The Zen mini is a pleasure to use. The UI is very easy.
Rip CD’s and play them from archive. Simple.
Or stream from Qobuz or Tidal platforms. We’re using Qobuz.
In our case, we would like to access our 1000+ CD collection, ideally from shoe size boxes, to fit with the Naim olive boxes. But the SQ is also important.
We’ve experimented with
(1) Zen Mini only → analogue out
(2) Zen Mini + LPSU → analogue out
(3) Zen Mini + LPSU → nDAC
At its best, through the nDAC, we find it impressive. (Relative to cost).
Actually, we think the Zen Mini is fab. On its own it’s a reasonable product and works well for our needs. SQ is fine too. Adding the LPSU improves SQ a little. Fills out a little more detail and more control in the bass. Although it adds another box, we are thinking it’s worthwhile.
Comparing to our CD5XS, I think the CDP has the slight edge. Just. But, if we were searching for better server playback, we would probably be looking at the larger siblings Zen or Zenith.
Context…
We intend to use the CD5XS + nDAC in another room, which will also be the location for our CD collection. So we’re looking for a simple way of playing our CD’s in this room. It needs to be good SQ, not necessarily very best. We think it meets that requirement. We’ll probably use the analogue output, into the NAC72 Pre-amp. It’s good enough. The fact the Zen Mini is also a streaming product is a bit of a bonus.
Thank you for the quick and detailed response and assessment. This is very helpful for me. I am thinking of replacing my Vincent CD player (currently coaxially connected to the Uniti Atom as a CD transport) with a ripping solution. Innuos Mini seems to be a good and inexpensive solution. I will try…
Finally got round to rearranging things. Swapped the 52 and NDX and spaced them out. All burndies now off the floor. Doesn’t sound massively different but no worse so that’s a start.
