Absolute Stream
The Ideon Audio Absolute Stream: the most innovative music renderer / streamer today
The most innovative streamer / music rendering engine today
- The Αbsolute Stream is an audiophile music server/streamer which renders music files.
- It is a high-performance device which will play all your musical libraries whether they are on an external hard-disk or NAS. Just as importantly, the absolute Stream will play audio from internet sources, i.e. radio and web services such as Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify, etc.
Design principles
- When we set out to design the AbsolAute Stream, we aimed at achieving extraordinary sound to complement the Absolute DAC.
- This quality target led us to conceive the Absolute Stream as an audio device dedicated to music playback, rather than as a computer tweaked to play music.
- We applied our design principles with no-compromise to the Absolute Stream: massively over-engineered power supply, abundant ultra-low noise power, discreet power lines to critical points of the circuit, circuit stability and isolation, constant phase / timing correction.
Real-Time core playback
Core CPU highly prioritized for audio playback only, ensuring optimized performance and sound quality
Realize the potential of your music
The Absolute-Stream will play your private libraries from HDs or NAS, it works as a Roon bridge rendering your music into the device’s CPU, and of course, it renders Internet streaming services with maximum possible integration (Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify, Web radios, etc)
Future-proof phase correction
For jitter elimination, a specially designed re-clocking circuit, comprising of an no-compromise femto clock architecture, embedded in Absolute Stream as standard and not as an option with extra charge. This is an upgradable platform to protect our customers’ investment.
Over spec’d Power Supply
Huge, linear, power supplies have become an Ideon Audio trademark. The Absolute Stream has a very large main power bank composed of audiophile, low esr, silk caps; we also included a high-wattage, hand-made, audiophile transformer.
Zero-noise power
Electrical noise in a source component can deteriorate the sound for the duration of signal processing procedure… It will come as no surprise, therefore, that the Absolute Stream has our proprietary, upgradable, zero-noise rectification active bridging technology, eliminating diode-rectification noise.
Independent power lines, special power for the rendering CPU
There are four (4) separate, discrete, power lines with ultra-low noise linear power within the Absolute Stream circuit, providing the different voltage levels the device requires.
Going the extra experimentation mile, however, we discovered that the quality of transient current going to the CPU affected sound—and the sonic result was astonishing. To improve transient current quality, accordingly, we implemented a proprietary, ultra-low esr, bypass power filter with superlative results in the sound.
A unique advantage of the Absolute Stream circuit is the total absence of switching power supplies – not even intermediate ones within the CPU power rails.
Internal noise elimination
Keeping in mind that sound quality is the foremost consideration, we avoided internal noise-inducing peripheral circuits as much as possible. Thereby, the Absolute Stream’s simplified, bare-bones operation provides superlative sound quality to the user—which is the music-lover’s target in the first place.
Massive, single-block aluminium chassis
The 22kg (~49 lbs) CNC milled chassis takes 15 hours to complete.
The result is a solid mechanical base housing the most intricate and expensive electronics available currently. Various finishes are available to order.
KEY FEATURES
- Real-time core playback. Rendering CPU highly prioritized for audio playback only, ensuring highly optimized sound quality
- Works as Roon bridge, rendering your music from NAS or HDs into the Absolute Stream’s core CPU
- Internet streaming services ready with maximum allowed integration or via UPNP (Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify, internet radio, etc)
- Proprietary, femto clock re-clocking circuit on an upgradable platform
- Very large main capacitors power bank (low esr, audiophile silk caps), and hand-made audiophile transformer
- Proprietary, zero-noise rectification bridge eliminates diode-rectification noise
- Ultra-low-noise, linear power supplies, across all board voltage points
- Proprietary, ultra-low esr special bypass power filter improving the transient current for the CPU (spectacular sound improvement!);
- Short signal paths without wiring
- Simplified, bare-bones operation avoids internal noise-inducing circuits
- Audiophile design & solid aluminium construction