nvitorino

Hi, The latest updates should not have any significant impact on sound quality. The only change that has been made is regarding WAV playback in order to support 32bit files (ex: from PGGB) but we didn't notice any impact on sound quality. The updates are done for all models from the Mk2 series upwards and we don't fine tune any settings for Statement compared to Next Gen LPSU. In fact, from a software perspective, we can't distinguish both units. I don't see anything from the update that could affect sound just on the Statement and not others. Feel free to reach out on our Support email and we can do a remote session to have a look at the system and check if we see anything out of place. Best, Nuno

I do understand that it may be another tick in the box but we also want the product to be as stable as possible... Decisions, decisions... Anyway, how about running the PULSEmini in HQPlayer endpoint mode with Euphony?

We could consider Audirvana/JRiver as they have very complete Music Library management systems but for others we'd ask why not use the Sense App instead? Technically it's not very difficult to add UPnP endpoint but it's really the overhead required to ensure it works well that may not be worth it compared to using Sense, LMS-based applications, Roon or HQPlayer... Anyway, we are listening and if the use case makes sense and there is enough people to request it, it's something we can consider on a software update.

Hi, Regarding the PULSEmini, no we haven't implemented it as a UPnP endpoint. It's also available as an innuOS endpoint, HQPlayer endpoint or as a Roon Bridge (Roon-Ready certification is in progress). You should be able to use it with a Stylus Server as I believe it's LMS based? You can set the PULSEmini in innuOS Endpoint mode and it will work as a Squeezelite endpoint to connect to Stylus. This should provide you with much better stability and features than UPnP. This is in fact the reason we haven't implemented UPnP endpoint on the PULSE series - we do feel the wide variations in the protocol to be very difficult to ensure every device works well. The PULSEmini can also work in standalone mode whereas you can use the Sense App and connect to a shared folder on your NAS if you wish. Hope this helps. Nuno

Hi, Regarding upgrades, the issue is the AVC platform as our supplier is struggling to deliver these. We have received a small batch lately so we will progress with some more upgrades but it will take at least 1-2 months until we expect to have our requested batch in full for all upgrades. It's a real struggle every day with the supply chain... You can ping me directly and I'll check where you are in the backlog.

Hi Luca, I don't usually post around advice topics as I believe other users can provide you less biased opinions but would just like to add one thing: If you decide to go to with a Statement with Next Gen upgrade, this will not replace the PhoenixNET. Contrary to the PhoenixUSB, which the Statement does have integrated directly inside, the PhoenixNET is different from the OCXO board we use to clock the internal Ethernet controller. While the OCXO board on the Statement is essentially to improve timing and noise internally to the Statement, the PhoenixNET deals more effectively with external noise and focus on sending a signal as pristine as we can in terms of timing and noise to the Statement. This way, even on the Statement with Next Gen upgrade, we can audibly hear the influence of the PhoenixNet. This is just to refer your base of comparison should be ZENith + PhoenixUSB compared to Statement Next Gen. Hope this helps! Best, Nuno

Hi Koso, Thank you for getting one of our PhoenixUSB reclockers. However, the PhoenixUSB is a bit different to the Denafrips Gaia. The Gaia is a DDC converting USB to other outputs. It works at the audio signal. The PhoenixUSB does not work at the audio signal level but rather at the USB protocol level. In fact, you can use the PhoenixUSB between your source and the Gaia and this should provide you with improved sound quality than the Gaia alone. Try both ways and let us know what you prefer. Best, Nuno

Hi, Just a quick one regarding the LEDs on the ports and the reasoning behind it. This is stated clearly in the network switch design guide (which is a good thing to read if you are designing a network switch from scratch): "If the designed product works inside an electrically noisy outside environment, it is not recommended to use RJ45 with integrated LED. This is because the outside interference signal or voltage is coupled to the LED circuit through the line side of RJ45 due to the LED circuit directly connected to chip and system power/ground." The issue is not just the noise the LEDs create, but the interaction with outside interference. So the difference may be bigger or smaller depending on your environment. Nuno

Yes, we plan to keep experimental mode in innuOS2.0.

Starting with the "Innuos control app", what we are doing is revamping the entire OS and not just adding a control app on top of the existing system. The app will be part of innuOS 2.0, which has been in the works for two years now. It is a major difference on the user experience you have now. It's now getting close to Beta release so we will soon start publishing information how it looks and new features, stay tuned. Regarding the differences between "different control apps": The question is not the control app itself but the underlying technology used to playback the music. if your are using innuOS and say iPeng (iOS) and compare it to OrangeSqueeze (Android), they should sound exactly the same. They simply send network commands to the server, it's the server that plays all the music. If you use the Web player on the :9000 port, again it does exactly the same thing - send the play, next, volume, etc commands over the network in order to play the music. If differences are heard, check if things like volume are at 100%. Unless there is something we are not seeing, there should be no differences in sound quality between the different apps connecting to the LMS on our servers. innuOS 2.0 is a different OS altogether. It's not the fact there's a new app to control it that makes any difference in playback. These are things much more at the music player application and the base OS itself. I think there is simply confusion about the definition of "app". We tend to think "app" as the control application and nothing more. Some think of the "app" as the entire OS. When other methods are used like Roon or UPnP, they use other methods of playback which is processed in completely different ways. This may lead to differences in sound, better or worse - you decide. P.S. Regarding Roon in experimental mode, squeezelite is called with a different set of parameters compared to when used with iPeng/OrangeSqueeze, etc. This can lead to differences in sound quality. Some may prefer one or the other - this is audio - there is no single universal best...

It's not a sticker - it's EMI absorbing paper... The OCXO is the Connor-Winfield OH200-50605CF. But again, the clock alone will not do much for you... It may or may not work well for you depending on the design you are doing.

Hi, You can use on the Phoenix the same fuse as the SE. The Phoenix consumes a lot less current than the SE so let us know the results when you try it.

Hi, I'd be very surprised if there is a difference in sound between 1.4.4 and 1.4.5. 1.4.5 just updates the kernel to support more DACs with Native DSD and corrects a bug on the player that was causing a log overflow. That's pretty much it...

It's been one busy Christmas Season.Yes, indeed we have shipped our first batch of PhoenixUSB around the world. More will go as wen go through the backorders. With regards to time to fulfill and company history from Dr. Sean Jacobs: 1. What took the longest to get done was... packaging! (With chassis a close second) 2. Sean does not produce the power supplies, he just designs them. We produce all power supplies on our premises in Portugal. We have 4 people for this, it's definitely not something a single person would be able to do. Merry Christmas to all and a Happy 2020!

That's more unlikely. Not because of technical difficulty but mostly because is makes little sense to use the server just as a NAA. It mean a huge amount of network communication (first getting the file to process on HQPlayer then sending the file back to NAA). It's quite busy at the moment but next year I can easily arrange a remote session with you and install NAA on the server so you can have a play and then decide whether it's worth it or not.