Devialet Chat

(09-Sep-2019, 09:26)Confused Wrote: [ -> ]A new product from Innous has been announced, see links below.  Apparently the Innuos Phoenix is the "USB reclocker" part of the Innous Statement, designed as an add on item for owners of the Innuos Zenith, or other devices outputting USB.  I quite enjoyed the comments after the Audiosteam news article, straight in there with an objective versus subjective argument, even before anyone has actually listened to one of these things.  An interesting if obviously controversial product.  Are there any Zenith owners out there thinking of trying one with their Devialet?

https://darko.audio/2019/09/innuos-to-la...a-b-demos/

https://www.audiostream.com/content/innu...se-digital-

I’ve had the Phoenix in my system now for about two months and any thoughts of this product being “controversial” will leave your mind in an instant once you experience the difference it makes. It’s simply put an amazing piece of kit!

i can’t tell you how it works exactly and I have not tried it with a Devialet since I have traded in my D400 (making a massive loss of money having bought it new), but the results with my Gryphon Diablo 300 w DAC is really something special. My guess is that all you Devialet owners would benefit from it too.

The results? A more organic, fluid and homogeneous sound without sacrificing any detail or depth or dynamics. Instead the Phoenix enhances those qualities and you find yourself enjoying music you don’t even like. Very annoying!

The sound becomes almost physically tangible and you stop listening to details and/or nuances and simply start to enjoy the music it creates. It’s even made me cry listening to opera!

Oouch.. only usb out. I use a Trinnov processor and it does not have a USB in :-(
Have you compared it with Mutec Ref-10 by any chance?
I'm not sure if it can make a huge difference with Devialet expert pros. Apparently the expert pro line has upgraded clock. I definitely did not hear much of a difference to keep the Mutec re-clocking devices in the chain with expert pro.
But each device is different, and this could be the holy grail. Thanks for providing the feedback with Gryphon DAC. Seems like it made a huge difference in your system. I hope the next generation of the product can output s/pdif.

I’ve read good reports about the Phoenix elsewhere as well.

Regarding s/pdif out. The Phoenix is a device that, like the Uptone Audio USB Regen devices, regenerates a USB signal using an internal high quality clock and (sean Jacobs designed) power supply. It doesn’t do anything else, no conversions etc. so it’s not a bridge or endpoint device. It was designed to bridge the gap somewhat between the Innuos Statement and Zenith hardware so I would not expect any future generation to work like a bridge.

The question is how much the benefit of reclocking by the Phoenix or Uptone is dependent on the USB implementation of the down stream device (like my D250 Pro CI).
Presently I am using only USB input from my Innuos Zenith II and I have presently no desire to upgrade but in the back of my mind there is still: is USB the best option?

(30-Jun-2020, 16:23)Music or sound Wrote: [ -> ]The question is how much the benefit of reclocking by the Phoenix or Uptone is dependent on the USB implementation of the down stream device (like my D250 Pro CI).
Presently I am using only USB input from my Innuos Zenith II and I have presently no desire to upgrade but in the back of my mind there is still: is USB the best option?

I use an Innuos Statement with a 440 Expert Pro CI. Match made in heaven. You can set up the Statement with normal USB or with reclocked optimised USB and the difference is extremely significant in terms of involvement and enjoyment.

Thanks Blackmorec. Nice to know that its making significant difference with 440.

https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2020/04/2...er-review/

Anyone tried Phoenix with a NUC?

(30-Jun-2020, 16:23)Music or sound Wrote: [ -> ]The question is how much the benefit of reclocking by the Phoenix or Uptone is dependent on the USB implementation of the down stream device (like my D250 Pro CI).
Presently I am using only USB input from my Innuos Zenith II and I have presently no desire to upgrade but in the back of my mind there is still: is USB the best option?

This article: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php...dio-system
writes about the EMM labs DA2 Reference DAC that's been specifically designed to work with a simple laptop and a printer quality USB cable. The way I read this is that if the DAC is good enough, bits really are just bits. After all, if the re-clocker can make good sound out of the 'garbage' that enters it, why shouldn't a good DAC do the same?

For a long time now I have thought that my next upgrade should be changing out the Mac mini for a decent server. Last week I took my whole setup to the dealer to have a listen to some speakers he had recommended: Vienna Acoustic Imperial Liszt. There were things I liked about them and there were things I didn't but one thing stood out to me; voices through these speakers sound 100% natural. Nothing to add or subtract. So I though to myself, if these speakers can sound so natural with just a mac mini supplying the bits then I'm not going to upgrade it anytime soon.

Conclusion: the input of the Expert must be pretty good as is.

Just came across this review (not in-depth) by Steve Huff, who liked a Roon Nucleus by USB direct into his Vinnie Rossi integrated. He was surprised that the Roon could be both a server and streamer. Anyway, I'm posting it as Huff previously used an Innuos Zen Mini as his streamer and found the Roon Nucleus with USB -- without any re-clocking -- as superior both in terms of usability and SQ.

https://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2020/07/0...ini-mkiii/

I recently added a Phoenix USB reclocker between my Sonore UltraRendu and Expert Pro 1000 Dual. The impact was dramatic—a huge step up in clarity/width/depth of the sound stage, esp. with 192/24 FLACs. Among many improvements, the effect on female vocals was to make them “in-the-room natural”. I've never experienced such immersive recreation of recorded music. Truly stunning.