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Got Innuous, now a DAC

I worked with the Music Room and purchased an Innuous Zen Mk3. I remember five years ago when I started building my system, I heard many say streamers don’t matter. Well they do. I thought my BS Node 2i was good with the after market power supply. The Innuous kicked dirt in the face of the BS. The Innuous forced me to use USB which probably helps as well. And an added benefit: NO MORE SOFTWARE ISSUES. Yay! Qobuz internet interface is great. The sound of Qobuz is so good it made my $400 BT speakers sound better.

The Music Room associate said I will see another step improvement. I have looked around. I think R2R might be a good try. I would characterize my system as neutral. I have eliminated most glare or listening fatigue. But I don’t know what I don’t know.

I would like to keep this under $2000. Here are some that I found.

Denafrips Pontus 12 $1500

Ali express Denafrips 15 $1518 plus ship

Aqua La Voce. ???

Ayre Dx9. I think these are old but have good rep. I think it s Delta Sigma

Chord ??

Gustard. R26 mixed reviews

Bel Canto ???

i will not be updating amp and preamp. Thank you in advance.

The brands are exploding, but thank you in advance for your suggestions. 

 

128x128daledeee1
rog5878
2 posts
 

I purchased the Pontus 15 in early January 2025 from Audiophile 58 on US Audio Mart, complete with a warranty. I highly recommended. A few key insights:

*Skip the Pontus 12—the 15 is a major upgrade and is reportedly on par with the higher-end Venus.

*Burn-in is essential — while it arrives with 100 hours of factory burn-in, I strongly suggest an additional 500 hours of continuous playback. The sonic transformation is remarkable.

*Invest in a high-quality USB cable — the entry-level Cardas USB is solid, but the WyWires Platinum USB is a game-changer, elevating performance significantly.

*I am using the Pontus 15 in a high-performance speaker system, and it has been a revelation.

Additionally, my headphone system features a high-end streamer connected via WyWires Platinum USB to an LTA Aero DAC and LTA MZ3 headphone amp, both with upgraded tubes. I was hesitant to invest in an Aero DAC and a streamer upgrade for my speaker system, so I opted for the Pontus 15 instead. No regrets. It has exceeded my expectations.

mclinnguy's avatar
mclinnguy
622 posts
 

@rog5878 Congratulations on your first post here! laugh

jfuquay
113 posts
 

I have the same Innuos Zen Mk3, also from The Music Room, and run it through a PS Audio Directstream DAC. I use USB that first goes through a Matrix Audio x-SPDIF2 that has an IIS output the DAC can use. You can probably get the Directstream Mk1 for under $2000 used since the Mk2 came out. The Music Room sells PS Audio’s trade-in gear so they usually have the older model in stock. Several folks in our local audio club have them I had tried and tried to run a Mac Mini as my server with.Audirvana, and finally gave up and got the Innuos. Their app is very good, and yes, Qobuz sounds super thru the Innuos.

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