Innuos PhoenixDAC Board

Some listeners want a separate DAC on the rack. Others want one beautiful box that streams, stores, and converts at a genuinely high level, connected straight to the preamp. If you're in the second group and you own a STREAM3, the PhoenixDAC Board is the reason to smile. It turns the STREAM3 into Innuos's finest all-in-one digital front end.

A high-end streamer and a high-end DAC, sharing one chassis.

The Design

The PhoenixDAC runs two AKM DAC chips in dual mono, one dedicated to each channel. Giving the left and right channels their own converter keeps them cleanly separated, which you hear as a wider, more stable soundstage.

Timing comes from an OCXO, an oven-controlled clock that holds its frequency rock-steady, plus FemtoClocks dedicated to the audio path for extremely low jitter. The digital and analog stages run from independent supplies, and the board has its own accompanying power supply designed in partnership with Dr Sean Jacobs, the engineer behind the STREAM3's ARC6-CX power architecture.

Outputs are gold-plated balanced XLR and RCA, so the STREAM3 connects the right way to any serious preamp or integrated amplifier.

How It Sounds

We've spent a lot of time with the STREAM3 and PhoenixDAC in-house. After break-in, the upper midrange settles into a balanced, highly resolving presentation that is lively and dynamic. Detail retrieval competes with standalone DACs well above the board's price. It sounds its most special with warm or neutral electronics and speakers, where its energy and resolution come together beautifully. In the right system, this is a genuinely remarkable all-in-one.

feverSound's Ken Wong heard the same balance, noting how evenly the STREAM3 with PhoenixDAC presents the entire frequency range.

Where It Fits

The PhoenixDAC Board is exclusive to the STREAM3, and it's the top analog option in the STREAM Series. Choose it when you want one box at the front of your system and balanced outputs to your preamp. For a lower-cost route to built-in conversion, the PerformanceDAC Board also fits the STREAM3. And if your system already centers on an external DAC you love, the PhoenixUSB or PhoenixI2S Board will feed it a cleaner signal instead.

Press Recognition

• feverSound, Ken Wong, video review of the STREAM3 with PhoenixDAC. Wong found it keeps the entire frequency range very balanced. Watch the full review below.
• Hi-Fi+ (Issue 254), Alan Sircom. Sircom called the STREAM3 a more versatile, configurable, and complete digital front-end platform than a typical server. Read the review (PDF)
• Hi-Fi Knights, Dawid Grzyb. Grzyb found the STREAM3 performs at a very high level as a streaming DAC, and that its modular design makes the platform future-proof. Read the review at Hi-Fi Knights
• Hi-Fi Pig, Stuart Smith, Editor's Choice. Smith reviewed the STREAM3 as a streamer, server, and DAC, and heard a clean, detailed sound that stays easy to listen to for hours. Read the review at Hi-Fi Pig

Weighing the PhoenixDAC against the DAC you own now? Give us a call. We'll help you decide which path gets the most from your STREAM3.

Specifications

• Type: Internal dual-mono DAC output board
• DAC: Dual-mono AKM DAC chips, one per channel
• Clocking: OCXO clock plus FemtoClocks for audio
• Power: Independent supplies for digital and analog stages; dedicated power supply designed with Dr Sean Jacobs
• Outputs: Gold-plated balanced XLR and RCA analog
• PCM: Up to 32-bit/768kHz
• DSD: Native DSD
• Compatible with: Innuos STREAM3
• Installation: Factory-fitted with a new system, or fitted later by an authorized Innuos dealer
• Country of origin: Portugal (handmade in Faro)