Cocktail audio x30

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.

Cocktail audio x30

Music Server/ Network Steamer / CD Storage

• Equipped with a 700MHz MIPS host CPU (Processor)

High-speed, silent slide front loading conpact disc drive for playing & ripping

Cocktail Audio X30 uses an optical disc drive (ODD) with a 24x high speed. The operation is silent, which means you can listen to music while ripping. Compatible with CD, CD-DA, CD-R, CD-RW and DVD-R/RW.

High-quality sound through Burr-Brown HD DAC and isolated power source design For high-quality sound output

Fast CD ripping with CD meta-data standard album cover art & various file formats

Cocktail Audio X30 can rip a one hour playing time CD in less than 10 minutes. It will catalogue your collection by album, artist, genre and year - all ripped CDs will be stored into the music database. X30 provides four ripping options (encoding): WAV, FLAC, MP3 or OGG.

Please Note: These figures may vary slightly according to the number of tracks on a CD

Connect to a monitor to view a slideshow of Images / Album Covers while listening to music

Cocktail Audio X30 provides HDMI OUT connector for external display, such as a TV (or a compatible monitor) as its GUI screen.

Multiple inputs and outputs for versatile connectivity

Cocktail Audio X30 offers various audio inputs and outputs for connecting other audio devices including a monitor (only HDMI). Three digital outputs, two analogue outputs, two digital inputs and two analogue inputs, allows high connectivity with multiple devices. The dual digital inputs means the CA X30 can be used as a DAC with other digital audio sources.

High performance stereo digital amplifier with dynamic 100W (50W per channel)

A TI high-performance stereo digital amplifier chip, isolated power source circuit design and TCXO oscillator – with low noise and low distortion – makes CA X30 an ideal hi-fi component for an existing bookshelf or high quality floor standing (power load) speakers.

FM tuner, iRadio & online music streaming services

Cocktail Audio X30 features an FM tuner (tuning range FM87.5 - 108MHz) with RDS support. (NB RDS support is only available in Europe). Equipped with Gigafast Ethernet (10/100/1000Mbps) and wireless network (Wi-Fi USB dongle optional) you can connect the X30 to your home network to access tens of thousands of radio stations (Reciva) and online music services such as Simfy.

High res recording function (24bit/192Khz)

With the X30 you can record from the internet radio, FM radio and line-in as well as cassette tapes and vinyl. The 24bit/192Khz ADC chip allows for high resolution recording for better sound quality.

Cocktail Audio X30 supports 3.5” SATA hard disk, 2.5” SATA hard disk or solid state drive (SSD) as storages. A customised storage drive bay (drawer/caddy) allows for quick and easy installation. Using SSD storage means the X30 will operation noiselessly as the device is fanless. CA X30 currently supports up to 4TB of 3.5” hard disk, 1TB of 2.5” hard disk and 500GB of SSD. Increased capacity will be supported by impending firmware updates.

Versatile network functions through various network protocol support

As the X30 supports DNLA, Samba client/server/media renderer, FTP server and web server customised Web UI is provided, it offers;

• Hi-resolution 24bit/192Khz network streaming playback
• File management (copy, delete, rename, importing or exporting etc.) between X30 storage and NAS or PC
• Remote control with mobile devices like smartphones (iPhone or Android phone), iPad and tablet PC
• Remote control and Music DB editing with the customised Web UI

A free app is available to control X30 using a smartphone, tablet or PC. We recommend вЂ˜Eyecon’ for Android and Kinsky’ for iOS. Some music programs that enable streaming via computers can also be used.

The CA X30 front panel is 8mm thick aluminum with CNC cutting and metal chassis. The die-cast aluminum feet provide rigidity along with additional resistance from external vibrations. CA X30 dimensions: 435mm(W) x 325mm(D) x 88mm(H) without feet. Height with feet is 98.5mm .

The Web Interface (Web UI) for various browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Crome and Safari. With the Web UI you can manage the music database and edit CD metadata, such as adding or changing an album cover art.

Front panel intuitive control scheme

With the control panel you have quick access to basic functions such as power, volume/mute, OK/pause/scroll, and four menu keys forGUI of LCD screen. The input selector key allows you to seemlessly switch between input devices, and also features a mute mode that can be toggled at the push of the volume knob.

152-178 Kingston Road

New Malden, Surrey KT3 3ST

Sales : +44 (0)208 942 7575

Tel: +44 (0)208 942 01 11

Secure online shopping - accepted payments:

Cocktail Audioв„ў is a Registered Trademark

Cocktail Audio X30

Input: Ethernet, 1x Coax S/PDIF, 1x Toslink, analog RCA, analog 3.5mm, 3x USB for USSB storage, WiFI through optional USB dongle

Output: analog RCA line out, 1x Coax S/PDIF, AES/EBU, HDMI (video only), 2 pair speaker binding posts, 6.35mm headphone out

Dimensions: 435mm(W) x 325mm(D) x 98.5mm(H)

Availability: Online and through Authorized Dealers

Cocktail Audio is, to the best of my knowledge, a division of Novatron a Korean company specializing in the manufacture of "Multimedia Devices". I first came across the Cocktail Audio X30 at CES 2014 and I was intrigued by its all in oneness. The X30 incorporates a 50W digital amp, DAC, server, UPnP network player, and CD ripper all in one package. Just add speakers.

The computer inside the X30 sports an embedded 700Mhz MIPS processor, 4Gbit/DDR2/800Mhz Main Memory, and 4Gbit of Firmware Memory. The disk drive is a high speed optical disk drive capable of ripping an hour-long CD's worth of music in less than 10 minutes according to Cocktail Audio. The DAC and 50W digital amp are both from Texas Instruments, the former being the fairly ubiquitous Burr Brown TI PCM1792a capable of handling up to 24/192 data. The X30 supports APE/CUE, HD FLAC, HD WAV, MP3, FLAC, WAV, WMA, M4A, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, AIF, Ogg Vorbis, PCM, PLS, M3U, etc. file formats as well as gapless playback and Playlists. Internet Radio is provided via the free Reciva i-Radio service and the X30 also supports the Simfy streaming service. Additional streaming services are planned for the future.

The X30 can accept a single 2.5” SATA (up to 1TB), 3.5” SATA (up to 4TB), or SSD (2.5” SATA, up to 500GB) and buyers can opt to roll their own. The review unit came preloaded with a 500GB Seagate drive as well as boatload of music. Installation is simple and accomplished through a rear-mounted removable storage tray. Literally plug in and play. Also around back are most of the inputs and outputs as well as input for an FM antennae and IEC inlet for the included removable power cord.

The front of the X30 sports a nice big 5" TFT LCD (800x480 pixel), volume control, function control knob, four function buttons, headphone input, a single USB input, a 3.5mm analog input, and the slot load CD drive. The font panel consists of an 8mm thick slab of aluminum while the rest of body is your basic metal. That front panel comes in your choice of silver or black.

There's also an included remote which allows for a dizzying array of functions. Cocktail Audio also recommends ‘Eyecon’ for Android and ‘Sitecom media controller' for iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod) for remote control which allows playback of internally stored media. I preferred the Creation 5 Pro app or Linn's Kinsky player since they allowed me to play back from both internal storage and my NAS.

You can rip your CDs to a number of formats including MP3 (yuck), Ogg, WAV (default), FLAC, and ALAC. I chose WAV and ripped a CD, Don Cherry's Art Deco (55:44) which took all of 9 minutes. You can elect to install the FreeDB database for metadata on your internal drive through the included CD or let the X30 use the internet-based service which obviously requires a network connection. There's a simple backup program included for backing up your internal storage to an external USB drive. Nice.

Playing back files from my NAS was simply a matter of going to the "Browser" menu on the font display using the function control knob, then selecting UPnP, and then my NAS. My NAS-based music library appeared pretty much immediately and played without a problem. Nice. Playing back music from internal storage was simply a matter of going to the "Music DB" menu and browsing away. There are three views for the TFT display when playing music; Cover and (Track) List (default), Music Info which show just the album info, and List Only which displays just the tracks. You can also scroll through these views by hitting the "Info" button on the remote.

There's also a built-in equalizer with various presets including Normal, Classical, Club, Concert Hall, Dance, Live, Party, and many more and you can also create your own eq. I went with Normal. The X30 is really chock full of features including the ability to record from Internet radio, set the recoding sample rate, play a CD directly without ripping, a Dynamic Range Compression Mode (default is "On" I turned it "Off"), and much more. For anyone interested in the full story, check out the X30 Manual.

It's Five O'Clock Somewhere

The Cocktail Audio X30 falls on the slightly dark and relaxed side of the sonic coin, similar to the recently reviewed Pro-Ject Stream Box RS (see review). You could point to the fact that they both employ the TI Burr-Brown PCM1792a DAC and I wouldn't argue the point but let's keep in mind we're also listening to a 50W integrated digital amp with the X30 as well. The amp drove my DeVore The Nines with no problem.

To reach further into that relaxed descriptor, I'm really talking about a sense of resolution and dynamics both of which I've heard better reproduced with other combinations albeit more costly than the X30 since they include my Pass INT-30A ($7,150). But even pairing the Pass with the relatively inexpensive iFi micro iDSD DAC ($499) delivers more resolution and greater dynamic slam. In comparison, the X30 sounds, well, more relaxed. Tone colors are also shelved down a bit from other combo's including the Pass/iFi but there's a nice sense of differentiation nonetheless. Bass response is a tad loose but hefty enough to deliver. There's certainly no sense of glare in the upper frequencies and if anything the overall sonic picture seems to be weighted toward the midrange.

The recently reviewed Sony UDA-1 integrated amp/DAC (see review) offered a more exciting sound but of course you're not getting a lot of the functionality of the X30 with the Sony including the network player/server piece, which is a big piece for those looking for an all-in-one piece of kit. But the Sony lit things up, upping the ante in terms of both dynamics and resolution.

I heard no sonic difference with the X30 playing music from internal storage or NAS to speak of and both methods were a breeze to navigate with Creation 5 and in a pinch through the front controls of the X30. The screen is a nice size, nearly readable from my listening seat. The included remote came in handy mainly for adjusting volume. Internet radio sounded its usual self, a bit muted, compressed, and gray but just fine for casual listening and music discovery.

Using the NAD VISO HP50 headphones, I took the X30's 'phone jack for spin and was pleased with what I heard. The relaxed quality I've been talking about did not seem to travel to the headphone output and music sounded resolute, relatively rich and full.

If you're looking for an integrated amp, network player, music server, and DAC all in one box the Cocktail Audio X30 delivers a goodly amount of what you'd expect from such a device. While I've heard better sonic performance from more costly separates and less well endowed players in terms of features, the X30 errs on the side of what I consider to be an easy to listen to sound.

Also on hand and in use during the X30 review: Pro-Ject Stream Box RS, iFi micro iDSD, Sony UDA-1

Cocktail Audio X30

Hardware Review

Not many audio companies make streamers with built in storage and amplification, scratch that, nobody seems to make a streaming audio system in one box apart from Cocktail. There are a few streamers with onboard storage made by the likes of Naim, Sony and Olive and there are quite a few computer based options. But the hi-fi brands tend to charge two grand and upward for an HD streamer with hard disk drives with which to store your music, they are also exclusively network devices that require an app on a smart phone or preferably tablet to control them. Cocktail Audio’s X30 is both relatively inexpensive and (just about) possible to run without a network, Cocktail itself does not have an app for its streamers but third party options can be used.

The X30 is a complete solution that only requires a pair of speakers and a CD collection to get up and running. That slot in the front will suck in your disc, rip it to the HDD and spit it out again. It even has an onboard library to refer to for artist, album and track information so that those discs can be easily found and selected. That said the advantages of having the X30 on the network far outweigh the inconvenience of setting it up, not least the ability to access internet radio and an ever expanding library of metadata for your discs. It can be wired or wirelessly connected (with an optional dongle) to the network provided by your domestic wi-fi router, and while we would recommend running an Ethernet cable rather than relying on wi-fi it’s unlikely to effect the sound of low bitrate stations. The X30 can’t access popular services like Spotify and nor does it receive Bluetooth signals, it does however receive Airplay, not that the manual mentions it. Alternatively it will play material on a NAS drive on the same network, but given that the internal drive can be as big as 4TB a NAS would be better used for back up purposes.

m-178-back.jpg

As an amplifier it has analogue and digital in and outputs, including balanced digital out, alongside an FM tuner and CD player – that slot is not only for ripping. There is also HDMI out and three USB ports plus the necessary RJ45 socket for network cabling. A SATA drive drawer means you can put more memory in as it’s needed. There is a full size headphone socket on the front panel and a minijack input for mobile devices, the amplifier is a digital type with a specified 50 watts a side. The Cocktail supports all the usual formats plus one unusual one in 24-bit/352.8kHz DXD, an ultra high resolution format used by only one record label to my knowledge. Streaming is limited to 24/192 as per usual and does not include DSD.

The X30 was designed to be used with the button festooned handset that comes with it and while this seems a bit odd to the hard bitten computer audio enthusiast it might make the transition to streaming easier for newcomers. Basically you use the handset to navigate the on-screen display, and after a while you get to know where all the important buttons are, but it still took me a little while to get my head around the operating logic. This is largely because there are some things you have to tell it to do that most standalone streamers achieve on their own. Primarily connecting to the network requires that you select the right part of the set up system and press OK a few times. Moving music files onto it via the desk top of a Mac does not come very naturally either and I ended up using the X30’s interface to import songs from the NAS instead. I used the PlugPlayer app to select material from the onboard drive but note that Cocktail recommends Linn’s Kinsky, which looks nicer but lacks volume control.

It took a while to find a pair of speakers that worked with the Cocktail, its amp is not the most powerful of devices so requires something fairly sympathetic to give of its best. Having tried Cambridge Aeromax 6 floorstanders and PMC fact.8s I discovered that the little Q-Acoustics 1010i stand mounts made the best partners. They let the X30 deliver decent three dimensionality with Bugge Wesseltoft’s marvellous new album Trialogue. It revealed much of the space in his take on Round Midnight, I pressed play with the level higher than expected but both amp and speaker coped and the latter ‘disappeared’ to let the sound take over remarkably well. Dynamics are pretty good too, not best in class but consistently entertaining, I played Steely Dan’s Peg (Aja, ABC) and was pleasantly surprised at how good the guitar break sounded alongside a nice taut bass line. It also seemed like an idea to try something at higher resolution, this time Muddy Waters’ Folk Singer, a remarkable early 24/192 remastering by Classic Records. This didn’t have the transparency that it can but you got a good helping of the attitude and range in his voice.

X30-display.jpg

With internet radio I was impressed that the X30 can access on-demand radio shows, material that is available online but which not all streamers seem able to deliver. I also like the ease with which you can ‘favourite’ a station so that it can be found again. I ended up listening to one favourite station, Fluid, for sometime in the background and enjoyed the fact that there was so little drop out – another problem with some streamers.

The Cocktail X30 can probably be bettered in sonic terms by a separate streamer, amp and NAS drive if they’re carefully chosen, and Denon among others have streaming amps at pretty competitive prices that include a lot of extra features. But I would be surprised if there is anything out there that offers everything that the X30 does in one box at a better price. It may not have the latest wireless features but if you don’t store your music on your phone that’s not really an issue. And should you feel the inclination to listen to YouTube on your iPad, it turns out that it’s Airplay compatible as well.

Type: music server with HDD, DAC, FM tuner and amplifier

Storage: 2TB hard drive

Analogue Inputs: one RCA, aux 3.5mm jack

Analogue Outputs: stereo unbalanced RCA, 6.35mm headphone jack

Digital Inputs: coaxial S/PDIF, optical TOSLink

Digital Outputs: AES/EBU LXR, coaxial S/PDIF RCA, optical TOSLink

DAC Resolution: 192 kHz/24 bit

Supported Digital Formats: DXD 24bit/352.8Khz, APE/CUE, MP3, FLAC, WAV, WMA, M4A, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, AIF, Ogg Vorbis, PCM, PLS, M3U

User Interface: 5-inch display, remote handset

Other Features: unofficial Airplay support

Dimensions (HxWxD): 98.5 x 435 x 325mm

Weight: not specified finish: black or silver

Cocktail audio x30

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,

Cocktail audio x30

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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

It’s a revolutionary HiFi component, and all-in-one smart HD Music Server/Network Streamer/CD Storage (Ripper)/powerful Amplifier:

в—Џ Equipped with a 700MHz MIPS host CPU (Processor)

в—Џ Burr-Brown PCM1792a DAC(digital-to-analogue converter) chip

в—Џ Powerful TI stereo digital amplifier

в—Џ Isolated power source circuit design for digital parts and analogue parts

в—Џ High speed optical disk drive for quick ripping

в—Џ 5 inch full colour screen for intuitive graphical user interface

в—Џ FM radio tuner

в—Џ Internet Radio and online music service like Simfy(it depends on country)

в—Џ Recording with max 192Khz sampling rate

● Max capacity storage installation for 3.5” & 2.5” SATA hard disk and SSD

в—Џ Versatile network solution for 24bit/192Khz hi-res streaming playback and file management

в—Џ Customized Web Interface and free UPnP apps for remote controlling

в—Џ Rugged chassis construction with 8mm thick aluminium front with a metal chassis

в—Џ Various software functionalities

в—Џ Hi-resolution 24bit/192Khz network streaming playback

в—Џ File management (copy, delete, rename, importing or exporting etc) between X30 storage and NAS or PC.

в—Џ Remote control with mobile devices like smartphones (iPhone or Android phone), iPad and tablet PC.

в—Џ Remote control and Music DB editing with the customised Web UI.

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 x30

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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Cocktail Audio X40 HiFi Music Streamer and CD Ripper

Network Player, CD Ripper with DSD/DXD Support and Built-in Phono Preamp

If you thought that Cocktail Audio’s X30 gave you the whole cocktail of audio entertainment, wait until you take a taste of the X40’s features. The X40 is a revolutionary hi-fi component consisting of an all-in-one smart HD music server, network streamer, CD ripper, and more. It comes with 4GB of built-in memory, and you can add your own internal hard drive for other storage options.

The X40 also provides a built-in ES9018K2M Sabre32 Reference DAC with support for high-resolution DSD/DXD files, a MM moving magnet phono stage, and even an FM radio tuner. Unlike the X30, it does not include an onboard integrated amplifier section, which makes it the ideal source component for audiophiles to connect into their existing power amp, receiver, or powered speakers. Easy-peasy!

High-quality Audio Performance

The X40 offers 32-bit, 384 kHz resolution using an extremely powerful ES9018K2M Sabre32 Reference DAC with XMOS 32Bit/500MIPS Digital Signal Processor. It the X40 supports a wide range of digital file formats. It plays DSD64 (2.8224MHz), DSD128 (5.6448MHz), DXD (24Bit/352.8KHz), up to 32Bit/384KHz PCM signal including HD FLAC (24Bit/192KHz), HD WAV (24Bit/192KHz), APE/CUE, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, AIF, AAC, M4A, MP3, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, PCM, M3U, PLS, and more.

The CA X40 can play back multiple tracks with no gap between them. This is a useful function for fans of operatic or classical music, which is composed of multiple tracks.

The CA X40 includes a recording function for analog sources via its line-in RCA input and MM moving magnet phono input. The built-in phono preamp sounds great and allow you to record your LPs at 192 kHz, 96 kHz or 48 kHz sample rates and even edit them after recording. Using the RCA analog inputs, you can record other analog material such as your favorite cassette tapes up to 24-bit/192 kHz sound quality.

High-speed Optical Drive for Ripping CDs

For fast CD ripping, the CA X40 uses a front-loading optical disc drive (ODD) with 24x high speed. It can rip a CD with a 60-minute playing time CD in less than 10 minutes. Once it's done ripping, the X40 will catalog your CD collection by album, artist, genre, and year, and will also store all ripped CDs into the music database. The X40 provides various encoding options for ripping. Choose FLAC, ALAC, WAV, MP3 or Ogg.

Balanced and Unbalanced Analog Pre-Outs

In addition to its digital connections, the X40 gives you high quality analog pre-outs for playback through your AV gear. The unbalanced RCA outputs offer a dynamic range of -120 dB and THD+N (Max 2Vrms, Stereo) of 127 dB DNR. The balanced AES/EBU XLR outputs provide a dynamic range of -120 dB and THD+N (Max 4.5Vrms, Stereo) of 127 dB DNR.

For an intimate listening experience, the high quality headphone out with 1/4” jack provides 500mW+500mW at 1KHz, 32 ohm, 0.1% THD.

Multiple Digital Inputs and Outputs

The CA X40 offers a variety of digital audio inputs and outputs for connection to other audio devices. The three digital outputs consist of Toslink optical, coaxial, and AES/EBU XLR, which support up to 24-bit/192 kHz. This means the X40 can be used as an audio server and source device if you wish to use an existing external amplifier and/or DAC. The dual digital inputs (Toslink optical and coaxial) mean the CA X40 can be used as a DAC with other digital audio sources. It also has three USB Host ports for use with external drives.

Connect to Your Network

The CA X40 features GigaFast Ethernet LAN for a wired network connection and USB host ports (one on the front, two on the rear) for the optional 801.11b/g/n WiFi USB dongle or other external USB devices.

A built-in Web Interface (Web UI) for various web browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari allows the management and controlling of the music collection on the X40, such as adding album covers, creating playlists, playing internet radio, editing metadata, displaying the collection, and much more.

Using the Ethernet connection or the optional WiFi dongle allows you to connect the CA X40 to your home network to access tens of thousands of internet radio stations (Reciva). Online music streaming services like Spotify and Rhapsody will be added at a later date.

Intuitive Front Panel Controls and LCD Screen

Intuitive front panel controls provide quick access to basic functions such as power, volume/mute, OK/Pause/Scroll, and four menu keys for the GUI of the full-color 5" LCD screen. The input selector key allows you to seamlessly switch between input devices and also features a mute mode that can be toggled at the push of the volume knob.

Using its HDMI output, you can use an external big screen, such as a monitor or TV, as its GUI screen. You can also view a photo slideshow while you're listening to music. The CA X40 supports various picture file formats like JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF and BMP.

App for iOS and Android

With the help of a free app, you can control the CA X40 using a smartphone or tablet PC. Cocktail Audio recommends ‘Eyecon’ for Android and ‘Sitecom media controller' for iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod).

Add Your Own Hard Drive for Digital File Storage

For storing digital music files, the CA X30 supports a 3.5” SATA hard disk or a 2.5” SATA hard disk or solid state drive (SSD) as storage. A customized storage drive bay drawer allows quick and easy installation. If you install an SSD as storage, the X40 will offer noiseless operation, as it has no cooling fan.

Currently, the CA X40 supports up to 4TB with a 3.5" hard disk, up to 4TB with a 2.5" hard disk and up to 4TB of SSD.

Rugged and Durable Casework

The CA X40 front panel is 8mm thick aluminum with CNC cutting and metal chassis. The die-cast aluminum feet provide rigidity along with additional resistance from external vibrations.

Overview

• Versatile network solution for hi-res streaming playback and file management
• Playback of DSD64 (2.8224MHz), DSD128 (5.6448MHz), DXD (24Bit/352.8KHz), up to 32Bit/384KHz PCM signal including HD FLAC (24Bit/192KHz), HD WAV (24Bit/192KHz), APE/CUE, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, AIF, AAC, M4A, MP3, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, PCM, M3U, PLS
• 24-bit/192 kHz WAV/FLAC and full range of hi-res audio file formats
• ES9018K2M Sabre32 Reference DAC built-in
• XMOS 32Bit/500MIPS digital signal processing unit
• High-speed optical disk drive for quick CD ripping
• Phono INPUT (Moving Magnet) for turntable
• Load your vinyl and cassette tape collections to the X40 in 192kHz sample rate
• Music Streaming Services like Qobuz, Simfy and Internet Radio.
• UPnP Media Server & Renderer for streaming playback and control remotely via network.
• 5 inch full color TFT LCD for intuitive GUI
• HDMI Out connector for using an external screen like TV as its GUI screen
• Supports up to 3.5" SATA hard disk 4TB, 2.5" hard disk and SSD
• Toroidal transformer minimizing idle noise
• FM Radio Tuner built-in
• Recording with hi-res 24bit/192KHz sample rate
• Provides the customized Web Interface (WebUI) for remote control and MusicDB management
• Works with various free apps available at app stores
• Rugged chassis construction with 12mm thickness aluminum front
• Versatile software functionalities

Host CPU and Memory

• Embedded: 700Mhz MIPS
• Main Memory: (4Gbit, DDR2 800Mhz)

CD Player

• Type: Front Loading
• Supported media: CD, CD-DA, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R/RW

Interface

• 5" TFT LCD(800x480 pixel) on the front
• External screen like TV may connected through HDMI connector
• Remote Control
• Customized Web Interface (Web UI) for Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari
• Free UPnP app available in app store or market for iOS and Android

Analog Connections

• Balanced Line Out x 1: L & R XLR
• Unbalanced Line Out x 1: L & R RCA
• Headphone Out: 6.35mm jack on the front
• Line In x 1: L & R RCA
• Aux In x 1: 3.5mm Phone Jack on the front

Digital Connections

• Toslink Out x 1: Sample Rate up to 24-bit/192 kHz
• Coaxial Out x 1: Sample Rate up to 24-bit/192 kHz
• AES/EBU XLR Out x 1: Sample Rate up to 24-bit/192 kHz
• Toslink In x 1: Sample Rate up to 24-bit/192 kHz
• Coaxial In x 1: Sample Rate up to 24-bit/192 kHz
• MM phono input
• HDMI out (video only) x 1: for GUI or for photo slide shows

Network/Hard Drive Connectivity

• 3 x USB host ports
• Wired: Giga Fast Ethernet(10/100/1000Mbps) LAN
• Wireless (optional): 801.11b/g/n WiFi using optional USB dongle

Power Supply

• Audio Power Supply: Toroidal transformer, 75W

Supported Storage

• Removable storage tray drawer is provided for adding optional HD storage
• Hard disk, 2.5” SATA, up to 4TB
• Hard disk, 3.5” SATA, up to 4TB
• SD, 2.5” SATA, up to 4TB

Analog Connections

• Line Out (L & R RCA): Dynamic Range : 127 dB(2 V rms, Stereo) THD+N : 0.0004%
• Line Out (L & R XLR): Dynamic Range : -120dB THD+N (Max 4.5Vrms, Stereo), 127dB DNR
• Headphone Out: 500mW+500mW@1Khz, 32 ohm, 0.1% THD
• Line In x 1: 2V rms
• Aux In x 1: 800mV rms
• MM phono in: 7.5mV sensitivity

Digital Connections

• Toslink Out x 1: Sample Rate up to 24-bit/192 kHz
• Coaxial Out x 1: SPDIF 75 ohm RCA, Sample Rate up to 24-bit/192 kHz
• AES/EBU XLR Out x 1: 110 ohm, Sample Rate up to 24-bit/192 kHz
• Toslink In x 1: Sample Rate up to 24-bit/192 kHz
• Coaxial In x 1: Sample Rate up to 24-bit/192 kHz

General

• Dimensions (without feet): 17.1" wide, 12.8" deep, 3.5" high
• Dimensions (with feet): 17.1" wide, 12.8" deep, 3.9" high

Does everything I needed and more: streaming, ripping, storing, etc. Backup is simple as is downloading artwork. Sound is excellent. The only negatives are no built-in bluetooth, the remote is poorly laid out, and smartphone app isn't here yet --they say soon.

For what this little gem can do. there isnt anything out there you can compare it to until you triple the price. I find that the Sabre DAC is the star here as it does bring the sound up to audiophile quality. Silky smooth and detailed while never appearing forward or etched. Although it had some minor bugs, the firmware update addressed most of them, The learning curve is quick and easy while the feature set is top notch. Spotify was added recently to services which was a needed boost. Tidal anyone? It may not be the best, but it is the best at this price level. Listen and see for yourself. Highly recommended. Enjoy.

This is a great piece of technology that offers tremendous versatility, good sound quality, at a decent price point. On it, I have ripped some 700 titles from my collections of Vinyl, CDs, and SACDs, and am very pleased with the how easy it is to use, as well as its sound quality. There were three other piece of gear I considered before deciding on the x40. The Sooloos Music Server System, NAD M50 with M52 vault, and Sony HAPZ1ES. All of these are easy to run and sound great, but with an extensive record collection containing many titles that are not available on CD. The x40s ability to rip vinyl directly to it, is what sold me. The second consideration was space in my rack is limited, so trying to place a two piece solutions would have been too much a hassle. I was looking for a one box solution that could do it all, and with x40 I got it. Sound quality of the x40 is very similar to HAPZ1ES and M50, its presentation is not as crisp and punchy as these two, but very accurate and velvety smooth, with not a trace of grain or tininess. It especially excels at intimate acoustic and vocal recordings. giving them a depth and richness that is wonderful to listen to. Nonetheless, I make no allusions, it is not capable of the same degrees of inner detail, separation, nor slam that an Ultra-High End Digital Player is capable of. Bass from it is tight and has weight, but it just does not deliver the same amount of punch that my Compact Digital Player is capable of. That being said, the x40 is less than half the CDPs price. So obviously, my comparisons here are far from scientific and in a true double blind listening test, I wonder if I would really be able to pick out the x40 from my CDP. So take my nitpicking with a grain of salt. There are some considerations about the x40 I do feel worth mentioning. The first being. unlike, the other products mentioned here, with x40 you have to purchase a hard drive and install the music DB software yourself. This is not hard to do. However finding a suitable drive that works well with it took some experimentation. Even the highest end platter drives. are noisy, vibrate like hell, and generate lots of heat. Thus the ideal choice is a Solid State one, right? However, there is no ability to run a 3rd party trim command with the x40; Which you need to do frequently in order to maintain a SSDs performance, so I had concerns about a $500.00 plus SSD turning into a dog. Thus I installed a number of different platter drives, Which as mention earlier, either ran too hot, or too noisy I finally settled on a hard drive that is specifically designed for Digital Video Recording/Surveillance Systems. For about $150.00, I wound up with a drive that has large storage capacity, low vibration/noise, and designed to run in an environment like the x40s. where there is no internal cooling. The one I settled on works wonderfully, with no noticeable lag, and plus more storage than what is currently available on a SSD. The last concern, is the x40s entry into the US is new, so out of the box it is more compatible with services that are based in the Europe. Currenly, there is no access to Spotify or other US based streaming services. That is supposed to change with some future firmware update, but with no date announced on the factory website, who knows when that will be?