Thanks for the shout-out and the plug, I appreciate it and am glad our iSilencer+ worked for you!
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Thanks! Just trying to help everyone out with my experiences 
Great question. So, I didnât connect any streamers via ethernet - BUT - I did have an interesting unintended experiment with my NUC server. While the ifi Zen stream can be hooked up via ethernet, mine is too far from my router to practically do that, so itâs all wifi. Given that, it doesnât really matter where my NUC server is, given that itâs going to the router first, and then to the Zen Stream, so who cares if I connect the server to the router wirelessly or via ethernet, right? right??? (insert Anakin Sywalker meme)
I didnât in my wildest dreams think there would be a sonic difference, so just for better connectivity, I hooked up my NUC server in the other room directly to my router (still wireless to Zen Stream). I kicked off a listening session, and I immediately thought âwait, something is offâ. It took me a while to think of what had changed, because this was not an intentional or anticipated experiment, but I finally remembered that my server was now hard-wired to the router. I wondered if that could really be it, so I left the NUC server place (next to the router, in the other room), but switched back to wifi. Poof. The sound I knew and loved was back.
In this particular instance, even though the most direct connection to my rack didnât change connectivity, there was a noticeable difference in how I connected my NUC server to my router. I thought WiFi was pretty clearly better. That certainly doesnât mean it will be so in all circumstances, and I didnât even experiment with the connection to my rack, but it goes to show you stuff like this matters.
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Yes, and the biggest improvement of the Zen Stream wired is reliability.
If you already donât have any issues, thatâs great too. No need to plug it in then!
Just stumbled across this article and wanted to comment as a 2021 Node owner with the Denafrips Iris DDC and Ares II DAC. I have the Node (using wifi) via USB to the Iris, coax out to the Ares II. This feeds the Denafrips Hades Preamp and than out to their Thallo amplifier, which feeds a pair of KLH Model 5 speakers. I also have an Oppo BDP-83 BD player I use as a SACD/CD transport. I rip the digital signal, including the DSD signal out of the Oppo HDMI output using a GeerFab digital breakout box, which is fed to the Ares II via coax.
I cannot hear a difference in the CD SQ vs Qobuz streaming on the Node, they are identical to my ear and very easy to switch between on the Ares II to compare. There is no digital noise that I can hear, and the background is extremely black. The detail, depending on the recording, is very detailed to my ear along with very good separation.
When I plugged the Node into the Ares II direct, via USB, there is a bit of a difference in the sound, but nothing that would stop me from listening. The DDC does make a difference, not life changing better, it is slight but there and for the better.
I think if you are using a chip based DAC vs an R2R DAC, I believe that will have more effect on the sound due to the digital nature of the output. I am very sensitive to digital noise, it kills the enjoyment of listening, and can actually give me a headache. I found the same issue with solid state preamps and Class D amplifiers. Something in the way the signal is handled in this gear that I really am not able to enjoy. I have not experienced this since moving to the R2R Ares II and the all analog Denafrips zero gain preamp and amplifier, and I see no reason to replace my Node, especially when it is rock solid and has given me zero issues unlike my Play-fi streamers. Just my .02
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Great article. Iâm wondering about the USB port on your ZEN and whether, as someone said above, it may have been faulty.
I have a ZEN DAC v2 (which only takes USB input) and a ZEN CAN. Iâm thinking of getting the ZEN STREAM to stack, and wondering if anyone has had experience with the USB connection between the STREAM and CAN - does it produce similar noise issues?
Thanks!
I think thatâs highly unlikely. Itâs not like there were audible crackles, pops, or dropouts; itâs more subtleties of the resulting sound that are generally attributable to streaming sources. In a non-A/B environment, I think itâs unlikely someone would notice, and even less so if youâre not using extremely sensitive gear. The review accentuates the differences for descriptive clarity, but I donât think youâd plug it in and think it was terrible. Iâm sure youâd find it very satisfying in the stack you mentioned.
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Thank you, I think Iâll go for it so I will be mostly Tidal streaming, using Tidal connect, so I presume this bypasses the app?
Yes, it does bypass the app.
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