Streaming elevated to a higher plane

Introducing ZEN Stream: A flexible, affordable Wi-Fi audio transport equipped to unlock the full potential of all digital music sources - from online streaming to local network storage.

Southport, England - From smart main speakers to specialized audio systems, digital streaming - often over a Wi-Fi network - has become the dominant method of listening to music at home. For those concerned about sound quality, building a system from dedicated audio components remains the best route to sonic satisfaction - even in the age of streaming.

There are several ways that Wi-Fi streaming can be incorporated into an audio system. Amps with built-in Wi-Fi reception are available, as are dedicated audio streamers, many with onboard DACs – these serve the purpose of a traditional hi-fi source component such as a CD player. But there are drawbacks - some solutions offer suboptimal sound quality, others lock you into a specific streaming platform or 'walled garden' system, while some specialist solutions are prohibitively expensive.

The ZEN Stream is the latest addition to iFi's award-winning ZEN Series of compact, affordable audio devices, designed to deliver flexible, high-quality network streaming to any audio environment.

Described as a "Wi-Fi audio transport", ZEN Stream acts as a bridge between your Wi-Fi network and your audio system. It connects to a router via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable, and outputs to an external DAC (or an amplifier with digital inputs) via USB or S/PDIF. Its open source architecture makes it flexible and future-proof; its purpose-built hardware and software deliver excellent sound quality; and its price makes it an eminently affordable solution for high-performance network audio streaming.

Open source architecture - triggered audio streaming

Many audio streaming devices lock users to a specific platform. This is not necessarily a problem, assuming that the facilities offered conform to the user's requirements and are satisfied with the interface. But if they want to select their preferred streaming platforms and apps without restrictions, with the ability to adapt and evolve as requirements change, a device with an open source architecture offers clear advantages.

One open source solution that has been making waves in the audio streaming community is the Raspberry Pi - the well-known single-board computer, which can be used as a music streaming device. After all, an audio streamer is essentially a computer that combines hardware and software to perform a specific task. The Raspberry Pi is effective, inexpensive and not tied to a specific platform, giving the user many streaming options. The flip side, though, is that the Raspberry Pi is complicated to set up and isn't designed and optimized for high-performance audio right out of the box.

ZEN Stream offers the best of both worlds in one package. Its open source architecture ensures that the user is not tied to a specific platform or app, offering a large number of options and the ability to add more through programmable firmware. Its Linux-based operating system offers exceptional flexibility, with the streaming community encouraged to work with iFi to create additional features to add to the lineup through OTA (Over The Air) updates.

Combined with this flexibility is the fact that - unlike the Raspberry Pi - the ZEN Flux was designed from the ground up for the sole purpose of high-quality audio streaming. The hardware was built to deliver the best possible sound quality, working in perfect harmony with IFi's in-house software development. From the device drivers, to the core (the heart of the operating system), to the chassis (which interacts with the core), to the applications and user interface, everything is fully optimized for seamless operation and excellent sonic performance.

Superb sound no matter how it flows

Zen Stream's high-network audio credentials are top-notch, supporting PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD up to 11.2MHz (DSD256) over Wi-Fi - highly unusual - as well as over Ethernet cable. There are several ways for the device to interact with your music collection or favorite streaming service, depending on the user's preference, and thanks to ZEN Stream's open source architecture, these will expand over time. These are some of the options provided at launch:

Integrated Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect

Users of these hugely popular online music services can stream directly from the Tidal and Spotify apps - simple, seamless and effective.

DLNA certification

Any DLNA-compatible streaming app - including iFi's upcoming Stream-iFi app - can be used to control Zen Stream and access audio content from DLNA-certified online services and network storage devices.

AirPlay and Chromecast

Built-in Airplay and Chromecast ensure easy streaming from Apple and Android devices. AirPlay is included at launch; Chromecast will be added as a free firmware update later this year.

Roon compatibility

The Roon platform has become the standard bearer for high-quality digital music management and streaming - a great interface, strong flexibility, and high-quality sound are all benefits, although Roon-compatible hardware doesn't tend to be cheap. At launch, ZEN Stream is compatible with Roon Bridge software, making it suitable for a Roon environment, and full Roon Ready certification is in the pipeline - a tempting proposition given Zen Stream's affordable price point. With the ZEN FLOW, you can add Roon compatibility to any DAC on the planet.

Operation NAA

ZEN Stream can function as a NAA (Network Audio Adapter) in conjunction with HQPlayer Sygnalist software - favored by many serious music streaming enthusiasts. This means you can route audio data packets received via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable directly to the connected DAC without applying any processing.

iFi offers hot exclusives

An ingenious part of the ZEN Stream design is the ability to select between "exclusive modes" - individual settings that provide fully optimized performance by focusing operation in a particular mode of use.

The following modes are provided:

All in one

- This non-specific mode is great for all platforms, audio formats, and devices.

DLNA streaming

- Select this mode to optimize performance when using ZEN Flow with DLNA-compatible apps and devices.

Streaming NAA

- Select this mode when using the ZEN Flow as a network audio adapter in conjunction with the HQPlayer subscriber software.

Roon Bridge streaming

- Select this mode when integrating ZEN Flow into a ROON environment.

Tide Streaming

- If you are a subscriber to Tidal's Masters Tier and use it exclusively, this is the mode for you.

Built for sonic brilliance

Outwardly, the ZEN Stream is wrapped in the distinctive dark gray aluminum exterior that houses all of IFi's ZEN Series devices. Its silver aluminum plate displays two multicolored LEDs - one to indicate internet/intranet connection and speed; the other to show the audio format and received sample rate (these LEDs can be turned off if you prefer). There are just two buttons: the power switch and a 'hotspot' button, best used for joining a Wi-Fi network.

Although there is no screen other than the LED status, all information about the music being streamed will be displayed in the user-selected control app. iFi has made the decision that it is better to focus on performance and value for money rather than increasing the cost by incorporating a screen that would arguably be superfluous to the end user.

Around the back, next to the Wi-Fi antenna, reside an array of jacks and ports. Dual-band Wi-Fi reception supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac for a fast, reliable wireless connection, while a high-quality Gigabit Ethernet port provides the highest quality wired networking option. There's also a USB-A input, which gives the option to play music from HDD and solid-state storage devices, and a USB-C programming port for loading software/firmware updates (an alternative to OTA updates over Wi-Fi).

Two digital outputs - asynchronous USB and coaxial S/PDIF - provide connection to an external DAC or amplifier with digital inputs. Both outputs are regulated by IFi's GMT (Global Master Timing) clock circuits to eradicate digital signal jitters. The USB ports - both input and output - support SuperSpeed ​​USB3. 0 and benefit from iFi's ANC II active noise cancellation to remove distortion from the audio signal. Likewise, the S/PDIF output incorporates iFi's iPurifier technology.

The ZEN Stream circuit design has been carefully engineered to deliver superb sound, with processing muscle provided by a 64-bit ARM Cortex ARM microprocessor. This is accompanied by carefully chosen circuit components, including discrete and surface-mount devices such as TDK C0G multilayer ceramic capacitors and inductors from Taiyo Yuden and Murata.

Regulators with high PSRR (Power Supply Rejection Ratio), low idle current and low dropout voltage, along with a synchronized 1.5MHz high-speed power controller, further contribute to the ZEN Flux's pure, distortion-free performance. As befits an audiophile-quality device, the ZEN Stream doesn't incorporate a noisy fan—instead, iFi has designed low-profile heatsinks to prevent overheating while maintaining the unit's compact size.

DAC is your perfect partner

Because ZEN Stream is a network audio 'transport' as opposed to a 'player' - it produces a digital signal rather than an analogue one - it can be combined with whatever DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Converter) the user prefers. An obvious partner is iFi's ZEN DAC - an affordable, multi-award-winning USB DAC with balanced circuit design and the same 158x35x100mm aluminum enclosure. Version 2 of the ZEN DAC has just been released, with improvements including a new 16-core XMOS chip for processing incoming audio data and improvements to iFi's GMT (Global Master Timing) clock circuits.

The ZEN DAC also incorporates a large headphone amplifier - meaning the ZEN Stream/ZEN DAC combination makes a splendid desktop-sized streaming system for use with headphones as well as with an amplifier and speakers. Additionally, you can upgrade the headphone amplifier by adding an additional ZEN device, the ZEN CAN - this versatility is part of the appeal of the ZEN Series.

Fusing state-of-the-art hi-res sound with open source versatility, the iFi ZEN Stream is a uniquely specified network audio streaming transport at a refreshingly affordable RRP of £399 (399, $399) - available from selected retailers from 25th June.

High-performance Wi-Fi streaming to any audio system - simply connect to a DAC

The perfect streaming partner for ZEN DAC hi-res DAC/headphone amp

OOpen source architecture - works cross-platform, perfectly future-proof

Custom hardware and software - built from the ground up for exceptional sonics

Next-generation hi-res audio support over Wi-Fi

Seamless integration with streaming services like Spotify and Tidal

Notes for editors - key features

Powerful 64-bit ARM Cortex ARM Microprocessor

32 bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256 supported by Wi-Fi and Ethernet cable

Stream direct from Spotify/Tidal apps with Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect

oRoon, DLNA and NAA compatible

Built-in Airplay and Chromecast - easy streaming from Apple and Android devices (Chromecast being added post-launch via firmware update)

'Exclusive Mode' selection - dedicated streaming modes (e.g. DLNA, NAA, Roon, Tidal) for fully optimized performance

USB and S/PDIF interfaces regulated by femto-precision GMT clock to eradicate jitters

Active noise cancellation and iPurifier technologies remove distortion from the audio signal

Dual-band Wi-Fi reception (2.4GHz and 5GHz) with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac support

Input voltage	DC 9V/1.8A-15V/0.8A
AC	100 -240V, 50/60Hz
Entries	Wi-Fi / Ethernet / USB HDD input
Formats	PCM384 DSD256
Output	USB3.0 (Type A socket) x2
SPDIF	(Coaxial)
Power consumption No Signal	~6W
Maximum signal	~10W
Dimensions	158 x 100 x 35 mm
Net weight	578g