David, I see that your dealer is doing his job correctly. Trying to sell you something!
yes, the dCS streamer is properly engineered but it uses a bought in part which I suspect is not all that different to the bought in part in other units.
Note that several of us still use the excellent inbuilt streaming but not directly connected to a router. For local file streaming ( UPnP) you need a file storage unit such as NAS. top quality units seem to improve upon basic IT consumer units and, being network connected, may also improve ( depending on the userās opinion) internet streaming services too. However this may be an expensive route if you do not need such storage.
You say:
So you seem to have no issue that needs attention. Why not leave it as it is then? Yes, things may be changed but that is true of every single aspect of all audio systems. There is no clear ābestā and you can go on spending almost infinitely.
I am not sure that is true of all current units. I checked the Innuous Zenith 3 web page and it has network connection to a streamer ( i.e to a dCS streamer/DAC):
Hi Pete you summed up my dilemma. I am happy spinning āold fashionedā CDs and streaming Qobuz using my Rossini APEX and Mosaic so I donāt need local files and donāt therefore need to do anything. But Iām always open to opportunities to improve SQ and it seems more and more people are suggesting to bypass the Rossini internal streamer with something more āmodernā, so I thought I should at least investigate it, although Iām still not sure how connecting a different streamer to Rossini via USB would take me forward? Sorry to raise a sensitive subject but it appears to be gaining more traction these days. In the end, I guess the only way to know is to conduct a demo and decide for myself using my super sensitive measuring devices
Not sure on the newer unitās, but i was commenting about the statement in the post above.
I probably should have stated that, it was fine in my head, but i can see it wasnāt clear
Just looked at the link and opened up the manual.
I spotted that the next gen statement also has a player port, does that mean you can stream and play stored music files now from this port ? Or is it like the melco, stored music only?
I checked the website and photos and like the Zenith Mk.3 the out network port is labelled streamer. I cannot guarantee what it does ( not being an owner) but LAN in and LAN out suggests that a streaming service could be selected by Mosaic and is sent via the Innuos just as it is with Melco. Local file storage is <8tb. If I was considering the unit I would query it with them. I can only speak from a Melco standpoint and IMO it is very worthwhile albeit with my N5 as it was with its N17 predecessor. I would imagine that that top Innuos should be similar , but check first.
I have always found USB connection inferior to network. Further USB wires themselves open another rabbit hole. If you wish to use only CD or Qobuz then buying an expensive device that is fundamentally a stored local file server seems excessive. However you might try one of the auduiophile network switches that are now available. Just a thought.
I looked at the instructions and am still not sure.
It shows a streamer connected to the player port.
You can connect a different streamer if you donāt like the innuos one?
Itās not very clear at all. But every time, I have seen the statement being used?, itās always been with USB
Yes, but that is using it as a streamer not as a server. Some prefer the Innuos control point. Its nice but if it means USB connection then that to me is a compromise and I would use it instead as I (and others) use our Melcos - as a server to the dCS unit. It serves both UPnP and Qobuz ( or Tidal etc,). Curent Innuos look like they can do this too but check with them first.
Edit: I am unsure that I used āserveā correctly in relation tom Qobuz. The point I am trying to make is that as Innuos is connected to the internet and as it provides a connection to a dCS unit also by network, a command from Mosaic for Qobuz should be passed via Innuos to the internet. That is it simply acts as a pass through. This how Melco functions. The advantage is that if the device offers e.g. noise reduction this may be advantageous.
I get that. If you can play stored music out the player port like the melco can. Then as you say it might offer some isolation like the melco is ment to do.
If it also can play streaming out this port to a dac, then even better and one better than a melco.
But if itās USB out for stored music and streaming then i for one would pass on it, as i prefer ethernet input over the USB input on the vivaldi.
For clarity, current Innuos units have TWO eithernet ports ( as well as USB). Effectively in and out. Internet connects to āinā and āoutā ( streamer) port connects to a streaming unit e.g a dCS DAC. Control is then by Mosaic. So you do not use USB at all in this mode. Itās all ethernet.I am assuming that you have both Vivadli DAC and Upsampler ( which is the streamer).
Speaking of Innuos, I wonder if folks are aware that even the top-of-the-line $25,000 Innuos Statement Server is in fact quite literally little more than a $200 Supermicro Intel Atom Mini-ITX motherboard, with an outboard Power supply unit!
Quite candidly, for streaming services, itās not going to perform better than the tightly-integrated and optimised streaming inside a dCS platform.
Right, but thereās more- Powersupply build by Sean Jacobs (imho a killer) , 8TB SSD, one of the greatest GUI Iāve ever seen (integrates backup, streaming services etc)- and as always (even with Rolex and dCS)- you get what you pay for
Fun fact: look at a Grimm MU1 and wonder why the call 10kā¬? for 4kg standardā¦
Well, the Grimm MU1 has actual technology innovation in it, including the Upsampling Algorithm, Clocking technology, and AES hardware, etc. The Innuos on the other hand has no such innovation at all, itās all just a bunch of off-the-shelf stuff put together in a pretty package.
Reclocker for USB (their stand alone USB Phoenix isolation platform is an award winner, itās build in the Statement),
Isloated LAN ports (again, PhoenixNet uses this in a seperate unit), and afaik there could be a chance to switch to AES in future as well (or I2S)ā¦anyway- the unit plays great in my setup
Ok, I stand corrected on the USB Reclocker, but itās completely unnecessary since USB is packetised in the first place, not to mention asynchronously driven by the USB DAC.
As for the isolated LAN ports, you might want to dig deeper, I donāt believe theyāve modified the stock Supermicro LAN ports (Yes, Iām aware of their PhoenixNet Ethernet Switch).
ps: If it works for you and you like it, thats fine. Just be sure to know all the facts about the platform.
And your point is? Are you suggesting that folk who are apparently quite willing to lash $25k on a Statement Server should man up and go DIY and will get the same sound quality for $24k-ish less (Iām allowing $800 for the offboard PSU!)?
Iāve yet to confirm this personally but this wouldnāt surprise me in the slightest.
