Nice review, Paul. A couple of points:
1) $4500 may be pricey for a mere renderer/streamer, but we're talking a ripper as well. One of the main drawbacks of a simple PC ripping system is that off-label, obscure, imported or "collector" CDs often turn up blank tracks when submitted to the ordinary online databases. For heavy-duty collectors, this can be a huge disappointment and requires intense labor to fill in the metadata. From my understanding, Innuos uses Gracenote, which is pricey to license but is pretty comprehensive. I'd be curious to know how the Innuos handles the more obscure music labels. Personally, I use iTunes to identify the CD and tracks, then send that info to XLD (on my Mac) for quality ripping. It's a *rare* CD that iTunes cannot identify. But for others, the Innuos can be an all-in-one solution if it *reliably* provides correct metadata for rips.
2) I wonder how the Zenith as renderer would compare to my Allo USBridge, a custom implementation of the Rpi3 with custom Shanti power supply. I quite enjoy the sound, especially with Gentooplayer installed, but it's tweaky and not for the plug-and-play user. Wish I were still nearby to be able to swap equipment!
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