Innuos Zenith Mk3 or something else?

I have been using the Zenith Mk2 for some years and am very impressed. Both the sound and ease of use are excellent. Ripping really couldn't be easier. I believe the Mk 3 is a reasonable step up, incorporating many of the upgrades in the Zenith SE.

I have been trying to audition the Phoenix for some years. the epidemic has stopped several attempts, but I finally borrowed one for a weekend, expecting to be impressed. Was I? I'm afraid not, yes I could hear a difference, slightly better depth, a bit better dynamics. But worth to me, the significant cost, I'm afraid not. That's just me, I know others have been very impressed. I read one review suggesting you need a very good DAC to appreciate the difference. Whilst my Chord Qutest punches above it's weight, I'd be the first to admit it's not state of the art.

I’ve heard the whole Innuos range and own the Zenlth as well as having much experience with the Evo thanks to my lovely near neighbour. I think it was probably truer to say that a Zenith plus the Phoenix USB got you somewhere over 80% of the way to a Statement. However, since 2/Sense it’s now probably another 5% or so. 

I'm planning to buy an Innuous Zenith MK3 soon and had a few questions. Instead of starting a new thread I thought I might just piggyback on top of this thread. Hope the OP doesn't mind ...

1. Currently, I have a separate Roon core server (SGC i5 Transport). I know that the Zenith can be used as a core as well. Any pros and cons of using it as the core? I'm not sure if using Zenith as the core will rob some of the processing power and add noise as a result?

2.  I would like the ability to switch back and forth between Sense 2.0 and Roon. Is it fairly straightforward? For example, can I easily switch during the same session or is there a lengthy delay?

3. If I configure the Zenith to run as Roon core, do I lose the ability to easily switch back and forth between Roon and Sense?

4. For DSD, can I download directly to Zenith? Or do I need to download it to a computer and then transfer it over using something like a USB stick? I don't have a dedicated NAS setup right now.

 

 

I have had good response by eMailing Innuos directly