Innuos ZENmini Mk3 Server Review | MJ Reports...
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- Michael Johnson reviews the mighty and affordable Innuos ZENmini Mk3 Server.
Who is Michael Johnson?
Michael Johnson, DMA, is an oboist and educator currently based in Colorado Springs. Since 2023 he has performed as an enlisted member of the U.S. Air Force Academy Band. Prior to this he held the position of English Horn with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. He is a contributing writer for TrackingAngle.com, and was formerly a contributing writer for AnalogPlanet.com.
Michael's channel: / @poetryonplastic
Newsletter: www.theabsolut...
Facebook: / theabsolutesound
Substack: theabsolutesound.substack.com
What Is The Absolute Sound?
The Absolute Sound magazine has been a leading publication in high-end audio since 1972. Since the early 2000s, The Absolute Sound has expanded to include web, newsletter, digital magazine, social media, UA-cam and Substack platforms. The Absolute Sound platforms have a global audience of over 500,000 audiophiles.
#hifi #audiophile #theabsolutesound
This was a really good review, so much so, I decided to subscribe! That’s for the excellent take on this piece of gear.
Tom Martin has a successor! Excellent review; clear, thorough, well-prepared and with knowledge of music and audio. Keep up the good work!
Indeed, despite 30+ years age difference, Michael and I may be the only two Jefferson Airplane fans who also own the Szell box set.
Solid review! Love your approach.
I truly enjoyed this review. Very informative. Good job. Thanks
Very cool Michael, I didn’t know this component, maybe I’ll try it out. Great review
Thanks Jesus, good to hear from you!
Excellent review on a fascinating product.
Excellent review/content. I am just now adding streaming/ripping capabilities to my previously vinyl only system. I am waiting from my Zen mini to arrive any day now. I am pleased to hear the LPSU made such an audible difference, but dismayed to hear your comments regarding the DAC.
Great review Michael! I've been a follower of yours for years.
Good review
Nicely done, young man.
I’ve been considering this item (and others) to go along with my NAD M66 to replace my Mac Mini. Thanks for a great review.
I treated myself to a Naim Uniti Core around this time last year. It's a very similar product to this and also not cheap but I absolutely love it... Paired with my Naim NSS 333, and honestly, my ripped cds have never sounded so good...
Great video 👍
Great review, thorough and thoughtful. You mentioned (and it's visible in the video) your OPPO 105-- what do you use it for-- CD transport only, or CD play? Streaming? How would you compare the DAC in the Innuos ZENmini to the DAC in the OPPO?
FYI, Thanks for your review. I was kinda looking at Innous saw your video and it made me look into it further. I wound up getting a Zenith MK3 to pair with my Aperio. It has really provided a significant performance improvement over my Roon Nucleus. I am using their Sense app and no it does not have Roons functionality depth but frankly Im not missing it. It just sounds so much better. I am re-repipping some of my cd's into my MK3 from Aiff to WAV files ( I have the room) and it sounds really great. I think it was a better investment than playing the Dac round and round game to Geta 1 or 2 % boost to Aperio. This did much more. Aperio with the MK3 is superb !
Nice review. I have this combo and I like it a lot. But I disagree that the analogue out is an afterthought. I think it is surprisingly good and it became significantly better after the addition of the LPSU.
Michael since you seem to be able to bridge the gap between formats, I'd be interested if you could get the McIntosh MP100, not just as a phono stage, but for it's ability to rip digital from the vinal and how good those rips might be.
Szell did a great Mahler 6
Great review. What speakers are you using?
Harbeth 30.2 XD
@@poetryonplastic Oo-oo-oo, nice. Please do a review of those. I've been considering them for a while now. I currently have a speaker in the same "BBC tradition" -- the Graham LS8/1. It's a fantastic speaker, but my impression from things I've read is that the Harbeths are probably better than the Grahams in the mid-range.
Nice review, should have a I2S, a PS Audio Airlens would be a good comparison
So, I woukd need the Innuos software to do anything, if I understood correctly. All I would be doing personally, were I to get one of these, is ripping CDs and playing those files.
If using as a Roon Core over the network, does the Zen Mini Mk3 offer any improvements over running the Roon Core on your PC? Did you try it over the network at all, or always connected directly into your system? Thanks.
Why can’t somebody make an all in one box to upgrade significantly what the oppo has done. 10 or 12 years ago I purchased an oppo 105 and it’s worked flawlessly since that point as an all in one box. When will we see someone make another grade all in one box for a reasonable price. I’m really not very excited and buying three different boxes to do what my oppo does regardless of sonic improvement.
This caters to such a niche group inside a niche group. The streamlined cd ripper is a neat standout feature but is it worth the premium price? And when people finish ripping their cd libraries it becomes extra dead weight along with the internal DAC most won't ever use. In my opinion the better option is to get a pure streamer and pony up for the $830 lifetime Roon membership for the best in class user experience. If you need to rip your CDs there are significantly cheaper ways to go about it.
Some audio reviewer silliness in this (can’t fault just comes with the territory). One that should be addressed is the comparison of live vinyl replay to a rip at 24/96. That is apples to oranges unless the file was made with the same cartridge, turntable, and phono stage. My experience, for what it’s worth, is a high resolution digital rip is indistinguishable from the live play, or perhaps sounds better/ quieter. I wonder what the sound would have been if the rip was made using the same front end. YMMV
Stick with my Sonore Ultra Rendu/Small Green Machine Sonic Transporter here. I especially dont get the devices with built in screens---that is what phone/ipad or casting to a big panel is for.
Does it also play back from a cd?
No direct CD playback, you rip the CD to the hard drive and play from the drive itself. The answer I received from Innuos regarding this is that they didn't want to introduce the moving parts and all the variables associated with a disc transport in these servers.
Reading from your notes just sucks the life out of it. You’re doing way better on your own channel
Hard sell at $2.4k 😮
➕️ $1.1k power supply
User interface matters
Records are sooooo much easier!!!!
Sadly, no Amazon Music native integration....
Amazon tracks vary
(Sirius XM & Qobuz)
I’ve been hearing a lot about Playback Designs…and I hear it kicks Inous’s ass.
What is Mike paying you? LOL!!
@@sinclabs lol wouldnt put nuttin past ole OCD
No Amazon Music HD…I’m out 😆
Get a Wiim and chill 😎
Sadly, no I2S, no Thunderbolt 4 and no PCIe SSD drives.