Innuos Zenith SE MkII

[BigAlMc]

Yeah I'm not really sure it'll make too much of a difference.

 

What do you currently use for Roon Core?

[BigAlMc]

I'm no expert and this is only my best guess but I doubt you'd see much of a difference, if any at all.

 

Innuos do lovely turnkey servers. But if you already have one that's working well then why fix something that isn't broken.

 

Assuming you use Tidal I'd consider something like a better network switch such as the Aqvox, sNH-10G or upcoming EtherRegen from Uptone to improve your LAN in and out of your server.

 

Just a thought.

 

Cheers,

Alan

[BigAlMc]

6 hours ago, thyname said:

Thanks @BigAlMc

 

Given the fact I am already using fiber optics adapters to isolate my router from DAC / streamer, I don’t thing getting a fancy router would make any difference 

 

Hi @thyname,

 

Yes and no. Fibre optics will do a good job at isolating noise but that's all. The audiophile switches I mentioned would also reclock the signal and potentially improve it further.

 

Likewise the tx-usbultra route that @limniscate mentions conditions and reclocks the USB signal. I found in my system that USB outperformed LAN once the tx-usbultra was in place.

 

Cheers,

Alan

[BigAlMc]

I like Innuos and their products. I also agree that prioritising the MK3 over the USB reclocker was the right call from a product roadmap perspective.

 

But from a frustrated SE owner perspective it feels like this reclocker has been 6-8 months away for the last 16-18 months.

 

Many first generation SE owners will have parted with their units and moved on by the time Innuos get around to actually offering this upgrade option.

 

Just my two cents and apologies if it's harsh but I'm more likely to sell my SE than wait the rest of the year to see if Innuos make good on this promise.

 

Cheers,

Alan

[BigAlMc]

Thanks Ralf,

 

I was talking to Sean Jacobs last week and that's in line with what he said - ie release this summer. That's why I was annoyed at the 6-8 months more as just seems to keep getting pushed out. Let's see I guess.

 

Cheers,

Alan

[BigAlMc]

4 hours ago, nvitorino said:

 

Hi,

 

Just returning from Munich and catching up on the world. Just a quick heads up with regards to the Ethernet Reclocker Switch we've spoken about to some at Munich. The Reclocker Switch will take a good deal longer than the USB Reclocker - we are designing the switch from scratch as simply changing the clock on an existing commercial switch leaves too much potential untapped. This is the same approach we have taken with the USB Reclocker to a great effect. As such, we are expecting the USB Reclocker to be ready around end of July. Ethernet we would recon more towards the end of the year.

 

Not everyone needs both a USB Reclocker and the Ethernet Switch. We have SE customers who basically don't do streaming, which will be the main advantage of having the reclocker, as well as customers who use the SE with another streamer and don't connect to a USB DAC. In those cases, they only need one of the boxes. For those who want both, the Statement is indeed a tidier solution but also one that requires a bigger upfront investment whereas the reclocker units can be purchased as you go.

 

Nuno

 

Hi Nuno,

 

Good news on the USB reclocker. But is the lan offering an Ethernet reclocker or an Ethernet switch?

 

Thanks,

Alan

[BigAlMc]

8 hours ago, nvitorino said:

4 ports would provide a bit more flexibility though if someone does have multiple rooms. Your thoughts here would be interesting.

 

Thanks Nuno,

 

I'd imagine that 8 is overkill for most users but 4 would be preferable to 2, for that flexibility you mention.

 

Might be OT and not quite the use-case you had in mind but a few users on this forum and another I keep an eye on have reported the SoTM switch having a beneficial impact on their Netflix streaming quality. This certainly has me intrigued as it would be a great bonus.

 

I'm currently on the fence between buying the SoTM switch or waiting for the Uptone one. More than happy for the good folks at Innuos to give me a dilemma tho 😁

 

Meantime any updates on the USB relocker would be great as you get closer.

 

Cheers,

Alan

[BigAlMc]

29 minutes ago, FrankMA said:

Hello - looking for advice from the Innuos owners here.  I am currently running this USB chain: Innuos MKII 4TB>SOtM tX-USBultra>PS Audio DS Sr.  If I was looking to upgrade down the line would I be better off:

 

1) Adding the Innuos USB Reclocker (assuming this replaces the SOtM)

2) Selling the MKII and purchasing a MKIII

3) Other

 

Thank you

 

 

Hey Frank,

 

Not sure anyone can really answer re the Innuos Reclocker until they get their hands on it and hear it in action. No disrespect to Innuos but it's a promised future product only at this stage.

 

There might be people out there including perhaps Innuos who can advise on the performance delta between the MKII and MKIII.

 

Meantime there is a 3rd option. People are gushing about the difference the Evox caps & silver wiring makes to the TX-USBUltra. So getting the TX upgraded may be a cheaper way to improve performance whilst you await the USB reclocker reviews. Would also increase the resale value of the TX if you then change direction to the Innuos reclocker.

 

What PSU are you using on the TX-USBUltra? That might also be an area for improvement.

 

Never short of options in the crazy baffling hobby of ours! 😄

 

Cheers,

Alan

[BigAlMc]

Hi Frank,

 

It's an upgrade option that SoTM offer.

 

So the downside is you need to pay for shipping the TX to and back from South Korea. But the upgrade itself is reasonable at approx $200.

 

This link is for the sNH-10G but it describes the same upgrade:

 

https://www.sotm-audio.com/sotmwp/english/shop/additional-changes-for-snh-10g/

 

A few respected members such as Romaz and Johnseye have said it makes a real difference.

 

I think it's mostly on the Novel Way thread but I'll try to find a link.

 

The LPS-1.2 is pretty darn good. Think you'd need to go for a Paul Hynes SR4 and the associated drama of his notorious delivery schedule to beat it.

 

I've got a Sean Jacobs DC3 ordered and due by end of this month. But that's intended for my NUCs. Am contemplating getting my TX upgraded but on the fence as I'd also like to simplify my setup.

 

Cheers,

Alan

 

[BigAlMc]

Promised link:

 

 

[BigAlMc]

I can't comment on 1.4.3 as my SE was on the bench but I recently put the SE back into my system and the timing was great as 1.4.4 followed a few weeks later.

 

Experimental mode seems far more stable (than I recall at least when it first came out). But having a few issues than I thought I'd document for the benefit of @nvitorino and team in case it helps with future focus on fixes.

 

Play an album or tracklist. Generally with no problems. Pause a track for even a short while. Resume playing and I'd say 50% chance of an issue here. Typical issue is it either stalls and then skips to the next track. Or plays a few seconds, stutters and then skips to the next track.

 

Other main issue is if I have say an album playing and I skip to the next track, again it stutters and may or may not play the next track. Sometimes seems to have paused and struggles to resume. I'd say this happens 20% of the time. Resolution is to select Play from here on the required track in Roon as it seems to be really struggling to recover itself without that intervention.

 

Is this similar to what others are seeing?

 

On the whole after a lengthy period of NUC adventures though I'm loving the sound and experience of having my SE restored to it's former glory. Also considering adding a Phoenix soon 😎.

 

Cheers,

Alan

[BigAlMc]

2 hours ago, Vangelis said:

I just picked a used Zenith MKII SE last week. Now I’m thinking about if I should import my AIFF files to the Zenith as WAV or FLAC. Anyone found an improvement in WAV over FLAC? I guess WAV files take up more drive space. I may not even be able to transfer my files over as WAV as I already have 1.7 TB of AIFF files to transfer to the Zenith.  The Innuos manual kind of discourages the use of WAV files.

 

Dude - you're risking opening a bunfight here! You may as well ask if cables make a difference! 😅

 

Haven't compared the two as I used FLAC before I got my Zenith. Tho from memory I think Innuos recommend zero compression FLAC (as uses less CPU resources to unpack I think). Doubt there's much of a difference, if any. I'd choose the format you prefer. Worst case do the same file in both formats and compare (for peace of mind).

 

Cheers,

Alan

[BigAlMc]

Hi @Vangelis,

 

Depending how big you library is then perhaps a USB thumb drive as an interim step. 

 

If you have a spare one copy across a few GB to the USB drive and the put it in the Zenith to see if it works.

 

A 64 or 128gb is fairly cheap. Bit of a hassle but might help work past your issue. Workaround rather than fix admittedly.

 

Cheers,

Alan

[BigAlMc]

4 minutes ago, Tait said:

Looks like I might be able to get a fairly good deal on a Zenith SE, if I trade in my MK2 Zenith, which will be paired with the Phoenix.

 

@BigAlMc as a long term owner of both the SE, the Phoenix and a previous owner of a MK2 Zenith, is the upgrade worth it?

 

 

Yes!

 

I'm loving the combo of the SE and the Phoenix.

 

And from the moment I added the Phoenix I knew it was a keeper.

 

Let us know how you get on if you pull the trigger.

 

Cheers,

Alan

[BigAlMc]

@Tait, sorry, realised I only answered half your question.

 

MKII > MKII SE - defo a big improvement

 

MKII SE + Phoenix - defo a big improvement

 

I can't say for sure about your use case of MKII + Phoenix > MKII SE + Phoenix but I very strongly suspect it would be a big improvement.

 

The SE and the Phoenix brought different things to the party in my system.

 

The SE brought that wonderful smoothness and control. 

 

The Phoenix brought texture and dynamics.

 

So in your shoes I'd probably go for the SE.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Cheers,

Alan

 

[BigAlMc]

8 minutes ago, Tait said:

putting me off is it's a silver SE and my Phoenix is black. Not sure if my OCD could take it!

 

Yeah, I couldn't cope with that. 

For me that would either be a deal breaker or along the road I'd look to sell the Phoenix and buy a used silver one.

[BigAlMc]

12 minutes ago, Blackmorec said:

and I’m a very fussy err person

 

😄

 

12 minutes ago, Blackmorec said:

there’re a lot of folks who won’t be parted from their SE, its that good. 

 

Yup. Mine ain't going anywhere and it's gonna take something special to knock it off its place on my rack. Admittedly I flirted the the idea of a Statement but felt the Phoenix had closed the gap sufficiently to set my mind at rest.