The “previous $8,000 model” would be the Pulsar, which I own. Hard to believe that the current Stream 1 model, which in essence is their updated Mini betters a Pulsar, but I guess stranger things have happened. A closer comparison would probably be the Stream 3.
New innuos stream series vs the pulse ZENITH 3 is upgrade necessary
I have a zenith 3 , and has 3 separate power supplies and plenty of SS HARD DRIVE , THE STREAM is faster and maybe better isolation ,that being said the innuos 3 has plenty of filtering and premium Mundorf top power capacitors , with digital to buffer music it is not lacking , imo you are much better suited upgrading your ethernet ,and usb cables , maybe buying the reclocker would better the sound rather then upgrade for better cables will still make much more of a improvement
I put 2 AQ TORNADO SOURSE Power cords on dac ,Zenith 3. A very noticeable upgrade , my friend has the latest and he is starting from scratch ,Thst makes sence , cables even Ethernet hub upgrades upgrade as your budget allows I still have 2 years on the warranty , the AUDIENCE TOP DIGITAL CABLES ARE RESPECTABLE ,WITH MY TUBULUS DIGITAL CABLES MUCH BETTER THEN THE MORE COMMERCIAL BRANDS I WONT NAME FOR DIGITAL
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@mike4597 I assume you have the PhoenixUSB board, not Zenith, if this is with the Stream1? I also thought the bundled discount was for the LPS1, not the PhoenixUSB board. I have ordered a Stream1, LPS1 and PhoenixUSB module but have no idea when I might get it. My dealer hasn't even received their demo unit yet. |
I owned the Zenith MK 3 as well as the Pulsar. I talked to Innuos at Axpona regarding the Stream 3 vs the Pulsar in terms of sound quality. They told me they both sound essentially the same and that the Stream just gives you much more flexibility and features if that’s what you’re looking for. You will pay for those add-ons. My personal experience , as well as a good friend with the same Innuos upgrade path, is that the Pulsar was a nice step up in sound quality over the Zenith MK 3. The Stream will be a sonic upgrade also. This assumes you pay for the Stream 3 . If you don’t need a dac, file storage and just want to stream, then a used Pulsar is the best value by far!
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Marco1 You are right it is the Phoenix USB board! Thanks! There was originally also a discount on the Phoenix USB module if purchased at the same time. It is no longer shown. I ordered mine right after the announcement--before the introduction, so I was told I was one of the first to place an order. My dealer got his demo unit about two months ago, and I received my unit about a month ago. I was really grateful when they honored the original pricing for my order because it had been placed at the lower prices. |
@mike4597 that was me, not Marco1 :). I should get my Stream1 with PhoenixUSB board and LPS1 later today. I ordered it just over 2 months ago. I have a 4TB M.2 SSD ready to install. I have never used a music streaming service so this will be new to me. I plan on trying Qobuz though my wife subscribes to Spotify. I will put all my CDs on the installed M.2 SSD and back everything up on my NAS. I’m not sure if I should just convert all my ALAC files to FLAC and import them or go through the laborious process of burning them all over again direct to the Stream1. I have an external USB Blu-Ray/CD drive.
This will be fun to try and as a analog guy, I’m curious how it will compare to my vinyl setup that I absolutely love. |
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