Currently, my ifi Zen Stream is powered by the ifi iPower standard power supply. I was thinking about what a Linear power supply would do to the Zen Stream (e.g. the iPower Elite)
Did anyone try a Linear Power Supply with the Zen Stream?
Is it even worth it or is it overkill and an ipowerX is just fine?
I have no experience with this gear, but in general I can recommend Farad Super 3 Power supplies,
It might be overkill but deeply system dependent, maybe worth a try.
I know, I forgot how long it was.
I can say that there are several recommendations for LPSUs including the Farad in the thread.
Anything from 9v to 15v seems to work fine with a lot of variation in finding from users on the threads who have tried the different power supplies and the results from them
The ZS’s voltage input range is from 9V to 15V which means it will re-regulate it internally. The result could be better, or worse (if you spend $$$$ on a power supply by cost-vs-effectiveness perspective). So I personally think just go with the power supply unit shipped with original package, or no more than iPower 2.
This has made my system sound significantly better - cleaner, more open and dynamic, and video is better to. Mine powers the Zen, a TiVo, my router and a Fire stick. I tried the Zen on the 12v tap but prefer the sound at 15v
If you have multiple DC powered devices, the HD Plex is worth a close look. Note that the fixed outputs can be customized for your needs. Mine has two 12v taps
Wow that power supply is about 3x the price of the stream . But it does run 2 devices at least. It seems to be a wonderful LPS
I put a new iFi ipower X 15v on my Stream last week, but I already had the launch version of the Stream with the good power supply, so I do not hear any real difference, but I know it’s there which is the important thing
Not sure if it is a little bit late, but you could try the Silent Angel Forester F1 or the clone from nuPrime LPS 205. They are both between 450-500 Euro for a new one, but you can get them cheaper used, and sometimes they are somewhere on offer.
Edit: I saw that they both only provide 5V, so forget about it. You’d need something from Keces instead (like a Keces P3).
Actually, I got a iFi Zen Stream now and attached it to my Keces P8 Dual 12/19V via the 12 volt output (I have a PrimeMini4 on the 19 volt output and a Silent Angel N8 on the 5 volt USB output). Sounds nice, and audibly better than the supplied cheap power supply.