ifi Neo Streamer

@colpgmrguy I consider the iFi streamers a bring-your-own-app streamer. iFi supports most protocols, but they notably lack the Chromecast protocol, which would be important to cast directly from Qobuz or Amazon HD apps. 

On my Zen Stream, I've noticed that while casting either Spotify or Tidal (over Spotify Connect or Tidal Connect), my phone will lose connection to the streamer and I'll heard the song coming from both my stereo system and my phone. I suspect that this is the bugginess that other people experience. 

On the other hand, I've had an incredible experience using Roon for years. This year, I started to use NAA, and that experience is also solid. 

My recommendation is that unless you're looking to cast from Roon or use NAA, to try a different streamer brand. 

@colpgmrguy 

I will admit, my weakest link is the streamer. Im using a Transparent USB from the neo to the Hermes and i2s from the Hermes to the Pontus. Then Cardas Cygnus XLRs to my amp. I think the neo as a streamer gets out of the way and I’m hearing my other components. I upgraded my speakers to Fyne Audio 502sp and they are pretty amazing. I am happy with the ifi neo but will eventually upgrade it to something else. I’m looking at the Esoteric N-05XD which will replace the Neo, Pontus, and Hermes. My Atoll has a bypass which will allow me to use the Esoteric’s preamp to the Atoll amp. I’m looking to upgrade early 2025. I like the idea of an all in one with the exception of separating the preamp from the amp. I tested the Esoteric at home for a week and was very impressed. 
 

With the exception of an occasional software glitch I’m very happy with the neo. I’m sure the Aurilic G1.1 is a way better streamer, it is way more expensive. I hope you find the right streamer for your setup. 

Thanks for the responses.

@stevebohnii

I liked this item for several reason.  It appears to have great build quality, it's compact and a good price point.  It also has my preferred digital outputs (particularly i2s and AES/EBU).  I also liked the what I'll call hybrid balanced output, if you wanted to use the Neo's internal DAC.  For any component, I'd rather connect (analog) via XLR, not RCA.
A lot of lower priced point streamers don't have i2s and AES outputs.  If they have an internal DAC, their analog outputs seem to only be RCA.
I've also looked at the Aurilic G1.1, when it was on sale.  It's a transport with AES out.  I have not purchased it due to the fact that it seems to be built around the iOS platform and I don't have an iPad.
I've looked at so many brands.  I like the Eversolos and probably could purchase an A6 and connect to my Pontus II via USB and it would be fine.  It would be nice if they could come up with a transport, put in a few more digital outputs and keep it at their low price points.

I have tried the iFi, a Lumin and a Wiim; I really like the interface of the Wiim and with my external DAC’s I have not noticed a difference from the Lumin.

The iFi was adequate but the app was intermitent.

The Lumin did not provide native Amazon HD which, along with Qobuz, are my sources.

I'm waiting on an Innuos Zen 3 now.

Funny, I’ve had mine since it came out and have not had all the problems listed above. It is the only component I turn off when not using. If I do leave it on for long periods of time, before I listen I’ll turn it off and back on again. I do believe the software could be improved but I am very satisfied with the sound quality as a streamer. I’m using a Hermes and Pontus ii so I’m not using the internal dac. I have tested the dac and was very impressed with its detail without it being fatiguing. For the price I think it’s a great unit especially the output options. I was using Cardas Clear coaxial and transitioned to Transparent USB. I think we need to know the other options you are considering to be able to give you quality advice. 

Hi, I have one, purchased new. Believe the unit is sound, and in the brief moments it has, sounds great for the price. I have a highly stable network, excellent equipment, and am technically versed. In all honesty, in nearly two months I have not had more than a couple days of listening, and am still corresponding with and waiting for technical support. Most of the time it has sat unusable. Specifically, the necessary phone interface repeatedly drops out, or the library disappears, has to be rescanned etc. or the settings cannot be accessed. Numerous updates were suggested by support and have not solved all thle issues. Asked for refund, they refused bc it was purchased elsewhere. Now, due to their prolonged support I am out of the return window, they want me to ship back to them for assessment, apparently at my own expense. Great sound, buggy, please look carefully at the reviews for the interface. I wanted to love, but clearly cannot recommend. 

I owned one for a 30 day trial period a few years back. At the time, I had a PS Audio DS DAC w/ bridge card. The NEO did not beat it for sound quality, so back it went. Also at that time, I felt all digital sounded the same since my experience showed just that. I've learned a lot since. 

Seems like every thread i’ve seen discussing ifi streamers/dacs ends up with complaints about flaky software and/or hardware.  It’s a shame, because they look so cool!

I tried it, curious about its high bitrate I2S, but returned it. I found the software flakey (for example, the entire unit had access issues if you set a static IP address, even though that was clearly contemplated as it was a menu option).

I was using Quobuz via Roon and also using it as an NAA endpoint. Sound quality was good, but I worried that the software was fragile and some random update would put the unit out of commission for a while... Looks like some others have had such problems, but then again most software these days has problems at one point or another.

Other options advertise Qobuz support, such as Cambridge Audio

If it does not say Qobuz it’s unlikely that the app supports it. You can always use BubbleUPNP or mConnect.

If you'd asked the web you'd already know:

"The iFi NEO Stream is not natively compatible with Qobuz, but software specifications can change quickly."