Review: Zidoo NEO S

Zidoo NEO S - full review
The Zidoo NEO S is that one device that satisfies all my audiophile needs. Basically, the player contains two separate units, each independently performing playback of two large groups of files:

• (a) the HDMI-out video unit that plays back everything from pictures to video, sending the content to a dedicated receiver capable of decoding the impressive 16-channel Dolby Atmos format (already in development with the addition of extra channels), and
• b) the audio unit with a DAC (Digital Audio Converter), which plays all possible audio file formats, with very high quality XLR stereo outputs (which eliminates all ground loops and any other noises that may occur when connecting to other devices).

-These two units, denoted a) and b) do not operate simultaneously, (a fact also noted on the Zappiti Signature, which I bought this year in July), but the user has to decide whether to watch a movie or listen to music, at their discretion.
-The choice is made from the general settings, i.e. from the player's own screen, go to SOURCE IN (i.e. connected signal sources) and by tapping the screen, select either DIGITAL OUTPUT (the first one on the top left, with an HDMI jack symbol) or DAC (the second one on the right), and when tapped a green bubble appears indicating that this source has been selected. After this, it's back to the main menu and pressing MEDIA CENTER, and (this is how I prefer to work) pressing FILE MANAGER, then selecting from the list, one of the USB connected hard drives or the internal SSD.
-You will see ZD SSD with 238,45 GB available and one or more USB drives connected and to which I have given names so I can recognize them more easily. From here on, all navigation through folders and files is done just like in Windows Explorer on any PC. If I want to watch movies, then I repeat the steps described above but select DIGITAL OUTPUT, then everything is identical and I select my movies from FILE MANAGER.
-Of course, there is another way and that is to add a kind of local IMDB database with pictures, trailers, soundtracks, description, etc ... as if you were searching for movie data directly on IMDB on a PC. It's a system originally adopted by Zappiti, but then used by all other major player manufacturers, including Zidoo.
-An important note: on DIGITAL OUTPUT you can also listen to music that has multichannel (4.0, 5.1, 7.1 or Atmos), and that is archived in iso, audio_ts with video_ts, mkv, but also flac Mch, wav Mch, followed now (more recently), DSD Mch, DSF Mch etc.

Audio experience part 1​

-As is well known, most of the entire music collection, currently representing tens of millions of albums, is in stereo format, i.e. 2.0 channels.
-But new standards of sound processing and conversion have evolved to meet all the needs of the most hardened audiophiles. Thus, the traditional wav 2.0, (44.1 khz / 16 or 32 bit) extracted from regular CDs followed by other, less performing formats (at first, suc as mp3) has been overtaken by the new sampling rates: 48 khz (also used for less performing video files), followed then by 196 khz, 392, ... and it has reached 5.6 Mhz and is still expanding).
-This means that instead of sampling a 20 khz sinusoidal audio signal with only 2 rectangular samples (which has annoyed fans), now at 5.6 Mhz the sampling rate of the same 20 khz signal (which extremely few people could even say they hear) is made up of 100 digitized approximations (on each half-sine), and although extremely few could make any difference, this player comes to satisfy their expectations. By the way, the membrane of tweeters and of any other loudspeakers, not being able to play a rectangular characteristic, they naturally enhance the play by smoothing the "corners" of the signals, so they offer kind of sinusoidal like signal.
-But since the problem of sampling audio frequencies above 10 khz has been solved, I can only be delighted that in the not too distant future, all existing analogue archives could be re-encoded into DSD or DFS formats, in those so-called SACDs (super audio CDs) that will "sound" exactly analogue, 100% analogue, but at performance far superior to LPs (still for sale to fans who can't accept that the DAC conversion problem is solved).
-The Zidoo NEO S offers all possible options, but one that I would say is unique in performance is called GAPLESS playback, i.e. playing back from the first tenth of a second of the tracks without pauses when moving from one track to another (when they were not naturally provided by the artist with pauses), example: Jean Michel Jarre (Oxygene, Equinoxe,...), Isao Tomita (Pictures at an exhibition, etc), Klaus Schulze etc.
The Oppo 203 had this feature, but unfortunately at that time it didn't offer signal on XLR outputs. Other models, I won't name them, (I don't want to criticize the competition), failed to do this playback well enough. In addition, the Zidoo NEO S pauses and plays from pause with a tenth of a second fade in or fade out, so as not to abrupt the hearing. The sound quality is absolutely fabulous and there are no words to express it.

• You have to hear it to understand what words cannot describe. I write here in all my sincerity that the Zidoo NEO S is a formidable choice and its price is exceptionally good, given its performance.

-Why are other models double the price? Well, that's because they have motherboards with SATA III connectors (typically two) plus 4 USBs. However, the Zidoo NEO S hasn't really left things completely "unresolved" as it offers a ready-installed 256GB internal SSD, but that can be upgraded up to 1TB but only if it's M.2 SATA 3.0 type 2280 for 3.3V x 1.5A = 5W power and encouragingly, exactly this type of SSD is also available for sale in Romania at exceptionally good prices.

Zidoo NEO S display​

Note that this display, beyond the "touch screen" option also has an extremely cleverly thought out screen saver, a formidable idea namely to show after 30 s (or more) two VU meters (simulating those with needle indicators) on a white background, or on a black background (for night), or a spectrometer. This allows me to quickly look at the levels, when and where, to see if the music has certain peaks that might introduce distortion. The spectrometer helps me observe the frequency balance from 20Hz to 20kHz. So, instead of a silly image serving as a boring screen saver (and which I used to deactivate on other players), here it gets really interesting.

 

Audio Experience Part 2​

For the first time I was able to listen to a particular work by Tangerine Dream, (Zeit, track two), which until I had this absolutely terrific player, I was almost convinced that music dating back to 1972 was somehow recorded with harmonic distortions that seemed to be present on all the edits and reissues of this album, remasters, etc. I listened to it for the first time from the LP, 45 years ago, ... there was distortion on the bass, ... I thought that's what the record was like, my friends said, that's what the record was like, that's definitely what it was recorded like.
After the '90s, CDs came out. I was expecting something new, ... I bought the original CD but the result was the same: distortions on the bass and on sounds that had a certain structure of oscillations (being electronic music). I searched for remastered, enhanced, revised editions,... the latest one had only (this was a surprise) 1 extra minute on the 4th track but the result was always the same: distortions on bass and sounds with very abrupt tremolo, modulated with infrasound frequencies.
I won't go into other details,... but today october 26th 2022, on my 3rd day of listening to audio day and night (for the endurance test of using it without interruption for dozens of hours), the Zidoo NEO S exhibits a new level of quality, never heard before. Of course, the newest sound processor seems to work wonders, miracles of the sound.
For the first time, a recording (mp3, by the way!) processed directly from the original Tangerine Dream Zeit 1972 remaster discs, (which I tested hearing distortion on all possible players: Archos, Dune, Zappiti Audiocom, Oppo ... ) well on the Zidoo NEO S it was heard without any distortion, on the dedicated XLR stereo output, amplified to two power speakers (amplifiers built by me).
What does this mean? This is proof that the manufacturers of the new sound processors have managed to solve the processing, encoding, but especially decoding from digital to analogue, of very complex signals containing very sharp variations on infrasound frequencies, specific to tremolo modulation and other sound effects, which could not be solved so far in a way that would satisfy the fans' requirements.
In such processing, the sampling rate does not play an essential role, and if I recall that low frequencies are best sampled (as opposed to high frequencies), this means that there was another problem that has not been solved until now. So, it wasn't the LP, nor the CD remastering, nor even the mp3 or flac compression made from the original album, it wasn't my power amplification system (made by me), it wasn't the components but ... the only culprit was the sound processor which couldn't cope with such complex signals.
Out of curiosity, you can "sample" your system at home if you search on YouTube for the album Tangerine Dream Zeit, track 2 and after a few minutes a series of signals on bass very intense and abrupt tremolos appear. The almost guaranteed result is that you'll hear them distorting, shrill, disturbing. The music isn't exactly to everyone's taste, but the point is that this example demonstrates the ability or inability of sound cards to faithfully reproduce such complex signals.
I was very pleased with this finding in the Zidoo NEO S, and that's all the more reason for me to recommend it as the highest fidelity audio player possible.
Warning: The unit defaults to -20 dB power on volume, which is quite loud for what I have built. Adjust from the DAC settings to -35 dB or the lowest value in the list!

Zidoo NEO S - Power on in stand by mode and EMI filter​

-Note that unlike all 2018-2022 players, with the exception of the Oppo 203, the Zidoo NEO S does power on directly in standby, which is an exceptionally useful feature to have the security of no-jump switching. -The toroidal transformers exhibit a shock on power up, and draw high current until all the capacitors are charged. The Zidoo NEO S has a dedicated, built-in, very high performance EMI filter, which ensures both the reduction of the electric shock at start-up and above all the filtering of all the parasites on the highly polluted 220Vac network.

Zidoo NEO S - Internal temperature​

-With prolonged use, the device heats up but, the heat does not exceed 39 degrees Celsius on the motherboard, except for one transistor in the voltage stabilization block and that heats up to about 60 degrees, but not dangerous. Although it doesn't have a cooler and it doesn't have any cooling windows, the -Zidoo NEO S doesn't overheat more than 39 degrees Celsius on any component I measure on the motherboard, which is phenomenal. Other players either had to be used with a cooler, or the external HDD rack door had to be left open to let in cold air (and dust, unfortunately).
-The Zidoo NEO S is perfectly sealed, which means that no dust particles will ever get into it, through accumulation, by not having open slots. I remember my first Dune HD Base, which at the time was phenomenal, but although it had a mini-cooler, it failed to ventilate the motherboard and the player simply stopped after two hours due to very high temperatures. I used it for 10 years with the case removed and so the heat from the motherboard dissipated into the air and the unit ran for 8-10 hours continuously without any problems (despite the dust accumulating in significant quantities).
-On some ICs, which burned me while touching them, I fitted mini sticky radiators and this solved one problem. The Zidoo NEO S seems to have no such problems and this is the first time I have tested dozens of hours of uninterrupted operation of a device mounted in a perfectly sealed box without any ventilation slots. However there is a logical explanation why this is so ... if you read on the presentation page, it says: Zidoo NEO S aviation aluminium box. This type of alloy has exceptionally good heat dispersion, as if the whole case (although hermetically sealed), would work as a supercooler and this is in addition to the self-economical electrical system that manages unnecessary consumption but also the latest components and processors that nowadays have increasingly low consumption power.

The Zidoo NEO S video experience​

I watched a movie, in Dolby Atmos 16 channel, 4k, and had some unpleasant but fixable surprises. As I said earlier, switching from audio to video is not a straightforward push of a button.
Before anything else, disconnect all external hard drives from the Zidoo NEO S.
Here are the steps, starting from the initial preset on music:

• a) turn on the TV, preferably the latest generation 65-inch Oled with 4k enhanced, IMAX enhanced and Dolby Vision.
• b) Turn on the Dolby Atmos decoder, provided by a receiver, such as Emotiva RMC-1, and select the source (which I have named Zidoo on input 4).
• c) Turn on the 220V power to the Zidoo NEO S player and wait until it goes to standby and the panel LED turns red, then wait another 10 seconds.
• d) Switch on manually by pressing the button on the panel, and wait another 10 seconds. You will see the image on both the large and small screen at first.
• e) Go to settings and select the input source OUTPUT DIGITAL (with the HDMI symbol). Go to general settings and select "remote control operates only on external display". It should not be left on automatic as it will perform functions randomly, some on the small screen, some on the large screen and some not at all so it should be pressed on the small touch screen.
• f) Leave all picture settings on 4k auto, as I gave too many functions at first, trying to force all features to the max and that's not the case. The movie picture froze on the screen or I simply had no sound and had to do a Factory Reset. Best, until you get used to the machine, change just one feature in the menu with the movie off, then restart and restart the movie and see if you like how it looks. Then change one more setting, restart again and watch.
• g) Connect the hard drive for 4k, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision movies ONLY ON USB 3.0 INPUTS. On USB 2.0 it does not have enough speed and will not work well, but jerky. Use the two USB 2.0 only for audio files (mp3, wav, flac, etc).
• h) Wait 10 seconds until the hard drive is detected and then go to Media Center and search for it in the list, then browse through folders and subfolders as on a PC. I didn't want to add that interface with posters, trailer, description, etc ... which looks gorgeous and is very tempting because I've been doing my own organization for years and simply search it directly in folders. Pretty much all the latest generation players have this archiving system with links saved from IMDB ... but, I still prefer the "old fashion way" method, ... that is, ... to each his own.

I compared the Zappiti Signature Edition 2022 playback with the Zidoo NEO S playback in succession. The Zappiti gets a 10 for both music and picture but the Zidoo NEO S gets a 9 for picture and a 10+ for music.

 

-In short, on picture, the Zidoo NEO S has some instability, sometimes it froze the movie on the screen and had to be restarted, but I haven't done hundreds of viewings to be able to say how often this would happen. On music the Zidoo NEO S I tested it day and night and it ran without any lockups, no dropouts and sounded at world No.1 quality.
-The second detail is that when running some image elements vertically, even at low speed, every 8 seconds there is a very small "clipping" of those elements, while the rest of the image is seen well. The quality is comparable in both Zappiti and Zidoo as they use the same processor, but Zappiti has a few more controllers on the motherboard, which Zidoo NEO S does not and because of this there are some small problems with stability.
-The manufacturers know these details and that's why they have advanced the next Zidoo Neo Alpha Signature model, a quasi-similar with the Zappiti Signature, but at an unaffordable (hopefully temporary) price, and it doesn't have two SATA inputs for 16TB HDD but only one, and the second one is internal and is already occupied by a 512GB SSD, upgradable only up to 1TB.
I was extremely happy to be able to buy the Zappiti Signature, which I'll use exclusively use for 4k and Dolby Atmos/Vision movie playback, which is impeccable, at maximum discount, and the Zidoo NEO S, which I'll use extensively as a music player.
I also have the Oppo 203, which is sufficient for playing HD movies, SD, or other formats without too much quality demand, such as old un-remastered movies, but which are worth seeing for entirely different reasons than picture quality.
-For subtitles you need to turn on the movie and then from the remote select a thing with 4 horizontal lines and you'll see a menu and up on the first one the letter A and from there select, and change font, color, position, border effect, style, etc.
After enjoying a 4k movie (the sound is fabulous on Dolby Atmos - but that's to the Emotiva's credit, see my review), I switched back to music and I think I'll keep it as my definitive music player, and the rest as a back-up.
-On music, set the settings to "native sampling" so it chooses according to the file being played ... gapless doesn't need to be set as it's the default.
Important note: both the Zappiti Signature and the Zidoo NEO S NEED NO FOOBAR apk or whatever other apps, and it's not worth installing anything, even if you'll find them in the icons in the APPS or Applications section. For the money, the Zidoo NEO S is an absolutely amazing model, so if you're not a hardcore, BIG FAN, of music and movies, then take the opportunity to buy the Zidoo NEO S NOW.
Maybe sometime in 2023 the Neo Alfa Signature will come out (because at the current price it's unaffordable). The Zidoo NEO S also has a Black Friday offer, so I highly recommend it.

Remote control on the Zidoo NEO S compared to the Zappiti​

By comparison, the Zappiti's is too big and has buttons that repeat the same functions but I've modified the lighting to turn on at night on a simple shake, after which all the keys are visible. The light would only come on from a dedicated button, no point pressing other keys because no lighting appeared.
-On the Zidoo NEO S, there's the red circle button on the bottom left, which for music has no function, but once set for movies, it doesn't activate the light but simultaneously activates the light plus a menu that appears on the screen and prompts you to customize a function of your choice.
-On the Zidoo NEO S any key press also turns on the lighting but simultaneously executes the specific command, so if it's dark, you need to find a neutral key, like the two volume buttons, which when playing back with OUTPUT HDMI does not change the volume because this is done from the dedicated receiver.
-I'll try to add a gravity sensor to bring the lighting to the remote, but it's ff difficult to make the internal connection so I don't destroy the button. At Zappiti Signature I managed it and showed them exactly how -I did it but they can't seem to duplicate the factory operation. It has to be worked under high magnification magnifier otherwise it can't be done.
-Another idea would be to buy a phosphorescent cover that indirectly illuminates the contours of the buttons and if I memorize each one exactly what it does then I can easily press it. Another matter of a grade 10 is the very simple and easy to understand, easy to learn interfaces on both the Zappiti Signature and the Zidoo NEO S. It didn't take me more than 10 minutes. Lastly, I'm also going to upgrade the internal SSD after I get the disk I ordered. I hope everything is ok.

 

@ChrisMu - wow, now that is what I call a review! I've been outspoken about these expensive players but this seems to acknowledge first and foremost that there is no Video advantage over any other Zidoo Media Player. However it seems that the Audio experience is first class. Whether or not it is better than the Neo Alpha player or not isn't covered here.

Fundamentally though, and I make no apologies for saying this once more, I have yet to see a review of this high standard, covering a "non-DAC" Zidoo Media Player paired with an "external DAC".

 

Thank you for your comment. I was curious too about Neo Alfa but at this present moment is too expensive and I can't afford, but I am sure this one I'll give to both video a 10+ and audio another 10+ grades. Neo Alfa is competing with the Zappiti Signature which is very very stable on both videos and audio. I already teste Neo S even today, with uninterrupted 20 hours playing music and is fantastic. I did that too with Zappiti Signature and was also fantastic, but it is almost double price and I saw both players motherboards. Zappiti contains many other circuits onboard which clearly they have a big importance although all of them are using the same hexa core processor, the same X-MOS, the same DAC for sound and it also offer two SATA III accepting 16 TB HDD/SSD while Zidoo Neo S has an internal, already installed, a 256 GB SSD, maybe hopefully upgradable to 1 TB as they say. About pairing and external DAC, I can't say anything because I don't have one and I don't think I'll buy one since Neo S is already capable of reading 16 TB files and play almost any kind of file. From what I saw, external dedicated DAC's are way more expensive and they don't read from external HDD, but only from computer network, mobile i-PAD or i-Phone, and output the signal toward the player. Neo S IS A FANTASTIC DAC PLAYER ALREADY.

 

I see you copied and pasted in here, your Review that you did for the audiosciencereview.com/forum earlier in the week. Whilst a great review, as I have already stated, I am not sure now, having read it thoroughly, whether you are promoting its Video capabilities after all. Unless the more senior members here contradict me in saying there is no Video difference between all the current Zidoo models, then your reviews ought to concentrate on the NEO S's Audio capabilities. You say it's a fantastic DAC player already - may I ask what you are comparing it too, subjectively please? The Gustard X-16 DAC is undoubted from a measurement point of view as well as subjectively. It's a pity Amir at the Audio Science Review Forums hasn't been sent a Zidoo player of any model by Zidoo themselves - why is this?

My Z1000 Pro currently costs £390 gbp and my Gustard X16 external DAC, £500 - making the total £890 currently. The Neo S goes for £1150 which is over £250 more. I see that the members over at the Audio Science Review Forums have posted an extremely detailed report from soundstagenetwork.com but as others have said, it's way over my head maybe @Nice Monkey could take a peek and offer some comparison between the Zidoo and the Gustard, which is already well documented. Without being too unkind, apologies if I am, Nice overlooks subjectivity in favour of technology alone, which isn't the way to review/comment. Just because the NEO S is already capable of reading 16 TB files and play almost any kind of file certainly does not point to Audio tracks, which are considerably less in size, so I have to ask what kind of file are you playing that measures 16TB in size lol. Indeed the max Film size I have ripped measures 97 GB, which is massive and my Zidoo 1000 Pro plays with comensurate ease from either an attached ext HDD or the Internal HDD.

No, I am of the opinion still that the higher priced Zidoo NEO's are not worth the additional money compared with a lower priced one paired with an external DAC.

Not sure where you are reading all that - you are so wrong imho

 

I have just this minute read this from our esteemed member: -

I know the video aspects are identical, but this is the first time I've read the same regarding Audio too - maybe @Markswift2003 could eleborate?

 

@rozel
Most (famous) external DAC's are (very) expensive with a few exceptions like the mentioned Gustard DAC's, but in general it is a valid statement.
HDD/NAS support is indeed part of the basic music player and has nothing to do with an external DAC being added to it.

When comparing integral DAC control from the player , additional SSD included and above all the very nice OLED touch control panel coming with Neo S, it is offering good value for money for those extra £ 250 I think. How relevant this is for a buyer is very individual and personal but for me both alternatives are very much on par pricewise.

I agree it still takes some work to get Music Player (using that OLED panel) becoming on par with the HW but once reaching that I would say it is a great choice. I see it closing in on UAPP with obviously integrated MCH audio/music support.

@Markswift2003
No Audio over HDMI is not identical as the crystal circuitry being used for clocking and PSU stability do play a serious role here. The SOC/PSU of Neo Alpha and Neo X are superior here and I do perceive this in audio quality differences using the same AMP clearly. Above all for PCM and less noticeable for DSD.

In practice I use Neo Alpha in my living instead of Neo X for these reasons:
- It gives me native DSD with MCH via HDMI
- I use the dual HDMI output to get HDR10+ straight to my TV as my AMP does not pass it.
- I use the SSD for critical music listening with absolute no sound from a player HDD/Fan.
But still treasure my Neo X as I think is is the best audio player ever made by Zidoo regardless pricing.

 

I agree with you, that it is much better to have all together in one device: a) a very good DAC, b) OLED touch screen and c) HDD/NAS and SMB support and that is one of the reasons I wanted to choose NEO S.

 

The prices are tumbling these days but there still some exorbatant priced ones out there. Yes my only wish is that my Gustard could be integrated in my Harmony Hub/Remote set up - it's a pain remembering what physical switches I need to operate between music and film sessions for example.

 

That's fine but you're not addressing my comments regarding the NEO S's audio capabilities - both subjectively and measurement-wise. I don't think you can, nor indeed anyone but @Nice Monkey - have you read that very detailed report from soundstagenetwork.com? I'd really welcome your thoughts.

 

I respect your opinion, and maybe being my first exceptional audio listening experience I am feeling too enthusiastic. I am not an expert science reviewer. I can't compare one device but only with others that I have here at home. Audio Science Review Forums did not received a NEO S in order to make the amazing detailed scientifically proven reviewing. I don't have such complex laboratories and therefore my own review came from just listening and watching and I was very honest in my perception, although it might be a superficial and subjective one. Would you like me to delete the review from this forum ? I don't have anything else to measure and prove or disprove, but I see your point and perspective with good arguments and I appreciate that. For me, NEO S is just like a dream came true finally after many years.

 

And I too respect yours - PM just sent

 

A bitstream is a bitstream. 1 is 1 and 0 is 0.

Once you're in the analogue domain the gloves come off though.

 

Sorry to contradict you Mark, hardly ever do.

I though so too in the past but this is not the case when feeding DAC's via not only USB or SPDIF but also HDMI. Clock accuracy and above all clock jitter can be heard despite the same 0's and 1's being transferred. For video which is transferred from buffer to buffer you are absolutely right.

The XMOS chip e.g. was invented just for that reason and now widely used for USB and SPDIF. HDMI is directly derived from the main SOC crystal for sending. The receiving end in fact derives the clock from the data stream being received making the sender impacting directly the DAC conversion at the receiver end being the AMP. Some very expensive AMP's (e.g. McIntosh) use a proprietary HDMI chip to do a similar job like XMOS making their AMP source independent.

Don't ask me why simple buffering at the receiver end can't be used? Goes beyond my knowledge. Avoiding propagation delays is an obvious one.

 

Hi and thanks for your review,

I'm glad someone on this forum is a Zappiti RTD1619DR and can finally make a comparison with the Zidoo.

And you are welcome on this forum, continue to be given frank opinions, I like that.

 

I just want to say that I miss you guys
@ChrisMu nice review, I really enjoyed reading it.

 

Great to see you back!

 

I'll always bow to your knowledge in audio which is why I rarely comment about it - always feel I'm the video guy and you're the audio guy

Audio is very subjective - so is video, but it's a damn site easier to quantify video qualitatively because the process from file to eye is a lot simpler than file to ear - way fewer variables.