zen to zenith ?

[Johnboy]

hi all
this is my first post ( on any forum ) so bear with me as i'm not particularly techy , i have a zen mk 3 that i have owned for a few months now which is very good . i have seen a few reviews comparing both units , zen / zenith , I asked innuos if the zenith is a worthwhile improvement , so comments on here would be appreciated . actually the main reason i have signed up for this forum was to ask if the zenith is upgradable either now or in the future or should I save up for one of there other products .
really appreciate any help , advice .
all the best
john

 

[Stephen Healy]

Hi John, the ZENith is of course a decent improvement over the ZEN and your existing ZEN can be returned to Portugal to be modified and upgraded to a ZENith without having to do a full system swap out. You can speak to your dealer for more info/pricing on that.
The ZENith in itself does not have a component-level upgrade path - you would improve on it by adding a Phoenix Reclocker (which you can equally do just as easily with your ZEN now).
In terms of saving up for a different product - one of the big question is what kind of system you actually have overall to make sure its a suitable match in terms of performance. Would you mind outlining a bit more what you have in terms of DAC/Amp/Speakers etc?

 

[Johnboy]

Hi Stephen , really appreciate your message and advice I’ll look into this reclocker , not sure what it does tbh . About six months ago I swapped out most of my hifi ( tannoy sandrigham speakers with st200 super tweeters , a Copland integrated amp . And a resolution opus 21 cd player for the following, Sonus Faber Amati , speakers , mackintosh 352 amp ( again hybrid ) the zen and a ideon dac and Couple of subs , it sounds excellent to my ears , very wide soundstage with depth etc . Something I think worth mentioning , I was going to sell my resolution cd player for a few hundred pounds , but just as an experiment I hooked it up to the Macintosh with balanced cable
Thinking it would be a poor comparison and WOW was I wrong this player outstripped the streamer , I couldn’t believe my 17 year old cd player was so good but there you are . Anyway I’m rambling on a bit . All the very best and regards . John

 

[Stephen Healy]

Hi John, thank you for the extra information of your system.
You still have a very decently comprehensive system that i think could be taken a lot further through the source, as the ZEN Mk3 is the relatively 'junior' component in that overall system. A system of this calibre would certainly be a good match for a ZENith Mk3 and PhoenixUSB that we mentioned above, but for roughly the same total cost the ZEN Next-Gen which we have only just released would be an enormous step forward in clarity, soundstaging, separation, image and overall neutrality.

 

[Johnboy]

Hi Stephen
That’s very helpful , have you any idea of the cost of upgrading my zen to a zenith , I’ve asked my dealer about this and they want the serial number which is a pain as it means removing it from the rack unless I can find the paperwork for it which is somewhere in the “safe “ place I put all my stuff and then forget where that is oh well , according to a few posts it appears to be around the £2000 mark , which would save me a few bob . I w I’ll have a chat with nintronics who supplied it and see what is the best route.
Kind regards
John

 

[Peder]

have you any idea of the cost of upgrading my zen to a zenith ,

Hello …
I'm from Sweden and here an upgrade from Zen mk3 to Zenith mk3 costs £1852 in today's exchange rate.
I take it for granted that that price applies in most countries.

 

[Johnboy]

Thanks Stephen , very helpful , I’m awaiting a call from my supplier and I’ll chat over the options and costs . Sweden eh ! Lucky for you I hear it’s the best place in the world to live .
Have a great day .
Regards John

 

[Peder]

Sweden eh ! Lucky for you I hear it’s the best place in the world to live .
Have a great day .

Hello ...
Yes,.I don't know that, but I like it here.
Lives in the northern part of Sweden.

Cheers...
/Peder

 

[DanCollier]

Hi Stephen
That’s very helpful , have you any idea of the cost of upgrading my zen to a zenith , I’ve asked my dealer about this and they want the serial number which is a pain as it means removing it from the rack unless I can find the paperwork for it which is somewhere in the “safe “ place I put all my stuff and then forget where that is oh well , according to a few posts it appears to be around the £2000 mark , which would save me a few bob . I w I’ll have a chat with nintronics who supplied it and see what is the best route.
Kind regards
John

You can easily find the serial number via the System page in the Sense app. See my screenshot.

 

[Johnboy]

Hi , me again. I have foolishly been calling you Stephen as it was the name at the top of the post ( administrator)
Please excuse my stupidity Peder . I put it down to this being my first forum experience and old age / and lack of brain cells .you were kind enough not to point this out , a real gentleman .
Many thanks
John

 

[Johnboy]

That is going to save me a lot of time finding the serial number I’ll have a look , I’m so impressed by the kind people on here .
Kindest regards
John

 

[Johnboy]

Found it Dan .