Review: Zidoo NEO S

I confirm that after hundred of hours of using Zidoo Neo S, there are no heat problems anymore and it plays everything without any error.

 

I have just made a 2TB test SSD inside Zidoo Neo S and it works OK. It see the drive without problems, all content tracks, folders. Here are some photos.
How to do it:

1) Buy ONLY 2TB WD Blue, SSD, M.2 - 2280, 3,3V x 2Amps maximum
2) Buy an NMVe USB 3.0 adaptor and place the SSD inside
3) Format the drive into a Windows 10 computer. Use NTFS file sustem and MBR type partition, primary, no other partitions present.
4) Because its amps is larger then 1,5A as in 1 TB drive, you should not using copy/writing inside NEO S. Reading the drive is below 1,5A, but writing is above 1,5 A. You can use writing but just few minutes. So ... next step is
5) Copy most of the files you need on SSD outside NEO S, in the computer ! NOT IN THE NEO S.
6) Shut down the computer, disconnect USB adaptor, open its suitcase and extract the SSD
7) Place the SSD inside the NEO S, as shown before, here on this forum page.
8) Close the suitcase, power on and ... voila ! You now have a Zidoo Neo S with an internal 2TB SSD drive.

 

EVERSOLO DMP-A6 MASTER EDITION REVIEW

First of all, I’ll try to focus this review on what has not been said, taking also into consideration what it had been said which I suggest the readers to add, so I won’t need to repeat what it is already said about EVERSOLO DMP-A6 MASTER EDITION, in dozens of others reviews. I’ll also upload some photos and I hope they are useful.

I can say with great joy that after 25 years of testing music players, I am now able to say that the EVERSOLO DMP-A6 MASTER EDITION satisfies all my audiophile desires, not only in terms of audio quality, but also in terms of the long-awaited interface that allows this file playback, as it was in the old days.

All of us who remember the CD era, technically, playback was from the first millisecond of a track's structure to the last millisecond, after which, if the next track continued without a break, then the next millisecond was played without that so-called "gap", i.e. an interruption of several tens or hundreds of milliseconds in the musical thread, which was, is and always will be annoying. Well, this shortcoming has finally been solved, with the help of two very important things: a) the advent of the EVERSOLO DMP-A6 MASTER EDITION and b) the related firmware version 1.2.12 which solved the problem of gaps when playing songs, as well as other unwanted bugs, such as that one-second fade-in and fade-out at the beginning of the playback of any song, when pausing it, when skipping forward to another song, etc.

But perhaps it's interesting to give a brief history, to understand why initially, the gap problem didn't exist, then it emerged and persisted for almost 20 years, and now, as of 2023, it's only now ... arguably largely solved. Starting with PMPs from 1995-2000, followed then by several Archos models, which I was able to upgrade with 750GB internal HDDs, all of them could play songs, regardless of format, but especially mp3 and flac, without any gaps. All this lasted until the advent of the Dune HD Base 2.0 which was the only player of the 2010s that was still able to play "gapless" i.e. without unwanted gaps between tracks.

What followed was a real sound revolution, I must admit, because with the exception of the Archos, which unfortunately could not provide a signal without parasites unless it was battery powered, everything that, at first, started to be powered from 220Vac ... had the following problems: parasites at the transformer input, null trace noise, signal cable noise (no XLR at that time), noise from certain components on the motherboard, processor noise (it took an enormous amount of time to get to zero processor noise).

I chose the EVERSOLO DMP-A6 MASTER EDITION because this machine has so far proved to me that it has solved absolutely all the problems listed above. I give it a 10 for the audio quality, a 10 for the formidably useful interface, a 9 for solving certain problems related to the device heating up when used for more than 10 hours and a 10 for transmitting the useful signal with zero noise, and by this I mean that only the most accurate measuring devices could detect it, but not the human ear.

a) The EVERSOLO DMP-A6 MASTER EDITION is also a device that leaves itself to be discovered, because some functions, details, precisions, simply do not exist in the manual, so I will describe them here:
b) It has been declared a streamer, but in fact, at its level of architecture, it is primarily a player of exceptional quality.
c) The manual states that you can install, and I've already done this, a 4TB NMVe PCIe SSD, but in addition to this drive you can add TWO EXTERNAL HDDs!!, on both USB 3.0 slots !! up to 14TB capacity each, preferably with USB-only power (to reduce noise draw and parasites), so in this case you can add 2.5-inch models up to 12TB or SSDs, up to 8 or 12TB (the latter being overpriced though).
d) Regarding the internal 4TB SSD, keep in mind that it heats up a lot, typically 70 degrees Celsius, when writing, when consumption is maximum, and less when reading. It needs a 6 or 10 mm thick heatsink, plus Arctic's 0.5 mm thick thermopad, and an extremely thin layer of white silicone paste added for adhesion.
e) I do not recommend closing the cover after mounting the SSD, because although the heat is very well dissipated by the heatsink, however, it does not disappear, but accumulates in the interior space of the device, heating it further.
f) In addition, during file copying, each 1TB lasts between 4 and 7 hours, during which time the internal SSD will heat up to its maximum and needs the cooler for cooling. The cooler can be dispensed with later, when its functions will be mostly accessed for play and rarely for write. Thanks to the heatsink, the high-quality thermopad and the non-closing external cover on the SSD, the accumulated heat is dissipated with maximum efficiency to the external environment.
g) For heat dissipation, four 5 cm high rubber buffers must be added to raise the appliance above table level, thus ensuring the circulation of hot air.
h) Note that the box on the Master Edition is bigger than on the Standard and also the weight. Why? Because unlike the Zidoo Neo S or other models, the EVERSOLO DMP-A6 MASTER EDITION has side slits cut into the metal case, but you can only see them with the eye from a slanted angle, looking from underneath and only while the device is powered on and then you will see some bright LEDs on the base plate. This means that if I were to mount a permanent cooler underneath, in the SSD area, it would also vent the hot air from the entire volume of the EVERSOLO DMP-A6 MASTER EDITION case and the hot air would be pushed out. This requires a DEMCIFLEX dust filter, which is ordered from Germany and will be mounted on the cooler to prevent dust from being sucked in. I have noticed that the airflow, has room to penetrate inside, thus forcing the hot air out through the side slots of the box, lowering the temperature of the whole system to non-hazardous values.

The EVERSOLO DMP-A6 MASTER EDITION is the best possible choice, which I recommend, although, I have read a large number of reviews aimed at the standard edition. While I'm not a fan of expensive things, but I've also learned my lessons about always buying "only the cheapest", the master edition has that special dual clock that contributes to gapless playback, both in terms of 44 kHz and 48 kHz encoded tracks (the rest of the higher values being multiples of these), even if the audition is done with mixed tracks, i.e. one is encoded at 48 kHz, and then the next one is encoded at 44 kHz, etc., the merit of the EVERSOLO DMP-A6 MASTER EDITION is that it does not make unwanted breaks to ensure gapless signal switching. This is not exactly mentioned in the manual. Obviously, buying the standard edition can be very good, except for this small detail and ... why is the box smaller? I could only guess that it might be thinner and might not have those ventilation slots.

 

@ChrisMu I have to say, I love your posts!!

 

Thank you very much !

 

How to use the remote for Eversolo

Very useful ! … do not think it has too few buttons.

1) Top left : ON / OFF helps to switch from Stand by state (immediately after power on switch from back panel).
2) Top right: select input sources at each supplemental press, two seconds from one another (do not press in a hurry).
3) “i” inside a circle: pressing sequentally will show in this order: a) VU-meters (if they were already manually preselected), b) full screen VU-meters, c) track list, d) return back to the front screen player normal playing.
4) Arrows > and < means skipping to the next or previous track from the playlist
5) Triangle with 2 parallel vertical short lines: Play/Pause function.
6) Arrow looping: means a) play full list, b) play one in circle, c) shuffle and d) return to play full list
7) An eye symbol: wonderful key which makes the screen black and you can sleep while continue listening music in the dark night
8) A romb with a dot: it just show the player, nothing else
9) A loudspeaker symbols with an “x”: mute the sound, cancel the mute.
10) Plus + and Minus – this is the best ! Smooth volume up and down.

 

Did I understood this right, both HDMI and SPDIF are sending stream direct to DAC, with no buffer, so any variations in the signal continuity can be heard? Shouldn´t jitter control be now at some level where it cannot be registered or perceived by human ear?

@rozel My Z10 Pro died, and I am not reading anything in favor of new series of devices so I am going to skip them, or maybe buy something more expensive from Zidoo (second hand), but I am still financially recovering from the life in the States, and I am using MI Box S and NUC to survive I do check forum once a week to see what´s up.

 

You understood it correctly.

 

Thanks, so for the best results with no jitter AMP should be at same time media player? Basically on Denon amps, USB port should be used to play flac and dsd files?

 

USB is perfect to connect storage indeed.

 

Thanks a lot, you are the best!

 

Hello everybody !

There is something ... in this photos. I'll let you watch them careffully. Since everything is projected by Eversolo engineers, to cover 100% the motherboard power demands, ... why using half amps ? Eversolo needs +12V and 2 Amps (2000 mA) for the entire motheboard, single voltage, except for the XLR converter DAC where it need an additional -12V but much less current, about 250mA (0,25A). This results from the original photos, and many presentations on using a dedicated Talema 2x12,5VA = 25VA total power. Can anyone see this important ... difference ? The Beatechnik linear power supply is even offering less power according to the Talema transformer (25VA). The Eversolo power supply is offering 2x12V + 0,25x12V = 24VA + 3VA = 27VA. I'll keep the Eversolo power supply as it is. I won't risk changing it.

 

Did you know that Eversolo's remote can glow into the midnight ? here it is how it looks!

 

Here are some good news about Zidoo Neo S: a new forthcoming firmare, soon, will solved the problems of gapless, cut-in, sudden fade-in fade-out, on play and pause-resume of the audio tracks. It will play just as Eversolo DMP A6 with its latest new firmware 1.2.15 ... so, the "King" is not dead, long live the king, the former flagship Zidoo Neo S ! I have received these news on my facebook messenger and I feel confidence and happy that I can still use Neo S in a much better way with its new forthcoming shortly firmware.

 

I am thinking about upgrading from my Pro10 to either a Neo-S or a UHD 5000. My deciding factor is the units ability to stream Tidal via USB from the Zidoo to my Sony TA-ZH1ES DAC/headphone amp. The Pro10 is already an excellent audio streamer but I am thing that one of these two units would be even better. Thanks for any feedback.