantz PM-66 KI Sig / passive pre-amp into Rotel RB-1050 > Bowers & Wilkins 606
Detailed info:
https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-stream/
Packaging, Build quality and Accessories
The iFi Zen Stream comes in classic iFi packaging, a very clean looking white outer box with information and specs about the product on the back. Slide this outer sleeve off and you’ll find a normal white cardboard box underneath, which holds the Zen Stream and its accessories neatly and securely. The packaging is simple yet attractive, and best of all it is recyclable.
The Zen series all have great build quality, with an aluminium outer chassis that has a unique shape compared to most boxy looking HiFi products. The form factor is good though and it fits neatly into any system, all the inputs and outputs are on the back with 2 metal buttons on the front as well as 2 LED lights. Simple yet solid is how I would describe the iFi Zen Stream, everything feels very well put together.
Accessory wise you get the Wi-Fi antenna, power supply, short Cat6E ethernet cable, tool for changing the exclusive modes along with a manual to help you set it up. It’s not missing anything, everything you need to get up and running is included.
Setup and Features
I hooked the Zen Stream up to my router via ethernet cable, and found it easy to setup by following the included instructions. Once setup Roon found the device straight away and it seamlessly did the job it was designed to do without fuss.
The iFi Zen Stream is a pure streamer, it is a device you put between your network and external DAC. It doesn’t decode the music; it just receives music from the network and passes it on to your DAC of choice. This does mean that iFi have been able to make it as good as possible for its sole purpose, without any additional unnecessary bits to interfere with the signal.
The Zen Stream has 2 USB ports on the back, one can be used for external music on a USB so you can have your library locally stored using the Zen Stream instead of on a separate core like me, and the other USB is for audio output. There is also an SPDIF/Coaxial output, both the USB output and SPDIF have iFi’s noise cancelling technology built in, this help reduce any jitter on the SPDIF and noise on the USB outputs.
The Zen Stream supports bitrates up to PCM384/DSD256 via LAN and Wi-Fi, and supports most streaming protocols (Roon, Tidal, NAA, DLNA) and allows you to select an exclusive mode so it switches off background processes which further reduces system jitter.
In Use
Using the iFi Audio Zen Stream from my mini-PC running Roon Rock OS as my core the Zen stream was something that disappeared from my system which is what any product like this should aim to do. It’s quite hard to subjectively analyse a product that passes bits from one device to another via internet streaming, but the Zen Stream does this job without taking anything away. Connectivity has been rock solid without dropouts, the only time I had issues was when I accidentally used a faulty ethernet cable.
I mostly used the USB out of the Zen Stream into my Atom DAC+ which has been an audibly transparent and extremely reliable DAC over the years, and USB out from the iFi Zen Stream was indeed quieter than USB out of the mini-PC. You can pair the Zen Stream with any external DAC or DAC/Amp and have a high-quality listening system wherever you need it without having to add extra cabling or source equipment.
Streaming to the iFi Audio Zen Stream is just so easy, yet it does the job extremely well that you are likely to notice better sound out of this unit going in to your DAC than your regular source, and the flexibility is understated. With firmware updates, the Zen Stream will be compatible with other streaming services as and when they come out, meaning the Zen Stream won’t suddenly become obsolete.
No matter how much your system costs, the Zen Stream will easily find a home within it, and not hold it back. It faithfully passes through what you stream to it, on to your DAC whilst reducing any system noise and jitter, which leads to high quality sound. The iFi Zen Stream is based on genuine engineering to bring you a great streaming hub that has minimal noise and jitter, making for an easier load on the DAC you have downstream, playback from an external USB is just a bonus.
Conclusion
Well, this is a device that isn’t too easy to review based on the fact it is designed to just pass data from a network stream to a downstream DAC. The great thing is that the iFi Audio Zen Stream does this perfectly whilst adding some useful tech to reduce noise and jitter as well as allowing for local music playback off an external USB drive. The influence it will have on the sound of a system will be down to reduced USB noise, or Coaxial jitter. There is nothing here to make you suddenly go “wow” instead it’s a solidly engineered streaming hub perfect for any system.
Due to this, I can highly recommend the iFi Zen Stream if you are looking for a streaming hub that disappears within your system. As usual, a very well thought out product from iFi Audio and one that does what it sets out to do with excellent results.
Sound Perfection Rating: 9/10 (excellent streaming hub for any setup, from budget to high-end)