InnuOS 2.6 is the latest iteration of the in-house Innos operating system and brings with it an improved user experience, as well as introducing Deezer integration, TIDAL Max support (for TIDAL HiFi Plus subscribers), new NAS/USB drive features and multi-language support (the latter in beta guise).

Stephen Healy, Innuos Product Specialist, told StereoNET:

As we progress into 2024, our new 2.6 update now marks 8 years of continued support and software updates for our customers who have devices dating back to 2016. This latest update represents a great development of accessibility and widening of potential audience through the addition of multiple languages, expanded streaming service support, and more ways of connecting music files to cater for the different listening habits of our users. Coupled with UI and UX improvements that are directed by our Feedback Zone and customer input, 2.6 should have something for everyone.

According to the Innuos Blog, the company states that the now available update was initially planned as innuOS 2.5.5, a pure service release offering a few bug fixes. However, in addition to the bug fixes, the developers expanded a range of functions that became a significant release, including numerous new features, resulting in innuOS 2.6.

The improved navigation options give you access to an even more comprehensive array of music and make it easier to listen to music files from external sources.

INNUOS 2.6: DEEZER & TIDAL MAX

Deezer Premium account holders can now browse their library and available content, including Deezer's Flow function, current charts, new releases, mixes, genres, and saved favourites, under My Library.

Meanwhile, TIDAL HiFi Plus subscribers can access TIDAL's Max service offering HiRes in standard FLAC format with MQA support remaining where albums are only available through that encoder for higher res streaming.

On the subject of hi-res files, floating point 32bit WAV files are fully supported, along with support for WAV and AIFF above 384khz. According to Innuos, simplifying the signal path should improve sound quality in these files.

Those with an active Qobuz account connected are advised that, during the update process, a Resync of your account will occur, so some new music might appear in your library after the update.

INNUOS USB PLAYBACK

Innuos has been listening, and the oft-requested feature of USB drive playback is now present thanks to innuOS 2.6. You can connect a USB drive and play music directly from that drive without needing to import the files first. This feature is available for both the ZEN/STATEMENT and PULSE series. When connecting a USB drive to your Innuos device, it will be listed as a source under the main Music page.

Moreover, you can connect multiple drives, each identified by the name/label you gave through your computer (or the factory default name). Innuos does highlight that this is a temporary playback function and that these drives will not fully integrate into the library like files stored within the internal storage of a server or a NAS drive. This means playlists cannot be constructed from these files, nor will they appear in the overall Artists or Albums browsing modes, nor will artist biographies be obtained and so on.

INNUOS 2.6 NAS SHARE UPDATE

This brings us nicely to the reworked NAS share feature, which has received a "significant optimisation in terms of scanning speed". The upshot is that the system will be dramatically more rapid when scanning or updating the contents of a new or existing NAS drive. It also means playback from these sources will be more responsive, according to the Portuguese company.

We are also told that the capacity of how many shared folders can be added has been expanded, so should you want, you can now add several different NAS drives. Alternatively, it should also prove useful for those of us who have divided our collection into different categorised folders within a single NAS drive based on resolution or format, for instance. It also allows for more localised rescanning, which may be more efficient if more music is added to just one select folder rather than doing a complete rescan of the entire library.

UX & LANGUAGE OPTIONS

InnuOS 2.6 also introduces a range of usability changes. One of these is an A-Z slider on the right-hand side of your screen, which allows for much more rapid navigation through your list of Albums and Artists.

As the list of supported streaming services grows, and now with the addition of the USB drives also being listed, the Music page can become quite long. Therefore, Innuos says that the update makes it configurable, similar to the widgets on the Home page. This means Streaming Service shortcuts can be brought to the top of the page or hidden altogether. Similarly, the main library categories can now be trimmed down to only show the modes you want.

Additionally, the Now Playing page has been slightly restructured, with some new options added to the bottom bar to make things easier on smartphones.

Finally, you can interface with Innuos in French, German, Simplified and Traditional Chinese.

Visit Innuos for more information