Me when my boss asks me to do anything.
I also am not taking sides on this, but I will by what ive been saying that streamer manufacturers have had enough time and should of been chunking out their own apps and UIs by now.
Itās tough to do SW and HW well, and if youāre a HW mfr, then putting resources in sw development is not in your wheelhouse. What surprises me is that there isnāt someone out there leveraging Pi based open source solutions and calling it a day. Sort of like Allo does but in the high end space.
Outside of the BluOS, which is on a few things, I am surprised there hasnt been anything either. Not sure how hard ot would be fir a good HW manufacturer to 3rd party the software.
I guess it depends what you want, if you just want to play files from local storage, and possibly a handful of streaming services, there are a fair few manufacturers that do that, OS is usually some linux variant.
Where it gets hard with software is putting together a good user experience, most of the manufacturers are probably just farming it out to specialist companies. But itās hard to get consistent quality doing that.
If you want something more like the Roon experience with integrated external metadata, then it gets a lot harder, the data has to come from somewhere and you need some mechanism to match the actual files with the metadata, you have to host the metadata somewhere, title and artist will only get you so far, at some point you have to resort to audio finger prints.
I know Roon requires streaming services they integrate to provide a catalog identifier so they can do the matching, and that requires the streaming service do work on their end in addition to just the integration on Roons end.
Itās just a lot of work for a company predominantly making money selling hardware, and probably not just streamers.
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Might as well put some updated thoughts to this thread. For many weeks now I have been experimenting w/ Innuos Sense 2.0 software on my ZENith MK3 vs using the server w/ ROON.
1.) The Sense 2.0 simply works best on the ZENith mk3, Sound Quality, to my ear, by tiny fractions of improvement in clarity, detail, and separation, when I am doing my part in a critical listening session continually pleases me. If I had only 1 system, w/ all my files/CDās saved to the Zenith mk3 hard drive and was using a paid streaming service like Quoboz or Tidal I would leave it alone and be happy. The support, service, and performance of the Innuos product are top notch (in my limited experience) and I feel extremely satisfied w/ what my money/$$$ gets me. If you were on the fence about Innuos streamers, especially since they primarily focus on a USB output (there is a multi-output option on the new series on 1 unit, at least from their advertising) I would not hesitate to build a system around their equipment and software.
2.) Innuos server using ROON as an endpoint option. My initial impressions of the NEW ROON 2.0 are positive, in blind A/B testing my own listening skills are such that I do not feel confident in being able to identify if my system were operating on Sense or ROON after the newest update. For weeks now knowing I was using Sense or ROON 1.8ā¦ I felt I could hear small improvements in my system using the Sense 2.0, now that ROON 2.0 is out and installed on my system I am NOT sure if I am duplicating the same results. Thus if for no other reason than the extra convenience, easy multi room and on the go features and incredible interface ROON offers I cannot complain currently about any shortfalls of ROON software SQ run on an Innuos streamer.
3.) Innuos streamer used as a ROON core. The sound quality takes a hit, we have veil of details and a certain thickness in the lower midrange and bass regions that caused me for a long time to work on my system not realizing the problem was my streamer software service combo. I would not recommend using your innuos equipment as a ROON CORE unless you are actively looking for a more muted and veiled sound signature that is thick in the lower mids & bass in order to complement your equipment or preferred sound preferences.
Sorry for the long post, just capturing the info here best I can based on my experiences to hopefully help out anyone looking at an Innuos product w/ some popular streaming service options. YMMV - Happy Listening.
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Was talking to a guy that was using the Ethernet Network output of the MK3 into the network in of a Briscati M3h DAC. No sure why he even has the Innuous if youāre just going to Ethernet into another component.
In interwebz is filled with strange and sometimes nonsensical implementations. Some that folks have spent many $$$$$ to implement. Is it bad dealer advise, not picking up a userās manual, not bothering to educate oneself about best practice, or maybe just having a life busy with other things and not being an ocdā audio dweeb like me.
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Iāve seen people do that with the direct ethernet output of antipodes into their pacific network card. Can sound great that way and get a nice noticeable improvement. Can make sense to do depending on the setup
Yeah I get it but my point it that you can get great improvements and not have to spend money on a super high end streamer like that. Itās a nice function but itās not the main purpose. This was his only system and in a situation like that a NUC Core with a Etherregen would probably do the same if not come very close for 1/5 the price.
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Sure, I also would have rather put that money into a new m1 instead of the streamer of that caliber. But who knows they could do that down the line
From what I gather, itās first and foremost a server more than it is a streamer/player, so in that case it is itās main purpose?
But do you know that without trying?
Youāre right, buy IMO itās not the best utilization of finances. I get if someone is in a journey and putting pieces together toward an end. In that scenario Iām sure that would have been better solutions and the Innocuous is not being used for itās strength which is the improved and cleaned USB out.
Reason I say that is because the bricasti has a strong built in streamer card, so itās very possible that direct ethernet out sounds better than using the usb out on the streamer, I havenāt tried the mk3 + bricasti so I canāt say. The network in on the m21 was so good I didnāt even feel the need to mess with it with a nicer streamer and whatnot. I should have tried the direct ethernet out of the antipodes on it, missed opportunity lol (sold now).
Thatās an overkill server for that dac for sure, but the guy could be planning for the future there
Did something like this get started? Iād be interested in alternatives to Roon, stuff like Jriver, Audirvana etc.
I know that question is off topic, sorry, but I did enjoy reading about the Innuos impressions and comparisons between Roon and Innuosā own software
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This hobby sucks, itās a money-pit pure and simple. Iām gonna put my impressions down on what a PhoenixNET ethernet switch brought to the table and this is just 24 hours into it. I was told and highly encouraged by my dealer to not even bother w/ the stock power chord. I followed instructions and dug out an āupgradedā power cable from the magic closet of awesome bottomless cables 
Detail, more detail and a sprinkle of more detail. 
I somewhat understand the sales literature, even the pseudoscience behind it, I really donāt feel like questioning some of these higher end pieces anymore, just about any upgrade when dealing w/ digital seems to equate to some sort of variation one way or another.
The overall system noise floor is practically 0%, once in a while depending on which speakers Iām using and their sensitivity there may be a tiny bit of very fine hiss, ear up against the speaker and touching to hear it.
Space, depth, width separation between instruments, height, nothing was negatively affected. There simply seems to be MORE BETTER of everything.
More better of everything isnāt necessarily better in this case, Iām gonna try rolling tubes in the DAC a few days from now once thereās 50-100hrs of burn in on the new electronicsā¦(yes another thing i feel is necessary at this point and valid) All this detail, and there is allot of it, doesnāt necessarily translate to enjoyment on my part, sometimes a little bit of sweetness and a little softer performance in the upper midrange is actually preferable to me for extended listening sessions. Iām still absolutely getting a feel for things.
Long story short, Iām embarrassed by how much overall money had to be spent on the source end of things to allow the other components in the system to shine and perform at the upper range of their abilities. At this point, on my main system I can see making small adjustments to fine tune performance and signature to my personal sound preferences. A little extra warmth here, maybe a bit of bloom thereā¦ I plan on some more power upgrades, custom audiophile grade 200 amp panel to be installed if ever i find a licensed electrician that can wire in an OCD level of detail I might play w/ some higher end cablesā¦maybeā¦ thatās crazy money risky. I have really good cables, tuning via the high end stuff thoughā¦that scares me 
There will be more spent on stuff, overall every little bit has been more better though. Thank you to everyone who continues to share their experiences in detail.
Gratuitous system pic:
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Itās crazy to think that upgrading something like an Ethernet switch would make an audible difference, but if itās in the signal path, itās gonna affect the signal (sound).
I never truly understood signal/noise until I purchased interconnects that were well above in tiers the components they were attached to. If itās in the signal pathā¦
Glad youāre enjoying it. 
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Thank you, I and others can babble about this all we want, unfortunately until you have a chance to experience the variety of changes in your own space and at your own pace, itās very difficult to comprehend or accept the fact that all digital is NOT equal when it comes to music 
Itās frustrating to me personally because i really felt at every step along the way comfortable w/ the sound. Even now, i second guess myself as to how much value added some of these increases in performance or abilities really are. I think i could have stopped upgrading and adding components many thousands of dollars ago and been blissfully satisfied had i simply stayed away from the internet.
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Anyone have thoughts or experiences with the Pulse streamer, the regular one not the Pulse Mini, Iām not finding much impressions or reviews on this unit. Google keeps showing me the Pulse Mini, like it shows the U2 Mini instead of U2!
Greatly any information, thank you.
I have purchased a Pulse, I use it in my secondary system. I feed an Alpha Berkeley reference DAC with it. I have used it with both Innuos Sense and ROON.
It performs as advertised, and the SQ in the system is extremely satisfying.
I purchased it specifically because of the AES and BNC/SPIDIF outputs. It integrated easily to both my system core units. So I only use it as a streamer. Itās fed for ROON by a dedicated NUC and when I use the sense software itās fed directly by an Innuos Zenith unit.
Itās relative in cost to the rest of the equipment and has no negative synergy issues. The company offers excellent technical support. I am personally very pleased with its performance. The sense software itself is well designed to support the unit and works exceptionally well while providing superior SQ IMO. Itās not as technically rich as ROON but does perform to the units tech strengths and as such is high quality as far as sound goes.
What else do you want to know?
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Thank you very much that was quite the endorsement! I would only be using it as a Roon endpoint and like that it has AES and Coax as digital outputs.
Would you say that the Pulse tilts the sound in one direction, such as tilting it warmer or brighter? That is if streamers have such an effect, but if cables can why not a streamer too.
Great set up, very nice secondary room!
Secondary system roflā¦ end game system for many! Inspiring as always Nick great room you got there
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@Camus No there is no ātiltingā of the sound signature, nothing to do with warmth, lean, etc.
The only difference I have been able to notice between ROON and the sense software was a bit of width in the space of the music. (Best I can tell and describe)
My preference for ābetterā of the two is the Sense over ROON and giving you the exact reason why is a very difficult answer. I cannot put words to it, there are no major differences beyond some added āweightā that sense seems to exhibit. I donāt think I could easily tell the difference in a blind test in my system. Itās a very personal choice 
The ROON software though has so many more features, I enjoy it more than Sense purely as a software package with features and abilities, despite my overall preference for the sense for the pure joy of the sound I just canāt steer anyone more towards one or the other.
The streamer itself has exhibited NO negative qualities that I can speak of. My speakers are not capable of super high quality resolution for me to consider much beyond this level in cost to performance ratio.
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