2. digital
  3. 191054-12514

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
zlone
657 posts
 

This is probably review, but I thought it is something you should consider. I think it is important to note that the sound can be significantly affected by your choice of connectivity and the strengths of the streamer and DAC in clock department. Timing/jitter is a critical factor in digital sound quality and who has the best clock wins. Some of the Innuos units, my Zenith MKIII included, only support USB. This puts the burden of clocking on the DAC, which can be a very good thing if the DAC has a good clock. I am guessing the Tambaqui is pretty good. If you are using SPDIF, then the streamer supplies the clock. And the cable you use in either case is important, choose carefully and include it in your budget.

My experience with Innuos has been great. I abandoned my Aurender after only a few months due to the app software and the software in the unit itself. I find Innuos intuitive and straightforward. Sorry to hear about your experience @boxcarman , I hope your experience improves.

 

boxcarman
412 posts
 

Zione, I know I am in a learning curve on the Innuos Sense app.  After communication with the support group at Innuos, things are improving.  Sound quality is now as good or better than ever.  I had to change some settings and tomorrow we are updating software.  It' s partly my impatience when things don't come together promptly.  I could have used better setup instructions though.

aubullience OP
28 posts
 

Thanks all for the further feedback!

yoyoyaya, I will check out the NAD M50.2; phishhhh4, good to hear about the simpatico nature of your Tambaqui and (Innuos) Pulsar; zlone, thanks for your discussion of clocking. Given the overall excellence of the Tambaqui, I’d expect that it would robustly handle all major functional demands placed upon it, but I should try to verify that a bit.

I’m also realizing that I really need to get a better overview of the rudiments of this domain, and so have begun reading the lengthy digital audio chapter of Harley’s latest edition of his "Complete Guide." While I personally regard him as highly suspect as a reviewer of particular gear (all the new flagship stuff he reviews seems to be continually amazing and "revolutionary" in his writeups and he seems to live in a world that generally doesn’t acknowledge typically diminishing returns and "small differences" at the high end; plus there’s his gushing "MQA of it all"), still my sense is that he’ll provide a generally accurate review of the basics, just so I basically understand the newer ’digital audio landscape.’

I think I’m also realizing that perhaps I should consider the alternative of buying all of these gear functions separately. In that case I could direct a relatively greater share of my expenditures to a 'top-notch'-sounding standalone server with internal flash storage (my ultimate priority here), preferably one with excellent proprietary music library software- i.e, devoting as least half of my overall budget for my upstream-of-DAC budget to it; with the other half going to various other functions, which are secondary, those being a cd transport (yup, I still want to spin some discs), a convenient cd ripper; and least important for my listening patterns, an adequate streamer for periodically listen to Qobuz or other internet-streamed content- mostly just to find what I'd want to purchase for download

Given that, in addition to the all-in one Innuos options, I’ve also begun looking at middle-of-range Melco Music Library units (but welcome other equivalent options); transports like the Jay’s Audio CD2-MK3 or the one by Melco; the Melco cd-ripper unit, and after all that is determined, a relatively modest streamer function (at least for my foreseeable listening future).

If anyone has experience with the Melco servers vs that function in the Innuos Gear, or vs other likely contenders in this category, please feel free to chime in, thanks! Also, for the other semi-luddites among us, any experiences/perspective on transports, particularly those I mentioned or those in that price range?

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