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USB to USB Streamer ¦ Replacing a computer in an audio system
- Thread starter Fleuch
- Start date
- Thread Starter
- #62
Hi Moriez
Two items to look at: iFi Streamer and the recently released update to the Bluesound Node (the name seems to have gone full circle from Node => Node 2 => Node 2i and back to Node). Both are under your top budget. It depends on your intended use and the combinations of inputs and outputs you require. The iFi Streamer has no onboard DAC and offers a USB in / USB out facility with coax and optical options, whereas the Bluesound Node offers USB in / optical and coax out. The Topping M50 is a low-cost option but is delivered without a power supply in the box. There are many other options but for me the "value for money" tag is with iFi, also the USB in / out option allows input from a USB hard drive and output to a USB DAC.
Also part of the "why" is that the hardware includes (from the iFi web page):
"The USB ports – both input and output – support the SuperSpeed USB3.0 standard and benefit from iFi’s Active Noise Cancelling technology to remove distortion from the audio signal.
Similarly, the coaxial S/PDIF output incorporates iFi’s iPurifier signal purifying technology."
Two items to look at: iFi Streamer and the recently released update to the Bluesound Node (the name seems to have gone full circle from Node => Node 2 => Node 2i and back to Node). Both are under your top budget. It depends on your intended use and the combinations of inputs and outputs you require. The iFi Streamer has no onboard DAC and offers a USB in / USB out facility with coax and optical options, whereas the Bluesound Node offers USB in / optical and coax out. The Topping M50 is a low-cost option but is delivered without a power supply in the box. There are many other options but for me the "value for money" tag is with iFi, also the USB in / out option allows input from a USB hard drive and output to a USB DAC.
Also part of the "why" is that the hardware includes (from the iFi web page):
"The USB ports – both input and output – support the SuperSpeed USB3.0 standard and benefit from iFi’s Active Noise Cancelling technology to remove distortion from the audio signal.
Similarly, the coaxial S/PDIF output incorporates iFi’s iPurifier signal purifying technology."
- Thread Starter
- #64
Hi Moriez
This comes down to personal choice and your intended use.
The Volumio Primo is based on an ASUS Tinker Board S SBC, based on Rockchip Quad-Core RK3288 CPU, to which Volumio has added an audio processing board. This is similar to the design of any streamer based on the Raspberry Pi, where the boards are not designed specifically for audio applications. In comparison the board on the iFi Stream is designed specifically for audio purposes, where the processing is done by an ARM Cortex chip, and is a later design.
Similar to the Bluesound Node, the Primo has an on-board DAC, so if you have an external DAC, you will be paying for something you might seldom use. One thing to check if you are thinking of investing in the Primo is the verson of the Volumio OS installed, which is now v3, and whether a power supply is included "in the box" (the manual states "Power Adaptor is optional, depending on the region and local seller’s policy"). The iFi Stream is purely a transport whereas the Primo is a music player.
Not sure if this helps.
This comes down to personal choice and your intended use.
The Volumio Primo is based on an ASUS Tinker Board S SBC, based on Rockchip Quad-Core RK3288 CPU, to which Volumio has added an audio processing board. This is similar to the design of any streamer based on the Raspberry Pi, where the boards are not designed specifically for audio applications. In comparison the board on the iFi Stream is designed specifically for audio purposes, where the processing is done by an ARM Cortex chip, and is a later design.
Similar to the Bluesound Node, the Primo has an on-board DAC, so if you have an external DAC, you will be paying for something you might seldom use. One thing to check if you are thinking of investing in the Primo is the verson of the Volumio OS installed, which is now v3, and whether a power supply is included "in the box" (the manual states "Power Adaptor is optional, depending on the region and local seller’s policy"). The iFi Stream is purely a transport whereas the Primo is a music player.
Not sure if this helps.
moriez
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Yes, this type of comparative info is very helpful to me. I already went ahead and picked up a used ZS expected to arrive any day now. I've read that it hasn't been without issues since release so lets see and hear if it's set and forget or, sell and forget 
- Thread Starter
- #66
Hi Moriez
A pity there is no review on ASR for the iFi Zen Stream. Searching on the net returns many reviews of the Stream when it was first released, and there were one or two issues about stability, which now seem to be fixed.
One review refers to a desk top app, which, if it is an iFi app, is in deep hiding somewhere. Another review (quote)
The iFi Audio ZEN Stream is all about versatility and it allows you to stream from the following sources: From any DLNA certified streaming app (our own app is imminent!)
Presumably this is a direct copy of the iFi web page at the time when the review was written.
The Stream-iFi app assists with setting up, but have not got past that bit as I use Bubble for music. Please let me know if you find other iFi apps which might be more suitable. The photographs in the reviews indicate there is an iFi app, and show the user interface is very similar to Volumio.
A pity there is no review on ASR for the iFi Zen Stream. Searching on the net returns many reviews of the Stream when it was first released, and there were one or two issues about stability, which now seem to be fixed.
One review refers to a desk top app, which, if it is an iFi app, is in deep hiding somewhere. Another review (quote)
The iFi Audio ZEN Stream is all about versatility and it allows you to stream from the following sources: From any DLNA certified streaming app (our own app is imminent!)
Presumably this is a direct copy of the iFi web page at the time when the review was written.
The Stream-iFi app assists with setting up, but have not got past that bit as I use Bubble for music. Please let me know if you find other iFi apps which might be more suitable. The photographs in the reviews indicate there is an iFi app, and show the user interface is very similar to Volumio.
moriez
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Hi Fleuch. I finally have the ZS setup after a couple of efforts too many. With the help of another owner I performed a hard reset before it could recognize local storage. Don't know what was in the way but thankfully have her running smoothly so far, and for what's it's worth that's without the need of a firmware update. For the moment I'm not too bothered with wireless services or remote control as I'm behind a computer when listening to music so controls via browser suits me just fine. However, I can confirm iFi app does work. You can find it here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ifi.ifistreamer&gl=US
- Thread Starter
- #68
Hi Moriez
Many thanks for the link. From your post it seems you feel the ZS is at least a reasonable success; mighty glad that the recommendation is good!
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