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Innuos Phoenix USB Reclocker - Sounds Worse?

I picked up a Phoenix USB Reclocker, mint condition store demo.  I think this must be the first of many, many reports where the Phoenix does NOT seem to improve the sound.  So many posts and review after review indicate positive results with this device added to systems.  I’ve not seen one single account where the results weren’t clearly superior.  Yet that seems to be the case for me, sadly!  
 

My system:

  • Gryphon Diablo 300 with DAC module
  • Innuos Zenith Mk 3 with Roon/Tidal HiFi
  • Innuos Phoenix Reclocker
  • AudioQuest Hurricane Source power cords connected to a Niagara 1200 conditioner 
  • AudioQuest Dragon High Current power cord connected between my amp and the wall
  • Two AudioQuest Diamond USB cables
  • Nordost Valhalla 2 speaker cables
  • B&W 803 D2 speakers

Adding the reclocker makes the sound more constrained, tighter, with less separation, and is generally less engaging.  This seems to be almost the opposite of 100% of everyone else’s experiences.  I thought maybe the new USB cord needed to be broken in (it’s been 40 hours now) but I don’t think it could be this much worse prior to completing the breakin.  And the Reclocker was a demo so in theory it should be broken in.

Some may theorize that my Gryphon DAC may be better and that the Reclocker is dragging my DAC down instead of elevating it.  But that logic I don’t think makes sense, because the Phoenix reclocker tech is included in Innuos’ top Uber expensive Statement.  I can’t imagine that the Statement in my system would sound worse than my Zenith Mk III which is less than half the cost!

Not sure what’s up…  I will give it another few days and then contact Innuos to see if they have any thoughts.

 

nyev
nyev OP
1,031 posts
 

@antigrunge2, I have two AudioQuest Diamond USB cables, and one is .7m and the other is 1.25m or so. I’ve had the long one going from the Phoenix to my DAC so far. Just to see the effect, I swapped the longer and shorter USB cables, with the shorter one going to the DAC instead. Sounded terrible! All closed up and compressed like how the Phoenix first sounded. I then tried going straight from my Zenith to my DAC alternating between long and short USB cables to see if I could hear any difference. I could not.

This hobby is black magic; nothing makes sense. It’s all trial and error I guess…

My next experiment was to try replacing the short AQ Diamond from the Phoenix to the Zenith streamer with the crappy USB cable that came with the Phoenix, and I’m sure it sounds better! All the detail and a little more relaxed in the high frequencies. The crappy cable is a bit longer than my short Diamond cable. Maybe the Phoenix doesn’t like my .7m Diamond as much…. Not proven yet, but while the DAC and Zenith didn’t seem to care about the long vs short USB cable, the Phoenix appears to not like shorter cables with on input OR output, at least in my system.

antigrunge2
1,401 posts
 

USB connections are very susceptible to cable impedance. Could be that the shorter cable is therefore less transparent. In my messing with cables I found the Intona Reference to be the best link between server and dac. I use a 1ft version

nick90's avatar
nick90
1 posts
 

Good evening,

I am currently playing with an Audio Note Dac3.1x/II which I am very happy with in terms of sound quality, only it is very limited in terms of inputs. I hesitate to buy a nice DDC, but that's another extra box.. 

Now I want to listen to the Weiss 501 soon and was wondering if you have experimented how much a reclocker still has on the presentations of the Weiss. If I am correct you have a Phoenix or Mscaler.

Every now and then an also crappy source will plug in out of convenience like my Mac mini, this is another reason to buy a DDC. But how wonderful would it be if the Weiss is just about immune and a reclocker doesn't add much more?

 

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