The successful music servers ZEN, ZENith and ZENmini from Innuos are now available in a new MkIII version. Improvements have been made to the power supplies and software in particular, and storage space and connectivity have also been improved. Owners of current models can also benefit from many updates. A completely new high-end server is also available with the STATEMENT.
From the very beginning, the Anglo-Portuguese company Innous has concentrated on combining audiophile sound requirements with modern usability in its media servers. And they are consistently continuing this path with the new Mk3 versions of ZEN, ZENith and ZENmini.
Since the interference caused by power supply units can have a significant influence on the sound of a digital system, the developers devoted their main attention to this point. The standard model ZEN now has a completely newly developed power supply unit that provides two completely independent circuits for different areas of the server. The high-quality ZENith was even given a power supply with three independent circuits. Both new power supplies can also be retrofitted to older Mk2 generation devices if required.
In the smallest and cheapest Innuos server, the ZENmini, there was no room for this complex power supply, but with an additional external power supply unit that will be available soon, a solution with considerable sound improvement potential will also be available here. Best of all, this external power supply will also be compatible with the Mk2 version of the ZENmini, so owners of the current device can also benefit from the upgrade.
The mainboards of the powerful sounding music computers were also completely redesigned. Up to now, Innuos has relied on high-quality standard circuit boards, from the Mk3 version onwards, hardware specially tailored to the needs of music playback is used, which is manufactured by the supplier exclusively for Innuos. In this context, the housings of all models could also be revised and further optimized against vibrations. These changes are limited to the inner workings of the case, on the outside the Mk3 versions have remained unchanged, apart from the improved vibration-dampening feet.
So that music lovers with large collections of hires can find the right Innuos server in every segment, larger memory versions can be ordered in the future. The ZENmini and ZEN equipped with hard disks then offer a maximum of eight terabytes of storage space, because of the enormous prices of larger SSD storage, the ZENith does not exceed 4 TB.
As an entry-level server, the ZENmini should offer the greatest flexibility, which is why Innuos has given it an optical and an electrical digital output (S / PDIF) in the Mk3 version in addition to USB so that it can be used with as many D / A converters, amplifiers or Soundbars are also compatible. With the ZEN and ZENith, however, the developers remain true to their previous line: with a corresponding converter behind it, USB sounds best, which is why the two larger servers still have no further outputs.
After the experience gained with the ZENith SE, which is limited to 100 copies, Innuos is now presenting a real high-end model. STATEMENT is the name of the new one, and the name says it all. An enormously complex power supply with eight independent circuits has been moved into an external housing and ensures a sparkling clean power supply, the special mainboard is equipped with selected components and a USB board specially developed by Innuos with a separate 5V power supply takes care of the output of the signals 3ppb OCXO clock for perfect timing . The first appearances of the STATEMENT, for example at the High End 2018 in Munich (video) , already caused a stir, from now on you can convince yourself of the qualities of this high-end server.
