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Revolutionary HiFi Audio System with all in One CD Storage

Smart HD Music Server, Network Streamer, NAS & much more

Cocktail Audio Pro X100

Cocktail Audio BF11 - Wi Fi, Bluetooth & AUX

Cocktail Audio Mini X9

‘Cocktail Audio’В is where media streamers meet HiFi components in a seamless manner.

Our focal points are onВ great sound, brilliance, integration, balance, upgradability, build, coupled with ease of use.

The cocktail Audio devices are excellent component with a high resolution playback that produces excellent sound. Revive old cassettes & LP collection back to life using our simplest tool like the mini X-9.

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and Apple App Store. Enjoy it for X12, X30, X40, X50,

N15, N15D and X35

X35 models to support MQA playback soon .

● 200Watts Class D amplifier built-in

● DSD is supported

for audiophiles who have already external DAC and Amplifier

● High quality USB Audio Class 2.0 Output

● I²S Out x 2(HDMI, RJ45)

● Full aluminum chassis with CNC cutting

● High performance USB DAC(Digital to Analog Converter)

● 2.5" HDD or SSD storage deck is ready

● Native DSD file playback

● 'Roon Ready' is supported

Server and more

● ES9018K2M Sabre³² Reference DAC built-in

● 5" TFT LCD on the front

● Native DSD file direct playback

● Phono Input for connecting turntable directly

CD Ripper and more

● 100Watts Class D amplifier built-in

● Recording with max 192Khz sampling rate

● 60Watts Class D amplifier built-in

● Supports Online Music Services like TIDAL, Deezer,

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Cocktail Audio X40 Music Server

Over the past few years, the vast majority of my music purchases -- and I’m not alone in this -- have been of downloadable files rather than discs. Nonetheless, I still have a substantial collection of discs that I continue to listen to. On the home-theater side, most audio/video receivers now include the ability to play music files -- including high-resolution FLACs and, in some cases, DSD files -- from USB keys and network storage devices. Two-channel integrated amplifiers and receivers still, generally, eschew such features. Thus, connected to my amplifier are a disc player and a computer.

Designers of music servers are now combining these functions in a single source component that can handle both file- and disc-based digital music. In 2012, I reviewed a music server from Autonomic Controls and was less than impressed, especially at the price. In fact, I remained unconvinced of the usefulness of the product category. The competition, or more accurately the baseline of comparison, is not simply other audio components of the category, but a computer. To replace a computer, a music server must be able to play all relevant formats, quickly, and get out of the way, and do all of this more elegantly than a computer. And the sound quality needs to be more than an afterthought.

Over the past few years, Korea’s Novatron has released four music servers under the brand name Cocktail Audio: the X10, X12, X30, and X40. They share a core of features, particularly those related to ripping and organizing music, along with an interface for playback, a headphone output, lines in and out, Ethernet connectivity, and USB host ports. However, the feature sets vary with the price.

The X10, starting at $580 USD (with 2TB hard drive), is a compact component measuring 7”W x 3.9”H x 5.9”D with a 3.5” screen, a CD drive, a ripper, a music database, a hard-drive caddy, USB and network playback, and Internet Radio based on Reciva’s system. It also has an optical output capped at 24-bit/96kHz, a headphone amp, and a power-amp with speaker spring clamps that outputs 30Wpc into 8 ohms.

The X12 ($699), the same size as the X10, upgrades that model’s spring-clamps to binding posts, bumps the screen size to 4.3”, replaces a fan with passive cooling, and can pass 24/192 PCM from its optical or coaxial outputs, or decode it with its Cirrus Logic CS4351 DAC.

The X30 ($1695), a full-size audio component at 17”W x 3.9”H x 12.7”D, received much praise at its launch. It has a 5” screen, the ubiquitous Burr-Brown PCM1792A DAC, an FM tuner, optical and coaxial inputs, the addition of an AES/EBU digital output, HDMI output for its graphical user interface (GUI), and an increase in amplification to 50Wpc.

New in 2014, the X40 ($2695), which is the same size as the X30, is marketed as a true audiophile component that can play DSD64/128/256/DXD and PCM up to 32/384, and that boasts a Sabre ES9018K2M DAC, a moving-magnet phono stage, and balanced analog outputs on XLR connectors. In contrast to its less-expensive siblings, the X40 has no built-in amplification.

My review sample of the X40 arrived in a cloth bag and double-boxed. Included were a remote control, a power cord, an FM antenna lead, and a data disc containing a copy of FreeDB, software for tagging the contents of CDs ripped when offline. (When connected to the Internet, the X40 will directly consult the online version of FreeDB.) What I first noticed as I set up the X40 was how nice it looked -- its 12mm-thick faceplate of brushed aluminum exuded quality. Also on the front are a slot-loading CD-ROM drive, a headphone jack, a USB Type A port, a 3.5mm Auxiliary input, an On/Standby button, and buttons for menu navigation: Input, Return, Stop, Menu. At either end of the front panel is a 1.5”-wide knob: Mute/Volume on the left, and OK/Pause/Scroll on the right; the knobs turn smoothly, with detents. To the right of the disc slot is the 5” LCD screen, with a resolution of 800x480 pixels.

On the rear panel are the phono ground, the power-supply switch, and the grounded IEC connector. The power supply is rated for 80W, similar to what one finds in small-form-factor computers. The balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) analog audio outputs are widely spaced -- I had to peel back the molding of my unbalanced interconnects to separate the ends. The digital outs comprise TosLink, coaxial, and AES/EBU (XLR). There are TosLink and coaxial digital inputs, a moving-magnet phono input, and an analog line in. All RCA connectors and XLR pins are gold plated. The FM antenna connector is of the push-in rather than screw-in type, so I had to adapt the screw-terminal lead of my Fanfare antenna. An HDMI video output is provided, but this is for only a larger screen display; it does not pass along audio signals. The X40’s GUI can be displayed on its front panel or on an external TV, not on both simultaneously. Unfortunately, every time I tried to toggle to display on my television, the X40 froze -- or so I thought. It turned out that the X40 was just very slow: 46 seconds to switch to sending a 720p signal via HDMI, and 62 seconds to switch back. For most of my listening, I used the front-panel display.

The X40 connects to a network via a gigabit Ethernet port or optional Wi-Fi USB adapter; I plugged the Ethernet into a nearby 100-megabit switch, which proved fast enough for playback from my Synology networked-attached storage (NAS), but I swapped in a gigabit switch for transfers of larger clumps of data (e.g., entire albums). The X40 can serve as an UPnP media server and renderer. I was able to access and mount as read-only the X40’s Music Database share, which contains the music files, by simply accessing the Uniform Naming Convention (UNC) \\X40 in Windows. As it is read-only, a way to load music (such as eClassical downloads) is to mount the X40’s My Recordings folder (which is writable) and copy the music there. The X40’s Import function copies from storage to the Music Database. In my setup, I download to my PC’s hard drive and run Microsoft’s SyncToy to push new music files to a “music” share on my NAS. I also have this action set to run weekly in Windows Task Scheduler. (In Linux, one can similarly set up rsync and crontab.) I then pushed files to the X40 from my NAS and imported them to the Music Database for playback. It’s a roundabout procedure, but it worked.

The rear panel has two USB Type A host ports and a hard-drive caddy for connecting storage. The caddy supports 3.5", 2.5", and SSD drives with SATA data and power connectors, much as in a laptop computer. The X40’s bottom plate is vented; it has no fans. The only noise is the occasional sound of the hard drive seeking from the Seagate SATA 400GB DB35.3, which StorageReview.com has rated in the middle of the range for idle noise, at around 40dB. While I could hear the X40’s hard drive from across the room -- it added 2dB to my room’s level of noise, as measured at my listening chair with Smart Tools’ Sound Meter for Android -- the noise was not distracting when playing back music.

The X40’s innards consist of a MIPS 700MHz processor, LG Super Multi DVD Writer GA50 (slot loading), a variety of custom PC boards, and a toroidal power supply that would be more at home in an audio component than a computer. All in all, Cocktail Audio’s X40 is a well-put-together component that offers the user plenty of flexibility in use.

The X40 is a complex device, but I got started with it without too much trouble. I began by plugging in its power cord and Ethernet cable, and connecting its unbalanced analog output to my NAD C 356BEE integrated amp. Eventually, more for testing than for daily use, I added connections for digital in/out and my turntable. As delivered, the X40 could serve as one’s sole digital source, with the caveat that it can’t support high-resolution discs, such as DVD-Audio or the DSD layers of SACDs. Unlike with some solutions, you don’t have to connect the X40 to an external display or control it with a mobile device or PC. In fact, the X40 could be used in a computer-free household -- just add amp and speakers.

The boot-up process took about a minute, during which the X40 displays an image of a martini glass, as a reminder that it’s made by Cocktail Audio. Given that this boot time is much longer than that of any of my recent computers, I tested how much power the X40 would use if I left it on at all times, and whether leaving it in Standby or Sleep would shorten the startup time. According to a Kill-a-Watt, the X40 used no power in Standby or Sleep but between 14 and 20W when on, depending on whether the disc drive was active. Startup from Sleep still took a minute. Given its thirst for juice, I decided that I could wait a minute for the X40 to boot.

When the X40 is ready, its screen displays icons for Setup, Music DB, Playlist, i-Service, CD Play/Rip (grayed out if no disc is inserted), FM Radio, Browser, and Input. i-Service accesses the three Internet streaming services -- Reciva, Simfy, and Qobuz -- while Input switches among the digital inputs, phono in, and analog line in. As measured with Audacity’s Contrast routine, the built-in phono stage has a relatively high noise floor. I wanted to compare the X40’s built-in phono stage to my Cambridge Audio Azur 540P phono preamplifier, but when I connected the Azur to the X40’s analog line input, I heard nothing. Connecting a CD player, SACD player, or tuner also produced no sound -- clearly, the analog line input was not working. Browser accesses the Recordings folder on the X40’s internal hard drive (i.e., recordings made from FM radio and the various inputs, not ripped music), connected USB devices, network shares, and UPnP servers. My Synology DS211j NAS had both Samba and DLNA servers running, but the X40 was able to connect only to the DLNA; I was able to connect to the Samba server via Android, ChromeOS, Linux, and Windows devices.

To load the Music DB, I inserted Anat Cohen’s Notes from the Village (CD, Anzic ANZ-1302) and was presented with a list of the disc’s tracks. At that point one can play the album or, by pressing Menu, rip it to Music DB. I’d previously, in the Setup menu, set the X40’s default ripping format to FLAC; other choices are WAV, MP3, OGG, and ALAC. The X40 took 9:29 to rip and compress the CD -- much slower than the 2:21 it took Exact Audio Copy to rip and compress to FLAC on my computer. Nonetheless, ripping on the X40 is very simple and straightforward. Music can also be imported from the internal hard drive (such as recordings from the FM tuner or turntable), USB (flash drive, or self- or bus-powered hard drive), or CD-ROM. Importing from a UPnP source is not supported. I was able to import a FLAC rip of Patricia Kaas’s Tour de Charme (16/44.1 FLAC, Sony) from a bus-powered USB hard drive in just under two minutes. Importing across the network would be a very useful feature to include in a software update. As it is, one would need to copy files to \\X40\LocalStorages\hdd1\My Recording, then import them to the X40’s local hard drive. Having the X40 suck files in from a NAS would be more convenient.

Backup, too, was slow. I did a full backup of the 187GB stored on the X40’s internal hard drive to a USB hard drive using the Cocktail’s backup utility, and it took 28 hours, 39 minutes (the front panel includes a timer) -- a rate of 1.81MB/s when USB 2.0 can, in theory, transfer at 60MB/s. I popped out the X40’s internal drive and connected it to my Windows computer using the same Vantec USB 2.0 drive adapter, and transferred data at 24MB/s; hooking up a SATA cable would be even faster. Fortunately, the X40 uses a standard file system that both Windows and Linux can read, and lists files by album and track title. I recommend performing backups using a computer. One could even map the X40’s Music DB share to a drive letter and schedule a backup task -- in Windows, I like SyncToy for this -- to copy over the network. Still, over a 100mbps network, it was relatively slow at 4.8MB/s.

The X40 offers several ways to browse music that have been loaded into the database. While falling short of the multiplicity of choices SoundStage!’s Vade Forrester enjoyed with the Digibit Aria, what the X40 provides will meet most users’ needs. The eight browse options for the music database, called Display Modes, are selectable in Setup: Track Title, Album, Artist/Track, Artist/Album, Genre/Track, Genre/Album, Composer/Track, Composer/Album. The Composer option -- not found in all such products -- is especially helpful for browsing recordings of classical music. Of course, the organization is only as good as the metadata, which relies on FreeDB and manual changes made by the user. These edits to the tags -- title, artist, album, composer, year, genre -- can easily be made on the X40 itself by connecting a USB keyboard.

One problem I’ve always had with music servers is their scalability: It’s easy to manage a few albums, but how well does a server deal with hundreds? By offering a variety of browsing mechanisms, the X40 scales fairly well, showing eight items per screen and scrolling fluidly -- but there’s no way around the fact that large collections will require a lot of scrolling. For such collections, controlling from an iOS, Android, or Web app is a good choice. Cocktail recommends PlugPlayer for iOS, and PlugPlayer or BubbleUPnP for Android. The X40’s built-in Web server provides a Web-based interface with the media library. Then the user can browse, search, and filter the list by Track Title, Artist, Album, and Genre -- and, surprisingly, by Track Number, Year, Time (duration), and Bitrate. Cocktail Audio, if you’re reading this: Composer, format, and sample-rate fields would also be useful. When a track has been found, a menu button brings up several options, including start play, add to queue, add to a playlist, edit tags, and trigger filters, to find tracks that match the selected track’s artist, album, genre, or composer. I often built a queue or playlist from my Chromebook, then switched to the X40’s infrared remote to control playback.

The X40 is a new product, but with the X30 Cocktail has established a good track record for issuing firmware updates, with three releases in the last year for fixes and enhancements. This is essential -- a product with so many features is bound to have problems that need to be addressed. If you’ve ever spent any time reviewing the changelog notes in firmware, OS, or software updates, among the most common are “stability improvements” -- boring but essential. While the X40 was rock solid during playback, there were several scenarios in which it would freeze, mainly while I was navigating the menu and/or switching out of playback.

For example, after playing a 16/44.1 FLAC album for half an hour from my NAS, connected by Ethernet over a 100Mbps network, I pressed Stop on the X40’s remote to switch to another album. The X40 promptly froze, and its screen blanked out to a dull gray -- but the playback did stop. Other buttons, of Cancel, Back, and Power, had no impact, whether pressed on the remote or on the front panel. After several minutes of waiting, the only escape was to turn off the X40 using its rear-panel power switch, which can’t be good for the internal hard drive. I experienced the same problem when stopping Internet Radio playback, though sometimes it was merely slow -- it took ten seconds to halt music playback from Naim Records’ Internet station. Controlling playback off of the local hard drive was always responsive.

Using the Cocktail X40’s digital output, I was able to compare its Sabre ES9018K2M DAC with the Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC in my integrated amp. This was my first experience with the Sabre chip, but I’d been impressed with Sabre’s ES9023, used in the Resonessence Concero DAC. The X40’s digital output can be set to resample signals of any resolution up to 192kHz or pass it along. I selected pass-through, which includes DSD -- which, like many DACs, my amp’s DAC doesn’t support. Another useful option would be to distinguish PCM from DSD: “Pass-through PCM and convert DSD to 192kHz PCM.” My Sony BDP-S590 BD player uses a similar logic. When I listened to the Quartetto Italiano’s recording of Schubert’s last four string quartets (16/44.1 FLAC, Philips), the X40 offered greater clarity and a sense of a third dimension to the soundstage. Although there was less punch in the forte passages, there was greater control and separation. Switching to the digital output stripped the far left and right extensions from the soundstage. The tonalities of the violins, viola, and cello also became less distinct. Only when I switched back to the Cocktail’s Sabre was I able to be sure that the Quartetto Italiano was using mutes in these performances. Each step higher in Cocktail’s product line provides a better DAC, and part of what one pays for with the X40 is its quality of digital-to-analog conversion. And remember, it was listening through the X40’s unbalanced outputs that so pleased me. The X40 also provides balanced outputs, for those with amps that can accommodate it.

With hi-rez recordings, such as guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli’s Swing Live (24/96 FLAC, Chesky), the X40 presented a precise image of an ensemble arrayed across a live stage. Peter Appleyard’s vibraphone resonated musically in “Lester Leaps In,” with a natural rate of decay following each stroke. Throughout the album, the solos were handed off fluidly. The X40 exuded clarity, detail, and precision, all while maintaining a tone that was neither too bright nor too warm. This was particularly evident with clarinetist Allen Vanche’s stratosphere-scraping solos and the well-controlled patterns of Bernard Purdie’s tom-toms. Throughout, this recording was rendered in an engaging manner; the advantages of hi-rez recordings were unmistakable.

Listening to Tor Espen Aspaas’s recording of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No.32, Op.111 (DFF/DSD64, 2L), and using the X40’s built-in DAC in both cases, level matched on my easy-to-drive Grado SR80 headphones, the X40’s headphone output, while quite powerful, was less crisp and well defined than the headphone amp built into my NAD integrated amp. Each keystroke had a bit of haze and sounded less lifelike, particularly in the midrange, which sounded plasticky; and in the low range, the X40 boomed. The NAD delivered somewhat more dynamic range -- the X40 was never able to get down to “dead quiet.” At the end of each track or album or playlist, an annoying click was audible through headphones directly connected to the X40, though I never heard this through speakers or an external headphone amp. While the X40’s headphone amp is serviceable, the X40 should be paired with an external headphone amp.

Despite the few problems described above, I was, on the whole, very impressed with the Cocktail Audio X40. This was the first music server I’d encountered that convinced me of the usefulness of this product category. In the X40, Cocktail has paired the ease of use of an audio component with the scalability of a computer. The X40’s GUI and display work well for pulling together collections of files from various sources -- rips and downloads, local or on the network -- and it can play directly from a CD, FM radio, or a connected turntable. I’ve never seriously considered ripping all my CDs -- it would be a big project -- but with the advantages in organization of the X40’s Music DB, I’d likely do so if I owned one. In the X40, one gets a ripper, a server, a renderer, a tuner of both Internet and FM radio, and an excellent DAC, all tied together with a well-thought-out user interface. What’s not to like about that?

Speakers -- Wharfedale Diamond 8.2, PowerCube 10 subwoofer
Headphones -- Grado SR80
Analog sources -- Goldring GR1 turntable, Rega Research RB100 tonearm, Goldring Elektra cartridge; Cambridge Audio Azur 540P phono preamplifier; Sangean HDT-1 tuner
Digital sources -- Music Hall MMF CD-25 CD player; Pioneer DV-563A DVD/SACD/CD player; Sony BDP-S590 BD player; Roku XDS; Intel H61 desktop (2.6GHz, 8GB RAM, Crucial SSD) running Windows 8.1 Professional (64-bit), foobar2000, with Realtek ALC887 DAC/optical output (WASAPI/ALSA drivers); Synology DS211j SMB/DLNA server
Amplifier -- NAD C 356BEE with MDC DAC2
Antenna -- Fanfare FM-2G
Television -- Panasonic TC-P50S30
Remotes -- Logitech Harmony Smart Control; Samsung Galaxy Player 5 (Android 2.3); Asus Nexus 7 (Android 5)
Power conditioner -- APC Line-R LE1200

Cocktail Audio X40 Music Server

Warranty: Two years parts and labor.

Novatron Co., Ltd.

Room 1607, 13 Heungdeok 1-ro, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si

Phone: +82 31-898-8401

Fax: +82 31-898-8413

Audio Plus Services

156 Lawrence Paquette Industrial Drive

Champlain, NY 12919

Phone: (800) 663-9352, (450) 585-0098

Fax: (866) 656-0686

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Cocktail Audio X30 review

The Cocktail Audio X30 is a great idea: a high-res streamer, server, CD player and digital amplifier all wrapped up in one box.

It can also stream songs from your smartphone or tablet, play internet and FM radio, and record tunes at the press of a button. Just add speakers.

Ripping CDs

Cocktail Audio X30

The first thing you’re going to do with the Cocktail Audio (after turning it on and admiring that bright blue cocktail logo on the display screen) is rip all your CDs.

The X30’s main aim is to store your CD collection in one place, and it does so seamlessly. Ripping a CD is fast and quiet (unlike on the smaller X10), plus you can listen to stored music while ripping.

You can also select individual tracks to rip, instead of the entire CD, rename tracks and create playlists. It's swift and easy to customise each album or track with the bulky but useful remote control at hand.

You’ll also need to be connected to the internet to get all the metadata on a CD, so make sure the X30 is always online.

It’s worth noting that you can’t play the CD itself while ripping it, and you can’t change tracks or start playing a track (if you aren’t already) when in the ripping status screen.

You can’t return to the menus, either, but you can at least change the volume. It’s an irritation, but you can solve the problem by having an album or playlist queued up when ripping CDs in bulk.

Cocktail Audio X30

Connect the X30 to your home network, via either wired ethernet or the supplied wireless dongle, and the X30 turns into a streaming machine.

If you already have music files stored on a NAS device you’re in luck. The X30 will stream from connected NAS devices (via the Browser folder), as well as from any other DLNA-compatible smartphone or tablet.

It sounds like a wonderfully versatile system (and it is), but it’s tricky to actually get streaming. There’s no dedicated app, so Cocktail Audio suggests a variety of generic third-party apps, none of which worked well enough for us.

It requires much patience and many false starts, and can be a frustrating experience.

We hope Cocktail Audio develops its own app, but in the meantime, we’re sticking with hard-wiring our smart devices to the unit’s 3.5mm input for convenience.

The network connection is also crucial for streaming the X30’s internet radio service, which offers a multitude of stations you can scroll through according to country or genre.

Sound quality takes a predictable dip in quality compared with ripped CD tracks, but it retains the same tonal characteristics.

Format support

Cocktail Audio X30

The Cocktail Audio X30 supports most popular audio formats, from compressed MP3s to high-resolution WAV and FLAC files up to 24-bit/192kHz. Other formats include AAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WMA; DSD support is still pending.

Also, before you start ripping CDs, you can choose the type and quality of file you want them stored as, as well as the bitrate for the MP3s and also a ripping speed.

A rule of thumb, fast ripping speed equals lower-quality resolution. Since the X30 is pretty swift at ripping CDs no matter what the speed set, we’d always aim for the highest quality setting with WAV.

We wouldn’t compress files into MP3s, as not only does the audio quality suffer, but the X30’s storage options are large enough anyway to store hundreds of CDs.

From a 500GB to 2TB hard drive, or up to a 500GB solid-state drive, there’s a huge amount of storage on offer.

Our review sample’s 2TB hard drive can reportedly store around 2600 CDs, or 5200 FLAC files, or 20,000 MP3 files in 320k. That’s a lot.

More after the break

Recording feature and user interface

Cocktail Audio X30

One nifty feature of the X30 that’s rarely seen on other streamers or servers is the recording feature.

You can record from internet radio, your smartphone-stored tracks and even from your vinyl records to fully digitise your entire collection.

It records instantly at the press of a button on the remote, and is automatically saved in the Browser menu.

With all its features and options, the Cocktail Audio X30 could easily be the most convoluted and frustrating piece of equipment to operate.

But we were relieved and surprised to find that it is fairly straightforward – after a quick perusal of the manual, of course.

The menus and controls are responsive and easy to navigate, with only minor hiccups such as lag in operation.

We like the large 5in colour interface on the front panel. While it’s not as sophisticated as some, the display is nevertheless easy to read from a distance.

It’s not a particularly high-res screen (800 x 480 pixels) but the writing and artwork are displayed clearly.

The remote control is a big and bulky affair that has a button for nearly every feature of the X30. Instead of fiddling with the control knob and buttons on the front panel, the remote lets you rip CDs or record songs with a single button press.

It may look dated, but it gets the job done.

Cocktail Audio X30

The X30 houses a 50W per channel amplifier under its sturdy metal chassis, with a decent spread of digital and analogue connections.

The coaxial and digital connections (input and output) all support files up to 24-bit/192kHz, as does the AES/EBU output.

A pair of line-level outputs is available if you want to connect an existing amplifier to the streamer, while three USB ports (two at the back, one in front) are there for playing high-resolution files or for attaching the included wireless dongle.

Speaker terminals, line-level inputs, an FM radio tuner (the antenna is included), and an ethernet port can also be found on the back panel.

On the front panel, there’s a 3.5mm input for hard-wiring your smart device, and a 6.3mm headphone port.

Cocktail Audio X30

Now that all the features are dealt with, it’s time to tackle the Cocktail Audio X30’s most crucial function: sound.

And this is where its major flaw is exposed because, despite all its fancy features, the X30 isn’t really that interesting a listen.

There’s nothing unpleasant about the sound by any means – a decent amount of detail, punch and the ability to go loud is all on the cards here.

But there’s no real engagement beyond the surface detail; the X30 doesn’t seem able to dig out the subtleties of a song, and is content to deliver a superficial summary.

There’s impact and decent clarity, but the dynamics aren’t fluid, and the overall sound is rather one-dimensional.

Cocktail Audio X30

The Dead Weather’s intricately arranged 60 Feet Tall sounds flat and emotionless, with no build-up of tension in this brooding song. The X30 doesn’t time particularly well, either.

Eminem’s The Way I Am has a good amount of bite and attack, but we’d like a touch more precision and agility to get the full impact of that punchy rhythm.

High-res performance

High-res files have a touch more detail and openness to them. You can hear the rough edges of Lorde’s vocals on Royals (on a 24-bit/48kHz file), but there’s still a lack of dynamic subtlety to the track.

You’ll also need to turn up the volume quite high to get any real sense of punch and excitement.

If this review were based on the X30’s features set alone, then it would get a solid four stars.

Despite some operational hiccups, the sheer versatility of the X30 is impressive and clearly its biggest attraction.

Nothing else we’ve reviewed so far has come close to the combination of amp, streamer and server here offered by Cocktail Audio.

We’d be worried, though, about recommending this as your sole music system, as it simply doesn’t sound good enough. You’d be buying the X30 for its features, not for its sound quality

And for £1000, we could easily point you in the direction of far more exciting, involving and interesting hi-fi set ups.

Cocktail audio forum

Shaken, not stirred!

Product: Cocktail Audio X30

Approx price: 1000/1200 Euro -(YMMV)

Reviewed: February, 2016

Introduction

The Cocktail Audio X30 is a free-standing device, capable of working alone as a multimode audio source when connected to passive speakers. The Cocktail Audio X30 is a copy of its smaller sized relative, the X10, but it has been improved and has some extra features. All for a price of about 1,000-1,200 €, so (almost) four times as expensive as the X10. My considerations will then partially refer to what has already been said about the smaller model.

Unboxing and appearance

Nothing special about the packaging. There are no separate boxes for the main components and the accessories, as in the smaller model (or at least, not in my case). The padding material was adequate. The box contains the device, the remote control, the batteries, a printed manual (good news) and the WiFi antenna (also good news), the power cable, an FM antenna and a connecting cable.

The first thing to note is that the size and weight of the X30 are standard. The case is made out of metal and the front panel is rather thick (technical specs. say 8mm, with some pride). The knobs look like metal, but they are actually made of plastic and offer little resistance. The quality is not as high as the rest of the device.

CDs are loaded with a slot-in mechanism on the front panel. There were a few problems when ejecting the CDs, something I did not expect considering the price of the device.

The front panel also sports a mid-quality, 5", non-touch display, bigger than that on the X10, plus a headphone jack output and a 2.0 USB input (great idea to put it on front, but a 3.0 version would have been better) on the left hand side

On the back, you will find standard inputs and outputs with 2x 2.0 USB ports, FM antenna, optical (both in and out), RCA sockets and speaker connectors (of an acceptable quality). The power switch is easy to reach. Once in stand-by mode, the device can be turned on with the remote control or with a button on the front panel. The X30 also has an HDMI output, to view images (as a slideshow) or a more complete menu on a separate monitor. It does not allow playing videos. I’d also like to remind you that the X30 is equipped with a DVD (not BR) player.

The supplied WiFi antenna can be folded sideways and either pops out of the left hand side of the device or covers a USB port on the right. It would have made more sense if it extended vertically.

On the whole, it is on a much higher quality level than the X10. I have no major criticisms. It is simply better in just about all the aspects taken into consideration.

Important: there is no cooling fan, which there was in the X10. The CA X30 is silent (at last).

The only noise you hear comes from the hard drive and when you load a CD. The noise from the HD disappears if you use an SSD drive (which are getting cheaper and cheaper). And my impression is that reading times would improve dramatically.

Hard drive

Nothing new compared to the X10, besides having a better quality tray. For a 3.5" HD, you need to position it in the tray and secure it with screws. Another two screws lock the tray in position. The procedure is described briefly and not very clearly. The HD does need to be fixed with screws: the contacts don’t work if you just place it in position. You can obviously use a 2.5" HD or SSD with a suitable adapter. I've seen the X30 on sale with several types of HD options, up to 4TB.

Internet radio

The Cocktail can be connected to an existing network via WiFi. The WiFi antenna is supplied. Had it been built-in, we would've had one less accessory and one more free USB port, I do not understand their choice.

You can find two default providers: Simfy and Qobuz. Qobuz is perhaps the only company that, nowadays, offers lossless (CD-quality) streaming at an obviously higher price compared to compressed MP3s. Both work well, in any case. You can also find apps for Android and iOS which de facto transform a smartphone or a tablet into a good and complete remote control. I had fun controlling the system real time via Airplay with my iPhone, playing loads of tracks without any problems.

Built in amplification

It will by now be clear that the X30 does everything the X10 can do, but costs 3-4 times as much. Long discussions have arisen about the quality of the built in amplifier, 50W per channel, Class-D. You can find very different opinions on its quality on the Internet. I’d say it works well and is capable of driving electrostatic panels at quite high volumes, in a room of approx. 20 m². Don’t be afraid to turn the knob for a more dramatic performance. Of course, this will not be enough for those who want to blow up the room with only 10% power.

It is a good quality amplifier, with the well known characteristics of the Class-D, accurate in scene reconstruction. For difficult loads and large rooms, or for extreme audiophile reproductions, you could always use a separate amplifier.

In my opinion, it is a very good Class-D amp, with limited power and with the typical behaviour of this class of equipment. As I will confirm later on, timbre, transparency and dynamics are far from those of valve or soft, euphonic audio amplifiers. The sound stage is rock solid (with proper recordings), well defined and clear. One reviewer was not particularly excited by the Cocktail. Maybe he meant this, but, honestly, the music is what excites me, not the amp. The X30 comes in at an honorable and close second place in direct comparison to an 80W per channel NuForce. We must consider, though, that the NuForce costs more than the Cocktail Audio.

External amplification

The X30 features two analog RCA sockets, to connect the device to an external amp. Their output is not adjustable, so if you want to use a final amplifier you will not be able to set the volume. This has been confirmed by the manufacturer. You can always connect the digital outputs to an external integrated amp or to a pre-amp combo. You will use, in this case, the volume control of those systems. By the way, in a set up I tried, the internal amplifier of the X30 proved to be valiant.

The all-in-one appeal is the same as for the X10
Good overall quality. The remote control is effective, but a bit plasticky
Silent, thanks to the lack of a fan
At last adequate sockets, and finally at hi-fi levels
The amplification is more powerful than the X10
Very good streaming, with specific Android or iOS apps
Better finished and standard size
FM radio included (not tested)
Improved display

Weaknesses

Problems when ejecting some CDs (hesitation)
A small SS memory would have granted a more rapid operation, without the need for a HD (software, updates, freeDB. )

It should be possible to transfer ripped tracks from the X10 to the X30, as with the Hard Drive. However it is not always that easy, as I have had some problems. For example the X30 was able to see the titles in the database, but couldn't manage to import them into its own database, so that it failed to display the album covers. I tried several times to update the firmware (automatically and correctly), even though the unit had already been updated. As I had ripped a few CDs, I simply formatted the HD and did everything again. However, I didn't have any issues when copying 64GB of music, ripped by a friend, to the HD. The X30 searched and found a lot of covers automatically and sorted everything. Anyway, just consider that USB sticks have become cheaper, so a 128 GB unit will store up to about 500 ripped CDs in FLAC (lossless compression), which will be enough for most people. You could basically carry all your CDs on a stick and listen to them by just plugging it in or, if you’d prefer, you could copy them onto the internal disc. This could easily be done when using a second device, such as the X10.

After extended use

Just a few more things, after an extended use. It has always worked flawlessly. However, some router issues compromised its streaming performance, though this could be caused by my router’s wireless setup. The problem may be due to the connection of 7-8 devices to the same network (which is the case at my place), but I am not sure. The hesitation appeared during the connection to the server and during extended buffering. Switching on and off the router led to a little improvement but did not solve the issue completely. I did not try with an Ethernet cable.

Conclusions

The Cocktail Audio X30 does everything the small X10 did, but better. It is more appealing, robust and silent. Comparing it to the X10, we now have a product made completely out of metal, with a nice design and proper quality sockets. This is a crucial improvement. One could say that the new case and improved connections do not justify the increased price alone, but the X30 has a 50 + 50 W built in amplifier, which was able to drive my panels (almost always perfectly). Such a powerful Class-D amplifier has its price. The removal of the fan was a definite step towards audiophile performance.

It is now time for my opinion on how it sounds. For me, we are way over an entry-level performance, both for the CDP and for the amplifier. The fact is that not everyone likes class-D amps. If you prefer a euphonic or even dull presentation, this amplifier will be too cold and detached. Even less appealing for the tube lovers, for sure.

As already pointed out, you can add an external amplifier, as well as a separate DAC. At this point one could ask if you still needed the X30. For me, it is a valid product because it works well just the way it is. At most it could only be improved a little bit. This is also true if you want to add a separate DAC, but I don't think it's necessary, as the CDP works well. The only imperfection, as mentioned, is the hesitation in ejecting some CDs. Not a major issue, as the X30 is designed to rip the CDs, which will then rest on the shelves. This is, after all, the main reason why one would buy such equipment.

A few words on the X30 remote control apps: these make it very simple to look for different tracks and listen to them. Moreover, the apps can easily be used to listen to streaming services, like Qobuz and Simfy. The Qobuz app is, however, rudimental and not so flexible. Entering the track titles via remote control is slow.

All in all, it costs less than more famous competitors. For the price, you get a good CD player, a proper amplifier, an effective streamer, internet and FM radios and an easy-to-use ripping system. If the DAC or the amp doesn’t satisfy you, you could always add external units. It is a valid device, with a competitive price, even though it’s less of a bargain than the X10.

New Products

PC/iOS & Android devices with various free UPnP apps

DAC =digital to analog converter

SPDIF= a serial interface for transferring digital audio from CD & DVD players to amplifiers and TVs

DSD64, DSD128, DXD (24/352.8) up to 32/384 PCM

Cocktail Audio X12 CD Ripper Music Streamer and Integrated Amplifier

Plays, Streams, Rips, and Serves

Cocktail Audio's X12 is an HD hi-fi music server with database, CD ripper, high quality DAC, 30-watt-per-channel integrated amplifier, and network streamer. You can also enjoy its preamp functionality, listen to CDs, record analog and digital sources, and peruse its easy-to-navigate database of your digital music files, complete with cover art.

High Resolution Audio 24-bit/192 kHz

The X12 supports several different file formats including, including HD FLAC (24-bit/192 kHz), HD WAV (24-bit/192 kHz), APE/CUE, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, AIF, AAC, M4A, MP3, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, PCM, M3U, PLS, and more. You can convert existing audio files into other formats, (e.g. MP3, FLAC, WAV, M4A) for use on other devices, such as your MP3 player or car stereo. The high-quality ESS Sabre 24/192 DAC has a dynamic range of 112dB.

Network Connectivity

Connect the X12 to your network via an Ethernet connection to stream music to and from other devices and listen to cloud based music services.

You can also connect wirelessly to the X12 using an optional Wi-fi USB Dongle (sold separately) that plugs into one of the USB ports. With the wireless function, you can greatly increase the control options and flexibility of this great component! You can control the X12 remotely using mobile devices including an iPhone, iPad, or iPod or using Android smartphones and tablets by downloading free UPnP apps. Play songs from iOS devices on the Cocktail Audio X12 wireless with the 'Share-play' function (Cocktail Audio 's own version of Apple AirPlay).

The X12 is a UPnP (DLNA) media server and renderer. This cool feature allows you to can stream music to and from other compatible devices, such as wi-fi speakers. (You can add wired speakers, too, and enjoy the built-in power amplifier.) Supported cloud-based music streaming services include Qobuz, Simfy and Reciva internet radio.

Digital and Analog Connections

The digital and analog connections let you enjoy lots of different source material. The three USB ports let you plug in external drives and devices, including a USB thumb drive, external hard drive, MP3 player, and more. An RCA-type analog stereo input excels with legacy analog gear, such as an AM/FM tuner, cassette deck, and more. You can record material from these components or enjoy them through your favorite pair of speakers, using the X12's built-in power amplifier.

Two digital outputs allow the X12 to connect to a wide range of external devices. The digital outputs support sample rates up to 24-bit/192 kHz for true hi-res audio. Gapless music playback keeps the music coming seamlessly and is a must for concert recordings, classical music, and more.

A digital volume control affecting both the digital and analog outputs allows the X12 to be used as a preamplifier if you are planning on connecting it to your existing hi-fi or AV system's receiver or amp.

Record Anything in CD Quality

Doing state-of-the-art digital isn't all that the X12 can do. It excels with analog source material, too. Whether you record iRadio or anything else via the analog input, Cocktail Audio X12 records in CD sound quality. Load your vinyl and cassette tape collections to the X12 in CD quality and edit them after recording.

And speaking of recording, using the display screen and built-in software, you can schedule when you want the X12 to record using the Reservation Recording function.

CD Play and Ripping

There is lots of fabulous music on compact discs that hasn't made it to downloadable files yet. Not to worry. Cocktail Audio has a built-in CD player plus ripping software, so you can record your favorite tracks. It supports CD, CD-DA, CD-R, CD-RW, and DVDR/RW discs.

For those times when you want to just lean back and listen rather than rip, you'll enjoy the full functionality of its audiophile-quality CD player. The large front-panel display makes navigating your discs a pleasure.

Built-in Database

The X12 gives you access to huge amounts of stored music. Fortunately, it provides easy access to all of your files through its well-organized built-in music database. The database can display all songs by album, artist, genre, composer or title, making it simple to find what you want to hear. Search functions give you even easier access to your music files. You can create and manage playlists, edit music tag information, and more.

Built-in Power Amplifier

No need for powered speakers or a separate amplifier with the X12. With its built-in high quality power amplifier, you can connect your own pair of audiophile speakers directly to the rear panel gold-plated speaker terminals. And the built-in amp is anything but an afterthought. It is a powerful amp capable of filling the room with music, thanks to 30-watts-per-channel power delivery.

Up to 4TB Storage Support

You can increase the huge capability of the X12 by adding your own internal hard drive. It supports up to 4TB 3.5" / 2.5" SATA hard disks. SSD (Solid State Drive) drives are also supported.

Overview

HD hi-fi music server with database, CD ripper, high quality DAC, and network streamer
Built-in 30-watt amplifier
CD Ripping with CD meta data including album cover art
Load your vinyl and cassette tape collections to the Cocktail Audio X12 in CD quality
Streaming playback and control using mobile devices (UPnP/DLNA media server and renderer)
Supported music streaming services: Qobuz, Simfy and Reciva internet radio
Supported audio formats: HD FLAC (24-bit/192 kHz), HD WAV (24bit/192KHz), APE/CUE, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, AIF, AAC, M4A, MP3, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, PCM, M3U, PLS, etc.
Optional internal storage: supports your own internal hard drive up to 4TB 3.5" / 2.5" SATA hard disk; SSD (Solid State Drive) drives are also supported
Play songs from iOS devices on the Cocktail Audio X12 wireless with 'Share-play'
Fan-less passive cooling system
Supports up to 192KHz sample rate via Digital OUT
4.3" TFT LCD screen with full color user-friendly GUI
Gapless music playback
Supported media: CD, CD-DA, CD-R, CD-RW, DVDR/RW
Interface: Remote control, PC, iOS & Android devices with customized Web Interface (WUI) or various free UPnP Tablet & Smartphone Apps
Optional wi-fi with USB dongle

Connections

Digital outputs: Toslink optical, coaxial digital
Analog input: Stereo line input (RCA)
Analog outputs: pre out, headphone out, speaker terminals
Digital inputs: 3 USB host (1 front, 2 rear)
Network: Ethernet (100Base - Tx/10Base-T) LAN
Wireless network (optional): 801.11b/g/n wi-fiUSB dongle (sold separately)

Host CPU: Embedded 500Mhz MIPS
Main Memory: (2 Gbit, DDR2 667Mhz)
Firmware Memory: (2Gbit)
Pre out dynamic range: 112dB (Max 2Vrms, Stereo) Pre out THD+N: 0.001%
Dimensions: 7" wide, 3.9" high, 5.9" deep

Performance

Powering up the X10 takes a little over a minute, which can seem like an extremely long time for those who are used to modern, solid-state stereo systems. Once the X10 is booted up, the home screen comes up, which has six icons arranged in two rows of three. The icons are Music DB, Playlist, iService, CD Player/Rip, Browser, and Setup. Using the directional keys on the remote, I selected the iService icon that contains the Internet radio services. The X10 can also be controlled by via Web browser, which I used with ease on both a laptop and iPad.

The X10 comes with the Reciva Internet radio platform and the Simfy service built in, which are located in the iService section. Simfy requires an account that I did not have set up, so I started with Reciva. Reciva is said to have over 20,000 Internet stations, which is easy to believe once you start exploring your listening options. Genres and geographical areas sort stations. I had no problems searching stations and finding lots of decent music to listen to. The X10 even allows recording of Internet radio, in case you find something new you would like to listen to again. If there is a particular radio show that you would like to hear, you can set the X10 to record it. This feature made me think of my father-in-law: there are a few radio shows that he loves, and this would let him listen to these shows (assuming they are on one of the 20,000-plus internet radio channels) without having to worry about any scheduling concerns.

Sound quality of the Reciva stations varied from downright terrible to comparable with a higher-resolution MP3 file, with most stations on the better side of the spectrum. Most of the stations I found myself listening to had audio quality that was more than passable for background or casual listening, even if not up to audiophile standards.

Ripping discs onto the X10 was painless. Insert the CD into the slot on the front panel, and select the CD Player/Rip icon to play the disc. Pressing the Rip button on the remote pulls up the Ripping Option window, which provides the available format options. I stayed with FLAC, which was pre-selected from my prior setup. The metadata window pops up from the FreeDB website. The data was generally okay, except the year comes up as 9999 and the genre needs to be filled in. Moving the cursor to select disc image results in a pop-up menu with the option to get the cover art from different sources, including local storage and Google. I used Google with success each time. Once the X10 is done ripping the disc, a message pops up letting you know that the rip was successful.

Listening to music--whether it's directly from a disc, from the internal hard drive, or from a UPnP-capable network drive--involves selecting the source, then searching for the music you want to hear. The X10 allows you to configure how the music information is sorted and displayed. Once the desired music is selected, it starts playing within a couple of seconds, and you can continue browsing your music collection to figure out what you want to listen to next.

This is the portion of the review where I typically discuss the nuances of the sound quality of the component. To be honest, the X10's sound quality is fine but not spectacular. What makes this product so interesting is that it is a self-contained CD-ripping device with built-in storage, streaming, and Internet radio capabilities. Those seeking an audiophile experience should utilize the optical digital audio output to feed the content to their favorite DAC-equipped stereo system.

The X10 also allows for the importing, copying, editing, and converting of music files. Playlists can be created on the unit via the remote or Web browser, and the browser interface makes it easier to see a larger portion of the available tracks or playlists. Manipulating the playlists was not as easy as with Sonos or JRemote, but hopefully this can be refined with future versions.

The X10's user interface is effective but not particularly intuitive. The development of a control app that can be run on your smartphone or tablet might be able to rectify this. Some tweaks to the user interface and a well-designed control app would make the X10 a lot more inviting.

While the X10 has network and Internet music capabilities, it does not have any of the popular streaming services, such as Pandora, Beats, or Spotify. These services can easily be incorporated via a smartphone or tablet, but that device will need to be connected through the auxiliary input, as there is no Bluetooth or AirPlay connectivity.

I know that the X10 is about convenience, ease of use, and affordability, not about audiophile sound quality; so, my sound-quality observations should be considered in that context. The non-defeatable EQ and 24/96 resolution limit may pose a legitimate concern if you are looking for an audiophile-grade digital music system, but they were not a limitation for casual listening. The X10's internal amplifier and DAC worked perfectly fine with easy-to-drive speakers and non-critical listening, but they have their limits, which need to be considered. While the X10 did a fine job driving the Orb Audio speakers, it struggled with the hard-to-drive B&W 805 Diamonds and the MartinLogan Summits. It did successfully drive an older pair of Canton Ergo desktop speakers. I tried the X10's line-level analog outputs as a source to my reference system, and bypassing the internal amplifier made a definite improvement in sound quality. The X10 was still limited by its internal DAC, which did not provide the detail or linearity provided by any of the standalone DACs I had on hand. I was able to circumvent this by using the digital output to feed my DAC. In short, the X10 has its sonic limitations as a standalone device, but you can raise the performance level by using it as a source and connecting it to an external system.

Comparison and Competition

The product lines with functionality similar to the X10 include Olive and ReQuest. Both the Olive and ReQuest current product lines appear to be more refined and capable, but they are also more expensive. It's worth noting that Cocktail Audio plans to release higher-end units (the X12, X30, and X40) that will provide more direct competition to the Olive and ReQuest products. The top-shelf X40 will support DSD64, DSD128, and DXD (24/352.8), as well as HD FLAC (24/192), HD WAV (24/192), and the normal WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, AIF, and AAC formats.

The X10 is a great way to listen to your CD collection without the hassle of actually having to use the physical discs or a computer. With the X10, you can quickly and easily import the music off of your discs or from another hard drive so that all of your music is stored on the pint-sized X10. With a little bit of use, I was able to quickly navigate my way through the X10 to find the music I wanted to play, whether it was on disc, the internal drive, somewhere on the network, or on Internet radio. The X10 has a wide array of options to edit metadata and manage your audio files, which also makes it not just a convenient standalone music system or source to a more ambitious system, but an easy way to get music off of your discs and onto hard drives that can then be used any way you would like.

All in all, the X10 makes it easy to load and listen to CDs. Simply add a pair of speakers, and you can be up and running a few minutes after opening the box. It would make a great self-contained bedroom or office system. If you are looking for more refined sound or have more difficult-to-drive speakers, the X10's digital output allows it serve as a source for the vast majority of available audio files. The fact that the X10 does this at such an affordable price makes it that much more attractive.

HTR Product Rating for Cocktail Audio X10 Music System

Disagree with our product rating? Email us and tell us why you think this product should receive a higher rating.

Cocktail Audio Pro X100 Review

A customised Linux-based media streamer with some interesting features

Just when you thought CD ripping had gone the way of the dinosaur, along comes a device that manages to combine it with network audio streaming.

The Cocktail Audio Pro X100 is an interesting marriage of technologies. It’s a compact unit measuring just 204 x 240 x 80mm, and it looks similar to the previous generation of Shuttle media cases.

Within its black chassis lies a 2GHz Intel Trial-D quad-core processor and 4GB of DDR3 memory. On its 1TB hard drive, you’ll find a copy of Fedora 22 running in console mode, with a selection of pre-installed audio apps, Samba and a selection of other networking media programs.

The front is dominated by a slim DVD optical drive, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, and headphone and microphone jacks.

The rear of the device features a further three USB 2.0 ports, a single USB 3.0 port, gigabit Ethernet, another two headphone and microphone ports, an optical port, HDMI and the power input.

How the X100 works is really very simple. All you do is hook the unit up to your network, and from any modern browser you access the web landing page to launch the various installed apps or configure the X100’s settings.

Since it’s Linux based, there are a lot of possible extras you can install on top of what Cocktail has already included.

To begin with, you’ll find the likes of Squeezelite, SqueezeBox Server and a CD import function, as well as a software manager where you can install Plex, BubbleUPnP and so on.

The settings also allow you to attach to a local NAS drive or a shared folder where your music collection already resides. You can, of course, opt to copy everything over to the X100, or you could simply use it as a hub for all your music. And as well as music streaming, you can also add videos and other media types or use the X100 as a backup device.

Beyond the web front-end, by attaching the X100 to a monitor via the HDMI port, you’ll get access to the core Fedora OS. You can fiddle around with the OS to your heart’s content, but generally speaking it’s probably best you leave the back-end operating system alone – unless you know what you’re doing and have the technical ability to alter the OS.

The main CD importer function works well. The CDs are automatically ripped and encoded to FLAC as soon as they’re inserted, along with the X100 retrieving the album art and metadata. Once the content has been stored on the X100’s internal drive, you can then access it from any LANconnected device and begin playing the media. Or you could play it via the X100’s optical port if it’s hooked up to your speaker setup.

The overall build quality and design of the Cocktail Audio Pro X100 is impressive. Clearly a lot of thought went into making it easy to use, while offering a simple way of digitising your CD collection.

It’s not priced too high either; the 1TB model. That said, confident Linux users could assemble something similar for less. David Hayward

Well designed and interesting.

Features• Cocktail Audio Pro (X100) can be customised.• HDD/SSD: Currently supports 500GB – 8TB.• Intel T-D quad-core CPU 2GHz.• Auto tags all ripped CDs including album cover arts.• Private cloud based online music metadata service.• Share files via streaming protocols like SMB, NFS, UPNP, Airplay, DLNA.• Indexes through Squeezebox Server integration.• Media server for video, audio and picture streaming.• Sonos module for easy configuration.• Fanless design for silent operation.• Multitasking web interface.• Easy backup mechanism with fast incremental.• USB Audio interface (asynchronous output).• Grade 32-bit/384KHz and DSD music player.• Adaptable technology and firmware updateable.• No delayed background conversions.• Open editable database – stable structure.• Music library mirroring option.• Power efficient.

Cocktail Audio Pro X100 (4TB) …

• Cocktail Audio Pro X100 can be customised • 64 Bit Operating System Handler • Private cloud based online music metadata service • No delayed background conversions • Streaming protocols like SMB, NFS, UPNP, Airplay, DLNA .

Cocktail Audio Pro X100 (8TB) …

• Cocktail Audio Pro X100 can be customised • 64 Bit Operating System Handler • Private cloud based online music metadata service • No delayed background conversions
• HDD/SSD: Currently supports 500GB - 10TB • ROON Ready & Server Edition • USB Audio interface (asynchronous output) • Music library mirroring option• HDD/SSD: Currently supports 500GB - 10TB • ROON Ready & Server Edition • USB Audio interface (asynchronous output) • Music library mirroring option

Cocktail Audio Pro X100 (HDD 10TB) …

• Cocktail Audio Pro X100 can be customised • 64 Bit Operating System Handler • Private cloud based online music metadata service • No delayed background conversions
• HDD/SSD: Currently supports 500GB - 10TB • ROON Ready & Server Edition • USB Audio interface (asynchronous output) • Music library mirroring option

Thanks! Ripping works flawlessly but how do you copy music files from one external HDD to the internal drive of the X100?

X-100 PRO: Is this a brand-new model (June, 2017)? Does it replace the older X-50 ? The X-100 certainly uses a much newer, faster and more capable processor (by a long-shot) tan the near 5-X more expensive X-50 ?

If you’re engaging in a most basic of reviews (such as a this), these are basic questions to answer for readers. Another lame, sloppy product introduction/ review.

Cocktail audio forum

Marantz SR7009, Marantz UD7007, T-PC50st60, Parasound JC-2 BP Preamp, Parasound Halo A21 Stereo Amplifier, Parasound Halo 2.1 Integrated Amplifier, Benchmark DAC2 DX, Essence HDACC Audio control Center,Marantz SR5009, Oppo DBP 105D, MiniDSP DDRCA-88A

For example, a very decent 3rd party UPnP/DLNA controller on Android is the BubbleUPnP app (free version available).

The free (donationware) highly recommended UPnP/DLNA media server, MinimServer, can be run on computers and some NASs:

For example, a very decent 3rd party UPnP/DLNA controller on Android is the BubbleUPnP app (free version available).

The free (donationware) highly recommended UPnP/DLNA media server, MinimServer, can be run on computers and some NASs:

However, the X40 is an all in one device, with its own media server & music library, as well as music file streaming/playing capabilities. It even has a CD drive to allow you to rip CDs straight into its built-in music library, includes a tag editing facility and the ability to store the files to an optional internal storage drive. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with the X40, so cannot give you any advice as to how to sort out problems with its built-in media server. Do you know if its media server is in-house? Can it be replaced with one of your own?

суббота, 16 декабря 2017 г.