iFi Zen has no Ethernet port. That alone knocks it out of the running.
Iām pretty sure thatās where I plugged my Ethernet cable intoā¦ā¦ā¦
Ethernet input, usb or coaxial output, yes it does have a Wi-Fi antenna also.
1 Like
I really, really donāt want to go down the Raspberry road. Iām sure that it would be no more difficult than setting up my Windows NUC with ROCK, but the whole cult of Pi just doesnāt ring my bells.
I believe you all when you say itās dirt simple and sounds fine (in addition to being the least expensive streamer around), but for some subconscious reason, it just doesnāt taste right to me.
Perhaps the disgusting experience with my brand new NUC is nagging (I considered it a semi-DIY project). Within a week or so, itās on its last legs with two of its USB ports not working reliably and the third questionable as well.
My experiences with commercial products (even used ones) have been far more positive (perhaps Iāve just been lucky?).
At the moment, my NUC is working as a Roon server. If it gets flakey, though, Iāll have to trash it and replace it with something else. So my music system, at the moment, is āsuboptimal.ā I donāt want to add further questionable-reliability equipment (which is what I consider the Raspbrerry Pi) to the mix.
So thanks for the recommendation - Iāll not reject it permanently, but will move it to a back burner for now.
Glenn
Postscriptum - Should I need to replace the NUC, Iād have a choice of three laptops:
An e-Machines with Windows 7 & a non-Intel processor (currently used for nothing)
A Dell 17ā with an i7 and Windows 10 used (VERY rarely for business)
An Apple MacBook Pro used as a daily everything machine.
Which of the above would be happiest with Roon core? If it matters, Iām 10x more familiar with OS-X than Windows, but once Roon was installed, it might not matterā¦
I must have looked at a different model? I think they make several, yes?
Yes youāre right, they do have several different types that look similar, maybe confusing a little bit. I had heard a few different folks using this in a couple of different scenarios, I was setting up a new system in a new home and thought that it might fit the bill. So far so good, I was reading what your thoughts and requirements were and it seems like we had similar thinking. Maybe read up some reviews and if it makes sense try one out from a dealer that you can return it if it doesnāt fit the criteria you need properly?
And I said Bluetooth antenna, I think itās Wi-Fi antenna only not Bluetooth as well
I read the (positive) reviews. I checked Amazon - $399 new. I checked eBay - $339 from an authorized dealer (new-open box). Decision made. Thanks for the recommendation!
Glenn
3 Likes
Ok Glenn ! Iāll be looking forward to hearing from you soon about how things go. I got lucky and grabbed one for 299 USD Black Friday deal, your deal sounds great as well. Best luck with it.
Rob
Edit: New (was back in 2021) iFi Zen Stream device
This thread has some helpful information on the device, just get past the older stuff in the beginning.
1 Like
I was encouraged by an audio amigo to abandon my Apple TV3 for two reasons:
-
It has only a TOSLINK optical audio output. In addition to having more jitter, no DAC that he knew of had an asynchronous optical input - so the jitter would affect the DAC audibly, and the clock in the Apple TV was an afterthought that has since been eliminated completely on the TV4 version.
-
It converts all audio to 48kHz, regardless of what was sent by Roon, and having to constantly do up / down conversion (in addition to both receiving Ethernet data and also converting the audio for optical transmission in real-time) may tax the deviceās processing power.
My next DAC will have native higher speed and bit-depth capabilities in addition to MQA decoding. Itās USB input will be asynchronous with its own buffer and clock,
Putting a pi together is easy peasy, my hands donāt work any more but i did it no problem
Its a board , an Sd Card and a case .Ropieee does it itself
All you need is a PC and Etcher to burn the SD card
30 mins tops , its even fun seeing what YOU did work
Its a great end point BTW
I understand yor reservations though
PS Avoid your Win 7 Pc way outof support
If you can hide it away a bog std Desktop tower full of Drives is perfect if a bit noisy. Ethernet will isolate any electrical noise
2 Likes
Probably because it would be useless without also including the streaming function.
Availability and prices gone crazy for the few items in the market is the only problem. A Pi4 (1GB) would be perfect for this purpose. What was a $35 product sells now for $150 and more.
If Raspberry Pi DIY is not your thing, perhaps a Wiim streamer works?
Updates to be released by 12 / 31 / 2022
New Feature:
- Roon Ready
Pretty sure it would run Roon RAAT. AFAIK Auralic has made the software releases the same across the line including legacy products. My first streamer, before Roon, was an Auralic Aries and it was great.
1 Like
That is bizarre. Hardware issues?
The NUC is Intelās experiment to see how cheaply they could make a computer. It is a cheaper product than even economy laptops. In laptops and desktops, any socket that must endure repeated insertion and withdrawal is mounted on a reinforcing plate. On a NUC, there is no plate for port sockets to be mounted on. Instead, the ports are weakly soldered to the motherboard. Further, the rear USB sockets are stacked vertically above the motherboard, increasing the bending moment on the assembly. If one attempts to insert a USB plug āupside downā into the top socket, the torque developed is sufficient to break the solder joints holding the pair of ports to the motherboard. This is why NUC USB ports have developed the reputation for being āfragile.ā Iām not the only victim of Intelās shoddy design and constructionā¦
So no, failed NUC ports are not ābizarre.ā Instead, they are an inherent design flaw of the NUC motherboard. Had I only known before I bought a NUCā¦
Well the Nucleus units are NUCs, unmodified. I have not heard people have as much issue as you state.
1 Like
I can recommend Auralic Aries streamer as well. Can be found for 500-600ā¬ second hand. It is Roon ready. Not to be confused with Aries Femto, Aries Mini or Aries G 1.
I didnāt realize it was still so expensive! If you will be using Roon, I would recommend a used microRendu instead.
Too late for other options. Iāve ordered an iFi Zen Streamer.
1 Like
Simple the Best Solution.