iFi Audio NEO Stream

The NEO Stream is built to deliver optimal versatility and sonic performance.
It combines the latest version of IFI Audios network streaming engine with their award-winning DAC stage to deliver a level of audio previously unattainable without spending much more than its £1,299 price tag. Just add your choice of amp and speakers.

• Adds streaming capability to your cherished system
• Sonically upgrades your existing streamer

Distinctly different.

• IFIs use of proprietary tech makes the NEO Stream distinctly different.
• No ‘bought-in’ platform. No specific control app.
• IFIs own streaming engine. Fully optimised for seamless operation and excellent sonic performance.

Functionally and sonically, it’s the ideal streamer for passionate music lovers who want to experience their music with exceptional sound quality through their own choice of control app or music platform. Without the exorbitant price tag.

Seamless streaming

• Roon Ready – Roon Ready certification means the NEO Stream slots straight into a Roon audio environment and works seamlessly with Roon software.
• DNLA/UPnP – Use your choice of any DLNA/UPnP compatible app – BubbleUPnP, mconnect, Audirvana and so on – to control the NEO Stream and access audio content from online services.
• Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect – Stream straight from these integrated online music services.
• Apple Airplay – Easy streaming from Apple devices.
• NAA operation – Serious enthusiast? The NEO Stream can operate as a Network Audio Adapter. It directs packets of audio data received over Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable straight to the connected DAC without applying processing.
• NAS drive – stream from a local storage device using the ‘Stream-iFi’ app.

Custom DAC

The NEO Stream’s integral DAC stage takes your streaming enjoyment to another level.

• Four-channel True Native hi-res DAC design – supports PCM 768kHz and DSD 512,
• Powerful 16-core XMOS processor – performs full MQA decoding (to 384kHz)

Thanks to the DAC chip’s four-channel True Native design, PCM and DSD take separate pathways and remain ‘bit-perfect’ in their direct-native form, right through to analogue conversion. In the case of DSD, there is no conversion to PCM or application of multi-bit processing – this is unusual and makes the NEO Stream an excellent choice for DSD purists.

Coveted connections

Inputs

• Dual-band Wi-Fi reception (2.4GHz and 5GHz) with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac support
• Gigabit Ethernet (LAN) – 1x RJ45; 1x M12; 1x Optical LAN (see below for more information)
• 2x USB-A (USB2.0 and SuperSpeed USB3.0 supported)
• 1x USB-C system update port (OTA – Over The Air – updates also available)

Outputs

• Analogue – 1x stereo RCA; 1x 4.4mm balanced
• Ultra-res digital (PCM 768kHz, DSD512) – 1x HDMI-I2S; 1x USB-A (USB3.0)
• Hi-res S/PDIF digital (PCM 192kHz) – 1x optical; 1x coaxial; 1x AES/EBU

Unique optical LAN

Connecting to your network router via cable rather than relying on Wi-Fi? The NEO Stream includes a unique option alongside its RJ45 and M12 ports – optical LAN. This is IFIs own technology. Connect the OptiBox transceiver to the router, and the NEO Stream to the OptiBox via an optical cable. Both the OptiBox and cable are included.

Benefit from the highest quality digital audio connection possible between the router and the streamer.

• Ultra-fast data speeds of up to 10Gbps
• Bit-perfect transmission of ultra-resolution audio
• Minimal degradation across distances of up to 1km

The LAN signal from the router is regenerated, reclocked and rebalanced by the OptiBox; true galvanic isolation is applied, with zero parasitic capacitance and inductance.

Heal the noise

The NEO Stream has been painstakingly engineered to remove noise and distortion from the audio signal:

• USB ports use IFI Audios ANC II active noise cancellation technology
• S/PDIF outputs incorporate iPurifier technology
• The digital signal is regulated by IFI Audios femto-precision GMT (Global Master Timing) clock to eradicate jitter
• The retina-grade TFT display boasts SilentLine design so no electrical noise interferes with the audio signal
• Circuit components with low ESR, high linearity and low noise mean great sound quality
• Voltage regulators with high PSRR (Power Supply Rejection Ratio), low idle current and low dropout equal low power supply noise and a synchronous 1.2MHz high-speed power supply controller to improve filtering efficiency mean power supply noise is vanishingly low.

The NEO Stream has more clarity and texture, and a more dynamic and engaging performance – quite simply, you hear more of the music, just as the artist intended.

XMOS 16X

The XMOS 16-Core chip processes the audio data received via the USB digital input.
This new low-latency XMOS microcontroller has greatly enhanced processing power. Compared to the current generation of eight-core chips, this new 16-core IC delivers double the clock speed (2000MIPS) and four times the memory (512KB), as well as the latest SuperSpeed USB standard.

iFi’s in-house digital development team has programmed the XMOS firmware to optimise sound quality and ensure a perfect partnership with the Burr Brown chipset used in the NEO Stream.

Hi-Res Audio

Hi-res audio support is state-of-the-art with True Native® playback. It handles PCM data to 32-bit/768kHz, DSD up to DSD512 and single and double speed DXD.

Thanks to the Burr-Brown DAC chip’s four-channel True Native design, PCM and DSD take separate pathways – this enables DSD, as well as PCM, to remain ‘bit-perfect’ in its native form right through to analogue conversion. This is not the case with all DAC devices from other brands – even if DSD compatibility is stated, many such DACs convert DSD signals to PCM.

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