[Roasty]

Haven't seen this unit mentioned much around here. Read some nice reviews and thought i would give it a go.

Managed to get it at a pretty good discount off retail. I only received it yesterday. It took 7 days to reach me from Europe. It took a little while to obtain the unit in the first place, due to Covid19 and production line and dealerships being delayed/closed. But the person helping me get the unit was great with updates, so never did I feel hesitant or doubtful at any time.

Quickly unboxed, hooked it up, and was a little disappointed because I heard lots of static, pops and crackles over a few of the first songs. It would come and go, and sometimes stay present for a few minutes. Quickly emailed Innuos support (who were great and replied really fast). I did a full system reboot, restarted core PC, rebooted all my power supplies. Made sure all the cabling was fitted correctly. Started music again, and heard a few pops and crackles initially, but it quickly went away and I've not heard it since.

Here are a few pics. Nothing new that can't be found on the Web. Comes with a generic ac cord, usb cord, small booklet. Simple black box, two USB points, on/off switch. I actually quite liked that there is no led light on the front. Unit is quite heavy and sturdy. No flex no rattles.

One thing to note is that the unit is longer than it is wide, so rack space/table top space has to accommodate this long-ish design.



Innuos support suggested to leave it on 24/7. Will take 1-3 days to properly warm up, reach optimal temps and settle down. Another 1-3 weeks before sounding its best.

So right now I'm at about 7 hours in.. I guess quite a long way to go. After "sorting out" the static issue, sound I'm getting is pretty good.

Im coming from a small sotm stack ie sms-200 ultra neo + txusbultra, so the txusbultra goes out of the chain for a while. Signal from phoenix goes to a singxer su-6 and then i2s to dac. The most notable differences now are less brightness and glare up top, and a lot of front back width and spaciousness overall, and music and vocals seem to come out quite relaxed but effortlessly.

Will compare phoenix to dac VS phoenix to su-6 to dac in the coming weeks.

Feel free to chime in, ask questions, or discuss.

 

[Ciggavelli]

Nice! Yeah, I really like my Phoenix too. What usb cables are you using? I got Danacables USB on both sides. I really like those cables (I also tried Moon Audio Silver Dragon USB cables. They are better than stock cables, but not as good as the Danacables)

 

[Ciggavelli]

Also, I directly compared the Phoenix with the ISO Regen and much preferred the Phoenix. I even tried using both at the same time, but I didn’t hear any additional improvement.

 

[Roasty]

Nice! Yeah, I really like my Phoenix too. What usb cables are you using? I got Danacables USB on both sides. I really like those cables (I also tried Moon Audio Silver Dragon USB cables. They are better than stock cables, but not as good as the Danacables)

I'm using Final Touch Audio FTA Callisto usb cables for both into and out of the phoenix. They're my favourite cables so far. I have a Sablon 2020 USB arriving today/tomorrow, and I've heard good things about it.

Are you using an aftermarket power cord with it? I paired it with an Atlas EOS 4DD cord I purchased recently.

Can I ask what sound changes you perceived with your phoenix over time? Just trying to manage expectations and compare. I just had another quick listen, and if my ears aren't deceiving me, I already prefer it over the txusbultra+farad super 3.

Otoh, I briefly tried with and without the su-6 ddc + tubulus argentus i2s in the chain, and to be honest I couldn't really tell a difference.

 

[Ciggavelli]

I'm using Final Touch Audio FTA Callisto usb cables for both into and out of the phoenix. They're my favourite cables so far. I have a Sablon 2020 USB arriving today/tomorrow, and I've heard good things about it.

Are you using an aftermarket power cord with it? I paired it with an Atlas EOS 4DD cord I purchased recently.

Can I ask what sound changes you perceived with your phoenix over time? Just trying to manage expectations and compare. I just had another quick listen, and if my ears aren't deceiving me, I already prefer it over the txusbultra+farad super 3.

Otoh, I briefly tried with and without the su-6 ddc + tubulus argentus i2s in the chain, and to be honest I couldn't really tell a difference.

I’m Danacables full loom, minus BNC cables. I have the Danacables Source Clarifier power cords on everything except my power conditioner (which I use an Isotek cable, because it only takes a 20 amp connector).

The Danacable power is better than stock, but it’s still a kinda cheap cable at $500 each. I think the Phoenix and Zenith MK3 (which I use for my server)) have built in mains filtering, so I’m not really sure super expensive power cables would make a big difference. I don’t know though.

Also, I liked the Phoenix straight out of the box. I don’t remember any major changes in sound over time, but I wasn’t really paying that much attention.

 

[alvin sawdust]

I'm using Final Touch Audio FTA Callisto usb cables for both into and out of the phoenix. They're my favourite cables so far. I have a Sablon 2020 USB arriving today/tomorrow, and I've heard good things about it.

Are you using an aftermarket power cord with it? I paired it with an Atlas EOS 4DD cord I purchased recently.

Can I ask what sound changes you perceived with your phoenix over time? Just trying to manage expectations and compare. I just had another quick listen, and if my ears aren't deceiving me, I already prefer it over the txusbultra+farad super 3.

Otoh, I briefly tried with and without the su-6 ddc + tubulus argentus i2s in the chain, and to be honest I couldn't really tell a difference.

Have you received the Sablon yet? Interested to hear your comparison as I also own a Callisto.

 

[Roasty]

Have you received the Sablon yet? Interested to hear your comparison as I also own a Callisto.

Yep I did receive it, but haven't had a chance to do proper listening comparison. Am still running it in together with the innuos. The sound pretty similar but I'm thinking it could be because I'm using it between streamer and innuos, and there is another USB cable between innuos and su-6 ddc, and then an i2s cable to the dac. Lots of "crap" in between. I'll probably try it direct from streamer to dac one of these days.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

This is probably the only box I have seen that looks like it would be a good stack with a V280

I'm thinking about a Mutec when I get some money but it would also be used for rate conversions not just reclocking.

 

[alvin sawdust]

Yep I did receive it, but haven't had a chance to do proper listening comparison. Am still running it in together with the innuos. The sound pretty similar but I'm thinking it could be because I'm using it between streamer and innuos, and there is another USB cable between innuos and su-6 ddc, and then an i2s cable to the dac. Lots of "crap" in between. I'll probably try it direct from streamer to dac one of these days.

Thanks for that, will probably need some time to settle in.

 

[Roasty]

Thanks for that, will probably need some time to settle in.

I had the day off yesterday so decided to try do some comparisons. The following is a similar message I conveyed to the previous owner of the Sablon 2020 usb.

The cables were used between the sotm sms-200ultra neo and innuos phoenix; this seemed to be where the most perceptible differences were heard. I did not hear very much difference when using the cables between innuos phoenix and singxer su-6 ddc.

I let the Sablon run in over the past 2 to 3 days. I assume the previous owner had used it for a while too. Its a pretty nice looking double cord style cable.

Long story short, I found that in my system, the FTA Callisto tops the Sablon 2020 usb.

The FTA has better controlled higher registry, fuller/thicker sounding vocals, and slightly better bass slam and sub bass. The Sablon has this glistening and crispness along the leading edge of vocals; seems nice and detailed at first, but gets a bit tiring after a while.

With Sablon, there was a point in the volume/volume knob, that when turned past, it got sibilant/harsh pretty quickly. There was more leeway with the FTA. Female vocals were more enjoyable on the FTA; there was this sensation of lusciousness and body, whereas it sounded a little thin on the Sablon.

I guess I am treble sensitive. I purposely chose to do the comparisons with the Susvara, which I find not a very forgiving headphone.

The Sablon has nice air and does sound very detailed though. Perhaps the overall sound is just not for me. FTA sounds more organic. Sablon seems a little bit more emphasised on highs. I suppose it would do well in a darker/warmer system looking for a bit of liveliness.

I also did some quick a/b comparisons between the FTA ethernet and Sablon ethernet (between Uptone ER and sms-200 ultra neo) and it is close but in the end I also give the edge to the FTA ethernet.

 

[alvin sawdust]

I had the day off yesterday so decided to try do some comparisons. The following is a similar message I conveyed to the previous owner of the Sablon 2020 usb.

The cables were used between the sotm sms-200ultra neo and innuos phoenix; this seemed to be where the most perceptible differences were heard. I did not hear very much difference when using the cables between innuos phoenix and singxer su-6 ddc.

I let the Sablon run in over the past 2 to 3 days. I assume the previous owner had used it for a while too. Its a pretty nice looking double cord style cable.

Long story short, I found that in my system, the FTA Callisto tops the Sablon 2020 usb.

The FTA has better controlled higher registry, fuller/thicker sounding vocals, and slightly better bass slam and sub bass. The Sablon has this glistening and crispness along the leading edge of vocals; seems nice and detailed at first, but gets a bit tiring after a while.

With Sablon, there was a point in the volume/volume knob, that when turned past, it got sibilant/harsh pretty quickly. There was more leeway with the FTA. Female vocals were more enjoyable on the FTA; there was this sensation of lusciousness and body, whereas it sounded a little thin on the Sablon.

I guess I am treble sensitive. I purposely chose to do the comparisons with the Susvara, which I find not a very forgiving headphone.

The Sablon has nice air and does sound very detailed though. Perhaps the overall sound is just not for me. FTA sounds more organic. Sablon seems a little bit more emphasised on highs. I suppose it would do well in a darker/warmer system looking for a bit of liveliness.

I also did some quick a/b comparisons between the FTA ethernet and Sablon ethernet (between Uptone ER and sms-200 ultra neo) and it is close but in the end I also give the edge to the FTA ethernet.

Thank you, interesting findings and very useful information. It might possibly be the case that the 2020 needs some more hours on it, depending on the previous owners view on burn in. My Callisto benefited from a few hundred hours playing time.

Think I will stick with FTA for the time being. Once again cheers.

 

[Roasty]

I gave the following a try:

Innuos Phoenix alone
SOtM tX-USBultra to Innuos Phoenix

For the second config with both sotm and innuos in the chain, I tried it with the sablon, black magic, and fta usb cables in between the two reclockers.

My ears prefer just the innuos phoenix alone, over having the sotm unit in front of it (with whichever usb). The mids and highs sound slightly thinner and there is a hint of brightness up top. I can feel my tinnitus on the verge of activating.. There is also a bit more weight to the low end.

Actually, the differences are probably small, but noticeable if you're adverse/sensitive to brightness/sibilance. Overall I felt it was just a more pleasant and richer sound with just the innuos in the chain.

 

[Roasty]

just over 3 weeks with the innuos phoenix in the chain. today i tried comparing:

1) SOtM sMS-200UltraNeo to Innuos Phoenix to Singxer SU-6
2) SOtM sMS-200UltraNeo to Singxer SU-6

well, the difference with and without the phoenix is obvious and immediately apparent.
with the innuos:
- vocals sound clearer and crisper and stand out more/easier to follow in complex/busy passages
- sounds coming from the periphery of the soundstage are more apparent. soundstage width is easier to make out, but not any smaller.
- there is better front to back imaging and depth
- bass notes have this visceral/palpable sensation. without increasing the volume, there seems to be more "push" and air moved, almost like a breath every time the bass hits. the detail and texture of low end notes are also easier to make out.

almost like a subtle "W" eq curve has been turned on. without the phoenix, music sounds rather flat and 2 dimensional in comparison. maybe hard to believe, but if you have a chance to demo it, you really should!

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

Was contemplating to build a HTPC based on the Shuttle XH410G w/ i9-10900 + JCAT USB XE + PLiXiR Elite BDC LPS. And decided to forego and go along with this Innuos Phoenix USB. Reasons on its simplicity and versatility (plug it on any system).

Will be hooking it to the Audiobyte Hydra.Hub when it comes along. Forenow my priority is the Hydra.Hub. Will be watching this thread for updates, especially on the SOTM SMS-200 Ultra Neo + Innuos Phoenix combo which you got @Roasty. Thanks!

Could you do DSD512 on this combo? My Hydra.Vox can do only in Windows (Linux/Android is still on the works). But Nicolae said the Hydra.Hub will not be the case. A stop gap measure is by using a DDC. Is this the reason you're using SU-6?

Interested on the Clones Audio Host II.

 

[Roasty]

Was contemplating to build a HTPC based on the Shuttle XH410G w/ i9-10900 + JCAT USB XE + PLiXiR Elite BDC LPS. And decided to forego and go along with this Innuos Phoenix USB. Reasons on its simplicity and versatility (plug it on any system).

Will be hooking it to the Audiobyte Hydra.Hub when it comes along. Forenow my priority is the Hydra.Hub. Will be watching this thread for updates, especially on the SOTM SMS-200 Ultra Neo + Innuos Phoenix combo which you got @Roasty. Thanks!

Could you do DSD512 on this combo? My Hydra.Vox can do only in Windows (Linux/Android is still on the works). But Nicolae said the Hydra.Hub will not be the case. A stop gap measure is by using a DDC. Is this the reason you're using SU-6?

Interested on the Clones Audio Host II.

nice! looking forward to hearing what you think of the phoenix!

I can't hit DSD512 on my setup. my chain is roon rock on nuc, sotm, phoenix, su-6, then i2s to rockna.
when upsampling on roon, max option is 256. i did ask on roon community forum, and another member replied with this answer:

"Rockna does not support Linux USB native DSD512 at this moment, but they told me they will test that soon.
Right now you will have to use Windows to have DSD512 via USB.
If you’re using I2S then this does not apply."

i guess if you're using the hydra hub which has i2s out and in directly, it may not be a problem.
i'm assuming in my case, i'm using the sotm as a roon endpoint, and it outputs in USB and it is the sotm unit which Roon sees, not the su-6.
however, when previously using the sotm as a hqplayer NAA, roon sees the su-6, and i was able to hit dsd512.

another "however" is that i did try comparing upsampling to the rockna with both configs (sotm as roon endpoint, and sotm as hqplayer naa), and i much preferred upsampling in roon itself over using hqplayer. for some reason, upsampling in roon sounded a lot more dynamic, with more body/fullness and more pleasant highs. i tried this several times, and also tried numerous filter configs in hqplayer naa, but i was unable to replicate or even come close to the sound i was getting with just using upsampling in roon.

that was the reason i decided to not use hqplayer anymore, and converted my NUC from a windows 10 pc to a NUC ROCK.

my preference (worst to best)
hqplayer dsd512 non EC filter
hqplayer dsd256 with EC filter (256 due to limitations of CPU not able to do EC filter and 512)
roon non-upsampled
roon upsampled to dsd256 (smooth linear, 5th order CLANS)