iFi Audio Zen Blue V2 vs Auris BluMe PRO
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ต.ค. 2024
- A & B comparison of two Hi-Res Bluetooth Receivers. #bluetooth #bluetoothreceiver
Links to Manufacturers
ifi-audio.com/...
theauris.com/p... USE ProMo code BB23 for discount price
Amazon Links...
Auris Blume Pro HiFi Bluetooth 5.0 amzn.to/3fp7flu
iFi Zen Blue V2 - HiFi Bluetooth 5.0 Receiver amzn.to/3UMRLIb
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ATTENTION My Canadian Friends, here are AMAZON links for you
Auris Blume Pro HiFi Bluetooth 5.0 Music Receiver amzn.to/3tACotc
iFi Zen Blue V2 - HiFi Bluetooth 5.0 Receiver amzn.to/3s9ALCp
Visit my Amazon Shop page to look at products that I USE and recommend www.amazon.com...
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I thought you could use the ifi as an inline dac. So grateful that you posted your video and corrected my misconception.
Can't thank you enough for this comparison.
I was expecting them to be close since both have similar Qualcomm chips and ESS Sabre DACs. But still thought Zen would be slightly better, but your comprehensive head to head proves there's nothing between them.
Zen definitely seems better built and has that hi-fi brand image which the Blume misses out on, but then Blume saves you $30-40 for the identical output.
I ordered the BlumePro after watching your video just because it gives me better value.
Once again the pro for the win for me. All in one Dac
Good comparison...I was bit confused with which one of these is better. I think Auris is a good value for money choice.
I may pick BluMe pro cuz the sounds of BluMe pro is brighter, while the sounds of Zen Blue seems to be a little bit blurred , suppressed and smaller volume if I am not wrong
1Mii has a recent entry, the B06HD+. It supports the good CODECs and has a HiFi DAC, an OLED display, and a LiPo battery for portability. No high-gain antennas, but with BT 5.1, they claim 50' indoor & 80' outdoor range; decent enough for most uses. On sale now for $72 (MSRP $90), they're a nice budget-friendly option.
Thanks for this from a happy Zen Blue v2 owner. Nice to know there's a strong competitor out there. Edit: why aptX HD instead of LDAC?
Very happy iFi owner here as well. My BT device will not transmit in LDAC. Cheers
@@breakerbroke23 That makes perfect sense. Looking at the numbers for each I'd be surprised selecting one or the other would have an impact on an A/B comparison of the two BT DACs.
@@breakerbroke23 I realize that I'm very late to the party so to speak, but in my experience LDAC is FAR Superior to Apt-X HD or any other Bluetooth Codec...to the point where I wouldn't even bother with using Bluetooth with any other Codec IF High-Fidelity and the best possible reproduction is your goal.
Even the iFi ZEN BLUE v2 produces quite significant distortion products and adds bothh even- and odd-order harmonics to the signal when using Apt-X HD, while LDAC is far cleaner, quieter, and accurate...just a superior signal overall.
If you're an iOS user, you obviously can't take advantage of LDAC (or even Apt-X/Apt-X HD), and you are limited to using AAC or SBC.
However, what I did to get around this limitation is to buy a second-hand Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ tablet which I can use with streaming services or to play my local files loaded onto my 1TB microSD memory card, or even via a connected USB-C SSD or Thumbdrive. The Tab S7+ is also excellent for everyday Internet/TH-cam consumption just like an iPad, and is a quite capable laptop replacement with it's detachable keyboard with track-pad).
The Tab S7+ has a beautiful screen and fully supports LDAC at the 990kbps bitrate. AND, FYI, the Apple Music app is also available on ANDROID! ;) So, the Galaxy Tab S7+ has become my listening chair "music server" combined with the ZEN Blue v2 and my Ipad went to the kids.
The new Galaxy Tab S9 versions are out now, so the Tab S7/S7+ or S8 versions are even more reasonable now second-hand or NOS. But there are even less expensive and/or smaller models of Samsung Galaxy and other Android tablets (and smartphones) that support LDAC. You can also try a decent portable DAP that supports LDAC via Bluetooth as your source. Some of the less expensive DAPs from Hiby, FiiO, and others support LDAC.
I also use LDAC Bluetooth for convenience in my high-end car audio system that is setup and "tuned" via an Audiotec-Fischer HELIX ULTRA DSP, and another vehicle uses the miniDSP C-DSP 8x12 DIRAC LIVE processor for the audio system. The former system uses the Focal Elite Utopia 3-way car audio components (8WM/3.5WM/TBM), while the latter system uses a mishmash of SOTA individual 3-way drivers...Purifi PTT6.5 midbass, Dynaudio Esotar2 430 midrange, and BlieSMa T25B beryllium tweeters.
I use a portable iBasso DX320 DAP as my source, which will connect via LDAC over BT, or directly via its digital coaxial or analog line outputs to either of my car audio DSPs.
The Bluetooth receiver that I'm using in both of those vehicles for LDAC over Bluetooth is the Audison B-Con which has both analog RCA line-level Outputs and a Digital Toslink Optical Output (either of which can be connected directly to the inputs of either DSP above). It also has a Digital Toslink Optical INPUT (up to 24 bit/192 kHz). Tip: The Audison B-Con is quite a bit cheaper if you order it Online from a European supplier, even with the added shipping cost to the U.S. They European sites also remove the European VAT from the listed price when shipping to the U.S., which is generally 19%-20%. ;)
The Sound Quality when switching between LDAC and Apt-X HD while listening in either of those car audio systems is also quite noticeable, especially on well-recorded music. I'm a saxophonist and drummer/percussionist, and cymbals especially are noticeably more accurate, smooth, and lifelike, as well as the upper harmonics of saxophones, violins, and piano via LDAC vs. Apt-X HD.
I haven't watched your other videos yet, so I'm not sure of the quality of your speakers and the rest of your system (as well as your listening/acoustic environment), but if you can try an LDAC source with the iFi ZEN Blue v2, try listening to both the high end treble quality as well as the lower midbass and bass quality with good acoustic recordings with LDAC vs Apt-X HD. You should be able to hear the difference as long as you're not too old (due to natural biological high-frequency hearing loss) or don't have other hearing damage.
Thanks a lot for this video !!! I'm looking a new bluetooth receiver and this video help me a lot !!!
Just ordered the Zen Air Blue
Does Air Blue sound good?
Great review! Just bought the Auris BluMe Pro, better value. Will be feeding a Musical Fidelity m5si with the Auris, looking forward to hearing TIdal masters with it.
Enjoy!
Zen air blue implement ess dac, es9023 which the same chip to ODAC 5 years ago
👍🏻👍🏻
Is Zen Blue receiver only? Do they have a transmitter?..
receive only
Just curious what kind of range to expect from these? I want to install one in my master bedroom closet and control it from my back patio approximately 40ft away.
The iFi has better range (in my testing) however, your installation could be a crap shoot as far as what you want to do. The walls both inside and out as well as electric wiring will affect range. Worth a try however.
Does the auris upscale bit sample rates
A bit confused, are you saying the iFi device doesn't have a dac so that you need to use an external dac with it?
The iFi ZEN has a built in DAC that feeds the RCA out with analog signal. It does have an optical out so you can run on a outboard DAC.
Looking to add one of these to my Marantz 2245... which do you think would be the better choice, I don't care about looks... Running a Technics SL-D20 and want to be able to stream from other sources. much appreciated and thank you for your awesome vids... another go to channel for me! Have a good one!
This is a tough question, here is what I ended up doing... Put the iFi V2 back on my main stereo system, the Auris will be a more dedicated receiver in my radio room/ studio, the main reason is it is also a DAC and I like playing files from my computer via the Technics. I also like the sound of the iFi on my 2250b a bit better.
@@breakerbroke23 thanks for your insight!
which BT transmitter?
The IFI zen is BT receiver only, the Pro is BT receiver and DAC.
Hi there, can I attach these products to an RME ADI 2 PRO SE to send music via Bluetooth from a phone?
You could use the iFi zen as it has balanced output, you will need a converter cable, or the new B3 that has a dedicated XLR out.
Check out the website at blafili.com/products/blafili-b3 use code BB23 for 10% off.
I'm using the B3 at this time and it sounds very good.
Hi thanks for the reply. Can I just use optical to avoid the in built dac of the ifi? I would think the rme has a better dac and it has optical input. I just want the ifi to be a bluetooth receiver.
Is there a real benefit to balanced?
I may be wrong in thinking your pre amp had only XLR as I just took a quick look at it. The Optical out on the iFi will work just fine. IMO most modern receivers and pre-amps you can't tell much if any difference between bal and un-bal inputs. (sound wise) You would have to A&B between the two to do any testing.
I still use my iFi Zen V-2 on my main listening system. I love its performance.