If I connect my Questyle CMA twelve dac with AES/EBU to the neo stream the neo stream unfolds to 88.2/96 kHz.
When connected with USB to the same dac the indicator on the dac shows 44.1/48 kHz.
This is not really a problem as Roon can do the software unfold if necessary.
What is the Neo set as in Roon for MQA capabilities? As the decoder is likely part of the DAC circuitry that you are likely bypassing via USB output so it misses that step. Or it’s a bug so would need Roon to apply the first decode via its software decoder.
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Steven there was not an update as of last week, as I did a sneaky check (just in case, no FOMO of course).
I will try and do a check this evening on the beta channel.
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MQA via USB is working fine for me! I have MQA passthrough set to “on” in the NS GUI, have the Roon audio settings for my device set to “decoder and renderer” (as my DAC supports this) and the initial software unfold set as enabled. I don’t have a non MQA DAC available to test, but I presume the only difference would be to change the audio setting from “decoder and renderer” to “No MQA capability”.
Don’t ask me why but I have a sneaking suspicion that a Neo Stream is going to become part of your collection at some point in the near future…don’t you hate that you can’t upsample to DSD 512 with that Zen Stream? I know you do… 
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With MQA dacs it’s working, I tried the topping d90se and the iFi neo iDSD
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You do speak the truth 
I am fighting it at the moment as I need to buy a new vehicle and the wife wants me to buy a camper van.
They are more expensive than HiFi equipment 
Hold on a minute…
The better half wants a camper van at xxxx cost but wont let you have a TT at xx cost?
Sounds like some stern talking is needed here 
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Going to visit Ikea on Saturday as they have had deliveries 
Not far from my football stadium visit 
(will take her to see some camper vans on Sunday)
(I have to fund everything as she is semi retired, but happy wife, happy life and all that)
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Just checked the beta updates and there is sadly nothing new for the Stream.
It looks like all the effort is now going into the development of the Neo Stream now. It’s been almost 6 months since the last beta update.
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This is very sad to see for ZS users 
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It is, but it already works really well.
I think a couple of late life updates would be nice and make everyone happier 
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Before buying the NS, my hopes for a firmware upgrade for the ZS were primarily about DSD 512 (plus it would have been nice if iFi hadn’t left the unit in a permanent beta cycle with 2.31.8). But since I got the NS, I’ve begun to think that either higher bandwidths aren’t possible with the ZS’s native hardware, or that iFi didn’t want the ZS to compete with their plans for the NS. It may be both.
My argument for the former surrounds my own experience with DSD 512 upsampling with the NS. When I bought it I was pretty suspect of iFi’s rationale for including this costly optical repeater they bundled with it, which on the basis of simple bandwidth calculations seems to be unnecessary for most folks with high speed internet.
However, even though I have gigaspeed fiber internet at my home, and am using the optical repeater to connect my NS directly to an ethernet port on my overkill gaming router, I have occasionally noticed some pauses or dropouts (some lasting up to 2 or 3 seconds) when playing files upsampled to DSD 512 in Roon—something I never experienced with my ZS with DSD 256 upsampling.
The cynic in me is inclined to suspect that iFi adheres to some inviolable boundaries in terms of features they allow at their respective price point tiers—the ZS is after all part of their mid-tier Zen line, and the NS is a new addition to their flagship series (never mind the fact that in terms of streaming capabilities, the ZS blows the Pro iDSD Signature off the map).
However, when I considered buying the NS I was surprised to find that PCM 768 or DSD 512 capability isn’t offered by even the most outlandishly priced streamers (other than the latest Matrix Audio Element X2!), so maybe this optical repeater does have a legitimate purpose. Even with the repeater and a gamer-friendly network setup, the NS seems to be struggling every so often to handle DSD 512. Perhaps someone with a more educated grasp of what’s going on under the hood can shed more light than I on what I’m experiencing here?
Either way, for those who have the ZS, I am absolutely certain that I cannot hear the slightest difference between DSD 256 and 512 upsampling (arguably between DSD 256 and NOS FLAC for that matter), and unless you need a new DAC there’s absolutely no need to “upgrade” to the NS. The ZS continues to offer the highest audio quality achievable in a streamer at an absolute steal of a price.
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What’s the processing speed indicate when your upsampling to 512 and it chokes? It may be your machine that’s the issue not the optical network connection that’s reduce noise not much else , it’s the latest audiophool craze. Upsampling to DSD is the most taxing thing Roon does and most issues arise from an inadequate machine to cope with it.
Yes, I think iFi will not unlock the DSD512 capability on the ZS. I have started to look into it but I don’t have the skills to do so… on the ZS, if you look a little bit, you can even find references to the Neo, proof that the development has been done like one and the bases are close.
As for the DSD512, I use a Musician Pegasus that goes up to DSD1024. The set with HQplayer allows to have a differentiation by using different filters and modulators. The ZS pushed to its maximum as a NAA bridge is excellent. It is connected directly (without switch) to my server with a CAT6. But what still infuriates me is that by substituting an RPI4 (piCore OS or NAA Os), I can have DSD512 with a quality level “almost” equivalent… the thickness of a hair. And even DSD1024 but my HQP server doesn’t keep up with it.
I don’t know what iFi audio has added to the Neo… a kernel compiled with the right options, a different sound library version.
They could deliver a beta firmware… and bring the Zen Stream to maturity. Which would not limit the sales of the Neo.
I think the Neo is not a killer. It is not well positioned. Not a great dac streamer and not a high end looking streamer.
A Zen Stream Signature and a separate optic kit would certainly make iFi audio more money.
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I think the ZS and NS are both terrific streamers, certainly the highest audio quality you’ll ever need for any streamer and both priced quite competitively—the ZS in particular. I’ve never been a fan of Burr Brown chips so I continue to use my Topping d90SE as my DAC and take advantage of the DSD 512 and PCM 768 capability the NS affords.
To get that bandwidth, vanishingly few streamers offer it—one of the only options I’ve seen is Matrix Audio’s Element M2 which will only set you back $3,099 (gulp).
The ZS at $399 is ridiculously cheap. They were smart—they realized that there is no higher sound quality in a digital network transport than a simple RPI or similar microcomputer, so they prefabbed one with Volumio-based architecture, made it look pretty, added some extra anti-jitter and ANC tech to the outputs and saved folks the hassle of building their own. If you use Roon, all the extra cash you’re paying for fancier, higher priced units is for a busy hardware GUI and usually an inboard DAC—those that claim that theirs “sound better” are FOS. Network audio transports exist solely in the digital domain and have no “sound”. The streamer segment is awash in snake oil ripoffs…
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Interesting discussion on another forum regarding the iFi Neo Stream and power supplies. A poster reckoned that using the iFi Elite Power supply enhanced the sound quality above what could be achieved with the iFi iPower X that came supplied with the Neo Stream. Another poster countered that and said that a PSU could enhance an amplifier but not a streamer because it was basically just a computer. I’ll put some of his explanation below. Is he correct?
"There’s no amplifier circuit in the Neo—as you know it is purely a streamer and a DAC. Choices of power supplies can make a considerable difference when it comes to amplifiers, which have to draw a surfeit of clean power, and the resultant audio that is achieved by type of power supply (switching vs linear) and its quality can surely be impacted.
But the Neo is nothing more than a computer—and the power supply is really just a simple variable voltage transformer that steps down the wall voltage to a fixed DC wattage sufficient to make the device’s motherboard elements function.
This unit doesn’t even have a pre-amp circuit. The truth is that the choice of power supply has no impact on DACs or streamers, simply given the science behind the way they work. The former is just crunching numbers, the latter transporting a digital signal. Choosing a more expensive power supply wouldn’t achieve any difference any more than it would with a PC."
In respect of purely digital devices like streamers, I’ve seen that opinion advanced by many people and argued with by many people. Usually, any arguments that improvements are heard with a better power supply are explained away with suggestions of cognitive bias, physics/electrical principles and lack of double blind testing. The arguments are invariably circular. I think you will just have to decide which side of the fence you are going to be on.
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Funnily enough the naysayer poster also mentioned cognitive bias in another part of the post I didn’t reproduce here. The one thing the guy does do is put forward his reasons as to why he doesn’t think a power supply like iFi’s Elite will give any improvements, would be interesting to see someone provide a counter argument as to how it can.
Anyone who argues that it can will be asked to produce measurements obtained by an approved testing method, plus prove it in a double blind test. If something measurable can actually be shown, it will then be argued that whatever it is will be so small as to yield no discernible improvement or be outside the range of human hearing or not be in an area that affects the sound in any significant way.
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