Antipodes Owners & Discussion Thread

[Whites]

Anyone own a K50?

 

It would be great to hear your opinion on its sound, particularly compared to previous equipment you owned.

[TerryO]

Mr Whites, I have a K50 and S30/40/60 combo. 
 

If someone wants to compare their CX/EX, either in standard or upgraded form, in my system I’m more than happy to host a day.

 

cheers,

Terry

 

Edited July 10, 2021 by TerryO

[Stereophilus]

CX packaged up and heading on a holiday to NZ tomorrow. 

 

I’ll report on the upgrade once I’ve got it back.  
 

For Australian customers Antipodes are quoting AUD $1950 for the upgrade, rather than US $1950, which is good of them. There is also a preview of AMS v3.1 software upgrade on their support page.  Looks much better than the current version.  AMS v3.1 is preinstalled as part of the hardware upgrade.

[dbastin]

On 08/07/2021 at 9:45 AM, delphi17 said:

I don't think the 80-90% will translate so well in server power upgrade.

 

I would be very surprised the server will see the same amount of improvement.

Antipodes Mark C has advised that, if someone has both CX and EX and can only afford to upgrade one of them, the CX as server would be best to upgrade.

[ikhuong]

On 10/07/2021 at 11:05 AM, TerryO said:

Mr Whites, I have a K50 and S30/40/60 combo. 
 

If someone wants to compare their CX/EX, either in standard or upgraded form, in my system I’m more than happy to host a day.

 

cheers,

Terry

 

Can you give some feedback on the performance of the S and K model?

I am keen to hear more report on AES output of K50 as well,

 

Thanks,

[GC Hifi]

On 30/07/2021 at 10:04 AM, ikhuong said:

Can you give some feedback on the performance of the S and K model?

I am keen to hear more report on AES output of K50 as well,

 

Thanks,

 

Hi Kevin,

 

I have just ordered a S20 reclocker to try out with the S30/60 combo and I reckon that might prove to be a very interesting combination once run in.

To my ears the S40/60 combo which I use most for streaming is more laid back and relaxed then the K series and depending on what system I play them in I would be way more than happy to have the S series as the delivery system as the K series is almost over kill. Though I have found the higher you go up the ladder in speakers, amps and especially Dac's the K50 just steps up and goes along for the ride and delivers more and better sq. But that is to be expected given pricing differences. 

My personal favourite and I mean my personal favourite in the Antipodes selection of models that I have is the K50 using AES EBU feeding the Mola Mola Makua/Tambaqui, this combination is stunning whether its feeding directly into the active 100 ATC's or into a Heschel power amp driving the big Fyne 704's. 

I have actually ordered for stock several more Atlas Mavros AES EBU cables as I have tried several other AES cables and so far the Atlas has easily sounded the best in my system.

 

I also have Innuous demo stock, being a Zenith3 and Pheonix reclocker plus several Auralic streamers, including the Auralic 4-stack, and each brand and model has its own SQ strengths and I would say each depending on the owners system and what music the individual likes to play and whether they like from one end of the spectrum, being ultra detail to the other being relaxed musicality would still need to compare the three brands in the same session to truly know which works best for them, their systems and their budgets.

I very much enjoy trying various combinations of Streamers, Dac's, Amps, Cables and Speakers to find out which combo works best together in each set up and room, though it can drive me a little stir crazy some times. 

 

I'm not sitting on the fence here, what I have said is exactly what I have found and think, the thing is most Hifi retail suppliers stock one or two streamer brands, usually at different price points. I have chosen to have demo stock for three of just about the most popular at similar price points so people can come here and audition each and then decide what suites their ears best.

 

Back to Antipodes, I'm really looking forward to the S20 reclocker arriving in the next week or so.

 

Talk soon, if I remember right you have my phone number, feel free to call me if you would like to have a chat

 

cheers,

TerryO

Edited August 2, 2021 by GC HiFi

[ikhuong]

3 hours ago, GC HiFi said:

 

Hi Kevin,

 

I have just ordered a S20 reclocker to try out with the S30/60 combo and I reckon that might prove to be a very interesting combination once run in.

To my ears the S40/60 combo which I use most for streaming is more laid back and relaxed then the K series and depending on what system I play them in I would be way more than happy to have the S series as the delivery system as the K series is almost over kill. Though I have found the higher you go up the ladder in speakers, amps and especially Dac's the K50 just steps up and goes along for the ride and delivers more and better sq. But that is to be expected given pricing differences. 

My personal favourite and I mean my personal favourite in the Antipodes selection of models that I have is the K50 using AES EBU feeding the Mola Mola Makua/Tambaqui, this combination is stunning whether its feeding directly into the active 100 ATC's or into a Heschel power amp driving the big Fyne 704's. 

I have actually ordered for stock several more Atlas Mavros AES EBU cables as I have tried several other AES cables and so far the Atlas has easily sounded the best in my system.

 

I also have Innuous demo stock, being a Zenith3 and Pheonix reclocker plus several Auralic streamers, including the Auralic 4-stack, and each brand and model has its own SQ strengths and I would say each depending on the owners system and what music the individual likes to play and whether they like from one end of the spectrum, being ultra detail to the other being relaxed musicality would still need to compare the three brands in the same session to truly know which works best for them, their systems and their budgets.

I very much enjoy trying various combinations of Streamers, Dac's, Amps, Cables and Speakers to find out which combo works best together in each set up and room, though it can drive me a little stir crazy some times. 

 

I'm not sitting on the fence here, what I have said is exactly what I have found and think, the thing is most Hifi retail suppliers stock one or two streamer brands, usually at different price points. I have chosen to have demo stock for three of just about the most popular at similar price points so people can come here and audition each and then decide what suites their ears best.

 

Back to Antipodes, I'm really looking forward to the S20 reclocker arriving in the next week or so.

 

Talk soon, if I remember right you have my phone number, feel free to call me if you would like to have a chat

 

cheers,

TerryO

Thanks Terry for detailed information, this is very helpful for many. I agree with your setup ideology, there is no best component but a component can match at best in a particular setup or listener’s preference (in a defined budget)

[greggy]

Does anyone have any experience or opinions on whether it is best to have an all antipodes server\streamer combination or alternatively an antipodes server say an S40 with a Lumin U1 mini or full U1 or an Auralic Aries streamer G1 or 2.1

[dbastin]

1 hour ago, greggy said:

Does anyone have any experience or opinions on whether it is best to have an all antipodes server\streamer combination or alternatively an antipodes server say an S40 with a Lumin U1 mini or full U1 or an Auralic Aries streamer G1 or 2.1

 

In my experience, the last ethernet connection to the player/endpoint can have a significant impact on SQ, probably far greater than the choice of the player/endpoint.

 

I have not had CX + EX, but had EX + G1 and now EX + Devialet Pro both using wired and wifi ethernet to connect to endpoint (ie. G1 and Devialet).  In both cases wired was very good, but wifi was by far superior.  I would recommend considering the wifi approach as outlined above.  Antipodes don't offer wifi, so look elsewhere for players with wifi, and compared their sound over wifi.

 

Also consider DACs with a wifi enabled streamer to eliminate the final digital wire (streamer to DAC).

 

Incidentally, use quality wifi hardware, rather than the freebie ISP gear.

[TerryO]

3 hours ago, greggy said:

Does anyone have any experience or opinions on whether it is best to have an all antipodes server\streamer combination or alternatively an antipodes server say an S40 with a Lumin U1 mini or full U1 or an Auralic Aries streamer G1 or 2.1

Hi Greggy,

 

through my business I have had a number of streamers in my system including Bluesound Node2i, Antipodes S30/40/60 and K50, Innuos Zenith Mk3, Auralic, Altair G1, Aries G1 and G2.1, rather than me try and write a essay in each I will pm you.

 

cheers,

Terry

[GC Hifi]

Several of you have asked me about what I think of the S20 reclocker, not having had the opportunity to to try so I ordered one and it finally arrived, so I had it plugged in within 30 minutes of the Courier dropping it off, I'll run it in for a few days before doing any serious listening, but even though not run in it still has made an impressive improvement to sq. Though I'll admit it is a bit hard to tell exactly what is doing exactly what in this system presently as I am also running in some other components at the same time. 

 

It will be interesting to hear what connection sounds better with the S20 as I'll try it with both AES EBU and i2s as I'm running it through a DirectStream dac. I have listed below what the system is made up of.

 

Anyway once its run in I'll report back my thoughts.

 

cheers,

Terry

 

 

This is the system I'm running the Antipodes 3-stack through. Adot MC3 which Adot call their Audiophile Grade Optical Fibre Kit, this supplies a Optical feed to a Melco S100 switch which changes it back to ethernet to feed the S30. While I'm running the S20 in I'm using a Atlas AES EBU cable from the S20 to the DirectStream Dac that feeds through Atlas Mavros XLR's to the PS Audio M1200 mono blocks, then through Aurealis speaker cables to the ATC SCM11's. looking forward to having it all run in, the ATC's need a few more hours up on them as well, as does the S30. Come to think of it basically apart from the PS Audio gear it all needs to be run in.

 

 

Edited August 20, 2021 by GC HiFi

[Cafad]

Hey this Antipodes K50 is a bit of alright.  I'm a bit "slow of learning" so I'm finding the Roon interface a bit painful and I had a bit of an issue with the set up too, but sitting here listening to my new toy running in it's really hard to think of any regrets.

 

 

 

[dbastin]

On 19/08/2021 at 3:36 PM, GC HiFi said:

Adot MC3 which Adot call their Audiophile Grade Optical Fibre Kit

Are you a dealer for Adot?

What makes it 'audiophile' other than the LPS?

How is this different from the Dela OP S100 FMC (also s Melco/Buffalo)?

On 19/08/2021 at 3:36 PM, GC HiFi said:

Several of you have asked me about what I think of the S20 reclocker

It will be interesting to hear how you consider this compares to the Innuos reclockerI recall you had/have.

[atya]

Hi all, thanks to this thread I found @TerryO of @GC HiFi which has helped me heaps since with antipodes gear and networking advice. 

 

I recently purchased from him the S60 power supply which he recommended to power the S20 reclocker separately from my k30 setup. I wasn’t sure what improvement the S60 can bring but after trying it out, the S60 really opens up the sound further with lower noise floor and more ease from the music, specifically decay from instrument and piano notes sound more natural to me. Mark Cole from Antipodes confirms this as well as he has a similar setup, that the K30 itself probably isn’t ideal to power the S20 reclocker, as it’s already powering server / player. 

 

Added bonus which completely made my day, is that the S60 can power the S20 and my M-Scaler which takes in 12v, it’s like a 2 in one bonus and elevated the sound even further. So something to try if you have antipodes gear and m-scaler. 

 

Also incoming from @TerryO is the PhoenixNET, which I’m really curious if it helps the Antipodes further as I currently plug direct to Netgear router. 

 

 

[Indie Hi-Fi]

3 hours ago, atya said:

S60 can power the S20 and my M-Scaler

That's so good to know. I hadn't even thought of that. It would therefore power the MS and TT2 stack. Very nice solution. 

[atya]

33 minutes ago, Indie Hi-Fi said:

That's so good to know. I hadn't even thought of that. It would therefore power the MS and TT2 stack. Very nice solution. 

Yes should be a very good pairing indeed. While there are cheaper solutions for LPS, the S60 will be hard to beat. 

[notchasingrainbows]

36 minutes ago, Indie Hi-Fi said:

That's so good to know. I hadn't even thought of that. It would therefore power the MS and TT2 stack. Very nice solution. 

It would be preferable for the mscaler and tt2 to be powered separately though. 

[Indie Hi-Fi]

9 hours ago, notchasingrainbow said:

mscaler and tt2 to be powered separately

Ah yes good point. I do have an opto dx set still to try out. Sounds like some testing to do. 

 

Back to the thread but great side tips!

[Stereophilus]

I emailed Mark yesterday regarding the progress of the CX upgrade.  Unfortunately the NZ lockdown means they can't do any work on the upgrades... Very frustrating for everyone!

Edited August 24, 2021 by Stereophilus
Spelling

[delphi17]

1 hour ago, Stereophilus said:

I emailed Mark yesterday regarding the progress of the CX upgrade.  Unfortunately the NZ lockdown means they can't do any work on the upgrades... Very frustrating for everyone!

So sorry to hear that.

Hope they are able to upgrade and return your CX soon.

[ikhuong]

26 minutes ago, delphi17 said:

So sorry to hear that.

Hope they are able to upgrade and return your CX soon.

You are lucky, lol. Did not buy the CX for upgrade path but went for S40/S60, 

Edited August 24, 2021 by ikhuong

[delphi17]

52 minutes ago, ikhuong said:

You are lucky, lol. Did not buy the CX for upgrade path but went for S40/S60, 

 

yeah.. lucky i don't have money either way ...

[Stereophilus]

Well colour me surprised.  My upgraded CX arrived back today!

 

The Roon core restore from backup worked perfectly.  

 

AMS v3.1 is very nice, and much more simple to use compared to the old Orbiter GUI.
 

I’m just relaxing in for a prolonged listening session.  Early indications are very good!

[Stereophilus]

A bit early I think to go into great detail, but the early indications suggest this upgrade is well worth the investment.

 

My early impressions are:

1) improved sense of space and front to back separation.

2) greater ease and flow to music

3) top end detailed yet delicate.

 

The bass is not settled yet.  Last night was a bit overly tight, but it has been deeper and less constrained tonight.

 

The original CX was no slouch, but there is a clear incremental improvement from the upgrade.

[Cafad]

I have yet to do any comparing of streamer vs cd player but I am already very happy with both the K50 and the Roon functionality.  I was pretty confident I would like the K50 but less so about Roon, just from my limited exposure to it prior to getting it myself.  Happy to say I really like this new "radio without announcers or adds" that Roon offers.

 

And the K50 itself.  Now that I'm sorted on how to tell it I've changed DACs I'm very happy with it (the changing DACs was a bit of a bugger as I was initially forced to use the back end server controls to achieve it, now that I've got the front end screens (and my knowledge of their existence) sorted changing DACs is do-able in just a few mouse clicks.)

 

I did originally intend on purchasing the S series gear, and I did ask Terry about availability and pricing on those, but in the end I went with the one box solution that does it all rather than 3 boxes that do almost as much for less.  I have yet to finish copying all my music files on to the SSD I plugged into the back of it but that's OK, I've got plenty of (listening!) time on my hands.