ANTIPODES CX MUSIC SERVER NOW SHIPPING
Homegrown digital music server specialists Antipodes Audio is now shipping its CX Music Server after a successful debut earlier this year at the High End Show in Munich, Germany.
An evolution of the brands Core, the CX is made to the same specification level as the flagship DX Music Server, but without the CD ripper.
It uses Antipodes' new linear regulated power supply which is said to have brought massive performance gains with it.
Utilising designer Mark Jenkins' high power V4H circuit, the CX uses a full desktop 4-Core i5 processor and runs at a low clock rate, about half of its full speed capability.
With the recent popularity of Roon and its introduction of DSP, high processing demands are placed on the music server which can, in turn, affect sound quality. Jenkins says the CX is equipped with enough processing grunt to handle these demand and larger music collections.
Jenkins added:
We also want to caution users to be careful about assuming using DSP for upsampling/transcoding will sound better than playing the files at their native resolution. Transcoding on the fly generates more noise interference, DSD loses immediacy compared to PCM, and higher bit-rates can improve high frequencies but reduce performance in the lower frequencies. You really need to experiment to decide what suits you and your other equipment best. The nice thing with the CX is you have the luxury of doing just that.
The Antipodes Audio CX is Roon Server and Roon Ready, as well as catering for Squeezebox and Squeezelite. It also works with all popular platforms including DLNA/UPnP/OpenHome, HQPlayer NAA, Spotify Connect, SONOS Integration, and Plex Media Server.
On the output side it's equipped with USB Audio 2.0 Output (PCM to 32bit / 768kHz PCM, DoP to DSD512, Native DSD to DSD512), and an Ethernet Direct Output.
The CX Music Server without HDD/SSD storage sells for $5,895. You can option hard drives when ordering (expandable with up to two 2.5" 7mm HDDs or SSDs) while a P1 CD ripper is also available at extra cost. The CX comes with a 2-year warranty that can be extended to 3-years by online registration.
Shipping now, the Antipodes CX Music Server sells in New Zealand from $5,895 RRP (depending on configuration).
For more information visit Antipodes Audio.
Gallery
Marc Rushton
StereoNET’s Founder and Publisher was born in England and raised on British Hi-Fi before moving to Australia. He developed an early love of music and playing bass guitar before discovering the studio and the other side of the mixing desk. After writing for print magazines, Marc saw the future in digital publishing and founded the first version of StereoNET in 1999.
Posted in: Hi-Fi
JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION
Want to share your opinion or get advice from other enthusiasts? Then head into the Message
Forums where thousands of other enthusiasts are communicating on a daily basis.
CLICK HERE FOR FREE MEMBERSHIP
Trending
1Audio-Technica’s Hotaru Levitates Analog Listening to New Heights
2Vertere DG-X Turntable Spins Simplicity into High-End Sound
3Stratton Shrinks the Form Not the Fidelity with Element 6 and 8
4Noise-Free Networking with SilentPower OMNI LAN
5Careful What Music You W(ai)sh For As Deezer Sounds Alarm
applause awards
Each time StereoNET reviews a product, it is considered for an Applause Award. Winning one marks it out as a design of great quality and distinction – a special product in its class, on the grounds of either performance, value for money, or usually both.
Applause Awards are personally issued by StereoNET’s global Editor-in-Chief, David Price – who has over three decades of experience reviewing hi-fi products at the highest level – after consulting with our senior editorial team. They are not automatically given with all reviews, nor can manufacturers purchase them.
The StereoNET editorial team includes some of the world’s most experienced and respected hi-fi journalists with a vast wealth of knowledge. Some have edited popular English language hi-fi magazines, and others have been senior contributors to famous audio journals stretching back to the late 1970s. And we also employ professional IT and home theatre specialists who work at the cutting edge of today’s technology.
We believe that no other online hi-fi and home cinema resource offers such expert knowledge, so when StereoNET gives an Applause Award, it is a trustworthy hallmark of quality. Receiving such an award is the prerequisite to becoming eligible for our annual Product of the Year awards, awarded only to the finest designs in their respective categories. Buyers of hi-fi, home cinema, and headphones can be sure that a StereoNET Applause Award winner is worthy of your most serious attention.