Audiophilepure

I never anticipated the need for a network switch when I first started reviewing digital audio gear for pt.AUDIO, but then again I was perfectly happy with streaming Qobuz with my laptop as a music server. The truth is, digital keeps getting better and better when you start upgrading your DAC or your server or your streamer or your digital cable connection–just like in other areas of high-end audio. Once you’re happy with the performance of your streamer and server, once you’re ready to adopt it as a viable and perhaps primary source for world-class sound in your life, the next step is trying a network switch like the Innuos PhoenixNET.

For me, a longtime analog lover, it’s been a watershed year for digital audio. The Master Fidelity NADAC C and D converter and reclocker proved to me that digital can compete with some of the finest analog playback when it comes to sheer sound quality. The Innuos ZENith NextGen server/streamer finally convinced me that I can ditch my CD collection, resulting in house that looks more like a home and less like a dealer showroom. The Innuos PhoenixNET finally convinced me to look beyond my hi-fi system, and the components therein, and realize that there’s so much more to computer audio than I ever realized.

In other words, if you’re still using your laptop as a streamer you probably don’t need the Innuos PhoenixNET, or any other digital switch for that matter. You’ll be content, as I once was. But if you want to get serious, if you want to buy serious digital audio gear and listen to seriously great sound, your rig won’t be complete without it. Highly recommended.