Zen Mini 3 extras ?

[J_C]

I use my Mini 3 as a upnp server (ethernet cable) directly attached to my Naim Atom with the Naim app is used as the player.

I use the Naim app as the controller for practical purposes as I have other inputs including TV/BR input to the Naim via hdmi & therefore it’s the most flexible way to quickly switch between sources

My Question is do you think that the LPSU would offer me any possible improvement in sound quality as the Mini is only being used as a server & library manager

I am also considering whether to return it for an upgrade to “S” spec … do you consider that would offer any benefit in terms of sound quality

It’s a 4TB HDD unit and around 54% full now … I have 2 separate 4TB USB HDD drives I back up to - one permanently plugged in as the other I plug in every 2 or 3 months as a fall back - this is then unplugged & kept elsewhere in the house … I’m wondering whether a move to a permanent NAS drive for backup would be better … and possibly use the a NAS for additional library space maybe archiving some of the music from the Zen that is rarely listened to

All thoughts gratefully received

J

 

[Stephen Healy]

Hi J, thanks for your post - this raises lot's of good topics and I would say there are a lot of other users in a similar scenario who may be able to comment. I'll do my best to answer and give explanations.

I should begin by saying that using the ZENmini as a UPnP server only and controlling via the Naim app does somewhat bottleneck a lot of the direct impacts that the ZENmini can have in relation to your upgrade considerations above.
Adding the LPSU would primarily benefit the direct audio outputs of the ZENmini, be it digital or analogue, which you are not currently doing. The Naim would only benefit from the LPSU inclusion if it was taking its Ethernet connection from the Streamer port on the ZENmini, and partially by the overall removal of the switch mode PSU from the mains.
Meanwhile, the S upgrade is a bit less about sound quality and more about product longevity, 100% silent operation and slicker app performance (though since you are not using the Sense app much you would not feel a lot of benefit to the app performance either). Again, you will be gaining a benefit but it may feel relatively less visible than if the ZENmini was actually your prime streaming means using the Sense app.

With regards to the backups, I would recommend disconnecting the USB drives when they are done as this will help lower the noise floor also - a NAS drive does indeed provide a permanent backup location that is mechanically more independent from the HiFi, so could be a good consideration. And you could indeed use it as an overflow space for further music, but keep in mind that if you did this then via the Naim app you would have to choose between two different UPnP servers for different sections of your library - this would not be the case with Sense app which can combine local and NAS storage into a single unified library.

There's a lot of different strands being considered here, so I would suggest going one step at a time. Maybe begin by connecting an optical, coaxial, or analogue cable between the ZENmini and the Atom and try using Sense more to control the streaming and playback. If you like what you are experiencing and hearing compared to how you normally use the system, then the LPSU and S upgrades become significantly more relevant considerations.

Do let me know if you have any other follow-up thoughts or questions to any of the above.