2. digital
  3. 158246-9029

Innuos Zenith Mk3 vs Zen Mk3 + Phoenix

In a perfect world I would have the funds for a Zenith M3 and Phoenix, but I don’t. 

I’ve read somewhere that the Innuos Zen 3 with Phoenix sounds better than the Zenith by itself. Has anyone here heard this comparison particularly on the same system and can describe your observations?

By going with Zen + Phoenix it’s about 25% more than a solo Zenith, so from a value proposition is the combo appreciably better, and the extra money spent worth it? Or is it wiser to buy the Zenith, If the different is small then perhaps add a Phoenix later if budget permits?
ianderson
jsqt's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
jsqt
117 posts
 
@audiotroy what is this business about the evo being "tuned" to 432Hz. Are they saying they de-tune the music (standard 440Hz) down to 432 Hz via some kind of DSP? Or is this some kind of "resonant frequency" business where all of their internal components have been somehow "tuned" to a specific frequency?
antigrunge2
1,366 posts
 
@ianderson

I went with a cheap chinese clock found on Alibaba to try out what improvement it would make to my Antelope Zodiac Platinum DAC driven by the Innuos Zenith Mk3 via an Intona Isolator. The resulting improvement for shelling out $100 is easily the highest return quality improvement I have ever experienced. It‘s connected via a cheap 50ohm BNC cable but powered by a Kingrex LPS. The power supply and a quality power cable have a significant impact on the clock as does proper vibration insulation via Black Ravioli. Given the performance, I am reluctant to shell out $4-5k for a Mutec or Cybershaft clock, never mind $6-7k for an Antelope clock.
ianderson OP
91 posts
 
Duplicate...
ianderson OP
91 posts
 
@jsqt
Yes, it is about taking concert pitch A=440, and lowering it to 432. This means the whole song is dropped via a DSP.  They say it’s more natural and pleasing to the ear and that concert pitch at some point in the past was 432. I suppose whats good about it is you can turn it on or off via a setting and see if you’d like it.
jsqt's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
jsqt
117 posts
 
Yes, is is about taking concert pitch A=440, and lowering it to 432. This means the whole whole song is dropped via a DSP.  They say it’s more natural and pleasing to the ear. I suppose whats good about it is you can turn it on or off via a setting.
As a recovering musician it's hard to wrap my head around that... listening to music I've known inside and out for years being pitch-shifted slightly downward would probably be too much of a distraction for me. I also can't believe this would always be entirely audibly seamless, as past experience with pitch shifting software has shown (Ed Selley's review says there are some infrequent but noticeable artifacts). Nonetheless this is an interesting piece of gear. 
More to discover