Innuos music servers seemed to be the go-to digital players for so many rooms at the 2019 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, so much so that when I finally met the Innuos crew at an after-show get-together on the back patio of the Gaylord I thought, “Oh, you guys again.” Scot Hull and I had a great time with these wonderful digital gurus from Portugal including the Direct of Innuos, Amelia Santos, and we immediately started talking about their new statement server that’s called, of course, the Innuos Statement (from $15,150). I made a promise to visit their room the very next day, which I did.
There’s a full line of Innuos music servers including the tiny ZENmini (starting at just $1249), the ZEN (starting at $2549), the ZENith (starting at $4249) and, of course, the Statement. In addition, the Linear PSU ($699) can be used as an upgrade for the ZENmini (you save $50 when you but the two products together), and the PhoenixUSB ($3149), which reclocks the USB signal from the source component and converts the signal into one that is “extremely high-precision.” Here’s the exciting part–the Innuos music servers were all lined up in the room with headphones so that I could compare each model to determine which one is right for you. As I moved through the line, the title track from Tool’s new album Fear Inoculum became more noise-free, more relaxed and yes, more musical.
The Innuos music servers and associated products were also part of an incredible system in the adjacent room that included YG Acoustics speakers, Ayre amplification and AudioQuest cables. Using the Statement as the main digital source, this system was one of my favorites at the show, delivering music with an uncommon ease that I usually only get from the finest analog gear.
Best of all, I’ve just been copied in on an email from Amelia Santos to Scot Hull–she’s sending him the Statement for review, and she asked if it could be sent to me afterward so I could get my feet wet with these incredible Innuos music servers. After my detailed A/B comparisons with Tool, I realized that I could be happy for a long time with something as modest as the ZENmini with the Linear PSU. But sure, I’ll give the Statement a try. As I discovered in my recent review of the Dr. Feickert Analogue Firebird turntable–Chris Feickert, by the way, was sitting at the same table as the Innuos crew on that back patio–there are definite advantages when you start at the top.
The Music Server to have in every price category. Brilliant !