Wish I'd waited. I never listen to the ripped CDs on my Zenith
Innuos Pulsar - Some Interesting Info for Innuos Owners
I’ve been in touch with Nuno Vitorino at Innuos, and he tells me that the new Pulsar network streamer should be better than my current ZENith + PhoenixUSB reclocker. The Pulsar has an upgraded power supply and includes a “PhoenixUSB Lite”. Nuno says the Pulsar should offer streaming performance on par with the Statement. He also mentioned that the Statement with the Next-Gen power supply is better still, but it is almost three times the cost of the Pulsar…
Since I exclusively stream, this makes sense to me, if the Pulsar is in fact better. After selling my ZENith Mk3, and my PhoenixUSB, along with one power cord and a USB cable, this upgrade should almost be cost-neutral. Plus, my system would get to lose one box, and would also lose two cables, which is really nice as things are getting rather chaotic behind my system.
Innuos is sending a demo Pulsar to my local dealer (who is not even an Innuos dealer) so I can try at home. Hopefully it works out.
Great company and great support….
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Well, like I mentioned it’s kind of not too late…. After selling your two boxes and extra cords this upgrade weirdly doesn’t cost a whole lot. Still, I’m going to see how the Pulsar performs in my system before committing. I’m also curious if my PhoenixUSB adds anything when used with the Pulsar. I didn’t ask; I figure I can simply try it. I’m hoping it adds little to nothing so I get to sell it and the two extra cords!
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https://innuos.com/pulse-series/ |
I’ll let you know how the test goes as soon as I get the demo - which may not be for some time; who knows how long it will take for them to send the demo Pulsar. I will also have to break it it a good deal as well, as surely it will be a brand new unit. Really looking forward to it. Seems to make sense it would beat my ZENith Mk 3 + PhoenixUSB, even if it uses a PhoenixUSB “Lite”, whatever that means… |
Given the undetermined wait for the Pulsar, I am a bit interested in the Grimm Mu-1. It’s one of those devices that pro reviewers use superlatives to describe. Two reviewers (one being HiFi Advice which is well regarded) say it’s the best streamer they’ve heard and absolutely gush about it. Most go on about the left to right and front to back separation of instruments thanks to the 4X upsampler, which is apparently extremely good.
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Listen to one, tell us if those reviewers are FOS or it is real. Quite happy with my Innuos products, but I want the server capabilities across our systems. I have often wondered about the Grimm products. Best standalone streamer I ever had was a Simaudio Mind2. MiND Network Player | High End DAC For Hifi System | MOON - Simaudio |
@jerryg123 , I doubt I can get a demo of the Grimm but I can try! I’ll have to go direct because there are no Grimm dealers near me. I’ve found pro reviewers to be FOS before for some reviews but with others they come through. For example, the PhoenixUSB and PhoenixNET were extensively reviewed and I have to agree with all the good things that were written about those products. Personally, I’ve found that when there are a large number of pro reviewers that fawn over how transformative a product is to the point that they are gushing, usually there is something to it. It’s the reviews that say “It’s great, we recommend it, if you are in the market it needs to be on your list to try” that I find you need to be wary of.. Plus, I found many posts of MU1 potential buyers who demoed then became owners at audiophilestyle. The language and descriptors they used to describe the MU1 was pretty much the same as the language used by pro reviewers. One guy even returned to give an update 6 months after purchasing, saying how great it was and describing which tweaks worked and which didn’t. Lots of experienced Innuos owners were chiming in as well, in favour of the MU1. Nothing beats an in-system demo of course, but I find that with top end streamers from Innuos, Aurender, Antipodes, and probably Grimm, you can’t really go wrong like you can with amplifiers, cables, and speakers. That said, I did find ONE pro review that said the 4X upsampling of the MU1 was too much for piano music, where transients became too sharp and the notes were missing lower end body. However I tried listening to the recording they referenced and the transient they referred to WAS absolutely sharp on my system, and I found the recording in general made the piano notes sound like there was no body to them. I’m guessing the MU1 was just being honest, but who knows. |
@nyev I would like to hear on for sure. We’ll I hope you can find a dealer that has return privileges, not saying it’s not what the reviews state but you never know.
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@johnboston , this site states it’s coming May 2023. And is taking orders. I see other sites have started taking orders too. Wouldn’t consider this official but it’s looking close.
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@nyev, thank for the info. Great to see what seems to be progress to shipping the Pulsar. |
@nyev Hello, did you get a chance to demo Pulsar streamer?
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@mindaugak0 , no, I have not demoed the Pulsar. As above, it is not available yet. |
Thanks @bhvf @nyev . Curious to get the first real owner’s (not dealer’s) reviews about Pulsar. A bit odd decision to design it with only USB output, without AES. PhoenixUSB lite is integrated in Pulsar and a separate Full PhoenixUSB recklocker provided a different, not always better sound quality according to the owners, it makes a bit uncertainty keeping in mind Puslar’s price. Will see what real tests will bring to the table. |
