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Questions re. use of an Innuos unit with a Tambaqui

Any nuanced, on-topic, experience-based feedback from forum members regarding any, some or all of the questions I have here would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

I've recently purchased a Tambaqui and am looking into a server/streamer to pair with it. In my research I've been drawn in particular to the Innuos line, in this case either the Zen MK3 or the Zenith MK3, as they will fit in my budget and have been described, between their onboard ripping function, software, simple ’user friendly’ quality, and overall sound as being wonderful units well worth their prices.

Being a newbie to the realm of servers/streamers/standalone DAC setups, I have questions re. my particular audio needs for one. I wish to keep owning the bulk of the recordings that I’ll play, and plan to use a server/streamer predominantly as a means of playing drive content to my dac, plus as a convenient ripper, only expecting to internet stream perhaps 5-10% of the time I'm using the unit (beyond that, though, I've heard really good things about the proprietary music library software featured in these units). Otherwise I'll be purchasing mostly hi-res (and some redbook) downloads (from Qobuz) to store on an internal drive, plus listening to music ripped from my large cd collection.

Given all this, I'm wondering:

**what the relative sound contribution of a server (I'm defining it here, perhaps mistakenly, as an audiophile drive/music storage unit) vs the DAC is in terms of effect upon sound quality- I've heard it described as minimal in terms of a disc transport, though I'm not sure that's the case when using a flash drive to provide the media source, or even in a general sense. Having spent a lot (for me) on the Tambaqui at this point, I’m cautious re. spending on diminishing returns on the server side of things.

**how the Innuos Zen MK3 and Zenith MK3 perform compared with the alternatives in or somewhat above their price range if just really used as servers (and generally NOT as internet streamers).

**how synergistic their sonic attributes are with the Tambaqui.

**given that internet streaming quality is not an important variable in my decision, how much of a relative soniic improvement the Zenith MK3 offers over the Zen MK3 just in terms of music presented from its drive storage?

**whether convenient one-box alternatives offering all of these benefits (server/internal drive/ripper/streamer) more-or-less in this price/quality range (or somewhat above) exist; or otherwise, if the ripping function is excluded.

**finally, in re. to relative sonic strengths/weakness of these innuos units vs their competitors- something like a third of my digital listening consists of large classical orchestral pieces, so a unit’s ability to portray acoustic timbre, complex compositions, and a convincing soundstage for large ensembles is particularly important to me, although again, perhaps this is predominantly just a DAC issue. But if the server is a relatively important element here as well, then I wonder how these Innuos units fare on this front.

Thanks again for any responses!

aubullience
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aubullience OP
28 posts
 

Hi, thanks everyone for the feedback so far!

Maybe I’ve presented my initial inquiry/outlook in a muddled manner, my fault.

To be clear, a better way for me to consider and make my choice would be to approach it as- if I were ONLY buying a component to feed stored files to my DAC, with NO internet-sourced or any network streaming involved, how would the Innuos units rank sound-wise and how would they compare to the alternatives in their price range / how synergistic would they be with the Tambaqui / what may be compelling alternatives? E.G., will check out the Aeon server suggested- maybe I should be getting a premium-quality server device and then separately purchase a more modest dedicated streamer if that’s more cost effective for getting a really great server and not over-paying for a very secondarily important (to me) streamer.

From the responses so far, I’m not sure if they are conflating the needs/wants of someone (a typical modern listener) streaming much/most/all of their listening content from the internet, with someone in my position (a bit of a throwback) who just generally won’t be doing that. Plus, I’m assuming (perhaps incorrectly!) that all things being equal, upstream from the DAC, it’s trickier/more expensive (setup-wise) to get a given level of sound quality through streaming it from the internet and/or through a home-network, than from a purely on-site, non-networked source.

Also, further context, about half of my "serious" listening is to my analog setup, so having already purchased the Tambaqui, I’m concerned (though I haven’t set a hard price ceiling) about the rate of diminishing returns as a server (or server/streamer combo) would approach the Tambaqui price-wise.

Thanks, fastfreight- after hearing the Tambaqui side-by-side with the Luxman D-10X I’d owned for a couple of years, I found the Tambaqui to sound substantially better than the Luxman, which is itself a wonderful piece of gear IMO.

In regards to what you’re saying about servers/streamers, Soix, I’m not assuming a priori that they have little importance, but am just curious as to relatively how much they generally have in proportion to DACs, particularly a server itself. Regarding what you’ve said about my grossly underestimating how much streaming I’ll end up doing, after 45 years of searching/collecting, I already have more music I like and love that I can ever get to as much as I’d like; and being a genuine primate, as soon as I’ve located new selections that appeal to me, prefer to own rather than "rent" them. But IF that changes down the road I’ll replace/upgrade what I have with more emphasis upon the high-end streaming side of things ; )

yoyoyaya's avatar
yoyoyaya
741 posts
 

@OP A quality streamer makes a substantial difference, but if you are not that interested in streaming from the internet, then spending a large sum of money on a streamer seems of dubious benefit. One option is to use a PC for storage and delivery to your Tambaqui using Roon. Some will say this is not a good option from a sound quality perspective, but I have had excellent results with a custom PC  using a JCAT USB card XE with its own nano PSU. The PC option gives you virtually unlimited choice in regard to storage and with Roon you also have a brilliant streaming platform. I've had zero issues running this configuration for four or five years now. Lastly, though, I don't have direct experience of it, the NAD M50.2 looks like a product that fits your specification at not crazy money.

phishhhhh4's avatar
phishhhhh4
103 posts
 

I have a Tambaqui and a Pulsar

No complaints 

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