Innuos Pulse: A high-performance and ergonomic network player

Innuos, as a company, has only been around for about fifteen years. Given that their credo is network players and music servers, products with a relatively recent history, it is only logical. Little by little, their range has expanded to currently include three series. The Pulse are network players without storage, the Zen are both servers and network players, while the Statement model is their flagship Innuos.

The Pulse series includes three models. The Pulse Mini is the most accessible, coming in a compact format. It has an integrated DAC and can be upgraded with an optional linear power supply. The standard Pulse (which is the one tested here) shrugs the DAC aside in favour of its digital functions. The linear power supply is integrated into a necessarily larger chassis. The Pulsar goes even further in terms of its internal components, featuring a USB reclocker.

General Presentation of the Innuos Pulse

The Pulse is a monolithic device. Sober in presentation, it has no display or buttons on the front panel. The power button is hidden under the front panel in the centre. When the device is on, a white LED projects onto whichever surface the Pulse is placed. This is the only flair the Pulse will showcase.

The chassis is enhanced with a front panel design characteristic of Innuos products, resting on three large feet to ensure perfect stability. Made of aluminium, this faceted panel gives the Pulse player a slightly futuristic feel. In addition, it is available in black or silver finishes. The brand logo and model name are subtly inscribed on the top panel. They are deliberately placed asymmetrically to effectively dampen vibrations.

Inside, the components are separated from the power supply by a vertical metal partition. The power supply is linear and is called RECAP2. It includes a toroidal transformer located behind the front panel. Filled with epoxy at its centre to make it inert, it is magnetically isolated by a copper sheet. There are also 40,000 µF capacitors from Mundorf, one of the leading manufacturers in this field.

The brain and power of the Pulse are gathered on a large board with a passive heatsink. As a result the Pulse is perfectly silent, not requiring any fans. 8 GB of RAM accompany the quad-core Intel processor for unlimited management of the largest file libraries. The digital output board is distinct and placed as close as possible to the connectors.

The three digital outputs are deliberately placed on the left of the rear panel. You are given the choice between coaxial, optical, and XLR AES. All three are limited to PCM 192/24. To benefit from higher formats and DSD, you need to use one of the four USB ports, which become audio outputs as needed. These ports are multifunctional. They accept several DACs simultaneously, a USB key, or a hard drive for playback or backup of music files.

The two RJ45 network ports have distinct uses. The one on the left labelled LAN is dedicated to the connection with your network, switch, or router. Note that there is no Wi-Fi. The RJ45 port on the right allows the network from the LAN port to pass through. This allows a network connection to be provided to another device near the Innuos Pulse. This is very practical when only one connection is available behind the Hi-Fi setup.

Using the Innuos Pulse

With no controls on the network player itself, the Pulse is entirely controlled from the Innuos Sense app. Innuos is one of those manufacturers that have developed an app exclusive to the ecosystem they offer to their users. The app is particularly comprehensive and offers flawless ergonomics. Clear and quick to use, it emphasises music first and foremost. You immediately feel that the brand has a mastery over its domain, and that it has given much thought to digital music library managemen

First of all, the Innuos Sense application natively integrates Qobuz. In the spirit of what has contributed to the brand’s success so far, the app also manages your collection of music files. They can be stored on a USB key connected to the back of the Pulse, in a shared folder on a computer or NAS, or on an Innuos server from the Zen series. Qobuz playlists and favourites are mixed with local files in a large global library, with a small icon to distinguish their origin.

The application is navigated through four icons at the bottom of the screen: home, music, system, and search engine. The home page highlights the most recently added tracks, the last tracks played, the last used playlists, and internet radios. These can be manually configured starting from a few suggestions: local radios, international radios, by language, etc. But the first proposal on the home page concerns intelligent mixes. You can create all kinds of automatic playlists from your favourites and favourite artists. You can also randomise your entire library and rediscover forgotten tracks.

The music tab gives access to all albums, tracks, and playlists. Access is also possible by artist, genre, and tags. The system tab concerns the settings of the Pulse player, such as the choice of audio output, DSD mode, the high PCM playback limit, or MQA decoding. Finally, the search engine is extremely fast, mixing results from your library and Qobuz. In this regard, the integration of Qobuz is complete. It is undoubtedly one of the most comprehensive on the market.

Everything in the Qobuz app is in the Innuos app. You can access all editorial content related to albums and artists. As for playlists, you can edit them entirely, including collaborative playlists. Moreover, when updated in the Qobuz app, this is immediately replicated in the Innuos app. Finally, tracks purchased in the Qobuz store can be downloaded directly to a USB key connected to the Innuos Pulse, without needing to use a computer.

Listening

We set the Pulse up in our test system ahead of a Mytek Brooklyn DAC+/preamplifier, a SPL s800 amplifier, and our Dynaudio speakers. As recommended by Innuos, we left the device on 24/7 throughout our listening period. The only adjustment made related to sound was the USB latency setting. Setting it to “low latency” can positively impact the result. Even though we had difficulty pinpointing its exact contribution, we left this setting on low just in case.

After fine-tuning the volume level to our usual test settings, we immediately noticed a difference in strength and breadth compared to our usual reference points. On the jazz-electro-hip-hop blend of 20syl, the bass was tighter than with our benchmark network player. The overall sound had a very strong presence, with a soundstage featuring redefined contours. This proves that network transport alone has an impact on the rest of the chain. This is primarily due to the quality of signal processing.

We confirmed this additional presence when listening to Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 by the Zurich Orchestra. Thanks to minutely precise placing, the speakers vanished, ceding the floor to the orchestra in all its breadth and dimensionality. The highly intricate listening experience was perfectly relaxed. No tension marred the reproduction of any section. The word “fluidity” perfectly sums up the contribution of this network transport compared to lower-end products.

Steen Rasmussens’ bossa nova stunned our listening room with its realism. The piano’s touch was pleasing, as were the brushes on the drums and the double bass strings. Even though this recording shepherded them all to the centre of the soundstage, the instruments responded to one another without stepping on each other’s toes, leaving a delightful impression of freshness and openness. We noted a wealth of detail and precision in the midrange and treble.

We concluded with LL Cool J’s latest album The Force, to confirm that the Pulse favours no particular genre above the others. Always at ease, it delivered an ultra-clean signal to our amplifier, enabling our bookshelf speakers to perform like much larger speakers. This is also the strength of this network transport: transmitting a flawless signal to the rest of the chain, making it easier for the rest of the system to reach its full potential.