Stream-IF

About the Stream-IF

The Stream-IF is designed to connect digital audio sources such as internet streams, network attached storage (NAS), and USB devices (computers, servers) to Playback Designs DACs. It removes incoming jitter using Playback Designs' proprietary clocking and buffering system and encodes audio natively to either the standard coaxial output or the proprietary PLINK optical output. PLINK is a high-quality fiber optical link that supports all PCM and DSD formats natively, providing galvanic isolation to reduce noise and jitter compared to direct USB connections. The Stream-IF supports PCM sample rates up to 384kHz and DSD up to 11.2MHz natively, with USB 2.0 Audio Class 2.0 asynchronous mode operation. It has three inputs: USB, Stream-X, and PLINK, selectable via the settings menu. The coaxial output supports PCM up to 192kHz and single-rate DSD via DoP, downconverting higher rates. The device requires a custom driver on Windows PCs but is driverless on Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later. It is compatible with Playback Designs DACs using both Classic and Sonoma PLINK formats. The Stream-IF includes a 7.5V DC power input and reset function for firmware updates.