Innuos Zenith Backorder


I first became aware of Innuos from the discussion of top streamers for 2019 here on Audiogon. There are only two dealers in western Canada and I was able to check out the Zenith Mark II at the Edmonton dealer on March 20. I placed an order for the current model, Zenith Mark III, and was told it would arrive to my door in about two weeks.

After three weeks I inquired as to the shipping status and eventually was told they would be shipping the first week of May. That date passed and I began to get frustrated with the lack of communication from my dealer. I would only hear from him if I initiated contact. The dealer expressed frustration with the Canadian distributor. He gave me the email address for the Canadian distributor which, not surprisingly, went unanswered.

In the discussion of top streamers I saw another member, nyev, was also in Canada and had ordered from the Calgary dealer. I reached out and we have been sharing any news/rumours of when the product might ship. The Calgary dealer had heard that problems with the faceplate supplier were responsible for the delay.

I also emailed Innuos sales and received a reply that worldwide chip shortages had thrown off their production schedule and that they hoped to be back on track soon, but no specific timeframe was mentioned.

This week I cancelled my order and received a refund. The product is certainly well reviewed and I may still end up with one but am currently considering other options such as the Wyred 4 Sound MS.

If anyone has additional data points to offer I welcome the input.










mmeldogg
As mmeldogg mentioned, I am still waiting for my Zenith MKIII, impatiently.  I will wait it out.  The biggest shame is that Innuos’ distributor told them my order would ship in 30 days (it’s about 75 now).  And, my dealer says the distributor stopped responding to requests for updates.  My dealer tried to convince me to get something else instead (Antipodes), but I will stick it out.  If it is true that the delay is caused by an Intel chip shortage, as Innuos told mmeldogg directly, then it is not in their control and not their fault.  But the poor communication and service is a shame.
Must be a special chip, because ic manufacture has slowed down significantly in the last 6 months or so, because of slackening demand.  There is a glut of most chips now.
I also received my Innuos Statement last week. It took approximately six weeks from the time I ordered it. Happy with the purchase, unhappy with the wait...but I have had to wait for other things in this hobby so I didn't consider it exceedingly unusual.
It is good to hear the company is again shipping product.

Part of my frustration was due to incorrect information regarding the lead time. Then I found I wasn't able to get an answer from my dealer as he was unable to get information from the Canadian distributor.

I now heard from one Canadian dealer that future orders will bypass the Canadian distributor and will be direct from the manufacturer.