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Dream Duo: Innuos ZEN Music Server and ROON

Dream Duo: Innuos ZEN Music Server and ROON
Dream Duo: Innuos ZEN Music Server and ROON

The British-Portuguese company Innuos has been exciting both experts and hi-fi fans alike for several years with its ZEN music servers. The design and price are right, the hardware is high-quality and optimized for musical applications, and a self-developed operating system ensures both the best possible sound and very stable operation.

However, when it comes to controlling home streaming systems, the developers—like many of their competitors—rely on mobile apps from other manufacturers. Developing apps for mobile devices is a completely different field and requires different expertise than creating a music operating system. Additionally, in the extremely fast-paced world of mobile technology, an app that has just been developed is almost already obsolete and requires constant updating. Specialists in this field simply handle it better.

In addition, Innuos supports the open UPnP standard, so users can select their favorite from the many available apps. Often, you’ve already had good experiences with a particular app and have become accustomed to using it. In most cases, you can continue to control your system as usual with that app, even after switching to Innuos.

Innuos ZEN Mini MK.3 interface showing artist overview and music metadata editing for library management.
Innuos ZEN Mini MK.3: Artist overview for music management. Check and edit metadata for an optimal music library.

There is, however, one system in the field of music software that has caused as much of a stir as Innuos has in music hardware. We’re talking, of course, about Roon, the all-in-one solution for music management, information database, sonically optimized software player, highly specialized server, and handy mobile app with an enormous range of functions that is unmatched worldwide—and has been for years. Roon is a prime example of how smartly designed software combined with easy operation can make dealing with modern digital media a truly sensual experience. In other words: Roon doesn’t just work exceptionally well, it’s also a lot of fun to use.

Innuos Zen music server and Roon displaying high-resolution 192kHz WAV/FLAC albums across various genres.
Innuos Zen music server and Roon: An overview of high-resolution music with a focus on 192kHz WAV/FLAC. Discover various albums and genres in the best quality.

At the same time, Roon is anything but a simple toy. On the contrary: if you want, you can dive as deep into the system settings of Roon as only trained IT specialists usually can. But you also don’t have to engage with it if you don’t want to.

You can find more details about Roon in an earlier blog post.

But back to Innuos. Although the developers are quite satisfied with their own solutions, they have the wisdom to recognize that Roon simply takes a few decisive steps further and, if only due to its huge and constantly updated database of musical information, is simply unbeatable. However, the world of digital high-end is small, so the decision makers at Innuos and Roon have long since come to know and appreciate each other. And they have made a decision that’s rather unusual in the traditional business world. Even though Roon has been offering its own servers for a while now, meaning Innuos would typically be considered a competitor, the Americans have allowed Innuos to offer its users a full Roon Core integration as an option. Roon then takes over part of the functions from the Innuos operating system, turning the ZEN server into a fully-fledged Roon server on the network. Of course, a paid Roon account is required for this. At just under 120 US dollars per year or a one-time payment of 500 US dollars, it may not be exactly cheap, but the continuous, meaningful updates, excellent functionality, and above all the carefully maintained database with extensive additional information make this investment absolutely worthwhile.

You can get an overview of setting up an Innuos server and activating Roon in the following tutorial video. Further information and prices for the various Innuos ZEN servers can be found on auditorium.de.

Tutorial: Innuos ZEN Mini Mk.3 and Roon:

Backup settings screen on Zen Mini MK.3 showing options for automatic backup to USB drive or network folder.
Backup settings in the Zen Mini MK.3 dashboard: Choose between USB drive or network folder to enable automatic data backup.
Innuos Zen Mini MK.3 dashboard showing USB audio output settings for optimal T+A DAC 8 DSD HD audio use.
Innuos Zen Mini MK.3 dashboard: Automatic selection of the audio output. USB settings for optimal use of the T+A DAC 8 DSD HD audio.
Innuos Zen Mini Mk.3 music server, ideal for digital collections and enhanced sound with Roon integration.
Innuos Zen Mini Mk.3: The versatile music server for your digital music collection. Perfect in combination with Roon for an unparalleled sound experience.
Innuos ZEN music server importing and managing music from USB, NAS, or auto-import, with seamless Roon integration.
Innuos ZEN music server: Import music from USB, NAS, or auto-import and manage your import history. Perfect integration with Roon for an optimal music experience.
Innuos Zen Mini MK.3 music server for browsing artists and editing music collection metadata, ideal for music lovers.
Innuos Zen Mini MK.3: Browse artists and review and edit metadata for your music collection. Perfect for music lovers and Roon integration.
Innuos Zen Mini Mk.3 interface showing ripper mode and customizable music ripping settings.
Innuos Zen Mini Mk.3: Select the ripper mode and adjust the ripping settings for metadata, file format, and speed. Perfect combination with Roon for an optimal music experience.
Innuos ZEN Mini MK.3 dashboard showing options to activate Roon and configure as Core or Player.
Innuos ZEN Mini MK.3: Activate Roon in the dashboard. Select your music server integration and configure Roon as Core or Player.
Smartphone album browser showing music by A.A. Bondy and Aaron Neville with Innuos Zen music server and Roon.
Album browser on a smartphone with music by A.A. Bondy and Aaron Neville. Perfect combination: Innuos Zen music server and Roon.
Innuos Zen music server and Roon displaying a high-resolution album selection in various genres and audio formats.
Music enjoyment at the highest level: Innuos Zen music server and Roon offer an impressive selection of albums in 192kHz WAV and FLAC formats. Discover genres from jazz to pop/rock in excellent sound quality.
Music library with Innuos Zen music server and Roon for exploring genres, artists, and albums.
Music library with Innuos Zen music server and Roon: Discover genres, artists, and albums. Perfect for music lovers who want to manage their collection.
Screenshot of the Innuos Zen Mini MK.3 interface with UPnP selected as the active music server option.
In the user interface of the Innuos Zen Mini MK.3, users can choose between Sonos, UPnP streamers, and Roon as music server integration. The screenshot shows the activated UPnP option.
ZEN Mini Mk.3 dashboard showing server name configuration and system settings for optimal music experience with Roon.
ZEN Mini Mk.3 Dashboard: Configure the music server name and check the system settings. Perfect duo with Roon for an optimal music experience.
ZEN Mini MK.3 dashboard prompting user to enter TIDAL, Spotify, or Qobuz account details for streaming setup.
ZEN Mini MK.3 – Dashboard: Enter your account details for TIDAL, SPOTIFY or QOBUZ to configure streaming services.
Innuos Zen music server with Roon, combining elegant design and powerful streaming for audiophile music lovers.
Innuos Zen music server: The perfect duo with Roon for audiophile music lovers. Elegant design meets powerful streaming features.
Innuos Zen music server with elegant design and excellent sound quality, ideal for music lovers and Roon integration.
Innuos Zen music server: The perfect duo for music lovers and Roon integration. Elegant design meets outstanding sound quality.
Innuos Zen music server with Roon, offering high-quality and user-friendly music streaming and management for enthusiasts.
Innuos Zen music server in combination with Roon: The perfect solution for music lovers who value quality and user-friendliness. Ideal for streaming and managing your music collection.