SMSL SD 9 or IFI ZEN STREAM

[srkbear]

i got the Zen Stream to work again last night after i did a factory re-set. it sounded great running into my old Nad D1050, but crashed a couple of times. annoying, up to its same old tricks. i think its a hair better than the 2i, but the Node 2i is stable. in Thailand they speak very little English and the ISP had no clue what a multi cast was? i wanted them to come out and change the setting. but since the 2i well come soon i will use this as a back up.. i am a fan of the Burr-Brown chips that are used in the 2i. i may buy a Zen Signature V2 which uses the same chip to partner with the Zen Stream or 2i? have you heard the V2? what are you using?

I had the Zen Signature v2 and the Zen DAC v2 before I upgraded to the Gustard x26 pro. Personally, I liked the Zen DAC v2 better than the Signature because it has the TrueBass and PowerMatch options that will pass through to your amp if you run the unit in variable volume output mode, whereas the Signature is pretty bare bones and uses essentially the same Burr Brown chipset.

In either configuration the addition of a Zen CAN (which has xBass and xSpace options to add to the sound signature options on the Zen DAC v2) or a Zen CAN Signature (which comes in two varieties to mimic Hifiman or Sennheiser 6xx tonality, the latter of which I vastly prefer) makes a huge difference, as does buying a 5V iPower X power supply. And I would also strongly suggest getting the 15V iPower X for the ZS, which adds higher amperage, more clean headroom and better Wi-Fi stability over the stock wall wart. And the sound is significantly improved by turning off the internal mixer altogether and use your DAC for all volume settings.

Final hint: link to the ZS developer GUI at iFi.local/dev. This allows you to access beta firmware and see a lot of data under the hood. Turning on the beta firmware option otherwise changes nothing in functionality; simply go back to iFi.local to get back the original GUI.

 

[rudy]

i really like the DAC in the Node 2i, to bad it does not have a coax input, it would make a good DAC. NAD stopped making DACs, pity.

 

[syamaz]

I own the SD-9. I'm a bit disappointed that I can only connect it to Tidal only via AirPlay not via Tidal Connect.
Connection with Roon is only via airplay AirPlay too.
So I don't get to play hires audio from Tidal.

 

[MisterOZ]

Hi, I am new to the zen stream. After updating to 2.29.9 Spotify connect via USB doesn’t work, the connection seems to be established but crashes after 2 or 3 seconds. Tidal and internal audio working like a charm. Anyone with the same problem? Thanks…

 

[Fluty]

I own the SD-9. I'm a bit disappointed that I can only connect it to Tidal only via AirPlay not via Tidal Connect.
Connection with Roon is only via airplay AirPlay too.
So I don't get to play hires audio from Tidal.

You can connect your iphone to the SD9 using a USB cable (lightning - usb connectors), as I have done. This will allow you to stream HiRes and MQA from Tidal.

 

[nickt1]

Hi,

I want to choose a streamer / player for my existing system with dac. I can choose between SMSL SD 9 and IFI ZEN STREAM. What shall I choose? I currently have a Qobuz subscription which I prefer, but may well choose Tidal Hifi if the integration to the player is better. My current streamer is RaspberryPi 2GB with Volumio.

Best Regards

The sound quality of the Zen stream is outstanding -better than the Bluesound node or a audio PC iwas using.Works with Tidal connect well quobuz needs a 3rd party upnp app as does the Sd9 which is another hassle/expense.
BlueOS is plug and play though-choose your poison.

 

[rudy]

agree, sent my Zen Stream back after 4 months of struggling with issues. bought the Bluesound as a back up hassle free alternative. i also bought a Kimber Kable power cord for the Bluesound. makes a bid difference.

 

[nickt1]

agree, sent my Zen Stream back after 4 months of struggling with issues. bought the Bluesound as a back up hassle free alternative. i also bought a Kimber Kable power cord for the Bluesound. makes a bid difference.

Yes I used a decent power cable on the Bluesound too -still noticably lacking compared to the ZS Bluesound is a mid Fi product for a mid Fi price ZS is a high end product for a mid Fi price .There are external power supplies you can buy for the Node that I'm sure would improve the SQ but that puts it into a higher price bracket and require some installation work.The ZS comes with lots of power supply options as it's external.
I use the 12v ipower with the ifi DC purifier and have managed to work around most the issues in the OS.

 

[rudy]

Yes I used a decent power cable on the Bluesound too -still noticably lacking compared to the ZS Bluesound is a mid Fi product for a mid Fi price ZS is a high end product for a mid Fi price .There are external power supplies you can buy for the Node that I'm sure would improve the SQ but that puts it into a higher price bracket and require some installation work.The ZS comes with lots of power supply options as it's external.
I use the 12v ipower with the ifi DC purifier.

is your network a fiber or a copper connection? i am hopping the iFi will release a V2 once they get all the bugs out. all the firmware updates so far failed to solve connection problems. i think something like a Sonore Ultra Rendu would offer the best of both words. i also feel that cables, electronics and speakers play a big part with the Node. my electronics are Rega. i have also heard the Node in expensive systems at the dealer and it sounds very very good with high end gear.

 

[Fluty]

I had an SD9 and loved it at first, until it gave me too many problems so I returned it to the dealer. Subsequently bought an iFi Zen Stream which sounds superb - even better than SD9 - and is just such a joy to use. Connectivity was an absolute breeze (for non-native English speakers = really easy) and works every single time I turn it on after many months now. No way can I recommend the SD9 after this.

 

[nickt1]

is your network a fiber or a copper connection? i am hopping the iFi will release a V2 once they get all the bugs out. all the firmware updates so far failed to solve connection problems. i think something like a Sonore Ultra Rendu would offer the best of both words. i also feel that cables, electronics and speakers play a big part with the Node. my electronics are Rega. i have also heard the Node in expensive systems at the dealer and it sounds very very good with high end gear.

I'm using fibre connection ZS, Topping D90 DAC , Topping Pre 90, 2x XTZ A2 300s Bi wire, B&W 685 S2, SVS SB 2000 sub,Supra cables and power conditioning.

 

[rudy]

Yes I used a decent power cable on the Bluesound too -still noticably lacking compared to the ZS Bluesound is a mid Fi product for a mid Fi price ZS is a high end product for a mid Fi price .There are external power supplies you can buy for the Node that I'm sure would improve the SQ but that puts it into a higher price bracket and require some installation work.The ZS comes with lots of power supply options as it's external.
I use the 12v ipower with the ifi DC purifier.

is your network a fiber or a copper connection?

hI'm using fibre connection ZS, Topping D90 DAC , Topping Pre 90, 2x XTZ A2 300s Bi wire, B&W 685 S2, SVS SB 2000 sub,Supra cables and power conditioning.

as i thought you are using fiber which is better suited for the Zen Stream. i could not upgrade to fiber due to building issues and that could make the Zen Stream network dependent. Bluesound is less susceptible to my network and hence no connection issues with it. i hope that iFi will at some point address this and make it an all rounder suitable for more pedestrian environments and improve their software as well. but yes a great sounding product.

 

[Trent999]

I agree that Ifi Zen Stream sound great, much better than my fanless mini PC with Volumio 3.. but I could not stand connection issues and sent it back. The biggest issue was that I was loosing usb connection (last FW, I have tried even beta FW)... It's interesting that some uses have zero issues and others plenty.. maybe I will give it a 2nd chance from different seller...

 

[ahofer]

My experience with ifi also revealed software and wifi not ready for prime time.

 

[rudy]

i sent my second unit back after it was determined to be defective and now have been using a Bluesound Node that works in my network without flaws, day in and day out. my hopes are that iFi will completely redesign the Zen Stream from the ground up to work as consistently as some other products in all networks.

 

[nickt1]

Hi,

I want to choose a streamer / player for my existing system with dac. I can choose between SMSL SD 9 and IFI ZEN STREAM. What shall I choose? I currently have a Qobuz subscription which I prefer, but may well choose Tidal Hifi if the integration to the player is better. My current streamer is RaspberryPi 2GB with Volumio.

Best Regards

The

Hi,

I want to choose a streamer / player for my existing system with dac. I can choose between SMSL SD 9 and IFI ZEN STREAM. What shall I choose? I currently have a Qobuz subscription which I prefer, but may well choose Tidal Hifi if the integration to the player is better. My current streamer is RaspberryPi 2GB with Volumio.

Best Regards

I use the Zen Stream as a network bridge with a linear power supply (ooh snakes) as I don't really find it convincing as a streamer on its own. https://shenzhenaudio.com/products/...power-supply-for-topping-d50-d50s-dx3-pro-d30
It sounds way superior to the switching wall wart supplied and the bluesound node for that matter (yes I know it's all one's and zeros).
However the functionality was nowhere near that of the bluesound until I signed up for Roon and realized that the network WAS my streaming source and treated it accordingly with power supplies,cables etc.
Isolating the PC from DAC has huge benefits in sound quality and practicality and Roon ads seamless integration and multiroom controlability.

 

[JeremyFife]

I had the Bluesound Node (2021 version) and liked it with an external DAC.
Sold it for a WiiM Mini Streamer which I use optical out to my DAC. Easily as good. Support for Qobuz is excellent. Stable and bit-perfect - I don't need anything else

 

[J Ratcliffe]

Sold my SD9 and bought an SMSL SMS200 ultra neo. Game over!

No AES out so hardly end game.

 

[Lavawood]

I just got the zen. I’m returning it. After 4 hours I cannot get WiFi to work. This was the most frustrating experience.

 

[VodkaChile]

Smsl sd9 = waste of money

I have a lot of troubles with bluethoot and wifi in this streaming device. Conection get lost frequently and sometimes began a distortion sound very noisy and harmfull

Bad Quality. Never SMSL again.