As mentioned in the opening paragraph the ZENith Mk3 is a computer. A specifically designed computer that is optimized to live in the audio world (Before owning this product I made sure my music server/computer was as far away as from my music system as the limits for USB allowed; to keep its noisy environment from contaminating the sound). It is designed to “serve” up digital files for translation into audio signals by your DAC. It is also a web-aware device that connects to streaming services and serves up those digital files noiselessly to your DAC. The operative word here is “noiselessly”. We have read many times about what a noisy electrical environment a computer is. Since the USB receiver in your DAC depends on the 5V power from the computer to complete the “handshake” to make a connection so the data will flow, Innuos has gone through heroic efforts to make the 5V as noise-free as possible. Inside you see a computer motherboard with a statically cooled CPU (no noisy fan here), laptop memory, a solid-state hard drive, and CD transport. The motherboard, Hard drive, CD transport, and power supply are all shock-mounted to minimize vibrations. Taking up almost half the chassis is a very robust and sophisticated linear power supply. Three independent power supplies on a single board each with three voltage regulators, so no less than nine power supplies in all. This lowers the noise floor by supplying each part of the system with clean, stable power and minimizing crosstalk and interactions between them. The server only draws 12 watts (about 0.1 amp) and the power supply is overbuilt and looks like it can supply many times that.

The server is connected to your network via an ethernet cable. No wifi here. Innuos believes to get optimum quality the digital files need to be “served” over an ethernet cable. The server is connected to your DAC via a USB type 2 cable which is not supplied. A typical mains power cord is supplied. I think most audiophiles like to choose their power cords and USB cables. 

When I first set up my Qobuz account I had to stop taking notes and just listen. For a lark and not my usual choice, I selected “Reggie/DUB Qobuz US”. It was just jumping. I had to turn it up and get out of my chair and dance. Mark Sosa of Well Pleased AV the US distributor of Innuos told me to let the ZENith Mk3 settle in for 200 hrs. Forget that! This already makes my RasPi server sound like a tin can…..

Now if you are just going to rip CDs to the built-in solid-state hard drive (I ordered mine with the 1TB drive but one can order larger storage, now up to 8 terabytes) internal library, then that’s all you have to do. Just start feeding CDs and the Zenith takes care of the rest. It takes about five minutes per CD.

To take advantage of the other features requires delving into the Control App that is available over wifi from your Android, Apple, or Windows device provided it’s on the same network as the ethernet connection. Type “My.Innuos.com” into the browser and you are directed to a web portal that has all the settings. Again the “Quick Start Guide” is your friend. I am sure your dealer will assist if needed. A bit confusing is that you rip your CDs, configure your streaming services, select your DAC and connect to your network storage from this control app but you cannot use it to select and play music. You can browse your library, but that is all. Selecting and playing music files is from a downloadable program. There are programs for Android, Apple, and Windows devices. These are at a nominal charge of less than $10. At this price point of the ZENith Mk3, I think they should be included. Maybe the licensing agreements might have been too much of a nightmare for Innuos. Rumor has it that Innuos is in beta testing with its own software. Let’s hope they get this out soon.