mobanmarketHaving reviewed the top-of-the-line Innuos two-piece Statement music server, I was eager to hear an A/B demo of the version I reviewed with an Innuos Statement that contains its forthcoming Next-Gen power supply upgrade. Thanks to two extremely helpful and enthusiastic Innuos staff people, Director of Sales Steven Gomes and North American Director of Sales, Kevin Jackson, it was easy to hear the improvements.
Innuos commandeered two adjacent hotel rooms. In the first, show goers could use headphones, Benchmark DAC3 Bs, and innuOS software to compare the sounds of different Innuos music servers and streamers (above). In the interest of time, I skipped that opportunity and opted instead for the Statement Next-Gen PSU without/with demo in the other room.
There, Gomes switched between two Innuos Statements, one of which was a prototype that contained the Next-Gen PSU upgrade. The Innuos Statement with Next-Gen PSU (prices range from $21,700 with 1TB SSD storage up to $24,500 for 8TB SSD storage) is due in June.
Excellent sounding, 176 lb, YG Acoustics Vantage Live active loudspeakers ($59,800/pair), which contain three dedicated 700W amplifiers, one for each driver, plus a DSP crossover and a host of digital, analog, and phono inputs, did the rest. The speaker, which claims a usable output of 25Hz to above 30kHz, offered no evidence of class-D dryness on the two tracks we auditioned.
We began with Michel Jonas’s “Vieux Stille” and ended with a snippet from a 24/48 file of Prokofiev’s Lt. Kijé Suite. Because studies have shown that in A/B comparisons, listeners usually prefer “B” because they pick up more detail and nuance on a second hearing, I requested A/B/A and sometimes A/B/A/B/A.
The Jonas track revealed that the new PSU moves the soundstage back and lends presentations greater depth and a more realistic sense of space. There was less edge on voice and a tighter, more focused percussion. With the Prokofiev, I heard how much thicker and veiled the original Statement sounded, and how more intense colors were with the upgrade. The difference was huge. “The new one sounds as if a spotlight is shining on every instrument, bringing out all it has to offer,” I scribbled in my notes.
Need I say that I’m eager to compare the Innuos Statement with Next-Gen PSU Upgrade to my Roon Nucleus+ with outboard linear power supply? Here’s hoping Jim Austin is up for a follow-up.
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